“Because it’s embarrassing!”
“Yeah, so you’ll be feelingvulnerable. Boom, instant success. I’m a genius.” Nicky helped Jiyeon to her feet, then twirled her so fast that she squeaked in surprise. “And it won’t even take very long,” he added, twirling her again in the other direction. “Thirty seconds, tops. Just the dance break. So easy.”
“Ah, it’s the hardest part of the dance…”
“Exactly. And Keiichi’s good at it, but I’m twice as good. We can’t lose.” Nicky caught Jiyeon by the waist. He pointed at the wineglass. “I don’t see you drinking, my son. You know you’ll need every drop to survive this.”
Kei declared, emphatically, just how much he hated it here. Waiting for the dizziness to pass, Jiyeon said, “I’m not sure I’ll survive this.”
“Quit, hyung. You’re spinning her around too much.”
Nicky responded by dipping his dance partner so low that the ends of her hair brushed the ballroom floor. “Why? Is it bugging you, Ari? Is this finally making you jealous? Because that’s my other mission in life, I’ll get a reaction if it’s the last thing I do—”
He froze. Jiyeon had her fingers curved around his cheek. “Stop bullying him,” she said, “or I’ll bully you back.”
“Whoa, whoa,” Nicky exclaimed, swinging her upright. “Watch it, ajumma. You can look, but don’t touch. That’s how you get invoiced.”
“Invoice me, then. I’m gonna go dance with Eunjae.”
She broke free and reached for his hand. A song began to play, one that Eunjae didn't know, and the lights dimmed to a watery blue. He checked his watch. “Actually, I thought we could leave early.”
It was Saturday here, but Friday at home. Date night. Jiyeon’s eyes went wide with surprise, then delight. She stepped closer, still holding on to his hand, cheeks flushed from dancing. A long curl had come loose from the clasp at the nape of her neck. Eunjae brushed it away absently. He wasn't thinking, and it was perhaps the most normal thing in the world, the most normal thing he'd ever done, because who could think in a moment like that one? She was beautiful. She was everything.
But then Nicky said, “Hey, no way. We’re all going out to eat after this. I busted my ass to get that reservation. Booked it three months ago.”
“What does he care? Hyung’s got a new life now. He’s been trying to leave us since June.”
“We know that’s the wine talking, Keiichi.”
“It’s okay,” said Jiyeon, squeezing Eunjae’s hand. “We can go with them. There will be other date nights.”
That was true, and the disappointment didn’t show on her face or in the tone of her voice, even though she must have felt it.She’d grown so used to their plans being displaced, rearranged, set aside. Eunjae couldn’t bear this. Apologizing to Nicky, he said, “I’m taking her out. We’ll skip dinner just this once.”
“Just this once? You’re moving to LA. When will we all be in Tokyo again?”
When will we all be here together, again? Everything keeps changing. What if we don’t get another chance?He didn’t need to say it. Eunjae knew what he meant.
Kei stared down at the tablecloth, running his fingers over the brocade. “Leave him alone, hyung. Let him get caught with a girl in the middle of the night. We’re done anyway, without Jungwoo. If he signs with Emerald—”
“He won’t.”
“You believe him when he says that? Remember when he dragged Ari back to Seoul, remember how he put the job first and his best friend second? I couldn’t blame him, then,” Kei admitted, “because all our jobs were on the line, not just his. But Jungwoo cares about Jungwoo. That’s what it taught me.”
Nicky went to pour a glass of water, his smile extinguished. He pressed it into their brother’s hand, removing the wine from easy reach, and that was when Denny cut in.
“We need to go,” he said. “Emergency. Eric’s waiting.”
There was something about the way he delivered this message that quelled any potential argument and smothered every question they might think to ask. Jiyeon felt for Eunjae’s hand again. Kei shot up right away, offering to find Namgyu, but Nicky barred his path.
“Seems like it’s bad news. Keiichi, stay here with Zu.” He looked to their manager, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod in response. “Don’t tell him about this. Give him another few hours to think nothing’s wrong.”
He was the eldest present. Kei would’ve obeyed regardless, but he went without arguing because they could agree on this, atleast: Kazu should be able to enjoy his family tonight. If it was possible to shield him from the storm a little longer, it was worth defying Prism’s orders. Denny made Kei give up his phone, though. That was also part of Prism’s orders.
They hurried out of the ballroom and into a corridor steeped in shadow. This part of the venue had been excluded from the night’s festivities by a black velvet rope. Voices seeped out of the fourth door to the left, raised in anger. Jungwoo and Hazel were locked in a tense exchange. Max slouched against the opposite wall. With his shoulders hunched like that, he seemed far diminished from his true height. Hazel loomed larger, by contrast.
“Is it because you don't want to split the credit with him? Is that your problem?”
“Could you cut me some slack? I'm not the asshole you think I am.”
