But it was killing him. The shop had been everything to her brother from the second he walked in. If anyone should be there, it was Denny.
“Boss, we’ll talk to Emerald,” said Eunjae. “They won’t take this to legal. It’s a family emergency, so you need to go.”
“No.” Denny pointed at the door. “Back to your rooms.”
“But—”
“Now, Ryan.”
No one budged, not Eunjae or anybody in the hall, and then Denny was roaring at Apollo, roaring like Joey in the videos online. “Go!” he yelled at them. “Do what I told you to do! Can’t follow a direct order to save your lives. Jesus, I can’t deal with this right now.”
He pushed a sweater into Jiyeon’s arms, a rain jacket, her purse. All the fight had drained out of him. “If I leave, management transfers to Eric. You know he won’t treat them like people, Yeonnie. That’s not how he sees them, or any of us. We’re pieces on a board.”
The hallway was empty now. Eunjae kissed her goodbye.
Eric had the gall to pat him on the back as he left. “If there’s anything I admire,” he mused, “it’s how much your manager cares about you. That kind of loyalty is hard to find.”
36
PrismsentErintothe airport with Jiyeon, but it didn't stop there. Tickets had been purchased for both of them. The only saving grace was that the seats were on opposite ends of the plane.
Between bouts of fitful slumber, Jiyeon flicked through photos. She made note of which repairs they'd be able to tackle on their own and which would need to be outsourced. She tried to remember if they had paint left over from last spring, if the paint chips were at the shop or at Ivy Lane, if there might be flooring samples stashed in the Wanna Waffle pantry. Jiyeon couldn't hold on to any of it, though. And she didn't have the heart to come back to that picture of the door.
If she kept allowing herself to skip it, she'd never be able to assess the damage. Denny had to stay behind, so it was Jiyeon who should handle this. She knew, and she wanted to be doing it, to lose herself in the work. Things needed fixing. She was good at that. But there was so much noise in her head, an unendingdiscordant clash of new thoughts coming in and old worries rising to the surface. On that long flight, even her silenced phone managed to seem loud.
Erin wasted no time upon landing. From the second they deplaned, she launched into a play-by-play of Prism’s agenda. The only time Jiyeon got a break was when they were separated at immigration and then again at customs.
“You'll have a late start tomorrow,” she said, so magnanimous, “to recover from all the travel and the crazy things you've been dealing with. That sounds good, right? You deserve some rest. Don't worry about your café. We’ve advised Emerald to send a cleaning crew this week, on behalf of Apollo.”
On behalf of Apollo. Did the guys have anything to do with it at all? Were they even aware that the agency made this gesture in their name?
“We don't need help from Emerald,” Jiyeon said. Erin paid her no mind. They'd cleared customs by then, and all that remained was to catch a ride out of the airport. She typed as they walked, leading Jiyeon to assume she was arranging a taxi or a shuttle, but no. A lengthy email swooped into her inbox. Erin had spent the flight industriously composing a novel-length schedule overview for Emma Han.
“I've got three tours lined up for you on Tuesday, then two more on Wednesday, with some meetings here and there. I bet you'll have a favorite picked out by Friday!”
“Erin, I need to be at the shop. I can't be out on tours while my parents try to fix this mess by themselves. We'll have to be closed for almost a week, as it is.”
Firmly, Erin replied, “Oh, no. I'd say about three days at the most. The cleaners will come through and have you guys operational in no time.”
“I said we don't want—”
“Miss Han, the fans will be disappointed if Apollo doesn't make amends in some way. They'll expect the boys to pitch in. Not directly, of course. That's out of the question. But this is almost the same thing! And I'm sure you don't want to make it seem like your family is resentful in any way.”
Resentful? And what about the damage to the restaurant? Prism seemed devoted to glossing right over it, as though Jiyeon's family didn't depend on their business for bills and rent and groceries.
“It isn't safe for the group to show up in person. That would be a very risky thing to do right now.” Erin indicated that they should head to passenger pickup. She babbled all the way there. “We've decided the best course of action is to diminish Apollo’s ties to this waffle place of yours, now that filming is almost over. There will be some renewed interest when the show drops in January, but we'll tackle that later on.”
The signal improved and delayed messages stacked up on Jiyeon's screen. Seeing that so many were from Eunjae, her mood lifted considerably. But then Erin went on to say, “Apollo’s done a lot for you and your family. The easiest way to repay them is by sticking to the story we’re putting out there. It’s the story that puts the boys in the best possible light. So just go on these tours, keep your head down, and avoid giving Sunshines something else to gossip about. Okay?”
They reached the exit, where Arthur was waiting. Well, of course. “Coming with us, Erin?” Jiyeon asked, bitterly. “What if I refuse to get in the car? That might look bad for Apollo.”
Arthur frowned. “Don’t hold it against her. She's just tired.”
“I understand completely! Of course she's tired! Too much excitement. That’s why I thought she might prefer a ride from a good friend. Let's chat tomorrow, Miss Han.”
The doors opened. A blast of fresh air met the climate-controlled atmosphere of the airport. Jiyeon went outside, fuming. “Drive safe, Arthur,” she said. “It's late.”
“You really won't get in the car? Come on, Emmie.”
