“We’re… gonna go fight Steph and Sienna?”
She was an expert on Jeannie’s long and adversarial history with Arthur’s nieces, both in middle school. The three had a puzzling dynamic, considering how many interests they shared. Stephanie and Sienna Hong were K-pop fans because of Jeannie, who used to be their babysitter. You’d think they’d get along well, but the opposite was true.
“You know they’re Sunshines,” she said, pulling the brush through. She tried not to tug too hard on Jiyeon’s indifferent, flyaway waves. “I got the most obnoxious text message. Just thinking about it makes me so tired, ‘cause I wasn’t built to be mad all the time, right? Being mad uses up tons of energy that I just don’t have.”
“Why are you mad? Do I want to know?”
“You have to know! That message was about you and Denny, they saw someone’s stupid post on Star-Connect and then one of the biggest Ari fan accounts is spreading lies—”
“Ari fan account. So they only post about Eunjae?”
“Yeah, they post every time he breathes. ‘This is what Ari wore to the airport!’ ‘This is the book Ari was reading on last night’s episode ofShine Bright Apollo!’ If you ever get murdered, I’m reporting them as primary suspects.”
“What he wore to the airport,” Jiyeon murmured to herself. Did she even know what Eunjae wore to the airport?
“Focus! They’re saying… they’re saying your whole family took advantage of Ari being sad and lonely. You guys don’t really care about him. It’s just an act.”
Jeannie dissolved into tears, equal parts heartbroken and enraged. Meanwhile, Jiyeon wasn’t sure where to start with these accusations. Her family didn’t care about him? Based on what evidence?
The search results opened with standard offerings: Emma Han’s Instagram account, the official website forSunshine 24/7, a local news feature on Wanna Waffle. Nothing odd until midway down the first page, where a celebrity gossip blog calledK-Star Newshad posted about the ‘suspicious’ and ‘concerning’ relationship between Apollo and ‘unqualified’ manager Denny Han.
She clicked the link, heart in her throat. This brought her to a clip of Denny shouting at Apollo to go back to their rooms, embedded in a nine-minute YouTube monologue. Posted two hours ago, it theorized that the guys had been locked up in their hotel and may still be locked up right now, practically held hostage by their manager. Denny Han was a greedy and abusive opportunist. He’d befriended Ari just to use him as the mascot for a failing restaurant.
According to the comments on that video, Denny’s sister was no better. Emma Han had used Apollo to stage a comeback from ‘the place where washed up Insta girlies go to die.’ No such thing as a decent influencer, fans and random Internet bystanders proclaimed. Influencers were the scum of the earth.
On Reddit: Emma Han was cold as ice, rolling around town looking for a new salon while Apollo paid for the damages at her family’s lame cafe. She would’ve been jobless without Ari and Apollo.
And on Star-Connect: That restaurant shouldn’t be allowed to reopen. The owners deserve to go bankrupt for leeching off Apollo like this. Did you see how they covered the place in pictures of the boys? These people will do anything to make a buck.
Countless strangers brainstormed how to close Wanna Waffle for good. They could bomb it with bad reviews, report the business as fraudulent, petition Emerald Entertainment to sue. Some even claimed to live in the neighborhood, testifying that the place had gone downhill since June.We’ve had brunch there every Sunday for five years now. Thought they were a great family, but now they’ve gotten greedy. We won’t be coming back.
That hurt so badly that Jiyeon had to stop for a second. But the next comment was even worse:What were you guys expecting? The manager’s a thug. I bet he bullied Apollo into hiring him, it’s not like he’s got any industry experience.
“Stay with Apollo,” Eric told Denny, that terrible morning after the wedding. He’d banked on her brother’s loyalty, the unspoken affection woven into every terse command. He’d pressured Denny to stay because he needed it for the optics. And who would have that footage from Sunday, if not Prism? Who else would be able to post about Jiyeon touring salons when she hadn’t even posted about it herself? That had to come from Prism, too.
This was Eric’s grand scheme coming together, his narrative progressing as planned. He’d outmaneuvered them completely. And he wasn’t done, she realized. That cleaning crew would arrive tomorrow, giving Prism fresh fodder for the officialstoryline. Apollo was virtuous. Apollo was doing everything they could, and if they fell apart, only predatory outsiders were to blame.
Objectively, it was a job well done. She’d give Eric a medal if she didn’t despise him.
Jeannie took the phone away. “Denny’s not a thug. They’re lying. We can’t let them keep doing that.” She was really crying now. “Uncle and Auntie said not to come get you, ‘cause you’re sad and you're tired, but we have to fight. So I'm here, and I’ll fight too. I'll go bring the boss back if you want. He has to listen to me ‘cause he’s named aftermyUncle Dennis. I have rights. And I hate driving, I've asked for a chauffeur every Christmas since I was four, whatever, but I'll drive.” Sobbing, she said, “We have to do something. No,Ihave to do something. This is a Code Violet.”
Lizzie and Joey crashed the scene, drawn by the invisible beacon of Jeannie’s distress. She cried even more at the sight of them. Eyes burning, Jiyeon got up and hugged her, hard. “We’ll fight. Just give me a minute, okay? I need to think. And then I need to call Eunjae.”
We’re pieces on a board.
That would be Eric’s mistake. She decided it then and there. She’d make him regret ever putting them on the board in the first place.
39
WhenJiyeoncalled,Eunjaehad to leave the patio, unable to hear over Apollo shouting themselves into a deadlock. He needed to put distance between himself and the outbreak of total war.
“Can you guys be here tomorrow?” Jiyeon asked him, after explaining the situation. “Jeannie’s organizing a cleanup. We’ll have volunteers helping, but if you came with Denny, that would show fans that you’re still on good terms with your manager.”
Head spinning, Eunjae wandered to the edge of the property. The valley was a bowl of tumbled stars. “Of course we'll be there,” he told her, although he couldn't be certain that his brothers were coming. Eunjae didn't want to consider that eventuality, but so much of what he knew had been obliterated and rearranged.
Halfway to the cottage, while sorting through everything he'd need to say and do, he came upon Max and Jungwoo.They’d both gone searching for him. Unable to agree on who should do this, they didn’t make it very far.
“I’m the one who needs to talk to Ari,” Jungwoo argued.
