Last to join them was Ezra. Eunjae didn’t want to involve him, but more pressing matters were at hand. They needed to reach a resolution with Eric.
Firing Prism wasn’t possible without approval from both Emerald and Zenith, according to the terms. Eunjae wasn't confident that either agency would care about how Eric had achieved his results. After all, the results favored Apollo. But he thought Jiyeon was right, when she insisted they should confront their enemy face to face. Eric preferred to be shielded by screens, operating from a vantage point that made it difficult to see how his actions were hurting real people.
Jungwoo came forward first. “You leaked those emails about my contract. Why? Nothing was final yet. We were still negotiating the terms with Zenith. They were open to it, up until that weekend.”
“I didn’t leak anything,” Eric replied. “How would I do that? Emerald’s plans for you and Max were part of internal discussion. The news was leaked by someone from your agency.”
“And I’m sure you had nothing to do with that,” said Nicky, batting his eyelashes, “just like I had nothing to do with the leaks on set.”
“I still can’t fucking believe you, hyung—”
“Don’t take this out on him. Nicky’s my second meanest brother but he’s never been evil like Eric. He’s not a bad person, he’s just trying to be funny.Learn todifferentiate.”
Jungwoo wasn’t ready to let it go. “But why? You were supposed to make sure we didn’t do anything to make Zenith back out of the contract. Why did you sabotage our chances? They wanted to sign the full group.”
“I could’ve gotten you a better deal. Emerald wronged you and Zenith barely counts as an agency. I had you guys looking great. Of course they started fighting over you, and when the dust settled, you’d have a bigger offer from someone else.”
When this answer failed to win him any admiration, Eric said, “Why are you so upset with me? Everything I did was for you. I was doing my job.”
“You suck at your job,” Ezra huffed. “You couldn't even make them look good without making nice people look bad.”
“Look good?You think that's all I did?” Here, Eric directed a frosty glare at Eunjae. “Actually, it's not Miss Han I need to talk to. It's you. You're the one who ran away.”
“Get off him,” Denny grunted. “It doesn't count as running away if you're going home.”
“Sentimental. Running away is running away, Manager Han. But I guess it serves you well, to make him feel like this is home. You've benefited from it.”
How? Eunjae still felt like he'd done nothing for this family except generate trouble. Drama followed in his wake, a seemingly inescapable side effect of the fame he'd never sought for himself. But he was sick of Prism, sick of fighting. “Don't,” he said. Just the one word, and it was plenty. Eric dropped the subject.
“I thought you'd disband,” he continued, displaying more emotion than they’d seen from him thus far. “That didn't happen, but the damage was done. This was my chance. Do you know how hard I fought, to be the lead on your account? I knew I could help you stay together. It had to be me. I had a plan and it was going to work.”
Jiyeon considered his words. Slowly, she said, “You're a Sunshine.”
He’d mentioned it on the day they arrived at Langley House. Eunjae hadn't given it much thought. He figured Eric made a habit of telling clients that he was their biggest fan.
“Don’t lump me in with them,” Eric replied with a sneer. “I'm not just a fan, collecting merchandise and posting memes. This was my dream, okay? I got an internship at Emeraldbecause I wanted to work with Apollo. They assigned me to a different group, but I've kept up with you guys for years.”
“If you want to help us, you could stop going after people we care about.”
“See, you keep making that same mistake. Feelings shouldn't be part of this. Feelings are a mess, and that's not what your fans want to see. It's like you forget that you're idols. Do you think fans idolize you for being human?”
“We are human,” said Kazu, frowning.
Eric only laughed. “Not to them. You're meant to be more than human, better than human. They want you to smile, they want you to stay together, and they want you without flaws. That's what they pay for. We played that vulnerability angle because it works, but it’s a temporary fix. Your audience doesn’t want the ‘real’ Apollo. They want perfect boys they made up in their heads.”
“That’s not true,” Jiyeon argued. “I’ve talked to so many Sunshines by now. Most of them just want Apollo to be happy.”
“Happy and perfect. Which you wouldn’t understand, Miss Han, because your success comes from being relatable and approachable.”
Relatable and approachable. Pronounced with disdain, like these were points against her, when one of the best things about Jiyeon was how swiftly she could make you feel seen and heard. Eunjae sat up straighter. “I don’t like what you just said.”
“It’s backed by metrics. Emma Han is the girl next door. She’s profited from every follower who loved the illusion of being her friend.”
Eric was on a tear now, offended by their lack of gratitude. He’d mended their public image. He’d moved mountains in Apollo’s name. “That’s what Sunshines want from you,” he ranted at them. “The ideal illusion. Apollo is aproduct. Apollo isabrand. Get that through your heads before you ruin everything you've built.”
Kei's shoulders sagged. He closed his eyes. “Are we ruining everything we’ve built? Is this the end?”
“It’s not the end. Take a walk, Keiichi.”
