Apple Hair

Chapter 26 - VAN📖

I carry five plate lunches from L&L into the AWE break room. Well, it might as well be the Apple Hair room right now. The plush cream couches have our t-shirts and shorts draped over the arm rests. Hah. Who said AWE Entertainment would own everything about us? We have this break room. Like... that's something, right?

The break room feels comfortable with its carpet and the walls painted in the same nude color. We lock the door even though we are technically not supposed to—open door policy and all. I imagine Seiya and David sneaking away here and make a face.

"What's wrong?" Seiya says, standing up to grab three of the plates from me. "Garlic ahi smells bad?"

I shake my head. Today's not a good day for talking for me, so I just gesture toward the bag with utensils. Corrin takes that from me.

Kaden, still not knowing the best way for him to sit, settles down into the couch. "So what we know is that Leo wrote down one statement about us," Kaden says. "I wouldn't even call it a story. It's just like one contradiction to what the five of us want."

I like Kaden jumping into the big topic so soon. I guess we only have thirty minutes for lunch... not too long at all to theorize about Leo and his lion.

"We need to understand why he's doing this," David says.

"I bet it's the loneliness part," Seiya says. "He seems like a lonely mother—"

"Oh!" Corrin takes a bite out of his kalbi and accidently drops some rice on the floor. He scoops it up with his hands and gives Seiya an apologetic face.

"I think you're right," Kaden says. "Leo's a lonely pop star. He didn't get a chance to be in a boyband or anything. So it must be his way of dealing with jealousy."

"He's jealous of us?" Seiya says, drawing his brows together. "That's cray."

The fish from L&L has nothing on my parents' cá kho tộ, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't delicious. After taking several bites, I find my voice again. "We should just ask him."

"Ask him why he hates us?" Kaden says. "I mean, that could work."

I look at David along with the other guys. "I'm not doing it," he says.

"I think I'd rather punch that dude in the face," Seiya says.

Corrin laughs. "I'd totally watch you do that!"

Seiya and Corrin high-five, and I try to send them a glare even though it does seem tempting to punch Leo Pak. Yeah... that would solve things if he were in a coma for a few months, or maybe indefinitely.

"So what should we do?" Kaden says. "Actually."

As the guys turn to me, I think about Leo's warning at the beach. "Five against one, right?" I manage to say. "We need to do the opposite of what he told us. Keep creating, and keep fighting for debut."

Even though I want to say more, I gesture to Kaden when my throat closes up. "Yeah," he says. "I agree. We need to do the opposite. It's not like he owns the company. Merlin Kim may value what he thinks, but in the end Leo's not the one deciding whether or not we debut. The only thing we can do is prove that we can debut. That means acing the evaluations month after month."

"Even though they aren't giving us a freaking chance?" Seiya says, stuffing a fry smothered with ketchup into his mouth.

"Yeah," David says. "I mean, they're forced to give us a chance. And instructors like Armani seem to be changing their minds bit by bit. It'll take time, I guess."

"Yeah!" Corrin takes a break from chomping on a kalbi bone. "We just gotta do our best. That's all."

With a bit of hope setting fire to my heart, I eat my fish and am just about to try to catch a five minute nap when the TV turns on. Automatically. More than half a year of being in Apple Hair taught me to almost ignore the magic when it happens, but in the end I still flinch. Corrin goes pale and clutches my arm. All five of us watch the afternoon news.