Onyx: Love

by J. S. Lee

  I pulled out my phone, taking snaps of them all, including Sungmin, not feeling the slightest bit guilty. I didn’t get many opportunities for this. JongB was on the back seat, using Xiao as a pillow, mouth wide open as his snores echoed around the bus. I got up, about to head back there and wake him first, but Youngbin’s hand wrapped around mine. I glanced down and found one eye peering up at me.

  “Have you got enough photographs?”

  Busted.

  “More than you realize,” I grinned. I leaned over, giving him a kiss, then reluctantly pulled away. “We’ve arrived. We don’t want the client annoyed with all of you before you even step off the bus.”

  I moved down the bus to the back, prodding JongB in the side. He snorted and snuggled more into Xiao. I prodded again, then, when that didn’t work, tapped Xiao on the shoulder.

  Xiao’s eyes opened straight away. “Are we here?” When I nodded, he stood, sending JongB rolling onto the floor with a yelp.

  “What the hell?” JongB asked from the floor. He rolled over and glowered up at Xiao, rubbing his elbow. “Was that necessary?”

  “Did that hurt?”

  “No, I’m just rubbing my elbow because I’m cold,” JongB grumbled. He got up, finally realizing I was there. A big cheesy grin appeared. “Hello beautiful.”

  I leaned over, diverting at the last moment to press a kiss against JongB’s bare shoulder. “Feel better.” I straightened and sauntered back to the front of the bus before he could stop me.

  Everyone else seemed to have awakened at JongB’s yelp. I followed Sungmin off the bus, but he stopped and turned to me before we had gone too far. “Kate, this is a photoshoot.”

  I nodded. “It seems somewhat familiar.”

  “You can’t interfere or distract the group. They have to remain professional and do their jobs. Modelling isn’t as easy a job as some people think it is.”

  I stared at him, doing my best to keep my face impassive. Given that I was only on this tour because I was the group’s photographer, I had a handle on what was expected and appropriate at a photoshoot. I reached around into my bag and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. “I have plans.”

  “Do the plans include clothes?” Sungmin asked, wearily.

  “Mostly,” I responded, dryly. I turned, took two steps towards an area which looked like it would be comfortable to sunbathe on, and then stopped, turning back to Sungmin. “I know you don’t like it, and I know you don’t get it, but you’re the one that brings it up more than I do,” I told him, bluntly. “I didn’t realize quite how noisy we could get, and I apologize for that, but I am doing my best to keep this on the downlow, and trust me when I say, I don’t want to discuss my sex life as much as you don’t want to.”

  “Then why are you bringing it up now?”

  “Because you won’t drop it.” I folded my arms, tilting my head with maybe a little more sass than was needed. “Let’s both just agree that we don’t need to discuss it anymore, and I will do my best to make sure our relationship stays as hidden as possible.”

  “Then make sure I don’t hear any more of it,” Sungmin told me. As the others were finally filing off the bus, looking over at us with curiosity, Sungmin marched over to them, directing towards the trailers.

  With Onyx busy, I moved to the side where I had been heading initially. Sunbathing wasn’t my goal, but I had brought the sunscreen to make sure I had appropriate protection: the weather app had said it was going to be warm and clear all day, and the last thing I wanted was sunburn.

  My goal was to explore the ruins that were being used as the backdrop of the shoot taking place, and then, when the day really warmed up, take the opportunity to relax. I didn’t feel like I’d ever really had the opportunity to really relax while being on tour, and I needed a little time to myself.

  I settled on a rock and applied the sunscreen to my bare skin. Although none of Onyx had mentioned it, I still had bruises from my run in with Damien back in New York. They were slowly starting to turn more yellow than green, and they no longer hurt much when touched, but they still had me sighing at the sight of them.

  He really was a dick and I needed to stop wasting my time thinking about him.

  But sometimes it was hard to let go of the past when it had marked you in ways less physical than a bruise.

  I’d been lucky. Some people had it worse than I did.

  Of course, it was Onyx who made thoughts of Damien evaporate. They had the power to do that under normal circumstances, but when they appeared from their trailer dressed in designer suits and sunglasses, they managed to make all thoughts - rational or otherwise – vanish. Hell, they even affected my cognitive thinking: a giant splodge of sunscreen landed on the edge of my shorts.

  Fuck me.

  Literally.

  They could take me right here, right now.

  To hell with not upsetting Sungmin.

  I watched as they walked over to one of the ruins where the lights, reflectors, and diffusers had been set up, and fanned myself. I’ve said it before; I’ll say it again: I am the luckiest girl in the world.

  I spent some time watching them work. When my brain finally started functioning properly, I pulled out my own camera and set off to explore the ruins.

  I wasn’t entirely sure what they were from. The area was remote and I had yet to meet another tourist, so I guessed it wasn’t something significant. I, on the other hand, was staring up at what was still left of these structures, trying to wrap my head around the age of them, combined with the fact that they had somehow been constructed.

  As it grew closer to lunch, it also grew warmer, and I was reminded of the fact that I not only needed something to drink, but having skipped breakfast, I was hungry.

  I walked back to the set and the food area which had been set up. Meats, cheeses, more of the dishes we’d eaten the previous day, and lots of fruit. I piled my plate up and returned to my shaded spot to eat.

  The shoot was still in full swing. At some point, they had switched to white suits, and I had to keep my sunglasses on to watch them. The sun shining off them was dazzling. I had to admire them. I was warm in a vest top and shorts. They had to be sweltering in those suits.

  It was the repeated glinting of things in the sunlight which finally had me realizing they were modeling watches. I was too far away to see the brand, but I was sure, with the suits, it was a high-end designer.

  “What are you doing here?”

  I nearly dropped my watermelon as I turned my head and found Anita staring at me. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I returned, wondering if I was actually dehydrated and hallucinating.

  “I came to see Onyx; Jiwon,” Anita snarled back at me.

  “This is a closed set,” I told her, getting to my feet, lunch forgotten about. I didn’t know it was a closed set, but I was hedging my bets I was correct.

  “Who is she?” a second voice asked.

  I glanced past Anita at the girl with her. Judging from her accent she was Greek. Anita looked me in the eye and cocked her head. “Want to answer that?”

  “Onyx’s tour photographer,” I replied, carefully. I didn’t like the look I was getting.

  “OH MY GOD, THEY’RE IN SUITS!” the girl squealed, pulling out her phone.

  She managed to get a few shots before I could move in front of her phone. “You want to put that away now, and leave?”

  The girl suddenly looked scared. Her hand wavered, but instead of lowering the phone, she looked to Anita. “You said it would be OK to be here.”

  “How did you know where we would be?” I demanded.

  “Onyx’s schedule on the fan café.” I arched an eyebrow. Did Atlantis really share this sort of information? “We were going to go to the airport later, but Anita said we would be able to talk to them here.”

  “It’s time you shut up, Melika,” Anita snapped.

  “No, it’s time you both left,” I corrected her.

  “What’s going on here?” Sungmin demand
ed from behind me.

  “Trespassers?” I offered.

  Anita folded her arms and gave me a smug look. “You can’t trespass on public property.”

  Sungmin joined me, and I could tell from the small frown on his face, he was struggling to follow the English. “You should not be here,” he told Anita.

  “Neither should she,” Anita said, switching to Korean as she nodded her head in my direction.

  “I’m their photographer,” I pointed out.

  “Yet you’re not taking photographs.”

  “What are you saying?” Melika asked, apparently not speaking or understanding Korean.

  “But we all know that’s not the reason you’re here,” Anita continued, ignoring her friend.

  “You’re one of Jiwon’s fan sites,” Sungmin realized. “Anita?”

  “Former fan site,” Anita snapped. “Do you really think, after the disgusting way he treated me, that I could ever stan a guy like that again?”

  “Oh, please,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “He was just calling you on your bullshit attitude.”

  “My attitude is not bullshit. They are my opinions and I’m entitled to them. What is bullshit is Jiwon lying to everyone that he doesn’t agree with me, because he does, and we all know it.”

  “Anita, we are truly grateful of the support you’ve shown Onyx since their debut,” Sungmin told her, showing more respect than I had. “Perhaps I can arrange-”

  “The only thing you could have arranged is for Jiwon to speak to me privately, but seeing as he is now ignoring me, even an apology would be lip service at this point.”

  “Then why are you here?” I asked, irritated. The girl needed to fuck off. If she didn’t like Jiwon, or even Onyx, any more, why had she travelled ninety minutes out of the city to see them?

  “You know,” she said, slowly.

  I could feel my mouth settle into a thin line as I gave her a look which I hoped she would read as ‘you’re a fucking idiot’. But just in case… “I’m not psychic. I can assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You might not be a psychic, but you are an idiot. I told you yesterday what was going to happen if I was ignored.” She gave me a pointed look, which suddenly had the blood rushing from my head.

  “Photoshop is an incredible tool,” I shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

  Sungmin, who had been following our conversation carefully, turned to me. “Kate, I think it would be a good idea if you went and waited on the minibus.”

  “I don-”

  “Get on the minibus, Kate.”

  It was only because I didn’t want to do anything that would cause any trouble for Onyx that I did as he said. I shot Anita a murderous look, wishing I did have some form of superpower that would make that a reality, then I walked to the minibus.

  The food was sitting heavy in my stomach and I was sure I was going to throw up. The driver was in the front, fast asleep with the radio on, the speakers blasting out a Greek song that was far too cheerful for the seriousness of the situation.

  I moved to the rear of the bus where I could get a view of Sungmin and Anita (and the confused friend), and Onyx. The latter were wrapping up. I could see that they were constantly looking to their manager, distracted. They were ushered back into one of the trailers, but by the time they reappeared in their own clothes, moving as a unit, Sungmin was walking back to the minibus and Anita had gone.

  “Who was that?” I heard CX ask as they got close.

  “No one,” Sungmin said, shortly.

  “It looked like Jiwon’s fan site to me,” JongB piped up.

  “I said, no one,” Sungmin snapped at him. “Get on the bus. We need to get back to the apartment so we can catch a flight.”

  Sungmin was pissed. He easily got frustrated with Onyx, but I’d never heard that amount of anger directed at any of the members before. Not with that amount of venom.

  The group filed on the bus in stunned silence. “What the hell?” JongB asked as he joined me at the back of the minibus.

  Outside, Sungmin was talking to the people in charge with the translator they had provided. Feeling it was safe, I shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted. “I left without hearing what was discussed, but that Anita showed up.”

  “How did she know where we are?” CX asked, frowning.

  “She said it was in the fan café?”

  “Oh,” Youngbin sighed with a nod. “Yes, we put that information in there.”

  “With the address?” I blurted out.

  “No, it’s vague information about what we’re doing and who is doing it – is it all of us, or certain members, along with timings,” Xiao explained. “There are certain occasions where it’s obvious what the address is, though, such as when we go to the airport or venues. Hotels are kept private.”

  “That’s what you class as vague?” I asked in disbelief.

  “What did she want?” Jiwon asked, gruffly.

  I shook my head as I raised my hands at him. “I honestly don’t know. She said I did, and that she had told me yesterday, but the only thing she said yesterday was that she wanted to speak to Jiwon, otherwise…”

  “Otherwise what?” Xiao demanded.

  I chewed at my lip. She wouldn’t, would she?

  “Kate said she had photos of some of us leaving her room,” Youngbin answered for me.

  “Who?” MinMin demanded. “Who was in the photographs?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, softly. “I never saw them. I called her bluff, saying anyone could fake anything in Photoshop, and then I ignored her.”

  “It could be any of us,” CX pointed out.

  “Or all of us,” Xiao added.

  “I’m hoping for that option,” JongB said. He nudged me with his shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Kate.”

  I was still chewing at my lip, but I had been questioning that. Would this have been a nothing incident if I had taken her backstage? I hadn’t been as polite as I could have been just now with her, either. That might have added fuel to the fire.

  “It’s not your fault,” Jiwon repeated, crouching down in front of me. He held onto the seat back beside him and placed his hand on my knee with the other. “I’m the one that upset her.”

  “Then doesn’t it make it my fault?” MinMin asked.

  Jiwon whirled around. “You can shut the fuck up, right now. If you dare to suggest that the reason this is happening is because you like…” he shook his head. “Me. If you think this is because you like me, or JongB, or any other man or woman, I will hit you. Because that’s bullshit.”

  Youngbin placed a hand on Jiwon’s shoulder. “It’s OK,” he assured him.

  “No, it’s not,” Jiwon scowled. “It’s not, because if it comes down to it, this is my fault.”

  “How do you figure?” I asked.

  “I am the one who went mouthing off. I said shit I shouldn’t have to MinMin.”

  “You’ve apologized about that,” MinMin was quick to tell him. “And I’ve forgiven you.”

  “And then I was mouthing off on stage,” Jiwon continued. “I don’t regret what I said, but I shouldn’t have said it like that.”

  “I’m glad you did,” Xiao said, as Youngbin nodded his agreement. “We’ve all told you we agree with what you said.”

  “Agreeing with what I said and agreeing with how I said it are two different things,” Jiwon pointed out. He slumped into one of the seats, shaking his head. “I certainly shouldn’t have messaged her afterwards.”

  “What?” I asked, sharper than I intended. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t care if right then I was coming off as a possessive, clingy, suspicious girlfriend, but why the hell was Jiwon messaging another woman? A woman who was clearly obsessed with him?

  “Why aren’t you all in your seats?” Sungmin demanded, appearing in the doorway. “I told you to get on the bus and get belted up.”

  In silence, everyone dropped into the nearest seat. I had to fight with everything
in me not to demand Jiwon answer my question anyway: Sungmin was in a bad mood, and if it came out that Jiwon was messaging a fan, how was he going to react?

  JongB reached for my hand, taking it and holding it tightly. It helped a fraction, but for the whole trip back, I was tense. I needed five minutes alone with Jiwon, just so he could explain himself and put my mind at ease.

  There was a reasonable explanation, right?

  제 21 장

  Message

  Somehow, there was no opportunity to talk until the airport, and even then, because of everything going on, I had to keep biting my lip to not say anything with so many people around. Finally, while we were waiting for the others to get through security, I managed to get Sungmin by himself.

  “Sungmin, we need to talk,” I told him in a low whisper.

  “Kate, we all need to talk, but an airport, nor a plane, is not an appropriate location to have this discussion. What’s more, at this point, I think Atlantis need to be included in the conversation.”

  “What if she says something while we’re flying?”

  Sungmin stopped and rounded on me. “What do you think we could do about it when we’re in the air, anyway?”

  It was a good point, but I shrugged at him anyway. “I’ve never been in this situation before.”

  “Neither have I,” he said, pointedly.

  As a large group passed us, I stepped back, and Sungmin took the opportunity to move out of my earshot, and towards Ina, Xiao and MinMin who were walking through the doors.

  Frustrated, I plugged my earphones in and turned my music up loud, waiting for an opportunity to speak to Jiwon, seeing as he was also on my list.

  That opportunity never came. As though he was reading my mind, as soon as Jiwon cleared security, Sungmin stuck by his side, and so help me, I swear Jiwon was purposely staying with him to avoid me.

  I sucked in a deep breath and mentally shook myself. I was turning into one of those paranoid, untrusting girlfriends. I would have my opportunity to let Jiwon speak at some point, and there would be a reasonable explanation for everything.