Onyx: Forever

by J. S. Lee

  Or maybe I had? It was almost unrecognizable as it looked like a graveyard. I wasn’t sure if the floor had been covered in wood or carpet, but now it was a mix of grass and gravel. I had to touch one of the tombstones to make sure it wasn’t real.

  Ninety percent of it was inside, whereas the rest opened up onto a rooftop terrace. Through the window I could see that area had been decorated to match the inside, only with more tombstones, but as it was cold and drizzling, no one was going out to investigate except for a handful of desperate smokers who were huddling beneath a shelter which had been disguised as a mausoleum.

  The room was full of a mixture of idols, actors, and Atlantis employees. JongB had spent a week telling me that Atlantis had been in a bitter rivalry with both SM Entertainment and Meropis Entertainment to have the biggest and most talked about party.

  Holly had muttered something about her refusing to be Sejin and playing up to ridiculous expectations, but if this was her not putting in the same effort, I really wanted to know what this had looked like last year.

  A waitress dressed as a sexy – she was either a skeleton or a La Calavera – walked in front of me, offering me a goblet of something glowing green. “Is that alcoholic?” When she nodded, a goblet was held in front of me. This one had a glowing red liquid in it.

  I turned finding a woman in an all in one spandex suit. I was distracted by trying to work out what it was that it took me a moment to recognize Holly. “What are you?”

  “Were you expecting me to be the yellow Power Ranger?” she asked, blinking innocently.

  “I hate you,” I told her. “And again, I’m sorry for my drug induced rambling.”

  “D. Va,” she told me like I should have known what it was. “Overwatch?” she supplied. I shrugged. I knew what Overwatch was, but I hadn’t played it. I was surprised Holly had. She let out a long-suffering sigh, offering me the goblet again. “You want the red ones. They’re non-alcoholic.”

  “Your party is rocking,” I informed her, taking the drink. I gave it a sniff before I tasted it. It was fruity. “I can’t believe the details, and is that DJ who I think it is? I thought he was still enlisted?”

  “Hui,” she nodded. “He was discharged last week. He was DJing while in B.W.B.B. and wanted to continue with it until the rest of the members had also been discharged. They went in close together, so they should all be out by the new year – the Korean new year.”

  “Where are H3RO?” I asked, looking around.

  Holly sighed, rubbing her face. “Jun is here somewhere, and Nate and Minhyuk will be arriving later.”

  I took a long drink, waiting for her to elaborate. She didn’t. “What about the others?”

  “That’s a very long story that I don’t want to talk about here, and couldn’t talk about anyway,” she muttered.

  I peered at her, trying to see her clearly under the multicolored lights. I’d thought the bags were part of her costume, but she looked exhausted. And skinny. “Dude, are you OK?”

  “Running a company is exhausting, and the only reason I know I’m doing a half decent job is from the fact half the problems haven’t made it to the media.” She put on a bright smile which seemed oddly fake until Sungmin joined my side.

  “Hello, Vice Chairwoman,” he greeted her, politely.

  “Hi Sungmin. How are-” she stopped as Inhye, her secretary, ran up to her.

  “Holly, you need to come to your office. Now,” she added, sending me and Sungmin a furtive look.

  Holly didn’t question her. She turned to us and shrugged. “Despite what people will have you believe, I don’t stop working. I’ll see you later.”

  “What was that about?” I asked Sungmin.

  He arched an eyebrow. “How would I know?” It was a fair point. “Would you like to dance?” He held out a hand.

  “It might be more of a shuffle,” I warned him. I set my nearly empty goblet down before allowing him to lead me to the edge of the dancefloor.

  The disco ball was heavy, but it was like a shield, or maybe even a forcefield, making people move out of my way, while also stopping people from staring at my bump. I’d noticed that the longer I stayed still, the more people were inclined to walk up to me and – if I was lucky – ask if they could touch the bump.

  What was with people?

  A song and a half later, I was being tapped on the shoulder. “Can I dance with you?” It was Nate Choi, a rapper and dancer from H3RO, and dressed as… I wasn’t sure what he was. It involved a suit and a flat cap, but he looked rather dapper.

  I grinned, swapping partners. I had some moves. They were very American and maybe not suitable for this place anyway, but Baby Gem was not going to allow me to dance properly. I wasn’t sure Nate was going to have the best dance partner.

  “I’ve been sent on a rescue mission,” Nate told me as we moved to the mid-tempo number.

  “Was Sungmin that desperate to go?” I asked, surprised. “He asked me to dance!”

  “I was sent by JongB. He wants to dance with you, but he said he needed me to be a buffer so that it didn’t look weird.” He grinned. “I told him there was nothing I could do to stop him looking weird, but I’d go dance with you anyway.”

  “He’s wearing a Venom outfit.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s like a head to toe onesie with a mask.”

  Nate held his hands up. “I didn’t say he wasn’t weird!”

  “Screw you, Choi,” Venom grumbled, cutting in and using his ass to knock Nate away.

  “Isn’t he older than you?” I asked JongB as Nate walked away, laughing.

  JongB shrugged. “Age doesn’t stop someone being an ass, but we’re cool. And I’ll forgive him because now I get to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room.”

  I managed another song before I found my attention drifting to the buffet table. As promised, there was a spread and a half and lunch felt like it had been eaten three weeks ago. I drifted over, picking a plate up and piling it high.

  Nate walked past again, this time chatting to another member of H3RO, Minhyuk. Minhyuk had blonde hair and it was spiked up at weird angles. He also had a sword strapped to his back which was almost as big as he was. “What are they dressed as?” I muttered.

  “Who?” CX asked as he joined us, adding a warm chicken goujon to my plate.

  I picked it up and used it to point at the two members of H3RO. “Those two.”

  “Minhyuk is Cloud Strife,” CX beamed. “Genius costume. He pulls it off well.”

  “Doesn’t help,” I muttered, biting the end off the chicken.

  “Final Fantasy VII?” he offered. I shrugged. “It’s a PlayStation game.” I wasn’t a gamer, but CX was, so it made sense he recognized him.

  “What about Nate?”

  “Tommy Shelby,” JongB replied. “He’s a character from a British show called Peaky Blinders. I had to ask him. He said we should watch it.”

  “Kate, you look tired,” CX said.

  “I want food, and then I want my bed,” I admitted.

  “You eat and I’ll go and get Sungmin.”

  I shook my head. “Let Sungmin enjoy his night. I can grab a taxi.”

  “Because that went so well last time,” JongB muttered, rolling his eyes. CX shrugged, gave me a pointed look, and walked off.

  I picked up a spring roll and ate it. It was going to be a while before they let that one drop. Instead of bickering over it, I surveyed the room. It was busy and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Holly still wasn’t back though. I hoped whatever it was that was keeping her busy would wrap up quickly so she could come down and enjoy herself.

  My people watching was short-lived as Sungmin appeared through the crowds. “Time to go?”

  “As I told Yongsik, I am capable of getting a taxi if you want to stay.”

  “Let’s go. The others should stay. They haven’t even done the rounds with the photographers yet, and they need to do that.”

  “For what it’s worth, I’d rather be with
you,” JongB said before slipping off into the crowd.

  By the time I got to the car, I was aching. My feet were sore, my ankles felt like they had become the same thickness as my thighs, my back was killing me, and the straps from the disco ball had been digging in my shoulders. I held onto Sungmin’s shoulders as he helped me out of the ball, and then sank into the car with a groan.

  The drizzle hadn’t let up, and I watched Seoul go by through a splattering of water droplets. The clock in the car told me it was close to eleven, but the streets were busy, full of people in costumes despite the rain. “Do people trick or treat out here?” I asked, curious.

  Sungmin shook his head. “Not really. Halloween is an excuse to dress up and party. It’s not celebrated for any other reason than that, and there might be a few people who do it, but it’s not a thing.”

  “What about Christmas?”

  That earned me a shrug. “Seoul will look beautiful with the lights and decorations, especially if we get snowfall. Some celebrate it for it’s true meaning, but you will be able to go out on Christmas day and find people going about their business.”

  “Do you celebrate Christmas?”

  “I think we’ve worked all of them since Onyx debuted. They do a special Christmas message for the fans. We take time around Chusoek, or we would have done if it wasn’t for their comeback.” Sungmin glanced over at me. “We can celebrate Christmas this year if you like?”

  I did. Hopefully we could time it with Youngbin’s leave. I didn’t mind if we did it early or late because of it. I glanced down, spinning the ring on my finger. I’d even try to cook a turkey. Or maybe a couple of chickens as it occurred to me that I had never seen turkey on a menu here.

  By the time we arrived at home, I was already planning the menu, making notes in my phone because my pregnancy brain made me forget things occasionally.

  It was when I got out of the car that I felt like I had aged fifty years. Clutching at my back, I shuffled inside. “Kate, what’s wrong?”

  “There is a parasite inside me, zapping me of all my energy,” I grumbled.

  “It sounds like you used all your energy partying,” MinMin said, appearing in the living room. “Don’t shoot the messenger, but I think you need to start taking it easy. There’s only a couple of months left.”

  “It was just a party.” I was still grumbling, but only because he was partly right; I didn’t think I had really over-exerted myself.

  “I’m going to run you a bath,” Sungmin said as he disappeared towards my room.

  I glanced to the couch longingly, but if I sat down there, I wasn’t going to get back up. “Being pregnant sucks.”

  “No it doesn’t,” MinMin laughed.

  I shot him a death glare. “When you can get pregnant and tell me that, I’ll listen.”

  “Come on, Kateniss.” MinMin took my hand, leading me towards my bedroom. Sungmin was still in the bathroom; I could hear the water running. “The tub will be big enough for the four of us.”

  I looked down at my stomach. “I’m the size of a country.”

  MinMin ignored me. To be fair, there wasn’t a safe response to that with my current mood. The only thing that stopped me from being even snarkier was him leading me into the bathroom.

  Sungmin was crouching by the tub but he stood when we walked in. “It’s almost ready.” He stood and started walking towards the door.

  “Minhyuk seems to think it’s big enough for the three of us.”

  “Actually, I said it would be big enough for the four of us,” he said, although he looked slightly embarrassed. “I thought Kate might appreciate a massage.”

  “I’m not sure-”

  “Just stay,” I told Sungmin. My irritability was growing for no reason and all I wanted was for us to get in the tub. I tugged off my top and then quickly shed the rest of my clothes. At this rate, I was going to be the size of a continent and I was going to need help getting undressed.

  Naked, and with a little assistance from MinMin, I got into the tub, frowning as I sank into the water. I went to turn the cold tap off, but Sungmin was suddenly beside me, batting my hand away. “Hot baths are bad for you.”

  “Of course they are,” I grumbled. “Because heaven forbid a woman enjoy a hot bath in case she boils her baby to death.” I glanced up at the others. “There’s definitely room for another two in here.”

  MinMin didn’t need the encouragement as he stripped, piling his clothes neatly to one side. Sungmin, on the other hand, still in his Phantom of the Opera costume, stood to the side. It twigged what the issue was then. I looked up at him as I patted the water behind me. “There’s room here for you.” I wasn’t sure if it was me or MinMin, but I figured hiding behind me would be easier for him than facing the two of us. “Unless you really don’t want to?”

  MinMin got in the tub in front of me, grabbing a washcloth and dunking it in the water.

  With a sigh, Sungmin took his clothes off, and finally, the mask. As I had suspected, he’d put it on without putting any makeup on seeing as how it was perfectly hidden.

  “Your eyes are pretty, but let’s get the makeup off you,” MinMin said, keeping his attention fixed on my face. I flashed him a grateful smile and leaned forward. Silently, Sungmin got in the tub behind me. And then his hands were on my lower back, working out a knot while MinMin cleaned my face. I had no doubt actual makeup remover would also be needed, but my skin felt better afterwards.

  As Sungmin’s hands worked their way up my back to my shoulders, MinMin turned his attention to my feet.

  A bath had been the best idea.

  I was almost asleep by the time I got out of it. But I was a lot happier.

  제27 장

  Daddy

  I had been counting down the days until Youngbin finished his basic training. It was just before Christmas and he was due out later today. Sungmin had already warned me that we only had him for two days before he would have to travel to Cheorwon.

  We were going to celebrate Christmas early, and seeing as though Youngbin was being given leave, no one at Atlantis had any objections. All Onyx needed to do was pre-record their Christmas greetings in the morning and they would be free mid-afternoon.

  I spent the morning in the kitchen, preparing the enormous turkey I had managed to get delivered. I was feeling strangely domesticated. And energized.

  The only thing left was the Christmas cake that was being delivered imminently. It wasn’t a real Christmas cake, but a soft sponge with an edible Santa in his sleigh. While a Christmas dinner was achievable for me, cakes were not, and considering these guys regularly had what I could only describe as works of art given to them to celebrate everything, I wasn’t going to compete.

  The bell for the gate chimed as I put the last vegetables on the stove, ready to turn the heat on when the others returned later. Feeling proud of myself, I shuffled to the door to check the intercom. Outside it was snowing like it had been for a few weeks, but it was that wet stuff which turned to mush when it settled on the sidewalk and then later froze over.

  I was less than a month from my due date and feeling massive, but other than the need to waddle everywhere and the regular pains and aches, I was coping. But I did not want Baby Gem staying in me for a moment longer than it needed to.

  The delivery man was dressed in a thick coat and hat, his head bent down against the sleet as he waited patiently in his SUV. I pressed the button to let him in, waiting for the gate to slide open. The drive had a shallow incline, but the road up to the house was steep; I’d been worried he was going to attempt it on a little moped like so many delivery drivers did.

  I waited for the knock on the door and opened it. The man standing in front of me wasn’t a delivery driver. It was Yoon Jihun, Jiwon’s grandfather. I looked at him and sighed. “The fuck do you want?”

  “Charming,” Jihun muttered, dryly. “I want to talk.”

  “Jiwon’s not here, I don’t like you, there’s nothing we could possibly talk ab
out, and it’s too wet out to lay a fresh salt circle around the house if I let evil in.”

  “You’re rather annoying,” he said as he forced his way past me.

  I glanced past him at the car. It was still running and there were at least two more people in there. “Don’t you need your muscle so you can push me around a little more.”

  “I told you, I’m here to talk,” Jihun said. He didn’t wait for me to close the door before walking into the living room and taking a seat.

  I closed the door and pulled my phone out of my pocket. The chances were that Jiwon’s phone was with Sungmin, and if it wasn’t, I didn’t want him to come charging over and get into trouble. Instead, I sent a message to Sungmin.

  We’re almost done. I’ll get this wrapped up quickly, Sungmin responded.

  I walked into the living room and ignored Jihun, going into the kitchen to check the turkey. Whatever crap he was going to tell me, I wasn’t going to burn the Christmas dinner over it.

  I was also purposely taking my time to make Jihun wait. Instead of going back through, I wiped the dining table down and busied myself setting it. I’d ordered a lot of Christmas things online and the house had been looking like Santa had thrown up Christmas in the house. I wasn’t going to let the dining room look any different.

  Sadly, it didn’t take me as long to do that as I had hoped, and even though I was keeping half an eye on Jiwon’s grandfather, I didn’t want him to start snooping through the house.

  Finally, I walked back to the living room and lowered myself onto the couch. Jihun hadn’t moved from where I had left him, but was now reading something on his phone. “I assume,” he slipped his phone into a pocket and with a slight flourish, pulled his sleeve back to look at his Tag Heuer watch, “that you have stalled long enough that Jiwon will be here shortly?”

  I shrugged.

  “Very well. We can wait.” He pulled out his phone and started typing away on it.

  I rolled my eyes. I had better things to do than this. Equally, I wasn’t prepared to go do them. Instead, I settled back and waited, wishing I was more like CX and MinMin with a dozen different games on my phone to play. I had downloaded the SIMS and was in the process of trying to make one of the characters look like Youngbin when I heard the beep of the door and there was an explosion of noise.