Onyx: Heart

by J. S. Lee

  The other shows had had giant electronic displays and a stage that lit up. Even the light sticks had been coordinated to flash in time with the song. This was going to be different, for sure. But that was for Onyx to deal with, and I was sure this was something that had been taken into consideration. I, however, had to work out what was happening for the group photos.

  The advantage to being in Canada was that I spoke the same language as the venue staff. I introduced myself to their light technician. That was when I discovered Atlantis had sent over two more guys to join us on the tour. Their flight had arrived only a few hours ago and they had come straight to the venue.

  I chatted with Logan, the Canadian guy, explaining I would need the stage well-lit with a soft white light for the photos. Logan got it straight away.

  I made my way back to the stage to take some test shots.

  “You take interesting shots,” came words in Japanese, making me jump. I turned and found CX watching me with curiosity. “And by interesting, I mean boring.”

  I glanced back at the empty stage, then nodded. “That’s because… Oh! You’ll do. Go stand over there!”

  CX saluted and then bounded over to the middle of the stage. “What am I doing?”

  “I’m testing the lighting levels,” I told him. “I need to make sure it’s bright enough for you to be seen properly, but not too bright that you all look washed out.”

  CX looked down at the backs of his hands, then to me. “You know it’s going to be pretty hard to make me look washed out.”

  I took a photo of him, then looked at the image on the screen. “I would agree with you on that one.” His skin glowed. I brought the camera back to my eye. “How are things with you?” I asked him as I moved around the stage. “I haven’t really spoken to you since Hong Kong.”

  “We spoke in Jakarta,” he said, frown lines creasing his forehead.

  I lowered the camera. “That wasn’t really a conversation, so much as me imparting my uncalled wisdom on you. And even so, a lot can change in a few days.”

  “Your ‘uncalled wisdom’ is what made the fans stop hating us.”

  I let the strap take the weight of the camera as I shook my head. “Dude, your words were what changed the mood at that concert; not mine. Moreover, I wouldn’t say the fans hated you. I think there were a few confused fans out there.”

  CX folded his arms, a wry smile appearing. “A few confused fans?” he repeated. “You’re a rather optimistic person, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know about optimistic, but I think saying they hated you is a bit of an exaggeration.”

  “Kate, they greeted us at the airport like we were Cersei making that walk of shame, and they boycotted our show,” he said dryly.

  “I have no idea what a Cersei is,” I shrugged. Before I could tell him that the boycott was also an exaggeration (it kind of wasn’t, but I didn’t want him to feel that bad about it), he was gasping in horror.

  “You don’t know who Cersei is?” he asked, striding over to me. He stopped right in front of me, peering at me like I was an alien who had walked off a space ship. “Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones?”

  “Oh.” I shrugged again. “I’ve heard of it, but never watched it.”

  “Who are you?” he asked me. This alien had apparently grown a second head. “I’m guessing it’s a waste of time asking if you read the books?”

  “We’ve had this conversation before,” I pointed out. “I don’t read.”

  “I remember. Heathen…”

  I laughed at the look he was giving me: mischief.

  He took another step towards me. “You’ve never seen any of Game of Thrones?”

  “My ex hated fantasy shows. When we did watch television together, it was pretty much always something on Spike.”

  “I have no idea what that is.” He looked around then nodded at the edge of the stage. “Want to sit?”

  I followed him to the edge, letting my legs dangle. “Spike TV is a channel which shows a lot of programs aimed at guys. Reality TV shows and cop shows mostly.”

  “I own them; Game of Thrones,” CX said.

  “The books or the programs?”

  CX grinned. “Both.”

  I laughed. “Of course.”

  “Would you like to watch them with me some time?”

  “Sure,” I agreed. If I could get the others interested, it would be a good thing for them to be able to bond over. Guys did that, right? “How are you getting along with the others?”

  “I know what those news sites were reporting, but there’s never been any bullying,” CX told me, hastily.

  “I know,” I assured him. “I was the one having the conversation with you when it was taken out of context. Plus, I see you guys all the time. Yes, Youngbin can be hella intense, but I know he means well.”

  “It’s just…” he sighed, hanging his head. “It’s hard, Kate. I know we were at the same company, but I didn’t train with these guys. I spent years with Bright Boys – before they even became Bright Boys. I know them.”

  The bright spotlights suddenly cut out and I spent a moment blinking to adjust to the softer room lighting. “Have you messaged any of them?”

  “Not really,” he replied, looking even more miserable. “After Hyunseo screwed things up and Holly gave me this chance, a lot of the younger ones stopped talking to me. I mean, we weren’t allowed cell phones, so it’s not like it would have been easy, but they were sent back to school, and I wasn’t. The one I was really close to was Hyunseo, and he’s the reason I’m here. I only know what happened with his court case because of the papers. Now most of them are re-debuting.”

  “Would you rather be with them?”

  It wasn’t me that asked the question, but MinMin. CX and I turned to find him watching us – watching CX. This was maybe not the place for this conversation, especially not as MinMin was speaking in Korean. “Let’s go find a room,” I suggested.

  “I want to know,” MinMin said, all but ignoring me as he focused on CX. “Would you rather be with them?”

  CX slowly shook his head.

  I stood. “Let’s take this elsewhere,” I insisted. When CX didn’t move, I reached down, grabbing his hand and tugging him up. “Come on, both of you.” The two of them followed me off the stage and into the back. At the first door I came across, I pushed it open and stuck my head in. It seemed to be a storage room with flight cases in it, but it was big enough for the three of us. I ushered them in. “I’m sorry, but there are staff members walking around, and this is a conversation to be held in private. I’ll leave you two to it.”

  CX’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist before I could get the handle. “You can stay.”

  I followed his arm up to his face, then glanced at MinMin who shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

  “I’m not sure this conversation really applies to me,” I pointed out.

  “You asked the question,” CX returned.

  “I think MinMin asked the question,” I countered.

  “You asked how I’m getting on with the others.”

  I shrugged, and when CX let go of my wrist, I moved over to one of the flight cases and sat down on it. I didn’t think I needed to be here, but if he did, so be it. Beside me, MinMin’s hand went under his hat so he could scratch at his head. My mouth fell open. “Your hair is silver?” I exclaimed.

  MinMin looked at me, eyes wide like he’d forgotten, then he pulled his beanie off, shoving it in his pocket as he ran his hand through it to defeat the hat hair.

  “We did it last night,” CX said, grinning.

  “Why are you hiding it? It’s beautiful.” MinMin with silver hair was a thing I needed in my life but didn’t know I had needed it.

  “Because Manager Sungmin will probably kill me,” MinMin shrugged.

  “Are you planning on wearing the hat for the rest of the tour?” Lord, I had the urge to run my fingers through it. Instead, I sat on my hands. “I’m sorry, that was off topic.”
>
  “There isn’t much to say,” CX continued, as though we hadn’t been sidetracked by MinMin’s hair. “I don’t think it needed to be discussed in a cupboard, but I’m happy to be in Onyx. My Onyx hyungs gave me a chance and I want to be able to repay that, so I will work hard. I just miss my Bright Boys members. We were together a long time and I worry about them. Holly has plans for them and not only am I not there with them, it’s hard to get in touch with them because half of them don’t have cell phones, and the other half are busy with their unit activities.” He looked straight at MinMin. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be here though.”

  “OK,” MinMin nodded. He stepped forward and gave CX a hug. “We should go get changed. That was why I came to find you in the first place.”

  He stepped past CX and opened the door. CX followed him out, pausing in the doorway to wait for me as I hopped off the flight case. “You were right,” I started to say, but was cut off by Jiwon.

  “There you are. What are you doing in…” he trailed off as CX stepped out. “Oh.” Then I stepped out and he cocked his head at me, eyes bulging. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  I glanced over at CX and MinMin, quickly concluding what was going through Jiwon’s mind. “Really?” I countered, arching an eyebrow back at him. “No, Jiwon.” I said, then, shaking my head, walked back to the stage, leaving the three of them there.

  제 5 장

  History

  I don’t know if it was because it was a fan meeting, or because it was in Canada, but I was seeing a whole other side of Onyx and their fandom in Vancouver. It was hilarious. Fans were loud and raucous, and some were also very thirsty (not that I could blame them… or judge them…). And Onyx loved it.

  No, that wasn’t strictly true. I could see it was a little more uninhibited than MinMin was used to. I could see him occasionally ask another member to translate and his eyes would bulge, but as it was frequently accompanied by a small smirk, I was sure he wasn’t too offended.

  None of them had any objection to playing up to it either way.

  The fan meeting went smoothly. There was a vast array of gifts being given, but what made me happy was that the smiles on the members’ faces were huge and genuine regardless of whether a present was given; they were simply happy to see fans. With how uncomfortable things had been in Asia, I delighted that none of that was evident here. And so many fans were telling CX they were glad he was part of the Onyx family.

  The group photos were an interesting experience. I was a perfectionist when it came to my photos and I wanted to make sure everyone was at least looking at the camera when they were being taken, but Sungmin was insistent that there was a limited amount of time and a lot of fans to work through. He wasn’t wrong.

  I did my best, taking multiple shots where I could, and by the end of the two-hour fan meet, was exhausted and ready to sleep – especially considering I had hardly had any.

  While I couldn’t sleep, we did get an hour’s break before the concert began and then it was all systems go again. By the time I was able to crawl into my bed, I was surprised I could keep my eyes open.

  I got exactly six hours of sleep before the alarm was going off and we were on our way to the airport. It was just under three hours of flying before we were in the much warmer climate of the Nevada desert.

  Home.

  I’d toyed with the idea of going home, but in the end, I decided against it. I got on better with my mom when I wasn’t around her. Instead, I took a room at the hotel which had been booked for us about twenty minutes from my own bedroom.

  In contrast to Vancouver, Vegas was a balmy 70 degrees. I had a shower, I hadn’t taken one since before we left Canada, and got dressed in a pair of shorts, comfortable running shoes, and a hoodie. With my earphones in, I almost skipped down to the lobby. The show wasn’t until the following evening which meant I had the full day to myself.

  I’d seen the schedule on the plane and Onyx were going to be occupied with interviews. Or at least, that’s what I thought. Instead, I was greeted by CX, MinMin, and Sungmin. I pulled my earphones off. “Can you help us?” Sungmin asked, begrudgingly.

  “Of course,” I agreed before I knew what was going on.

  “We need to find a dentist. None of us have the English skills to help with this.”

  One glance at MinMin clutching at his cheek told me he was the one in need of the dentist. “Is everything OK?”

  “We think it’s his…” Whatever Sungmin said, I didn’t understand.

  “Wisdom tooth,” CX supplied, in Japanese. “Which is why I’m here.”

  The blank look I had been giving Sungmin was transferred to CX. “Are you going to hold his hand or perform the extraction?”

  “I’m going to translate your Japanese into Korean so that we can fill the forms out.”

  If MinMin wasn’t looking so miserable, I would have laughed at that. But it made sense. If their English wasn’t great, neither was my Korean. But then again… “What about JongB or Xiao? They speak English and Korean.”

  “Neither of them knows anything about the American medical process,” Sungmin explained. “JongB was a child when he moved to Seoul. I would rather have someone who had experience at dealing with this kind of thing. I would like to make the process as quick as possible.”

  I nodded. It made sense. And much as I adored JongB, the last thing I would want was him attempting to fill in my medical paperwork. “Have you got a dentist?” I asked Sungmin. When Sungmin shook his head, I pulled out my phone and did a quick google search for the dentist I used. I quickly called them requesting an emergency appointment. “Let’s go get a taxi,” I said, leading them outside.

  It was something of a surreal moment, driving down the strip towards Henderson with one third of Onyx. The drive was quiet except for Sungmin on the phone. From the parts of the conversation I could catch, he was reporting back to Atlantis.

  I peered around CX at MinMin on the other side of him. He was hidden beneath a hoodie and a mask, leaning against the younger member, clutching at his jaw. “How long has it been like this?” I asked, suspiciously.

  “He was complaining about it when we landed in Vancouver,” CX replied.

  “And he performed like that?” I asked, surprised. I’d had absolutely no inkling that there had been anything wrong with him.

  “The show must go on,” MinMin mumbled.

  We arrived at the dentist surgery and were ushered into a private room after I explained the situation. Even though I had explained that dentists, like doctors, had to respect the confidentiality of a patient, Sungmin was insistent they sign a document that looked very similar to the NDA I had signed when I started working with them.

  Thankfully, being Vegas, the dentist must have seen it all before because he signed it without batting an eyelid. What he did insist on, was us completing the paperwork before he would even see MinMin.

  While MinMin lay huddled up against CX, the rest of us set to work completing the forms. And I thought I’d had it bad when I had registered. Bringing CX had been a good call. There had been a couple of words we’d both had to resort to looking up to check, but otherwise it was a much quicker process.

  Finally, the four of us were in the dentist’s office, with MinMin in a chair. The dentist peered into his mouth, gently prodding at something which had MinMin yelling in pain. I winced to myself at that. I am not a fan of dentists.

  “The bad news is that Minhyuk has an impacted wisdom tooth,” the dentist told us. “I can give you a prescription for some painkillers, but it’s currently affecting the rest of his teeth. Simply, he has too many teeth in his mouth to cope with it, which is why he is in so much pain.”

  Knowing I couldn’t translate that one to Korean, I turned to Japanese and the dentist waited patiently for it to work back to Sungmin and MinMin. Thankfully, I had explained the language issues, so he was happy to wait.

  “Get it out,” MinMin begged.

  I translated that one mys
elf.

  “I can do it right now,” the dentist nodded.

  “How long will it take?” I asked, repeating Sungmin’s question.

  “The good news is that I can do it now and it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes under a general anesthetic.”

  There was another moment of translating, then MinMin stared at the dentist. “Do it.”

  When Sungmin gave his approval, the dentist nodded. “This is something you cannot be in the room for. If you’re going to wait, this will be a couple of hours. I want to keep an eye on him after he has come around from the anesthetic.”

  MinMin didn’t care. He must have been hurting a lot considering how quickly he agreed to it. I could relate. I’d had my wisdom teeth removed in college – three of them – and they had all sucked.

  Outside in the waiting room, Sungmin was pulling out his phone. “I need to update everyone. It’s a good thing we don’t have a show until tomorrow night.”

  “Hyungnim? Could we go get something to eat?” CX asked, pointing across the street to a diner. “I’m starving.”

  Sungmin glanced over at the building and frowned. “I should stay here in case I am needed for something.” I could see him toying with the idea of letting me and CX disappear somewhere alone.

  “Would it help if I told you I’d left my passport at the hotel?” I joked.

  Sungmin didn’t find that funny.

  “We’ll just be across the street. I’ll even ask for us to be seated in the window,” I offered. “Or CX can go by himself?”

  “At least I won’t get lost,” CX added, referring to JongB who apparently made a habit of it.

  “No, but you might come back with a different hair color.”

  At least I wasn’t the only one in bad books. Sungmin didn’t like MinMin’s silver hair…

  “Go eat,” Sungmin eventually sighed.

  “Would you like something brought back for you?” I offered.

  When Sungmin shook his head and turned his attention to his phone, CX and I walked out and crossed the street to the diner. It was now mid-afternoon and so we had missed the lunchtime rush. As promised, we got a seat in the window.