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KWAN
The following day saw me spending most of my time on the phone. I tried calling Beau, but there was never a reply until eventually, I left a voicemail. I hoped he’d pick it up and call me back, but I wasn’t that lucky.
After speaking with Cynthia, she invited us all into the office to meet our new manager. He was relatively new to the scene but passionate about his job. We were to meet up in the afternoon where Alan Ravensburger would introduce himself and finally let us know about this big gig Saul had arranged.
I was the most enthusiastic of us all, but I hoped once we’d met him, seen what he had to offer, and if he was able to give us the news, the others would follow suit.
I tried Beau one last time, my heart sinking as it once again rang out. Damn it. I hoped he was okay. He’d seemed so unhappy when he left me yesterday. I just hoped I hadn’t blown it with him.
I’d arranged to meet the other guys outside the office so we could all go in together, and I was slightly disappointed when Kasem seemed to be back to his usual self, acting like the prima donna he thought he was.
“So, here we are again, boys. Bet you were sad to leave your boyfriend behind, Kwan.”
His tone really put my back up, and I was wishing for the Kasem of yesterday to come back. The quiet one who hung his head, barely saying a word. It was certainly an improvement on the cocky shit standing next to me now.
I ignored him, walking through the painted blue door of Saul’s management company, Enterprise Management. It was an old building, just a sign over the door indicating we were in the right place. A narrow corridor led to a set of stairs which in turn led to a wide, open plan office. Three people sat behind desks, one woman wearing all black, the other two looking sad, giving a sombre feel to the office.
The woman in black, Cynthia, stood and walked over to us, arms outstretched.
“My dear boys, how are you holding up?” She hugged us each in turn, her sweet perfume tickling my nose, causing me to sneeze.
“Cynthia, you must feel terrible. Is there anything my family can do?” Kasem’s blatantly false sincerity fell from his mouth, and I looked on, shocked at the audacity of the guy. What the actual fuck?
“They've been very kind, offering to help towards the cost of the funeral. Despite his success, he didn’t have much, putting all his money into you lovely boys.” She stood back, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “He was so proud of you.”
She scurried away to the ladies room, loud sobs coming through the open doorway. It had really hit her hard. I made a mental note to speak to her before leaving. I knew little about her or how long she’d worked for Saul, and to be so upset, it must have been a while.
As for being proud, that was debatable at times, but I had no doubt he was happy to represent us. I don’t think he made a fortune, but he’d not done too bad by us either.
“Ah, these must be the boys.” A tall, well-dressed man walked out of one of the offices, his hair neatly groomed and sporting a perfectly trimmed beard. This must be Alan.
“I’m Alan, your new manager. I spent all last night going through your files, trying to get myself up to speed. You guys are ‘da bomb’. You know what I’m saying?”
I tried not to look over at Cho, knowing he’d be laughing, and sure enough, I saw his shoulders shaking as he tried desperately not to laugh out loud, biting his lip to suppress his snigger.
Who said that these days? If this was what he was saying about us, I had my doubts he was the right guy for the job.
No one spoke, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
“Okay, shall we get started then?” Alan walked towards a closed door, opening it to reveal a large conference room. It was a little dark and dusty, the windows on the outside could do with a clean and the deep oak colour of the furniture did nothing to lighten the room.
We sat around the table and were eventually joined by a more composed Cynthia, an iPad tucked under her arm.
“Saul’s swift passing has left us in a bit of a pickle, I have to say, guys. A few gigs left to arrange, and an especially big one left unconfirmed. We need to get on that right away so the opportunity isn’t lost.
“What would you boys say if I told you Saul had secured us a spot at a new outdoor festival just outside Liverpool? It’s in a couple of months, so plenty of time to get some material together and some new choreography. I just need your say so on it. If you want to have a chat about it, that’s fine, but time is of the essence here.”
“Will we be getting paid for it?” I didn’t even have to look to see who’d asked that question. Kasem was always about the money and the fame, unlike the rest of us. Well, Cho and Sammy anyway. I was starting to doubt Li’s motives at the moment, as friendly as he was becoming with Kasem.
“There will be an appearance fee, yes, but it’ll be split between you five, and then there will be our fee too. I can say, though, that this is not so much about the money, but you boys being seen. The right people will be there, promoters who, if they like you, could do wonders for your visibility and ultimately, your future.
“Enterprise Management will be here every step of the way to advise and obviously manage you. I sincerely hope you see fit to keep us on. Saul did a lot for you behind the scenes, which is why you have this opportunity now. I’ve watched footage of you, and I think you have something. I do think your choreography could be better, and I have some contacts that have recommended a studio in Chester. I’ll let you know about that, though.”
“How soon do we have to decide?” I knew I wanted to do it. Kasem was a no-brainer, but I thought we should talk about it first.
“I’d like to be able to give them an answer in about forty-eight hours. I think this could be a step forward for you, putting you more in the limelight.” I was rethinking my opinion of this guy. He really did seem to be on the ball. “Cynthia and I will leave you here for the next ten minutes or so. Have a think about what you want to do. I don’t want to influence your decision here, boys, but this could be the one that launches your careers.”
He and Cynthia stood and left the room, leaving the five of us looking at each other, a little shell-shocked and lost for words.
