Jinwoo stood. "Who signed these?"
Do-hyun tapped a line with his finger.
Soo-jin.
Minjae's bounce stopped.
Taemin's voice flattened. "Busy day for him."
Do-hyun closed the folder. "I recommend following the original routing, but management has the authority."
"Authority isn't the same thing as right," Jinwoo said.
He looked at me then. Direct. Steady. "Are you okay?"
The question landed hard.
I swallowed. "Yes." Then, after a beat: "Thank you."
A knock at the door. Firm. Urgent. Do-hyun opened it.
A security supervisor stood there. "Need to confirm the green room to stage route. Management says there's been a change."
Three proposed changes appeared on his tablet when he turned it toward us. New corridors, timing, and staff positions.
All of them wrong.
Jinwoo stepped forward. "No change," he said.
The supervisor blinked. "Sir, management—"
"Management can explain later." Jinwoo's voice remained calm. "Tonight we perform. We arrive on time. We arrive together. Original route."
The supervisor's mouth opened and closed without saying anything.
Do-hyun smiled pleasantly. "Is there a problem?"
The supervisor looked at his tablet as if it might help him. It didn't.
"No, sir," he said finally. He backed away and closed the door.
Minjae let out a breath he'd been holding.
Taemin leaned against the counter. "So, we're doing a show."
Jinwoo glanced at the clock. "We always do."
I looked at my reflection. Stage makeup. Clean lines. Rune stared back with perfect neutrality.
Yoon-jae held his breath underneath.
I stood. Picked up my microphone pack. "Griffin said I should stay with you," I said quietly.
Minjae looked up. His eyes were red-rimmed but steady. "We know."
We left the green room to head to the stage.
Staff lined the hallway. Black shirts. Clipboards. Headsets. Eyes that glanced at us and looked away, respectful and impersonal.
