I watched Soo-jin. His calm didn’t break, but hairline fractures appeared in his gaze.
“You’re overreaching,” he said.
Do-hyun remained resolute. “No.”
He tapped again. “Camera calibration requests.” The tightened angles on the doors.
Do-hyun pulled up maintenance requests from Vancouver, Portland, and Seattle. Same formatting and phrasing. Same skeleton underneath.
“Submitted under tour management authority,” Do-hyun said. “Approved by the executive tier.VF-Management-Executive-02.”
Kang looked at the contractor and the assistant. “Did you know?”
The contractor swallowed. “Protocol. I was told it was protocol.”
The assistant glanced at Soo-jin and then away.
Soo-jin spoke before either could unravel. “Everyone did their best to maintain stability.”
Kang stepped closer. “You used staff.”
Soo-jin met his gaze evenly. “I used what we have.”
“And you framed Griffin,” Kang said.
“I corrected an instability.”
Do-hyun turned to the last page. Summary memo. Corporate language. Bloodless and fatal.
“Based on this documentation,” he said, “continuing Soo-jin in a role with direct operational authority presents an unacceptable risk.”
Soo-jin’s expression barely changed.
Do-hyun's finger hovered over his tablet.
"One more thing," he said.
He tapped, and a media file opened.Audio waveform. Timestamp: May 13, 10:13 PST. Los Angelesappeared on one monitor.
My stomach clenched. LA. The morning of the hotel fire alarm. Just over twenty minutes after Micah Nakamura went down.
“We pulled this from a company-issued executive phone,” Do-hyun said. “All management devices sync call audio under our mobile device policy.”
Do-hyun pressed play, and the speaker crackled. Background noise, distant sounds, and muffled voices.
Soo-jin's voice cut through, clear and calm: "It's handled."
Another voice responded, male, older, someone from tour management. "What do you mean, handled?"
"The disruptive hotel staff. I removed the obstruction."
A pause. When the other voice came back, it sounded uncertain. "Removed how?"
"I redirected him," Soo-jin said. Measured. Precise. "Firmly. He lost his balance. These things happen in crowded spaces."
My memory flooded my consciousness before I could brace for it. The sound of Micah's skull striking marble. Wet. Solid. An impact that seeped into your bones.
"Jesus, Soo-jin—"
