Rune:I can't stop seeing it.
Griffin:The truss?
Rune:Where I would have been standing.
Griffin:You weren't there. That matters.
Rune:Two people were.
While I was in the shower, I decided.
Rune:I'm performing tonight.
Griffin:Are you asking or telling?
Rune:Telling.
Griffin:Okay.
Acceptance.
Griffin:I'll be there.
I dressed slowly in black jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers. By the time I finished, I looked almost normal in the mirror.
Rune, not Yoon-jae.
Seventeen thousand eight hundred and thirty-two people had bought tickets. Some had traveled from other countries.
I would perform tonight. I had to because people had already bled for it.
The decision sat in my chest like a stone. Heavy. Inevitable. Mine.
***
The Forum's loading dock at noon smelled of diesel and concrete dust.
Crew members moved with practiced efficiency. A lighting tech nodded as I passed. Professional. Neutral. His eyes tracked me half a second longer than necessary.
Watchful.
They'd replaced the damaged rigging overnight. The new steel gleamed. They'd stress-tested the safety cables and every mounting point. No visible evidence anything had gone wrong except for the tension in people moving around the stage, occasionally glancing up.
We had a condensed rehearsal in the late morning. Everyone understood: get through the blocking, confirm the repairs, and perform tonight. No one questioned it.
Griffin stood near the monitor station with Kang, their postures identical. Weight balanced, arms loose, and attention forward. Griffin's eyes found mine briefly.
I see you. Still here.
I walked toward the stage. A stagehand stepped aside, making more space than was necessary.
"Rune."
Soo-jin's voice came from behind me. Calm. Measured.
I turned.
"How are you feeling?" he asked in Korean.
