My voice cracked slightly on the last note. Quarter-note sharp. Barely perceptible.
Taemin noticed from his position stage left. He tensed, ready to step forward if needed.
I steadied myself. Finished. A second of absolute silence.
Then the audience roared.
A girl in the front row cried, mouthing the words along with me. She did not know what the song meant and what it cost to perform honesty disguised by metaphors.
Still, it made her feel something.
On most nights, that would have been enough. Art working as intended.
Tonight, I was a thief. Stealing her tears and lying about the truth.
The encore blasted from the stage. Pyrotechnics and all of us moving as one unit.
We hit the final formation. The crowd screamed themselves hoarse. We bowed together—Jinwoo, Taemin, Minjae, and me—then walked offstage in formation.
Handlers surrounded us immediately. Water bottles. Towels.
"Exit through loading bay two," someone said. It was an American accent, part of the production crew. "Faster route tonight."
Soyeon paused mid-step, tablet raised. "That's not the planned route."
"Rigging work shifted access. Bay two's clear."
Kang appeared. "Who authorized the route change?"
"Production coordinated this afternoon. Shows as approved in the system."
Griffin stepped up to Kang's shoulder. "What route?"
"Bay two."
"That wasn't on the final walk-through."
They exchanged a look.
"Show me," Griffin said.
We moved as a group down the corridor. Handlers, security, and the four of us in the center. The door to bay two stood open ahead. Empty space beyond. No vehicles. No crew. Only concrete and fluorescent lights leading to a ramp that descended toward street level.
"Stop," Kang said sharply.
Griffin moved past us, checking camera coverage, looking through the bay door opening to the street below. He stopped and turned back to us.
"There's a crowd forming at street level. No barricades. Just people with phones."
Kang was already on the radio, speaking rapid Korean.
"We're rerouting," he announced. "Bay one. Original exit plan. Now."
We reversed direction. Taemin moved to my left shoulder without being asked. Minjae took my right. Protective spacing.
We loaded into vans with professional efficiency. The convoy pulled away from the Forum, with security vehicles flanking us front and back.
I looked through the tinted window on my side. The loading bay we'd almost used was still visible in the distance. It was open and unsecured.
