"Four counts. In."
We did it together. Five times. Six. Finally, my vision cleared, and I could see his face clearly again.
"Someone will die," I said. Flat. Matter-of-fact. "It will be because of me."
"No."
"The truss fell—"
"You didn't cause that."
"It all exists because I exist. If I'd disappeared, none of this would be necessary. Those men wouldn't be in hospital beds."
Griffin gripped my wrist. Gentle pressure, pulling my hands away from where I'd been pressing them against my face.
"Look at me."
I did.
"You didn't create this machinery," he said. "You're trying to survive inside it. That's not the same as causing harm."
"People are getting hurt—"
"Because someone is engineering the risk. Not because you're choosing to exist." His grip tightened slightly. "You're not the problem. You're what someone wants to control."
I pulled free. Crossed to the window again, needing space to think.
"I don't want anyone to pay for my existence." I turned back to face him. "Two crew members are in hospital. Minjae is terrified. Taemin's lightness is fading. Jinwoo has to shoulder everything alone."
I blinked back tears burning at the corners of my eyes.
"And you. Kang decides tomorrow. Your career and reputation are at risk. Because of me. Because I—"
I couldn't finish.
Griffin stepped up close. "May I touch you?" he asked quietly.
I nodded.
He reached out to touch my jaw. I closed my eyes and leaned into the contact.
"I'm so scared," I whispered. "All the time. Every morning, I wake up scared. I stand onstage while thousands scream and I'm scared they don't know why they're applauding."
His other hand touched my hip. "They're applauding because you're brilliant, all of you. The art is real. What you give them matters."
"But they don't see—"
"They see what they need to see. That isn't dishonesty." His thumb brushed along my jawline. "And right now, you need something no one else is offering."
"What?"
"Permission to stop being professional."
I looked down. "I don't know how to do that."
"Yes, you do. You're doing it right now."
I opened my eyes. He closed the distance between us.
