Soo-jin’s chair was empty.
I chose the seat nearest the door.
Kang began at precisely eight. The first slide showed a timeline, each incident stripped down to a line of text, clean and bloodless.
“These events cluster closely in time and location,” he said. “Taken together, they suggest a developing pattern.”
He'd titled the next slideArtist Impact Assessment.
Anxiety markers. Heightened startle response. Temporary inability to proceed. Reliance on security presence.
They’d turned Rune’s fear into bullet points.
“Is the situation being managed?” Legal asked.
“Enhanced protocols are in place,” management said. “We’ve kept personnel consistent to reduce stress.”
They didn’t say my name.
“The question,” Legal continued, “is whether those measures are enough, or whether this pattern points to a deeper vulnerability that requires intervention.”
Meaning: remove me.
“Before we talk about intervention,” Do-hyun said evenly, “we need to talk about the cause. Are these incidents random or targeted?”
“Targeted,” Kang said. “They occur during moments when protection is thinnest.”
A man from production leaned forward. “Is it possible that increased security is drawing attention? That visibility itself is creating risk?”
In other words: am I the problem?
“Reducing protection during escalation would be reckless,” Kang said.
“Even if incidents began after that protection was added?”
Silence followed.
No one needed to say it out loud.
I joined the detail on May 4th. The incidents started on May 4th.
Legal set down her pen. "Chief Kang, what's your professional assessment?"
Kang closed his tablet. "No modification required."
"You're confident in the current personnel?"
"Yes."
She made a note. "We proceed through Seattle. If the pattern continues, we reconvene."
A stay of execution.
The meeting adjourned at 8:52. Kang found me near the door.
"Walk with me."
We moved to a window overlooking the parking structure.
