"Main entrance."
Everyone froze for another five seconds. I raised my voice. "Kang. Now."
He looked at me and started moving the band.
Kevin pulled out his radio.
We moved toward the main doors. We were twenty feet away when a crowd surge hit from the left.
Fifteen people approached from the restaurant corridor. Walking with purpose. Carrying phones. All of them recording.
They were fans. Someone had told them exactly where to be.
"Kang!"
I was too late.
Bodies pressed forward. Voices rose—Korean and English. "Violet Frequency!" "Rune!"
Phones flashed as the crowd surrounded us. Kang barked orders. "Step back."
Some listened, but most didn't.
I lost sight of the exits. When I found Rune, he'd stopped moving. Soyeon tried shielding him, but the crowd overwhelmed her.
His breathing was shallow and rapid. Eyes dilated. I pushed through and placed my hand on his back.
He looked up at me. "Walk," I said. "Stay close to Jinwoo."
He nodded and started moving.
The main entrance was fifteen feet away, then ten.
That's when I saw Soo-jin through the glass doors. Twenty feet beyond the threshold. Watching.
Waiting.
A scream cut through the noise. It was the sound of fear mixed with pain.
The crowd had pushed up against a pillar. Someone went down.
There was a ripple effect. People pushed into people, and the density became dangerous.
"Everyone stop!" Kang demanded. "Hold position!"
Most didn't hear him.
Minjae lost his footing. Taemin grabbed him while Jinwoo remained steady in place.
Rune stood alone, three feet away. I took four steps forward and pulled him against me. I placed a hand on his chest. His heart was racing.
"I've got you. Don't move."
He pressed his face to my shoulder and hung onto my shirt with his hands.
A hotel staffer, a burly young man, pushed into the crowd. "I'll help clear a path!"
We all moved as a unit. The staffer spoke, encouraging people to create space.
