"It takes an eternity to build but only a moment to destroy. You could've saved us yet you chose to break it all."
::
Yuri and Seungcheol had dealt with a great many things in their lives, romance, sasaengs, near-death experiences, kidnappings and...
"So, you knew." Yeo Jung's voice was hollowed out with disbelief, the accusation merely a wake-up call to herself. "You knew this was going to happen and led us here anyway?"
Yuri sighed. There was no beating around the bush anymore. "Yes." She answered, "I cannot go back to our company after what they did to me. You know this." She chastised, "I cannot let go of the three of you either. I can't let what happened to me, happen to you. Hybe is good for us. It's a stable company with a proper system. Why don't we hear them out before making any decisions first?"
Yeo Jung grew quiet. Yuri could tell her members were upset about the happenings but had nothing she could do to change it. The upset in the room churned at her stomach until Mirin spoke up. "So, what happens to us if we disband? Do we just take up a new name?"
"About that..." The representative stepped in, realising that this was about to develop into something a lot worse than previously imagined, "The company requires all members to undergo a small test before being added to the debut lineup for our newest group." Adding softly, "And Miss Lee Yuri will act as a vocal coach for about six months for our newest trainees to level up the debt owed to the previous company."
Yeo Jung raised her eyebrows not understanding. "So, a new group. You want us to join a new group." She turned to the rest of her members, "Am I hearing this right?"
Yuri nodded reluctantly. She could not evade the truth being discussed. It wasn't the ideal situation but it was all they had. Arin, the youngest seemed confused and Mirin was silent. "We have to do something." Yuri pitched in softly. "I don't like this either but a good company can serve as the launch pad we need. So what if it's a little different from what we previously envisioned?"
Mirin's frown grew and Yeo Jung was not buying it. The concept had been sprung onto them a little too suddenly. It took some time to sink in. They were silent. Yuri was about to lose all hope when she glanced at the one remaining member in the room. Mirin and Yeo Jung weren't convinced. Arin, on the other hand, gave it some thought. She glanced at her distraught members for a short while before announcing, "I'm fine with it."
It was the turning point Yuri had been waiting for. Arin's affirmation was a drop in the ocean but it made ripples the size of tides. She took a deep breath, reiterating,
"I'm fine with it as long as we all remain together."
::
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Seungcheol found himself hanging by the waiting room a lot longer than he'd anticipated. With comebacks scheduled back-to-back and concert tours coming up, there were many shoots to cover. Between the jacket shoot and Going Seventeen, he was worried he wouldn't have enough time to drop by the office to meet Yuri. Would she be alright by herself?
"You keep staring at your phone," Joshua mentioned, sitting in place as the hair designer finished up the tips. With his eyes raised, he gestured to the phone Coups was glued to, "Did you get into a fight with Yuri or something?"
