"Hyung... what did you say to her?" his assistant asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.
Taeyong didn't respond. His face remained still, cold, his movements measured as he continued eating, the clinking of the chopsticks the only sound filling the room.
"Hyung, you shou-"
"She is a captive," the leader cut him off, his voice firm but calm, carrying an unnerving finality. "I want you to bring her to a room and lock her there."
Doyoung's eyes widened slightly. "Lock her-?"
Taeyong stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. The girl flinched hard at the sound, her entire body tensing as though she expected him to lash out. The movement didn't escape the others' attention. Sungchan's eyes darted to her, his jaw tightening in quiet worry.
"Hyung, you won't really do that," Jaehyun exclaimed, his tone rising with anger.
"It's an order, Jaehyun. I'm sorry."
"You can't be serious!" Jaehyun shot up from his seat, slamming his hands onto the table. The plates rattled.
"Jaehyun, sit down!" Johnny barked, standing as well, his voice deep and commanding. "We'll find a solution. Don't make this worse right now."
But Doyoung didn't wait for the others to speak. He exhaled slowly, lowering his chopsticks before standing. "I'll handle it," he said simply, his tone even but eyes sharp.
He walked over to the trembling girl, crouching so he could meet her eyes. "Seolya," he said softly, avoiding the name that connected her to Taeyong's order. "Would you come with me?"
Soul didn't answer. She was shaking, her eyes darting between Taeyong and the exit as if gauging which one posed the bigger threat.
"I won't harm you," Doyoung said, his voice softer now, the warmth in it steadying. "I promise. And I'll make sure no one else does either, okay?"
He extended his hand but didn't touch her. He just waited.
After a moment's hesitation, she stood, her movements small and unsure. Doyoung nodded once and gestured toward the hallway. She walked ahead of him, keeping distance. He didn't reach for her, didn't rush.
"Hyung!" Sungchan called out behind them, halfway standing.
"Trust me," Doyoung replied without looking back.
Jaehyun's fists clenched as he watched them disappear down the hallway. He sat back down, burying his hands in his hair, pulling at the roots in frustration. Chenle reached out, patting his shoulder, but Jaehyun shook him off and abruptly left the table, the sound of his steps echoing down the hall.
The silence that followed was heavy, pressing on everyone's chest.
"This is gonna be hard..." Taeil murmured, rubbing his temples.
Yuta leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Hard? It's already falling apart."
Taeil glanced toward the door where Jaehyun had gone. "He's boiling inside," he muttered. "And that scares me more than Taeyong right now."
"Jaehyun will calm down," Johnny said, though his voice lacked conviction.
"No," Yuta countered. "He won't. Not if hyung hurts her again."
Upstairs, Doyoung opened the door to his own room and motioned for Soul to step inside.
"Here," he said softly, keeping his tone calm and informative, not commanding. "This room is safe. You can sleep here and rest. There's a bathroom through that door, and I'll bring you food and water soon. You don't have to be afraid here, okay?"
