"So," Taeyong said as he closed the office door behind them, his voice flat, unreadable. He walked around his desk, sat down slowly, and folded his hands on the surface. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"
Jeno hesitated for a moment— the kind of hesitation that wasn’t fear, but caution. He sat down as well, keeping his posture straight. Taeyong’s eyes were fixed on him in that sharp, assessing way that always made telling the truth both terrifying and necessary. Jeno's hands tightening slightly in his lap. "Hyung…" Jeno began, his voice quieter than usual, but steady. "You can’t keep her here like this."
Taeyong’s eyebrow lifted slowly, almost lazily — but Jeno knew that look.
It was the look he gave people right before tearing their argument apart.
Taeyong leaned back in his chair. "And why exactly," he asked, voice calm but edged with steel, "can’t I do that?"
The room felt colder. Jeno forced himself not to break eye contact.
"I mean… it’s not like you’re friends with her," Taeyong said.
"Well—"
Taeyong scoffed under his breath.
"Hyung, she isn’t a threat to us."
Taeyong’s expression hardened, his jaw tightening. "She could be," he said sharply.
Jeno shook his head. "No.”
"Jeno," Taeyong snapped, the first crack of irritation showing, frustration rising. "I told you to attend school to watch her — not to get attached. She is a possible danger to all of us. I thought you would understand that."
"I do understand your worry," Jeno said, his voice firming. "But I also understand what I saw. How she acted. And hyung… she’s Sungchan’s twin. Jaehyun hyung’s little sister. And they aren’t a danger to us. They’re good people. They aren’t dangers to us, and neither is she. She is… just like them."
The name “Jaehyun” visibly tightened Taeyong’s jaw.
"Hendery is injured because of her!" Taeyong’s voice rose sharply, cracking in anger and worry he had tried to swallow for days.
Jeno exhaled slowly.
"Hyung… Hendery hyung is injured because Wonchan shot him. Not her." Taeyong suddenly slammed his palm against the desk. “He’s fighting for his life because she existed in the wrong place at the wrong time!”
Jeno sighed in frustration, feeling like this discussion would lead to nothing at all.
He exhaled, shoulders sagging. “Hyung… this isn’t like you.”
Jeno leaned forward a little, his voice gentle but firm. "She’s an innocent. She didn’t ask for any of this. You saved her from that situation. You were protecting her."
Taeyong looked away, but his fists tightened.
"Look," Jeno said, his words quicker now, urgency creeping in. "Her disappearance won’t go unnoticed. You know that, right?her family will notice she’s gone! They’ll report her missing! Families don’t just ignore missing kids. And Sungchan won’t go home while she’s trapped here, so they’d report both of them missing. Two missing minors? Hyung, that’s a police storm waiting to happen.” Their friends too! “We weren’t alone when Wonchan and Barom kidnapped her. One of her friends saw everything!”
“He saw her dragged away. He knows something happened.” He’s going to ask questions too. He almost called the police already."“We were lucky Sungchan convinced him not to call the police immediately!”
Taeyong’s eyes snapped back to him.
"You’re telling me there is another witness?"
"Yes," Jeno said. "And you know I’m right. This is nothing we can hide. This doesn’t stay quiet. The risk… it’s bigger than you think. If we’re not careful, everyone involved—every Dream member—loses their cover."
