The dorm was quiet, cloaked in the stillness of late night. Aki, seated by the window, was the first to notice the shadowy figure slipping out of the building at exactly 1 a.m. Even from a distance, she recognized the familiar posture and stride—it was Aerin.
Aki sighed, her gaze lingering on the now-empty street. She didn't call out to her, didn't alert the others. She simply watched, filing away the moment for later, unsure whether it would matter or not. As she returned to her room, faint sounds of boxes shifting and muffled clatters echoed through the thin walls. Aki's room was right next to Aerin's, but like before, she chose silence.
Minutes later, Aerin found herself standing outside Seventeen's dorm, her knuckles tapping sharply against the door. Her heart raced, her breaths shallow, as she clutched a small pen in her trembling hand. The cool metal grounded her, though it wasn't enough to still her restless energy—her foot tapped against the ground in nervous rhythm.
When the door finally creaked open, she was met with the sight of an absurdly tall man. His sharp, handsome features were marred only by the confusion etched across his face as he stared at her.
"Is Seungcheol here?" she blurted out, her voice tight with urgency. "I really need to talk to him."
Mingyu blinked, his confusion deepening. She might've been mistaken for a fan—despite the underlying sense of familiarity—if not for the desperation in her voice. Still, his instincts told him to tread carefully. After all, he was rather sleep-deprived, and in that state, he definitely wasn't in the best state to think.
Before he could act, Seungcheol appeared behind him. "Who is it?" he asked, his groggy voice tinged with curiosity.
Aerin's tension eased ever so slightly at the sight of him. "It's me. We need to talk. It's urgent."
Seungcheol's brow furrowed as he stepped past Mingyu, who stood frozen with wide eyes. "Aerin?" His tone was gentle, but there was no mistaking the concern that had crept into his expression.
"Dude, wait—how do you know—" Mingyu began, only to be silenced by a sharp wave from Seungcheol.
"Follow me," Seungcheol said to Aerin, ignoring Mingyu's protest and gesturing for her to come inside.
Seungcheol led her through the quiet halls of the dorm, the faint hum of the refrigerator and the soft creak of the floorboards the only sounds accompanying them. They reached his room, a master suite tucked away at the end of the hallway. The privacy it offered was exactly what she needed.
Aerin stepped inside, her gaze darting around the luxurious space. Normally, she'd have made some teasing comment about the sleek decor or joked about how the rest of the group must hate him for snagging the best room. But not tonight.
She sat on the edge of his bed, clutching the pen in her hand. For the first time, she met his eyes, her expression so serious it sent a shiver of unease down his spine.
"What's going on?" he asked, leaning against the dresser, his arms crossed.
"You remember how, right before debut, every group has that meeting with the CEO?" she began. Her voice wavered, but she pushed through, her words steadying as she went. "The one where they told us about our positions, the concept, everything?"
Seungcheol nodded slowly, sensing the weight of whatever she was about to say.
"Well... I recorded it," she admitted, the Voice Memos app pulled up on one of her older phones. "I know we weren't supposed to, but back then, I thought it would help me study the information later. I wanted to be prepared—as the leader, you know? But after that day, I forgot about it. The meeting wasn't as important as I thought it would be, so when it was time to exchange my phone, I didn't download the recording to access on my new phone. I moved on."
Seungcheol's brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. "And now?"
"Last night, I was going through my old things," Aerin continued, her voice tightening. "Looking for... anything I could use against Hyunjae. I was about to give up when the phone accidentally turned on. I don't know how—I must've pressed something. But then I heard it. The recording."
Her fingers fumbled with the device as she spoke, her nerves threatening to overwhelm her. "I didn't think it would matter. I was just reminiscing, letting it play in the background. But at the end of the recording... Seungcheol, you need to hear this."
He nodded, his focus entirely on her now. Whatever this was, it had shaken her, and that alone was enough to make his pulse quicken.
Aerin clicked the play button and fast-forwarded to the part she wanted him to hear. The small speaker crackled to life, filling the room with the muffled voices of the past.
As the recording played, Seungcheol's expression darkened. His confusion gave way to shock, then anger. Each word seemed to slot another piece into the puzzle they'd been trying to solve for months.
When it ended, the room fell into silence, heavy and charged with unspoken truths. Aerin looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for a reaction.
"This," he said finally, his voice low and resolute, "this changes everything."
