DAHLIA - Xu Minghao

Chapter 16 - Is This The End?

"Yeah, I tried to hide away from all the sorrow and pain,
But little did I know that I was going insane."

***

     "Meilin, can you follow me, please? The higher ups want to have a word." It was three weeks into the new year, and a man Meilin had never seen before was poking his head into the Green Room. The girl, who had been sitting with Soonyoung and Wonwoo, slowly blinked several times before she got up and made her way to the door. She felt everyone's eyes on her, but she ignored it and instead sent the boys one last smile as the door fell shut behind her.

     "Who do you mean by 'the higher ups'?" Meilin softly asked. "Who even are you? Why have I never seen you around here?" The questions kept spilling from her mouth, but the man never answered any of them. Luckily — or not — for Meilin, the apparent 'higher ups' did. Meilin found herself in a small office, face to face with the CEO of her company.

     "Good evening, miss Wang." Were the words that alarmed her.

     "I'm sure you have no idea why you're here." Were the words that terrified her.

      But Meilin braved her nerves and smiled kindly. "Good evening, Sir. I indeed have no idea as to why you've brought me here. But judging from your expression, it is not a good thing." She dared to joke, but she very honestly wasn't joking as much as she pretended she was. She knew that she was here for something negative.

     But her boss chuckled, easing the pressure surrounding the two of them.

     "That man, the one that brought you here, he is a very close friend of mine. I was not quite sure if you would remember him, but it seems you have not." He stated, sounding rather disappointed. "That was Choi Woomin, the same man that scouted you at your nationals. If only we knew back then the trouble you would cause." He chuckled ironically. "Meilin, it has been brought to my attention that you have quite a thing for breaking the rules, do you not?" Fuck. Meilin thought. "In fact, you have been playing with the company for quite a while now, I have noticed."

     "Sir?" She asked. She needed to know just exactly how much he knew, and most of all where his information came from.

     "Let's start with the beginning of what you liked to call, 'a social experiment'. It was a rather difficult time for you, was it not? You must have felt lonely, but you chose to remain lonely instead of trying to make some new friends. That is what surprised me the most."

     "I felt silenced, Sir. I felt the need to do something that would make you feel embarrassed too." Meilin reasoned. "I apologize. I now see it was wrong of me."

     "It was indeed." The man before her said. "But not to worry, that is not the reason you are here. In the end, it made the project a better show to watch. It was more popular than the previous seasons." Meilin smiled rather proudly, still playing oblivious as to why she was there. She had a few vague ideas. But never did she expect it to be all of them.

     "Am I right to say that you had your sister staying over at the dormitory a few weeks ago, and chose not to tell us?" Meilin gulped, but admitted. If he knew about it, then he must have had proof. He would never make such an accusation without proof. "And tell me, Meilin, is it true you own a phone, and have ever since your first stay with your friend Jihyun? Have you been hiding that from me too?" Again, Meilin nodded. He was too specific with the timing. "And lastly, but definitely not least..."

     Meilin knew what he was about to say before he actually said it.

     "Are you dating someone, even though it was made clear when you started training that this is not allowed until after debut?"