ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴇɴ [ᴇɴ- ᴘᴏʟʏ]

Chapter 120

Jake held me close to him. For the first time, I felt the same anger radiating off of him that I usually related to Niki, Jungwon, or Heeseung. He was gritting his teeth and staring at the director. Even when his body was stiff with tension, he gently stroked my hair.

How did we reach this point? I just out in the washroom. Why did the guards drag me down here?

"That girl needs to leave right now." The director snarled.

No one responded. No one moved. The only way I knew they heard him was by Jake's grip that tightened on my arm ever so slightly.

"Pack her things up. I don't want her here another minute. I'm being nice at the moment. Say your goodbyes and let her go." He said again.

Again, no one moved. No one spoke.

The director raised an eyebrow.

"No goodbyes? Fine." He turned to the three guards beside him.

"Take her away."

At once, the remaining elders and Jungwon stepped in front of me to form a barrier. Sunoo and Niki stood on either side of me. Jake turned me towards him and covered me completely to shield me away from the scene. I was trembling in fear as I clung to him.

"Take another step and it won't end well." Heeseung warned.

The guards hesitated and looked at the director for instructions. But the director was already gritting his teeth.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be. Step aside and I assure you she'll be safely escorted to the airport for the next flight to Hyderabad. No harm done." The director said.

"Don't blow this out of proportion. She's going nowhere." Jay hissed.

My heart raced so badly. All of this felt so surreal. What if any of them gets hurt while trying to protect me? And if they didn't, they were going to suffer for going against the company. And all if it would be my fault. Wouldn't things be better for them I left for the time being?

I tapped Jake's shoulder to get his attention. His eyes locked on mine for a split second before he averted them and shook his head.

"I tried. Don't say that I didn't give you a chance." The director then addressed the guards. "Don't hurt any of them."

The guards nodded and stepped forward. Niki and Sunoo closed in from either side. I started panicking. None of them were ready to budge. Fear was growing in my stomach. I wanted to walk out of the room by myself just to keep them safe. But at the same time, I was scared of stepping away from Jake and going out of this little circle. I couldn't shake the feeling that if I did, I might never see them again.

Footsteps started approaching us. I prepared to push Jake away from me. If it was inevitable, I'd rather not escalate this any further. I took a deep breath.

This was it. This was how things were going to end between us.

"Stop right there."

Jungwon's sharp voice cut through the air. But the guards didn't seem to stop. The next words that came out of his mouth sucked the air out of the room.

"Or I won't perform."

I drew away from Jake to look at Jungwon. Did I hear that right? And not only me but everyone had the same thought. Judging from the confused glances passing between the members. But no one stopped Jungwon.

"What?" The director asked in disbelief.

"If you take her away, I refuse to perform in tomorrow's concert." Jungwon repeated.