The group rose. As they exited, Barom brushed past Jeno, his shoulder colliding roughly with his.
"You'll regret this, Lee," he hissed, turning to Sungchan. "And your sister will pay for that, Jung...."
"You littl-" Sungchan started, taking a step forward- but Ten caught his arm, pulling him sharply behind himself.
"You should leave-" Ten said, voice low, but dangerously controlled. "Before I can't guarantee what I might do..."
Barom's eyes flared, a twisted grin breaking through his anger.
"And if I hear you touch that girl again- if you ever blame one of my brothers again- Ten's tone dropped, his gaze razor-sharp, "-I promise, I won't garantee anything either."
Barom's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. He turned abruptly and stormed off toward the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the hall.
The hallway outside the office fell silent except for his fading footsteps.
Chenle exhaled sharply through his teeth. "He's pissed."
"Yeah," Haechan muttered. "What happened?"
"He's suspended..." Kun said, crossing his arms. "Let's go before this escalates again. Hyung's going to want to hear everything."
Sungchan didn't move. His eyes lingered on the door they'd just left, his jaw tightening as a wave of conflicting thoughts rushed through him. Every instinct screamed to go to his sister- she must still be shaken, maybe cryining, scared for sure- but he also knew Taeyong would explode if he didn't report what happened.
His fists flexed helplessly at his sides. He hated this- being torn between duty and family, between the team and the person he'd sworn to protect most.
"But... I should be with m-"
"Hyung needs to know about this," Kun interrupted firmly, reading him too well. "Otherwise he'll freak out. She's in class now, right?"
Sungchan drew in a long breath, shoulders tense, chest aching.
"Yeah.. she's in class," he murmured, though his tone betrayed how little comfort that gave him.
If Barom was packing his stuff, he had to be in class too.
As if Kun could read his mind, he answered. "Your friend are with her. And you teacher. He won't try it again."
Sungchan sighed. head dropping slightly.
"And if you tell hyung, what happened, he won't be that mad anymore... you know he cares for innocents..."
"Is he even seeing her as one?" Sungchan contered.
Kun only gave him a look. Sungchan sighed- again- then he nodded once, as if forcing himself to commit.
The group turned toward the exit, the heavy quiet between them saying everything they couldn't.
The van door slid open with a soft click.
"I have déjà vu," Haechan muttered under his breath. His weak attempt at humor died instantly in the silence.
They climbed inside, tension thick in the air like static before a storm.
"Okay...." Taeyong began, his voice calm- too calm. The kind of calm that the boys shift uneasily- again.
"I'll try not to yell," hhe said slowly, his gaze fixed forward. "So.... explain."
"Hyung we just-"
"Don't tell me you were just doing your mission, Haechan!" Taeyong cut him off sharply. His voice cracked through the van like a whip- dropping an octave.
Every muscle in his body was tight, every wordr dripping with suppressed fury. He turned sharply, eyes landing on Jeno. "Jeno! I expected better from you. You're the responsible one. Honestly, I would have expected this kind of stupidity from Chenle or Haechan!"
"Yahhh!" both protested in unison- but their voices died instantly when Taeyong's gaze snapped to them.
His voice deepened, low and trembling with anger. "Why did you attack someone?! Was Monday's lesson not clear enough?!"
