Kristen’s apartment always smelled like a garden in bloom. She heavily favored floral scented candles and incense sticks. The swirling mixture of jasmine and smoke greeted you when you approached her door, her opening it before you could even knock. If she’d been in the window waiting for you, you missed it. Then again, your mind was a mess, a labyrinth of torment and confusion. She pulled you in for a tight hug.

“I know you’re tired,” she sighed as she rubbed your back, “so I set up the air bed for you.”

“Thank you, Kris.” You muttered, trying and failing to keep her from grabbing your bag.

“Don’t worry about it.” She carried the bag inside and closed the door when you followed. “Part of me can’t believe he’d do some like this, but then again, it is your dad we’re talking about. No offense, but it’s like he’s on a constant mission to out-crazy himself.”

“None taken.” You toed off your shoes and placed them on the shoe rack by the door. “I’m still processing it all, y’know? It never occurred to me he’d get pissed off about this.” You held up your wrist.

“But,” she grinned as she plopped down on the couch, “you got to meet one of your soulmates! How did that go?” Just the thought of Jackson had you smiling again. “I take it things went well, then?”

“I can’t even describe what the hell happened with him.” You shrugged off your jacket and hung it on the back of a dining chair. “I went in with every intention of giving him hell.” You crawled onto the air bed and curled up on your side. “But when I looked at him, I lost the fight. He didn’t do or say anything special. I just… couldn’t stay mad.”

She rolled her eyes, but her grin remained. “I told you it was stupid to be mad at him in the first place. But what about him?”

You peeked up at her. “As always, he was a perfect gentleman. He apologized several times and paid for our food.”

“He’s already better than most of the people you’ve dated in the past.”

“Can you not?” You laughed. “But, yeah. He’s way better than them. Maybe the best.” You sighed as your chest began to ache. “I’m pretty sure I’ll never see him again, though.”

“What? Why not?” Kristen’s eyes nearly popped out. “You’re sitting here grinning like a fool. I thought there’d be a few more dates, at least.”

“This wasn’t a date. It was more of a…meeting, I guess.”

“Oh, what the hell ever.” She got to her feet. “We’ll continue this tomorrow, fathead. I gotta work the morning shift tomorrow. Try to get some sleep.” She waved towards the kitchen. “Make yourself at home. If I’m gone before you wake up, just text me if you need anything.”

“Will do.” You gave her a half-assed salute, then tugged the blanket she’d laid out over your body. She cut off the kitchen light and disappeared down the hallway, shutting her bedroom door behind her. The only source of light you had came from the full moon filtered through the patio blinds. Though she kept her apartment cold, the comforter she gave you was warm and heavy. You gave it a sniff and weren’t surprised to recognize the lavender fabric softener she loved. All in all, the perfect conditions to fall asleep.

Yet, you couldn’t. Your mind was running a mile a minute, replaying the whole day over and over. How could such a pleasant meal with Jackson precede the show with your family?

»»————-　★　————-««

If the pay wasn’t so damn good, Taejoon would’ve moved on some time ago. But no. Here he was in America, strutting through a hotel lobby with his small entourage in tow, ready to put his foot up someone’s . Figuratively, of course.

None of them spoke as they rode the elevator up. They didn’t need to. He’d ask all the questions, and they’d make notes. This would be over and done with before Mr. Park went to bed and they’d be on a plane back to Seoul that night.

The group and crew were a flurry of activity, rushing about, getting ready to head to the airport for their flight to LA. Taejoon smiled. He’d never admit to the satisfaction he got from ruining someone’s day. “Good morning, everyone!”

Movement in the hallway came to a halt as people crashed into each other, craning their necks to see who was speaking. Over all the shorter heads, he saw the face he was looking for. “Seungjoon, there you are.”

“Oh, god no.” Seungjoon’s shoulders dropped, but he didn’t move. It bugged Taejoon that he had to go to him, but he could let it slide this once. “Nothing good will come of this.”

“Hm, of course not.” Taejoon smiled. “It’s never good when someone has to make a thirteen-hour flight to go fix someone else’s mistakes, is it?” Seungjoon looked at him. The confusion made Taejoon’s spine tickle with delight. “Oh, you don’t know, do you? Even better.”

“Don’t know what?”

Taejoon merely smiled, then brought his thumb and index finger to his lips. The loud whistle once again brought the floor to a stop, this time with all eyes on him. “There’s been a change of plans. Reschedule the flight to LA. We won’t be making it to the airport for some time. Talk to the front desk and extend the stay as well.” He didn’t have to say names, as the people who handled the travel and hotel arrangements were already on the move. He turned back to Taejoon. “And you. Gather up the boys and have them meet us in your room. We have a lot to talk about.”

It took about fifteen minutes for all seven members to file into the room. Youngjae was the only one to look like he was sleepwalking, but what else was new? Once Seungjoon brought up the rear and shut the door behind him, Taejoon rose from his chair.

“What happened now?” BamBam eyed Taejoon warily.

“We have a serious issue.” Taejoon fixed his suit jacket. “I received word that one of you met with the woman you paired with through the SeoulMate device.” As expected, noise erupted. The boys immediately turned to Jackson and began complaining…save for Yugyeom. Interesting. Once the noise died down, he continued. “Mr. Park sent me here personally to take care of the matter. To do that, I first need to know what happened.” Taejoon gestured to Jackson. “Mind telling us about your little rendezvous?”

To anyone else, seeing Jackson's glare would be something of a shock. The boy’s always so cheerful and polite. However, Taejoon knew better. He’d had plenty of talks with Jackson, especially in the group’s early days, and was accustomed to his sour attitude. To no one’s surprise, Jackson merely shrugged and looked away. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Should we call Mr. Park and let you tell him that yourself?” Taejoon suggested with a smug grin, knowing full well Jackson wouldn’t chance an argument with their boss. His smile widened when Jackson’s shoulders dropped as he huffed.

“ing hell.” Jackson buried his face in his hands. “We met at a diner down the street. I-I made sure I wouldn’t be recognized—”

“I could tell it was you, even in full darkness.” Jinyoung snapped.

“I guess you were the one who told him, then? Didn’t even bother to talk to Jaebeom first?” Jackson’s voice rose. “I should’ve known you’d do this.”

“But,” Mark held up his hand, then pointed at Jackson, “can you blame him? Why meet her in the first place? It’s a scandal waiting to happen.”

“Because you know all about scandals, right?” Jackson bit out. Once the words were out, his eyes widened before a grimace settled on his face. “Man, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, sure.” Mark slouched in his chair.

“Regardless of what you think of it,” Taejoon cut in, “we will do this based on my judgment. And I need to hear every detail starting with when you left.”

Jaebeom elbowed Jackson and nodded towards Taejoon. “Spit it out.”

Jackson sighed, but gradually the words began to spill from his lips. Taejoon nodded to his team, who immediately began taking notes of the places and people they needed to contact. As Jackson recalled every detail, Taejoon watched the group’s reaction. He expected to see frowns and clear disapproval, but it wasn’t from as many as he’d like. Yugyeom and Youngjae listened with fond smiles while Jaebeom kept his face neutral, not showing any indication of how the information made him feel. Taejoon hadn’t even been there an hour and could see the ramifications this presented.

“And then I came straight back here.” Jackson finished.

Taejoon nodded and looked over his shoulder at the notes his assistant had. “We’ll have to check the diner for any security footage and have it scrubbed. You sound like you did a good job avoiding the press but I’ll have PR keep an eye out for any pictures that may surface. You’re sure she didn’t take any pictures of you?”

“I’m sure.” Jackson nodded as he picked at his nails. “So now what?”

“I have to find her and have her sign an NDA, naturally. If necessary, I might also get a restraining order.” Taejoon regretted not bringing his earplugs. He’d forgotten since he was running on roughly six hours of sleep and not nearly enough caffeine. Jackson was back on his feet going on about something Taejoon couldn’t really make out with Jinyoung and Jaebeom also arguing back and forth. Right. He didn’t have to stick around for this. He had the girl’s name. Getting her address wouldn’t be too hard. “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Jackson called out, tripping over Youngjae to get to him. “You can’t go alone. I want to go with you.”

“Absolutely not.” Taejoon shook his head. “I’m able to take care of this without your help.”

“It’s not that,” Yugyeom spoke up. “No offense, but you’re sneaky. Who’s to say you won’t have her sign a shrewd contract? We should see it first.”

“Not only that, but it should be clear the contract isn’t our doing,” Youngjae added thoughtfully.

“See?” Jackson gave Taejoon a pointed look. “I should be there to make sure you don’t take advantage of the situation. I don’t want this making her think badly of us.”

Taejoon was at the limit of his patience. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks of you. There won’t be any further contact with her.”

“I didn’t agree to that,” Jackson said candidly with not a shred of regret.

“It isn’t something that needs to be agreed to. It’s understood.” Taejoon looked at the group. “None of you were to contact anyone through the device, especially her. I shouldn’t have to tell you this.”

“We listened.” Jinyoung groused. “He’s the only one having issues with the orders.”

“Because the orders are !” Jackson blew up. “It’s unethical, and they pressured us into it. I don’t see why it’s so wrong to let me talk to one person when we’re basically scamming hundreds of thousands into buying a product this expensive.”

Taejoon scoffed. “It didn’t bother you when you signed the contract with the company.”

“And? That was then. I’m allowed to realize I was wrong. The only issue is I didn’t do this alone. Correcting this mistake will hurt others, like our staff and fans.” Jackson paused and straightened up. “Look, all I’m asking is that we be there when she signs. I know you. I know how you word things. Someone with no experience with lawyer-speak won’t see through your fake smile. She’ll sign her life away and you’ll just smile. That’s unfair. I brought her into this, so let me make sure she’ll be okay when we leave.”

“You act like you have any sort of power in this situation, Jackson. This isn’t up to you.”

Jackson smiled. “You sure? She can’t sign the contract if you can’t find her. And if you can’t find her, we’re not allowed to get on the plane to LA, as per ‘Mr. Park’s orders’, right?” Jackson put his hands in the pockets of his sweats. “I could easily text her and give her a heads up about this. We could be in Dallas for another two days. Delay the whole tour. None of this is coming out of our pockets.”

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Taejoon hissed. “That would cost the company thousands, if not millions, of dollars!”

“Hm. Sounds bad.” Jackson nodded and strolled back to his seat. “Sounds like you should bring her back then.”

»»————-　★　————-««

Taejoon didn’t have high hopes for the address they were headed to. After all, if someone wants to blackmail anyone else, they aren’t typically rich. He was surprised when the car turned into a cozy suburban neighborhood where the houses weren’t cookie cutter. It was entirely possible you’d given the company a fake address. Most shady characters do. He wouldn’t be surprised at all.

“You have arrived,” the GPS announced as the driver pulled up to the curb. The house wasn’t anything spectacular. If there was a garage, he couldn’t see it so there was no way of knowing if anyone was home. Aside from knocking. Taejoon sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt.

His assistants followed him to the front door, and he was glad. Americans were unpredictable. He rang the doorbell and listened. Of course, it didn’t work. He pulled open the screen door and knocked. A short woman answered, drying her hands on a vibrant small towel. She eyed the three of them.

“Yes?”

“Good morning.” Taejoon smiled. “I am looking for _____. Does she live here?”

“You didn’t even introduce yourself. Nice suit. What company do you work for?”

The fact that she didn’t outright deny knowing you was a plus. He had the right address. “Forgive my bad manners. We are with a small law firm associated with the SeoulMate company.” Her eyes widened with recognition. Good. “There’s been an issue with Ms. _____’s device and we need to speak with her about it.”

“This couldn’t have been done over the phone? Why send three of you?”

Taejoon put on his best sympathetic smile. “We need signatures to help her get a working device, find her true soulmate.”

“What do you mean, ‘a working device?’ She hasn’t said anything about it not working.” The woman’s frown morphed into worry.

“I can imagine it might be a lot to take in. That’s why we’re here to help.” He clasped his hands together. “May we speak to her?”

Somewhere in the house, a door slammed, and the woman twitched before she forced a smile. “I think it’s better you just go.”

“Who’s at the door?” A man bellowed. “Is she back already? Tell that heifer to take her on somewhere—” The man turned the corner. He barely made it up to Taejoon’s shoulder. “Who the are they?”

“It doesn’t concern you. Go take a nap or something.”

“Woman, you don’t run . If I ask who it is, you tell me.” The man turned his attention to Taejoon. It was likely they’d have to make a run for the car. “Who are you, and what the hell do you want?”

“Jermond, no—”

Taejoon cleared his throat and stuck out his hand. “Ah, the man of the house.” The change in the man’s hostile attitude was instantaneous. “I’m Taejoon Jeon and we’re looking for a Ms. _____, your daughter, I presume?”

Jermond eyed the outstretched hand and crossed his arms. “What’d she do now? We don’t have any money to pay for anything. She’s on her own.”

“No, sir. We’re not looking for money.” Taejoon dropped his hand but kept the friendly smile up. “Just need to speak with her and get a few signatures.”

“Then I can save you some time. She doesn’t live here anymore. If I had to guess, she’s at her friend’s. Kristen.”

“How ing stupid can you be?” The woman rounded on him and started yelling. “You don’t know about these people! What if they’re trying to hurt her?”

“Why should I care? None of you give a about hurting me.”

Taejoon could only watch the couple argue back and forth in awe. His assistant tapped his shoulder and showed him your Instagram, where a recent picture had been posted of you and another young woman. The caption mentioned a name: Kristen. That was more than enough. He motioned for them to head back to the car, no longer interested in the drama at the door.

“Get the address. I don’t care what you have to say to get it.” Taejoon barked as he buckled his seatbelt.

»»————-　★　————-««

It was a miracle the apartment was only fifteen minutes away. As Taejoon got out of the car, it occurred to him that your mom could have given you the heads up. He’d have to apply a little pressure on you to get this one with as quickly as possible. It was already close to noon. Time was ticking.

Taejoon knocked on the door and waited. There was shuffling behind the door before a young woman’s voice called out. “Who is it?”

“I’m looking for Ms. _____.” He answered, checking his watch and taking a mental note of when the conversation started.

“That doesn’t tell me who you are.” Footsteps retreated from the door and he bit back a curse.

He had a feeling you were the one he was looking for. You sounded like a younger version of your mother with the same level of attitude. Given how empty the parking lot was, it was reasonable to assume that you were home alone. “I’m here on behalf of JYP Entertainment and SeoulMates LLC. It’s my understanding you’ve been in contact with one of the members of GOT7.”

There was a blissful moment of silence before the footsteps came back to the door. The lock on the door clicked before it cracked open. You peeked out and eyed him warily. “Maybe…?”

“Good morning.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was unnerving to see him look empty inside. “I’d like you to come with me. I need you to sign a few documents.”

“What for?” You squinted suspiciously.

“I need reassurance you won’t do anything to tarnish the group’s reputation. I have a non-disclosure agreement and a few other agreements I’d like to go over with you with the group present. Just so everyone’s on the same page.”

“I can sign the agreement thingy here. I don’t need to be with them to do that, do I?” You shook your head. “No offense, but for all I know, you could be a hitman or something.”

“No offense,” Taejoon chuckled, but it came off as more of a scoff, “but you’re not worth the time or energy. Before I left, a few of them had concerns that I’d…misrepresent their wishes and damage their relationship with you. I’ve been asked to have you sign the documents in their presence.”

“And if I don’t want to go?”

He smiled knowingly and said, “I can’t make you come with us. However, if I don’t return with you, Jackson will assume I’ve made you sign the documents, anyway. It isn’t likely he’ll believe either of us when we tell him otherwise, and he’ll want to see you in person.”

You jerked back as if he’d hit you. “But isn’t he on his way to LA?”

“Everything’s on hold until we get this matter settled.” Taejoon checked his watch again. “And every second we waste delays the promotion schedule, costing us thousands. And besides, would you have Jackson risk their image again just for you? You could make this easier on everyone involved.”

You stared at him. It was entirely possible he was lying. That’s the one thing lawyers got paid to do. But what if he wasn’t? What if Jackson was waiting for you to show up? Just the thought of that beagle pouting made you sigh. It’d be the perfect way to make it clear you were okay with things being this way. You’d do your best to ignore Jinyoung if you crossed paths. You really ing hoped you wouldn’t.

“ing hell.” You groaned. “Let me get my stuff.”

»»————-　★　————-««

The hotel was every bit as opulent as you expected. Here you were in jeans and house shoes, while everyone else sported suits and dazzling diamonds. You wanted to crawl back into bed and hide. Never have you felt so out of your element. You could feel the stares and disgust with your “kind” wandering in behind a snazzy suit and his minions.

They stepped onto an elevator, which was surprising. You thought you’d be going to a conference room. You slowed down and hesitated. One of the assistants held the door open with his hand. Taejoon quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Yes?” Annoyed. He was annoyed with you.

“Why are we going up? Isn’t there a conference room down here?”

He huffed. “They preferred an informal setting. Didn’t want to ‘spook’ you. Jackson, in particular, believes you’ll feel better in a casual setting. Something about a coffee shop?”

Of course he did. You begrudgingly stepped onto the elevator, keeping your back to the doors and facing the strangers. Now would be the perfect place to drug you and drag your body off to be dumped somewhere. Not on your watch. If these es were going to try anything, you were going to give them the fight of their lives. Nobody commented on it and it relaxed you just a bit.

The doors dinged and you stepped back out into the hall, just barely catching a blur of motion out of the corner of your eye. Heavy hands gripped your shoulders and kept you from retreating anymore.

“Well, hello there.” The voice was velvety, warm and soft in your ear.

You looked over your shoulder and saw Yugyeom’s shy grin. “Yugyeom?”

His grin widened at the recognition and he pulled you close, squeezing you a little as he hugged you. “It’s great to finally meet you. Jackson’s always bragging about you.” He snuggled his face against the top of your head as the lawyer and his goonies stepped around you two.

“This may not be the best place for displays of affection.” 

Yugyeom inhaled deeply but let go, leveling a glare at the lawyer. “I’m just saying hi.” His arm curled around your shoulders and he turned away from the elevator. As you headed towards the room, you realized how comfortable you were with him being so close to you. You were aware that you should have some space between you two, but he looked content and it honestly pleased you to see him happy.

When you heard hotel room, you initially pictured the traditional two beds and a window with some stuff sprinkled throughout the room. You should have known better. It had a king-sized bed with a small kitchen.

The guys were sprawled out in various places. Mark and BamBam were on the couch watching cartoons. Jaebeom and Jinyoung were having a heated discussion, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out about what with the way Jinyoung glared at you. You gave him your best you sneer and kept going. Jackson sprung up from a chair he’d stationed near the door and engulfed you in the warmest hug you’d ever gotten in the morning. Sorry, Yugyeom.

“You came,” Jackson whispered after a sigh of relief. Did he think you weren’t going to?

You didn’t see Youngjae until you heard a polite “excuse me” after a toilet flushed behind you. You jumped out of his way and he passed by. His hand grazed your bare arm and his pace slowed, but he kept going. Once everyone was seated and the lawyer had their attention, he opened a black folio and laid out papers on a desk beside you.

“I’ve already introduced myself, but just so there aren’t any complaints, I’ll do it again. My name is Taejoon Jeon and I represent JYP Entertainment. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Park—”

“Not me.” Jinyoung threw in.

“But you called him, so he might as well.” Yugyeom scoffed, gesturing to Mr. Jeon to continue.

“Ah, yes. Mr. Park would like you to sign a non-disclosure agreement as well as a formal agreement about your interaction with the group while the SeoulMate company investigates the matter and sorts it out.”

“Investigate?” Jackson sat up straight. “That implies someone’s possibly committed a crime.”

Mr. Jeon looked at you, then back at Jackson. “It’s possible the data could have been tampered with or falsified. Because of the unique nature of the situation, an investigation is needed to protect all parties involved.”

“So, what you’re saying is that someone suspects I’ve rigged this whole situation, and this document is so that you can ‘find’ something and pin it on me to save your asses from lawsuits?”

The lawyer didn’t answer.

“_____ wouldn’t do something like that.” Jackson frowned. “Do you realize what kind of resources she’d have to have access to? The knowledge of the tech that she can’t possibly have gotten, even if she stole it from Chahong himself? This is ridiculous.”

“I agree,” Yugyeom held his hand up. “I can’t see her doing it with her lifestyle. She works a lot and goes to school. When would she have the time?” Youngjae nodded.

How did he know your schedule? The look on your face must have betrayed your thoughts, because Jackson had the grace to duck his head when you looked at him. How much did they know about you? Is that why Yugyeom was so friendly with you in the hallway?

“Then it wouldn’t hurt to conduct an investigation. It would clear her name and keep her out of the media should the news get out. It’s as much for her protection as it is for our own.”

“Sitting right here,” you held a hand up. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not sitting here watching the words come out of your mouth.”

“I apologize.” He grit out. “The investigation is to protect everyone and eliminate a possible cause.” He pushed a group of papers towards you. “This is the suggested rules and procedures we’d like you to follow.”

You picked it up and immediately scoffed at number one. “‘All contact goes through the group’s manager, Seungjoon’?”

The room erupted with protests.

“Why? That’s a violation of privacy!” Jackson stood up. Yugyeom tugged him back down into the chair and rubbed his shoulder.

“Do you realize the position and power she has?” Jinyoung jumped in. “What’s stopping her from trying to blackmail us with this?” You threw your hands up, not bothering to correct him, knowing it’d just add to the arguing.

“If she wanted to blackmail us, she would have done so by now, not go on coffee dates.” Youngjae shook his head.

“It was a date?” Yugyeom looked at you, wounded. “He said he was just apologizing. Did you kiss him?”

“Now isn’t the time—” Mr. Jeon tried to get their attention, but it was a lost cause. Jackson and Yugyeom were discussing the non-existent date and fictional kiss, while Youngjae and Jinyoung debated over whether you were diabolical enough to hurt Coco.

BamBam’s phone went off and he answered it, resulting in Jaebeom trying to get him to hang up. “This is important!”

BamBam stretched to keep the phone out of reach. “I’m trying to finalize a design for my clothing line!”

“How in the hell do you do that over the ing phone?”

“It’s called talent.” BamBam let out a yelp as Jaebeom grabbed a pillow and held it down over his face.

It was chaos. It was GOT7. Did you really want to be a part of this? …Nope.

You picked up the pen and scribbled your name on the line marked with a big black X. The room went quiet as they processed what just had happened, then Jackson snatched up the contract.

“Jackson!” You reached for it. You weren’t done. There were more x’s on the back that needed your initials. “Give it back.”

“You’re not signing this! It’s bull!” He held it up above your head.

“It’s fine! It isn’t like I want anything from any of you! If this means I can go home, give it back!”

Jackson narrowed his eyes at you and pulled the ultimate petty move. He balled the paper up and shoved it into his mouth. “Now no one can sign it.”

“Are you mental?” You put the pen down on the desk and looked at Mr. Jeon. “How long would it take to print off another one?”

“It’d be a quick walk to the office downstairs. They let me print the first one.”

“She’s not signing it!” Jackson yelled after spitting out the paper, pulling you to his chest and squeezing the life out of you. “I won’t let you bully her like this!”

“No one’s bullying her, you idiot,” Jinyoung pulled on the back of his shirt. “She wants to sign it!”

“Because he’s telling her half-truths!”

That made you stop. “What do you mean, half-truths?” You looked at the lawyer and he looked at Mark, of all people.

Mr. Jeon then glared at Jackson before he coughed into his fist. “Well, the truth is that it leaves you unprotected, should something happen.” Jinyoung let go of Jackson, and everyone turned their attention to him. “If the information were to get out, under this contract, JYP Entertainment or SeoulMates LLC wouldn’t be liable for any damages.”

“Meaning they wouldn’t do anything to protect you from the fans or media,” Yugyeom spoke up. “That isn’t fair.”

“It’s because they think she might have something to do with this, isn’t it?” Jackson Mr. Jeon.

He shrugged and nodded. “Again, we don’t know anything at this point. But it isn’t like we have a reason to trust her—”

“I’ll be able to handle myself.” You spoke over them. Jackson shook his head, and you held up your hand to stop him. “I’ll be fine. I’ll lie low and keep to myself like I always do.”

His shoulders sagged. “_____, you don’t have to put on a tough face for us.”

You picked up the wet paper and put it on the desk. “I’m not. I just don’t want to uproot my life here by getting involved with yours. As long as I'm left alone, I'm okay with the restrictions and demands.”

There was a brief moment of silence before it was broken. “I don’t think you should sign it.”

You looked at Youngjae as if he’d grown another head. “What?”

He shrugged and looked down at his hands. “I’ve seen what the fans can do—the saesangs in particular—and I feel bad about leaving you vulnerable to them. The media will at least abide by the law, but those banshees are ruthless.”

You’d heard the horror stories. The idea of even one of them coming at you with their insanity made you rethink it. “…Can we amend it then so that if something does happen, I’ll be able to get some help? It’s more for my family than for myself. I don’t want them to be targeted because of something I did.”

“You didn’t do anything.” Jackson stepped in front of you and grabbed your hands. “Don’t blame yourself for this.”

You knew he was right. You were very much a victim of circumstance. There was only so much in your control, and if you weren’t careful, you’d find yourself spiraling into hopelessness. You took a deep breath and leveled what you hoped was a look of confidence at Jackson. “Okay, so we amend the contract. As long as I have some sort of protection, I can sign it and go home, right?”

He grimaced, unable to look at you. “_____, please…”

“Jackson, we’ve talked about this.” You wanted to hug him, comfort him somehow, but instead you wrapped your arms around your body. “I can’t. And even if I could, no one wants me here but you. It’s unfair to force my presence on them, especially under these circumstances. What do you want me to do?”

Jackson continued staring at his feet, eyes blinking rapidly as he barely nodded in understanding. His lips parted, but it wasn’t his voice that spoke out. “I want you here.” Yugyeom smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. His gaze flickered to Jaebeom, then back to you as he fought to sit still. “I…” He exhaled slowly. “That first night when my SeoulMate went off, I was happy. I was excited that there was someone out there for me. Even when I found out I wasn’t the only one, that it was a glitch, I still felt happy.” Yugyeom looked at you. “Seeing how happy hyung is made me wonder if it’s more than a coincidence. Have you seen your user ID?”

“I’ve seen it,” BamBam mumbled. “That’s what convinced me it wasn’t real. Our debut date? Come on. Too easy.”

“We’ve already said that she doesn’t have the things needed to tamper with the data, though.” Youngjae frowned. “I’ve heard Jackson’s conversations with her. Either she’s a great actress, or she’s just as much of a victim as we are.”

“We’re not victims.” Jackson cut in, tone hard as steel. “We made a bad decision, yes. But we’re not victims.”

“So, what,” Jinyoung rubbed his eyes, “you think we owe her something? You’re suddenly gonna risk it all to ‘make it right?’ That doesn’t make sense. If this gets out, we’re jeopardizing more than just our career! What about our staff, friends and families? The fallout alone will put everyone we know and love in danger of a tarnished reputation by association!”

“Won’t that happen if the company doesn’t figure out what caused the glitch?” Yugyeom shrugged. “I mean, think about it. Imagine this happens again, to other people. People are quick to judge and the media will make wild stories about how we promoted a faulty product.”

“He’s right!” Youngjae smiled for the first time since the conversation started. “I read the article in Time Magazine. The devices have high accuracy with readings but they’re not 100%. But the original scanners at the headquarters are.”

“Yeah, but again, we can’t just trust her.” Jinyoung was close to pulling his hair out.

“I agree.” Mark shifted in his seat. “We’d be giving her a lot of opportunities and material for blackmail.”

“She won’t do that.” Jackson insisted, taking a step closer to you. “You gotta give her a chance. I know we’ve dealt with a lot and met some shady people, but she isn’t like that.”

“Because you’ve known her all your life?” BamBam asked with a smirk.

“Feels like it,” Jackson answered earnestly. “Look. I trust her. Can that be enough for now?”

Jinyoung started to object when Taejoon cut in. “It isn’t up to you and you know it. I’ll go get the revised agreements. She’ll sign them and then she goes home.” He left the room before anyone could object.

Well, that was that then. You turned to Jackson, who was staring at Jinyoung, jaw clenched. You couldn’t think of anything to say. Wasn’t it supposed to turn out this way? Why did you feel sad?

Jaebeom got to his feet and put his hands on his hips as he paced. “Why am I always in this position?” He muttered. The somber mood in the room lifted as heads snapped towards him, eyes watching him with eagerness or apprehension. “Okay, so,” he pointed to Jinyoung, “your complaint is she’s not trustworthy. And you,” he pointed to Jackson, “believe that if we got to know her, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

“Jae, no.” Mark’s eyes widened.

He continued. “We can’t get to know her if she’s here while we’re on the road—”

“FaceTime is a thing. He’s been calling her, so why can’t that continue?” BamBam gestured wildly.

“—and if we need to go the headquarters anyway, Youngjae’s right, having her with us will help speed the process up.”

Everyone turned back to you expectantly. You wiped your clammy palms on your pants. “What?”

“Will you come with us?” Jaebeom asked. The gentle authority in his voice sent a tingle down your spine and you hoped no one noticed it. Be strong, girl. Be strong.

“I really can’t.” You bit your lip. “I have school and work that I can’t just take off for.” You gestured to Jackson. “I’ve told him this. Didn’t he tell you?”

Jaebeom cut his eyes at Jackson. “He’s been keeping a few things to himself lately.”

“I was gonna tell you, I swear!” Jackson pouted, unable to bring himself to look at Jaebeom.

“Yeah, so that’s a no for me.” You shrugged.

“Do you take the classes online?” Jaebeom sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms.

“I...uh, no. In-person.”

“Do they offer online? You could switch for the time being.”

Well, . “They do, but I’m not sure how much or even if it costs anything to do that.”

“You can call and find out while we wait!” Jackson added, then did his best to avoid Jaebeom’s glare. A quick call to the admissions office confirmed that online classes were a thing that didn’t cost to switch in your “emergency.” Lucky you.

“Okay, but I won’t be able to take off from work. It’d take a miracle.”

“Won’t know until you call.” Jackson grinned as he nudged you. Against your better judgment, you called your job. The friendlier supervisor picked up and was more than happy to give you a few days off—no more than a week—since they were training a new hire. Hallelujah. “See?”

“This is all unreal. The stars are literally aligning for this.” You pocketed your phone in disbelief. You were sure you’d get a phone call back from work revoking that . “There’s still the expenses.”

“Here we go,” Jinyoung muttered with an eye roll.

You opened your mouth to shut the whole thing down, but Jackson’s hand firmly covered your mouth. “Nope. Ignore him. He thrives on attention. Just let it go. No, no. Cussing him out won’t make it better.”

You sighed and nodded and Jackson let you go. “I’ll come.” Jackson, Yugyeom, and Youngjae broke out in loud cheers. “But!” You called out over them. “But once we figure out who’s my soulmate, I get to go back home.”

“Deal.” Jaebeom leaned over, took his hand out of his pocket, and offered it to you. “We’ll go over the finer details before we pack up and catch our flight.”

You nodded and took his hand, unprepared for the jolt that traveled through you at his touch. If he felt it too, he didn’t let on.