If the other YongKi members were planning to enlist in their colleges by next Fall, then that would mean that they only had a little more than seven months to announce their disbandment. To Nari, who wanted to release another mini-album in March, that meant that their last album was literally, their last one. As the girls got ready to leave the next morning, Nari could not bear to look at any of her friends; although she understood how they felt, there was still a sense of disappointment and betrayal in her heart. She could only think about her own future now, and she did not know if that meant that she should continue her relations with JooHyuk and JongHyun. 

As the girls entered the CEO’s office, they bowed immediately. The others bowed out of respect but Nari bowed in guilt, knowing that she was going to inform him of something he never saw coming. 
Once everyone was seated, Nari prompted the conversation.
“CEO Han, we have some rather sudden news for you.”
The CEO leaned forward, glancing around the room at each of the girls, curiously. 
“It has become clear that a few of the YongKi members wish to leave SK to pursue their personal interests next Fall,” Nari said as she watched the CEO carefully, preparing herself for any reaction.
Rather than giving a verbal response, he leaned back into his seat and thought to himself. The girls remained quiet, patiently waiting.
“For now,” the CEO finally said, “I think it’s best for you all to return to your apartment and reconsider your position. I think that since you were not created by the company, you think that you are in the position to choose your own paths. However, you are gravely mistaken. You do not have the right to tell the company what you want to do, especially when you’ve only been here for about a year.”
Although Nari let out an internal sigh of relief, she was struck by the CEO’s strict response. She had no idea that he would have reacted like that. The other members watched on with their mouths hanging slightly ajar; they were in the same position as Nari.
Nari, not wanting the tension to build too much, asked, “What about taking a year off then? A lot of groups do that without announcing it; we’ll just postpone our next comeback album.”
The CEO chuckled. “Listen, Nari-ah, if the company wants the momentum of YongKi to continue, we will ensure that you girls remain here and out of trouble. If you were to suddenly leave the country, we could lose money and respect.”
Feeling challenged, Nari went on, “What if we broke the contract and paid the cancellation fee?”
The CEO narrowed his eyes at her, and responded, “As if you can pay that amount.”
The girls watched on as their leader went head-to-head with the CEO, not knowing if and how they should in. 
Suddenly, Nari stood up and stared down at the CEO. When he remained seated, he smiled at her, wickedly. The other girls slowly followed their leader’s movements. Now, CEO Han was surrounded by the girls. 
“Our contract is up by the end of this year. Have you forgotten about that?” Now, it was Nari’s turn to smirk. She watched on as the CEO’s face stilled, proving that he recalled their contract date. Nari went on to explain, “You thought that we’d fail ad be a mess once we got here, but now that the opposite has happened, we have the chance to not renew the contract, which we will.”
Feeling like she had the upper hand, Nari headed for the door. Once the girls were behind her, they bowed together in front of the door and left in swift silence. 

“Unnie, you were so cool!” Meri chanted once they were out of the FNC building. 
“Yeah,” Laura chimed in. “We didn’t even remember that our contract was up. How did you remember that?”
“Last night, I was going over the contract looking for the ‘Breach of Contract’ fee, so I saw the date for ending the contract.” Nari told them as they headed to a nearby coffee shop. 
When they were seated, a young server brought their order. When he saw them, he gasped, recognizing them. 
The girls looked up at him. He was in his early twenties, with remnants of acne on his cheeks and smooth black hair hanging over his friendly eyes. He immediately bowed at them, constantly smiling. 
“You’re ‘YongKi’, right?” he asked sheepishly.
The girls nodded in unison, greeting him. He proceeded to hand them a napkin and a pen from his pocket. When they all gave them their signatures, he returned with a large plate of pastries, including a few macaroons. The young server said that the items were ‘on the house’, to which the girls accepted gratefully. 
Halfway through their meal, Dani asked Nari, “Nari-ah, have you mentioned our possible disbandment to JongHyun or JooHyuk yet?”
Nari stopped mid-drink and looked at Dani. “I had not really thought about it.”
Dani nodded. “Well, we have some time; seven or so months.”
Nari knew that she should mention it to the guys, but she still had not made up her mind on who she was going to let go. However, if she were to leave SK, then she wouldn’t need to choose at all. However, if the CEO refused to let them stay till next August, then the girls would have to leave by the end of the year, which meant that she had even less time to explain herself and her feelings. She just needed to think, by herself.