Walking into the company today, I feel this heavy sense of dread bubbling up inside me.

What if I end up with the red card?
Would Chan really go through with punishing me?
What's my move when I see that dreaded red card?
How do I even get out of this mess?

Nah, that goes against everything I believe in.

Maybe I can rally other artists and trainees to stand with me.

We could spark some real change!

I head to the trainee lounge to grab my dance gear and singing notes.

The lounge is split into two parts: a chill area with games, comfy seats, a massive TV, and a table stocked with board games and JYP magazines, plastered with posters of our idols and their lyrics. The other part is the locker room, rows of blue lockers with benches in between.

As I pass by, I catch whispers and gossip, but my headphones drown out their noise.

Opening my locker, I breathe a sigh of relief - no red card in sight.

But as I glance around, I notice other trainees eyeing my locker suspiciously. "What's up?"

Some glare, others hurry back to their own lockers.

I gather my stuff, and as I pick up my jotter, something falls out.

A red card with the SKZ logo stares back at me, mocking me.

"What's that?" Queenie, the resident mean girl, points it out. I don't catch her words, but I know she's announcing my 'win.'

Before I can grab it, a guy snatches it up, showing it off to everyone.

Panic sets in. Oh no.

"She got the red card!" he announces to the lounge.

"I knew Chan won't forgive her so easily " a trainee sitting on a bench says

"She's done for" another said

"You thought you were off the hook huh?" The boy surprisingly speaks in English. He walks closer to me , cornering me into my locker. "We're gonna deal with you. "

He laughs with a few others "you actually thought you were free"

And now I'm cornered, struggling to understand what they're even saying.
They could be planning my murder now and I won't know.

***

They drag me to Chan's feet in the Stray Kids lounge - the company rewarded them with their own space since their Billboard success.

They insulted me in Korean as they roughed me up, I didn't offend them I'm clueless why they're Chan's puppets today.

Chan's busy studying some sticky notes pasted on a glass board just beside the glass wall overlooking the city. He's dressed in his usual black attire, Nike's and accessories on point.

Jeongin and Lee Know watch, finding this whole thing hilarious.

Lee know waves as the two guys that dragged me in here walk out.

Jeongin, the orange hoodie guy with a smirk that gets on my nerves, and Lee Know, the cool dude in a leather jacket.

"What's so funny?" I snap, wincing from my shoulder.

Lee Know just raises a brow, while Jeongin chuckles, saying to Lee Know, "She's really trying to look tough."

I snatch my bag, then turn to Chan, the supposed alpha.

"Hey! Leader of the pack!" I call out, but he brushes me off.

I move closer, annoyed. "Seriously?"

He shushes me, focusing on his laptop placed on a table beside the board.

I remember when I used to be so curious to know what is in Chan's laptop. The secret place where all straykids musical treasures rest.

Now I just want to smash it to get his attention. If I do that he'd probably murder me in this room and hang my head at the reception warning all workers of JYPE.

So I resort to only talking.

"Are you kidding me?" I stare at him in disbelief.

"Just leave him be when he's in 'brainstorm space,'" Lee Know advises, flashing a grin like his friend didn't just give me a red card.

Wait a minute Lee know is speaking perfect English. What other lies have we been told?!

"Brainstorm space? What's that?" I ask, but Chan's too busy pretending I'm not even here...

"Hey! You want me here. If you want to deal with me, get over with it already" I turn to Chan again.

Chan slams his pen on the table, and I flinch. He whips his head towards me. "You have alot of firsts," he says, leaning on the table. "First person to stand up to me and first to interrupt my brainstorming."

"That's not a lot," I mumble.

"What was that?" he straightens up. "You got something to say?"

"You said there are a lot of firsts, but you only mentioned two. That's not a lot," I cross my arms, meeting his gaze head-on.

He narrows his eyes, and I see a twitch. Uh-oh, I think I've angered Wolfie.

"She's playing with fire," Jeongin chuckles.

Lee Know smirks, crossing his legs.

"That's..." Chan turns back to his work. "Argh!" he ignores me and keeps typing.

"I've got Korean lessons in five minutes. I don't have time to hang out," I head towards the exit, surprised they're not stopping me.

But as I reach the door, it's locked, and I realise it needs a card key. Just my luck.

"Looking for this?" Jeongin holds up the key with a smirk. "Thought you could just leave? You're smarter than that, or so I thought," he shakes his head mockingly.

"Listen, I have to go to my Korean class. Let me out," I protest.

"You'll tell them exactly what's happening," Chan says, still focused on his work. "We're keeping you here."

"What? That's absurd!" I stare at him, speechless.

"Do it," he gestures to my phone. "Call your teacher."

"You know what? Fine," I huff, dialing my teacher's number.

She answers after a few rings. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Liliana,"

I reply. "I can't make it to class today."

"Why not?" her voice sounds surprised.

"Bang Chan has me stuck in his lounge," I say confidently.

There's a pause. "Oh."

Oh? What does that mean?

"Huh?" I ask into the phone.

IN and Lee Know exchange knowing looks. Chan remains focused on his work.

"If that's the case, I'll see you in our next class on Thursday. Have a great day," she ends the call.

Great day? Stuck with Chan, I doubt it.

I lower the phone from my ear, staring at it in disbelief, struggling to come to terms with the fact that she hadn't intervened.

Suddenly, someone snatches the phone from my hand. "Now that that's settled, let's chat about your consequences," Chan tosses my phone onto the couch beside Leeknow's leg.

"Consequences? For defending my friend?" I challenge him.

"Awww, how sweet," Chan picks up a cup from the table. "Choose a card."

The cup is filled with tiny red cards.

"What's this?"

"Punishments for girls," Leeknow replies.

"We don't treat girls the same as guys. We're more lenient," Jeongin explains.

"You shouldn't be giving out punishments at all!" I retort. "You have no authority. I could report you to the cops."

"With what? You've got no proof," Chan shrugs off my threat.

"I'll get my—"

"That's enough," he takes a menacing step toward me. "Shut up and pick a card before I make you. I've been easy on you because you're new and a girl."

"No!" I stand my ground.

"I suggest you do as you're told," Jeongin says casually, scrolling through his phone.

"No!" I kick Chan where it hurts, grab the key card from the table along with my phone and bag, and bolt out of the room. I toss the key back in before slamming the door shut.

I sprint towards Twice's Lounge, checking over my shoulder periodically to see if they're chasing me. When I don't spot them, I slow down.

Stopping in front of their door, I knock. I hear a faint "come in."

As I enter, I see Jihyo and Tzuyu watching TV.

"Hey," I greet as I walk in.

"Ah, Liliana!" Jihyo's face lights up. "Come in."

I close the door and settle on the couch beside her.

"Hello," Tzuyu says. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," I reply.

Communicating with the members of Twice is always a bit of a challenge since they're not fluent in English and I'm not fluent in Korean.

"What happened? You look tired," Jihyo asks, concern evident on her face.

"Oh, I had a run-in with Chan," I explain.

"Chan?" Jihyo repeats, turning to Tzuyu with wide eyes.

"I heard you have eh fight with Chan," Tzuyu says in broken English.

"Yeah, and I was taken there. I managed to escape," I explain, unsure if they fully understand, but they nod in solidarity.

"Please stay away from him," when Jihyo sees my confusion, she tries a bit of English. "You and him, no. If you see him, run."

"Okay, got it. Thanks, unnie."

........

Song recommendation for the chapter
Crazy form - Ateez

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