The Meeting

The Heaven Entertainment Building - Conference Room A

9:57 AM

The conference room was packed.

Ellisa had never seen so many idols in one place. All of The Heaven's groups crowded around the massive table and standing along the walls boy groups, girl groups, soloists, rookies, veterans. The air hummed with nervous energy and too many competing perfumes.

Five Angels huddled together near the front. Hana had claimed the good seats hours ago, dragging them in early with the kind of leader energy that couldn't be argued with.

"I don't like this," Dani whispered, picking at her sleeve. "Quarterly reviews are never this big. Why is everyone here?"

"Maybe it's good news," Rina offered hopefully. "A company retreat? Overseas vacation?"

"In your dreams," Sera muttered.

Ellisa wasn't listening.

She was too busy trying not to stare at the front of the room.

Min Jae stood near the presentation screen, tablet in hand, discussing something with his assistants. He hadn't looked at her once since she walked in. Professional. Distant. The Ice Prince.

Totally different from the man who texted me at 2 AM, she thought. Totally different from the man who…

She cut that thought off quickly.

He'd promised her ice cream tonight. Cotton candy flavor. The good kind from that basement place.

She tried not to think about that either.

(She failed.)

"Elii. Elii. "

She blinked. Turned. Dani was waving a hand in her face.

"Earth to our maknae. You okay? You've been staring at the wall for like five minutes."

"Fine! I'm fine. Just tired."

Dani raised an eyebrow but let it go.

Ellisa risked one more glance at the front of the room.

Min Jae was still talking to his assistant. Still not looking at her.

Which was fine. Good. Professional.

She definitely wasn't disappointed.

10:02 AM

The meeting hadn't started yet. Idols milled around, greeting each other, catching up. The industry was small everyone knew everyone.

Ellisa felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned.

And immediately regretted it.

Kang Doyun. Leader of Beast, the most popular boy group in the company. Tall. Handsome. Arrogant. And currently looking at her like she'd personally offended his entire bloodline.

"You," he said flatly.

"Me," she agreed, just as flat.

They glared at each other.

Dani, standing nearby, quietly backed away. She'd learned long ago not to get between Elii and Doyun when they were in one of these moods.

"What do you want?" Ellisa asked.

"To tell you to stay away from my members."

"Excuse me?"

"Minho. He's been watching your fancams. It's distracting him from practice."

Ellisa laughed. Actually laughed. "Your main dancer watches my fancams? That's adorable. Tell him I said thanks for the views."

Doyun's eye twitched. "This isn't funny."

"It's a little funny."

He stepped closer. Too close. They were almost chest-to-chest, glaring at each other like rival gang leaders in a bad drama.

"You're impossible," he hissed.

"You're dramatic."

"Someone needs to keep you in check."

"Someone needs to mind their own business."

He reached out and poked her knee. Hard.

She yelped. Pinched his leg in retaliation. Harder.

He winced but didn't move away.

Around them, other idols pretended not to notice. This was normal for them Elii and Doyun had been like this since trainee days. Constant bickering. Constant weird energy that no one could quite label.

"You're going to leave a bruise," he muttered.

"Good. Maybe you'll learn to keep your hands to yourself."

"You started it."

"You poked me!"

"You were being annoying!"

"You exist!"

They were whispering furiously now, faces inches apart, neither willing to back down.

Suddenly due to the noise,Min Jae's eyes turned to their side.

He saw her the moment she walked in.

Impossible not to. Even in simple clothes a cream sweater and jeans, hair pulled back, minimal makeup she stood out. Glowed. Drew his attention like gravity.

He forced himself to look away.

Professional. Distant. You are her CEO.

But his eyes kept drifting back.

She was talking to Dani. Laughing at something. The sound carried across the room and settled somewhere in his chest.

He looked away again.

Checked his notes. Reviewed the presentation. Did everything except watch her.

Ice cream tonight, he reminded himself. Cotton candy. 9 PM. Back entrance.

The thought made something warm flicker inside him.

Then he looked up and saw her talking to him.

Kang Doyun. Leader of Beast. Popular. Handsome. Age-appropriate.

They were standing close. Too close. Glaring at each other in a way that looked like fighting but felt like something else entirely.

Doyun poked her knee.

She pinched his leg.

They kept whispering, faces inches apart, completely absorbed in each other.

Min Jae's hand tightened on his tablet.

They're close, he told himself. Probably just friends. Trainee days. Nothing to worry about.

But something ugly twisted in his stomach.

Something that felt suspiciously like jealousy.

He'd never felt jealous before. Never had reason to. But watching her with Doyun watching her touch him, even in anger made his blood run cold in a way he didn't understand.

He forced himself to look away.

Focus. The meeting. The presentation. This is what matters.

But deep inside, that ugly feeling stayed.

10:15 AM

Min Jae stepped to the front of the room.

The chatter died instantly. Every idol straightened. Every eye fixed on him.

He didn't speak right away. Just looked at them slowly, deliberately, letting the silence stretch.

Ellisa felt a chill run down her spine.

This wasn't the man who brought her ice cream. This wasn't the man who covered her mouth in an elevator. This was the Ice Prince. The Sphinx. The CEO who'd built an empire by being colder than anyone else in the room.

"Thank you for coming," he said quietly.

His voice carried. It always did.

"We have a lot to discuss today. Please sit."

Everyone sat.

Ellisa ended up between Dani and Hana, close to the front. Directly in his line of sight.

He still hadn't looked at her.

"The entertainment industry," Min Jae began, "runs on two things. Talent. And image."

He clicked a remote. The big screen behind him lit up.

"Talent you provide. Image" His eyes swept the room. "Image is my responsibility. And yours."

Another click.

Photos appeared on screen. Idols. Familiar faces. Smiling at fans, smiling at cameras, smiling.

And then, smaller photos beside them. Hidden cameras. Zoomed in. Grainy but unmistakable.

Dates. Cafes. Late-night walks. Hands held. Kisses shared.

Ellisa's heart stopped.

Those were dating photos.

Dispatch-level dating photos.

The room went absolutely silent.

"These were taken over the past three months," Min Jae continued, voice calm. Dangerously calm. "My team intercepted them before they could be published. Before they could destroy careers. Before they could damage my company."

He clicked again.

More photos. More idols. More secrets exposed.

Ellisa heard someone behind her gasp. Saw a girl from a rookie group go pale.

And then

Hana.

Her Unnie. Her leader. On screen. With a man. A producer she'd mentioned once, casually, nothing serious.

Ellisa's brain short-circuited.

Beside her, Hana went rigid.

Another click.

Sera. With a dancer from another company. Holding hands. Smiling.

Sera made a small sound. Almost a whimper.

Another click.

Rina. At a restaurant. With an actor. One hand reaching across the table toward his.

Rina's face drained of all color.

Dani grabbed Ellisa's hand under the table. Squeezed hard.

Ellisa couldn't breathe.

Her Unnies. All of them. All of them had been hiding this.

And she'd had no idea.

The screen filled with more photos. Idols from other groups. Beast. Eclipse. Starlight. Names she knew, faces she saw in the hallways every day.

Kang Doyun appeared on screen not dating, just talking to someone suspiciously, but still there, still on the list.

Ellisa's stomach churned.

Min Jae let the photos play. Let everyone see. Let the horror sink in.

Then he turned to face them.

The room was dead silent. No one dared breathe.

"Some of you," he said quietly, "think you can hide things from me. Think your private lives are your own. Think that dating bans are suggestions, not rules."

He walked slowly along the front of the room. His eyes moved across the faces terrified, guilty, shocked.

"Let me be clear."

He stopped. Turned.

"There are no private lives. Not while you're under my contract. Not while your faces are on my billboards. Not while your scandals can destroy everything I've built."

His voice stayed calm. That was the worst part. He wasn't yelling. He didn't need to.

Every word landed like a blade.

"The only reason these photos aren't public is because I chose to protect you. This time."

A pause.

"Next time, I won't."

Ellisa sat frozen.

Her Unnies were dating. Her Unnies had been caught. And she'd had no idea. She lived with them, ate with them, slept in the same dorm and they'd kept this from her.

She understood why. She wasn't stupid. She was the maknae, the baby, the one they protected. But it still hurt.

Beside her, Hana was crying silently. Sera stared straight ahead, expression blank. Rina had her hands clasped so tight her knuckles were white.

Dani squeezed Ellisa's hand again.

We're okay, that squeeze said. We're together. We'll figure this out.

Ellisa squeezed back.

But she couldn't stop looking at the screen.

At her Unnies' faces.

At the proof that she didn't know them as well as she thought.

Min Jae continued the meeting for another thirty minutes. Contract reviews. Upcoming schedules. New rules about privacy and dating and consequences.

Ellisa heard none of it.

She was too busy processing.

When the meeting finally ended, idols filed out in stunned silence. No one talked. No one looked at each other.

Hana grabbed Ellisa's arm as they stood.

"Elii-yah"

"Not now, Unnie."

Hana's face crumpled. But she nodded. Let go.

Ellisa walked out without looking back.

The Hallway - 11:30 AM

She made it around the corner before her legs gave out.

She leaned against the wall, breathing hard, heart racing. The image of her Unnies on that screen kept playing in her head. Hana. Sera. Rina. All of them with secrets. All of them lying.

They didn't lie, a small voice whispered. They just didn't tell you.

Same thing. Same hurt.

"Ellisa."

She looked up.

Min Jae stood a few feet away. Alone. No assistants. No tablet. Just him, looking at her with an expression she couldn't read.

"Are you okay?"

She almost laughed. Almost. Of all the questions he could ask.

"My Unnies," she said. "They're on that list. They've been dating. Behind my back. Behind everyone's back."

He didn't respond. Just waited.

"I didn't know." Her voice cracked. "I'm their maknae. I live with them. How did I not know?"

"Because they were protecting you."

"From what?"

"From this." He gestured vaguely. "From having to lie. From having to choose between telling you and keeping their secrets."

She stared at him.

"You knew," she realized. "Before the meeting. You knew about them."

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell me."

"It wasn't my place."

A beat of silence.

"Ice cream," he said quietly. "Tonight. Still."

She blinked. "After all this? You still want to"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He looked at her for a long moment. Then, softer than she'd ever heard him:

"Because you shouldn't have to process this alone."

Ellisa's throat closed.

She wanted to cry. Wanted to scream. Wanted to run back to her Unnies and demand answers.

But standing here, with him looking at her like she mattered, like her feelings were important

She just nodded.

"Okay," she whispered. "Tonight."

He nodded once. Turned. Walked away.

She watched him go, heart tangled in ways she couldn't untangle.

That Night - 9 PM

She almost didn't go.

The dorm was chaos. Hana crying in her room. Sera pacing. Rina on the phone with her actor, probably saying goodbye. Dani trying to mediate everything.

Ellisa slipped out the back door when no one was looking.

He was there. Same car. Same spot.

She got in.

They drove in silence to the ice cream place. Same private room. Same booth.

He'd already ordered. Cotton candy for her. Black sesame for him.

She stared at her ice cream. Didn't eat.

"I don't know what to feel," she admitted.

"Then don't feel anything yet. Just eat."

She looked at him. "That's your advice? Eat ice cream?"

"It's worked before."

A tiny laugh escaped her. Surprised her. Him too, maybe his eyes softened slightly.

She picked up her spoon. Took a bite.

It was good. Sweet. Familiar.

"I'm still mad at them," she said around a mouthful. "For not telling me."

"Valid."

"And hurt."

"Also valid."

"And confused about why this feels so big when it's not even about me."

He considered that. "It is about you. You're their family. Families keep secrets from each other sometimes. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt when you find out."

She looked at him. "You're surprisingly good at this."

"At what?"

"Feelings. Talking about them."

He was quiet for a moment. "I've had a lot of practice lately."

"With what?"

He met her eyes. "You."

Her heart stuttered.

They sat there, ice cream melting, something unspoken hanging between them.

And for the first time that day, Ellisa felt like maybe everything would be okay.

Later - 11 PM

He dropped her off a block from the dorm.

"Ellisa."