“I LET HIM GO. HE WAS THE MOON IN MY ARMS,
I KEPT HIM FOR SO LONG WITH ME THAT
I FORGOT FOR A WHILE HE BELONGED TO THE SKY.”

Seokjin arrived at the meeting room inside the HYBE building the next day. It was a nightmare to spend the whole day trapped inside his apartment, watching as every news channel broadcasted his dating news. Thankfully, Yoon Min's face was blurred and unrecognizable but this small fact wasn’t enough to stop his anxiety. He wanted to pick up his phone and call her now and then to ask how she was doing, but he remembered his manager's words and suppressed his desire helplessly for her own good.

The next morning, Manager Yu Beom arrived early and drove him to the company, in order to attend the meeting arranged regarding the current situation. As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by the cold, intimidating silence that seemed to hang in the air. Manager Yu Beom gave him a silent nudge of encouragement before pushing him inside.

The large room was filled with an array of people, all silently waiting. There were several important figures from HYBE Labels sitting at the large conference table— Bang Si Hyuk, the Chairman, sat at the head of the table, his eyes locked on Seokjin the moment he entered. His gaze was unreadable, and the usual warmth in his expression was absent. Beside him, Shin Young Jae, the CEO of BigHit Music, shifted uncomfortably in his chair. A few other high-ranking executives filled the seats, their eyes following the idol with silent judgment.

The BTS members were present as well, their faces concerned. His heart ached to see them like this, their lives, their futures, tangled up in his mess. Because of him.

A team of legal advisors sat off to the side, papers and tablets in hand, ready to advise on any legal matters. The PR team members were present too, their fingers poised over their laptops, awaiting orders on how to handle the press when the time came.

After another quiet nudge from his manager, Seokjin took a seat opposite the head of the table, facing Chairman Bang directly, though several feet were standing between them. And thus began the discussion about his life.

CEO Shin was the first to speak, his voice strict yet carrying a sense of urgency. “Today, we have gathered here today in order to address what happened recently with Kim Seok Jin. Dispatch got their hands on some photos. They’ve been following him for months, and they’ve uncovered his relationship with the young lady. The news has already spread like wildfire.”

A collective murmur ran through the room. Some members of the PR team exchanged glances, while the legal team made notes.

One of the executives leaned forward, his fingers tapping against the table. “This is a disaster. We need to control the narrative before the public and the fans turn on us. There will be backlash, and we need a plan to stop it.”

Seokjin's mind went blank, his hands trembling. The meeting began to unfold in a blur of words. Strategies were discussed— how to handle the media, how to protect their idol, and how to reassure the fans. But all he could think about was her— Yoon Min. The person whose life he had just put in danger. Again.

As the meeting dragged on, he felt more and more helpless, like a spectator to his own downfall. His thoughts spiralled, and he felt like an outsider in this conversation, like his own life was being bargained for and he had no say in the matter. He wanted to speak up, to defend himself, to say something that would make them understand how deeply he cared for Yoon Min. But the words lodged in his throat, weighed down by the suffocating pressure of their judgment.

The discussion grew louder as the executives raised concerns about the world tour, BTS’s image, and how fans would react to the news of Seokjin’s relationship. Every word that came out of their mouths felt like a dagger to his chest.

"Seokjin, this isn’t about your personal life," one of the higher-ups argued. "This is about BTS’s future. Your career is tied to the group, and the group comes first. We can't let this distraction derail everything we’ve worked for."

The words repeated in his mind, echoing like a drumbeat. The group comes first. That was all they cared about. All they could see was the image, the business. His heart constricted. How could they not see? Yoon Min was more than a distraction to him; she was the one who made everything worth it. Magic tumbled from her pretty lips, and the stars would smile at her kindness.

"She’s just one person," another voice chimed in. "One person doesn’t outweigh the millions of fans who expect you to stay focused. To make them feel that your number one priority is ARMYs!"

The meeting dragged on, with people arguing, discussing and ignoring the toll the situation was taking on the idol. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions. He was exhausted—physically, mentally, and emotionally. His thoughts were pulled between the meeting and Yoon Min. He missed her more than he could express. He wanted her beside him right now, whispering soft words of hope.

Then, as if the tension could not rise any higher, Chairman Bang's voice cut through the noise, heavy with authority. "Enough! We have wasted precious time already,” he said, sighing quite loudly. “I’ve made a decision. We have to deny the dating rumours now.”

Seokjin blinked in disbelief, his thoughts grinding to a halt. He looked up, meeting Bang Si Hyuk’s gaze, hoping, praying that he had misheard. But no, the words were still hanging in the air.

"Y-You are telling me to lie?" His voice trembled, his mind reeling with shock. He didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t the plan. This wasn’t what he had imagined. He had hoped for understanding, for a compromise, but instead, he was being asked to erase the one thing that made him feel whole again.

Chairman Bang's expression was impassive. "It’s for your own good, Seokjin. Also, the company’s good, and, of course, BTS’s good. We cannot risk your relationship becoming a liability, especially not with the world tour coming up. And you don't have to lie. We need you to end things with Song Yoon Min.”

His thoughts swirled, but before he could speak, his members were already rising from their seats. Every one of them stood up to voice their disagreement, their anger apparent in their eyes.

"This is insane!" Namjoon exclaimed. "You can’t ask him to do this!"

"Do you realize what you are asking of him?" Taehyung asked, his voice firm. "You are telling him to break up with the person who had been there for him when he had nothing!”

"This gotta be a joke because you can't be serious about your decision." Jungkook shook his head in disbelief.

“Jin hyung can date whoever he wants, whether you or the public likes it or not,” Yoongi added with a scowl.

Seokjin felt his heart swell with gratitude at his members’ support, but his chest tightened with fear. His throat was dry, and he could barely speak through the lump that had lodged there. How could he choose? How could he tear himself away from her? 

As the room fell into another heated discussion with the members, CEO Shin's voice suddenly rose above the others. "Everyone! We have to be realistic here. Kim Seok Jin cannot prioritise a relationship over BTS’s future. Not right now. BTS was behind every music artist for all these years. You are finally catching up and rebuilding your history. This dating rumour will destroy you, destroy all of us."

He looked up slowly, his hands gripping the edge of the table. This wasn’t a negotiation. This company saw him as a tool, a brand to protect, not a human being with emotions. His heart sank, and he opened his mouth to protest.

But then, the voices of his members cut through the tension, rising in unison again.

"Does this dating thing really matter that much? Our fans are not like other fandoms. ARMY loves us genuinely. They support us through thick and thin. They will never abandon us just because one of us falls in love," Hoseok's frustration built up. “Sure, they might be upset at first, but it'll pass. They’ll support us, just like they always have."

Jimin nodded in agreement, his face hardening. "It’s normal for our fans to be upset, but it's only for like a week. They will be normal after a while and accept Hyung's relationship. We don’t need to hide our lives from them. ARMY deserves to know the truth. And I'm sure they will be more enraged if they find out the company asked Hyung to end his relationship."

The CEO wasn’t swayed. Nor were the executives. “Kim Seok Jin has already suffered one scandal. He was innocent in that one, but look what still happened. He hit rock bottom. His career almost crumbled. People were furious at him. And this time, he is guilty. He chose to date that woman even though it was in our contract not to be involved in relationships openly. He chose to dig his own grave knowing it could damage his career! We can’t risk that happening again. We need to take drastic measures to ensure this doesn’t happen."

His chest tightened. The pain of that scandal, the helplessness he had felt, the betrayal from his beloved fans— it all came rushing back. But the worst part? He didn’t think he could go through it again.

Before he could gather himself to speak, Namjoon, once again, defended. "No. You can’t separate them. No matter how risky it is, you can’t do this. We all met Yoon Min. She’s a good person. ARMYs will accept her. They’ll support Seokjin, and they’ll support her too. It’s unfair to ask them to end things. It's unfair to her. She will be heartbroken—”

“Song Yoon Min has already agreed to our terms!” CEO Shin shouted back, his words slicing through the room.

The room went dead silent as the words echoed in everyone's ears. Seokjin looked up and his heart visibly stopped. Along with him, the rest of the members also became shocked, their faces turning pale and slowly looking at him. Chairman Bang shot CEO Shin a deadly glare as if he forbade the other to speak of it. In response, CEO Shin's eyes wavered in guilt and looked away from the idol's eyes.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Seokjin froze, looking at everyone, wishing anyone would stand up and deny the words. His heart was racing, his vision clouded with a fog of disbelief and horror.

“W-what did you say?”

It didn’t make sense. Yoon Min would never do that. There was definitely some sort of mistake.

The room was tense with silence. The air was thick, each second stretching longer than the last. The CEO’s expression hardened, his attitude no longer dared to tell the truth. Even Chairman Bang did not want to answer the idol's heartbreaking question.

"She agreed," Surprisingly, Manager Yu Beom replied, saving the chairman and the CEO. "We met her at her place yesterday to discuss the current issue. She agreed to everything. She understood the situation and agreed to take a break. She was well aware of how ugly dating rumors could turn into so she told us she’d rather protect BTS."

Seokjin’s world crumbled around him. The room blurred. His breath caught in his throat, his mind struggling to understand what he had just heard. The weight of Yu Beom’s words settled in the room like a dense fog, suffocating and unshakable.

“N-No...” he muttered, voice weak and low. “I-I don't understand...”

But he did understand everything. He understood what happened; he remembered his manager telling him not to contact Yoon Min yesterday to keep her ‘safe’ whereas in reality, they were meeting up with her secretly to manipulate her, to brainwash her into thinking their relationship was really destroying his career.

His hands curled into fists on the table as the revelation clawed its
way into his mind. His voice trembled with barely contained rage.

“You knew about this?” His eyes bore into the manager's guilty face. “And you still didn’t tell me?”

Yu Beom opened his mouth, fumbling for an explanation, but the idol slammed his hand on the table, the sharp sound silencing him. “Don’t! Don’t you dare try to justify it!”

He rose to his feet, his chair scraping against the floor. His eyes swept across the room, meeting every gaze that tried to avoid him— Chairman Bang, CEO Shin, the high-ranking executives, and even his members.

“How dare you!” His voice echoed through the room, carrying the raw edge of heartbreak and fury. “How dare you talk to my girlfriend without telling me? How dare you tell her what to do? Who gave you the right to interfere in my life like this?!”

Bang Si Hyuk shifted uncomfortably, his usually composed demeanour faltering. The CEO glanced at the executives, who avoided his gaze, guilt etched into their faces. Yu Beom, looking smaller than anyone had ever seen him, muttered, “I was following orders—”

“Following orders?” Seokjin snapped, his tone dripping with disbelief. “I have been dedicated to this company ever since I debuted, never breaking any rules, never getting into trouble, never dismissing your commands! All I ever did was for my team and for my fans. I put my trust in the company that you'll protect me. You did not just betray me, you betrayed her!”

The room was silent, a collective inability to meet the idol's burning glare. His members exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to intervene.

His voice trembled with raw emotion. “Do you even understand what you’ve done? Yoon Min already doubted her place in my life. She thought she wasn’t good enough for me...for any of this. She was always so quick to sabotage herself, so quick to believe that she didn’t deserve me. And you confirmed her worst fears!”

He paused, his chest heaving as his words cut deeper into the room’s oppressive silence. “She was always willing to put me, my job, and BTS above everything else. Even above herself. Do you have any idea how hard we fought to be together? Every obstacle, every moment of doubt and risk— she pushed through it for me. For us. And now you’ve taken that away from her.”

His gaze turned to Yu Beom, the man who had been there since the beginning. “You knew how much this relationship meant to me. And you still did this? You still followed their orders?”

The executives sat frozen, their guilt palpable, while Yu Beom sighed. “Seokjin, we did what we thought was best—”

“Best?” His laugh was sharp and bitter. “For whom? Certainly not for me. Not for her. You might think you’ve protected your company, your profits, but all you’ve done is ruin the one thing I care about more than any of this.”

The manager looked away, shame etched into his features. Seokjin shook his head, his anger so consuming it left no room for words. “I almost lost her once,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “But I won't lose her again. Do whatever you want. Fire me, kick me out of BTS; I won't care. I am finished with you all!”

The guilty silence hung heavy in his wake. He was done. He couldn’t stay in this room any longer. He turned to leave, determined to find Yoon Min, to fix this— no matter the cost. He had to go to her and change her mind.

But before he could reach the door, Yu Beom’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You won’t find her, Seokjin."

The words froze him mid-step, his hand hovering inches from the doorknob. His breath hitched, and he turned around slowly, his face etched with disbelief. “W-What do you mean?” he asked, his voice barely audible, trembling under the strain of rising panic.

Manager Yu Beom lowered his gaze, his guilt heavy in the silence. He couldn’t answer, but the weight of his remorse said enough.

Instead, it was Chairman Bang who spoke, as though delivering a blow he regretted but deemed necessary. “We told her to leave the city… the country, if possible. For her safety, for yours, and for BTS. It’s better this way, at least until things calm down. She’s gone.”

The air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Even his members, who moments ago had stood proud and determined, now stared at the chairman in stunned shock.

The words echoed in the idol's mind, sinking like lead into his chest. His vision blurred as despair clawed its way into him, mingling with fury and heartbreak. His entire body felt cold, his legs trembling as his back hit the door.

“No. No, no...” He shook his head violently, forcing himself upright. You’re lying. You don’t know her like I do. She would never leave me. Not without…” His voice trailed off, the truth slowly strangling his denial.

But Seokjin didn’t stop. He gripped the doorknob and flung the door open, the cold air from the hallway hitting his flushed face.

His heart raced with frantic hope, even as dread clawed at his insides. He wouldn’t believe it. He couldn’t. He had to find her, had to stop her. It wasn’t too late. It couldn’t be.

Behind him, the muffled voices of his members faded as he left the room, leaving everyone else in silent guilt. The only sound that lingered was the rapid thud of his own heartbeat, urging him to run faster, to get to her before she truly disappeared.

Because if anyone could bring her back, it was him.

☆THE FAULT IN OUR STARS☆

THANK YOU FOR READING
╚»★«╝

A/N: Oh my God, the next chapter will be the last one, guys😭
Also if anyone didn’t receive the notification of the previous chapter, please go read it now.