“Be reasonable, Youngchul,” the executive says, rolling his eyes.

“Cancel N&G, or I’m sorry but I’ll have to withdraw my artists.”

“Which artists?” the executive asks, glancing nervously toward the Girls Forever dressing room.

“All of them,” Mr. Noh says with an air of finality that I’ve heard many times before.

The network executive gapes at him for a moment, then mutters, “Fine,” as he rushes off toward another dressing room, where I imagine N&G is about to get some bad news.

I stand, frozen, processing the jarring scene that just played out before me. It’s clear that DB has essentially blacklisted N&G. And because the company is so powerful and represents so many other successful groups, they can basically leverage the rest of us to prevent groups like N&G from getting any kind of fair shot after they leave DB. It makes a lot more sense to me now why we’ve barely heard from them in the past year. They didn’t hide themselves away to work on a new sound—the company has been preventing them from getting any exposure. It’s a stark reminder of what you stand to lose if you ever find yourself outside DB’s protective bubble.

“Come on,” Mina says again as we slip back into the dressing room for our final costume check. I can see the concern on her face, but she quickly buries it away in favor of a smooth, unbothered expression.

The stage lights dim as we make our way out and take formation. “Midnight Prism” has a lot of high-energy dance steps, and the signature slide move in the chorus is always a fan favorite. It’s easy enough for even non-dancers to imitate, and I love scrolling through my phone, watching fans show off their moves. I assume my opening pose, back to the audience, one arm stretched high above my head, hand delicately draped downward. Adrenaline pumps through my veins like it does every time we get ready to perform.

The spotlight turns on, the music begins, and the crowd goes wild.

Here we go.

As tense as things have been for the group these days, onstage we’re totally synchronized. Even Ari and Sumin are flawless in their choreo, smiling like pros and making it look easy.