Is this happening because of Alex? Kang Jina said she was let go because of her secret boyfriend. And yet, Eunji, who was caught dating in secret, was only given a slap on the wrist and forced to go public with her relationship. DB seemed to figure that the loss of her sponsorships and the media scrutiny of her romantic life would be punishment enough. Why are some of us given the chance to recover from our transgressions, while others are terminated? For six years, I’ve given DB everything I have—missed holidays and birthdays, performed sold-out concerts on one hour of sleep, and once with a 101-degree fever. And they’ve given me so much in return—the chance to live my dream, to travel across the globe, to meet people I never would have met, including our amazing fans. For six years, even through all the hard work and difficult choices, DB and I have stuck by each other. How can they throw all that away now, just because I fell in love?

A box of tissues is slid across the conference table, and I look up to see Mr. Han looking at me with a mix of regret and revulsion, like I’m a mangled bird his cat brought in. There’s something about the pity in his eyes that gives me the strength to finally ask, “Can you at least tell me why this is happening?”

“It’s your groupmates,” Mr. Noh says, bringing my thoughts to a screeching halt.

I had been bracing myself for photos of me and Alex together. An exposé in Reveal. A terse reminder about DB’s strict no-dating policy. Once again, it’s like my brain is half a step behind my ears. My groupmates?

“What do they have to do with any of this?” Umma asks, voicing the question looping in my own head.

Mr. Noh nods at Mr. Han, presumably wanting him to take over and be the bearer of bad news, or at least the worst part of it. Mr. Han grimaces, like picking up the mantle of this conversation is the absolute last thing he wants to do. But like all of us in this room, when Mr. Noh makes a decision, we have no choice but to comply.

Mr. Han sighs. “Last night, the eight other Girls Forever members came to us. They said they were blindsided by your fashion line, and well… they said they wouldn’t go to the LA concert so long as you were going too.” He looks at me apologetically, his shoulders sagging. “We’re sorry, Rachel, but if the girls won’t share a stage with you, we just can’t see a place for you in the group anymore.”