My heart nearly flies into my throat, but I keep the shock on my face toned down. Hearing this admonishment from Mr. Han, who can sometimes feel almost more like a peer than an exec, is somehow even worse than hearing it from Mr. Noh. All traces of geniality are wiped clean from Mr. Han’s young face—his mouth a grim line, his eyes cold. For his part, Mr. Noh is silent, watching me like a hawk, his expression giving little away about what’s going through his mind. I instantly feel like I’m back in one of our chess matches. I carefully school my face, hoping my expression reads They said what!? and not Oh shit, do they know about Alex? Still, I can deny this allegation—I can say unequivocally that I did not go to that hotel to meet a boyfriend. After all, Alex was not there, and Alex is not my boyfriend. We’ve never used those terms with each other. It’s like DB refusing to acknowledge Jiyoon’s relationship with Jin because there was no photographic evidence of them actually doing anything romantic. Still, it feels like I’m avoiding an execution based on a technicality.

“That’s ridiculous,” I say with more confidence than I feel. “I was completely alone at the hotel. I only stayed there because our recording session ended late and I didn’t want to disturb anyone by going home.” Maybe it’s not the whole truth, but it’s most of the truth. It was late when I left here. They should know—they were both in that recording studio with me until almost two a.m. They don’t need to know that when I got home, I was melting down over a lost bag.

I can still feel Mr. Noh’s eyes on me, appraising. I swallow hard. Finally, he speaks.

“What you’re saying may be true, but you still should have known how this would appear to the public,” he says coldly. “You’ve been in this business long enough to know how things work. What you did was both selfish and thoughtless on your part.”