The reunion lasted less than five minutes.
I was still clutching my notebook when a production assistant appeared in the doorway, tablet in hand.
"Han Jiwon-ssi? Your revised rehearsal schedule is ready. You have a supervised studio slot with Trainer Song in ten minutes. Practice Room 7."
Ten minutes. For a song I'd finished at home without its backing track.
"Understood."
Yuhyun squeezed my shoulder. "We'll talk later. Go."
Hyunki folded his arms. "Don't waste time celebrating. You're already behind."
"I'm aware."
"Good."
He sounded almost pleased about it.
I followed the assistant into the corridor, leaving the familiar voices behind.
Practice Room 7 looked bigger than I remembered.
My production tablet sat on the desk beside a pair of headphones. Its screen displayed UNLABELED_ARRANGEMENT_01, exactly where I'd left off before my disqualification.
I put on the headphones and pressed play.
