When everyone had taken their place around the large table except Jin, the CEO stared one by one at Lee, Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung on which he lingered because his face was particularly damaged and covered with scabs of blood.

     "There's so much to say that I suddenly don't know where to start," he sighed.

     "Maybe you could start by apologizing," Yoongi offered to everyone's surprise.

     "Excuse me?!" the CEO asked, looking at him in amazement.

     "I didn't ask you to apologize to yourself but to us, but it's obviously something you don't know how to do," Yoongi replied scowling.

     "Yoongi..." Namjoon whispered to stop him a hand on his uninjured shoulder, but the older rapper persisted:

     "You could apologize since everything that happened to us is your fault. You sent us on tour with all the risks that entailed telling us that everything would be fine and when it was necessary to ensure our protection, we found ourselves all alone and not protected at all."

     "Yoongi, I understand your pain and anger, they are legitimate. But let's not skip the stages, the responsibility of many people is engaged, an international investigation is even under way, but it is above all the fault of France and its disorganization, it is undeniable. If you think the company is at fault, you will encourage others to think so and it will hurt us all, including our country's reputation and its economy."

     "France's fault?" Yoongi repeated before added ironically: "because obviously, as everyone knows, Incheon airport is located in France, isn't it?"

     "Don't test my patience Yoongi and stop your insolence immediately," Bang Si-hyuk threatened.

     "So you won't apologize," Yoongi concluded, sinking back into his chair and crossing his arms, supporting the CEO's hardened look at him. 

     Not only had the CEO not officially apologized on behalf of the company for all the dead and the suffering inflicted on the innocents, but he was too proud to acknowledge his wrongdoing and apologize to his artists. 

     The other members remained silent, outraged by the attitude of the CEO but unwilling to create a conflict when they were all exhausted and only wanted one thing: to end this meeting to go to sleep. The CEO turned on the TV mounted on the wall of his office but muted the sound to show him the images of Incheon airport that were playing on a loop on Korean news channels.

     "You should know that the investigation that began after the Stade de France concert has just uncovered a fan forum created after your Vlive before the tour and in which sasaengs initially discussed at length how they wanted to do suffer Seokjin.

      I say initially because very quickly, haters also infiltrated the forum and made the worst proposals. Some of these haters were at the Stade de France and helped amplify crowd movements to cause the most victims among your fans. But others have gathered in Incheon to wait for you and come after you. On the forum, they were the ones who offered to set off the fire alarm as a strategy to keep security away from you and that's why a lot of people there weren't surprised by the alarm. 

     The live videos they have shot have been watched and recorded by thousands of people and that number is growing. Everyone is looking for the two who escaped. Among those who have been arrested, the police have been able to trace their digital footprint to the forum and will soon do the same with Vlive, even if it is more complicated because of the digital data protection policy. 

     All those who will be linked to death threats or violent remarks against BTS and your fans will be accused of cyberbullying, the company implements all available means to find their trace and subsequently prevent others from being tempted to start over. Those who were arrested in Incheon will be tried for assault and attempted murder since that was their goal according to their words and acts."

     The members were frozen in horror as they were listening to their CEO while watching the footage of what had just happened. It was as violent for them to watch as the images of the Stade de France. Perhaps worse, they thought, when they saw Jin being pulled and punched roughly, before seeing Taehyung getting beaten up as he used his body as a shield to protect Jin. 

      They also saw the moment when Jin threw himself down to protect Taehyung in turn and the moment when, like a hero arriving at the most critical moment, Taehyung got up to stop Red Coat from hitting Jin. 

     It was a miracle that Taehyung didn't break anything and that he managed to hold on long enough to completely protect his eldest before the arrival of Jungkook who suddenly appeared on the screen to save them. The other members looked at Taehyung with both admiration and affection. Jimin and Jungkook who sat on either side of him each grabbed Taehyung's hand and squeezed it gently. 

     Again, Jin's face appeared on the screen when Taehyung got up and there was so much distress on it that Jungkook, turning to the closed door behind which Jin stood, just wanted to leave the office immediately and hug him. He wondered if, apart from this particular moment they had experienced at the airport, Jin would accept him hugging him again.

     "Obviously there's a lot of footage available especially the live that they filmed themselves but if the police want more evidence to arrest the trash that got away, I I have a photo of the face of one of them and to find the leader of the band, Jungkook will probably be able to draw the tattoo of his neck, he is quite recognizable," Yoongi said.

     Jungkook nodded.

     "You've been tipped off, unlike Jungkook and Taehyung who immediately jumped up without thinking," Lee remarked, "it's always helpful to leave a camera running to watch your back, right Jungkook?"

     He gave a mischievous wink to Jungkook who tensed up before nodding slightly. Taehyung who was holding his hand felt it and looked at him with concern, knowing that he too was being blackmailed because of a photo. He glared at Lee, who gave him the same wink as Jungkook.

     "What? Don't you agree with me about that Taehyung?" Lee asked waving his phone in plain sight and Taehyung blanched. 

     "Y-Yes, I do," he said.

     Seeing that, Namjoon had no doubts that Taehyung was afraid of Lee contrary to what he had told him before getting on the plane, and it must have been a particularly well-chosen blackmail for Taehyung to crash in front of him like Jungkook had done before him, he who yet seemed ready to confront Lee as soon as he discovered the truth at the hospital. And the key to all this blackmail seemed to be this phone. What had this phone photographed so serious to lead Jin, Jungkook and now Taehyung to obey him on a simple look?

    "Yes, I'm more patient and thoughtful than them, that's for sure: I know how to make myself forget and wait for the right moment," Yoongi replied to Lee who turned away from Taehyung, catching Namjoon's puzzled look next to him because Yoongi never used to compliment himself.

     "Anyway," the CEO continued as the face of the girl who had attacked Jin and jumped on Taehyung appeared blurry on TV. "Regarding the young woman who attacked you, she was also arrested and imprisoned in the remand center for children because she is still a minor. As she is over fifteen, she could be judged as an adult though. She will appear at the big trial which will take place in three months and which you will all have to attend."

     "WHAT?!" Lee and BTS exclaimed in unison, stunned by this news.

     The members had never imagined that after being interviewed by the police, they would also have to go to court to testify. But it was evident that a judgment had to be rendered because many people had filed a complaint and it was to be expected that the artists and their company themselves would file a complaint. 

      They wondered if this international investigation would pass judgment in Korea. They hoped so. They didn't want to have to leave their country anytime soon. On TV, the newspaper's information banner indicated "BTS, nation's child prodigies targeted again - justice must be served".

     "Yes,"  Si-hyuk sighed, "it's inevitable. "This is why we will take care of your rehabilitation as soon as possible. We have canceled all sponsored events, you only keep the composition of your next songs in your program for the next three months and to compensate for this financial loss linked to the sponsors, we will create an entertainment program linked to your daily program of re-education. You are more scrutinized than ever after all that has happened and before the trial, you have to take advantage of it: the audience will necessarily be there, and your regular appearance will be awaited by your fans."

      The artists were in shock, they couldn't believe their ears.

     "Are you serious?! Do you still think about making money from our suffering?! It's disgusting!" Taehyung exclaimed, clenching his fist.

     "It's not passion that makes a group and company survive, it's money and fame, I thought you had matured enough to know that, Taehyung" the CEO replied, turning to Lee. "We are going to organize this with Han as soon as he returns but a meeting has already taken place in your absence and we have already decided on a program, we had vaguely discussed it on the phone, and it will now be necessary to put it in place concretely as soon as possible while the boys return to their families for a few days."

     Lee nodded as the artists felt their anger rise as the two men made decisions for them as if they were their tools. Even if they were happy to hear that they were going to be able to go home for a few days to see their family, they couldn't be fully happy with this news because they were really treated like if they had no conscience, as if they were not human with feelings. 

     Was it different from the way sasaengs treated them, viewing them as objects? Finally, wasn't it the company that pushed people to have this kind of behavior towards them since they were doing it themselves?

    "I can't believe it, despite everything that happened, you don't change," Namjoon said to everyone's surprise, because he was never the one who contradicted the CEO and even less the one who attacked him. "I thought you had a little consideration for us but in reality, we are only a source of income for you, I'm right, isn't it?"

     "What are you talking about, son?"

     "Don't call me that when you don't mean it, we are not a family to you. WE ARE NOT A FAMILY TO YOU!!" he yelled to prevent the CEO from retaliating because he had seen that he was about to do so. "It is not possible with this kind of inconsiderate behavior towards us. We have just faced not one but TWO ATTACKS!! My brothers almost died on my watch and all you can think about is creating an entertainment show where people will watch Hoseok and Jimin suffer and cry while trying to dance again?! Where Jin hyung will have to learn to regain his confidence knowing that all his people will look at him and judge him?! Don't call me son when you almost killed us all because we're just objects to you and makes money on us is more important than anything else! Finally, is it because you are afraid that we will soon no longer be profitable to the company that you are in the process of creating lots of young groups?! Because you think we don't bring you enough?!"

     Namjoon paused for a few seconds to catch his breath, and everyone kept a religious silence, not daring to speak after him, because they felt their leader's suffering. The CEO himself was visibly shocked by Namjoon's words. Inwardly, Namjoon blamed himself: that's why he should have waited to be rested before having this conversation. His mouth was guided by his heart and not by his brain.

     The rapper had been suffering from what he saw as betrayal of who he had considered a father since before he even debuted and instead of settling scores with Lee like Taehyung had believed he would, Namjoon was trying to settle them with Bang Si-Hyuk. He spoke from the heart, he no longer had a plan in mind. Panting, the leader of BTS continued, looking Bang Si-Hyuk straight in the eye:

     "When the company hurt Seokjin hyung, we thought it was our managers' fault and didn't point fingers at you. But when Hyun and Sejin left, you yourselves made the decision to replace them with inhuman managers with no compassion for us just so we can be more productive for the company, and who made us work tirelessly despite injuries and exhaustion! Isn't that a proof of your inhumanity towards us?! From the beginning, we looked aside, no I choose to look aside, but Yoongi hyung is probably right, you are responsible for our suffering, I don't know why I wanted to avoid thinking about it!"

     "Hey! The inhuman manager is right next door, be careful what you say Namjoon," Lee fumed, restraining himself from punching him as the CEO looked on, but everyone saw that he was burning for it and Jungkook more than the others knew well this determined look: he intended to punish Namjoon later.

     "Namjoon, I told Yoongi, it is not time to settle accounts, we must be united in this ordeal, there is no need to blame your manager for what happened knowing that I am the one who made the final decision," Bang Si Hyuk said softly, understanding that Namjoon was really hurt and needed to talk and to empty his heart of all this suffering that had accumulated there. "We'll talk together when you have rested, okay?"

     We must be united. The boys looked at Namjoon, waiting for his reaction as those were the exact words he used earlier on the plane, but this unit didn't involve Lee a bit. Namjoon was nauseous just thinking about it. The CEO wanted them to include the manager in their family? It was time for them to settle their account, Namjoon realized.

     "Stay united? If you really expect us to face this, then let me disappoint you because it's out of the question." Namjoon replied. "By the way, we have to stop postponing things and we have to settle them immediately. I have already postponed an essential discussion before the tour and I bitterly regretted it."

     He said that while turning to Jungkook. They all remembered that before the start of the tour, they had planned to talk together with Jin and Jungkook, but they preferred to put all their efforts into the tour which ended in disaster in the end.

     The CEO sighed for the umpteenth time that evening.

     "I thought you wanted to rest as soon as possible but very well... what do you want to discuss?"

https://youtu.be/O3_JcImNpP0