Disintegration

The phone vibrated on the table in the silence of late evening. At this hour, the usual work should already be over, and people finally wrapped in soft blankets. But the voice on the line sounded nervous and insistent, and it was impossible to refuse: the most popular male group urgently needed an agent. The pay was high, even too high – something felt off. The speaker's voice carried despair, confirming his fears. Well, why not?

By morning, you was already standing at the door of the rehearsal hall.

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you's steps echoed quietly through the hall before stopping at the edge of the open space, where four men, scattered around the mirror-lined rehearsal studio, paused mid-interaction and turned their attention to the newcomer.

"Good afternoon. You're from the agency, right?" A brunet standing near a red-haired man closer to the glass wall in the choreography area asked loudly. His bright blue eyes seemed to see right through you, and his composed expression carried a hint of sternness. you nodded, studying the new subordinates with interest. The red-haired man, noticing the brief movement of you's head, exhaled heavily and shook his head, clearly not out of joy. A drop of sweat ran down his temple as he grabbed a water bottle from Neil's hand to take a sip. "Oh, really? Neil, you seriously decided to call an agent over this? Do we look like kids?" "Of course not, Robert. You're a big boy now. But it seems that even age doesn't solve some problems." The blond sitting at the computer adjusted something in the practice track. The redhead clenched his jaw, and it seemed you could hear his teeth grinding. "And I see you don't feel any remorse at all?" He replied angrily to Edwin, squeezing the bottle so hard that water spilled from the neck onto the floor. "Hey, I already apologized. What, am I supposed to walk around with my tail between my legs for the rest of my life?" Dustin, sitting on a chair in the corner, tensed his shoulders and looked up from his phone screen, reacting to the growing tension in the air. His green eyes scanned the room, and when they met yours, he raised a hand in greeting.

"You think some apology is enough? Damn it, what am I supposed to do with them?" The man headed toward the blond, but Neil quickly grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Robert sharply waved his hand, adding "let go," and turned his brown eyes toward the brunet. "Stop it." Dustin calmly added and finally got up from his seat to approach you, just in case.