Chapter Text
Manon knew something was wrong when Missy called her personally.
Not texted.
Not emailed.
Called.
Her phone buzzed against the nightstand for the third time, lighting up the dark bedroom.
MISSY
Manon stared at the name.
Then rolled over.
The phone stopped.
Five seconds later—
BZZZZZT.
“Oh my God.”
Manon grabbed it.
“What?”
“Good morning to you too.”
Manon glanced toward the window.
Outside, Los Angeles was already dark.
“It’s nine at night.”
“Then good evening.”
“What do you want, Missy?”
There was a pause.
Manon sat up.
She knew that pause.
Missy didn't call her to check in.
Missy hadn't checked in once since she'd put Manon on hiatus.
Technically, that wasn't what the public had been told.
According to the carefully worded statement released by the company, Manon had chosen to temporarily step away from KATSEYE's activities to focus on rest and her personal well-being.
Manon hadn't chosen anything.
Missy had.
The conversation still replayed in her head sometimes.
You're becoming a distraction.
The tension is affecting the entire group.
Everyone needs space.
And Manon's personal favorite—
This isn't optional.
There hadn't been a discussion.
There hadn't been a group meeting.
One day Manon was rehearsing with KATSEYE.
The next, she wasn't.
No performances.
No interviews.
No rehearsals.
No appearances.
No traveling with the others.
Nothing.
Missy had made it very clear that Manon wasn't wanted around.
At first, Manon had been furious.
Then she'd been lonely.
Then she'd stopped caring.
Or at least gotten very good at pretending she had.
“We need you at the company tomorrow,” Missy finally said.
Manon's expression hardened.
“No.”
“You don't even know what I need.”
“I don't care.”
“Manon.”
“No.”
Another pause.
“It's about Iconic.”
Manon stopped.
Of course it was.
Because apparently there wasn't a person alive who hadn't heard Iconic by Mistake.
What had started as a special collaboration between LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and KATSEYE had somehow turned into one of the biggest songs of the year.
Nobody had expected it.
Hence the name.
Dance challenges were everywhere.
Performance clips had millions of views.
Celebrities were doing the choreography.
People were covering it.
Fans were analyzing every interaction between the girls.
And the original stage had exploded online.
There was only one problem.
Two girls hadn't been there.
Moka.
And Manon.
Moka had missed the original performance because of an actual health situations.
Manon had missed it because Missy had already forced her onto hiatus.
Which meant nearly every video had the same comments underneath it.
WE NEED MOKA.
Imagine Manon doing the KATSEYE section.
FULL ILLIT WHEN???
MANON WOULD EAT THIS CHOREO.
Give us all sixteen girls!
Manon had done her best to ignore them.
She hadn't performed in months.
She wasn't coming back anytime soon.
End of story.
At least, she thought it was.
“There's going to be another performance,” Missy said.
“Congratulations.”
“At the Global Music Festival.”
Manon blinked.
Okay.
That got her attention.
The Global Music Festival wasn't just another music show.
It was one of the biggest stages of the year.
Thousands of people in the arena.
Millions watching online and on television.
Huge production budgets.
Performances people spent months preparing.
And apparently Iconic by Mistake had gotten big enough to earn one.
“They want a complete version,” Missy continued. “All three groups. New staging. Extended arrangement. Full production.”
Manon already knew where this was going.
She didn't like it.
“Moka agreed to participate.”
“Good for Moka.”
“You're participating too.”
Silence.
Manon pulled the phone away from her ear.
She stared at it.
Missy was still there.
Manon slowly returned it.
“I'm sorry?”
“You heard me.”
“No, I heard you. I'm just giving you a chance to say something less ridiculous.”
“Rehearsals begin tomorrow.”
Manon laughed.
She genuinely laughed.
“You're joking.”
“I'm not.”
“I'm on hiatus.”
“Not anymore.”
That killed the laughter immediately.
Manon sat straighter.
“What?”
“You're returning for this performance.”
“No.”
“Manon—”
“You don't get to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Decide I'm suddenly back!”
“I am your manager.”
“And you're the one who put me on hiatus!”
Silence.
There it was.
The thing neither of them liked acknowledging.
“The situation has changed,” Missy said.
Manon couldn't believe what she was hearing.
“The situation?”
“Yes.”
“You told me I wasn't allowed to work.”
“At the time—”
“You told me I was affecting the group.”
“You were.”
Manon's jaw tightened.
There was no hesitation.
No attempt to soften it.
That was Missy.
“You said Lara and Dani couldn't work properly around me.”
“The fighting was becoming disruptive.”
“So you got rid of me.”
“I removed the source of the problem.”
Manon went still.
There it was too.
Not even pretending.
“Wow.”
“Don't.”
“No, actually. Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For finally saying it.”
“Manon—”
“You didn't put me on hiatus because you cared about me.”
“I never said—”
“You wanted me gone.”
Missy didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
Manon laughed quietly.
Months of anger suddenly came rushing back.
“You know what's funny?”
“I don't have time for this.”
“Then hang up.”
“You're expected at rehearsal tomorrow at ten.”
“No.”
“This isn't optional.”
Manon's grip tightened around her phone.
Those words again.
Exactly the same.
“You can't force me offstage and then force me back onto it whenever it's convenient for you.”
“You have contractual obligations.”
“You suspended my schedules!”
“And I'm reinstating one.”
“One?”
“One performance.”
Manon frowned.
“So I'm still on hiatus.”
“Yes.”
That somehow made it worse.
Manon wasn't actually being welcomed back.
She wasn't returning to KATSEYE.
She wasn't suddenly considered ready.
They just wanted her for Iconic.
“Why?”
Missy sighed.
“We've been over this.”
“No. Why me?”
“Because you're a member of KATSEYE.”
“That didn't matter when you kicked me out.”
“Manon.”
“Why?”
Silence.
Manon's eyes drifted toward her laptop.
The original Iconic by Mistake performance was paused on the screen.
53,714,902 views.
She stared at the number.
Then everything clicked.
“Oh.”
Missy said nothing.
“The numbers changed.”
Another silence.
Manon shook her head.
“That's what this is.”
“The song has become an enormous opportunity.”
“For who?”
“Everyone.”
“No.”
Manon looked at the millions of views.
“For you.”
“Watch your tone.”
“You didn't care about me being part of it when the song first came out.”
“You were unavailable.”
“Because YOU made me unavailable!”
“That's enough.”
“Now everyone keeps asking for Moka and Manon, and suddenly I'm magically healthy enough to perform again?”
“Tomorrow. Ten o'clock.”
“I didn't agree.”
“You don't have to.”
Manon froze.
Missy's voice became colder.
“Be there.”
The call ended.
Manon stared at her phone.
For several seconds, she didn't move.
Then—
“Unbelievable.”
She threw it onto the bed.
It bounced once.
Manon stood.
Started pacing.
Stopped.
Paced again.
She couldn't believe it.
Actually, she could.
That was the worst part.
She absolutely could.
Missy had hated dealing with her for months.
Manon questioned decisions.
She pushed back.
She didn't smile and nod when she disagreed with something.
And once things between her, Lara, and Daniela had gotten bad enough, Missy finally had an excuse to remove her.
Now Missy needed her.
Suddenly the hiatus didn't matter.
Suddenly Manon could perform.
Suddenly she was KATSEYE again.
For one night.
Her phone buzzed.
Manon looked down.
She expected Missy.
Instead—
Sophia 🩷
Manon's stomach twisted.
She hadn't properly spoken to Sophia in weeks.
Not because they were fighting.
They weren't.
Sophia had tried.
Messages.
Calls.
Checking in.
Sometimes Manon answered.
Sometimes she didn't.
Being around Sophia reminded her too much of everything she wasn't part of anymore.
Manon opened the message.
Sophia:
Did she call you?
Manon stared at it.
Then typed.
Manon:
Yep.
The typing bubble appeared instantly.
Sophia:
I'm sorry.
Manon's fingers hovered.
Manon:
Did you know?
The typing bubble disappeared.
Returned.
Disappeared.
That was answer enough.
Finally—
Sophia:
They told us this afternoon.
Manon's jaw tightened.
Manon:
Us?
A pause.
Sophia:
All of us.
All of us.
Meaning Megan knew.
Yoonchae knew.
Lara knew.
Dani knew.
Everyone knew Manon was coming back before Manon did.
Fantastic.
Manon:
Great.
Sophia:
Manon.
Manon:
What?
Sophia:
I didn't agree with this.
Manon stared.
Another message appeared.
Sophia:
I didn't agree with Missy putting you on hiatus either.
That softened something.
Barely.
Manon:
Didn't stop it.
The response took longer this time.
Sophia:
I know.
Then—
Sophia:
And I'm sorry.
Manon sighed.
Sophia wasn't the person she was angry with.
Not really.
Manon:
I'll be there tomorrow.
Sophia:
You don't have to pretend you're okay with me.
Manon stared at that message for a long time.
She didn't answer.
Because she wasn't okay.
And Sophia knew her well enough to know that.
---
The next morning, Manon stood outside the rehearsal studio for thirty-seven seconds.
She counted.
Thirty-five.
Thirty-six.
Thirty-seven.
“You can still run,” she muttered.
Music played through the door.
She recognized it immediately.
Iconic by Mistake.
Of course.
Manon adjusted the strap of her bag.
Then the door suddenly swung open.
She jumped.
Megan stood there.
They stared at each other.
Megan's eyes went huge.
“Manon?”
Manon barely had time to smile.
“Oh my God!”
Megan launched herself at her.
“Megan—”
“You're actually here!”
Manon laughed as Megan squeezed her.
“I can't breathe.”
“I don't care.”
“I do!”
Another voice came from inside.
“Why are you screaming?”
Yoonchae appeared.
She froze.
Her entire face lit up.
“MANON!”
“Oh no—”
Another hug.
Manon laughed again.
Something in her chest hurt.
She'd missed them.
More than she'd admitted.
“You guys are acting like I died.”
“You disappeared!” Megan said.
“I was on hiatus.”
“Same thing.”
“Megan!” Yoonchae protested.
“What?”
Manon shook her head.
Then she looked farther into the studio.
Sophia stood beside the mirrors.
Their eyes met.
Sophia smiled.
Not dramatically.
Not like Megan.
Just warm.
Relieved.
“Hi.”
Manon swallowed.
“Hi.”
Sophia crossed the room.
For half a second, neither moved.
Then Sophia hugged her.
Manon immediately hugged her back.
Tighter than she'd intended.
“I'm glad you're here,” Sophia whispered.
Manon closed her eyes.
“I'm not.”
Sophia pulled back.
“I know.”
And then Manon saw them.
Across the studio.
Daniela sat on the floor tying her shoe.
Lara stood beside one of the speakers drinking water.
Both had stopped moving.
Manon's smile disappeared.
Dani looked up first.
Their eyes met.
Months of arguments seemed to fill the room between them.
Dani stood.
“Hey.”
Manon's fingers tightened around her bag strap.
“Hi.”
That was it.
Dani looked like she wanted to say something else.
She didn't.
Manon looked toward Lara.
Lara was already looking at her.
Neither spoke.
For one second, Manon wondered if Lara might actually say something.
Anything.
Then Lara looked away.
Manon's jaw tightened.
Fine.
If that was how Lara wanted to do this—
Fine.
“Manon.”
Manon's shoulders stiffened.
Missy.
She turned.
Missy stood in the doorway holding a tablet.
No smile.
No hug.
No welcome back.
“You're late.”
Manon looked at the clock.
10:01.
“One minute.”
“Late is late.”
Megan looked at Sophia.
Sophia's expression hardened.
Manon slowly put down her bag.
“Nice seeing you too.”
Missy ignored her.
“We have less than two weeks. Everyone else has already begun learning the revised staging. You're behind.”
Manon raised her eyebrows.
“I wonder why.”
“Manon.”
“What?”
Missy stared at her.
Manon stared right back.
Sophia stepped between them before either could continue.
“Can we just rehearse?”
Missy finally looked away.
“The festival wants the definitive version of Iconic by Mistake. The choreography remains recognizable, but the scale is significantly larger.”
She tapped her tablet.
The enormous screen at the front of the room changed.
A stage diagram appeared.
Manon's eyebrows rose.
Three major performance zones.
A runway.
Moving platforms.
Several lifts.
Pyrotechnics.
Suspended screens.
Lighting rigs.
And an enormous center platform.
Megan whistled.
“That's insane.”
“That's terrifying,” Yoonchae corrected.
“Same thing.”
Missy tapped the screen again.
GROUP ONE — LE SSERAFIM
“LE SSERAFIM opens.”
Another tap.
GROUP TWO — ILLIT
“ILLIT takes the second section.”
Another.
GROUP THREE — KATSEYE
“KATSEYE takes the third.”
Manon's eyes immediately went to the names underneath.
Sophia.
Manon.
Daniela.
Lara.
Megan.
Yoonchae.
All six.
“After the individual sections,” Missy continued, “the formations combine.”
She changed the diagram.
Sixteen dots appeared across the stage.
“By the final section, all sixteen performers will be onstage.”
Daniela frowned.
“Sixteen people plus dancers?”
“Dancers clear before the final formation.”
“Still tight.”
“That's why we're rehearsing.”
The doors opened.
Everyone looked over.
LE SSERAFIM entered first.
Chaewon.
Sakura.
Yunjin.
Kazuha.
Eunchae.
Greetings immediately filled the studio.
A moment later came ILLIT.
Yunah.
Minju.
Moka.
Wonhee.
Iroha.
Moka was halfway through greeting Sophia when she spotted Manon.
She stopped.
Manon raised an eyebrow.
Moka's face broke into a grin.
“Well.”
“Don't.”
“Look who finally decided to show up.”
“Decided is doing a lot of work in that sentence.”
Moka laughed and hugged her.
Manon returned it.
“You're finally doing Iconic?” Manon asked.
“Finally.”
“So we're the missing pieces.”
“Apparently.”
“Cute.”
Moka pulled back.
Then she really looked at Manon.
Her smile faded.
“You okay?”
“Fantastic.”
Moka stared.
Manon lasted approximately two seconds.
“No.”
“Thought so.”
“Places!”
The choreographer's clap echoed through the studio.
Everyone moved.
Colored tape covered the floor, marking out the festival stage.
A large square of tape sat directly in the middle.
“The choreography follows the same three-group progression,” the choreographer explained. “LE SSERAFIM first. ILLIT second. KATSEYE third. Then we start merging.”
Manon moved toward the wall with KATSEYE.
“LE SSERAFIM!”
The music started.
Chaewon, Sakura, Yunjin, Kazuha, and Eunchae moved into position.
Manon watched.
The formation started tight before opening.
Members crossed.
Positions changed.
The focus shifted naturally from one girl to another.
It looked good.
Really good.
The first section finished.
“Transition!”
LE SSERAFIM cleared.
“ILLIT!”
ILLIT moved in almost immediately.
Yunah crossed toward one side.
Iroha shifted outward.
Minju and Wonhee moved through center.
Moka crossed behind them before taking her next position.
There was barely a gap.
One group disappeared.
Another replaced it.
Manon smiled despite herself.
Okay.
This was cool.
Then—
“KATSEYE!”
The smile vanished.
Sophia nudged her.
“Come on.”
Manon followed.
Six positions.
Six girls.
For the first time in months.
Manon stepped onto her mark.
Sophia to one side.
Megan and Yoonchae farther back.
Daniela.
Lara.
Manon looked into the mirror.
KATSEYE.
All six.
Her chest tightened.
“Manon, two steps left.”
She moved.
“Daniela, back half a step.”
Dani adjusted.
“Lara, you'll cross behind Manon.”
Manon looked up.
Lara did too.
Of course.
The music started.
Sophia moved first.
Then Megan.
Yoonchae crossed.
Manon's body took over.
Counts.
Angles.
Footwork.
Where the camera would be.
Where everyone around her should be.
She remembered all of it.
Then Lara approached.
Manon continued dancing.
Lara crossed behind her.
They passed within inches.
Their eyes met through the mirror.
Neither smiled.
Neither missed a count.
Manon turned.
Daniela replaced Lara beside her.
Another glance.
Another wall of silence.
Then Dani moved away.
“Stop!”
The music cut.
“Again.”
Everyone reset.
Again.
Again.
Again.
By the fourth run, Manon stopped thinking about Lara.
By the sixth, she stopped thinking about Dani.
By the seventh, she even stopped thinking about Missy.
She just—
Danced.
And God, she'd missed that.
“Good!”
The choreographer clapped.
“Now everybody!”
Suddenly the entire room moved.
LE SSERAFIM returned.
ILLIT followed.
KATSEYE stayed in formation.
Sixteen girls filled the rehearsal floor.
“Final formation!”
Manon moved.
Sophia crossed toward center.
Manon followed.
From LE SSERAFIM, Chaewon and Sakura moved inward.
From ILLIT, Minju and Wonhee did the same.
Moka moved outward.
Lara passed Manon going in the opposite direction.
For half a second, their shoulders nearly touched.
Then Lara continued toward the edge.
Manon continued toward the middle.
“STOP!”
Everyone froze.
The choreographer walked between them.
Manon looked around.
Sophia.
Chaewon.
Sakura.
Minju.
Wonhee.
All close to her.
The choreographer pointed down.
Manon followed the gesture.
The large taped square.
“This represents the center lift.”
Wonhee looked down.
“The one on the stage diagram?”
“Exactly.”
Sophia frowned.
“Does it actually move?”
“Yes.”
“How high?”
“About twelve feet at maximum extension.”
Wonhee's eyes widened.
“With us on it?”
Several girls laughed.
“That's generally how lifts work,” Minju teased.
Wonhee nudged her.
The choreographer smiled.
“You'll have plenty of rehearsals on the real thing.”
Manon looked down again.
Right now it was just tape.
Nothing underneath them.
Nothing to worry about.
“You six are the primary center formation during the final section.”
The choreographer pointed.
“Manon. Sophia. Chaewon. Sakura. Minju. Wonhee.”
Moka looked toward them.
“So we're abandoning them?”
“Basically,” Yunah joked.
“Rude.”
A few girls laughed.
The choreographer continued.
“Everyone else spreads outward as the lift rises. Then the center six come back down for the final formation.”
Manon looked toward Lara.
Lara was standing several feet away.
Their choreography literally sent them in opposite directions.
Figures.
“From the transition!”
Everyone reset.
Music.
LE SSERAFIM.
Transition.
ILLIT.
Transition.
KATSEYE.
Then—
Everyone.
Sixteen bodies moving in different directions.
Moka outward.
Minju inward.
Wonhee inward.
Lara outward.
Manon inward.
Sophia toward Manon.
Chaewon and Sakura crossing from the opposite side.
Six girls converging on the same square.
Again.
Again.
Again.
By the seventh run, Megan collapsed dramatically onto the floor.
“I've died.”
Sophia stepped over her.
“You're fine.”
“Tell my family I loved them.”
“You can tell them yourself.”
“I can't. I'm dead.”
Yoonchae nudged Megan's sneaker.
“Can you die somewhere else? You're on my mark.”
Megan groaned and rolled sideways.
Manon laughed.
Actually laughed.
For a second, everything felt normal.
Then she caught Lara looking at her.
Manon's laughter faded.
Lara immediately looked away.
And reality returned.
Nothing was normal.
Nothing was fixed.
Manon wasn't really back.
She was borrowing her old life for one performance.
“Five-minute break!”
Everyone scattered.
Manon headed toward her water bottle.
Missy stepped directly into her path.
“You're rusty.”
Manon stared at her.
“Hello to you too.”
“Your turns are late.”
“I haven't performed in months.”
“That's not an excuse.”
Manon gave a disbelieving laugh.
“You're unbelievable.”
“You wanted to be treated like everyone else.”
“You're not treating me like everyone else.”
“I am.”
“No.”
Manon stepped closer.
“You made sure of that when you kicked me out.”
“I did what was necessary.”
“For who?”
Missy didn't answer.
Manon nodded.
“Exactly.”
She moved around her.
“Manon.”
She stopped.
“You need this performance.”
Manon slowly turned.
For once, she smiled.
“No.”
Missy's eyebrows rose.
“The company needs this performance.”
Manon glanced across the room.
Sophia was trying to drag Megan off the floor.
Yoonchae was laughing.
Moka and Minju were talking.
Dani stood beside Wonhee.
Lara was alone by the mirror.
Then Manon looked back at Missy.
“You need me for this performance.”
Missy said nothing.
Manon's smile widened slightly.
“That's different.”
She walked away.
Missy watched her go.
Neither noticed the two festival production technicians standing beside the stage diagram.
One zoomed in.
Frowned.
“Wait.”
The other looked over.
“What?”
The technician pointed at the center platform.
“They're using Lift C?”
“Yeah.”
“For the six-person rise?”
“That's what the cue sheet says.”
The first technician scrolled.
His expression changed.
“That can't be right.”
“Why?”
“It was flagged.”
“For what?”
“Load instability.”
The second technician frowned.
“I thought maintenance fixed that.”
“They were supposed to.”
Across the room—
“Back to places!”
The girls groaned.
Manon walked toward the rehearsal floor.
LE SSERAFIM took their positions.
ILLIT waited behind them.
KATSEYE prepared for their entrance.
The music began.
First group.
Second group.
Third group.
Then everyone.
Manon crossed toward center.
Lara went outward.
Moka went outward.
Minju and Wonhee came inward.
Sophia appeared beside Manon.
Chaewon and Sakura moved in from the other side.
Six girls stepped onto the taped square.
The technician stared at the maintenance report.
His coworker leaned over.
“So they fixed it, right?”
The music grew louder.
Manon smiled when Sophia bumped her shoulder.
For a few minutes, Manon forgot about the hiatus.
Forgot about Lara.
Forgot about Dani.
Forgot about Missy.
She just danced.
Finally, the technician answered.
“No.”
His face went pale.
“They were supposed to replace the entire lift.”
He scrolled to the bottom of the report.
“They never did.”
And across the studio—
the music kept playing.