The Morning After
The incident hadn't even been twelve hours old before the headlines started multiplying like wildfire.
"MONARCH UNDER ATTACK?!"
"Security Breach at Concert—Fans in Panic, Agency Silent."
"Footage Surfaces: Smoke, Screams, and Shadows. Was This a Stunt?"
"Is the Era of Monarch's Invincibility Ending?"
Clips had already gone viral: shaky phone camera footage of black smoke curling across the stage; the muffled screams when the lights cut; the way Jiwon's silhouette had moved in the chaos—sharp, too practiced, too fast. Fans slowed it down frame by frame. Conspiracy threads spawned overnight.
The hashtags trended globally:#MonarchAttack#ProtectMonarch#WhatDidISee
The Press Conference
The company set up a last-minute press briefing. Monarch sat at a long white table, all five of them in matching suits. Cameras flashed in machine-gun rhythm.
Jiwon wore the leader's smile, but his fingers tapped against his knee beneath the table. Zayn leaned back, jaw set like granite. Kai kept bowing his head, his usual sunshine dimmed. EO twisted the silver ring on his thumb over and over. Min's lips pressed so tight they had gone pale.
Reporters fired questions like arrows:
"Can you confirm if this was an intentional attack?""Were there casualties? Injuries?""Some fans online claim they saw a figure—something not human. Care to comment?""Is Monarch safe?"
Jiwon answered with calm precision, each word polished, safe.
"There was a security breach. Our staff responded quickly. No members were harmed, and no fans were injured. Monarch is grateful for your concern."
The cameras clicked. He forced the next line through his throat like glass:
"We'll continue our schedules as planned."
The agency representative cut off further questions. Smiles, bows, polite waves. The boys stood. Cameras kept flashing until the door closed behind them.
Backstage
The air shifted instantly. The polished veneer shattered the second they were alone.
Kai collapsed into a chair. "Security breach my ass." His voice cracked, frustration raw. "That was a demon. They all saw it."
EO pressed his palms over his face. "The smoke… the way it laughed. Jiwon-hyung, what if the fans—what if they know?"
"They don't," Zayn cut in, sharp and certain. "They'll convince themselves it was special effects gone wrong. People don't want monsters to be real."
Min finally spoke, voice low. "But we know. And they're getting bolder."
The silence that followed was heavier than the press cameras.
Jiwon leaned against the wall, his tie loosened, eyes darker than the suit he wore. He hadn't said anything yet.
Zayn studied him. "You're already planning, aren't you?"
Jiwon lifted his gaze, expression unreadable. "This isn't the first attack. It won't be the last."
He exhaled, slow and sharp. "If we don't prepare, next time we won't walk away."
Online Reactions (Fan POV)
On Twitter, fan cafes, Discord servers:
"That was no smoke machine. I know what I saw."
"Protect Monarch at all costs. They looked so scared backstage."
"Zayn shielding Min? I'm crying."
"Why did Jiwon move like he was fighting something invisible???"
"There's something bigger going on here. I can feel it."
Clips replayed endlessly. Edits appeared within hours—slow motion, filters, dramatic music layered over the moment the smoke rolled in. Fan theories spiraled into legend before the day was out.
The Dorm – Midnight
The dorm lights were low. The city hummed outside the windows.
Kai and EO sat on the couch, curled under blankets, still too wired to sleep. Zayn sat on the floor, scrolling silently through the online chaos. Min leaned against the glass, staring out into the city's restless glow.
Jiwon stood alone at the sink, rinsing a glass that didn't need rinsing. His reflection wavered in the window above the counter. For a split second, it smiled before he did.
His hand froze.
"…Not tonight," he whispered to the glass. His own reflection tilted its head.
Then, just like that, it was only him again.
He set the glass down carefully, turned back to his members, and forced the mask of calm over his face again.
"Tomorrow," Jiwon said, his voice firm enough to cut through the silence. "We start training."
The boys looked up—tired, shaken, but ready.
And together, Monarch nodded.