Episode 3. The Stage That Refused Debut

Saea put her hand on the knob.

"Then nobody leaves," she said.

LUMI9 stayed inside Room 404. Instead of escaping, they taught the first LUMI9 how to survive the stage. They changed the hand motion in the chorus. They warned them about the center lift. They wrote on the mirror with eyeliner: do not look at the audience during the final bow.

One by one, the girls on the television nodded. The black cords loosened. Outside, their manager knocked until his voice cracked, but nobody answered.

By morning, Room 404 was gone. LUMI9 walked onto the showcase stage, and this time the audience screamed for them. During the final greeting, Yuna tried not to look past the cameras.

She looked anyway.

Beside the darkest exit, a small sign blinked awake.

404.

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