When we got to the hotel, I was instructed to look as upset as possible while Chan consoled me. We were to walk out first and not stop for anyone.
Lee Know and Han were going to come in behind us side by side and the others would file behind them. Han and Lee Know were supposed to keep apart in public, so this was their own personal fuck you to JYP.
The doors opened and the shouting was angrier than usual. I didn't even have to pretend to be upset as I cowered into Chan to protect me.
"Liar!" they shouted.
"Slut!" they yelled, their voices were an angry swarm attacking me from every which way. They pleaded with Chan to save himself. He ignored them.
"You're okay," Chan whispered to me and kissed my forehead. They booed when he did so.
I kept my face concealed in his chest until we were inside. The others followed us and came to check on me. I was so tired of feeling weak.
I threw a glance in Chan's direction. He was staring out at the fans who were still shouting. They had signs of my face with an x over it.
I walked forward towards the doors. They grew even louder. I worried that they'd break the barricade and storm inside.
"Chan?" I begged and held out my hand.
He joined me, and we watched them together. It made me so angry that they just agreed with the article at face value. It pissed me off that JYP had the power to control the narrative no matter how sensitive the issue. I needed to fight it. I put my hand on the door handle.
"I need to tell them something."
He nodded and stepped back outside with me.
I absorbed the profanities and hate.
"Quiet!" he shouted at them, and the crowd hushed immediately.
I looked around at their angry faces. Not one held even an ounce of sympathy for me.
I stepped forward, so I could be closer to the center and someone spat at me.
Chan lunged forward trying to identify who had done it.
"It's okay," I held him back. They all waited to see what I would say or do. Most had their phones out and were recording me. Whatever I said or did would live online forever. I had to choose my words carefully.
"You all seem to have read the article today," I began.
The crowd began booing me again, but Chan hushed them. I turned back and saw the other guys watching from the doorway. Dmitri was standing right behind us ready to protect us if needed.
"I would like to make it clear that the narrative being spread is not true."
A few people shouted, but the crowd hushed them before Chan needed to.
"I was sexually assaulted by a classmate in college and then by a friend once I graduated. Do you know how uncommon it is for a rapist to get jail time?"
The crowd was silent.
"Only about 6% go to jail. 6%," I emphasized. "1 in 4 women will be sexually assaulted, but only 6% of rapists go to jail."
Some of the people started to look uncomfortable at having been called out...good.
"I assure you, he didn't get convicted because I 'rallied my friends behind me'. They rallied behind me because it happened."
I noticed most of the signs had been dropped to the ground now.
"I hope the informant who outed that private part of my life and the author feel ashamed of themselves for not only what they tried to do to me...to us, but for perpetuating the idea that false reports are common. They're not."
I looked over at Chan who was standing proudly beside me.
"And whoever was involved in writing the article and whoever believed it without question, I hope you find something better to do with your life than to victim shame."
With that, we turned and walked back inside. The crowd was silent and stunned. I refused to let someone else write my story and use it against me. I felt confident and satisfied with how that had gone.
"She has bigger balls than the rest of us," Lee Know praised as he welcomed me back inside with a hug.
"Yes, she handled that so well," someone said walking in from behind me. I turned and saw JYP.
We all were taken aback by his presence. We thought for sure he would have left from Atlanta. Changbin glared at him.
"Such a shame that your information got leaked. Don't worry, we're using our resources to track the informant down," he lied.
"That would be great, thank you," I held my tongue.
He seemed pleased with my response.
"I bet they're closer than we even realize," I added with a smile. Chan bit his lip to keep from seeming too happy with me.
"Chan," JYP turned to him.
"Did you get a good rest last night? That fan seemed quite eager to get you alone."
I squeezed his hand. My other hand made a fist, but I tried to relax.
"Yes," was all he said. The tension in the room was suffocating.
"Good. Well," he clapped his hands together. "I have an afternoon flight out, but I wanted to come by first just to check on Ella."
I didn't mention that coming by "just to check on me" and taking a flight out of Orlando would've meant that he pre-planned the article since it wasn't even released until mid-drive here. The others knew, and that was all that mattered right now.
"Have a good flight," Lee Know tried to push him along.
"Thank you," he replied. "But don't think I didn't notice you and Han earlier."
Lee Know's jaw clenched.
"Enjoy the rest of your day," he turned and left.
Once we saw him get into the car, I turned to the others. We had held our own. I felt proud of us.
They didn't look as excited. "What's wrong?"
"He's going to send Lee Know or Han to fan service tomorrow," Changbin explained.
"That was a threat," Jeongin added.
"Well, he's gone. I can just do the same thing I did to I.N.'s fan," I reminded them.
"Maybe," Han didn't sound so sure.
"We'll figure something out. I promise," I would find a way to make sure they didn't have to go through that again.
Lee Know nodded, seeming to believe me a bit, but Han remained unsure.
"Your speech is trending," Seungmin informed me.
I looked at his phone, "K-Pop Idol Bang Chan's Girlfriend Calls Out Article For Victim Shaming".
I smiled at the headline.
Bang Chan's Girlfriend
"Your speech was great, Ella," Chan hugged me.
"Thanks," my smile grew wider. "What should we do now?" I asked the group.