For an hour… maybe two… maybe longer—time blurred—Foca, Luca, and Tuesday sat in heavy silence.
No one spoke.
They weren't debating if the situation needed handling. They were figuring out how to handle it without hands getting dirty, without lawyers sharpening knives too early, and without two former trainees mysteriously vanishing off the face of the earth.
The room felt suffocating.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
All three looked up.
"Come in," Foca said, voice worn thin.
The door opened, and in stepped Chamber.
Not his real name—never was. A codename. Impeccably dressed, broad-shouldered, devastatingly handsome, and unmistakably French. He'd been Foca's shadow since birth. Protector, secretary, problem-solver. The kind of man who could end a war before breakfast and still look bored doing it.
"Sir," Chamber said politely, thick French accent curling around his words, "you may want to see this."
He turned on the TV.
A familiar face filled the screen.
"Holy shit…" Luca muttered.
It was Louie.
Former trainee. Fan favorite. Withdrawn due to health complications. Currently in a hospital bed—IV line taped to his arm, dark circles under his eyes—but his gaze was sharp. Alive. Furious.
A TikYin Live badge pulsed in the corner.
Comments were already flying by at a speed that made Tuesday squint.
"Hey everybody…" Louie said, voice strained but steady. "Thanks for dropping by."
@softpeach: omg Louie 😭
@Starstruck: ARE YOU OKAY??
@Rumi: KING WE MISSED YOU
"I'm doing much better now," he said, smiling softly. "Thank you for all the concern."
A question popped up—bold, unavoidable.
Is the article true?
Louie exhaled slowly.
"Yeah… that's why I'm live today. Even though I was highly advised not to be." He rubbed his face. "But with the shit that's going on, I couldn't stay quiet."
The chat exploded.
@Gilgamesh: SAY IT
@Totoro: DRAG THEM
@SirenangGabun: pls don't stress yourself 😭
"And uh—apologies in advance," Louie added, jaw tightening. "I'm gonna curse. A lot."
He leaned forward.
"With that being said—first of all—to the motherfuckers Akesh and Adel—"
The screen practically shook.
"How fucking dare you?! You absolute pieces of shit! How dare you!!!"
The chat went nuclear.
@MamaMia: JESUS—
@Rumi: 😧😧😧😧
@Cortisol: WHO DO I FIGHT
@LegalEagle: this is about to be evidence 😭
"We were treated with respect, with dignity," Louie snapped, voice breaking through the chaos. "And you're out here pulling lies straight out of your asses? What the fuck were you two smoking?"
He gestured wildly, nearly knocking his IV.
"Racist? WHO? WHO was racist? Because everyone on that island treated us with more care than most people get in real life. Same accommodations—luxury shit that'd bankrupt you in a month. Three meals a day. Snacks in between. Actual human decency."
@BudgetQueen: free food???
@Edward Cullen: SAY IT LOUDER
"And favoritism?" Louie scoffed. "Rigging? The evaluators gave praise when it was earned and criticism when it was deserved. Everyone got that smoke—including Kang fucking Ian."
Luca let out a low whistle.
"Damn…"
"That man is a saint," Louie continued, pointing at the camera. "And you target him because you're jealous-ass bitches who couldn't reach his pinky even if he laid it on the floor for you."
@RokuRoku: PERIOD
@BiasWrecker: TELL THEM
"And yes," Louie snapped, eyes blazing, "Kang Ian could've debuted ages ago if he'd signed early. But he didn't. He chose to go through the same process as us. That alone should tell you how fair Mr. Foca is. Nobody got special treatment."
The chat surged faster.
@ReceiptsOrGTFO: PREACH
@LawStudent: this man is dismantling the article line by line
"And manipulation?" Louie laughed bitterly. "I watched the broadcast. That shit was barely edited. What you saw is what we lived."
He leaned closer, voice lowering dangerously.
"If they wanted drama, they'd have shown you two ganging up on Kang Ian like toddlers—demanding lines, then crying when he stepped back and still got praised."
@CaliforniaMaki: OOP—
@FFonBio: THAT PART
"And then," Louie's voice cracked, rage giving way to something raw, "you went and revealed shit that was NEVER meant to be public."
His eyes glassed over.
"How fucking dare you."
The chat slowed—like everyone collectively held their breath.
"That's why victims are afraid to speak. Because of monsters like you."
@SurvivorVoice: THANK YOU
@ProtectTheTrainees: this is heartbreaking
"And Jordan?" Louie swallowed hard, tears finally spilling. "Jordan is the sweetest soul in that entire place. And people like you are the reason kids like him grow up afraid."
He wiped his face, breathing deeply.
"Do you even know what the people you outed went through?"
Silence.
Then—
"To everyone watching," Louie said softly, "everything in that article is bullshit. I'm living proof. I would've stayed if I wasn't sick. Everyone on that island is treated well."
He paused.
"The only real atrocity I witnessed—"
The chat leaned in.
"—was Monarch breaking spaghetti in half and cooking it with banana ketchup and hotdogs."
The whiplash hit instantly.
@Hyouka_Icecream: What is wrong with Filipino spaghetti?!
@VivaItalia: JAIL
@TuesdayStan: THAT'S THE REAL CRIME
Laughter rippled through the stream.
"Anyway," Louie sighed, smiling weakly. "If I could go back, I would. That's how much I loved it there. I grew. I learned. I was supported. And we were paid fairly—just for showing up."
He nodded once.
"All they asked was that we work hard and grow as artists."
The live ended shortly after.
In the study, no one spoke.
But for the first time that night—
The truth was louder than the lies.
****
It didn't take long for people with actual brains to clock the article as suspicious—even before Louie ever went live.
These weren't casual viewers. These were the professional survival-show enthusiasts. The kind who paused frames, tracked screen time spreadsheets, cross-referenced contracts, and could smell a fabricated narrative from three Wi-Fi networks away.
They were the first ones on the front lines, dissecting the article sentence by sentence and defending LEAVEN with receipts in hand.
@Yoyo: This article reads emotionally charged but legally hollow. No timelines. No corroboration. Red flag city.
@Corn⭐: Been watching these shows since announcement day. If LEAVEN were rigged, the edit would look VERY different.
@Madoka-San: Y'all believing anonymous "feelings" over observable footage is wild.
When Louie's live stream happened, a massive wave of relief washed over the fandom.
Finally—someone who was there spoke up.
But relief quickly curdled into anxiety.
Because as much as people applauded Louie for standing up, a new worry set in.
The NDA.
@LegalNerd: I love Louie but… please tell me he didn't just tank himself legally 😬
@Marrinara: king pls don't get sued 😭
Debate broke out instantly.
Some argued he'd be fine—he hadn't revealed trade secrets, or production details. He spoke broadly, emotionally, and defensively. And if LEAVEN truly operated the way Louie described, then surely the owner would let this slide.
Others weren't so sure.
@Law_Drop_Out: Intentions don't cancel NDAs, babes.
@BoomQuisha: Even if he's right, legally it's still risky.
Still, many clung to one belief:
If Foca was really the man Louie described?
This wouldn't turn ugly.
Then the focus shifted.
And oh—it shifted hard.
The internet stopped aiming only at Akesh and Adel.
They turned their gaze to the publisher.
A respected name. Industry credibility. A platform that prided itself on "responsible journalism."
And suddenly?
They were being dragged to filth.
@StephanieSoo: You published unverified accusations involving young people and sensitive trauma with ZERO proof??
@RottenMango: Where were the editors?? The legal team?? The BASIC ETHICS???
@MoralOfTheStory: This isn't journalism, this is reckless sensationalism.
People began pulling up old controversies. Past rushed articles. Questionable sources.
The cracks started showing.
Memes followed—because of course they did.
@Joe: Can't wait for the triple lawsuit speedrun any%
@Miley Circus: LEAVEN: The Legal Arc ⚖️
What was scarier than compassionate, soft-spoken, level-headed Foca?
Ruthless Foca.
And what was even scarier than that?
His family.
The kind of family whose name alone could make countries sweat. Whose lawyers didn't threaten—they arrived. Whose reach was so vast that consequences didn't need announcements.
If Foca hadn't even moved, yet.
If this escalated?
It wouldn't be Foca they'd need to fear most.
It would be his family, that adores him very much.