The next morning quickly arrived. Minjae didn't sleep that much with all the thoughts circulating in his mind, but he still managed to get a few hours of rest. For him, that was already enough since he was mostly just in his apartnt for two days straight.
He wasn't tired physically. Just ntally and emotionally.
Dressed in simple clothes, Minjae covered his face with a cap and a mask. He had sothing to do today.
After getting dressed, Minjae took a cab to Flex Entertainnt. Because of all the covering on his face, the driver occasionally glanced at him through the mirror. Thankfully, he didn't say much.
The driver probably figured he wanted to be left alone.
Minjae had to hide himself. Most people were on his side now, but that didn't an he was free to move however he liked.
Flex Entertainnt had made it clear to him yesterday that even if the public was already on his side, he still needed to stay low for his own safety. That ant no public interactions, no personal statents, and definitely no direct contact with fans without the agency's prior knowledge.
Minjae tapped his fingers quietly against his knee as the cab neared the company building. His eyes darted toward the tinted window. When he arrived, he quickly paid for the fare and imdiately went inside.
When he stepped out on the main floor, the office was active. However, the feeling of it wasn't the sa. Conversations hushed when he passed by.
In the past, he was greeted by employees. However, right now, they only looked up to him. So quickly turned away. However, there were still others who stared for so long, their eyes reflecting pity and awe.
He was used to being watched.
But not like this.
Minjae let out a soft sigh under his breath.
He couldn't bla them.
They probably didn't want to talk, afraid that it might offend him.
'Alright, let's just go et Donghyun.'
Minjae adjusted his clothes and kept walking without saying a word. He took the elevator again, this ti all the way up to the 9th floor, where the legal and crisis managent teams were housed.
The doors opened with a soft chi.
Donghyun was already waiting outside the departnt's door.
He was dressed sharply in a navy blazer and black turtleneck, his hair was neatly styled, but his eyes were noticeably a little tired. He looked as if he barely had slept last night.
Minja could understand it. After all, when they were in their first life, Donghyun didn't experience this kind of issue. He must be all worried.
Minaje can't help but smile under his mask.
'That was just how Donghyun is,' he thought as he took a step forward to greet him.
When Donghyun saw Minjae, his expression suddenly beca soft.
"You're early," Donghyun said gently.
"I couldn't sleep much, hyung" Minjae replied with a tired smile.
"Yeah… I figured it out," Donghyun murmured. "Co in. Haeyon and Seungho was already waiting for you."
"Yes, Hyung,"
He gestured for Minjae to follow him into the eting room beside the legal offices.
As they walked down the short hallway, Minjae inhaled slowly. His mind replayed the thoughts from last night.
He didn't know what answers he'd find here today.
But he was ready.
In the small conference room just past the legal offices, the lights were turned on and a kettle of coffee was already brewing on the counter in the corner. Two laptops were open, and on the side, there were stacks of folders.
Inside, Haeyoon was seated near her laptopm with a pen in her hand. On her side, Seungho was typing sothing on his laptop. Both of them looked up the mont Minjae entered the room with Donghyun behind him.
"You look better today, Minjae." Haeyoon gave him a small smile.
Minjae slowly remove his cap and mask. Once he was done, he showed a polite smile to Haeyon.
"I was able to get so rest, finally."
"Good." She nodded, then gestured to the chair across from her. "Co and sit. Let's get started once you're ready."
Donghyun quietly took the seat next to Minjae, while Seungho turned the monitor toward them and clicked on a file.
"We'll get straight to the point," Seungho began, his voice was calm but focused. "Yesterday, the agency monitored all posts, accounts, and digital trails related to the original anonymous post. Our internal security team and one of our contracted cybersecurity firms did so basic tracking. There are so things we need to discuss."
Minjae's jaw tensed slightly.
'I wonder what they found out,' he muttered before nodding. He leaned forward, while his eyes remained fixated on the screen.
"While the original poster used an anonymous board and VPN, there were mistakes," Haeyoon explained. "Small ones, but enough to give us a trail. And we think we're getting close to figuring out who was behind the account."
At that, Minjae's brows furrowed.
"You found sothing?"
"The account that comnted later, the one claiming to be the son of the woman who raised you, used an old userna that was originally registered on a fan community site. That site was shut down years ago."
"That's oddly specific..." Minjae blinked.
"It is," Haeyoon agreed. "But that fan site was part of a local community forum from about six years ago. Most of the users there were from a small neighborhood—the sa neighborhood where you lived before you moved to Seoul."
"So…"
"So, it lines up with the person claiming to be the woman's son," Seungho finished. "We're still pulling more data, but right now, he's the top of our suspect list."
Minjae's hands curled slightly into fists under the table.
"That bastard…"
"Minjae," Donghyun said gently. "We're handling it. Don't let your emotions take over."
"I'm fine, hyung," Minjae muttered, exhaling slowly. "It's just… he's the one who threw out. He wasn't there for her. And now he's using her mory for this?"
"We know," Haeyoon said softly. "We already proved that."
She turned to the screen again and clicked to the next slide.
"In the anti, we've already flagged the post and are preparing a formal digital trace request. Our legal team has also submitted preservation orders for platforms that hosted the content. Once we identify the person with certainty, we'll file a case for defamation."
Minjae nodded, his gaze turning more serious.
"I want to see this through."
"You will," Haeyoon promised. "But for now, don't say anything publicly. Let us handle the ss. You focus on work and keep moving forward."
Minjae's shoulders relaxed slightly. He nodded, feeling more assured now that they already had a lead for this case. He really got lucky with the agency that he was in.
If this was others, they would probably bla the artist first. But fortunately, Flex Entertainnt wasn't like that. They were more eager to know the truth before doing sothing. They truly value their artist, one feature that speaks why they were at the top.
"Thank you," Minjae said quietly. "Really… I don't know what I would've done if you guys weren't here."
"You're not alone in this, Minjae" Seungho said firmly. "You're not just a na on the agency, Minjae. We're not going to let soone destroy your future with one anonymous post."
Haeyoon gave him a reassuring nod. "And trust , this isn't the end of it. Once we've confird the identity of the person behind the post, we're going to make sure the public knows the truth. We won't just clear your na, we'll protect it."
Minjae bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. He wasn't used to people fighting for him like this. It felt… strange. But in a good way.
Donghyun leaned back slightly in his chair, looking at Minjae with a more relaxed expression now.
"Until then, let's stay low. There's a promotion shooting this weekend, right? You won't be able to ditch that, so let's just make sure everything on set goes smoothly."
"Yes, Hyung. I'll focus on that." Minjae gave a small smile, more genuine this ti. "Honestly, I'm just glad I can go back to work."
Haeyoon closed her folder and stood, signaling that the eting was over for now. It didn't even take that long.
"Good. That's what we want. You keep doing what you're good at—and we'll handle the rest."
As Minjae stood and gathered his things, "We'll update you as soon as there's anything new. We've got a few more technical leads to follow. Give us a day or two." Seungho added as he flashed a smile.
Minjae nodded, then bowed politely to the the two.
"Thank you. Really."
As he and Donghyun stepped out of the conference room together, the hallway felt a little less cold than it did earlier that morning.
The atmosphere was still quiet, and there were still eyes that followed him. But now, there was a strange strength in his steps.
Now that they had a lead, Minjae promised himself one thing.
He would make them pay for it.
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