Chapter 25:

Meanwhile, at Minji's Agency…

The conference room was heavy with tension. PR heads, legal consultants, and Minji's manager all sat in grim silence.

"We've lost two major brand deals," someone finally said. "One paused. One terminated."

Minji's manager rubbed his temples. "Keep him inside. No outings, no interviews. He stays silent until we get a handle on this."

Another agent chimed in, "The fans are split. Some are fighting for him, others want to cancel him altogether. It's too volatile."

"Does he know about the video?" someone asked.

The manager nodded. "He knows. And he also knows we have a reporter sniffing too close."

He looked up, voice low and firm.

"We need to keep the girl identity safe from Seo Jin. "

---

The day had barely started when Hana's phone rang again.

She was curled up on her couch, staring blankly at the TV with the volume low. Her social media notifications were blowing up—even though she hadn't posted a thing. She'd deleted the apps, but it didn't stop the buzzing.

This time, it wasn't Minji.

It was her older brother.

"Oppa?" she answered cautiously.

There was a pause on the line, one that immediately made her stomach twist.

"Hana…" His voice was unusually serious. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

She swallowed. "W-What do you mean?"

"I saw a video on TikTok. The camera caught a glimpse of someone by the lake. People were saying it was Minji with an unknown girl. I didn't think much of it until I noticed…" he hesitated, then said, "the mole. Behind her ear. You have that same mole."

Hana froze.

"I called to be sure," he continued, gently now. "Hana, is it you?"

There was no point lying.

"…Yes."

A long silence followed, then a tired sigh. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to drag anyone else into it," she said quietly. "And I didn't expect things to go public. Not like this."

He didn't yell. He didn't accuse her. But she could hear the worry in his tone.

"You need to be careful," he said. "Do you know what they're saying online? You don't understand how vicious this can get. You're not just some random girl anymore, not to them and you know dating a celebrity and an international one at that under your circumstances does not t always work out, I know it's your decision but I'll have to advise you to step out of the relationship because I don't want to loose someone close to me."

Hana's eyes stung, but she nodded even though he couldn't see her.

Hmmm, heard you.

"I'm here for you," he added. "But please, be smart. Don't go anywhere alone. And if things get worse… come home."

They hung up just as Ziran's name lit up on her screen.

Hana almost ignored it. But her heart couldn't.

"Ziran," she whispered into the phone.

"Girl, what is going on?!" Ziran shrieked, not even waiting. "You and Minji? The lake? The internet's on fire! I know I said I was waiting for wedding cake, but not this kind of public reveal!"

Hana let out a tearful laugh.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," she said, voice cracking. "I'm scared."

Ziran paused. Her voice softened instantly. "I know. But I'm here, okay? You're not alone in this."

---

The agency's crisis response team worked like a machine but the heat was building faster than they could contain it.

"This isn't like the usual scandal," the head of PR said, pacing the conference room. "We're not dealing with paparazzi. This is a recorded video completely organic. We can't claim invasion of privacy. The clip is everywhere. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, everywhere."

The legal consultant leaned forward. "Even if we take it down, it's already been saved and reposted by dozens of fan accounts. It's wildfire."

Minji's manager's phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen and swore under his breath.

Another sponsor pulling out.

"Get him off the grid," he barked. "Double the security around his apartment. No media interaction. No social posts."

"But what about the girl?" one of the junior agents asked carefully.

"We need to keep her safe her before anyone else does find out" the manager said, tightening his grip on the phone. "If Seo Jin gets to her, it's over. He'll spin it however he wants and we lose control of the narrative."

He turned to the lead PR strategist. "Start working on a cover angle. Something clean. Say she's a long-time friend if we have to. Or a staff member. But make sure Minji stays quiet. We don't want more fuel."

Someone hesitated before speaking up. "What if he doesn't agree with that? What if he wants to defend her?"

The manager gave a tired laugh. "Then we have a bigger problem than the scandal itself."

Silence.

Then, the manager stood. "Have someone monitor Seo Jin. I want to know where he is, who he talks to, and what he's digging. We have 72 hours before this explodes."