She pressed her palm against the nearest wall. Steadying herself.
'This can't be happening. This can't be—'
Manager Park's voice cut through her spiral.
"Everyone out. Now. Except Haejin and Soorin."
The members exchanged glances.
Doyun opened his mouth. Probably to crack another joke.
Minjae grabbed his arm. Shook his head.
"Let's go," Minjae said quietly.
Taekyung pocketed his phone. Slid off the desk.
Jisoo lingered. Eyes wide. Worried.
"Noona…"
"Out! Sion," Manager Park snapped.
Jisoo flinched. Bowed quickly. Followed the others.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Silence pressed down like a weight.
Manager Park turned to Jiwon.
"You too."
Jiwon's smile didn't falter.
"Of course, sir."
She bowed. Walked to the door.
But just before leaving, she glanced back at Soorin.
That same eerie smile.
Cold. Calculated.
Then she was gone.
Soorin's stomach twisted.
'She's enjoying this.'
Manager Park slammed his phone onto the desk.
"Sit. Both of you."
Haejin didn't move.
Soorin's legs felt like jelly. But she forced herself to sit.
Manager Park paced. Hands clasped behind his back.
"This is a disaster. An absolute disaster."
He stopped. Turned to face them.
"Do you understand what's happening here? This isn't just some leaked photo. This is a coordinated attack."
Soorin's throat was dry.
"Attack?"
Manager Park's eyes narrowed.
"Someone is feeding these photos deliberately. Slowly. Building anticipation." He pointed at his phone. "They're not just exposing you. They're turning you into a spectacle."
Haejin's jaw tightened.
But he said nothing.
Manager Park turned to Soorin.
"Who have you told about this? Anyone outside the company?"
"No one," she said quickly. "I swear. Just my parents."
Manager Park's brow arched.
"Your parents?"
'Shit.'
She hadn't meant to mention them.
"They… they noticed I was stressed. I didn't give details. Just said work was hard."
Manager Park studied her for a long moment.
Then sighed.
"Fine. Keep it that way. No one else. Not friends. Not family. No one."
He turned to Haejin.
"And you. I don't care what actually happened in that room. The narrative is already being written for you. You need to stay silent. No statements. No social media. Nothing."
Haejin nodded stiffly.
"Understood."
Manager Park's gaze shifted between them.
"We're issuing a statement this afternoon. Vague. Professional. Denying any romantic involvement. Calling the photos misleading and taken out of context."
Soorin's chest tightened.
"Will that work, sir?"
Manager Park's expression was grim.
"It'll buy us time. But if whoever's behind this releases a clear photo of your face…" He trailed off. "You're done. Both of you."
The words hit like a punch.
Soorin's hands shook in her lap.
Manager Park picked up his phone.
"Get out. Stay low. Don't talk to anyone. And pray to whatever god or diety you believe in that we find out who's doing this before they destroy you."
★☆★☆★☆
Soorin left the office on autopilot.
Her feet moved. But her brain was somewhere else.
Floating. Detached.
The hallway felt too bright. Too loud.
Crew members whispered as she passed.
Eyes followed her.
She kept her head down.
'Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't—'
"Noona."
She stopped.
Turned.
Jisoo stood a few feet away. Hands shoved in his hoodie pockets.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
Her throat closed up.
She nodded. Didn't trust her voice.
Jisoo stepped closer.
"I don't think you did anything wrong."
The kindness in his voice almost broke her.
"Thanks, Sion," she whispered.
He smiled. Small. Genuine.
"If you need anything, let me know. Okay?"
She nodded again.
He squeezed her shoulder lightly. Then jogged off down the hall.
Soorin exhaled shakily.
'At least someone doesn't think I'm trash.'
She turned the corner.
And nearly collided with Daehyun.
"Whoa," he said. Steadying her with both hands. "You good?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I—" She rubbed her face. "It's been a day."
Daehyun's expression was serious.
"I need to talk to you. Privately."
Her pulse spiked.
"About what?"
He glanced around. Lowered his voice.
"Not here. Come with me."
★☆★☆★☆
Daehyun led her to a small storage room on the third floor.
He shut the door. Locked it.
Soorin's nerves prickled.
"Daehyun, what's going on?"
He pulled out his phone. Tapped a few times. Turned the screen toward her.
"Look at this."
It was security footage. Grainy. Black and white.
The timestamp read the night she was locked in.
The practice room hallway.
Soorin watched as a figure entered the frame.
Slender. Female.
She couldn't make out the face.
The figure approached the practice room door. Paused. Looked around.
Then slipped inside.
Minutes later, the lights in the hallway flickered.
Went out.
The footage cut to static.
Soorin's blood ran cold.
"Someone tampered with the power," Daehyun said quietly. "And the footage after that? Gone. Completely wiped."
She looked up at him.
"Who?"
"I don't know. But whoever it was knew where the cameras were. Knew how to avoid them."
Her mind raced.
"That means it's someone internal."
Daehyun nodded.
"Someone who has access to building schematics. Security schedules. Maybe even admin passwords."
Soorin's stomach churned.
"Do you think it's Jiwon?"
Daehyun hesitated.
"I don't have proof. But…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "She's been acting strange. Too calm. Like she's watching a show she already knows the ending to."
Soorin's hands clenched into fists.
"She smiled at me. Right after Manager Park yelled at her. Like she was enjoying it."
Daehyun's jaw tightened.
"I'll keep digging. But Soorin…" His eyes were serious. "Be careful. Whoever's doing this isn't just trying to embarrass you. They're trying to destroy you."
★☆★☆★☆
By the time Soorin left the building, the sun was setting.
Orange light streaked across the sky.
She pulled her mask up. Tugged her hood over her hair.
Kept her head down.
The bus stop was two blocks away.
She walked quickly. Eyes on the pavement.
Her phone buzzed.
She pulled it out.
A text from her mom.
[Come home. We need to talk.]
'Great.'
Just what she needed.
She pocketed the phone. Kept walking.
That's when she noticed it.
A black car.
Sleek. Tinted windows.
Parked across the street.
Engine running.
She frowned.
'Probably nothing.'
She turned the corner.
Walked another block.
The car turned too.
Her pulse quickened.
She sped up.
So did the car.
'Okay. Not nothing.'
She darted into a convenience store.
The fluorescent lights were harsh. Buzzed overhead.
She pretended to browse the snacks. Kept her eyes on the window.
The car slowed.
Stopped outside.
Her heart hammered.
She pulled out her phone. Hands shaking.
Opened her contacts.
Who could she even call?
The police?
And say what? A car followed me?
Her finger hovered over her father's name.
Before she could press it, the car drove off.
Disappeared down the street.
Soorin exhaled.
'Maybe I'm just paranoid.'
She bought a bottle of water. Paid quickly. Left.
The street was empty now.
She walked the rest of the way to the bus stop.
Got on.
Found a seat in the back.
Pulled her hood lower.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
Her stomach dropped.
She opened the message.
[Stop digging, or the next photo shows your face.]
The phone nearly slipped from her hands.
Her vision tunneled.
'They know. Whoever's behind this knows I'm looking into it.'
She glanced around the bus.
No one was looking at her.
But her skin crawled anyway.
She deleted the message.
Shoved the phone into her pocket.
'I need to get home. I need to—'
The bus lurched to a stop.
Her stop.
She got off. Walked the three blocks to her apartment building.
Kept looking over her shoulder.
No black car.
No one following.
But the text lingered in her mind like a stain.
★☆★☆★☆
Her parents were waiting in the living room.
Her mom sat on the couch. Wine glass in hand.
Her dad stood by the window. Arms crossed.
Both looked serious.
Soorin closed the door behind her.
"Hey," she said weakly.
Her mom set down her glass.
"Sit."
Soorin sat.
Her dad turned to face her.
"We hired someone," he said.
She blinked.
"What?"
"A cybersecurity expert," her mom added. "To scrub your digital footprint. Social media. Photos. Anything that could link you to those leaked images in a few hours or a day at best."
Soorin's throat tightened.
"You didn't have to—"
"Yes, we did," her dad cut in. His voice was firm. "You're our daughter. We're not letting some anonymous coward ruin your life."
Her mom reached over. Squeezed her hand.
"We also want you to consider taking a leave of absence. Just until this blows over."
Soorin shook her head.
"No. I'm not running."
Her dad frowned.
"Soorin—"
"I didn't do anything wrong," she said. Voice shaking. "I'm not letting them win."
Her parents exchanged a look.
Finally, her mom sighed.
"Fine. But you're staying here. No more going to that building alone."
Soorin wanted to argue.
But honestly?
She didn't feel safe there anymore.
"Okay," she whispered.
Her dad's expression softened.
"We'll get through this. Together."
★☆★☆★☆
That night, Soorin couldn't sleep.
She lay in her bed. Stared at the ceiling.
Her phone sat on the nightstand.
Silent.
But she couldn't stop thinking about that text.
[Stop digging, or the next photo shows your face.]
Whoever sent it knew she was investigating.
Which meant they were watching her.
Closely.
Her stomach churned.
She rolled over. Pulled the blanket tighter.
'Who's doing this? And why?'
Jiwon's face flashed in her mind.
That cold smile.
But would she really go this far?
And why?
What did she gain from destroying Soorin?
Unless…
Unless it wasn't about Soorin at all.
What if the real target was Haejin?
Her eyes widened.
'What if someone's trying to ruin him? And I'm just collateral damage?'
The thought twisted her gut.
She grabbed her phone.
Opened her social media messages.
Scrolled to Haejin's username.
Her thumb hovered over the keyboard.
Should she DM him?
Warn him?
Or would he just blame her again?
She locked the phone.
Tossed it aside.
'He wouldn't listen anyway.'
But as she closed her eyes, one thought haunted her.
If they wanted to destroy Haejin…
How far were they willing to go?
★☆★☆★☆
The next morning, Soorin's phone exploded.
Notifications. Dozens of them.
She grabbed it groggily.
Her heart stopped.
A new post had gone viral overnight.
An Instagram account.
[MysteryGleam_Official]
Follower count: 47,000.
And climbing.
The account had one post.
The second leaked photo.
With a caption:
[The truth always comes to light. Who is she? Drop your theories below.]
The comments were a war zone.
[She's definitely a staff member. Look at her clothes.]
[Blonde hair = foreign. Probably American.]
[Why is Hael even near her? He's supposed to be focused on music.]
[If this is real, I'm done stanning.]
[She's probably a gold digger.]
Soorin's hands shook.
She scrolled through hundreds of comments.
Some defended Haejin.
Most attacked the "mystery woman."
Her.
She dropped the phone.
Pressed her palms to her face.
'This is insane. This is actually insane.'
A knock on her door.
Her mom peeked in.
"Breakfast is ready."
Soorin nodded numbly.
Followed her downstairs.
Her dad was already at the table. Reading his tablet.
His expression was dark.
"They've identified the photo location," he said without looking up.
Soorin froze.
"What?"
He turned the screen toward her.
An article.
[LUMEN's Rehearsal Studio Confirmed as Location of Leaked Photos.]
Her stomach dropped.
"They're narrowing it down," her dad said grimly. "It's only a matter of time before they figure out who you are. Do you still not want my help?"