In the morning, Chaewon woke up at 7 and quietly started cooking breakfast.
Suddenly, his phone rang—it was hanbin. He quickly answered, lowering his voice so Han wouldn't wake up from the ringtone.
"Hyung, why are you calling me so early?" he whispered.
Hanbin spoke seriously. "Chaewon, remember I told you I found someone who could help with your case? Yesterday, I went to Busan… and we found Soojin. She's been living with her brother and his son."
"What? She has a son?" Chaewon asked in shock. So she was really pregnant.
"Yes," Hanbin replied. "She was pregnant with the manager's baby. When the company found out, they decided to put all the blame on you instead. That way, they wouldn't have to pay you and could kick you out of the company. She finally confessed and recorded a video to clear your name."
Chaewon frowned. "But how could she agree so easily? The company must have paid her a lot. She wouldn't just let it go."
"That's the crazy part," Hanbin said with a sigh. "The boy who found her… he's insane. We spent a whole year searching for her, and somehow he tracked her down in just a few hours. And when we got there—Chaewon, you won't believe this—he attacked her brother the moment he entered the house. No words, no warning. Just violence. It was terrifying."
Chaewon's eyes widened. "What? "
"That's not all," Hanbin continued, his voice heavy. "He even put the child in the bathtub and started pouring water over him with glass one glass then two glass. I was terrified for the baby. Somehow, after all that, Soojin finally agreed to record the video."
Chaewon swallowed nervously. "So… when will the video be uploaded?"
"I don't know," Hanbin admitted. "He took the video with him."
Why! that's weird. who is he?" Chaewon pressed.
"He asked me to keep his identity a secret."
"So you're not going to tell me?"
Hanbin laughed. "Who said that?"
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Chaewon quickly cleaned his hands with a kitchen towel and walked to the door, still holding the phone.
"So who is he, then?" he asked again.
Hanbin finally replied, "His name is Choi Seungmin."
Chaewon opened the door—only to find a boy standing right in front of him.
Lowering his phone, he turned it off and asked carefully, "who are you?"
The boy looked at him and answered, "Choi Seungmin."