Legendary Superstar

"Then we'll start from the beginning." Haeyoon gave a small nod, her eyes never leaving Minjae's.

Seungho opened a new document on his laptop while Haeyoon flipped to a clean page in her notebook. No one spoke as they both waited for Minae to start. The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the laptop and the low buzzing of Minjae's refrigerator.

Minjae sat still for a few seconds, staring down at his own hands. Then, slowly, he began.

"I don't remember my parents," he started, his voice was low and quiet. "Truth to be told, I grew up in an orphanage.

Haeyoon's pen paused for a second, but she kept writing. She wrote the main points of Minjae's statement while Seungho recorded everything.

"When I was nine, I ran away from the orphanage. They were nice, but I wanted to find my parents. I thought I could find my real family if I searched hard enough… but reality wasn't like that. I didn't even know where to begin. I'm also just young without anything. I ended up on the streets. I begged for food. Slept on the street." Minjae sighed and shook his head.

For a moment, those memories quickly came rushing back to his mind. He might not be the real Minjae, but for a moment, he felt like it was him. He felt the emotions, his heart tightening every passing second.

"I lived like that for a while. Until one day, this old woman saw me outside a market. She asked if I'm alone, and of course, I said yes. She was kind. She brought me home. Fed me. Let me wash. Gave me a pair of socks even if they were too big, but it was the warmest thing I'd worn in weeks. I stayed with her after that."

Minjae took a slow breath.

"She was kind. It was the first real kindness that I remember. I called her auntie. She was sweet, a mother figure that I never had. She wasn't rich, but she let me stay. She even gave me a spare room. She also me go to school again…"

For a moment, Minjae's voice cracked. He paused and lowered his head, brushing a thumb over his lower lip like he was thinking.

"For the first time, I felt like I could be a person again." A small, wistful smile flickered on his lips, but it vanished quickly.

"For the first time, I felt like I have a real family…" He paused. The lump in his throat returned.

Haeyoon's writing slowed as her eyes softened.

"Did she legally adopt you?"

"No," Minjae shook his head. "It wasn't formal. Just… she let me live with her, saying that she was also alone and her sons had left her already."

He looked down at the table.

"She was the one who let me watch dramas at night. That's when I started to dream as an actor. It was also the reason why even if life is hard, I fought my way to survive."

Minjae clenched his jaw.

"But she passed away when I was still in middle school. It was because of old age and also because she had been sick for so long. She didn't have much, but she left me some money. A few hundred thousand won. I think she knew I'd have nowhere to go after."

Minjae closed his eyes as a small laugh escaped his lips. In his vision, he could see the two staring at him. Their eyes were filled with sadness and pity.

'Is it that bad?' he sighed and shook his head.

After a while, he continued to share his story. He knew that it was important for their team to know the full story so they could stop the ongoing rumors.

"Her sons came after that. I stayed with my auntie for 6 years. For once, they never visited her. Never supported her. But 2 months after she passed, they suddenly came, shouting at me to leave. One of them threatened to call the police. They said that I don't have any rights to stay there."

Minjae's voice was steady, but the anger beneath it bled through.

"Well, what they said was the truth. I knew that I was an outsider so I left. I didn't want to make a scene. I took what she gave me and went to Seoul. Even if I'm still young, I looked for a job. I became a part-time worker at a convenience store. Sometimes overnight. Just enough to eat and pay rent. I lived like that… until recently… when Flex Entertainment found me."

There was another silence.

Minjae leaned back slightly, eyes distant.

"All the rumors are nor true. I never used her," he said, his voice trailing for a moment. "Or maybe I did…" Minjae lowered his voice even further.

"Because of her, I was able to feel loved… I was able to eat, to have fun, to play, to have a real family." Minjae's voice cracked, but he didn't stop.

"In exchange I became a good son for her. I helped her every day. I went to the market with her. Cooked with her. I never expected her to give me anything, but still, she was able to give me her everything."

Minjae's eyes teared up. The tears in his eyes were threatening to fall. His heart felt like it was being stabbed.

Seungho slowly stopped typing. Meanwhile, Haeyoon didn't write anything for a moment. She just looked at him, her eyes unreadable. All of a sudden, she smiled and nodded.

"We believe you, Minjae-ssi. But this man who posted… he says he's her son. He claimed that you took advantage of his mother's kindness and lived off her. He said that you treated her like a wallet."

"He's lying," Minjae said instantly. "He never cared about her. Not once. He didn't even attend her funeral. He just showed up on her house with his things. He didn't even bother visiting her grave."

Haeyoon nodded, eyes sharp again.

"Then we can fight this. But we need proof. Do you have anything? Photos, school documents, anyone from the neighborhood who knew you both?"

Minjae stayed still for a moment. He frowned as he tried to think of it. He went back to the memories he had seen in the past. His eyes widened as he remembered something.

"Yes. I have an old box," Minjae said after a moment. "I think it's in my closet. It has our pictures together and a few letters she wrote me." Hope rose as Minjae realized everything.

"If that's the case then bring it out. We'll scan and organize everything. We'll prepare your official statement, but not yet. Not until we've built a solid base."

"And until then, I remain silent?" Minjae asked.

"Yes," Haeyoon said firmly. "Don't post and don't comment on anything yet. Let people speculate all they want. As long as there's no proof shown, we still have room to act. But the second you speak without strategy, they'll twist it."

"I'll cooperate." Minjae nodded slowly.

"Alright. Can you show us the box first?"

"Sure."

Minjae stood and moved to his bedroom. A few minutes later, he returned with a plastic storage box. It was aged and scuffed at the edges. Inside were yellowed photographs, some school papers, an old side dish recipe scribbled on a wrinkled note, and a faded envelope with handwriting that read: To Minjae, my kindest boy.

He held it all carefully, as if they would crumble with time.

It was Minjae's first time seeing it, but his heart already felt heavy. It seemed like the original Minjae really thought of the woman highly.

Well, he can't blame him.

Minjae had it hard since he was a kid.

"This is all I have," he said as he brought it down on the table.

"Is this enough?"

"Yes. It's more than enough," Seungho said. "We'll take it from here."

"Don't worry. We won't take it, but we need to look at everything. We assure you that we won't share any confidential information. We will respect your privacy and the woman's privacy."

"Thank you."

As the PR team quietly started on their work, Minjae just stayed silent.

Seungho handled the content of the box. He took everything out carefully, before starting to scan the photos and arrange them on the timeline, based on Minjae's statement. Among the photos, a picture of a much younger Minjae grinning as he held up a pot of stew caught his eye.

In the background, an old woman was brightly smiling as she hugged Minjae from the back.

He hadn't seen that photo before.

Meanwhile, Haeyoon played back the recording from earlier. She verified whether what she wrote was the same as Minjae's statement.

While the two was working, Minjae just sat there, his fingers loosely clasped together. The anxiety was still on his chest. He didn't know that sharing his truth would be painful, even for him.

"Once we finish compiling this, we'll send it to Legal for review. After that, we'll prepare a press response, potential witness interviews, and visual material to support your statement. We'll do everything today. We'll make sure to save your from this mess."

Minjae sighed and nodded.

"Thank you."