Min Hee-jin stared at the cold glow of her laptop screen, the cursor blinking like a heartbeat, mocking the stillness of the early morning. She rubbed her temples, feeling the weight of countless sleepless nights pressing down on her. It had been months since the storm had begun, months since she had been cast out of the company she had once believed in, now stripped of the power she thought would be hers to wield. Yet, here she was, a fighter still standing in the ring, bleeding but unbowed.
It all began with a whisper—a soft rumor that spread through the industry like a creeping fog, obscuring truth and feeding on speculation. The whispers spoke of betrayal, of ambition turned corrosive. HYBE, the titan of the K-pop world, had accused her of trying to usurp control of ADOR, the label she had nurtured from its infancy. They claimed she had sought counsel from a shaman, not just any shaman, but one who claimed to channel the spirit of her deceased sister, guiding her decisions as if from beyond the grave.
She remembered that first meeting with the shaman, a quiet afternoon in a small, incense-filled room in Gangnam. She had gone seeking solace, a desperate attempt to make sense of her grief after losing her sister so suddenly. But what began as a quest for comfort soon turned into something far more complex. The shaman, whom she would come to call "Jiyoungnim 0814," spoke with a voice that was eerily familiar. Min had found herself sharing her deepest fears and ambitions, finding comfort in the belief that her sister’s spirit was still with her, guiding her through the storm of corporate warfare.
The shaman had become a confidante, a secret advisor in the shadows of her professional life. When Min spoke of her dreams for NewJeans, the girl group she had crafted with meticulous care, the shaman’s voice was there, encouraging, advising. It was this same voice that told her to stand firm against HYBE, to demand more for the group, to carve out a space where they could flourish without the oppressive weight of corporate expectations. Min had listened, and for a time, it seemed like she might succeed.
But the whispers grew louder. HYBE, ever watchful, had launched an internal investigation. They claimed they had evidence—transcripts of her conversations with the shaman, accusations of leaking trade secrets and conspiring to oust the board. They painted her as a puppet master, a woman who would go to any lengths to seize control, even if it meant turning to the supernatural.
Min’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitant. How had it come to this? How had a journey that began in mourning and love turned into this labyrinth of betrayal and mistrust? She thought of NewJeans, the young artists who had stood by her, publicly demanding her reinstatement, despite the potential cost to their own careers. They were more than just a group to her—they were like children, born of her passion and creativity. She couldn’t abandon them, not now, not ever.
She took a deep breath and began to type. If HYBE wanted a battle, then a battle they would have. But this would not be a story of conquest and power. No, this would be a story of voices—the ones silenced, the ones raised in defiance, and the ones speaking from beyond the veil. This would be the story of how an empire was brought to its knees by the echo of a shattered harmony.
The first public crack in the facade appeared on a warm April day. HYBE, in a move that stunned the industry, announced that they had uncovered evidence of Min Hee-jin’s clandestine maneuvers. They accused her of plotting to take over ADOR, of leaking sensitive information, of betraying the trust placed in her. And most sensationally, they claimed that she had sought the guidance of a shaman who claimed to channel her deceased sister’s spirit. It was a headline that gripped the public imagination and sent the industry into a frenzy.
Min, blindsided by the accusations, called her own press conference. She stood before the cameras, her voice steady but her eyes betraying the turmoil within. “She is my friend,” she had said, her words measured, deliberate. “Can I not have a shaman friend? I had to get therapy because of HYBE. But if someone there listened to me—that was why I went to her.” The room had buzzed with whispers, the press hungering for more details, more drama. But Min had remained firm, refusing to give them the spectacle they craved.
The war had begun, not in a boardroom but in the court of public opinion. And as the weeks turned into months, the lines were drawn. NewJeans, the group at the center of the storm, publicly threw their support behind Min, demanding her reinstatement as CEO. Fans rallied, social media ablaze with hashtags and petitions. But HYBE was unyielding, replacing board members, tightening their grip on ADOR, and refusing to back down.
It was a battle that would shake the foundations of the K-pop world, a tale of ambition, betrayal, and the unseen forces that move us all. And as Min Hee-jin pressed on, she knew one thing for certain: this story was far from over.
