Soo-jin’s smile didn’t waver. “You’re suggesting the venue’s system has been compromised?”
“Yes,” I said. “Or the data has been manipulated through authorized management access.”
The contractor shifted his weight uncomfortably. The assistant stared at the floor.
“You’re making this complicated,” Soo-jin said.
I fought back the urge to do something stupid. Something loud. Something that would confirm Soo-jin's story.
I breathed in through my nose. Slow. Let the urge pass.
Before Kang could say more, the door opened. Do-hyun walked in.
He didn’t rush or appear panicked. He held a tablet in one hand and a paper folder in the other.
“Kang,” he said. “I have the authorization chain.”
Soo-jin’s smile weakened.
“This isn’t the moment,” Soo-jin said.
“It is,” Do-hyun replied.
Do-hyun tapped the tablet. A different log appeared, more detailed.
“The routing override listed under Consultant Specialist requires dual authorization,” Do-hyun said. “Venue security and tour management, executive tier.”
He turned one page in the folder and pushed it toward Kang.
“The executive approval token originated fromVF-Management-Executive-02.”
Soo-jin’s credential tier.
No one in the room breathed.
Soo-jin lifted his chin. “That tier is shared among multiple authorized executives.”
“Yes,” Do-hyun said. “Which is why I pulled the physical access record for the device that generated the token.”
Another page. Badge swipe. Timestamp. Office location.
“Token created from an office terminal at 19:12,” Do-hyun said. “This badge accessed that office at 19:09.”
Soo-jin’s badge.
He’d been exactly where he needed to be to press the buttons. He had trusted no one else with the mechanics.
Do-hyun didn’t pause.
“Communications used intermediaries to redirect staff.” A thread of short, professional messages appeared. It was a manager’s assistant telling a runner to move equipment. Next, a handler asked a contractor to clear a corridor.
Together, they formed a pattern. Engineered risk windows.
“The language mirrors templates used in executive routing messages,” Do-hyun said. “Those templates exist only on management accounts.”
He looked at Kang. “This wasn’t an external breach. This was internal manipulation.”
Silence reigned in the room.
