Top K-Pop · 10th Anniversary Season · Case File #001
The most-watched K-Pop survival show in history. One act of sabotage. A network ready to pull the plug.
The Incident
Jeannie — Top K-Pop 10th Anniversary
Top K-Pop is the industry's most cutthroat K-Pop survival show — where dozens of trainees from competing agencies battle through vocal rounds, dance evaluations, and high-stakes missions for a single prize: a spot in the debut group destined to become the next global phenomenon. This year marks the highly anticipated 10th Anniversary Season. The budget is unprecedented. The expectations are sky-high. The world is watching.
Then, just before the critical first live elimination round, disaster struck. A mysterious wave of mass food poisoning swept through the trainee dormitories overnight. Nearly every contestant fell violently ill. No one could perform. The live broadcast was canceled. Ratings plummeted. A public relations nightmare unfolded in real time — and the network's major financial backers began making calls. Some whispered that even CEO Minseo himself might have orchestrated the chaos to control the outcome. Minseo denied everything. But the sabotage was obvious, and the stakes could not be higher: if the show does not recover immediately, the network will pull the plug on the 10th Anniversary Season entirely.
"A wave of sabotage is threatening the entire trainee program. Someone inside wants the showcase destroyed. After reviewing the evidence, we are certain this is deliberate. we now have seven suspects, all with motive. That's why we're recruiting you."
— Anna Im, HALO Investigator, Private BriefingThe show's major investors — led by the powerful and quietly formidable Dr. Kim Soo-Yeon — hired Anna Im, a sharp private investigator from H.A.L.O., to find the truth. Meanwhile, Minseo quietly hired his own investigator: the street-smart Bobby Lee, a former K-Pop insider turned detective who knows how this industry really works. Anna and Bobby are navigating the glamorous but toxic backstage world of Top K-Pop — sometimes working together, sometimes racing against each other — while Anna has activated a secret network of undercover Detective Recruits already inside the building.
Seven suspects. Three Treasure Troves of clues. Thirty-two days to crack the case. The saboteur is one of the seven people closest to the show — each with a motive, each with an alibi, and each hiding something the AI tools will help you uncover.
That network is you.
The Investigation
Every Detective Recruit begins with the same evidence board. Seven suspects. Three Treasure Troves of clues. Thirty-two days to crack the case. The saboteur is one of the seven people closest to the Top K-Pop 10th Anniversary Season — each with a motive, each with an alibi, and each hiding something the AI tools will help you uncover.
The Client
Founder & Chief Executive Officer — Top K-Pop Entertainment
Minseo is the public face of Top K-Pop Entertainment — but the company was never truly his. It was built on the inheritance and vision of his wife, Dr. Kim Soo-Yeon, who made him its CEO because the industry demanded a male face at the time. He rose to that role with genuine talent: a legendary K-Pop career in the late 1990s, a decade of solo success, and a reputation as a mentor to the next generation of artists.
But beneath the legend, questions linger. Why does his son Han seem to hold more sway over the company than any title would explain? Why do certain financial records run through legal channels that bypass the normal chain of command? And why, when the investigators arrived, did Minseo cooperate so quickly — almost as if he believed he had nothing to fear?
Minseo is not a man who asks for help easily. But someone in this building has made the decision for him. The investigation is already underway. The only question is what it finds.
View All Suspects →
Your AI Super Sleuth Guide
I know this investigation inside and out. Ask me anything about the game — how to register, who is eligible, how to play, where to submit, what the Oracle is looking for, or how scoring works. I'm here to help. Just don't ask me who the saboteur is.