NewJeans's Minji surprises fans with handwritten letters and homemade cookies

Girl group NewJeans's Minji has resurfaced in public for the first time in a while, leaving handwritten letters, photo strips and homemade cookies at birthday celebrations at cafes organized by fans ahead of her birthday. The gesture quickly drew attention online, with fans describing it as a heartfelt show of appreciation during a long period of uncertainty surrounding the group. "It's been a while, you’ve all been well, right?" she wrote in a handwritten letter, which fans assume that she left at the cafes before they began. Minji's birthday is on Thursday. "I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Bunnies." Bunnies is the fandom name of the girl group. She also wrote, "I have truckloads, a hundred truckloads, of things I want to say, but I hope today can just be a happy day," she wrote. "I hope a good opportunity comes to us again." Posts on social media and online communities on Tuesday said Minji had visited multiple birthday cafes and left gifts behind. Photos shared online showed a handwritten letter, four-cut photo strips and cookies she appeared to have made herself. Minji added that she had prepared the cookies herself and asked fans to share them. "Please always stay healthy and happy," she wrote. Online posts said she baked about 500 cookies. Fans also noted that she marked the helper who assisted with the cookies only as "H" and included a drawing of a cow, which they interpreted as a possible hint at fellow member Hanni’s help. The four-cut photos released with the gifts showed Minji in a variety of poses and styles, highlighting a look fans said had not changed. Many fans responded that the gesture felt especially sincere because she had personally visited the cafes and left the gifts herself. Following a dispute between HYBE and ADOR's then-CEO Min Hee-jin, who had been overseeing the production of NewJeans, the five members — Minji, Hanni, Haerin, Danielle, and Hyein — sided with Min and announced a hiatus from all activities in March 2025, when a court issued an injunction to ban NewJeans from going on independent activities without HYBE. Haerin, Hyein and Hanni announced their return to the agency and the group in November last year, while the agency said it is still "in talks" with Minji. However, ADOR announced in December 2025 that it had terminated Danielle’s exclusive contract, citing her alleged responsibility for NewJeans’s departure and delayed return, and filed a lawsuit for damages. ADOR said April 27 that the girl group is "preparing for new activities," but did not confirm on Minji's contract status.