1 .The charcoal leather chair felt impossibly soft beneath Minji, yet she sat bolt upright. Across the expansive obsidian desk, Jeong Jungkook settled into his high-backed seat, his posture still rigid. Kim Tae-Hyun remained a silent, looming presence by the door, his eyes never leaving her.
Minji knew this was her single, most crucial pitch. She wasn't selling an idea; she was selling an entire reality shift. She had to be convincing, detailed, and utterly insane—yet demonstrably right.
"I understand that what I am about to say sounds impossible, CEO," Minji began, speaking quickly before fear could choke her words. "But you just confirmed the 'Chapter 12' threat. The reason I knew it wasn't a leak—it's a script."
Jungkook raised a hand, stopping her. "I cancelled the delivery because the details matched a known risk pattern. That doesn't confirm a 'script.' It confirms a mole. Prove the script."
The Plot Points as Evidence
Minji took a deep breath. She decided to attack the core of his professional life first, using highly specific, unreleased information only the author—or a reader—could know.
"The novel is called The Obsidian Crown," she stated. "It was a fantasy romance, but the setting was poorly adapted for the modern rewrite we're in now. The plot is simple: Rion Kai is the First Hero. He wins Chae A-Ri—the heroine—and eliminates you, the Second Hero, to consolidate his power."
Jungkook frowned, clearly unnerved by the term "First Hero" and the certainty with which she spoke of his rival's motivation. "Eliminates me how?"
"Chapter 35," Minji pressed, leaning forward. "The Silver Key is not just the folder name; it's the name of the encrypted drive you will use next month to store the finalized data for the Project Chimera AI initiative."
Jungkook's eyes widened slightly. Project Chimera was known only internally by a handful of people and had no public code name.
"In Chapter 35, Kai, using an internal mole and digital security flaws he exploits, gains access to that drive. He leaks manipulated data to the Financial Regulatory Commission, framing you for insider trading using a shell company account in the Cayman Islands—an account you were not aware of, but which will be traced back to a specific, unique password encryption only you use: the name of your deceased grandmother, Jeong Sun-Hee."
The effect was instantaneous and profound. Jungkook's face went pale. The name, Jeong Sun-Hee, was the one piece of information that was fiercely private, never used in any password system, but a word he often mentally associated with security and comfort.
"Tae-Hyun," Jungkook rasped, his eyes fixed on Minji. "Check my personal firewall history for any attempt to track that name or related data."
Tae-Hyun immediately tapped his earpiece, his posture shifting from defensive to intensely focused.
"She knew about Project Chimera and a password structure I only mentally reference," Jungkook said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Continue, Minji. What happens after the frame-up?"
The Tragic Trajectory
Minji pushed her advantage, now transitioning to the emotional weight that drove her.
"The public humiliation is swift and brutal. You are forced to step down from Dusk Industries—losing everything you built," she narrated, the sadness in her voice genuine. "The heroine, A-Ri, believes Kai's false narrative, seeing you as corrupted by greed. You don't defend yourself. The novel ends for you in tragedy: either self-imposed exile, leaving you alone and broken, or worse, due to the immense pressure."
She met his gaze, no longer seeing the cold CEO, but the tragic hero she adored.
"My purpose here is simple: I am a fan, a reader who transmigrated. I know the entire script, and I refuse to let the author ruin the Second Hero. I am not here for money or power. I am here to dismantle the plot and save your life and your company."
Jungkook sat back slowly, the power draining from his rigid form, replaced by heavy realization. The details were too specific, too personal, and now, verifiably tied to the near-catastrophe of the Chapter 12 delivery.
"So you are saying… my life, my career, my decisions… are predetermined by a fictional plot written by a third party?" he asked, a hint of dark incredulity in his tone.
"They were predetermined," Minji corrected fiercely. "But we just stopped Chapter 12. The script is now broken. The author's plan is failing. Now, we fight back."
She quickly added the detail she knew would further cement Kai's villainy. "Kai will not stop trying to eliminate threats and rivals. He needs the plot to succeed. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to meet A-Ri at the Financial District's main café. He will use the opportunity to subtly discredit you by mentioning a fabricated past corporate failure. If you want proof of his character, observe his actions around the heroine."
Jungkook closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing the sheer impossibility of her claim. A-Ri, his rival, a fictional script, and his dead grandmother's name.
He opened his eyes, the cold CEO replaced by a man facing an existential threat.
"Minji," he said, his voice measured and serious. "If you know the entire script, you are either the greatest asset or the most elaborate threat I have ever encountered. You have saved my life today, and for that, you have my temporary trust."
He looked at Tae-Hyun. "From this moment forward, Yoon Minji is no longer an intern. She is my Executive Research Consultant for a highly classified project. She will be given the best security and immediate access to me. Arrange for a secure apartment and a non-traceable communications suite immediately."
Then he looked back at Minji, a protective, focused energy returning to his eyes—the same energy the novel described when he defended A-Ri, but now directed at the only person who understood his predicament.
"If the plot is broken, then we need a new one," Jungkook stated, a steely resolve settling over him. "You are the author of our defense, Minji. What is our first step to dismantling Rion Kai's entire Chapter 35 plan?"
Minji has successfully convinced Jungkook! She is now his protected consultant, but this also means she is thrust directly into the heart of the conflict.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Is he really her 'second' hero, or her true one? If you are enjoying this love triangle, please show your support with a Power Stone! Every single vote helps 'my favourite second hero' reach new readers! Thank you for choosing this story!