Jeong Jungkook sat back, watching Minji intently. He had saved his business, but now he had to save his life from the emotional plotline.
"Rion Kai and I compete in everything," Jungkook admitted, running a hand through his hair. "If I start actively courting Chae A-Ri, it will only solidify the 'First Hero' narrative and push her towards him out of rivalry fatigue. What is the counter-strategy?"
Minji nodded. "In the book, A-Ri falls for Kai because he is the visible hero—he saves kittens, helps the elderly, and organizes charity events. He's always performing heroism. Meanwhile, you, CEO, are the shadow hero—doing massive, systemic good, but staying isolated and emotionally unavailable. A-Ri sees your isolation as arrogance."
Minji's Strategy: The 'Quiet Contrast'
Minji leaned forward, her voice low and instructional.
Stop Competing, Start Connecting: "You must stop directly competing with Kai for A-Ri's attention. Instead, focus on demonstrating authentic care for people and things she cares about, but do it quietly, without the fanfare Kai demands. A-Ri is kind; she values sincerity."
Expose the Flaw: "Kai's flaw is his arrogance and performative nature. The novel reveals he only participates in charity when the cameras are rolling. You must create situations where Kai is forced to act unscripted or where his lack of genuine empathy is exposed, even if subtly."
The Confidante Role: "You must solidify your original role as the Second Hero: the confidante. A-Ri seeks emotional honesty. Instead of trying to sweep her off her feet, offer her a space for genuine conversation, free from judgment. Show her your vulnerability and the true weight of running Dusk Industries. Kai only shows her his triumphs; you show her your struggles."
No Direct Relationship: "Crucially, do not pursue her romantically. You need A-Ri to see you as the safe, trusted ally—the person who is truly good—not another rival suitor. Her choice needs to be based on recognizing Kai's superficiality, not on choosing between two equally intense romantic interests."
Jungkook listened, processing the advice like a complex business plan. "So, instead of a grand gesture, I offer her a stable anchor. And I use Kai's own calculated actions against him."
"Exactly. We change the genre from a love triangle to a test of character," Minji confirmed. "The best way to expose a villain is to put a truly good man next to him."
With the immediate threat of her own death (the original Chapter 12 delivery) neutralized, Minji focused on the captured hardware. Unit 7 was placed in a shielded lab within Dusk HQ.
The challenge was immense. The unit used a decades-old encryption standard. For 48 hours, Jungkook, Minji, and a bewildered but intensely focused Tae-Hyun were sequestered, trying to crack the physical device.
Jungkook's technical expertise, often sidelined in the novel by his CEO role, was now crucial. Minji remembered a passage detailing his passion for hardware engineering.
"The key isn't the digital handshake; it's the physical reset jumper on the main board," Minji stated, pointing to a diagram Jungkook had generated. "Lee Sang-Ho deactivated the jumper to prevent unauthorized manual resets, but the author left a backdoor—a sequence of power fluctuations that forces a temporary analog boot."
They successfully initiated the complex sequence. The unit whirred to life, revealing a single, deeply buried log file. The file contained the timestamped, coded creation of the Cayman Islands shell company, funded by the "Archon Cleanup" budget—a direct link to Lee Sang-Ho. The Origin Point was secured.
Kim Tae-Hyun, having witnessed the "prophecy" come true and now holding the physical proof, was a man whose world had fractured. Jungkook sat him down.
"The script is real, Tae-Hyun. Minji saved us from Chapter 12 and gave us the evidence for Chapter 35. You are the only person who knows this truth," Jungkook said.
Tae-Hyun's loyalty was legendary. "My loyalty is to you, CEO. Not to any script. What are my orders regarding Minji?"
"Your first priority is her absolute safety. She is now the key target of Rion Kai, even if he doesn't know why. Your second is to quietly use this log to track every digital footprint of Lee Sang-Ho, without alerting him. We need to know who else Kai has planted."
Tae-Hyun nodded, his resolve unwavering. He now saw Minji not as a suspicious intern, but as the fragile, living key to his CEO's survival.
Following Minji's advice, Jungkook arranged an "accidental" meeting with Chae A-Ri at a quiet, independent coffee shop near the Financial District, avoiding the ostentatious main café Kai frequented.
A-Ri was visibly stressed from her demanding job. Jungkook didn't approach her with charm. He simply sat nearby and, when she spilled her coffee, he quietly had one of his operatives, disguised as a manager, deliver a fresh, perfectly crafted latte—her favourite, which Minji had remembered from the book—with a note: "A moment of peace."
A-Ri looked up, saw Jungkook, and approached his table, confused but touched by the gesture. Instead of mentioning Kai, Jungkook spoke about the difficulties of finding authentic balance in corporate life, subtly revealing his own stress, exactly as Minji instructed. He showed her a flicker of vulnerability.