Minji's strategy began to bear fruit immediately. During their conversation, Jungkook mentioned a small, under-the-radar initiative Dusk Industries ran to support local artists—something he had cut due to budget constraints.
Later that day, Rion Kai cornered A-Ri. He didn't miss his chance to subtly discredit Jungkook, stating loudly in a group setting: "It's a shame about Dusk, they cut their budget for the arts. Some people just don't see the value in genuine creativity, only profit."
A-Ri, remembering Jungkook's earlier conversation, noticed the difference: Kai mentioned the budget cut as gossip and judgment, while Jungkook mentioned it as a personal regret and struggle. A subtle seed of doubt about Kai's sincerity was pretty
Tae-Hyun's investigation confirmed Minji's prediction: Lee Sang-Ho had not just planted the account; he was actively preparing a data siphon. He was quietly collecting communication logs and financial reports from Jungkook's office, preparing to flood the system with fake evidence once the "Chapter 35" trigger was pulled.
Jungkook ordered a complete, silent, digital surveillance takeover of Sang-Ho's entire network, turning the mole's own infrastructure into a honeypot trap to map Kai's broader network.
Minji, now installed in a high-security, luxury apartment managed by Dusk Industries, received a call on her new, private line. It was Jungkook.
He wasn't calling for strategy; he was calling because he was genuinely stressed about a major deal and had no one else to talk to who knew the full gravity of his situation.
"Did the novel ever explain why the author made me so isolated?" he asked softly.
Minji explained the author's intention—to make the Second Hero a tragic figure whose noble heart was hidden behind a cold façade, making his eventual downfall more painful for the reader. This shared understanding deepened the unique trust between the
The opportunity to expose Rion Kai arose during a high-profile corporate gala. Kai was giving a passionate speech about social responsibility.
Minji, using her knowledge of the novel, alerted Jungkook that Kai's assistant had been instructed to stage a small "charity moment"—a child actor, strategically placed, who would rush in to thank Kai for a scholarship.
Jungkook and Minji discreetly watched. When the assistant failed to cue the child due to a momentary distraction, Kai's smile immediately vanished, replaced by a flicker of sharp annoyance before he recovered. A-Ri, standing nearby, noticed the abrupt change in his demeanor. It was a micro-expression of impatience and calculation, visible only because A-Ri was already looking for authenticity.
The next immediate threat surfaced: Rion Kai's team launched a minor, targeted sabotage attack on one of Dusk's major fashion lines, hoping to cause a delay and financial penalty.
Jungkook, using the intel from Lee Sang-Ho's mirrored network, executed a flawless counter-sabotage. He didn't just stop the attack; he turned the vulnerability back onto Kai's company, making it appear that Kai's system was the one with the flaw, distracting Kai's security while preserving the true evidence.
The constant threat and collaboration solidified the bond between Jungkook and Minji. They were no longer just CEO and consultant; they were partners against fate.
Jungkook formally established a new, covert "Future Planning" department with Minji as the sole director, granting her complete autonomy and classified access. He also gave her a small, personalized security pendant—a subtle device to alert Tae-Hyun instantly.
"The author wrote me as the tragic figure," Jungkook said, looking at the city lights. "But you, Minji, wrote our first twenty chapters. What is the next major turning point in this new story?"
Minji's Plan: The "Mirrored Leak"
Minji and Jeong Jungkook reviewed the comprehensive data stream coming from the honeypot network surrounding Lee Sang-Ho. The mole was actively preparing the final files for Rion Kai.
"We can't just fire him," Minji stated. "If we fire him, Kai will know we found the Origin Point and will launch Chapter 35 immediately. We need to discredit him in a way that makes Kai doubt his loyalty, leading Kai to abandon him first."
Minji's plan was simple and vicious: a Mirrored Leak.
The Bait: Jungkook would host a highly sensitive internal meeting about the Project Chimera AI initiative, which Kai was desperate to compromise.
The 'Misinformation': During the meeting, Jungkook would deliberately discuss a false timeline for the project's launch, along with fabricated, misleading financial projections designed to confuse an outside competitor.
The Trap: Lee Sang-Ho, under deep surveillance, would inevitably try to siphon this 'critical' data. Kim Tae-Hyun's team would allow the siphoning to appear successful.
The Double Cross: Immediately after Sang-Ho sent the data to Kai's secure drop box, Tae-Hyun would digitally inject a final, subtle layer into the file: Proof that Lee Sang-Ho had also siphoned data to a third party (a fictitious competitor), making the mole look like a double-agent selling information cheaply.
"Kai trusts Sang-Ho's greed, but he won't tolerate a double-cross," Minji explained. "He'll cut ties and expose Sang-Ho himself, neutralizing the internal threat without revealing our full hand."
The plan was executed with flawless precision. Lee Sang-Ho, confident in his digital stealth, transmitted the highly misleading Project Chimera data.
Within hours, Kai's reaction was swift and furious. He saw the additional, manipulated transaction log, making it appear Sang-Ho was selling the data to a smaller rival. For Kai, betrayal was unforgivable.
That evening, Sang-Ho, expecting a large payment from Kai, received instead an anonymous, encrypted message: "Clean up your own mess. You are compromised."
Panicked and believing he'd been caught by Kai, Lee Sang-Ho rushed to his office to destroy his personal computer's hard drive. However, before he could complete the destruction, Tae-Hyun's team, acting on Jungkook's order, intervened and secured the mole—not for the attempted sabotage on Dusk (which was fake), but for the verified fraud associated with the Origin Point log.
Lee Sang-Ho was neutralized, isolated, and legally implicated only in minor fraud, keeping the link to Kai hidden.