The day was set for the coordinated takedown. Joo Seok-Kyung was preparing the final public release of the FRC audit details on the Kai Prosperity Foundation's tax fraud, while Jeong Jungkook prepared his market counter-strike.
The Public Sacrifice
Rion Kai, cornered by the FRC audit on his core assets, made a desperate move to protect himself. He needed to create an immediate financial loophole and simultaneously launch his planned attack on Jungkook.
Minji, analyzing Kai's panicked communications, discovered his plan: to immediately liquidate the Foundation's most liquid charitable asset—a land grant reserved for building a new, desperately needed Community Arts and Education Center in a low-income district, a project Chae A-Ri had passionately championed.
Kai's official reason: The Foundation needed to sell the land immediately to "cover unexpected compliance costs" from the FRC audit. His real reason: The quick sale would generate a massive, clean cash infusion to defend his main corporation and pay off key political figures.
The Confrontation
The liquidation announcement was set for a highly publicized press conference at the Foundation headquarters, which A-Ri was attending.
Minji immediately recognized the narrative trap: Kai was staging a dramatic sacrifice to look like a victim of a "government witch hunt." Jungkook and Minji arrived at the press conference seconds before Kai was set to sign the liquidation documents.
Kai, spotting Jungkook, launched his final, preemptive strike: "Jeong Jungkook is here to gloat! He is the one who sicced the FRC on our Foundation because he is threatened by real philanthropy! I am forced to sell this land—this crucial community center—because Jungkook's malicious actions have drained our compliance funds!"
A-Ri watched, pale with distress. Kai was sacrificing her project.
Jungkook didn't defend himself. He looked only at A-Ri. "A-Ri, look at the documents Kai is signing. He is selling the land to White Swan Holdings—a shell company he owns—at a price well below market value. If this was truly to save the foundation, he would sell to the city or a non-profit at a fair price. He is not saving the Foundation; he is looting it to save himself."
Then, Joo Seok-Kyung's office released the full FRC report simultaneously, projected instantly onto the large screens flanking the stage via a secure channel managed by Tae-Hyun. The report's headlines screamed: "KAI FOUNDATION: TAX FRAUD AND UNDECLARED ASSET MANIPULATION."
A-Ri stared at the screen, then at the pen in Kai's hand hovering over the fraudulent liquidation document. The man who claimed to love her, who claimed to love the community, was publicly sacrificing her most beloved project to his own shell company, directly contradicting every value she held.
The faith was broken. She stepped onto the stage, grabbed the document from Kai's hands, and tore it in half.
"The Community Center is not for sale," A-Ri stated, her voice shaking with controlled fury. "If there is fraud here, it stops now."
The crowd erupted. Kai's face twisted from theatrical distress to venomous rage. He was exposed, publicly destroyed by the person he sought to control.
The immediate result was chaos. The FRC report triggered an immediate suspension of trading for Rion Kai's main corporation. Jungkook, anticipating this, launched his prepared counter-strategy, shorting Kai's undervalued assets and buying up key market shares at bargain prices.
The stock crash was brutal and swift. Rion Kai's empire, built on manipulation and debt, crumbled in hours. The Origin Point evidence, quietly shared with international regulators, ensured there would be no escape through global finance.
Minji watched the news reports from the safety of Jungkook's office. The Second Hero had won. Jungkook's downfall, but as Kai's complete and utter defeat: The Aftermath and the Mole Network
While Kai was being investigated for financial fraud and insider trading conspiracy, Jungkook and Tae-Hyun began the long, quiet process of purging Kai's remaining mole network from Dusk Industries, using the data secured from Lee Sang-Ho's honeypot.
Minji found herself promoted again—now an indispensable partner in the restructuring of the corporate landscape. Her role was critical: predicting the defensive legal maneuvers Kai would use based on his character analysis in the original novel. She had to ensure every possible loophole was sealed.
Chae A-Ri, disillusioned but newly empowered, formally resigned from her role involving the Foundation and publicly partnered with Dusk Industries to launch the non-profit for the Community Arts and Education Center.
She and Jungkook, now firmly established as professional allies and trusted confidantes, worked side-by-side. A-Ri viewed Jungkook not as a romantic interest, but as the one person who had been honest and supportive of her professional dreams, contrasting sharply with Kai's possessiveness.
Minji, watching A-Ri flourish and Jungkook find genuine happiness in his partnership with the heroine (albeit a platonic one), felt a quiet satisfaction. She had successfully steered the heroine toward the right path.
Minji's life stabilized. She had a secure job, a beautiful apartment, and the undeniable satisfaction of rewriting fate. She was now a valued, permanent fixture in Jungkook's life and company.
However, a new challenge arose: Minji realized that since the original plot was entirely dismantled and the main conflict resolved, her "reader's knowledge" was now useless. The narrative had reached a blank page. Minji's expertise was gone.
"The script ended in Chapter 35," Minji told Jungkook. "I have no idea what happens next. The future is truly unwritten."
Jungkook smiled, a genuine, relaxed smile Minji had rarely seen on him before. "Good. We'll write it ourselves. Minji, you know my secrets, my strengths, and my flaws better than anyone. Tell me, what is your vision for the next chapter of Dusk Industries, and where do you fit in it?"
Minji has successfully secured Jungkook's future and steered A-Ri away from tragedy. The story has moved from transmigration-thriller to corporate-strategy-romance (with Minji as the hidden protagonist).
The CEO's office was quiet, illuminated only by the distant city lights. Jeong Jungkook sat, leaning forward, genuinely waiting for Minji's answer. The fate of Dusk Industries was no longer the question; her own identity was.
Minji inhaled, the metallic scent of success and security filling her lungs. Her mission—to save the Second Hero from Chapter 35—was complete. She had secured the Origin Point and forged the Strategic Triangle. She was safe, and Jungkook was happy (if platonically) with Chae A-Ri.
"CEO, the original book defined my character by one thing: my death in Chapter 12," Minji stated, a soft, resolute smile gracing her lips. "I was a footnote. My goal was merely survival."
She paused, looking at the man she had sworn to save. "Now that the script is shredded, my goal has changed. I am no longer a reader; I am a protagonist in my own right."
Minji's New Role: The Strategic Architect
Minji walked to the window, gazing out at the vast cityscape that was now her workplace, not just a fictional setting.
"My previous role was a Strategist of Defense, based on memory. My new role will be an Architect of Growth, based on foresight and creation," she declared.
New Role: "I want to formalize my position as the Director of Advanced Risk Strategy (DARS). This isn't just security; it's about anticipating unseen threats and opportunities. We've proven that the biggest threats are often obscured by the simplest loopholes."
New Goal (Personal): "My personal mission is to build a reputation that is entirely my own. No more 'intern' or 'consultant defined by secrecy.' I want to become known in the Financial District not for the scandals I prevent, but for the innovation I drive. I want to be a force equal to, but different from, the CEOs I surround myself with."
New Goal (Corporate): "Dusk Industries needs to leverage its newfound stability to become truly untouchable. I want to build a Proprietary Global Risk Modeling System—a program that predicts complex external threats, far beyond simple market crashes, using the same pattern recognition I used on the novel. We call it 'Project Cassandra.'"
Jungkook was captivated. This was a vision of proactive brilliance, born from the most bizarre circumstances.
"Project Cassandra," Jungkook repeated, a slow, approving smile spreading across his face. "The woman who could see the future but was never believed. I like it. Except I will believe you."
He offered his hand across the desk. "Welcome aboard, Director Yoon Minji. Now, let's write our own blockbuster."