The room stilled as Jean’s voice cut through the tension. "Tell everything."
Henry leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table. "We start with surveillance. Junho is reckless and arrogant... he’s bound to make mistakes. We get photos, videos, eyewitness accounts. Drugs, escorts, maybe even under-the-table dealings. The man’s skeletons are just begging to be dragged out."
Emma added, "We leak it subtly. Controlled damage... enough to shake him, not enough to trace back to us. An anonymous blog, a tip to the dia, a strategically-tid scandal on social platforms."
Their lawyer chid in smoothly, "We’ll make sure it violates the morality clauses in every contract Mr. Kim has set up for his son. Sponsors, brand deals, business alliances... they’ll drop Junho one by one."
"Cut off the funding at the source," Henry said with a dark smile. "When his father sees what a liability Junho is, he’ll have no choice but to pull the plug."
Jean folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "And what about Mr. Kim himself? He’ll fight to protect his son. If he suspects it’s coming from us..."
"We leave him out of it," the lawyer said. "Make it look like the world turned on Junho because of his own behavior. And if we play our cards right, Mr. Kim might even thank us for saving his company from his son’s ruin."
Jean slowly leaned back in her chair, considering. It was cunning.
Ruthless.
Clean.
And for the first ti, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel... one that didn’t require dragging herself through the mud in a courtroom.
Logan, however, wasn’t convinced just yet. His arms were crossed, brows furrowed, lips pressed in a tight line.
Jean turned her head toward him.
"Well?" she asked coolly. "Still want to throw a match and watch us all burn?"
Logan t her gaze. "I want him to pay."
"And he will," Jean replied. "But not in headlines. In silence. Where it really hurts."
There was a long pause. The air was thick with silent calculation.
Then Logan slowly nodded. Just once.
"Fine. Let’s ruin him."
______________________________
It began quietly.
A late-night gossip blog uploaded a blurred photo... Junho Kim exiting a high-end club with two won clinging to him, pupils dilated, a mystery substance passed between hands.
No nas.
No context.
Just enough to stir curiosity.
By morning, the image had gone viral.
"Is this the heir to Kim Chong Yu and Company?"
"Looks like soone’s been partying a little too hard."
"Daddy’s money doing overti again."
The internet was rciless. Whispers beca waves, and waves beca headlines.
Emma scrolled through the chaos with a half-smile. "Hook, line, and clickbait."
In their office, Henry added fuel to the fire. He made anonymous calls to journalists, feeding them subtle truths like; Junho’s recurring rehab stunts, giving police hush-up money, girls paid off to stay quiet.
His sources were never nad. His stories were always plausible. And no one could trace it back to them.
By the end of the week, Junho’s sponsors began pulling out. One after another. His face was scrubbed from a major fashion brand’s hopage.
His na was removed from a business panel in Singapore. A nightclub he frequented posted a subtle ban notice... We do not welco abusers of privilege.
The final blow ca when a viral video surfaced... Junho, slurring at a party, degrading a waitress, high out of his mind. The backlash was instant.
_______________________________
At Kim Chong Yu and Company’s Seoul headquarters, Mr. Kim’s office doors slamd shut for hours. He erged with a pale face and fire in his eyes.
"Effective imdiately," he told his board, "Junho Kim is suspended from all company responsibilities until further notice."
The dia called it a public fall from grace. Insiders called it a cleansing.
Jean simply called it justice.
At the hospital, she received a text from Emma; He’s cut off. Mr. Kim’s done protecting him. You’re safe now from being in the scandal.
Jean stared at the screen for a long while. Then slowly, for the first ti in days, she allowed herself a breath of relief.
But far from her, in the shadows of Seoul’s underground, Junho watched the storm rage with bloodshot eyes and a twisted smile.
"Safe?" he muttered, tossing his cracked phone onto the couch. "You think this is over, Jean?"
The ga had only just begun.
"I know, this has to be your work!"
_______________________________
The soft hum of dical machines was the only sound in Jean’s hospital room as the afternoon light slanted through the blinds. She was propped up against the pillows, skimming the news on her phone, her face blank despite the wildfire of scandal consuming Junho Kim on every dia platform.
A faint knock ca, followed by the door creaking open.
Logan stepped in.
He didn’t co close. He stood by the wall near the window, arms folded, gaze locked on her like he wasn’t sure if he should speak or just turn around and leave.
Jean’s eyes flickered up. "Didn’t expect you."
"I didn’t co to fight," he said simply.
She scoffed softly. "First ti for everything."
A beat passed. Then Logan spoke again, his voice lower this ti. "The plan’s working. Junho’s lost everything he thrives on. But now... we need to play it smarter."
Jean set her phone aside. "Go on."
"We take the hush money Mr Kim was offering."
She blinked. "Excuse ?"
"We accept Mr. Kim’s settlent," Logan clarified. "The more cooperative we look, the less they’ll suspect we had anything to do with the dia leak. We keep our hands clean... let the wolves devour each other."
Jean’s brows furrowed in thought, but she didn’t argue. "You’re sure about this?"
Logan nodded. "If we push now, we’ll look like avengers. But if we smile, shake hands, and take the deal... they’ll never see us coming."
Jean leaned back, silent for a long mont. Then, "Alright."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "That easy?"
"I want this to end. And if this ends it without dragging our nas through another scandal, then yes." She glanced at him. "But let be clear, Logan... I’m not doing this for him. Or for you. I’m doing this to survive."
Because that’s what she only does.
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