The lighting was dim, casting long shadows in the exit stairwell. I took off my sunglasses, recognizing the familiar, calculating look in her eyes.
"Is that you... Seonghee?" I said, trying to keep my voice light. "I didn't know you work here! Wow, it's as if you're happy to see me. Of course I am! It's the first time I'm seeing you since you transferred to another school."
Seonghee gave a strained look that didn't quite reach her eyes. The woman next to her remained silent, standing like a bodyguard. "Oh my gosh, what a coincidence!" Seonghee said, with an intensity that was anything but coincidental. "Don't tell me you don't remember who—"
"If you're so happy to see me, why don't you come with me for a little chat... before the crowd gets any bigger?" she cut in, gesturing towards the stairs. I knew this was a trap, but I had a career to maintain and no desire for a scene in public. I followed them.
We stopped near a fire exit sign. Seonghee's expression hardened as she began her verbal assault.
"I watched that drama you were in. Your acting was atrocious," she sneered. "Can I give you some advice as your anti-fan? I'm about to destroy you and your career. So why don't you—"
I cut her off, feigning boredom. "Is that all you dragged me here to say? Jeez, and you made such a big deal... Stop bluffing. What could you possibly do to destroy me or my career? Are you going to make another post online? Or do you have something else up your sleeve?"
She was fuming, her face contorted in rage. "You little—! Do you really think I'm still that foolish 18-year-old?!"
"No, you look like a five-year-old having a tantrum... because you couldn't break your friend's toy," I retorted, letting my own coldness show. "Whatever it is, you'll never be able to make me give up on my dreams."
The other woman finally spoke, her voice low and accusatory: "...that you did to me!"
Seonghee calmed herself, a smug look replacing the anger. "I spoke to a journalist the other day," she revealed. "He said he saw my post and reached out to me first. He pestered me for a few months and seemed really keen on finding dirt on you, so I met up with him and told him everything..."
I almost laughed. "You wasted your breath... Who would ever believe a thing that comes out of your mouth? You have no proof, and no one to back you up. Haven't you learned anything? We've already been through this."
Seonghee just stared, a flicker of unsettling certainty in her eyes. "That journalist seemed to believe me."

I watched her face, the carefully constructed mask of indifference. She might have fooled others, but I saw the minute tremor in her lips, the subtle widening of her eyes. "He must have smelled... the rotten stench wafting out from underneath the sweet perfume," I thought, a bitter satisfaction blooming in my chest.
"Pffft. Wow, I wish you could see yourself right now," I said, a genuine, albeit malicious, smile spreading across my face. "I dragged you here so I could see you make that face, and it was so worth the trouble."
Her composure finally cracked. Her eyes, usually so serene, narrowed into furious slits. "What did you just call me...? Dumb kid?! Do you know how much I regretted ever getting mixed up with a piece of sh*t like you?! How dare you bring that incident up?!"
She lunged, her hand clenching around my arm, trying to twist it. It was a clumsy, desperate move. I anticipated it, feeling the raw, unrefined force of her anger. She was strong, but predictable.
"You're going to have to do better than that, Seonghee," she sneered, her voice laced with mockery. With a swift slide, I evaded her grip. "What?" I heard her gasp as she stumbled past me.
I spun around, my arm already extended. Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw what I held. "Your acting was way too obvious," I stated, the words chillingly calm. "You do know I'm a professional actor, right? Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"
In my hand was her phone. I had expertly slipped it out of her pocket during her clumsy attack. The screen glowed, displaying an open audio recorder app. A message prompt asked, "Would you like to delete this recording?"
With a decisive TAP, I selected 'CONFIRM'. The recording, her desperate threats and accusations, vanished.
"Here's your phone back," I said, holding it out to her. "Or would you like me to slip it back in?"
Her face was a mask of utter shock, then quickly, furious indignation. "Give it to me...!!" she shrieked, snatching the phone from my hand. I watched her, a slow, predatory smile touching my lips.
"Interesting..." I murmured, observing her defeated expression. "After all, I knew you'd keep your mask up in front of the crowd. You're so much more fun, now that you're not some dumb kid anymore, Seonghee."
I turned to leave, leaving her stewing in the dim stairwell. I could almost feel her hatred burning into my back. Just you wait, I thought. I'm going to make you regret ever getting mixed up with me too. This was just the beginning.
**
watched her face, red with impotent fury, after I deleted the audio recording. I had managed to turn a potential crisis into a small, satisfying victory.
"Pffft. Wow, I wish you could see yourself right now," I said, unable to hide my amusement. I was the one wearing the sweet perfume, but she was the one reeking of desperation. I knew that reporter must have smelled... the rotten stench wafting out from underneath the sweet perfume of her desperation. "I dragged you here so I could see you make that face, and it was so worth the trouble."
Her control snapped. "What did you just call me...? Dumb kid?! Do you know how much I regretted ever getting mixed up with a piece of sh*t like you?! How dare you bring that incident up?!"
She lunged, her hand clamping onto my arm. I felt the CLENCH, raw and unthinking, as she tried to wrestle me. "You're going to have to do better than that, Seonghee," I scoffed, and with a swift SLIDE, I b

roke free of her grasp, spinning around as she stumbled.
"Your acting was way too obvious," I stated, holding up her phone. "You do know I'm a professional actor, right? Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" I didn't wait for an answer, hitting CONFIRM on the screen to delete the recording she
was trying to make. "Here's your phone back. Or would you like me to slip it back in?"
"Give it to me...!!" she shrieked, snatching the phone.
I took a slow step back, taking in her shock and anger. "Interesting..." I murmured. "After all, I knew you'd keep your mask up in front of the crowd. You're so much more fun, now that you're not some dumb kid anymore, Seonghee." I turned away, the sound of my heel-click echoing off the concrete. Just you wait... I thought, not needing to look back to know her eyes were burning holes in my back. I'm going to make you regret ever getting mixed up with me too.
As I reached the door, it flew open with a SQUEAAAK and a THUD. I looked up, startled. Standing there was a young man in a puffy jacket and a baseball cap. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him immediately.
"I managed to find her... but it sounds like she's talking to someone," he mumbled to himself, before noticing me. "Maybe I'll just wait outside—Oh, I'm just asking out of curiosity..."
His eyes were wide, and I realized he had heard the end of our confrontation.
"What was she talking about just now...?" he asked me, looking concerned.
Before I could formulate a dismissive answer, Seonghee's voice cut in, sharp and accusatory, directed at me but clearly meant for the man.
"Did you use Inkang Heo, just like how you used me, Junseo, and Jaeo?"
The man's eyes went wide with realization.
I played dumb, my expression perfectly neutral. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. Use you? When did I ever do that?"
"After having been through it once, I can see right through it all," she spat. "You've been using Inkang Heo to boost your name recognition... just like you used Junseo Yun and Jaeo Kim to screw me over, right? You made such a big deal about dating him, but as soon as news came out that you were cast in a blockbuster film, you broke up with him."
"It was a coincidence," I insisted, though my mind was racing, trying to figure out how much this new person had heard and how he related to Inkang.
"HA! Suuure."
The man stepped forward, his face etched with disbelief. "Did you really use my brother...?" he demanded. "Go on, say something! Are those things she said true?!"
I took a deep breath, trying to regain control of the situation. "She spewed a lot of nonsense. Which part?"
"All I heard was that you used my big brother. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop!" he insisted. "Tell me the truth. Did you didn't, right...? What reason would you have to take advantage of him when you're under the same management?"
I knew this was my chance to pivot. "You're right, Inmo. I didn't..." I gave a faint, sad smile. "We broke up because of a completely different reason."
"Then... why did you two break up?" he pressed, his voice full of pain.
I shifted my weight, giving him a look that conveyed 'you wouldn't understand.' "I don't think that's any of your business."
His face fell into genuine distress. "Do you know what kind of state Inkang is in?! He's drinking himself into oblivion and he doesn't even go outside anymore. He's been having such a hard time after we lost our grandma! You didn't have to break up with him now!! Couldn't you have waited until he was in a better state of mind?"
He was pleading, and for a moment, a sliver of pity threatened my composure. But I couldn't afford a weakness. I had to end this.
"I think you have this all wrong," I said, my voice firm and final. "You don't know the full story." I walked out the door and into the street, leaving the two of them behind in the gloom of the stairwell.
Inmo was devastated, and his pain threatened to break my resolve. But I couldn't let his emotions derail my life.
"I think you have this all wrong, Inmo," I said, meeting his accusing gaze. "Inkang is the one who gave me no choice but to break up with him. If he hadn't made such a big deal out of the promise rings, I would never have been put in that spot... and I wouldn't have felt so upset. Breaking up with him was a reasonable course of action for me. It seems that you both only think about your own feelings, and impose them on others."
"But this is too cruel..." Inmo stammered, his hand clutching his chest. "He wasn't trying to hurt you, but you broke up with him as if you had been waiting for him to screw up..."
"You've been using Inkang Heo to boost your name recognition, just like you used Junseo Yun and Jaeo Kim to screw me over, right?" he echoed Seonghee's accusation, the words stinging because they came from his heart, not malice. "You made such a big deal about dating him, but as soon as news came out that you were cast in a blockbuster film, you broke up with him."
He stepped closer, his voice low with desperation. "...I'm going to ask you this one last time. Did you use Inkang?"
I sighed, a long, exasperated sound. "I'm the one who pushed Inkang to get that ring," Inmo suddenly confessed, his voice cracking. "He said your one-year anniversary was coming up, so I told him he should get you one! It didn't mean anything—!"
My expression must have hardened. I cut him off, the realization of the full absurdity of the situation striking me. "Is that so? So should I have put on that ring that doesn't mean anything... marry him, and just mindlessly wait for him for two years for him to get discharged from the army and he can retire?"
I gave him a slow, chilling smile. "You just told me yourself that you're the one who pushed him to buy that ring. So the only reason Inkang and I broke up... is you, Inmo."
His eyes widened, the realization sinking in—the ring, a symbol of commitment, meant nothing to me, and his interference had merely hastened a planned departure. I left him standing there, his guilt a far more effective weapon than Seonghee's threats.
Planning the Counterattack
The VRROOOOOM of the car engine filled the air as I sped away from the venue. The man in the passenger seat, my manager, was already on the phone.
"Heeguk Lim talked to Seonghee Shim? Wait, are you talking about Seonghee who went to Nojung High School with us?" I asked, my blood turning cold as I realized the potential scope of Seonghee's revenge.
"It's just guess for now," my manager replied, his voice calm but serious. "I'm not sure which journalist she spoke with yet, but I need to look into it." He made a note on a whiteboard, crossing out one of the three portraits. "Jaeo was quietly expelled and his records were scrubbed from Nojung High after that incident. Whoever it is, it'll take some time to find anything on Jaeo."
He pinned up a chart of the people involved: Heeguk Lim (Cousins), Rena Lim - MMI Entertainment, and Inkang Heo (Former Lovers).
"Good. Let's not drag this out. Get what you need out of Rena Lim and wrap things up with her," I instructed. "You know what we need from her, right?"
"Yeah. But if Seonghee really did speak to Heeguk... Are you really going to hit him and Rena Lim at the same time?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
I looked at the chart, my jaw set. "It's safest to eliminate symbiotic relationships at the same time." I reached out and drew a large 'X' over Heeguk Lim's picture, the marker squeaking on the slick surface.
"I'll take care of Heeguk with Jaeo," I decided. The past was about to become the present.
I looked over at my manager. "When are you planning on seeing Rena? The sooner the better." The time for defense was over; it was time to attack.
"Don't worry," I assured my manager, confirming my plan. "I'll be meeting up with her tonight." The image of Rena Lim, the former idol, had an 'X' slashed across it on the whiteboard—my new target.
The plan was already in motion. I drove my car to a discreet restaurant. I arrived right on time, but my manager was already waiting. "Oh, you're here early!" I said, a faint smile touching my lips.
"The traffic was such a nightmare on my way here! You're not upset I'm late, right?" he replied, a touch of practiced anxiety in his tone.
"No, of course not. I asked the servers to take our order later because I wanted to speak to you about something first. You're okay with that, right?"
He nodded, eager to please. I reached into my bag and, with a quick SLIDE, pushed a large, sealed envelope across the table toward him.
"Why don't you take a look at these first? These articles are about you, and are set to be released to the media tomorrow afternoon."
He opened the envelope, his eyes scanning the documents. He looked up, confused. "Articles...? About me? Junseo, I thought you said you're a writer. You're not even a journalist, so why—"
"Why I have those isn't important," I cut him off, my gaze steady and uncompromising. "The most important thing is that by tomorrow, those articles will be everywhere you turn."
He looked back down, his eyes widening in horror as he read the headlines I had prepared.
The Cost of Silence
The first article screamed: BREAKING NEWS! RENA CHEATED ON INKANG WITH JINYEOL 4 YEARS AGO!
The second, even more damning, declared: BREAKING NEWS! RENA LIM FOUND TO HAVE BEEN SPONSORED BY A POLITICIAN WHILE DATING INKANG HEO 4 YEARS AGO!
My manager gasped, his eyes huge and panicked. He covered his mouth with his hand, shaking his head in disbelief.
"T-The sponsor thing isn't true..." he stammered out, clearly lying. "I-I... I d-don't k-know—"
I leaned forward, my voice softening to a dangerous silkiness. "Then did you ever cheat on Inkang Heo...? Please, Rena. Lying to me won't help you."
He slumped forward, defeat washing over him. "B-But... I've never had a sponsor...! I've never even met a politician in my entire life! This article isn't true!" he pleaded, desperate to salvage the one lie that was too big to admit.
He started panicking, imagining the fallout. "Oh no... What do I do...? If the CEO of my management company ever finds out about this, I'm dead..."
I took his hands in mine, my grip surprisingly firm. He looked up at me, his eyes pleading for salvation.
"I can help you..." I said, my voice a solemn promise, pulling him in. "...but I just need you to be honest with me."
The spotlight was now firmly on him. He had his articles, and I had my leverage. The symbiotic relationship I needed to eliminate was now in my hands. All he had to do was tell me the truth, and I would pull the first article from circulation. The sponsor article would remain, a loaded gun pointed directly at his career—until he did exactly what I told him.

I watched the color drain from her face as she read the fabricated articles. Rena was a talented idol, but she was a fragile actress off-stage, easily manipulated by fear.
"T-The sponsor thing isn't true..." she stammered out, her hand flying to her mouth. She was sweating, trying to deny the ugliest truth. "I-I... I d-don't k-know—"
I decided to press her on the easier lie first. "Then did you ever cheat on Inkang Heo...? Please, Rena." I lowered my voice, making it sound desperate, almost sympathetic. "Lying to me won't help you."
She was on the verge of tears. "Lying to me won't help you. If I don't know the whole truth, there's not a thing I can do to help you." I leaned closer, my gaze fixed on her. "This is the last time I'm going to ask you this. If you don't want to shoulder this by yourself..."
She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and then glanced at the door behind me, a look of utter defeat. "...you need to tell me the truth."
Just as the moment of her breaking was at hand, the sharp, unexpected sound of a doorbell cut through the heavy silence.
DING DONG! DING DONG!
I straightened up, turning my head toward the door. I hadn't told anyone I was meeting Rena here. The timing was terrible.
"Was anyone supposed to come over...?" Rena whispered, her eyes darting between me and the door.
"No..." I muttered, my mind racing. Who could it be? My gaze fell on a nearby monitor, showing the figure at the door: a young man in a red hoodie and a cap. His expression was serious, almost challenging.
Looks like we have an unwelcome visitor.
A grim feeling settled in my gut. An unwelcome visitor now, just as I was securing the final piece of leverage I needed to help Ajin—the actress. This couldn't be a coincidence. The game was escalating, and someone was trying to disrupt the delicate balance I had created. I needed to deal with this immediately, before Rena could recover her composure.