"I'M SO SORRY, THERE'S AN URGENT MATTER I MUST ATTEND TO... I'LL REACH OUT TO YOU AGAIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE," I rushed the words out, slamming the phone down.
SQUEAAAK. THUP.
I was standing outside what I thought was a secure location, but the world was crashing down around me. "GOD F**KING DAMN IT...!!" I cursed, running my hand through my hair in sheer panic.
A chorus of DING DONG echoed, frantic and loud. "RENA! WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" came a shout from outside. Inside, a terrified voice wailed, "WAAAHH!! S**B ILINGEO, YOU BASTARD...!"
The noise was maddening, but my eyes were fixed on a news list on my phone:
6. Inkang Heo
7. Rena Cheated
"WAAAHH!!" The crisis was escalating faster than I could have imagined. I heard the frantic RRRING RRRING of my desk phone.
I grabbed the phone. "HI, THANK YOU FOR CALLING DIRECT--" I was cut off by a furious voice on the other end.
"I THOUGHT I ASKED YOU TO SEND THE VOICE RECORDING TO THE STATION. WHERE THE HELL DID THE VIDEO OF INKANG HEO COME FROM?!"
"WHAT...?" I felt my blood run cold. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT ASKED ME TO GIVE THE USB DRIVE TO THE STATION, MR. YUN. WE ONLY DID WHAT YOU ASKED, SO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT?" I was already shouting, staring at the bright screen of my laptop.
"THE VIDEO OF INKANG HEO WAS NOT A PART OF THE PLAN!" the other man yelled.
"IF YOU WANT THE REST OF THE MONEY, TELL ME WHERE THAT VIDEO IS FROM. WHO GAVE IT TO YOU?!!" I demanded.
"JEEZ, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I'M TELLING YOU, JAEO TOLD ME... HE TOLD ME... TO DELIVER THEM BOTH..." Mr. Yun's voice was getting shaky.
Mr. Yun's voice continued, relaying what he had been instructed: "...AND THIS IS A USB STICK WITH A VIDEO AND A FEW PHOTOS. THE ADDRESS IS IN THE ENVELOPE, SO ASK THEM TO DELIVER THIS AS WELL."
He paused, a dreadful realization dawning on him. "WAIT A MINUTE... NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, HE TOLD ME TO DELIVER THAT ONE TO THE ADDRESS HE SLIPPED INSIDE THE ENVELOPE..."
The line was quiet for a second before he heard my enraged superior. "GOD DAMN IT... MR. DO!!!"
Mr. Yun, panicking, stammered, "I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE VIDEO IS FROM EITHER... BECAUSE JAEO WAS DOING THIS AS A PERSONAL FAVOR... I WAS SUPPOSED TO SEND THIS TO ANOTHER ADDRESS, BUT I MADE A MISTAKE AND SENT IT TO THE STATION. IT'S NOT A HUGE PROBLEM, IS IT...?"
I didn't answer right away, the weight of his mistake crushing me. I covered my face with my free hand, the phone pressed against my ear, the terrible truth setting in.
"DAMN IT!!" The fallout was going to be catastrophic.
"AJIN IS SUCH A PROFESSIONAL," one crew member whispered on the set, surrounded by lights and equipment. "SHE NEVER LET IT SHOW ON CAMERA THROUGH THIS ALL... SERIOUSLY..."
"I'M JUST SO SHOCKED. I DIDN'T THINK INKANG WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. POOR AJIN."
Despite their pitying glances and hushed tones, I kept my composure. A staff member, Cha-Young, approached me.
"AJIN, THE PRODUCER SAYS YOU SHOULD TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK." She spoke softly. "HE SAYS HE'D LOVE TO GIVE YOU MORE TIME, BUT THE SHOOT IS ALREADY PRETTY DELAYED, SO..."
"OH, THANKS CHAYOUNG," I replied. "I'M SORRY, BUT I THINK I'D LIKE TO BE ALONE FOR A BIT." I walked toward my dressing room. "IT WOULD HELP ME RELAX AND TAKE MY MIND OFF THINGS."
"YEAH, OF COURSE. SEE YOU IN A BIT."
CLICK. The door shut and the lock engaged.
The Journalist's Call
I sank into the chair in front of the vanity, letting out a long sigh. "HAAA..."
What is going on...? The video of Inkang Heo—my ex-partner—should never have reached the station. I ASKED HIM TO EDIT THE FOOTAGE AND DELIVER IT TO MY PLACE, SO HOW DID IT GET OUT...? The man I dealt with is already on a flight. HE'S ALREADY ON HIS FLIGHT, SO IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN CALL HIM AND GET MAD AT HIM. WHAT'S WITH MY LIFE THESE DAYS? IT'S JUST BEEN ONE INCIDENT AFTER ANOTHER...
Suddenly, my phone vibrated loudly. BZZZZ. BZZZZ. The screen flashed the name: Heeguk Lim.
I picked up the call. "YOU REACHED OUT TO ME FASTER THAN I THOUGHT YOU WOULD..." I said, my voice cold and calm. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET ME HELP YOU UP LAST TIME, SO I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION YOU WERE REALLY MAD AT ME."
I cut to the chase. "YOU'RE THE ONE BEHIND THE ARTICLE, AREN'T YOU?"
I heard her sharp, furious response. "DID YOU THINK I'D TAKE IT LYING DOWN?! YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG PERSON."
Retaliation and Threat
"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF YOU DON'T TAKE IT LYING DOWN?" I challenged, my voice dripping with disdain.
"I'M GOING TO RELEASE THE RECORDINGS OF ALL OF OUR CALLS. THE MINUTE I REVEAL THE FACT THAT WE HAD A BUSINESS DEAL, YOUR CAREER IS OVER. YOU JUST WAIT."
I smiled faintly, a hard glint in my eyes. "YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO RECORDED OUR CALLS. I DID TOO."
Her confidence seemed to waver slightly, but she quickly pressed on. "ARE YOU SURE YOU'LL BE OKAY TO RELEASE THEM? THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS YOU ABUSED YOUR POWER AND BLACKMAILED CELEBRITIES."
I countered instantly, my tone righteous. "I'M THE VICTIM WHO HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT MY LOVE LIFE... AND YOU'RE THE ABUSER THAT BLACKMAILED AND THREATENED ME." I paused, letting my words sink in. "My recordings tell a different story than yours, Heeguk. I'M THE ONE WHO WAS TRAPPED."
"WHAT?" she scoffed.
"OH DEAR. YOU'RE CLUELESS, AREN'T YOU? THINK CAREFULLY. YOU BROUGHT THIS ONTO YOURSELF."
(Based on 1000056148.jpg)
The journalist, now revealed as the man in the car, was enraged. "HOW DARE YOU...?! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WENT OUT DIGGING FOR DIRT ON ME WITH THE INTENT OF RUINING MY CAREER. THAT'S WHY THIS HAPPENED."
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT." I heard him scream on the phone. "YOU MADE ENEMIES ALL AROUND YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN ACTIONS."
Heeguk Lim's desperation was palpable. He was blaming me for his own failure, for the accidental leak of the Inkang Heo video that I'd intended to use as leverage later on. His plan to destroy me with our business deal was crumbling, because unlike him, I had anticipated his betrayal. The real question was, who was the other party he had made an enemy of? The one who mistakenly sent the USB to the station instead of the intended address? The one who had truly messed with the wrong person?
"IF YOU HADN'T TRIED ANYTHING, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED... SO WHO ELSE IS THERE TO BLAME? YOU B**CH!!" The journalist, Heeguk Lim, screamed at me over the phone.
I sat composed in my dressing room chair, looking at my reflection, my expression coolly judgmental. "I WARNED YOU NOT TO GET INVOLVED WITH SEONGHEE. You got in league with someone who's blinded by their hatred of me... AND AS A RESULT, YOU COULDN'T SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE."
I heard a sudden, sharp intake of breath on his end. I pressed my advantage, anticipating his partner's reaction. "I BET SHE'S CALLING YOU ALL SORTS OF NAMES AFTER SEEING THOSE ARTICLES ABOUT YOU."
I could almost see her reaction in my mind. "SHE'S PROBABLY THINKING, 'WHAT THE HELL?! I THOUGHT HE WAS SMART, BUT HE TURNED OUT TO BE USELESS!'" I sneered. "AND SHE'LL TAKE HER ANGER OUT ON A CUSTOMER. SHE'S JUST THAT KIND OF PERSON."
The Threat
"YOU WANT TO RELEASE THE RECORDINGS OF OUR CALLS? GO AHEAD. TRY ME." I challenged, my voice a steel blade. "BUT AS SOON AS YOU DO THAT, I WON'T GO AFTER YOU FIRST... I'LL START WITH THE PEOPLE YOU HOLD DEAR, AND SQUASH EVERY ONE OF THEM BEFORE I GET TO YOU."
Heeguk Lim was speechless for a moment. He was finally seeing the true extent of his mistake. I wasn't just defending myself; I was retaliating with absolute ruthlessness.
"NO MATTER WHAT I DO, AND WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS ARE..." I continued, my voice firm and uncompromising. "...JUST REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME THAT I'M A BAD PERSON."
I gave him a final out, a chance to stop the mutual destruction. "IF YOU STOP HERE... I WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE."
I didn't wait for his response. I ended the call.
"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SCREWED WITH THE WRONG PERSON."
Handling the Fallout
I made a follow-up call, checking on the man I was trying to protect—the one whose video had accidentally leaked.
"YEAH, I CALLED THE POLICE AND THEY KICKED THE REPORTERS OUT..." a voice on the other end reported. "A FEW OF THEM CAME BACK, BUT THEY'RE STAYING QUIET THIS TIME. WHATEVER. THEY CAN HANG AROUND FOR AS LONG AS THEY WANT."
"ARE YOU SURE YOU'LL BE OKAY?" I asked, thinking of the intense media pressure he was under.
He replied calmly, sitting alone in a room. "I'M MOST COMFORTABLE AT HOME. I CAN ASK MY MANAGER TO BUY ME GROCERIES. IT'S NOT AS IF I WENT OUTSIDE MUCH TO BEGIN WITH."
The voice on the other end continued, explaining the arrangements. "THERE'S JOURNALISTS CAMPING OUTSIDE AJIN'S APARTMENT TOO... SHE SEEMED QUITE SHAKEN SO I PUT HER UP IN A HOTEL."
Now, the focus was on understanding how the video got out. The man on the phone, a manager or assistant, continued, walking down a hallway.
"I ASKED ABOUT THE VIDEO, BUT SHE WON'T SAY A WORD ABOUT IT..." He said, referring to Rena (based on the previous panels' trending list).
He continued. "I ASKED HER WHY SHE HAD A CAMERA SET UP... I ASKED HER WHY SHE HAD A CAMERA SET UP IN HER LIVING ROOM... AND SHE SAID SHE THOUGHT A STALKER MIGHT HAVE BEEN BREAKING INTO HER HOUSE, SO SHE SET UP A VIDEO CAMERA FOR SECURITY."
"SHE MUST HAVE GIVEN THE CAMERA TO A SECURITY COMPANY TO CHECK FOR ANY BREAK-INS, AND I THINK IT GOT LEAKED TO A BROADCASTING STATION FROM THERE."
A security company. Not a vengeful staff member, but a professional mistake—or a calculated leak by someone within the security company. The full web of this scandal was more complicated than I first thought, but one thing was certain: the journalist's mistake with the USB had been my unexpected shield. The true fight was just beginning.
"SOMEONE AT THE STATION SAID AN ENVELOPE ARRIVED WITH HER ADDRESS AND A USB DRIVE WITH THE FOOTAGE ON IT," Inkang's manager explained, filling me in on the details of the leak.
Inkang Heo, sitting alone in a room, his head bowed, spoke into the phone. "I'M STILL HAVING A TOUGH TIME BELIEVING THAT THIS IS EVEN HAPPENING. I'M NOT SURE HOW TO EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN THIS TO THE FANS EITHER..."
"WHAT IS THERE TO EXPLAIN?" I heard him ask himself, defeated.
He confessed what was on his mind. "I GOT ANGRY AND HIT HER. SHE GOT ON HER KNEES AND BEGGED ME TO BREAK UP WITH HER. I SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE TO HER PLACE TO SEE HER THAT NIGHT... WE HAD ALREADY BROKEN UP, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS EXPECTING... I REGRET IT A LOT, ACTUALLY..."
I needed to manage this situation immediately. I took a deep breath and spoke with firm, professional certainty.
"I KNOW YOU, INKANG. YOU'RE NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON TO DO THAT ON PURPOSE. YOU'RE JUST NOT IN A GOOD PLACE RIGHT NOW AND MADE A MISTAKE," I said, offering a lifeline of spin. "IT WAS JUST BAD LUCK THAT THE VIDEO GOT OUT, BUT I CAN FIX THIS."
I outlined the strategy. "LET'S PUT OUT AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT WITH YOUR APOLOGY. WE'LL ADMIT THAT YOU GOT EMOTIONAL DURING THE SPLIT AND MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. IF YOU SHOW THE FANS THAT YOU TRULY REGRET WHAT YOU DID, THE MEDIA WILL DIE DOWN A BIT."
I presented the ultimate, high-stakes solution. "I'LL TALK TO AJIN TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. IF WE RELEASE AN ARTICLE THAT YOU TWO HAVE PATCHED THINGS UP--"
Inkang's voice was filled with despair. "BUT THAT VIDEO IS EVERYWHERE NOW. HOW ARE WE EVER GOING TO FIX THAT?" He slumped further, his mind clearly going to darker places. "MY CONTRACT WITH YOU WILL BE EXPIRED BY THE TIME I'M DISCHARGED FROM THE ARMY. PLUS, I WAS PLANNING ON RETIRING ANYWAY."
Then, the true bitterness and resentment surfaced. "JUST THINK OF ME AS A CARD YOU'RE THROWING AWAY, OR THINGS WILL GET ROUGH FOR YOU TOO."
I snapped, needing to establish control. "STOP TALKING LIKE THAT! I SAID I'LL TALK TO AJIN." My voice hardened. "DON'T GET ANY WEIRD THOUGHTS IN YOUR HEAD, AND JUST SIT TIGHT. I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS."
He tried to interrupt, naming his manager: "MS. SEO, DON'T. JUST--"
I cut him off, making a final, cold demand. "DON'T IGNORE MY CALLS AND PICK UP WHEN I CALL YOU, OKAY?"
CLICK. I hung up, his silence confirming his obedience for now. I looked at the dark screen of the phone in my hand.
My Private Calculation
I stood alone in the hotel room, staring at the wall, thinking about the leaked video. This was a wrench in my plans, a severe complication.
"THIS JUST MADE THINGS HARD ON ME TOO." I muttered to myself. "THAT VIDEO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LAST RESORT."
I turned, my face stark and illuminated by the phone screen, my eyes narrowing. I thought of the man I had just put in his place, the journalist Heeguk Lim.
I repeated his name, a dangerous edge in my voice. "YOU'RE NOT THAT DUMB... RIGHT, MS. BAEK?" The battle lines were drawn. I had a disaster to contain, a fool to control, and a rival to eliminate. The leaked video was my shield against Heeguk, but it was also a chain. I had to turn this disaster into my ultimate triumph.
The next steps were clear: leverage Inkang Heo's shame, control the narrative, and eliminate Heeguk Lim. The game was far from over.
A message buzzed on my phone, interrupting my dark contemplation. BZZZ.
The text was from Inmo, Inkang Heo's brother: "Ajin, this is Inmo. Please talk to the media for Inkang. I'm begging you. Please do it for my brother. I'm really sorry that I said all those rude things to you at the mall last time. I'm so sorry. My brother has just been having a really hard time since our grandmother passed."
I immediately texted back, a mixture of annoyance and calculated interest filling me. "Where are you right now?"
Moments later, a knock. I opened the door to see Inmo, looking stressed and disheveled.
"WHY DID YOU WANT TO SEE ME THIS LATE AT NIGHT?" I demanded, stepping back to let him in. "YOU KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF EYES ON ME RIGHT NOW. DID YOU HAVE TO COME HERE?"
Junseo ignored the scolding, his eyes burning with accusation as he looked at me. The silence in the temporary safety of the hotel room was deafening.
The Video Recording Betrayal
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU HAD THAT VIDEO?" Junseo finally burst out, his voice low and ragged.
I turned my back to him, folding my arms. "THAT'S WHAT YOU CAME HERE TO TALK TO ME ABOUT...? I didn't feel the need, OR HAVE THE CHANCE TO TELL YOU." I looked over my shoulder, my expression flat. "IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE I DON'T KNOW ABOUT, TELL ME NOW! DON'T MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!"
His accusation only fueled my own anger over the blunder. I was shouting now. "RELEASING THAT VIDEO WASN'T A PART OF MY PLAN! I WAS GOING TO KEEP IT AS INSURANCE IN CASE INKANG'S BROTHER DECIDED TO TRY ANYTHING! I DON'T KNOW WHY I NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU EITHER!!"
Junseo stood his ground, pointing a finger at me. "YOU MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PLANNING ON USING IT THIS TIME, BUT YOU WERE GOING TO USE IT EVENTUALLY! THAT'S WHY YOU RECORDED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE, RIGHT?!"
"ARE YOU GETTING MAD AT ME?! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO LECTURE ME?!!!" I retaliated, my voice cracking with fury.
He threw my old promises back at me. "YOU TOLD ME BEFORE... THAT YOU WERE JUST GOING TO DATE HIM AND BREAK UP WITH HIM LIKE ANY NORMAL COUPLE! YOU TOLD ME YOURSELF THAT INKANG WOULDN'T GET HURT!!"
The True Cost of the Game
"YES, I ENDED THINGS WITH HIM, BUT HE'S THE ONE WHO COULDN'T COME TO TERMS WITH IT!" I screamed, desperately trying to shift the blame. "HOW IS IT MY FAULT THAT THE VIDEO GOT OUT? HE JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE BAD LUCK! IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME!"
Junseo was incredulous. "FINE, LET'S JUST PRETEND THAT'S TRUE. THEN WHY DID INKANG SLAP YOU OUT OF THE BLUE?! IT'S NOT LIKE HE EVER HIT YOU BEFORE!"
His words hit a nerve, and I glared at him, correcting his twisted view of events. "NO, YOU MADE HIM HIT YOU!" I clenched my fist until my knuckles were white.
"THE AJIN I KNOW WOULD NEVER KNEEL TO SOMEONE AND LET THEM SLAP HER AROUND!!" he yelled, completely missing the point.
The raw truth, the motivation he couldn't grasp, spilled out of me. "I HAD TO ENDURE DIRECTOR PARK'S INSULTS BECAUSE OF INKANG...! I HAD NO REASON TO KEEP USING HIM... WHY WOULD I SUFFER A HIT TO MY CAREER, JUST TO STAY WITH HIM?" My voice broke. "I HAD NO REASON TO KEEP USING HIM..."
I gestured around the impersonal hotel room, the symbol of my current disgrace. "LOOK AT ME. I'M HIDING IN A HOTEL BECAUSE OF INKANG!"
He still didn't understand the complex, messy calculus of my life and career. He only saw the victimized brother. I stared at him, exhausted and alone, realizing that everyone in this game, including me, was simply looking out for themselves. My power play had just backfired spectacularly.
"LOOK AT ME. I'M HIDING IN A HOTEL BECAUSE OF INKANG! I HATE THIS!" I shouted, feeling the weight of the disaster press down on me. I had to make him understand that I wasn't some cold monster—I was a victim of circumstance, too.
Junseo covered his face, sinking into a defeated posture. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LIVE A NORMAL LIFE...?" he mumbled, his voice thick with disappointment. "I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD LEAVE WITH JAEO... BUT I THINK I OVERESTIMATED YOU."
His words were like a physical blow. He was judging me, calling me a failure, a stain on his perfect world.
"I THOUGHT I SAW THE TINIEST SLIVER OF EMPATHY IN YOU... BUT I WAS WRONG."
I scoffed. Empathy?
The Origin of the Wound
"EMPATHY?" I repeated, my voice now dangerously low and steady. "OH, MAYBE I WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY IF YOU HAD COME AND SAVED ME WHILE YOUR MOTHER WAS SHOVING MY HEAD UNDERWATER IN THAT BATHROOM."
The memory was raw and visceral, a childhood trauma I thought he had forgotten.
"BUT YOU DIDN'T."
I leaned in, my face close to his, my eyes unforgiving. "JAEO WOULD HAVE RUN IN... AND THROWN A SHAMPOO BOTTLE AT HER OR SOMETHING. BUT YOU JUST STOOD THERE."
Tears welled in his eyes, but I didn't stop. "HOW COULD YOU CRITICIZE ME? AM I NOT EMPATHETIC ENOUGH FOR YOU?" I challenged. "THEN WHAT ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU EMPATHETIC ENOUGH?! IS THAT WHY YOU JUST STOOD THERE AND WATCHED WHILE I SUFFERED?!"
I saw his lower lip tremble, the years of silent guilt finally boiling over. "JUST SAY IT IF YOU FEEL SO BAD. TELL ME TO MY FACE THAT YOU THINK I TURNED OUT LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF YOU."
The Unbreakable Chain
I finally took a step back, giving him space, but the confrontation wasn't over. "BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT IF YOU POINT FINGERS AT ME, YOU'RE POINTING FINGERS AT YOUR PAST SELF TOO."
I looked at him, softened my gaze, and offered him a devastating out. "YOU WANT TO LEAVE ME? GO AHEAD. YOU MAY BLAME ME, BUT I WON'T BLAME YOU."
My voice was heavy with the weight of our shared history. "EVEN IF YOU LEAVE ME AND RUN AWAY LIKE YOU DID IN THE PAST, I COULD NEVER BLAME YOU..."
Inmo was openly weeping now, reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes. He couldn't handle the crushing emotional burden of my forgiveness.
"...BECAUSE YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON I EVER LET INTO MY LIFE."
He lunged forward, not to fight, but to embrace me. He held me tight, burying his face in my shoulder. "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, AJIN... I'M SORRY..."
I held him just as tightly, though my mind was already racing, plotting the next move. He didn't know it, but his emotional confession was the only currency that mattered to me.
There's still a long way to the top, and there's a lot I still have to push out of my way to get there.
I still need him. I still need this child that lives in the past, unable to leave or push me away. He was tethered to me by guilt and affection, and for the ruthless game I was playing, that was the strongest bond of all.
Ajin returned his embrace, but her eyes were cold and focused, looking past the immediate drama. Inmo was weeping for the shared trauma of their childhood—the memory of his mother's abuse and his own inaction in that bathroom—and Ajin knew that bond was now unbreakable.
Her internal monologue was a ruthless calculation, devoid of the emotion Inmo felt. There's still a long way to the top, and there's a lot I still have to push out of my way to get there.. The sentiment he felt for her was merely a tool for her ambition. I still need him. I still need this child that lives in the past, unable to leave or push me away..
The confrontation was over, but the consequence was not. A sudden "SQUEAAAK" of door hinges echoed through the small hotel room, likely indicating Inmo's frantic exit. With the Inmo crisis managed and his loyalty cemented, Ajin was left standing alone, ready to face the outside world. The chapter closed on the feet of the retreating or closing figure and the sounds of the room, leaving Ajin ready to use her emotional hold on him as she prepared for the next move in her relentless career game