Ha Ri POV
I stared keenly at the screen, my fingers trembled slightly as I opened the article. The loading circle spun for a millisecond then the page appeared. My stomach dropped at the sight I saw.
The headline screamed:
"Rising Idol Jin secretly meeting Rookie Reporter Late at Night –Relationship Scandal?"
Below it was a photo, grainy, taken from a distance, yet unmistakable. A picture of Seo Yul standing close to me in the parking garage.
The angle of the photo made it look intimate, private and even suspicious.
I kept scrolling. There were more speculation from anonymous sources.
Industry insiders claiming the idol had been "acting strange lately." My throat tightened into a hard knot.
"They're setting the narrative," I mumbled beneath my breath.
Seo Yul leaned slightly over my shoulder, reading. I didn't expect he heard my mumblings,but he did and he replied:
" They always do."
I turned towards him, " you said forty-eight hours," I reminded him.
"I underestimated how eager they were." Was the reply he gave me.
My mind raced, " this is going to spread everywhere," I said quietly.
"It already has." He replied bluntly, but truthfully.
My phone buzzed once again and the screen lit up. I took a look, a message from my editor.
I picked up the phone amidst pain and fear mustering in my heart. I opened the message, and the content read:
"Ha Ri, what the hell is this?"
I was still thinking what to say when a second message followed almost instantly:
" Call me now."
SEO YUL (Jin) POV
I watched her closely, and I noticed the color drain from her face.
" Your editor?" I asked, when she looked up.
She nodded slowly.
" This could destroy my career." She added in a voice barely above a whisper.
I didn't respond immediately because I understood something she didn't yet understand. This wasn't just a scandal, it was a test too.
The organization was measuring pressure points, fame, media, public perception and her.
"Answer him" I told her, after thinking it over.
She looked up at me surprised.
"Now?" She asked
"Yes." I answered.
She hesitated for a moment, then pressed the call button.
The phone rang once, twice, thrice, then suddenly a voice came exploding from the other side.
"Ha Ri, what are tou thinking?!"
I saw her eyes squint slightly, but she kept the phone to her ear.
"It's not what it looks like." She replied desperately.
"That's exactly what everyone says when it's exactly what it looks like!"
I leaned against the concrete pillar, listening closely to their conversation.
The editor continued.
"You're a junior reporter! You don't secretly meet celebrities in parking garages!"
Ha Ri's voice hardened, " I wasn't meeting him like that."
"Then explain it to me." Her editor pressed on.
Her eyes flicked towards me , she hesitated when I didn't reply, then she said carefully:
" I was following a lead."
There was a brief pause and silence filled the place for some moments.
When next her editor spoke, his tone was softer and more curious:
" A lead…about what?"
She swallowed hard that I heard the gulp from where I stood.
I could see clearly, the war happening in her mind. Truth versus survival.
Finally she answered.
" I'm investigating something bigger."
Silence once again took over the place,like a war conqueror.
Then her editor signed heavily.
"Ha Ri… if you're lying to me right now, you're finished."
"I'm not lying." She answered firmly.
There was another long pause after that, suddenly the voice came through again:
"You have twelve hours."
"Twelve hours for what?" She asked blinking hard.
"Bring me a story that justifies this mess" the editor said " or I'll pull you off reporting completely."
The call ended.
Ha Ri POV
The garage was completely silent now, you could hear the sound of a pin drop.
I lowered the phone slowly.
"Twelve hours," I repeated again.
Seo Yul nodded. " That's generous."
I shot him a cold look.
" Generous?, how"
" You still have a chance. "
I let out a dry laugh.
" A chance to expose the criminal empire controlling a global pop star?"
"Yes."
I stared at him for a bit.
" You say that like it's normal."
He didn't respond this time, instead he walked towards the ramp leading out of the garage.
"Come on." He called to me.
I blinked.
" Where are we going?" I asked him.
"To get your story."
My eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"You're serious?"
"Completely." He replied with a straight face.
I hurried after him.
"You realize this could destroy you." I told him.
He stopped walking and turned towards me.
" I was already being destroyed."
The honesty in his voice hit harder than any dramatic declaration.
He turned around and continued walking.
"Now at least it'll mean something." He declared.
SEO YUL (Jin) POV
The city night air was cold when we stepped outside. Neon lights reflected off the wet pavement, traffic hummed in the distance.
Ha Ri walked beside me silently for a moment. Then she asked:
"Why are you helping me?"
The question caught me unawares, so I didn't answer immediately. The truth was complicated.
Finally, I said to her:
"Because if you fail tonight…" I looked at her briefly for dramatic effect, "they win."
She was a smart lady, I think she understood immediately.
The scandal wasn't just about embarrassment, it was also about control. If she lost her credibility, no one would believe her later. The organization would erase the threat she represented. It was clever, ruthless and effective.
Ha Ri rubbed her temples.
"So what exactly are we exposing?"
I expected this question, I dropped my voice while answering.
"My father."
She stopped dead in her tracks.
"You're serious."
"Yes" I said.
"That's suicide." She pressed on.
" Not if we do it carefully."
She stared at me like I had just suggested robbery, not just any robbery, robbing a bank.
"You've been preparing for this, haven't you?" She asked, not so surprised anymore.
I met her gaze squarely, and replied without guilt.
"For years."
The city wind moved through the street. For the first time since meeting her, I showed her the full weight I carried.
This wasn't rebellion, it's a long war and tonight was the first public shot.
Ha Ri POV
My mind spun, my thoughts raced. If I published something real, something undeniable. The scandal would collapse. But if I failed, both our lives would implode.
I took a deep breath after thinking things thoroughly.
"Okay," I said.
Jin looked surprised.
" You're agreeing? " He asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Yes." I answered not minding his cockiness.
" Why?" He pressed on.
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Because if I'm going down…" I let myself grin an evil grin "I might as well bring down a mafia empire too."
For the first time that night, Jin laughed. A real laugh, not bitter, not controlled, just a normal human laugh and strangely warm.
He shook his head slightly, still laughing.
"You're insane."
I smirked and giggled a bit.
"You're the one who sings for criminals."
Fair point, he looked at the growing skyline, then back at me.
" First step," he said" we find proof my father can't bury."
I raised an eyebrow.
"And where exactly do we find that?"
Seo Yul's expression darkened slightly.
" In a place he believes no one would dare look."
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.
" And where is that?"
"His private club."
My stomach tightened a bit.
" Of course he has a private club." I said almost shouting.
He started walking again and muttered to himself:
"Of course he does."
I hurried to catch up with him.
" You realize breaking into a mafia-controlled club at night isn't normal journalism." I said once I caught up with him.
He glanced sideways at me for a bit, before saying:
"You realize following a mafia heir through the city at night isn't normal journalism either."
I sighed hard.
" Fair." I muttered.
We walked toward the waiting streetlights. Two people with one secret and a war quietly beginning beneath the surface of fame.