After being discharged from the hospital, Jiwon went straight to the police station and filed charges against Jo Minhyung for assault and sexual assault. Then, in preparation for any unforeseen events, she returned home with the people Serin had arranged for her.

A few days later, the world was flooded with stories about Se Jiwon.

However, as Serin had predicted, everything didn’t go smoothly, just as she casually mentioned it wouldn’t be easy.

A world that points fingers at the victim.

Of course, the media play from the other side was formidable. Suddenly, Jiwon had become an ex-lover who had a deep romantic relationship with Jo Minhyung.

The story went roughly like this:

Jiwon, who met Minhyung with a purpose, planned to coax him into returning to the drama, but when that plan failed, she went to his house, broke things, and threw a tantrum.

Though Minhyung reluctantly comforted her and they agreed to have a relationship, Jiwon, once again, lost her temper, and they ended up in a physical altercation.

Even though they were not lovers, they had slept together a few times before, and the fact that she had planned to use him to make a comeback in the drama was partially true. Therefore, the direction of the case favored Minhyung.

People denigrated her with words too obscene to utter.

She had become the top opportunist prostitute in South Korea.

Her agency declared that they could no longer protect her and terminated her contract.

It felt like hitting a massive wall head-on. She regretted standing up to someone as formidable as Jo Minhyung without anything to back her up.

She wanted to die. Even if she turned to dust right now, there wouldn’t be a single person left to remember her.

[Ding] It might be a good idea not to read internet articles for a while, for Jiwon’s mental health.

Just when she thoroughly thought she was alone, a message came from Serin. Then, a man who had been guarding the door knocked and handed her a small bag.

“Chairman Baek insists you must have a meal.”

Inside the bag was a luxurious sushi set. Jiwon closed the door, placed it on the table without a second glance, and lay on the sofa without touching anything.

She didn’t want to eat anything. And she didn’t want to think about anything.

It would be nice if she solidified like a rock.

But then, her phone rang. Surprised by the call with no caller ID, Jiwon answered as if possessed by something. Then, a familiar voice sounded threatening in her ear.

[Se Jiwon, are you completely crazy? How dare you sue me? Do you even know who I am? Listen carefully. I’ll make you fall even worse than a few years ago with the drug case. This time, I’ll bury you underground, I will!]

“…….”

[Hey! I know you’re listening! Just, if you withdraw the charges within two days, I might reconsider. Quietly forget about it. Your shattered image may be difficult to restore, but at least your name won’t be in the media anymore.] Minhyung, who had been threatening angrily, turned to persuasion when she gave no response. However, Jiwon felt nauseous at Minhyung’s voice and empty threats.

Without a hint of remorse, Minhyung confidently continued with the threats, which only stimulated her who had been rather subdued.

“Sorry, but you won’t go through with pressing charges, you crazy bastard! I don’t care what happens to me! Anyway, I have no future, and I’m already buried in darkness because of you!”

[What the… this crazy…?]

“Let’s see how far you can go!”

She hung up. But after shouting like this, a combativeness she didn’t have before emerged.

Jiwon turned her gaze to the sushi set on the table.

Then, as if her mind had changed in an instant, she opened it and began to eat with a determined expression.

She had to eat to survive.

She had to do it to confront Jo Minhyung.

She had to somehow prolong her life until then.

Even if she died, with the thought of dying with Jo Minhyung.

Meanwhile, Serin entered the private room of an upscale bar. There, the executive director of Jeil Hotel, who had arrived earlier, greeted her.

“Hey, it’s been a while, Chairman Baek. I heard the story. You finally successfully handled the bid for the theme hotel site. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. If Jeil Hotel had been a competitor, the story might have been different.”

To be honest, I was tempted to bid, but I withdrew after hearing that Chairman Baek was handling the project.”

“You’re too modest.”

The executive director handed her a glass of whiskey and asked.

“I didn’t expect you to contact me first like this. What did you want to see me for?”

“You probably already know. If you’re the executive director Han, it’s more than enough.”

But Serin didn’t express what she wanted with her mouth. The executive director was the only person she considered a rival in the hotel industry.

As an elite with exceptional acumen and strategy, he led Jeil Hotel to the top. The skills of this person were enough to say that he was the best in the hotel industry.