chapter 7
676 Words
📘 Episode 7: The Scandal
The world didn’t wait.
It never does.
By morning, the internet was on fire.
📸: CEO Ares Ji Spotted Outside Woman’s Apartment All Night
📸: Mystery Woman Identified – Irene Min, Former Employee of JiCorp
And just like that, the private became public.
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✦ Irene’s Apartment – 6:00 AM
Irene opened the door to a flood of noise.
Reporters.
Cameras.
Flashes.
“Miss Min! Are you the reason for Ares Ji’s separation from his wife?”
“Are you pregnant?”
“Did you seduce him for revenge?”
She froze.
Her hands trembled as they reached to shut the door—but a strong arm beat her to it.
Ares stood beside her, hair messy, shirt half-buttoned, shielding her with his body like a wall.
“She’s not answering anything,” he growled, pushing the door shut.
Inside, Irene stared at him.
“You told the media?” she whispered.
“No. But I didn’t stop them either.”
“Why?”
He looked straight into her eyes. “Because I’m done hiding. If I lose everything, I don’t care. I lost you once, I’m not doing it again.”
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✦ Yena’s Father’s Mansion
Yena slammed the tablet across the room.
“What the hell is he doing!?”
Her father, Minister Han, read the headlines with a frown.
“He’s making a statement,” he muttered.
“He’s humiliating me!” she shrieked.
Minister Han sipped his tea. Calm. Dangerous. “Then remind him what happens when a Ji disrespects the Han family.”
She froze.
“Do it, Yena,” he said. “Hit her where it hurts. Let’s see if he still protects her when she has nothing left.”
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✦ JiCorp Headquarters – Same Morning
“Sir, we have board members threatening to withdraw,” Ares’ assistant reported, rushing into his office.
Ares leaned back in his chair, eyes cold, unbothered.
“Let them.”
“They’re blaming your scandal for stock drops.”
“I’ll buy back the shares.”
The assistant blinked. “Sir, that’s—”
“I said, let them.”
Ares wasn’t bluffing.
He had spent ten years building JiCorp. But now? He’d burn the whole empire to protect Irene.
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✦ Irene’s POV
She lost her job.
Every client she worked with dropped her.
Agencies blacklisted her.
Landlord served her a warning.
And worse—her mother called.
"How dare you shame us! Do you know what people are saying in our community? That you're a homewrecker?!"
Irene’s voice cracked. “Mom, it’s not like that—”
“Don’t come home. Your father’s ashamed.”
Click.
Silence.
It rang louder than any slap.
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✦ That Night – Ares' Penthouse
Ares waited for her outside her apartment again, umbrella in hand.
But Irene didn’t come home.
He waited.
One hour. Two. Five.
Finally, at midnight, he got a call.
“I’m at the bridge,” her voice said softly. “The one near Yeouido.”
He dropped everything and drove like hell.
When he reached, she was standing on the edge, staring at the water.
“Don’t jump,” he said, heart slamming in his chest.
“I wasn’t going to,” she replied. “But… if I disappear… maybe the world will stop talking.”
He walked toward her slowly.
“I’ll burn the world before I let it touch you again.”
She laughed softly, bitter. “You say things like that, but you married someone else, Ares.”
“I’m trying to fix it.”
“You can’t fix me. You broke me.”
He grabbed her hand. “Then let me carry the broken pieces.”
She didn’t move.
Didn’t cry.
But she didn’t let go either.
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✦ The Morning After
Breaking News:
ARES JI FILES FOR DIVORCE.
Headline. Banner. Everywhere.
Yena stared at the screen, face expressionless.
“Plan B,” she said coldly. “If I can’t have him... neither can she.”
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✦ END OF EPISODE 7
- Writer
