The warehouse rejection was just the beginning.
By the end of the week, Jae's fledgling company was bleeding money—investors backing out, suppliers mysteriously canceling contracts, and worst of all, whispers spreading through the industry that his technology had critical flaws.
Mira found him in their apartment at 3 AM, his laptop screen casting a ghostly glow over his exhausted face.
"You need to sleep," she murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Jae didn't look up. "I can't."
She glanced at the screen—an email from his lead engineer.
Subject: Urgent – Security Breach
Someone leaked our prototype schematics. Competitors already have copies.
Mira's stomach dropped. "Jae—"
He slammed the laptop shut. "Eun-ji."
There was no doubt.
---
The call came at noon.
Mira was in the middle of a strategy meeting at LUXE when her phone buzzed—an unknown number. She stepped into the hallway to answer.
"Miss Yoon."
Eun-ji's voice was honey-sweet, the kind of tone that made Mira's skin prickle.
"I thought you might want to talk. Man to man, so to speak."
Mira's grip tightened on her phone. "What do you want?"
A soft laugh. "Oh, nothing much. Just a friendly chat about your… childhood."
The air left Mira's lungs.
"Meet me at the Han River Café. One hour."
The line went dead.
---
The café was nearly empty, the kind of place where the wealthy went to be seen without being bothered. Eun-ji sat at a corner table, sipping tea like a queen holding court.
Mira didn't sit.
"Cut the games," she said flatly. "What's your move?"
Eun-ji set down her cup with deliberate calm. "You know, it's funny. All this time, I thought Jae left me for some dazzling, brilliant woman. But you?" She smirked. "You're just a stuttering little girl who never grew up."
Mira's nails dug into her palms.
Eun-ji pulled out a file—old school records, faded photos, even a crumpled note Mira had written to a teacher years ago, begging not to be called on in class.
"Did you know," Eun-ji mused, flipping through the pages, "that Jae's father has no idea about your… condition? That the great Park heir is throwing away his future for someone who can't even speak in public without panicking?"
Mira's vision blurred with rage.
Eun-ji leaned in. "Here's what's going to happen. You walk away. Or tomorrow, every investor, every board member, every journalist in Seoul gets a copy of this." She tapped the file. "And then we'll see how long Jae's little rebellion lasts when the world realizes what you really are."
Mira's hand twitched.
Eun-ji's smile widened. "Oh, please try it. Give me a reason to ruin you faster."
For a heartbeat, Mira imagined slapping that smirk off her face.
Then—
A shadow fell over the table.
Jae stood there, his expression colder than Mira had ever seen it.
"You're done," he said, voice low.
Eun-ji blinked. "Jae, I—"
He grabbed the file and tore it in half. "You want to fight? Fight me. But if you ever come near her again, I won't be this polite."
Eun-ji's composure cracked. "You'll regret this."
Jae didn't flinch. "I already don't."
He took Mira's hand and led her out, the café's stunned silence ringing behind them.
Back in their apartment, Mira finally broke.
"She's right," she whispered, staring at her shaking hands. "If this gets out—"
Jae turned her to face him. "Then we handle it. Together."
She wanted to believe him. But the fear was a living thing in her chest, whispering that she was the weak link, the flaw in his armor.
Jae cupped her face. "Look at me."
She did.
"You're not running this time," he said. "And neither am I."
---
It happened overnight.
By dawn, every major media outlet in Seoul had the story.
"CHAIRMAN PARK'S SON IN LOVE WITH MENTALLY UNSTABLE WOMAN—THERAPY RECORDS LEAKED"
"INSIDE MIRA YOON'S TROUBLED PAST: STUTTERING, PANIC ATTACKS, AND YEARS OF THERAPY"
"IS JAE PARK BEING MANIPULATED? EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON TOXIC RELATIONSHIP"
Mira's phone exploded with notifications—emails from LUXE's PR team, frantic messages from colleagues, even a coldly formal text from Kang Dae-won:
"Don't come into the office today."
She sat on the edge of the bed, numb, as Jae paced their apartment, barking orders into his phone.
"Sue them. Every single one," he snarled to his lawyer. "And find out who the hell gave them those records."
But they both knew.
Eun-ji had struck the killing blow.
---
Jae's big deal—the one that was supposed to save his company—was hanging by a thread.
Mira watched from the doorway as he stood in front of his team, his voice steady despite the storm.
"The deal is still on," he said, jaw set. "Hanover Industries won't back out just because of some tabloid trash."
Kim Seung hesitated. "Jae… they're already asking for an emergency review of your financials. They think—"
"I don't care what they think." Jae's voice was steel. "We move forward."
But Mira saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes. The exhaustion. The weight of everything crumbling around them.
Because of her.
She slipped out before he could see her.
...
....
...
Soo-yeon found her at a quiet café by the Han River—the same one where they'd met as teenagers, back when Mira was still learning how to string sentences together without her voice breaking.
The moment Soo-yeon saw her face, she knew.
"Oh, Mira," she breathed, pulling her into a crushing hug.
Mira shattered.
The tears came in heaving sobs, the kind that left her gasping for air. "I'm ruining him," she choked out. "Everything he's worked for—his company, his name—it's all falling apart because of me."
Soo-yeon gripped her shoulders. "Hey. Look at me."
Mira couldn't.
"Look at me," Soo-yeon demanded. "Do you really think Jae is some helpless idiot who can't make his own choices?"
Mira flinched. "That's not—"
"He chose you," Soo-yeon said fiercely. "Not because you're perfect. Not because you fit into his world. But because you're you."
Mira shook her head. "But what if that's not enough? What if loving me costs him everything?"
Soo-yeon's expression softened. She reached into her bag and pulled out a folded magazine—an old issue of Business Seoul, from years ago.
On the cover, a younger Jae stood stiffly beside his father at a Park Group gala, his smile so forced it looked painful.
"You think that man would have walked away from his family?" Soo-yeon tapped the photo. "You didn't drag him anywhere, Mira. You freed him."
Mira stared at the image, her chest aching.
Then her phone buzzed.
A message from Jae:
"Where are you?"
Her fingers trembled as she typed:
"I need time."
The reply was instant:
"Take all the time you need. I'll be here."
Three words. No pressure. No demands.
Just I'll be here.
Mira pressed a hand to her mouth, fresh tears spilling over.
Soo-yeon sighed, squeezing her hand. "You're not the one who has to decide if you're worth it, Mira. He already did."
Night fell by the time Mira made it back to their apartment.
Jae was waiting on the couch, his laptop abandoned, his tie loose around his neck. The moment the door opened, he stood.
For a long moment, they just looked at each other.
Then Mira spoke, her voice raw.
"What if I'm not strong enough for this?"
Jae crossed the room in three strides, his hands cradling her face. "You are."
"But—"
"No." His thumb brushed away a tear. "You fought your whole life just to be heard. To be seen. And now you're worried about dragging me down?" He let out a disbelieving laugh. "Mira, you're the only reason I'm standing at all."
Her breath hitched.
Jae leaned his forehead against hers. "So don't you dare let them win. Not now. Not after everything."
Mira closed her eyes, the weight of his words settling deep in her chest.
For the first time since the scandal broke, she felt something other than fear.
Defiance.
She opened her eyes.
"Okay."