While Aura Management celebrated their hard-won victory, Nam Gyu-ri sat in her silent, sterile office and analyzed her defeat. She felt no anger, no frustration. To The Viper, failure was not an emotional event; it was a data point. It was a miscalculation to be studied, learned from, and rectified. Her initial assessment of Han Yoo-jin had been flawed. She had categorized him as a standard, idealistic upstart. She now understood he was something far more dangerous: an unpredictable, creative strategist who didn't play by the established rules of engagement. Her previous attacks, aimed at his company's reputation, had failed because he had managed to turn them into part of his brand's heroic narrative.
Very well, she thought. If attacking his company only makes it stronger, then the target must change. She would no longer attack Aura Management. She would attack the man himself, personally and intimately.
She picked up her phone and dialed a number from her encrypted contacts. It belonged to a discreet, expensive, and highly effective private investigator.
"I have a new target for you," she said, her voice a low, clinical purr. "His name is Han Yoo-jin, CEO of Aura Management. I want everything you can find on his ten years at Stellar Entertainment. I'm not interested in his professional successes or failures. I want his personal interactions. Specifically, his relationships with the female trainees he managed. Dig into their histories. I want to know who was cut, who felt wronged, who has a grievance. Find me a girl who is desperate. Find me someone with a story that can be… shaped."
Two days later, the investigator's report came back. It was thorough. Most of it was useless—glowing testimonials from former colleagues about Yoo-jin's work ethic, notes on his constant clashes with the marketing department over artistic integrity. But one name was flagged. Lee Seo-yeon.
"Subject: Lee Seo-yeon," the report read. "Vocal prodigy. Personally scouted and managed by Han Yoo-jin. He championed her aggressively within Stellar, pushing for a solo debut. His proposal was ultimately rejected by department head Kang Min-hyuk due to the subject's 'lack of commercial visuals.' Han Yoo-jin fought the decision but lost. Contract was terminated. The subject currently works multiple part-time jobs, including one at a cafe in Gangnam. Our initial surveillance indicates she holds no ill will towards Han Yoo-jin. In fact, she seems to admire him, viewing him as the only one who believed in her."
The Viper leaned back in her chair, a slow, cold smile spreading across her face. No ill will. Admires him.
"Perfect," she whispered to herself.
Admiration was even better than resentment. Resentment was loud and often unbelievable. But admiration, when twisted by desperation, could be weaponized into a far more tragic and sympathetic narrative of betrayal.
The next day, a stylish, friendly woman in her early thirties began frequenting the cafe where Lee Seo-yeon worked. She was one of The Viper's top field agents, a master of social engineering. She ordered the same latte every day, sat at the same table, and always had a kind word for the tired-looking barista. Over several days, she expertly built a rapport with Seo-yeon, learning her schedule, asking about her day, pretending to be just another friendly regular.
One afternoon, the agent heard Seo-yeon humming a soft melody as she wiped down the counter.
"Your voice is beautiful," the agent said, her tone full of warm, genuine surprise. "You sound like a professional. You should be a singer."
Seo-yeon's hands stilled. A sad, wistful smile touched her lips. "I used to be a trainee," she admitted, the words tasting like a past life.
The agent's face flooded with expertly feigned sympathy. She leaned forward, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Let me guess. A big company? They chewed you up and spat you out, didn't they? They do that. They find real gems like you, use you for your talent, and then discard you if you don't fit their perfect little mold. It's a crime."
The agent had opened the wound. Now, it was time to pour in the poison.
"You know who's really amazing, though?" the agent continued, her tone shifting to one of admiration. "That Han Yoo-jin from Aura Management. It's incredible what he did for that Ahn Da-eun girl. A true miracle. He fought the whole system for her." She paused, looking at Seo-yeon with a thoughtful, pitying expression. "It's just such a shame he didn't fight that hard for you when he was your manager back at Stellar. Can you imagine where you'd be right now if he had put his foot down for you then, instead of waiting? But I guess… Ahn Da-eun was a better investment for his new company."
It was a brilliant, insidious lie, wrapped in a sympathetic truth. She was reframing Yoo-jin's past failure to save Seo-yeon as a deliberate, calculated choice. She was twisting his powerlessness then into a narrative of abandonment now. Seo-yeon didn't know what to say. A seed of doubt, a tiny, poisonous thought, had been planted in her mind for the first time.
A few days later, after cementing their "friendship," the agent made her move.
"Listen, Seo-yeon," she said, her voice buzzing with excitement. "This is going to sound crazy, but I'm not just a regular customer. I'm a casting director. I keep a low profile. And I have a good friend who is a very famous music producer at a major broadcast station. He's looking for a fresh, new female voice for a huge drama OST that's coming out this winter. The lead actor is Lee Min-ho level famous. This could change your life. And he owes me a big favor. I can get you a private audition. A real one."
Seo-yeon's heart stopped. An audition. A real one. The dream she had thought was dead and buried suddenly felt within her grasp.
"But…" the agent said, her expression turning serious. "My friend, the producer, he's a storyteller. He needs a narrative. The song is a sad ballad, and he wants a singer who can embody that pain. The 'talented girl abandoned by her famous CEO mentor' story… it's very powerful. Very sympathetic. The public would eat it up."
Seo-yeon was confused. "But CEO Han didn't abandon me… he fought for me."
"Of course he did!" the agent said smoothly, her voice like honey. "We know that. But this is the entertainment industry. It's all about a good story. We just need to… embellish it a little for the media interviews after you get the part. Emphasize how heartbroken you were when he left Stellar. How you felt so left behind when he started his new company without you. It will make your eventual success, when you debut with this OST, even more triumphant! It's just for the story. A little media play. Everyone does it."
Seo-yeon was trapped. The most precious dream of her life was being dangled in front of her, and the price of entry was a small, seemingly harmless lie—a lie that would betray the one person in the industry who had ever truly believed in her.
Back at Aura Management, Yoo-jin was in a meeting, planning the album rollout. His phone buzzed. It was a call from Kim Ji-soo, the reporter from Sound & Seoul. He stepped into the hallway to take it.
"CEO Han," she said, and he could hear the genuine concern in her voice. "I'm calling you off the record because you were honest with me, and I feel I owe you the same courtesy. Something is happening. I've been getting anonymous tips all morning from a 'source' at a broadcast station. The tips are about a former trainee of yours. A girl named Lee Seo-yeon."
Yoo-jin went cold.
"The story they're pushing is ugly," Ji-soo continued, her voice low. "They're saying you emotionally manipulated her when she was a minor at Stellar, making her dependent on you, promising her the world. And then you abandoned her to start your new company with a 'prettier,' more marketable artist. They're trying to book Seo-yeon for an exclusive, tearful tell-all interview on a trashy online gossip show. The angle feels… predatory. They're trying to build a 'Me Too'-style narrative around you, framing you as a hypocrite. It's a very dangerous, very personal attack. I think you're about to be ambushed."
Yoo-jin hung up the phone, a feeling of icy dread creeping into his heart. He knew Seo-yeon. He knew her character. She would never do this willingly. He focused his mind, picturing Seo-yeon's face, pushing his ability to see her status. The system responded with a chilling confirmation.
[Lee Seo-yeon Status: Subject is being actively manipulated by a professional third party. A high-value opportunity (OST Audition) has been offered contingent on cooperation. Target of Manipulation: Han Yoo-jin. Objective: To frame him as a hypocrite who preys on and discards vulnerable young female artists, thereby destroying his personal and professional reputation.]
The Viper's second sting had been delivered. And this time, it wasn't aimed at his company. It was aimed directly at his heart, using the person he felt most responsible for, the ghost of his greatest failure, as her weapon.