Secrets Unveiled

Seo-yeon was turning in her bed in her apartment unable to stop thinking about the time she had confronted Joon-woo. There was never a time that she was let down and yet she still did not give up the will to struggle. She therefore had to keep alongside the general situation between Joon-woo and Hyun-soo so that she would not fall into the troubled waters that accompanied them. 

The next day Seo-yeon and Min-ji decided to go to the café which they both liked the most.

"We need to delve deeper into the history between Joon-woo and Hyun-soo," Seo-yeon said as she took a sip of her coffee. "Their rivalry is the key to understanding their motives."

Min-ji nodded. "I've been looking into their past. They are much more than what is looked at them They were not always fighting.

Seo-yeon leaned in, intrigued. "What did you find?"

Min-ji produced a folder full of papers, from which she selected many and arranged them on the table. "Joon-woo and Hyun-soo were business partners and they started their own company building from scratch. "

Seo-yeon read the papers reflecting the timeline and significant points of partnering between the companies at the early stage of their cooperation. "What happened? What was the cause for the two of them to begin beating each other up?"

"It all started with a major deal" Min-ji explained. "They had the prospects of negotiating their way to reach a deal that could elevate their company's status, but Hyun-soo betrayed Joon-woo thus taking the contract while leaving Joon-woo empty-handed.

Seo-yeon's eyes widened. "So that's why Joon-woo is so ruthless. He wants revenge."

"Exactly," Min-ji confirmed. And "Yes, Hyun Soo again is not ready to give up that position without a fight. This conflict is not just business-related but they also have betrayal, within them."

When Seo-yeon assimilated all this information, she understood that analysis of the intensity of the hatred may become of great use to try to act in a way that the events will turn in her favor.

"This information can be used against them," she could think as hard as she could think about what more to do with this information.

Min-ji nodded in agreement. "One can try to influence them and eliminate their strong hostility. We can always turn their strengths into weaknesses."

Over the next few days, Seo-yeon and Min-ji came up with a plan to get Joon-woo and Hyun-soo at each other's throats by exploiting the earlier history of conflict between the two. They engaged in gossip, photos leaked documents and staged incidences that would further fan the flames of the rivalry.

One evening, Seo-yeon received a call from Joon-woo. "We need to talk," he said, his voice tense.

Realizing Seo-yeon's confusion he promised to meet her in an area she changed into a private lounge, far from the usual traffic. When she got there, Joon-woo was already sitting, he looked quite serious.

"Seo-yeon," he started, "There are some nasty things I heard about that guy Hyun-soo, he is researching our past, and he wants to use it against me."

Seo-yeon feigned surprise. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he is that desperate," Joon-woo responded. This is the major reason why he is circulating such stories; he knows that I will bring him down soon."

Seo-yeon nodded slowly. "So what do we do?"

"We need to strike back", Joon-woo said, as his eyes underwent a transformation and glinted. "Just sink to his level and make sure you hit back even harder. If he wants to remain at the opposition's level, let him be but we'll outdo him".

Seo-yeon nodded as she weighed up the consequences that befall her mind. "I got it. Yeah, but we must be very cautious; Hyun-soo is smart; he will not surrender easily."

Joon-woo smiled devilishly at that, his eyes were as cold as ice. "That's why I need you, Seo-yeon. You're the only one I can trust."

When Seo-yeon stepped out of the meeting, she couldn't shake the feeling that Joon-woo was still hiding something from her. She required more knowledge and she knew just where to get it.

The next day, she made a date with Hyun-soo for a meeting. She attempted to pry from him more information about his past together with Joon-woo by simulating a proposal for a partnership.

"Me and Joon-woo were like brothers, " said Hyun-soo with anger in his voice. " Dear, we built something amazing together but Greed certainly changes people.

Seo-yeon nodded sympathetically. "It must have been difficult. "

"It was," Hyun-soo admitted. "But I benefited from it. I got to be wiser, more knowledgeable, and experienced and it has also given me the determination to stay on top. "

Seo-yeon absorbed his words, recognizing the same drive and determination in Hyun-soo that she had seen in Joon-woo. Their rivalry was a battle of wills, each determined to outdo the other at any cost.

Seo-yeon found herself getting out of the meeting with Hyun-soo as if everything had become clear to her. She realized it now – both the men's need for power was the same and the hatred they harbored for each other was something she could use.

On getting into her apartment, Seo-yeon analyzed the note to determine the strategies for how she would benefit from deepening the rivalry. She knew that was risky, but knowing that Min-ji was with her, and comprehending what was on the line, she figured she could take anything that was waiting for her.

Her phone buzzed with a message from Min-ji: "We're ready when you are."

Seo-yeon typed back: "Alright, let's do this."

Having learned all the secrets of Joon-woo and Hyun-soo's past stories, Seo-yeon also has become cunning and willing to turn sharp and swim in the water of rivalry and emerge a survivor. But it wasn't the end of the game and she was quite willing to end the game as it was.