**Arc 2: Chapter 25 – The Storm Approaches**
Jae-min paced back and forth in his apartment, the tension in the room so thick it was suffocating. His phone rested on the counter, silent but heavy with anticipation. So-ra had messaged him an hour ago, saying Min-ji's team was almost done fact-checking the evidence, and they were ready to publish. But every passing second felt like an eternity.
Elyra, sitting cross-legged on the couch, was uncharacteristically quiet. She watched him with a faint smirk, her glowing green eyes tracking his every step.
"You know, you could at least *pretend* to relax," she said, breaking the silence.
"I can't," Jae-min muttered, running a hand through his hair. "This is the biggest move I've ever made. If it fails—"
"It won't," Elyra interrupted, her tone firm. "You've planned this down to the last detail. And even if it does fail, you've still got me. I won't let you crash and burn."
Jae-min stopped pacing and looked at her. There was something oddly comforting about the confidence in her voice, like she was more than just a system guiding him—like she was a partner in his battle.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"Don't mention it." She leaned back, her smirk widening. "Now, how about you stop wearing a hole in the floor and focus on the fun part? The chaos that's about to unfold."
---
By the next morning, *Truthline Daily* had published the exposé. The headline was bold, impossible to ignore:
**"Lionheart Corporation's Corruption Exposed: A Trail of Bribes, Blackmail, and Betrayal."**
Within hours, the story spread like wildfire. Social media was ablaze with outrage, news outlets were scrambling to pick up the story, and Lionheart's stock price had already begun to plummet.
Jae-min watched it all unfold from his laptop, his heart pounding in his chest. It was working.
"Wow," Elyra said, leaning over his shoulder. "You actually did it. You lit the match."
"And now we wait for the explosion," Jae-min murmured, his eyes glued to the screen.
---
The explosion came faster than expected. By midday, Lionheart's PR team had issued a statement, calling the article "a baseless attack filled with misinformation." But their denial only fueled the fire. Former employees began coming forward, sharing their own stories of corruption and abuse.
One such story came from a whistleblower who had worked in Lionheart's finance department. Her interview with *Truthline Daily* confirmed much of what Jae-min had uncovered—and added even more damning details.
"This is bigger than I thought," So-ra said when she called Jae-min later that evening. "Min-ji says the story's traction is unprecedented. Lionheart's scrambling, but it's too late to contain this."
"Good," Jae-min said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through him. "They deserve this."
So-ra hesitated. "You should be careful, though. When corporations like Lionheart are cornered, they get dangerous."
"I know," Jae-min replied. "But I'm not backing down."
---
That night, Jae-min sat on his balcony, the city lights stretching out before him. He felt a strange mix of triumph and unease. This was what he'd been working toward, but the fight was far from over.
Elyra appeared beside him, holding two glasses of wine. She handed one to him with a grin.
"What's this for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A toast," she said. "To chaos, victory, and you finally learning how to play the game."
Jae-min chuckled and clinked his glass against hers. "I'll drink to that."
They sat in silence for a while, the weight of the day slowly lifting. But in the back of Jae-min's mind, he knew this was just the beginning. Lionheart wasn't going to go down without a fight—and he needed to be ready for whatever came next.
For now, though, he allowed himself this small moment of celebration. Because even in the midst of chaos, there was something undeniably satisfying about watching the mighty fall.