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"Love should not be calculative like this," Minho did not look back, but he felt Se-ra's words were unusually cold, "Plus, I believe that a person that often thinks on behalf of others, can never be that bad. Please stop dragging me back amongst the scandals. Whether it's you, or the 'good news' you wanted to tell me, I have absolutely no interest."

Se-ra also did not understand what had gotten over her. Thinking back on the way she portrayed herself in front of Tiffany and everyone else, she suddenly questioned whether she had been acting all along and the current jealousy-filled woman was her true self.

"Yunho, I truly need you," Se-ra stood up and said with urgency, "I truly do."

Hearing these words, Minho finally turned around. But, at this moment, his mind was only filled with the injury-covered Krystal.

Because he knew, Se-ra's so-called 'need' was merely a desperation to satisfy her unwillingness to admit that he had moved on.

"I'm sorry, but I think that there's someone that needs me more," Minho lifted his and Krystal's intertwined hands and looked at her in seriousness.

He then dragged Krystal out of Se-ra's sight with no hesitation whatsoever.

Se-ra fell back on the sofa in a daze as her hands trembled. Her past indecisiveness had blinded her from the importance that Minho held, and when she finally came to realization, it was already too late.

But...was it really too late?

In reality, Se-ra had no idea that her so-called 'need', would make Minho understand what he truly felt.

He finally understood who he truly needed, who he treasured and who he should protect.

"You must be really happy inside. Se-ra pleaded for you to take her back," Krystal pulled her hand away shyly as they left the hotel.

"To me, she already means nothing."

"Se-ra doesn't look like she will give up."

"Then I'm sorry. I may not be good at other things, but I am extremely stubborn. Once I've made up my mind, I will never turn back," Minho said in seriousness. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Krystal's face was slightly flushed. But, it wasn't clear whether it was because of the lighting, or because she understood a deeper layer of meaning to Minho's words.

The two did not say a word as they drove. However, halfway, Minho received a phone call from Tiffany.

"Noona...from now on, please don't pa.s.s my information to people that have nothing to do with me."

"Even if I didn't tell her, she would have got it from someone else," Tiffany replied calmly, "If Se-ra has become a burden to you, then I will make sure that you will never see her again."

"Noona...I'll handle this matter myself," Minho replied confidently. "You don't need to do anything. After all, you were once on really good terms with her. I know what to do. I just hope that she doesn't go overboard."

"Is Krystal beside you?" Tiffany asked.

"Yes, she's here," Minho replied honestly.

"Since you don't want me to get involved, then protect Krystal well. She is not from the entertainment industry. Don't make her pay for something she's not a part of," Tiffany said with a deeper meaning. It no longer mattered that Se-ra was great at her job and had sacrificed a lot for Minho in the past.

"I don't think Se-ra will go that far."

But, sometimes, women would do anything when it came to love.

As Minho and Krystal returned back to the Jung Household, they found Elder Jung and Father Jung sitting on the sofa in the living room. Father Jung initially wanted to release his anger on his daughter, but unfortunately, the man sitting next to him was a lot more powerful than him.

Krystal wanted to smile, but was too afraid to smile. Meanwhile, knowing that Elder Jung was around, Minho felt rest a.s.sured that Krystal would be safe.

"Go home, don't worry about me. If anything happens, I will give you and Fany Unnie a phone call."

Minho nodded his head and left the Jung Household after giving his greetings to Elder Jung. As for Krystal, she headed straight for her bedroom after greeting her father and grandfather.

However, upon entering her room, she screamed as she discovered that the doll that usually sat on her bed was torn apart and lying on the floor. As for the clothes in her wardrobe, they were all cut into shreds with scissors.

When she opened her shoe cabinet, she found that shards of gla.s.s had been left in her shoes...

And when she looked at her handbags, they were filled with blades...

The fire inside her boiled. Her first reaction was to go look for Ye Lan, but...just as she reached her doorway, she remembered what Tiffany had said. She had told her that no matter what was to happen, she should not act on her own.

So, Krystal immediately gave Tiffany a phone call and explained everything that had happened in detail.

"Krystal, although this definitely has something to do with Ye Lan, it may not be entirely her idea. After all, without your father's support..."

There were some things that Tiffany didn't need to explain in detail; Krystal already knew. But, she felt quite fortunate to have Tiffany's support.

"What should I do then?"

"Don't make a big fuss out of it. Secretly tell your grandfather what has happened. This would be better than igniting a war on your own. Krystal, you must remember, everything you're doing, is to protect yourself. Don't just appear capable on the surface, you need to actually benefit from what you're doing."

"Once you seize power, you can protect yourself and the people around you."

"I understand. Thank you, Fany Unnie," Krystal immediatey understood Tiffany's words.

So, she did nothing until late at night when she gave Elder Jung a phone call.

"Grandfather...can you come up to my room for a second?"

"What is it? Aren't we both in the same house? Why are you calling me on the phone?"

"Grandfather, don't let father know I'm talking to you. Please."

Hearing Krystal's please, Elder Jung got up and walked to Krystal's room. As soon as he saw the mess on the floor, his face turned red in anger...

"Grandfather, please don't get angry yet," Krystal pulled Elder Jung over to sit on the sofa, "Let me say a few things first." As she spoke, she pulled out the medical report from her previous visit to the hospital.

As soon as Elder Jung looked at the report, he was in shock, "Was this all caused by the creature that you call father?" Although Minho had already explained to him that Krystal suffered from domestic violence, he didn't expect it to be this extreme.

"Ever since that woman married into the family, father has gotten worse."

"Rubbis.h.!.+ What an animal!" Elder Jung yelled. "Don't be afraid Krystal, grandfather will stick up for you."

"Grandfather, what I'm truly afraid of is the fact that that woman has already bewitched my father into no longer acknowledging our existence. There's no way she would allow the Jung Family to live in peace."

Elder Jung thought for a moment and eventually scoffed, "I never officially announced that I'd be handing Jung Corps to your father." Elder Jung had a plan,

"Tomorrow, I will combine your shares with your mother's and place it all under your name. After that, you will have more shares than that monster."

"As for this entire house, grandfather will also give it to you."

Did this mean that she would have the right to kick Ye Lan out...?

Did it?

....

Over the next two days, 'W.H.' officially finished showing in theaters and wrapped up the season with close to $2 billion in ticket sales. With this result, Tiffany showed off her box office dominance. Combined with her results from 'Stupid', she officially became known as the 'Box Office Queen'.

One 'Stupid' and one 'W.H.' was enough to stabilize her foundation as a great actress. Even if she didn't end up receiving a FT Award, she was already seen as the best newcomer in everyone's eyes.

Of course, compet.i.tion for the FT Awards​ was as fierce as ever. As a result, Ye Lan's fans went around slandering Tiffany, claiming that the results were definitely influenced by Elder Kim in some way.

After all, no one was willing to accept that their idol didn't compare to others. Although Ye Lan did not have a great personality, her acting was undeniably good, so it was only normal for her fans to be upset.

_"If someone else receives the award, I won't mind. But, if it's Tiffany, there's no way I can accept it. After all, Tiffany and Ye Lan's acting is practically on the same level."

_"These awards are getting worse each year. It's obviously rigged."

Over the next few days, there were plenty of discussions about who would be the winner of the FT Awards​. After all, this year had the most suspense and compet.i.tion was fierce.

The public seemed to have become accustomed to expecting that whenever Tiffany was involved, there was bound to be a good show. But, how could an actress that announced her retreat be deserving of an award?

_"I feel that giving the award to someone that has retreated, is a mockery to those that are persistent."

_"I have no comment about her decision to retreat, after all, everyone has their right to make their own choices, but...when it comes to an award, it should be given to someone that is serious and hardworking."

Because of Tiffany's retreat, plenty of people had their opinions.

Although she continued to have films to release, retreating suggested that she had given up on being an actress, whether it be a temporary or long term decision.

Late at night, Se-ra was at home drinking wine and watching television. The entertainment news was currently focused on predictions for the FT Awards. As she watched, her eyes darkened with a trace of ridicule.

"Tiffany won't be winning an award this time," a cold voice could suddenly be heard coming from behind her. Se-ra turned around to find that it was her fiance. So, she immediately asked, "Why?"

"Because she's retreated from the industry! Even being nominated is already an award enough for her. There's no way that the organising committee will consider someone that has retreated."

"Why does that even matter? There's no rule against it," Se-ra refuted.

"It's insider information," her fiance replied as he sat down beside her and made a hush gesture. "Tiffany can indeed act and Taeyeon is indeed powerful, but Crown Empire has no control over the FT Awards."

"Although it hasn't been officially recorded, it is an unspoken rule amongst the judges."

"Have you not looked at the names of everyone that has ever won? Which winner has ever been someone that has retreated?"

"Someone that has retreated, will never win!"

"Does that mean Fany Unnie will go home with nothing?" Se-ra sat up, "That's impossible, President Kim has calculated everything carefully, there's no way he wouldn't know about this."

"President Kim is impressive, but he isn't flawless," the man scoffed. "I would like to see how President Kim cleans up this mess."

"Aren't you really close to Tiffany? You're welcome to notify her of this result," the man sneered before he returned to the bedroom, leaving Se-ra all alone on the sofa in a predicament.

Tiffany was Minho's older sister, but Minho...

Why should she continue to care about the family of the person she loved?

Plus, Taeyeon probably already had his plans. There was no reason she should implicate herself in the matter.

Late at night. Jung Household.

As soon as Elder Jung said that he'd transfer shares and the Jung Household to Krystal, he immediately got his lawyers to organize everything in secret.

In other words, Krystal was about to become the new owner of the Jung Family home. If she wanted someone to leave, even Father Jung would have no say.

Father Jung and Ye Lan had no idea about what was happening. They a.s.sumed that Krystal's silence was because she was too afraid to say anything, so they continued to act out of line.

Krystal did not mind. As per Tiffany's words, Krystal already had everything, so why bother with Ye Lan over such petty things?

Meanwhile, Ye Lan wasn't an easy fire to extinguish. She had always had her small circle of friends and connections within the entertainment industry.

As she was annoyed by being beaten by Tiffany, she decided to contact one of her good friends.

"It doesn't actually matter whether I receive an award or not. After all, I am well aware that my acting isn't great. But Yang Xi unnie is different, she is a true talent."

"If Yang Xi unnie doesn't win this year, I will be the first to find it unfair."

Krystal and Minho had just returned home and were standing behind Ye Lan, listening to her start fires all over the industry.

They looked at each other, before Krystal gestured for Minho to go home first. Minho gently patted Krystal's head, completely ignoring Ye Lan. He knew, even if Ye Lan trained for another ten lifetimes, she would never outsmart Tiffany.

After Minho left, Krystal walked over to the sofa opposite Ye Lan and sat down with a smile, "I still feel that the award should have been given to you. Look at the way you're acting right now, you were born with this talent."

Hearing Krystal's voice, Ye Lan put down the phone and stared coldly at the woman opposite her, "What? There's nothing you can do about it."

"Of course I can't do anything. But, Ye Lan, there's no way you can stop Tiffany from winning. Even when you put in your best effort before...you weren't even worthy of being on the final nomination list!"

Ye Lan looked at Krystal with ridicule, completely disregarding her words. All she knew was, Elder Jung was bound to leave sooner or later, and when that time came, there'd be no one around to help her.

However, Ye Lan had no idea that many changes were already taking place, right under her nose.

"Why don't we make a bet?" Ye Lan looked into Krystal's eyes at confidence, "I bet that Tiffany won't win The Best Newcomer Award."

"What happens if she wins?"

"Let's raise the ante. If Tiffany wins, I'll get a divorce with your father," Ye Lan laughed in ridicule. "What do you think? Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

Krystal stared calmly at Ye Lan. After a few moments, she finally replied, "I'm not going to gamble with you, because I know you won't keep your word. But, I'm certain that Tiffany will win. Whereas you...have already lost your chance."

"Krystal, I think it's best if you stop acting so arrogant. After all, Elder Jung is bound to leave some day."

Krystal brushed back her hair and stood up from the sofa with an amused smile, "Did you think that I still care at this point?"

She already had her trump card in her hand, when the timing was right...

...she was going to wait and see the expression on Ye Lan and Father Jung's face.

...

At this moment, inside the quiet hospital.

After all the suppression that Hwang Na-ri had gone through, she was currently being forced by Elder Hwang to remain in the hospital and take care of her pregnancy.

In reality, ever since the day that the caretaker told her that Tiffany was also pregnant and that she could sell the news to the paparazzi, she had been making plans in her mind.

All she wanted to do right now, was escape from the hospital. But, she was currently broke and the only thing that gave her any value was the information she held in her hands about Tiffany's pregnancy.

Her desperation to escape and her hatred towards Tiffany further increased after she saw that Tiffany had been nominated for a FT Award and that the entertainment news constantly revolved around her.

But, she had no idea that this time, she was practically giving up on her entire life...

After all, Tiffany's tolerance had a limit.

And Taeyeon and her child, was her bottom line...

_"Over the past few days, Ye Lan's fans and Tiffany's fans have been arguing like crazy."

After hearing the hospital staff gossiping about the entertainment news, Hwang Na-ri thought carefully to herself and finally decided not to sell the information to the paparazzi.

After all, the paparazzi were hired by others, so they wouldn't be able to offer her much money, instead, they may even attract future troubles. So, in the end, Hwang Na-ri made Ye Lan her target. After all, Ye Lan must hate Tiffany...

Ye Lan wasn't hard to contact. All Hwang Na-ri had to do was call her manager and say that she had a job offer. Hwang Na-ri had, after all, been the Big Miss of the Hwang Family for many years; throwing a few big names into the mix wasn't difficult to do. However, as Ye Lan picked up, she was quite surprised.

"I am Hwang Na-ri. The eldest daughter from Hwang Corps."

Ye Lan wasn't stupid; she, of course knew the status that Hwang Na-ri held in Hwang Corps. But, because of Tiffany, Ye Lan responded in an arrogant and disdainful voice, "Oh, it's you. I almost thought there really was a big job offer for me..."

"I have some first-hand information regarding Tiffany. Do you want to hear it?"

Ye Lan found these words quite amusing, "Miss Hwang, aren't you speaking to the wrong person? Why aren't you speaking to the media and paparazzi instead?"

"Because, I thought you'd be interested," Hwang Na-ri's voice was a little shaky. She actually wasn't certain whether Ye Lan would take her offer.

Ye Lan swayed her legs as she nibbled on some melon seeds. She originally wanted to hang up on Hwang Na-ri, but thinking about the bad relationship between the two sisters, she wondered whether Hwang Na-ri actually had some important information to offer her.

"Set a price," Ye Lan requested.

"$2 million," Hwang Na-ri was quiet for a moment before she thought of an amount that Ye Lan would be able to accept. In the past, this was merely the minimum price she would pay for a car.

But, things were very different now.

In fact, she was even worried that Ye Lan wouldn't be willing to pay $2 million. However, Ye Lan simply laughed; her laughter echoed through the phone.

"The once almighty Hwang Family heiress is actually negotiating with me over $2 million."

"Isn't this a joke? Miss Hwang, how did you become so pitiful...?"

Hwang Na-ri endured the humiliation as she clenched her fists and asked patiently, "Are you going to buy it, or not?"

"Of course I'll buy it. $2 million is just a pair of earrings for me. To swap it for some important information is well worth it. But, keep this in mind Miss Hwang, if the information you give me isn't worth anything, then I may be even more ruthless than Tiffany," Ye Lan warned.

"I would like to receive the money first, in case you don't keep your promise."

"That's fine. I know you're poor; the entire Seoul knows it!" Ye Lan agreed swiftly. Afterwards, she instructed her assistant to deposit $2 million into Hwang Na-ri's bank account. And of course, after Hwang Na-ri received the money, she passed on the information she knew to Ye Lan.

Ye Lan was dumbfounded...Tiffany was actually pregnant.

But, what did that have to do with her?

Ye Lan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Did she just waste $2 million to buy something that only the media would be interested in?

Ye Lan held onto her phone in deep

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