The truth about Sang-ah’s scandalous video is finally revealed at the beginning of Episode 9 of Climax. Yang-mi told Jeong-won to drug Sang-ah and set up a sexual situation, which led to the damaging footage.
The fallout happens right away and is terrible. Both his party and the public turn against Tae-seob, and he loses the election. The reporter, on the other hand, stops looking into Guk-won’s fraud. In response, CEO Jang sends his men to beat up the reporter and demand repayment of his investment.
Ji-ho also gives Jeong-won a one-way ticket out and tells her to leave and never come back because she has done what she was supposed to do. He reminds her that they kept her out of jail, but Jeong-won pushes back, saying they didn’t have any real evidence against her because she didn’t kill Jae-sang. She also tells them not to go near Sang-ah. Ji-ho is suspicious of her confidence, which could mean she has an advantage.
Tae-seob and Sang-ah’s relationship hits a wall when they get home. Sang-ah blames him for everything, saying that his pride and refusal to give in to Yang-mi led to their downfall. She tells him to ask for forgiveness because she thinks that’s the only way out for them.
But Tae-seob tells the truth about how he feels. All he ever wanted was for her to see him, stand next to him, and turn around when he called her name. He says that his pride has been hurt many times in his efforts to get to her. He storms out, leaving Sang-ah shaken, especially when drones start spying on their house.
Later, Tae-seob holds a press conference to say he is leaving the party and taking full responsibility for the scandal.
In the meantime, Tae-seob’s sister shows up, ready to confront Sang-ah and Jeong-won at first. But when she sees Sang-ah in such bad shape, she softens. She takes care of her wounds and gives her tough but honest advice. She admits that Sang-ah was a victim of a recording that wasn’t consensual, but she reminds her that as a public figure, she has to deal with the shame and consequences. She tells Sang-ah not to take the easy way out, but to face everything head-on and make things right. She gives her food for her birthday in a rare act of kindness and thinks that Tae-seob probably saw himself in Sang-ah, someone who had been left behind and had to fight alone.
In another place, Tae-seob loses control of his emotions and drives dangerously, almost crashing into a truck coming from the other direction before swerving at the last second. Yang-mi calls him soon after and tells him to meet her at the same hotel where he filmed Hye-soon to blackmail her.
Tae-seob wants to know why she is so set on ruining Sang-ah during their meeting. Yang-mi tells him the truth: she likes him. The only way she could get him to do what she wanted was to go after the one thing he really cared about. Tae-seob seems to accept her terms after losing.
Sang-ah, on the other hand, chooses to fight back. She sends Tae-seob a text saying that they are alike and can go to extremes. She tells them to deal with the situation in their own way and keep going until they get what they want.
Tae-seob starts to work for Yang-mi. She sends him to Gu Hong-seo’s family grave and tells him to cut ties with his past by desecrating the grave in a symbolic way. She tells him that there will be consequences and that someone close to him may get hurt.
Sang-ah confronts Jeong-won while Tae-seob does this awful job and demands any information that could help bring Yang-mi down. Jeong-won begs her to stop, but Sang-ah won’t give up, even if it means dying. Out of nowhere, Ji-ho’s henchman shows up and tries to stab Sang-ah. Jeong-won steps in and gets hurt badly, giving her life to save Sang-ah.
Sang-ah is questioned after she dies, but Jeong-won’s assistant Woo-sik is arrested instead. Tae-seob stops Sang-ah from fixing things and says they need to put their own safety first.
Tae-seob later says that Jeong-won is her next of kin. He finds an envelope with his name on it among her things. There is a thumb drive inside that has photos and call logs that connect Yang-mi and Ji-ho.
In the end, Tae-seob gives Yang-mi the thumb drive. The evidence isn’t clear, but it’s enough to start an investigation, which she doesn’t want to happen. Tae-seob uses this power to tell her to stop the leaked video and make sure Sang-ah’s movie comes out. He makes it clear that his image—and by extension, his “trophy”—must stay clean until he gets to the Blue House.
Review of Episode 9
The tension is at its highest point in this second-to-last episode. Yang-mi is a relentless enemy who won’t accept anything less than complete humiliation and submission from Tae-seob.
The episode shows what ambition can cost. Tae-seob and Sang-ah’s quest for power and influence has cost them everything, even the weak ties that hold their marriage together. Their alliance keeps falling apart, showing how empty their relationship has become.
One of the saddest parts of the episode is Jeong-won’s death. Even though she has done bad things in the past, she gives up her life for Sang-ah and leaves behind a key piece of evidence that could reveal both Yang-mi and Ji-ho.
With just one episode left, the story asks an important question: will justice be served for the real victims? The story has mostly been about Tae-seob and Sang-ah, but this episode reminds us that other people have had it much worse. The last episode will have to deal with whether or not those victims will finally be seen and punished.