In the second episode of Climax, Tae-seob's journey begins with a disregard for Sang-ah, as he makes his way to Mayor Nam's suite. There, he finds her engaged in an intimate moment with Yun-seong and proceeds to record the entire scene. The ensuing chaos is triggered when Mayor Nam realizes what's happening. She attempts to snatch the phone from Tae-seob's grasp, while Yun-seong pleads for mercy.
The next day, during one of Mayor Nam's events, Tae-seob presents Yang-mi with the video and threatens to expose both Mayor Nam and bring Yang-mi down. However, Yang-mi remains unfazed, convinced that Tae-seob won't follow through. She believes she holds the upper hand with her knowledge of how Tae-seob and Sang-ah met, which involves a murder case.
Yang-mi reveals that Jae-sang and Sang-ah have been in contact and questions why her wife is communicating with the man convicted of killing her former manager. Tae-seob returns home and confronts Sang-ah directly about Jae-sang. She lies about their contact and begs him to drop his plans against Mayor Nam and Yang-mi for her sake.
She claims that her company is in a precarious position due to Yun-seong's involvement. As she excuses herself, she goes to burn Jae-sang's letter to her, but unfortunately, Tae-seob discovers fragments of the burnt letters in the trash bin.
Meanwhile, Ji-ho continues to prepare an exposé on Sang-ah and Tae-seob. He believes they are scared of each other and hiding a murder secret between them. He receives a payment alert and a message promising further instructions soon. Back at home, Tae-seob delves into old files from Jae-sang's case.
The following day, Sang-ah endeavors to flawlessly execute her comeback film's scenes, with Jeong-won standing in as her double. As anticipated, she uses this chance to get close to Sang-ah and gain access to her phone. Given that Tae-seob has requested her to keep a watchful eye on his wife, Jeong-won's performance is exceptional. On the acting front, Jeong-won's portrayal impresses everyone, causing a slight twinge of worry in Sang-ah. Nevertheless, she maintains her composure and appearances of composure, even extending congratulations to Jeong-won.
After infiltrating Sang-ah's phone, Jeong-won, her associate, and Tae-seob eavesdrop on her calls. Jae-sang reaches out to her from prison and hints that he's giving her a final chance to save herself. It appears that he's still obsessed with her and has been keeping a secret on her behalf. He threatens to reveal the truth if she fails him. Of course, Sang-ah does her best to appease him, while Tae-seob, seething with jealousy and anger, secretly listens in on the call.
He becomes even more concerned after viewing Ji-ho's latest episode about his marriage. Yang-mi calls him to inquire if he's seen what she's planning. She threatens him in hopes of keeping him in check.
The next morning, Yang-mi checks into a spa for some relaxation, only to be shocked by the breaking news about Mayor Nam. It turns out that Tae-seob has released the footage to all media outlets. He also exposed Mayor Nam's corrupt connections within the prosecution office. Before Yang-mi can process what's happening, Mayor Nam arrives at the spa and physically attacks her.
The women begin to reveal each other's dirty laundry until the bodyguards intervene to end the fight. Meanwhile, the media has a field day with Tae-seob's revelation and his connection to Sang-ah. The fact that he exposed everything, even Yun-seong, who is part of his wife's agency, is seen as courageous.
Unfortunately, the media immediately harasses Sang-ah on set. Thankfully, Jeong-won helps her escape and meets Tae-seob in a secluded location.
Sang-ah is consumed by rage at Tae-seob for refusing to let the matter between Yang-mi and Mayor Nam go. In her opinion, Yang-mi was her only chance at a comeback. By attacking her, Tae-seob ultimately ruined her acting career. She accuses him of being selfish. However, he insists that he won’t have Yang-mi use his wife to threaten her. He will stop at nothing to achieve his ambitions while also protecting her. He asks her to act like a victim throughout this scandal, but she refuses. She then gives him an ultimatum that if he doesn’t stop, they are done. He gets a call and leaves after quickly apologizing.
As expected, Yun-seong holds a press conference and admits to being pressured into giving Mayor Nam sexual favors. He goes on to talk about the fate of other actors who dared to say no. He exposes the rot in the industry. It turns out that Tae-seob wrote the whole speech and subtly pushes Yun-seong to cry in front of the cameras to gain the public's sympathy. He also goes on to point out that Sang-ah tried to save him, but he decided to go through with the meeting with Mayor Nam.
After Yun-seong ends his speech, Tae-seob takes over and mentions how his wife was also a victim. He goes into deeper details of Mayor Nam's corrupt connections at the prosecution office, which include members of her family. He even releases secret recordings of his bosses ordering people to cover up Mayor Nam's scandals. At the end of his passionate speech, Tae-seob claims he is ready to stand for the truth and protect the citizens from vile politicians and corrupt government officials.
Watching the speech drives Yang-mi even angrier. She runs into Sang-ah, who comes to apologize on her husband's behalf. Yang-mi breaks an egg on her head and threatens to drag her through hell. She pretty much says Sang-ah's career will be doomed to be an embarrassing affair.
With the public turning against Mayor Nam and her puppets, Tae-seob grows more popular. His sister excitedly congratulates him during a lunch date and asks about Sang-ah. He lies that his marriage is doing well and quickly changes the topic. The lunch date is interrupted by a call from Jeong-won, who has been keeping tabs on Ji-ho and Jae-sang. She found out that Jae-sang is being released soon, and he has agreed to talk to Ji-ho.
Jeong-won follows Ji-ho to Yang-mi's house. This is when we learn that Yang-mi intentionally got married to Se-myeong so she could control all the scandals in the country. Se-myeong's house is where careers are either ruined or made, and she wanted a piece of the action. She reminds Ji-ho of the importance of his latest project. We also get to see her daughter, who is a piece of work. She rudely talks back to the staff, insulting and firing them on the spot. Yang-mi has Ji-ho sign an NDA before they proceed further.
In the meantime, Sang-ah thinks back to Jae-sang's and Yang-mi's threat and sets up a secret night meeting with Se-myeong. Jeong-won secretly follows her and sends pictures of the two in the chairman's car to Tae-seob. Speaking of Tae-seob, he meets with Jong-uk.
