In episode 3 of "Climax," the story picks up with Sang-ah meeting Se-myeong, while Tae-seob meets Jong-uk, Assemblyman Choi, and the party leader. Yang-mi gatecrashes their little celebration party and rolls her eyes as Tae-seob throws himself at the mercy of the politicians.
Back in Se-myeong's car, Sang-ah tries to warn him about Jae-sang's threats. However, Se-myeong couldn't care less and has no intention of helping her get rid of Jae-sang. Instead, he asks her to be cautious of Tae-seob and leave him out of it.
The scene shifts back to the little party where Jong-uk tries to get a rise out of Yang-mi, but she stays calm. She motions for Tae-seob to meet her outside for a quick talk.
Outside, she warns him that coming for her will only lead to their and Sang-ah's downfall. She explains that this is not her first rodeo, and she was the one behind the Sang-ah tax scandal because she kept getting too close to Se-myeong. She advises Tae-seob to get ready for the showdown she is planning.
At the mention of Jae-sang, Tae-seob asks her to leave Sang-ah out of it since she was a victim of Kwang-jae. Yang-mi scoffs and asks if he still has no idea what Sang-ah is capable of. Later, Tae-seob listens to Sang-ah's conversation with Se-myeong and contemplates his next move as he watches her sleep.
Elsewhere in jail, Jae-sang looks at his photos of Sang-ah and gets angry to see her wedding picture with Tae-seob. On the other hand, Ji-ho starts his first episode by introducing his viewers to the involved parties. He explains that Kwang-jae was Sang-ah's former dead manager. He attributes Sang-ah's rise to stardom to him.
Next, he introduces Jae-sang, Sang-ah's bodyguard, and the man convicted for Kwang-jae's death. He goes on to say that he believes that someone covered up the truth behind Kwang-jae's murder and that he has been looking into it.
This is how he ended up meeting with Jae-sang, who was initially hesitant to speak up. However, now he is willing to talk after his release, and Ji-ho promises his viewers another exciting follow-up episode soon.
Following Ji-ho's leads, Jeong-won delves into her own investigation, keeping a close watch on him and his associates. She shadows him to a secret meeting with Yang-mi at the gym, where Yang-mi offers him money and urges him to intensify the pace of his show. Seeking a sensational scandal, she demands better results from Ji-ho. He promises to do his best and leaves to pick up Jae-sang from prison.
Jeong-won interrupts him, giving her associate enough time to install a wiretap on his dashcam. During this time, she tries to subtly warn Ji-ho to back off. Back at the prosecution office, Tae-seob refuses to be fired during his disciplinary meeting. Instead, he quits and threatens Director Byun, warning him to back off or risk the release of more details about corruption at the prosecutor's office.
At the same time, Mayor Nam admits her mistakes and publicly apologizes. The media hounds Tae-seob for his reaction, while simultaneously harassing Sang-ah for her own. The attention derails the shooting of her comeback film, and investors demand compensation. She agrees to compensate as long as their demands are reasonable and asks them to continue discussing it with Seung-beom. She excuses herself to take another call from Jae-sang.
This time, Jae-sang informs her that he is being released. He demands that she leave Tae-seob and come to him as planned. She begins explaining that it won't be possible. The rejection enrages Jae-sang, who threatens to reveal the truth about what happened with Kwang-jae. Tae-seob, along with Ji-ho, Jeong-won, and their associates, listens in on everything.
Subsequently, Tae-seob steps onto the evening news show, sharing his departure from the prosecution office. He pledges a fresh start and urges the public to trust him. In parallel, Jeong-won shadows Ji-ho and Jae-sang to a restaurant, eavesdropping on their conversation as Ji-ho attempts to persuade Jang-sang to stop shielding Sang-ah. He promises to assist him in securing revenge and the girl of his dreams. Ultimately, Jae-sang hands over the USB drive he’s been keeping to Ji-ho, who eagerly connects it to his computer. Through the recording, we hear Sang-ah pledging to become Jae-sang’s woman if he aids her. It seems from the recording that she’s in tears.
Back at the set, Sang-ah anxiously awaits the other shoe to drop. Thankfully for her, Tae-seob arrives at the restaurant and ruins Ji-ho’s laptop. He also seizes the USB drive and hands it to Jeong-won. Together, they brutalize Ji-ho and Jae-sang.
Jae-sang threatens to reveal the truth, but Tae-seob counters by threatening to send him to prison for the rest of his life. He’s unconcerned about the deal Sang-ah made and views her as a victim in all this. Consequently, he doesn’t care if she killed Kwang-jae.
Later, Jeong-won returns home and inspects Ji-ho’s hard drive. She discovers his notes on what transpired between Sang-ah and Kwang-jae. It turns out that Sang-ah was incredibly close to the late actress Ji-soo. According to Ji-ho, he believed the two were romantically linked. Ji-soo and Sang-ah had always been close since their debut and were both managed by Kwang-jae.
Unfortunately, Kwang-jae was forcing Ji-soo to do extra scenes in her film, which made her uncomfortable. Sang-ah tried to step in and protect her friend. She stood up to Kwang-jae when no one else would. Unfortunately, Ji-soo wanted to complete the film and was tricked by Kwang-jae into meeting him. That night, Kwang-jae brought Ji-soo to Se-myeong and the chief prosecutor for sexual favors. She tried to escape, but they caught her and forced her to go through with it. Later, she was found dead in her house, and the police ruled it a suicide. Out of anger and in a desperate attempt for vengeance, Sang-ah killed Kwang-jae.
