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The Art of Negotiation Ending Explained: Lee Je Hoon exposes Jang Hyun Sung’s stock scam; will there be season 2?
The Art of Negotiation left a mark with its gripping plot and Lee Je Hoon’s bold move to expose Jang Hyun Sung’s stock scam. Curious how he did it? Here's a quick recap.
Lee Je Hoon’s The Art of Negotiation wrapped up its intense business drama run on Prime Video with episodes 11 and 12 released on April 13, 2024. With a respectable 7.9 rating, the show dove deep into the story of Yoon Joo Na (played by Lee Je Hoon), an acquisition expert who returned to Sanin Group to help pull the conglomerate out of a crushing 11 trillion KRW debt. But what shook viewers was the mind-blowing ending and what it meant.
In The Art of Negotiation, Yoon Joo Na exposed Ha Tae Soo, played by Jang Hyun Sung, forcing his dismissal. But just as everyone began to breathe, Ha Tae Soo made a shocking comeback in a new position within Sanin Group, leaving the chairman, the executives, and, incredibly, Yoon Joo Na stunned. The moment flipped everything on its head.
In episode 11, Sanin’s audit team stormed in with a surprise search targeting Yoon Joo Na over allegations of stock trading, accusing her of purchasing 50,000 shares worth 10 billion KRW. The audit team received a tip — which, in a clever twist, came from Yoon Joo Na herself while she attended a Jumbo Pharma board meeting. After being suspended, Yoon Joo No spun a story for the chief of HR, claiming that the CEO of Jumbo Pharma approached him for investment funds and even tried bribing him. But in truth, that 10 billion KRW stock offer was made to Ha Tae Soo, not him. Yoon Joo No pretended to give the green light when Ha Tae Soo tried confirming if Yoon Joo Na had agreed to the deal.
Yoon Joo Na wasn’t having it and immediately pushed Director Lee to issue a press release denying any investment with Jumbo Pharma. Meanwhile, things grew even messier as Yoon Jae Seok, Yoon Joo Na’s brother, secretly purchased 100 million KRW worth of Jumbo Pharma stock after learning sensitive information. What no one expected was that the Jumbo Pharma CEO had personally visited Yoon Joo Na with 100 billion KRW in cash, attempting to secure Sanin’s investment. Yoon Joo Na refused. Yoon Jae Seok, however, accidentally stumbled upon the Jumbo Pharma documents at Yoon Joo Na’s house and assumed his brother was involved. Though Yoon Joo Na assured him they weren’t making any deals and planned to sell everything, the press release hit, Jumbo Pharma’s stock nosedived, and Yoon Jae Seok, unable to cope with the devastating loss and betrayal, took his own life. In the aftermath, Yoon Joo Na adopted his niece and took responsibility for his brother’s debts.
Episode 12 brought the showdown. Yoon Joo No admitted to leaking information about Jumbo Pharma to his brother but firmly denied any involvement in insider trading. Instead, he flipped the script and accused Ha Tae Soo of stock manipulation. And he didn’t walk in empty-handed. With the help of a senior executive, Yoon Joo No secured the CEO of Jumbo Pharma’s laptop, packed with evidence exposing Ha Tae Soo’s dirty dealings.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. The drama leaves a sneaky hint for a possible continuation. In those last moments, Yoon Joo Na starts outlining a bold new strategy at the executive meeting, detailing a future plan to manage Sanin Group’s enormous debt. It feels like the beginning of something bigger. However, as of now, neither the production team nor JTBC has confirmed or commented on a second season. The cliffhanger is present —we’re just waiting for the green light.
