Park Jin-hee-Ban Sang-yoon, a dangerous collaboration aiming for Bak Tae Ho's slush fund

In the KBS2 daily drama 'Pearl in Red' aired on July 22, 2026, Kim Dan-hee (played by Park Jin-hee) teamed up with Manager Kang (played by Ban Sang-yoon) to target Bak Tae Ho's (played by Choi Jae-sung) slush fund. The intense development continued as the interests of various characters surrounding Bak Tae Ho's slush fund clashed.

Manager Kang chooses Kim Dan-hee for survival, throwing the slush fund ledger as bait

Bak Tae Ho was enraged after hearing reports that Manager Kang had betrayed him. He summoned Manager Kang and pressured him by demanding a large sum, saying, "Bring 100 billion won. Then I will forgive you this once." After appealing his unfair situation, Manager Kang finally left the house, at which point Kim Dan-hee called and suggested a meeting.

After learning that his life was being threatened by Bak Tae Ho, Manager Kang went to find Kim Dan-hee. He proposed, "If you protect me and my family, I will help you raid the Chairman's slush fund." Upon hearing the proposal, Kim Dan-hee gave a meaningful smile and a satisfied expression.

Kim Dan-hee began preparing to intercept Bak Tae Ho's slush fund accounts. She showed full-scale movement as she devised a plan to take Manager Kang away from Bak Tae Ho.

Oh Jung-ran's ambition for the slush fund and Bak Tae Ho's cruel plan

Oh Jung-ran (played by Kim Hee-jung) revealed her true intentions to her son, Park Hyun-jun (played by Kang Da-bin). She said, "Even if it's not true, I must make it look like a betrayal. If Manager Kang is out, I can take over the management of the slush fund. I can even get my hands on the slush fund ledger. I will definitely secure it."

Oh Jung-ran suggested to Bak Tae Ho that he entrust the management of the slush fund to her, but Bak Tae Ho did not hand over the authority. Instead, Bak Tae Ho revealed his plan to eliminate Manager Kang to Oh Jung-ran. He expressed his intention to get rid of Manager Kang, saying, "I will handle Manager Kang just as I always have. He knows too much to be left alive. I will change the borrowed-name accounts to other people's names and settle everything."

Conflicting investigations and the money bag theft incident

Park Hyun-jun refused Song Geun-tae's (played by Lee Myung-ho) help, saying he would catch the blackmailer himself, and headed to the meeting place. In this process, an incident occurred where James Lee (played by Jung Ui-gap) and Jung Yoon-jung (played by Ha Jae-suk) attacked Manager Kang and stole the money bag. Bak Tae Ho, having lost the money, was furious.

Detective Yoon (played by Jung Jin) raised suspicions during the investigation. He pointed out the lack of contact from the blackmailer and checked Manager Kang's black box, only to find nothing. Detective Yoon pressed Manager Kang, saying, "It's all a staged act, isn't it?"

Manager Kang claimed he had nothing to do with it, but Bak Tae Ho's suspicion deepened when a call from Choi Sam-sik (played by Cha Kwang-su) was discovered in his car.