While trying to uncover the truth about his brother’s death, Kang Ha falls in love with Jung Jae-i. In Hierarchy, Roh Jeong-eui plays Jae-i.
Jung Jae-i is the heir to the Jaeyul Group. With her father being one of the most influential men in the country, she is regarded as the queen of Jooshin High.
However, Jae-i’s life is far from perfect. She lives under the control of her classist father, who dictates every aspect of her life.
Jae-i’s mother did not come from a wealthy family like her father, so her father abandoned her and separated Jae-i from her at the age of three.
Jae-i fears her father, knowing that if she fails to meet his expectations, he will not hesitate to abandon her, just as he abandoned her mother.
Jae-i’s suffering and recovery
The only person who truly makes Jae-i happy is her boyfriend, Ri-an. Jae-i cannot let her father find out about their relationship as their parents are business rivals.
Jae-i’s half-brother, who will do anything to get Jae-i disinherited, sees Jae-i with Ri-an and takes a video, which he uses to blackmail her.
In addition to that, Jae-i becomes pregnant with Ri-an’s baby, a secret she does not share with anyone except her new friend In-han.
Jae-i decides to get an abortion. For that, she goes to the US, where she has a miscarriage. Jae-i loses her baby before she can prepare herself.
Jae-i does not want Ri-an to suffer the way she did, so she decides to keep the truth from him and breaks up with him, hoping that she will be able to forget everything.
Jae-i even pretends to date Kang Ha to convince Ri-an she has moved on and to protect Ha from bullying.
Despite how hard she tries, Jae-i fails to move on from Ri-an and the loss she has suffered. The fact that Ju-won is also threatening her only adds to her worries.
Jae-i is also burdened by In-han’s death. In-han was bullied because he was friends with Jae-i, which led to his death.
All of this takes a toll on Jae-i, resulting in a breakdown. Ri-an then resolves to support and protect Jae-i. He gets back together with her.
Jae-i learns from Ha to fight for those she wants to protect, so she stops resisting Ri-an’s efforts to mend their relationship and pushing away her friends.
Jae-i’s father eventually finds out about her past pregnancy and decides to send her to New York. Jae-i agrees to leave in exchange for her father saving He-ra’s father’s business.
Jae-i’s sacrifice leads to her reconciliation with her best friend. Additionally, Ri-an finds out about everything Jae-i has endured in the past few months.
Jae-i no longer has to suffer alone. With Ri-an by her side, Jae-i manages to let go of her pain and begins to heal.
Taking responsibility
Although Jae-i had developed feelings for Ha while pretending to date him, she is still in love with Ri-an and is willing to stand against Ha to protect Ri-an.
However, that does not keep her from trying to change Ri-an for the better. Jae-i helps Ri-an understand his role in the bullying faced by scholarship students.
Jae-i never did anything to help In-han when he got bullied, so she blames herself for his death. She apologizes to Ha, In-han’s brother, for not standing up for In-han.
She is the only student who wants to take responsibility for the bullying of scholarship students. She does not let anyone bully Ha after he goes to the police with evidence of bullying.
Furthermore, when she gets In-han’s pen camera, which has incriminating evidence against the bullies and Ms. Han, she gives it to Ha to get justice for his brother.
The camera also contains a recording of Jae-i telling In-han about her pregnancy, but Jae-i does not care about it getting released to the public because she no longer fears her father.
This leads to Jae-i’s father disowning her. Jae-i then decides to live with her mother, whom she has not seen in years.
Since she will be away from Ri-an for a while, Jae-i decides to take a break from their relationship, recognizing that they are too dependent on each other for their happiness.
Jae-i says goodbye to her friends before leaving her father’s house. She is ready to start afresh with her mother and be happy again.
Also Read: Kim Ri-an: Hierarchy character explained