As Planned
"Video connection with the district mayor is ready."
"Put it on."
A large video channel opened up in front of me. I'd originally planned to skip the video call out of annoyance, but I changed my mind. Not for any special reason—just because the report said Namdong-gu's mayor wasn't some young, fresh, pretty woman, but a plain middle-aged nobody. Why bother having her come to me or me going there? We could just cut to the chase on what we both needed. My schedule was tight anyway.
Flash!
The connection linked up, and there she was: a plump middle-aged woman plopped in a chair right before my eyes. She was taking the call from her office, lounging in one of those stereotypical boss chairs. Her somewhat arrogant expression, unfiltered bare face without any anti-aging treatments, and that hefty build made our first meeting anything but pleasant.
"—It's a pleasure to finally meet the famous young master. I'm Ye Chae-rin, mayor of Namdong-gu."
"Ko Mu-yeol."
We exchanged brief greetings. From the looks of it, she wasn't thrilled about me either.
"—I've heard the gist of why you're calling. You're planning to develop Namdong Industrial Complex recently."
"Good, that speeds things up. This time, I'm taking back the lost land and restoring the rightful rights of Incheon's citizens."
"—I'm deeply moved that the young master cares so much about Incheon citizens' safety and rights, but I can't help suspecting there's more to it."
"More to it?"
Ye Chae-rin smirked slyly. Paired with her unappealing looks, it soured my mood even more.
"—You've been in touch with Assemblywoman Kim Eun-ji. Seems like you're trying to squeeze a lot out of that pathetic Public Safety Restoration Committee."
"The standing committee handling Incheon's public safety restoration is the Public Safety Restoration Committee, and Kim Eun-ji just happens to represent Namdong-gu A and B districts where the complex is located. What's the problem?"
"—No real problem, but plenty to nitpick."
Fuck. Why's she beating around the bush like this? This is exactly why I hate dealing with politicians.
So what do you want?
"—Young master, Kim Eun-ji's Better Future Party is destroying this country. The Equality Freedom Constitution Party is just a joke of a group that doesn't even qualify as a real party. In Incheon, the only proper party is our Progressive Innovation Party."
I cut her bullshit short.
"I'm not interested in political factions. What I want right now is straight answers from you. Will you help clean out the gangs in Namdong Industrial Complex? If so, to what extent? After that, are you willing to support full-scale development? What tax breaks and perks can you offer corporations and individuals moving into the area?"
"—You're in a hurry."
"Yeah, if you'd come last time like I asked, we could've had a leisurely coffee chat."
"—I'm busy too, you know. Can't make time just for you. We'll discuss your requests thoroughly with the relevant departments and get back to you."
"I'd like answers right here, right now."
"—... That's... procedurally difficult. No matter how urgent the young master's demands, this country has legal processes—"
I cut her off with a raised hand before she finished.
"Then let's start with a firm yes on this."
She flashed a displeased look for a second before reverting to her default expression.
"—On what?"
"The landowners of Namdong Industrial Complex. There were owners before the gang slums took over. You have the documents proving their legal ownership. Acknowledge them. It'll make development smoother."
"—Hmm~."
She pulled a weird face, then stretched her lips into a grin that made her look like a massive toad. Her visuals were straight trash. Couldn't she at least get some anti-aging? What the hell? I'd heard there was a party tied to naturalist civic groups full of genetic-editing-rejecting, implant-hating purists—PC culture mutants that wrecked Europe. Guess that's seeped into Korea too, and now they've got a district mayor.
"—Looks like you've secured a good chunk of those land documents."
"Not denying it."
"—Fine. They're valid anyway. Pretending otherwise now would cause chaos and backlash. We'll accept that progressively."
One mountain down. If she'd pulled some "we can't recognize these" crap after I'd gone through the hassle of grabbing every last one, it'd be a headache. But now that she'd acknowledged the ownership verbally, Namdong Industrial Complex was officially mine.
"—In exchange, could we use part of the land for the district office?"
"What?"
"—I need some symbolic wins too, right? If we're helping, there has to be results. Like building a new district office there."
"... We'll discuss that later. Your office could secure its own documents legally. It's all by the book and procedures—why should that come with a price tag?"
"—Everything takes effort, young master. Not a 'price,' but think of it as legitimate 'costs.' And we might secure the documents ourselves... Of course. But I doubt it. Feels like you've preempted a massive chunk."
"... "
Politician's intuition, huh? Too sharp for her own good. Or maybe rumors spread. Sua's been talking to more than a few people, so it's no surprise.
The negotiation dragged on. She promised support and commitments readily enough while dodging backward, but on the key development stuff, she kept evading firm commitments. For things to go smoothly, Kim Eun-ji's standing committee and the district office needed to align on the development plan including support. But this toad was slithering around any yes.
If she kept this up, I'd have no choice but to push the plan solo through Kim Eun-ji's committee and force it on the district. That'd burn serious political capital, though. Backlash inevitable.
Fuck this toad.
Part of me wanted to just ram her and yell "do as I say," but she's a heavyweight politician. Not like Grandpa or my aunts—I don't have the base to go rogue yet. Being Goryeo Group's heir is why I'm even getting this face time. Normally? No shot.
Just ditch her and push ahead? She's not helping till I give her what she wants.
By the end of the talk, I had a rough estimate of her and her party's demands. Promise that, and she'd back me fully. But fucking sponsor naturalist groups rejecting anti-aging, biotech, implants? Publicly endorse her party? As Goryeo Group's grandson? Absurd.
At least I got official land document recognition. And troop support.
Yeah. Can't scoop it all in one go. Good enough for today. Development talks can wait.
After ending the video call, I rang Inaeun. She'd just taken on the new special probe—"Special Investigation into Major Crimes in Namdong Industrial Complex"—and was setting up base in Namdong-gu. Linking with Kim Eun-ji's Public Safety Restoration Committee had ballooned its size. All eyes were on it.
Inaeun, who'd led the entertainment sex-for-favors probe, was heading another big one after just days. Targeting infamous Namdong Industrial Complex? Instant hot topic.
"Progress."
"—No issues, Master~. The committee reps are mediating hard, so police coordination's smooth."
"Good."
The op was already half-launched. Had to encircle before word fully spread inside the complex.
"Media blitz starts full throttle tomorrow. I'll kick off my PR push then too. Make sure you're set."
"—Yes, Master. Don't worry."
I hung up and dispatched Gominji's knights to Inaeun. She'd slot them into the Namdong squeeze play.