As Long as It's Not Me
I wish the whole world knew gratitude and had a shred of shame, but sadly, there are far too many who don't. Even among his own children, grandchildren, and granddaughters, quite a few fall into that category. They had the gall to take the massive inheritances he bestowed upon them—after all his deliberation—and mutter either subtly or outright, "Why only this much?" Just recalling those looks made Go Mu-yeol's crisp, no-nonsense demeanor feel like a breath of fresh air, a true fairy descended to earth.
And the kicker? He even apologized for it. Yet his actions afterward showed superhuman resolve: kicking the drugs cold turkey with inhuman patience, throwing himself into work, and steadily transforming before everyone's eyes.
"Even just that makes him better than those uncles and aunts of his. How can they not know what this kid already gets? Tsk tsk tsk."
"…."
"They act like I'm their personal ATM. I didn't scrap inheritance tax just to see this bullshit. What a pointless move that was."
"Chairman, why not send some encouragement to the young master? I'm sure it'll make him happy and spur him on even more."
"Encouragement?"
Go Yeong-man nodded faintly as he settled into his chair.
"I did dump a steaming pile of garbage on him. I was just so pissed back then. Getting old makes it hard to control your emotions."
He tapped the desk thoughtfully.
"What would be good?"
"Wouldn't the best be to inject some funds into Goryeo Entertainment? From what I've seen of the young master's investment style, he's pursuing highly aggressive speculation. He might be short on capital to realize the blueprint in his head."
"Short on money... Yeah. It ain't like I swapped turds with him—giving him just a measly hundred billion was pretty harsh on my part."
The other family members got trillions at minimum; imagine the resentment and injustice of being the only one stuck with billions. Putting himself in those shoes for a moment, Go Yeong-man suddenly felt a fresh surge of pride for Go Mu-yeol, who had bowed his head with a simple "I'm sorry" and taken that garbage hundred-billion company without a peep of complaint.
"But money's low value. Born a Go, he'll make it anyway—money's practically guaranteed."
"…."
"Does it make sense for a Goryeo Group grandson to fail at making money? All the resources of greater Asia are in this Go Yeong-man's hands—how could none of that sweet gravy reach my grandson? Experiencing money rolling in on its own as he grows would be far better for the boy."
"...Then what...?"
"Tell me about the other options. What does that kid need?"
The secretary thought for a moment.
"Ah! How about some martial power?"
"Martial power?"
"The young master recently took on a new secretary who's been digging into Min Yeong Prison data and gang intel. It seems he's planning to clear out the gangs to secure land for building Min Yeong Prison."
"That pointless nonsense..."
Go Yeong-man trailed off mid-sentence.
"...Prison?"
"Yes. It looks like he's planning to operate Min Yeong Prison."
Go Yeong-man checked the documents again. Sure enough, it was there in black and white.
"What the hell is this kid planning with a prison?"
"That's... "
"Tsk tsk tsk. Seeing it's marked as a women's prison, he's obviously just trying to indulge his fetish."
"…."
Go Yeong-man shook his head in pity. He'd been obsessed with women in his youth too, but now company matters took precedence.
"...Well, whatever. He's at that age; it's natural. Way better than OD'ing and croaking, right?"
"Wise words, sir."
"Assign him a knight around Chuseok."
"!"
The secretary was stunned.
"A k-knight, sir...?"
"Yeah. He likes girls, so make it a young woman."
"...But knights are national-level strategic assets. It could draw unnecessary attention."
"What're they gonna do if they see?"
"…."
"To my grandson! What could those nobodies possibly do?!"
"My apologies. That was out of line. ...What about the mech?"
"Knight and mech go together, don't they?"
"What about the mech operation facilities?"
"He'll figure that out himself. Do I have to spoon-feed him everything? It's only been a week. This much encouragement is plenty."
"Understood, Chairman."
The secretary withdrew, and the chairman moved to the window.
Go Mu-yeol was the grandson who'd lost his parents young, so he'd always paid extra attention to him. But as the boy kept going astray, even Go Yeong-man had given up. What if Mu-yeol turned things around, though?
"This old man doesn't expect much from you. Just don't go down the same empty path as your father."
Things progressed smoothly. They'd secured a decent new office for Goryeo Entertainment without issue, and Seo Hyun-ju's article had exploded into a full-blown hot topic, dominating the internet all day.
And for good reason: four staffers from a prosecutor's office dead, the prosecutor herself injured (they'd arbitrarily classified it as minor), all while investigating rampant sex-for-favors in entertainment. Dig deeper, and most agencies were doing it too—who wouldn't be stunned?
Kim Dong-mok's exposé broadcast had drawn tens of thousands of live viewers in seconds before. Entertainment was already a hot topic; slap on this juicy wording, and the aggro pulls instantly.
"Public opinion's burning hotter than expected. Right after Hyun-ju posted, some actress held a press conference blowing the lid off, and now it's fully ignited."
"Perfect. What's the prosecution situation?"
"As expected, they can't ignore the optics, so they've gone into emergency meetings. All senior prosecutors from deputy chief up have been summoned to Incheon High Prosecutors' Office."
"Oh."
Up to here, everything was golden. Once the special prosecutor team formed and In Eun was appointed, they'd cleared 90% of the path.
"Tell Hyun-ju to fan the flames more. Make it a roaring inferno."
"Got it."
"Start drilling the trainees hard from today. Once the agencies all blow up, it's debut time. Train their interview skills too."
"I'll let Rainbow Miracle know."
"Good."
Hyun-ju followed up with more articles. Views poured in, so they mobilized the entire social affairs desk for related pieces and news clips, each one exploding reactions. The next day, Shinmirae Daily formed a special team around Hyun-ju, mass-producing coverage. Other outlets, seeing the success, piled on.
In just a day, entertainment sex scandals topped every news feed, and Mitube's In-geup-dong videos were flooded with it too.
A chain of exposés followed, plus footage of celebs caught red-handed mumbling "Ew, gross" everywhere.
It blazed beyond control. The pervs feasting on entertainment sex scandals tried burying it, but sadly, your average high-rankers lacked the firepower to douse it.
"Post about Prosecutor In Eun."
"Yes, Master."
The next day brought a fresh bomb: Prosecutor In Eun, injured probing the scandal, had been sidelined at Incheon Central District Prosecutors' Office, leaving her team without proper gear support. It latched onto the raging scandal and spread like wildfire.
In the end,
"Incheon High Prosecutors' Office has decided to establish a special prosecutor team."
"Damn, that's quick."
Hyun-ju posted on September 7th; today was the 10th—special team greenlit in four days flat. Now the key was who got it, but the vibe was: appoint anyone but In Eun, and they'd eat every curse in the book.