Step Out of Line and Die
As the Chuseok holiday drew to a close and the family members had all returned home, leaving Taeyang Palace feeling quite empty, Chairman Goyeongman suddenly declared,
"Shall we... play some Go?"
"...Pardon?"
The remark was so out of left field that even the secretary, who had served him for years, couldn't hide his confusion.
Goyeongman stroked his weathered Go board affectionately.
"This is what I've always wanted to do. I ended up playing the role of chairman because of how things turned out, but my dream is still right here."
"...."
There was a distant longing in his eyes, along with a belatedly ignited desire, an inexplicable confidence, and hope.
Seeing this, the secretary broke into a cold sweat and asked,
"Surely you're not saying you want to... turn pro...?"
"That's right!"
"!!!"
Thud. It felt like his heart had dropped right out of his chest.
What in the world... is going on here!! 'To think the Go board Young Master gave him as a gift would have this much influence...!!'
No matter how much it stimulated dreams, for a ruler like Goyeongman to aspire to become a mere professional Go player? Of course, it was possible. For the chairman of the Goryeo Group—no less—to be denied entry by some puny Go association when he could just crush them with power?
The problem was the insane gap between pros and amateurs in Go. He might manage to get in, but once his games became public, anyone with real knowledge could glance at the records and gauge his skill level. If Goyeongman became a pro at his current level... all sorts of headaches would follow. Needless backlash against the chairman was inevitable.
"Anyway, I've made up my mind, so look into the entry exam schedule."
"Y-yes, sir."
"Make it clear: no special treatment for me. Treat me exactly like everyone else."
"Pardon? Then how will you— Ah, forgive me."
"I can do it."
"...."
Chairman Goyeongman brimmed with confidence. Where on earth did that come from?
"On another note."
The chairman sat down in his chair, running his hand over the wide desk with a pleased smile.
"I'm drawing a blank on what to give our grandson. Got any recommendations?"
"For Young Master Gomuyeol, you mean."
"Yeah! Who else would be my real grandson besides Mu-yeol?"
"...."
There are tons. He just refused to acknowledge them.
'As expected, he thoroughly ignores anyone not born to Lady Ko Na-hee...'
The secretary, lost in thought for a moment, quickly replied,
"How about some land, sir?"
"Land?"
"Yes. Before—"
"Ah, right. He mentioned he was looking for land to build a prison."
"Exactly."
"Perfect fit. He was probably scouting islands in the Sinan Islands for his own use. That's how he stumbled on it. Why else would he go to that backwater hole?"
"There are plenty of islands in Sinan."
"But once he secured it, he figured handing it to his grandpa would score him something bigger. Sound about right?"
"...W-well, he might have had those thoughts, but Young Master surely cares deeply for you, Chairman."
Goyeongman burst into laughter.
"Of course, naturally. Anyway, that's not the point. Land's everywhere, right? We can just carve off a chunk... Or..."
He trailed off, lost in thought, tapping the table before speaking again.
"Order an island."
"!! An... artificial island, sir?"
"Yeah! Plain old land isn't worth even one of these Go stones from this board. At least an artificial island to ease my conscience."
"...."
That's a bit much... Goyeongman owned prime real estate worth billions—worth less than a single stone? Even if it was the lost board of Go Master Han Guk-young, was it that valuable?
"But sir, building an artificial island from scratch would take too long, wouldn't it? Young Master needs land now."
"You're right. How long does construction take?"
"Depends on specs, but... minimum eight years."
"...."
Eight years was too long.
"Giving him a used one feels off... Anywhere we can pull one from?"
"...If we must, there's one slated for delivery to Militaris."
"Oh?"
"Yes. All construction finishes in a month. Decent size—about 300 square kilometers. Built for military use, so security and defenses are top-notch. Perfect for what Young Master wants."
"Hm."
A perfect island. But it was for Militaris—that was the issue.
"When did Min-young order it?"
"...Thirteen years ago, sir."
"Ahem."
Thirteen years... was a long time.
"...Still, for grandpa's dignity, float the idea once."
"...Understood."
The secretary shuddered inwardly, imagining Vice President Gominyoung's icy response.
— Are you insane?
"...."
— That senile old coot's at it again. Do you know how much that's worth?
"Ahem, V-Vice President..."
— Oh. Sorry. I lost my temper for a second.
"...."
— Absolutely not. Tell Father that.
"Yes... Forgive me for disturbing you."
— But I've got a spare one for him anyway. We'll call it even.
"Pardon?"
— Mu-yeol's coming to Militaris in a month. If he can convince me properly then, gifting my nephew an island's no big deal. About 50 square kilometers? Should be plenty usable.
The secretary reported back to the chairman immediately.
"Then that's him gifting it, not me. That damn brat."
"...."
"Daughter or not, she sure knows how to embarrass her old man."
"...."
"And a gift's a gift—what's this 'convince me' bullshit? An aunt hanging conditions on a present to her nephew. Tch, tsk tsk."
The secretary, feeling like a shrimp caught in a whale fight, cautiously spoke up.
"...What will you do, sir?"
"Well, if she's giving the island, find something else. Stuff Mu-yeol might actually need."
"...Yes, sir."
+++
October 5, 2076. Monday.
The long Chuseok break was over, and people were trickling back to their routines.
My main jotjip, Im Sua, had apparently dragged herself to the mansion at dawn. Plenty to catch up on—sorting events from the holiday, compiling reports for me, that sort of thing.
"Hey, it's been forever. You look like you've put on weight?"
"Pardon? N-no way. I've managed it strictly. Actually lost some!"
"Don't buy it. Strip."
"Oh, come on..."
Sua peeled off her top. Then her bottoms. She was fully naked in under a minute.
Seeing her body after so long, my morning wood stirred, blood pumping through me.
'Nothing wakes you up like a good erection.'
I don't know the science, but it sharpened my mind like nothing else. Swept away the lingering fatigue and drowsiness.
"Ahem. My report, sir."
Her summary, in brief:
First, the LUMINA team had pulled all-nighters over Chuseok, finishing their debut tracks and choreography. Now it was just practice for the girls and launch.
Real Production stock closed Friday at 260,000 won. We'd see today, but barring surprises, it'd keep climbing. Time to sell and cash out. Over 2 trillion won!
"Even if we dump all of Real Production, it'll dip then rebound. Once it starts pumping, keep shorting."
"How aggressively?"
"Till it crashes."
"Ah... Got it."
Just snag 10 trillion for myself. Buy an island, build the prison, stuff it with pretty, young, wicked female inmates. Add runways and a port, turn it into my private military city.
Ah, time's crawling.
"Prosecutors are starting to push back on Prosecutor Inaeun's special investigation."
"Push back?"
"Yes. Talk of disbanding it. Nothing set, but we should watch."
"Can't let it disband. Plenty of agencies haven't folded yet."
"...."
"And Inaeun's sexiest when she's got power. Makes you wanna pin her down."
"Shall I relay via Prestige?"
"Nah... Call Seo Hyun-ju. Have her run a piece: 'As expected, corrupt forces are obstructing Inaeun's special probe.' 'Industry suffering massive losses.' 'The clean ones demand we uproot the rot now.' That vibe. Oh, and tie in that standard contract article from before."
Sua nodded, jotting notes.
"Yes, sir. I'll pass it on."
"It's been long enough—they've probably clocked Goryeo Group behind Goryeo Entertainment. Smart folks."
"Yep. The name alone makes it obvious."
Bzzz. My phone rang then.
I glanced at the screen without thinking.
"...Huh?"
A name I never expected.
I picked up right away.
"Yes, Aunt. Mu-yeol here. Hope your weekend was peaceful."
"Yes?"