The Emergence of a Tower Star
Jo Insu.
He was the grandson and eldest son of the chairman leading SG Group, ranked fifth in Korea's business hierarchy.
SG Energy Group had quickly pivoted into magic stone processing and energy businesses to match the changing times, growing into a corporate giant that reaped the fruits of Korea's success.
It had once monopolized nearly 90% of the early magic stone energy market in Korea.
Having propelled a middling conglomerate hovering around twentieth in the rankings into one of the nation's representative groups almost overnight through magic stones, the company was deeply involved in player-related industries as well.
Beyond operating the Phoenix Guild, one of the five major guilds, it held stakes in several others. Rumors even circulated that key positions such as the director of the Player Management Agency and the head of the Magic Stone Exchange required SG Group's approval. It was a corporation deeply entrenched in player society.
His grandson had also awakened as a player, and his awakening skill was A-grade.
He was the one who had instantly erased the family's complex about having no players among their relatives despite profiting from player-related businesses.
It was only natural that the SG Group family would raise him like precious gold and jade.
Though only an A-grade ranker, he was known to possess firepower and skill exceeding that of S-grade players thanks to items purchased at auctions worldwide.
For symbolic reasons, he was included in the top raid team, but naturally he only ever made the roster and never the actual entry list for the tower.
There was no reason to put their son in mortal danger when simply having the title "SG Group's eldest son is fighting on the front lines of Suseo Magic Tower!" was enough for public image purposes.
Anyway, under SG Group's guiding principles, the Phoenix Guild—one of the five major guilds—was also built on the capital of SG Group, Korea's massive conglomerate.
Such a player had suddenly taken a liking to Lee Nayeon.
Two bodyguards approached Lee Nayeon as she stretched.
Sensing the rare aggressive presence, Lee Nayeon glanced sideways at the two men.
A thick, weighty voice spoke.
"Excuse me. Might I have a word with you for a moment?"
Lee Nayeon tilted her head and firmly refused.
"No."
"……Just a brief moment of your time would suffice."
Then, deliberately stepping aside at an angle, he turned so that Jo Insu, SG Group's eldest son, would be visible.
Jo Insu was handsome at a glance and carried an air of nobility. Yet Lee Nayeon blinked a couple of times and repeated the same words.
"I don't have time."
Lee Nayeon had watched enough TV, media, and dramas to understand the situation. She simply had no interest or time to spare.
When Lee Nayeon did not return, a staff member came out into the hallway looking for her, then startled and bowed his head.
"Good afternoon."
"Ah. Hello. By the way, who is the person you're escorting over there?"
"Ah…… These individuals came with Ms. Lee Jiyu."
At the commotion in the hallway, Lee Jiyu, Choi Junseok, and Song Hana emerged.
Lee Jiyu's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Choi Junseok also knew exactly who he was. If you had any connection to player society, you could not fail to recognize Jo Insu, the next heir and eldest son of SG Group.
"Hello."
When he smiled smoothly and bowed his head, the two bodyguards naturally stepped aside and stood behind him.
"It's been a while, Ms. Lee Jiyu."
"……It has."
Lee Jiyu bit her lower lip, a strange sense of unease rising within her.
Any man would inevitably be drawn to Lee Nayeon's appearance, and she could tell he was interested.
"Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am…… Vice-Guild Master of the Phoenix Guild, Jo Insu."
He then pulled out a business card case as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Three luxurious business cards emerged, each clearly worth tens of thousands of won.
When handing them over, he gave one to Lee Nayeon last. Unlike with Choi Junseok and Song Hana, he held the edge of the card firmly before releasing it. That small gesture oddly grated on Lee Jiyu's nerves.
Despite introducing himself as Vice-Guild Master of the Phoenix Guild, the card listed his title as Executive Director of SG Energy.
"Well then. Shall we be on our way?"
"Why so stiff? Why don't you introduce your companions?"
"These are players managed by the government. I'm afraid I can't disclose their identities."
"Ah…… In that case, could it be? That rumored……?"
Jo Insu looked at Choi Junseok with a surprised expression and used his appraisal skill.
The rank that immediately appeared.
'S-grade?'
The one beside him was also S-grade. And when he confirmed the identity of the beautiful woman in question, his eyes widened and he could not help but voice his appraisal aloud.
"Unreadable?…… Ah! My apologies. Using an appraisal skill so rudely……"
Novices often collapsed after appraising S-grade or SS-grade targets, yet Jo Insu showed no aftereffects even after appraising an SS-grade. Instead, one of the bodyguards beside him staggered as if dizzy.
He must have appraised out of curiosity after hearing "unreadable."
But that would never look good in Jo Insu's eyes.
Jo Insu immediately glared at the bodyguard and gave a sharp look. If the others had not been watching, he would have said something far harsher.
The retreating bodyguard's face turned deathly pale.
It was not the dizziness that frightened him, but the punishment that would surely follow.
"Pardon me, but may I join you for your shopping? I'm certain I could be of assistance."
"No. You are intruding. We came to spend time together, just the four of us."
"……."
Jo Insu was not usually this persistent, but it was clear how smitten he was with Lee Nayeon.
With his wealth and looks, few women had ever resisted him, yet Lee Nayeon showed no reaction whatsoever. That only made him more impatient.
'Government-managed players. Ranks high enough that appraisal skills don't work.'
With that alone, Jo Insu believed he could figure out the identity of the mysterious beautiful woman.
"Ahaha, I see. Well then. I'll see you again. Excuse me."
"Just how many times is that man going to say 'excuse me'?"
Song Hana's casual question scratched at his back, but he walked away without showing it.
Instead, Jo Insu nodded to himself, thinking that government-managed players would actually be easier to handle.
'She'll be mine eventually anyway.'
There was nothing in Korea he had ever wanted that he could not obtain.
"……Who was that guy? He gave me the creeps!"
He was a man whose dark intentions were so strong that even Song Hana's senses had picked them up.
Lee Jiyu told them not to worry about the gaze watching from behind, yet she could not shake her own unease.
"Ms. Lee Nayeon. If it seems like that man or anyone connected to him is approaching you, avoid them immediately. Understood?"
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to kill him right now?"
It was a calm and straightforward solution, but Choi Junseok and Lee Nayeon were horrified and stopped her.
Reading the startled atmosphere of the staff standing behind them, Lee Nayeon spoke calmly.
"It was a joke."
─╫
"Ugh, my mood's ruined!"
"You still bought way too much, though."
Lee Nayeon set down the shopping bags she had been carrying with both hands.
His appearance had more or less ended their shopping trip.
After all, no matter how expensive or pretty the clothes were, it was difficult to satisfy Lee Nayeon and Song Hana's firm preferences.
Back home, the four of them continued their conversation over a simple meal.
It was a lavish spread.
The aunt who managed the house had always been skilled, but she had clearly put extra effort into it out of gratitude for being called back after so long and because there were more people to feed.
The number of side dishes filling the center of the wide table was no joke—nearly fifty.
Word had it she had prepared everything at home in joyful anticipation of returning to work.
"Ah, and Ms. Nayeon, these kinds of incidents might become quite common from now on."
"……?"
She tilted her head again while eating, her expression asking why.
"Starting today, actually…… The advertisements featuring you as Supersonic's main model will begin airing."
"Ah."
"Whoa! Nayeon unni! You're going to be on TV?!"
Song Hana excitedly threw both hands in the air.
Sure enough, that very afternoon.
Within just a few hours of Lee Nayeon's image appearing everywhere as the main model, Korea was already sending her passionate cheers.
It was almost like a whirlwind.
People's reactions were enthusiastic. Lee Jiyu's commercial sense combined with her marketing instincts had succeeded in elevating Lee Nayeon to top model status in an instant.
That afternoon, Lee Nayeon asked Choi Junseok before entering the tower, wondering if this had been the right choice.
"I think I should stop the modeling activities after all."
At the time, she had done it simply because she was bored with her routine and did not know what it entailed.
She had also thought it would be nice to earn money for Choi Junseok. But she had not expected the repercussions to be this massive.
In truth, even Choi Junseok had not anticipated the fallout would be so enormous.
Jo Insu, SG Group's eldest son, could not possibly remain unaware of such a hot topic as Lee Nayeon.
"Ah…… So her name is Lee Nayeon? No need to search after all."
Model-related information had spread among players.
Most decisively, high-ranking players had mentioned that Lee Nayeon was SS-grade.
"SS-grade, even?"
With that alone, he was satisfied, thinking she already qualified to marry him.
'She has a strangely prickly charm too.'
After all, the more thorns a flower had, the greater the satisfaction when you plucked it.
The only problem was the man who had seemed quite friendly beside Lee Nayeon.
Who was that guy……
He was handsome enough to be somewhat concerning. He did not seem like a suitable match for Lee Nayeon, though.
The one worthy of an SS-grade player would be none other than himself, the eldest son of SG Group that practically ruled player society.
He immediately picked up his phone and called SG Group's Future Strategy Planning Division.
"Hey, it's me. What about the thing I asked you to look into? It's been hours already and you're still not done? Yeah. Alright. Okay. Contact Lee Jiyu and the Player Management Agency. Get Lee Jiyu transferred into the Phoenix Guild. Use any means necessary. Put pressure on Eden of the East too since she seems close to Lee Jiyu. And assign her to my climbing team. Got it?"
While the stock of Lee Nayeon, whom he had set his sights on, soared day by day, Choi Junseok, Song Hana, and Lee Nayeon were challenging the 31st floor of Suseo Magic Tower as if it were none of their concern.