Leash
At the very top floor of JD Group headquarters, in the chairman’s office.
The TV was still replaying the emergency national address the Emperor had just delivered, again and again in a breaking-news loop.
Seated deep in the leather sofa, the woman slowly swirled the wine in her glass.
“Ha... ha...”
A laugh escaped her lips, soft with disbelief. A strange spark had begun to kindle in Kim A-ra’s eyes.
“He really isn’t ordinary.”
Kim A-ra murmured to herself.
Had there ever been anyone who could so cleanly and so coolly bash in the back of Kim Yang-han’s head—the old fox who had spent his entire life looking down on everything from the peak of power?
Kim A-ra twisted her red lips.
It had only been two days since she’d been released from house confinement and, on orders, JD Group had thrown all its power behind promoting Kim Yang-han as the next prime minister.
Everyone knew that forming a new government was the most urgent task.
It hadn’t been difficult to elevate Kim Yang-han as the candidate, either.
A senior politician who was clean without being boring, weighty without being dull, and trusted by the public.
It was a reassuring picture: the fresh, young, and brilliant Emperor inviting that buried-in-retirement elder statesman—after three visits if necessary—into state affairs as a partner in governance.
It also fit the justification of bringing stability to the country quickly and earning the people’s trust.
That’s the trap.
Because all it really meant was that power would once again be funneled into the hands of the old aristocratic families.
Since Father’s been swallowing up every bit of attention around the prime minister nomination, he’s decided to flip the frame altogether...
And he’d done it by turning Kim Yang-han’s greatest weapon against him: that image of a loyal subject with no hunger for power, a man who cared only for the nation.
This timing. This wording.
How would the world read this picture?
Clean and incorruptible veteran politician Kim Yang-han entered the palace and directly urged the Emperor to sweep out the old entrenched powers and rotten upper class!
Everyone would assume that Kim Yang-han had rejected the prime minister offer and instead advised the Emperor to take this step.
He wouldn’t even be able to deny it. That would only make things worse.
“Father must have been quite flustered.”
Kim A-ra drained her wine in one gulp.
He had tried to control an unprecedented variable—the Emperor, who had appeared from a world that didn’t belong to this one—and gotten punched in the face for it.
She didn’t know where this man had crawled out of, but he carried the scent of a beast that had cut its way through a blood-soaked battlefield with its own teeth.
If it’s this man...
Kim A-ra ran a finger over her lips.
He might be worth joining hands with.
“Your Majesty, Kim Yang-han is not someone you can corner as easily as Song Hak-su or Min Do-yeong.”
“I know.”
I answered Seo Yu-jin’s worried remark.
Song Hak-su was still spilling every detail of his motive during the investigation.
The deepest disgrace of the imperial family... well, from my point of view, it didn’t matter.
All the people involved had already died at Deoksugung, and I wasn’t personally tangled up in it anyway. To be honest, it was disgusting, so I’d already ordered them to look into any related accomplices even in the cases that had been dismissed as no charges.
There was definitely corruption among the Gyeonghwa noble families that had begun to be pried open through Song Hak-su and Min Do-yeong, but whether that trail would ever reach a figure as massive as Kim Yang-han was another matter entirely.
At the very least, he was one of the few people in this hellish world who had managed to swagger through to the end while playing the role of a decent man. He would have handled the clean-up thoroughly.
But.
“As Your Majesty wished, the talk of the prime minister nomination has been shoved out of sight. The other side appears to be assessing the situation and making preparations as well.”
Seo Yu-jin continued.
“Still, it won’t last long. There will be a response soon enough.”
We had essentially drawn a line saying that I would not be going along with Kim Yang-han.
If that was the case, then some form of retaliation from the Gyeonghwa noble families was inevitable...
“I’ll need a good running mate.”
I had someone in mind. I had already been thinking about how to handle them since the day I first entered Gyeongbokgung.
I was mulling over how to bring them in when...
They bit first.
“Your Majesty, an audience has been requested. It is Kim A-ra, chairman of JD Group.”
“And the reason?”
“On behalf of JD Group, she has conveyed her intention to donate an astronomical relief fund for the restoration of the imperial household and for the families of the bombing victims. She has also stated that she wishes to clear up certain misunderstandings that arose in the past between the imperial household and JD Group.”
In Tears of the Imperial Palace, Kim A-ra occupied the standard villainess role.
A chaebol heiress who used money and power as weapons to torment the heroine relentlessly, chasing after status by any means necessary.
“Since Kim A-ra took office, JD Group’s operating profit and market share have risen dramatically. On top of that, with its giant media subsidiaries under JD Group leading public opinion, the chairman is already renowned for her meticulous lobbying power in both politics and the press.”
“She’s more capable than I expected.”
So she wasn’t just relying on her father’s shadow.
“Even the raccoons of the business world are said to be stunned by her sharp instincts and decisiveness when it comes to business.
It’s true that Kim Yang-han’s formidable political background has served as a sturdy shield, but the position she holds now is entirely the result of Kim A-ra’s own abilities.”
“So an up-and-coming figure like that has asked for an audience now...”
Seo Yu-jin said coolly.
“Isn’t it simply to test Your Majesty’s intentions?”
The meeting took place not long after.
“Your Majesty. Chairman Kim A-ra of JD Group has entered the palace and is waiting.”
“Send her in.”
The office door opened, and a familiar face stepped inside.
A tailored dress suit that was elegant without being excessive. Hair set to perfection. A stride so poised there wasn’t a single wasted motion in it.
The main villainess of the makjang drama Tears of the Imperial Palace.
Seeing the face I had only ever watched on TV standing right in front of me felt strangely surreal. Though, to be fair, I had that thought often enough when looking at Seo Yu-jin, too.
“Your Majesty. It is my honor to meet you for the first time. I am Kim A-ra of JD.”
She bowed gracefully. On paper, this was merely a chaebol chairman offering support for recovery and condolence funds, but if that had really been the purpose, she would have sent a subordinate.
“Have a seat.”
I gestured to the sofa. Kim A-ra sat down with polite composure.
An appraising gaze. It was obvious what abacus beads she was rattling around in that head of hers.
“I can’t begin to express my grief over the great tragedy that has struck the imperial household. JD Group will devote every effort to supporting restoration and recovery.”
“You can leave the pleasantries.”
I sent away the staff member who had been about to bring tea, and even Seo Yu-jin was dismissed outside for a moment.
Only the two of us remained in the office.
“Chairman Kim. Let’s hear why you came in person.”
When I cut straight to the point, the corners of Kim A-ra’s mouth lifted slightly.
“You really are as bold as they say. Fine. I don’t particularly enjoy circling around the issue, either.”
She leaned forward just a little. Her cool gaze fixed directly on me.
“Your Majesty, are you planning to overthrow the Kim Gate?”
There’s the direct hit.
“That depends on how your father chooses to conduct himself.”
“My father, Chairman Kim Yang-han, will never step down of his own accord. He is a man who has reigned over power his entire life.”
“He’ll have the Gyeonghwa noble families move to tie up my hands. JD Group probably got that same order.”
“That is true. I don’t intend to obey it, though.”
Kim A-ra admitted it readily.
“So the daughter has come to sell out her father? Is filial impiety suddenly in fashion?”
“Filial impiety? Not at all. I’m simply trying to survive.”
Her eyes gleamed as she spoke.
“In this country, even conglomerates are nothing but the servants of the old families. No matter how hard I try, I can’t even reach their ankles.”
Yes. That was it. The reason Kim A-ra had clung so obsessively to Yi Geon, the crown prince—no, to that status as crown prince.
The reason she had awakened into a villainess.
“JD Group is mine. I have no interest in the rotten political game my father is playing with his hands in. I only want to protect the place I built for myself.”
“So?”
“I’ll lend you my strength, Your Majesty.”
Her voice sharpened with resolve.
“The Kim Gate has its hands in every sector imaginable. The money streams that move Yeouido, the public-opinion warfare that controls the media, the people my father has planted in politics and the legal profession.
Unless the Emperor can truly wield absolute rule over all affairs at all times, you won’t be able to cut them all down. You’ll need someone to seize control from within.”
“So you’ll open the door from the inside.”
I nodded as I looked at Kim A-ra.
“And your conditions?”
“Complete amnesty for me and JD Group. Independence from the Kim Gate. Isn’t that a reasonable trade?”
I leaned back against the chair and studied her in silence.
On the surface, this was exactly the kind of calculating, audacious betrayal that villainesses in dramas were known for—ambition so fierce she would throw her own father to the wolves if it meant securing what was hers.
From my side, there was no reason to refuse, she must have thought.
“Reasonable enough.”
At my reply, her eyes flashed.
“But there’s one crucial problem.”
“And what would that be?”
“Why should I trust you?”
My counterquestion made Kim A-ra’s expression stiffen ever so slightly.
But she quickly smiled again, as though perfectly at ease.
“Of course, some degree of mutual trust will need to be built. Please think of today’s audience as part of that process as well. I explained it to my family as a condolence donation and as a chance to gauge Your Majesty’s intentions...”
“That’s fine, but it’s taking too long.”
I tossed something toward her.
Clink.
The object landed in the center of the table. It was a precision electronic device no bigger than a fingernail.
The instant she saw it, the color drained from Kim A-ra’s face.
As I thought.
No matter how bold a person was, they couldn’t hide their reaction when something entirely unexpected came flying out of nowhere.
An illegal eavesdropping device that JD Group had secretly planted inside Gyeongbokgung—right next to the Emperor’s private quarters—to monitor the imperial household’s movements.
...A device whose materials, as far as the early chapters went, the writer had grandly dangled as a hook and then, unable to keep up with the plot, let rot into a vague, abandoned MacGuffin.
“W-What is this...?”
“It was attached to the Emperor’s sleeping chambers in Gyeongbokgung. You can insist it’s something you’ve never seen before, but I’m not sure even the joint investigation unit would believe you. You and all your underlings.”
“...”
And who could guarantee nothing would come up if they started digging? Who could guarantee all those people would keep their mouths shut for Kim A-ra?
“In a situation like this,”
I cut her off and growled low,
“in this grave hour, when a rebellion has broken out and the entire imperial family has been wiped out, a wiretap device installed without authorization has been found in none other than the Emperor’s private chambers.”
I leaned in close over the table.
“What do you think the world would do if this were handed to the joint investigation unit and it was revealed that you were behind it?”
“...!”
I tapped the table with my finger.
“Collusion with rebel forces bent on assassinating the Emperor. Aiding insurrection. Violating the National Security Act. You’d be tied up with the same charges as Min Do-yeong and sent before a military tribunal on the spot.
Would your father abandon you, or would he try to save a bastard daughter only to die alongside you?”
Even when she was first defeated by the crown prince couple, Kim A-ra had been written out with the implication that her downfall came from being cast aside by her father.
If he wanted to avoid the appearance of a traitorous father producing a traitorous child, he’d probably order her to kill herself.
And if she somehow started bawling and suddenly awakened a rebellious conscience, I’d count that as a bonus.
But she knew better than I did that there was no chance of that happening.
“Y-Your Majesty. That’s a misunderstanding. I never colluded with rebel forces! That wiretap was only... ...”
“Only?”
So it was for spying on the Emperor? That was barely any different from outright treason.
Well, even if she somehow cooked up an excuse that said, I didn’t know...
“Why should I believe you?”
I looked down at her coldly.
“Save your excuses for the investigators. If I hand this over to the joint investigation unit, they’ll strip the truth out of you until there’s nothing left but dust.”
“Your Majesty! Please, please, just this once...”
She shot to her feet, then dropped to her knees on the floor.
Ignoring the way her skirt wrinkled, she clasped her hands together desperately.
“Please forgive me! I was foolish! I was blind to Your Majesty’s righteous wisdom and tried to use shallow tricks!”
I stood in silence for a long moment, looking down at the woman kneeling before me.
It was time to tame her properly.
“Chairman Kim.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”
“A deal only works when both sides are on equal footing. You’re not in any position to negotiate with me right now.”
I flicked the wiretap with my finger.
“Choose.”
I said, looking at Kim A-ra.
“Become my dog. Or get dragged out of here as a traitor and die.”
“...”
Her shoulders gave a violent shudder.
Then, as if her pleading from moments before had been a lie, Kim A-ra lifted her head.
“...So that’s what Your Majesty wanted as well?”
She glared at me, her face saying she wanted to spit something sharp back at me.
Yes. Why should I trust you?
Even if we were joining hands in the face of a common enemy, she was still a villainess from a drama. The initiative had to rest entirely in my hands.
Kim A-ra lowered her eyes, trembling from the lips down, and at last said with a look of resignation,
“I suppose... I knew this day would come someday.”
I frowned, thinking she was babbling nonsense, when—
Swish.
Both her hands slowly rose to her own shoulders. The zipper at Kim A-ra’s back slid down with a soft, sharp hiss that cut through the room.
Thud. Whisper.
The finest dress material in the world slipped to the floor in a helpless cascade.
And when I saw that...
“...What the hell is wrong with this crazy woman?”
The words escaped me before I could stop them.