Poisoned Legacy in the Empire's Soap Opera
No matter how messed up the drama world is,
the first time I encountered it was through the internet.
A large community’s real-time trending post.
But the title itself was anything but ordinary.
[Recent Drama Updates __APPEND__> Crown Prince Brandishes Gun to Blackmail Chaebol Heir]
At first, I figured it was just some fishing bait.
Twenty-first century Korean Empire.
They claim to have a constitutional monarchy, yet the imperial family lords it over corporations and politics.
The crown prince blackmails people.
Chaebol heirs routinely cause scandals, and nobody bats an eye.
Such settings couldn’t possibly hold up seriously.
The problem was public opinion.
-Whoa~ pure dopamine, lolol
-Let’s just enjoy the drama as it is
-Crown prince’s face is so convincing
-If it’s a trash drama, fun is enough
-First episode hit 14% viewership, so the public is right
I genuinely couldn’t understand those comments.
No, how could a constitutional monarchy have the imperial family swinging that kind of power?
What happened to the Japanese occupation era?
Even as a constitutional monarchy, why is the imperial family ruling over politics and finance?
The corporate side wasn’t any better either. Heirs cause scandals left and right, and corporate succession feels like some yakuza organization’s power struggle.
“Does the writer not know basic research?”
Muttering that, I clicked the clip.
And exactly three minutes later.
I realized something.
The plot holes were shattered.
The research was shredded.
Common sense never existed in the first place, but under the banner of “trash drama,” anything goes.
But……
“It’s actually pretty fun.”
Yeah, if it’s a trash drama, these clips must be everywhere.
Suddenly a cabbage slap flies through the air,
then the lead couple gets the bomb: “Actually, you’re half-siblings!”
The mother-in-law tosses a money envelope and yells at the heroine to divorce her.
“Of course if it were me, I’d take that envelope and file for divorce right away.”
With a mother-in-law like that, married life couldn’t possibly be easy.
It would probably be faster to just divorce and deal with the stress.
But when I think about it, even in my innocent childhood I used to watch these trash dramas without any hesitation.
Considering that, maybe trash dramas aren’t even meant to be analyzed with the head.
In the end, what matters is fun, excitement, anger,
and that addictive cliffhanger that makes you hit next.
The moment the story on screen grabs you, people willingly surrender their brains.
That’s why I decided to try watching the drama.
Even if I only saw clips and got biased.
But I ended up watching only up to episode two.
Precisely, I watched two episodes and then gave up.
I admit the dopamine rush is real……
It’s like suddenly pouring pure capsaicin into a mouth that used to handle normal food.
It tastes amazing, sure, but the body can’t process it as proper food.
And the worst part?
My weak tolerance back then makes me bitterly regret it now.
Why?
“Damn… I should’ve just gritted my teeth and finished it.”
That’s exactly why I fell into this trash-drama world.
As the illegitimate child, the one blemish on the chaebol family.
***
I realized I’d fallen into the drama world right from the beginning.
The country name was literally “Korean Empire.” Twenty-first century, no less.
Just seeing that told me I’d been dropped into the “Emperor’s Men” trash drama.
I wasn’t even a main character, let alone a side one.
Well… that’s fine.
It would’ve been exhausting if I’d gotten isekai’d as the main guy and kept getting dragged into all the drama.
So why not go with some normal character?
“The illegitimate son of a chaebol…?”
Especially Seonghwa Group.
South Korea’s number-one ranked conglomerate.
Sales figures that supposedly move the entire national economy.
And I was the vice-chairman’s illegitimate son.
From the day I was born, I was ineligible for the succession, the literal blemish on Seonghwa Group.
The fact that they stuffed me into an orphanage should’ve been the giveaway.
“I can’t even feel how unlovable I am.”
But having Seonghwa Group blood in my veins is apparently a big deal.
They do take care of me.
Sending massive monthly support to the orphanage.
Depositing millions into my account on a whim.
Occasionally sending a Seonghwa Group employee to check on me.
Of course, the last one is just to monitor whether I’m causing trouble.
If I start blabbing about being the chaebol’s bastard, it’ll get messy. But they’ll just buy me off with money anyway.
That’s common sense in a chaebol’s world in this drama setting?
But I never intended to flaunt it either.
It was simply because my intuition had been warning me about it.
The moment I was summoned into this body, I gained the ability called **Intuition**.
I don’t know if it was always there or not, but it’s more than just good instincts.
It just tells me the direction that will lead to the best outcome.
It’s hard to explain in words, but whenever I trust it, things always turn out well.
Of course, sometimes it drags me into situations that are hard to explain.
“Master Kang-geon, why boxing out of all the popular sports?”
Exactly like this.
The special management team of Seonghwa Group’s secretary office, Manager Kim, asked me.
The guy who’s been shadowing me.
In plain terms, my illegitimate-son handler.
But my intuition didn’t reject him, and just by looking at him I could tell he was a nice guy.
Anyway.
I’d been boxing for about a year.
The reason was simple.
It was the intuition again.
I just got a feeling in my head: “Boxing.”
And surprisingly, I actually had talent.
To the point where……
“The manager at the gym Master Kang-geon attends told me.”
“It’s because of the national youth boxing team scout, right? I’m turning it down, so don’t worry. I’m just doing it as a hobby to relieve stress.”
“That “just” level means…?”
Even though the gym manager gave an intense pitch and the national youth boxing scout offered me a spot, I couldn’t accept.
The reason was simple: if the world found out I was the vice-chairman’s illegitimate son, it would become dangerous.
I wasn’t really sad about it anyway.
As I told Manager Kim, I wasn’t beating the trainees for stress relief.
I was just doing it because I genuinely loved boxing.
But when I answered him that way, Manager Kim gave me a bitter smile.
Like he was the one who’d committed the crime, yet he looked sorry.
“President Kang Seong-cheol, the founder and first chairman of Seonghwa Group, was so famous in his youth that people called him Sangun the Mountain Lord for how fiercely he fought with his fists.”
“Master Kang-geon’s body carries that same bloodline as well.”
This is a well-known story.
Apparently, the president’s son—meaning the current Seonghwa Group president—once got into a massive brawl with ten organized criminals.
After hearing the news, President Kang Seong-cheol dragged them all to Cheongun Mountain and handled the matter himself in a terrifying tale……
Of course, back then it wasn’t a big scandal.
The president of South Korea’s top company personally beating up organized criminals? People called it a good deed and praised him.
But in this trash-drama world, I wasn’t surprised at all.
If I tried to tear the plot apart, my mind would’ve given out.
I let out a small sigh and continued.
“By the way, how long are you going to keep calling me Master Kang-geon?”
“I’ve said it before—Master Kang-geon’s bloodline runs through Seonghwa Group.”
“Well, you’re still a bastard. A blemish that must never be exposed. And I’ve never even seen my mother’s face.”
“….”
“Manager Kim, relax your face. I was just joking. Honestly, I’m pretty satisfied with my life right now.”
Life as a chaebol heir’s child?
It’s burdensome, and with a company like Seonghwa Group, it’s inevitable that you’ll get tangled with the imperial family.
The closer you get to the imperial family, the easier business becomes.
Regulations loosen, national projects flow in naturally, and politics just bows its head.
In return, when the imperial family needs something, the corporation must immediately become their servant.
Sponsoring imperial events, backing royal family members’ personal businesses, and sometimes covering up ugly scandals.
In short, we’re laughing together while holding each other’s weaknesses.
A massive vested-interest cartel built under the name “Korean Empire.”
Seonghwa Group, with its size, has to be at the center of that cartel, and the imperial family is inevitably connected to the original story’s world.
In short, getting involved with the imperial family is a shortcut to ruining your life.
The only thing that bothers me is that in the original story Seonghwa Group wasn’t ranked number one.
The accurate way to put it is that there was no clear number-one in the era of the Three Kingdoms.
But……
“It’s not like I have to worry about it.”
After all, I’ll just live happily on the millions sitting in my account.
But even that seemed to be taken away from me.
Why?
The moment I checked the urgent news report, I knew with certainty.
[Collective Symptoms at Seonghwa Group 3rd Chairman Inauguration Ceremony]
[All family members rushed to hospital… Seonghwa Group “Investigating the situation”]
“……?”
I turned my head toward the TV where the voice had just come from.
On the screen was the familiar building.
Seonghwa Hotel.
The place Seonghwa Group’s owner family always uses for important events.
The strange thing was the atmosphere.
It wasn’t normal.
The hotel entrance was already swarmed by ambulances, and emergency responders were wheeling stretchers in.
Black-suited bodyguards blocked the perimeter, but the reporters’ flashes and shouts were impossible to control.
The camera shook violently.
In that instant, a figure being carried on a stretcher flashed across the screen.
Oxygen mask.
Medical staff rushing around.
And……
Blood?
The anchor’s trembling voice continued.
[It appears the entire Seonghwa Group owner family was attending the event, and some attendees have reportedly collapsed after vomiting blood. The police are investigating whether this was a planned crime, including the possibility of poison…]
The second I heard that, my fingertips started shaking.
No way…
Wait—
No matter how trash the drama world is, this is impossible.
But I didn’t have time to complain.
My intuition told me.
“Master Kang-geon! There’s no time to explain! Get in the car now!”
It warned me not to board that black sedan Manager Kim had brought.