Let's Go There
A sudden question crossed my mind: had the boy named Kang-geon already died in the original story?
My Intuition wasn't omnipotent. It never handed me neat, crystal-clear answers to the questions I actually wanted to ask, and Manager Kim was prime proof of that. How could a man who hadn't triggered a single danger signal all this time suddenly start setting off deafening alarms overnight? Naturally, it threw me into confusion.
Even setting my Intuition aside, I had always considered Manager Kim a genuinely good person. But if all of that had been an act... then the Republic of Korea—no, the Korean Empire—had been missing out on an Oscar-worthy genius.
At the end of the day, what I was wondering came down to this: had the original Kang-geon trusted his heart over his gut? Had he gotten into that car just because Manager Kim urgently told him to, only to meet the exact fate my Intuition had warned me about?
...Death.
To tell the truth, I hadn't understood it at first either. Why would getting into Manager Kim's car lead directly to my death? Honestly, I had assumed they simply wanted to dispose of an illegitimate child who was a blemish on the Seonghwa name.
Yet hearing Choi Yu-na's explanation revealed a completely different story.
"So, what you're saying is... as of right now, I'm the Chairman of Seonghwa Group?"
"Yes."
"Even though I'm an illegitimate minor who hasn't even graduated high school?"
"Yes."
"Don't you think... there's something seriously wrong with that picture?"
"Chairman Kang Seong-cheol, the founder of Seonghwa Group, also started his enterprise at your age, Chairman Kang-geon. Through sheer charisma and business acumen, he built the Seonghwa Group we know today."
Excuse me... that was eighty years ago.
And just like that, Choi Yu-na addressed me as "Chairman" with absolute nonchalance, as if the matter were settled no matter how much I protested.
"Come on! Even so, this is the top conglomerate in the Korean Empire. Aren't there legal procedures, like equity shares or corporate bylaws?!"
"Chairman, in this Empire, only one thing carries more weight than share percentages: Imperial recognition. Furthermore, Seonghwa Group's cardinal rule is strict succession by bloodline. The Imperial Family has already acknowledged this principle."
I pressed a hand to my forehead the moment she said that.
...What an utterly rotten soap-opera world.
"First of all," she continued calmly as I let out a deep sigh, "the poisoning of the owner family is almost certainly not an ordinary crime. The event's itinerary, seating arrangements, order of courses, security placement—even who was served which dish—were all calculated in advance. Yet the poison was introduced exclusively into the food and drinks consumed by the owner family."
"So the regular attendees were fine?"
"Yes. None of the outside VIPs suffered any harm. Simply put—"
"They singled out the owner family and picked them off with surgical precision."
The air inside the car plummeted into a heavy chill. Anyone could see this was premeditated murder. And one with a crystal-clear target.
"It is highly probable that the objective was to eliminate the entire owner family and dismantle Seonghwa Group's bloodline succession structure at its root."
"Well... if that weren't the case, they wouldn't have gone out of their way to hunt down an illegitimate child like me."
"Indeed. Furthermore, an operation on this scale could not have been pulled off by a single individual. It was almost certainly orchestrated by someone with an intimate understanding of Seonghwa Group's internal hierarchy and event protocols."
"Are you suspecting someone on the board of directors you mentioned earlier?"
Choi Yu-na gave a small nod.
"Inside the company, the board of directors is rapidly reorganizing control. At the center of that effort is Director Jeong Min-cheol."
"...Director Jeong Min-cheol?"
"He is the head of the Future Strategy Planning Office. Currently, he appears to be spearheading the consolidation of affiliates and coordinating the board. He has always been capable, of course, but..."
Even so, things were moving far too fast. It was as if he had anticipated this catastrophe down to the second.
"Still, it remains mere suspicion," she said. "In a situation like this, discerning friend from foe is exceedingly difficult. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: they crossed an undeniable line."
"..."
"Even if one harbors discontent regarding the owner family's governance, resolving it through murder is inexcusable. And should those responsible take the reins of the company through managerial succession... the outcome would be glaringly obvious. I firmly believe Seonghwa Group, a cornerstone of the Korean Empire's economy, must not collapse in such senseless ruin."
Listening to Choi Yu-na's rationale, I could tell she was a woman of solid principle and sound judgment.
Which only sparked an incomprehensible irritation in me.
If she was capable of such rational thought, why on earth was she treating me like the chairman?
Yet I knew the answer. Ironically enough, stepping into the chairman's seat was my single safest path forward at this very moment.
"The few who engineered this tragedy may be smiling, but the majority are not," Choi Yu-na said. "For the regular employees, investors, and shareholders of Seonghwa Group, this is nothing short of living hell. That is why your presence might be their sole glimmer of hope."
"Even if that presence happens to be a greenhorn illegitimate kid."
Choi Yu-na gave a slow, deliberate nod to my bitter grumble.
"For now, I have instructed the driver to head toward the Imperial Palace. Once we secure your safety there, we can reorganize with Imperial backing and resolve the crisis—"
"Wait, hold on! The Imperial Palace?"
Her suggestion snapped me out of my stupor. The Imperial Family held immense power in this world; seeking shelter under their roof would practically guarantee my physical safety.
Accept help from the Imperial Family, the absolute shadiest faction in this entire makjang soap opera?
They'll throw me a few crumbs of help and demand half the kingdom in return. I can't even fathom the pound of flesh they'd carve out.
Even if their backing settled the crisis, a whole new nightmare would inevitably unfold. Going to the Imperial Palace was no different from walking straight into someone else's clutches.
Heading to headquarters carried the exact same danger. The moment I set foot there, I wouldn't be the chairman—I'd just be a helpless underage bastard who needed protecting.
That... was out of the question.
What I needed right now wasn't a hideout.
It was a name tag.
A name tag so colossal and indelible that no one could ever erase it.
In that case...
"Secretary Choi."
"Yes, Chairman."
"What's the closest broadcasting station from here?"
"That would be KBN, I believe. But why do you ask...?"
I drew a slow, measured breath.
Not the Imperial Family.
Not the board of directors.
If I couldn't tell friend from foe right now, I had no business stepping onto a board someone else had already set.
Which meant...
"Then that's where we go."
I had to stake my name first.
Not as Kang-geon, the chaebol's bastard child, but as Kang-geon, Chairman of Seonghwa Group.
Only then would the bastards trying to kill me hesitate, even for a second.
Seonghwa Center Building A, the conglomerate's headquarters.
On any normal day, the executive boardroom would be host to discussions on quarterly earnings, affiliate restructuring, or mega-scale mergers and acquisitions. Today, however, the atmosphere was suffocatingly grim. An Emergency Management Committee had been summoned on short notice in the wake of an unprecedented disaster: the death of the entire owner family.
Around the long conference table, executives and board members clad in black suits sat with drawn, stony expressions. Some constantly refreshed stock tickers on their phones, while others flipped through stacks of urgent incident reports.
In the midst of the worst crisis since the company's inception, one man maintained a calm, steadfast vigil at his seat: Jeong Min-cheol, Director of the Future Strategy Planning Office.
"Key affiliates, including Seonghwa Semiconductor and Seonghwa Construction, are seeing extreme volatility in their stock prices," Jeong Min-cheol said, leading the committee with an unflappable composure that suggested he had anticipated all of this. "The press has also begun circulating widespread reports regarding the possibility of poisoning."
He paused to let the gravity sink in.
"And the most critical problem is that Seonghwa Group's bloodline succession has effectively come to an end."
"...Then we have no choice but to transition to a professional management system."
"We certainly cannot leave the chairman's seat vacant for long under circumstances like these."
"Still, appointing a new leader and organizing management rights will structurally require time..."
A brief silence settled over the room. As if he had been waiting for that exact opening, Jeong Min-cheol spoke up deliberately.
"In that case, what if someone assumed the role of interim acting chairman until a new head is appointed?"
Every eye in the boardroom naturally shifted toward him.
"...An interim acting chairman?"
"Who do you propose should take that role?"
At their questions, Jeong Min-cheol laced his fingers together.
"Former Secretary Office Chief Yoon Chang-seob."
A ripple of subtle expressions swept across several board members' faces at the unexpected name.
"...The former chief?"
"Hasn't he already stepped down?"
Jeong Min-cheol gave a calm nod and elaborated smoothly. "He has. However, I believe survival must take precedence over protocol right now."
"First and foremost, Chief Yoon served the late Chairman the longest. He understands Seonghwa Group's internal structure and affiliate operations better than anyone—along with our relations with the Imperial Family, political circles, the financial sector, and foreign investment funds."
"Above all, in a crisis like this, trust is paramount. Now that our primary justification—the owner family—has vanished, no one in the market will place their faith in some sudden stranger."
"Former Chief Yoon is different. If he lends his strength to this cause, we can at least prevent Seonghwa Group from crumbling overnight."
A subtle shift drifted through the boardroom in the wake of Jeong Min-cheol's speech.
Truth be told, nothing he said was wrong. Former Secretary Office Chief Yoon Chang-seob was a man of impeccable character and peerless competence, having openly enjoyed the late Chairman's absolute favor. He had been hailed so widely that people called him 'the dream of every salaryman.'
Just then, a board member spoke up tentatively. "However, wouldn't the person's own intentions be the most important factor? He had already retired to live his own life. Would he truly have any reason to shoulder such a crushing burden amidst this turmoil...?"
Jeong Min-cheol did not bother answering.
Screeech—
The heavy boardroom door swung open with uncanny timing.
The man who appeared on the threshold was...
"Haha, surely the reasons are more than sufficient."
"...Former Chief Yoon?"
It was none other than Yoon Chang-seob, the very man they had been discussing.
He dipped his head slightly in greeting toward the familiar faces gathered around the table, before letting his gaze settle on a specific spot.
Specifically, the head of the table—the seat where the Chairman was supposed to sit.
"They were the ones I served my entire life," Yoon Chang-seob murmured. "When they have departed so tragically and abruptly overnight, how could I turn my back and feign ignorance? Though I have already stepped down from the front lines, I have no desire to watch Seonghwa crumble to pieces. Therefore, if someone must hold the line..."
Yoon Chang-seob spoke with quiet resolution.
If they would entrust him with that duty, he would gladly take it upon himself.
His voice carried a grave, heartfelt sincerity. Perhaps that was why the room cracked.
"...I am in favor."
Voices followed in rapid succession.
"He has devoted more of himself to Seonghwa than anyone; how could we object?"
"Everyone here knows his track record."
"I second the motion."
One by one, the consensus tipped decisively in his favor. Watching the tide turn, Jeong Min-cheol and Yoon Chang-seob exchanged a brief glance.
It was an imperceptible fraction of a second, yet a faint glint of relief flickered between their eyes.
That look, however, did not remain untainted for long.
SLAM!
The boardroom doors were thrown open once more.
Amidst the violent crash of the doors rebounding, an employee gasped out frantically:
"Y-You need to see the news right now!"
Without offering any further explanation, the staff member turned on the massive display mounted on the wall.
And what flickered onto the screen was...
It was a boy with an gaze clearer and sharper than anyone's.
At the appearance of this unfamiliar youth dressed in an awkward, ill-fitting suit, most of the board members tilted their heads in confusion.
Jeong Min-cheol and Yoon Chang-seob, however...
"...!"
The two men who had orchestrated the entire room's momentum had a vastly different reaction.
...They had no choice.
Because it was a face they couldn't possibly fail to recognize.
The single blemish on the Seonghwa Group owner family.
An existence that had no business being alive at this very moment.
Before the entire nation, the boy made his declaration: