Let's Go There
p>Then, let's head there.p>p>A sudden thought struck me.p>p>In the original story, Kang-geon was already dead, right?p>p>My intuition isn't a perfect all-rounder.p>p>This confusion had been brewing ever since it failed to give me a perfect answer to the question I wanted to ask.p>p>And Kim Bu-jang was the perfect case of that.p>p>Up until now, it had never shown me any dangerous signals.p>p>Yet suddenly, in just one day, it was sending out a barrage of them?p>p>If that was the case, chaos was inevitable.p>p>Even without my intuition, I had always believed Kim Bu-jang was a good person.p>p>But what if everything had been a lie?p>p>Korea... no, the Korean Empire was a genius actor we had missed.p>p>I wanted to praise them.p>p>In the end, the one thing I wanted to say was this.p>p>In the original story, Kang-geon hadn't trusted his intuition.p>p>He had trusted his own heart instead.p>p>That's why I boarded the car that Kim Bu-jang was urgently calling for.p>p>And the result, I suspect, unfolded exactly as my intuition had predicted.p>p>...Death.p>p>Honestly, at first I was confused.p>p>Why would boarding Kim Bu-jang's car lead to death?p>p>To be honest, I had thought it was because he wanted to get rid of the illegitimate son, the black sheep of Seonghwa Group, and be done with it.p>p>But after hearing Choi Yu-na's explanation, it turned out the reason was completely different.p>p>“So from now on, I'm the chairman of Seonghwa Group?”p>p>“Yes.”p>p>“A high school kid who hasn't even turned adult, an illegitimate son?”p>p>“Yes.”p>p>“D-don't you think that's... really strange?”p>p>“Founder Kang Seong-cheol, the chairman of Seonghwa Group, started his business at the same age as Chairman Kang-geon.p>p>And he proved his immense charisma and business acumen, building today's Seonghwa Group.”p>p>Wait... that was eighty years ago.p>p>And Choi Yu-na began addressing me as “Chairman” with perfect naturalness.p>p>No matter how much I denied it, it was already happening.p>p>“Wait, even if that's the case, this is the number-one ranked company in the Korean Empire.p>p>Won't there be some legal procedures for shares or bylaws?!”p>p>“Chairman, the one thing stronger than corporate share percentage in this empire is exactly this: the Imperial Family's recognition.p>p>And Seonghwa Group's principle is bloodline succession alone.p>p>The Imperial Family has also recognized this.”p>p>As soon as I heard that, I had to press my forehead.p>p>...What a twisted drama world.p>p>“First, the owner family poisoning incident is very likely not a simple crime.”p>p>Just as I let out a deep sigh, she said calmly.p>p>“The route of the event, seat arrangements, meal order, security placement.p>p>Even who ate what food was all pre-designed.p>p>But the poison was only precisely injected into the foods and drinks that the owner family consumed.”p>p>“So the ordinary attendees were fine?”p>p>“Yes. No damage to the external VIPs.p>p>In other words—”p>p>“They only precisely targeted and killed the owner family.”p>p>The air inside the car suddenly grew heavy.p>p>It was obvious to anyone that this was a planned crime.p>p>And with crystal-clear targets.p>p>“This is most likely aimed at completely wiping out the owner family and collapsing the bloodline succession structure of Seonghwa Group itself.”p>p>“Well... if that's not the case, there's no reason to kill me, the illegitimate son.”p>p>“Yes.p>p>And I judge this level of crime is impossible to carry out alone.p>p>Moreover, it is highly likely that someone who perfectly understands the internal structure of Seonghwa Group and the event operation system planned it.”p>p>“Are you assuming it might be someone from the board of directors I mentioned just now?”p>p>Choi Yu-na gave a small nod.p>p>“The current internal company situation is rapidly being reorganized around the board of directors.p>p>And at the center of that is Director Jeong Min-cheol.”p>p>“...Director Jeong Min-cheol?”p>p>“He is currently the director of the Future Strategy Planning Office.p>p>He appears to be actively leading the control of affiliated companies and board coordination.p>p>Of course, he is talented from the start...”p>p>Still, it all fell into place too neatly.p>p>As if she had expected this situation all along.p>p>“But this is only suspicion.p>p>It's difficult to judge who is the enemy and who is the ally.p>p>Still, one thing is certain.p>p>They have clearly crossed a line.”p>p>“...”p>p>“Even if there was dissatisfaction with the owner family's operation, I don't think it should have been through murder.p>p>And if those people lead the company through forced employment succession... the future would be obvious.p>p>I don't want Seonghwa Group, which sustains the economy of the Korean Empire, to collapse so pointlessly.”p>p>Hearing Choi Yu-na's explanation, I could tell how deeply she was rooted in common sense, a truly decent woman.p>p>That's why a strange anger was rising in me.p>p>Why was this person who thought so normally treating me as chairman?p>p>But I also knew.p>p>Ironically, sitting in the chairman's position was the safest path at this moment.p>p>“The few who designed this situation are laughing.p>p>But the majority aren't.p>p>For ordinary regular employees and the investors and shareholders of Seonghwa Group, this is a hellish situation.p>p>Therefore, your existence might be their only hope.”p>p>“Even though I'm an illegitimate child and a brand-new kid.”p>p>The near-complaint in my voice, Choi Yu-na nodded slowly once more.p>p>“First, I told the driver to head toward the Imperial Palace.p>p>After securing safety there, we will reorganize the current situation with the Imperial Family's support—”p>p>“Wait wait! The Imperial Palace?”p>p>My mind flashed when I heard Choi Yu-na's suggestion.p>p>In this world, the Imperial Family's power is immense.p>p>So if I received protection there, safety was guaranteed at least.p>p>But in this twisted drama world, the Imperial Palace is the one with the dirtiest rear end.p>p>‘Helping like fleas and no idea how much they're going to bleed me.’p>p>If their help solved the situation, another problem would inevitably arise.p>p>In the end, going to the Imperial Palace was no different from handing myself over to others' hands.p>p>The same went for going to headquarters.p>p>From that moment on, I would no longer be the chairman.p>p>I would become a minor illegitimate child who needed protection.p>p>That couldn't...p>p>No.p>p>What I needed right now was not a hideout.p>p>A name tag.p>p>A large, clear name tag that no one could easily erase.p>p>So...p>p>“Chief Secretary Choi.”p>p>“Yes, Chairman.”p>p>“Where is the closest broadcasting station here?”p>p>“KBN, I think. But why—”p>p>I slowly composed my breathing.p>p>The Imperial Family.p>p>The board of directors.p>p>If I didn't know right now who was the enemy and who was the ally, I couldn't step onto the board they had laid out.p>p>So.p>p>“Then let's go there.”p>p>I had to announce my name first.p>p>Not the illegitimate son of a chaebol, Kang-geon.p>p>But Chairman Kang-geon of Seonghwa Group.p>p>That way, the bastards who wanted to kill me would hesitate just once.p>p>***p>p>Seonghwa Center A Building, used as headquarters.p>p>Normally, the atmosphere in the boardroom used exclusively for quarterly performance reports, affiliated company restructuring, and large M&A issues would be different today.p>p>Because of the unprecedented incident of the entire owner family dying, the Emergency Management Committee had been urgently convened.p>p>On the long table.p>p>Executives in black suits and board members sat with heavy faces.p>p>Someone was repeatedly checking stock fluctuations.p>p>Others were handing over accumulating urgent reports.p>p>Perhaps in the worst crisis since the founding, one man was silently guarding his position.p>p>Director Jeong Min-cheol of the Future Strategy Planning Office.p>p>“The stock prices of major affiliates including Seonghwa Semiconductor and Seonghwa Construction are shaking sharply.p>p>The media has also begun to widely report the possibility of poisoning.”p>p>He led the Emergency Management Committee with a calm face, as if he had anticipated this situation.p>p>“And the biggest problem is that Seonghwa Group's bloodline succession has essentially ended.”p>p>“...Then we'll have no choice but to move to a professional management system.”p>p>“In a situation like this, we can't leave the chairman's position empty for long.”p>p>“But appointing a new chairman and sorting out management rights will take structural time...”p>p>A brief silence.p>p>As if waiting for that gap, Director Jeong Min-cheol slowly opened his mouth.p>p>“Then, before appointing the new chairman, how about someone taking temporary authority?”p>p>Naturally, all eyes in the meeting room turned to him.p>p>“...Temporary authority?”p>p>“Then who do you think would be best for that?”p>p>At that question, Director Jeong Min-cheol intertwined his fingers.p>p>And.p>p>“Former Secretary Office Chief Yoon Chang-seob.”p>p>Some committee members' expressions subtly changed, as if he had mentioned an unexpected person.p>p>“...Former chief?”p>p>“He already retired, right?”p>p>At the committee members' doubt, Director Jeong Min-cheol nodded calmly and continued.p>p>“That's right.p>p>But now I think survival is more important than information.”p>p>“First, former Secretary Office Chief Yoon Chang-seob was the person who supported the chairman the longest.p>p>Therefore, he understands Seonghwa Group's internal structure, affiliated company operations, the relationship with the Imperial Family, the political and financial circles, and the cooperation structure with overseas investors better than anyone else.”p>p>“Especially in a crisis like this, the most important thing is trust.p>p>Since the biggest excuse of the owner family has disappeared, no one will trust a suddenly appearing person.”p>p>“But with former Secretary Office Chief Yoon Chang-seob, it's different.p>p>At the very least, if he uses his power, Seonghwa Group can be prevented from collapsing in a single day.”p>p>After Director Jeong Min-cheol's speech, a strange current began to flow in the meeting room.p>p>Honestly, he hadn't been wrong.p>p>Former Secretary Office Chief Yoon Chang-seob had been the one who openly received the chairman's favoritism.p>p>To the point that he was known as the dream of all salarymen.p>p>At that moment, one committee member cautiously opened his mouth.p>p>“But in the end, the person's own will is most important, right?p>p>He's already left to find his own life.p>p>Is there any reason to take on such a heavy responsibility in a bad situation like this...”p>p>Director Jeong Min-cheol didn't answer that at all.p>p>Creak—p>p>Because the door to the meeting room opened at the most perfectly timed moment.p>p>And the person who appeared from there...p>p>“Hehe, as for the reason, isn't it sufficient?”p>p>“...Former chief?”p>p>It was none other than Yoon Chang-seob, who had been the topic of conversation.p>p>He gave a small bow toward the familiar faces participating in the meeting and looked somewhere.p>p>Precisely.p>p>Toward the head seat where the chairman should have sat.p>p>“I have served these people my entire life.p>p>They left so pointlessly in a single day.p>p>How could I turn my back without knowing?p>p>I have already retired from the frontline, but I can't just watch Seonghwa collapse.p>p>So if someone has to endure it...”p>p>Yoon Chang-seob said firmly.p>p>His role.p>p>If entrusted only, he would gladly do it himself.p>p>Yoon Chang-seob's voice was heavy and sincere.p>p>Because of that.p>p>“...I am in favor.”p>p>Soon after.p>p>“A person who has devoted themselves more than anyone else to Seonghwa, how could I oppose?”p>p>“Even those who don't know this fact don't exist.”p>p>“I am also in favor.”p>p>One by one, the atmosphere visibly shifted.p>p>And while watching that scene, the gazes of Director Jeong Min-cheol and Yoon Chang-seob briefly met.p>p>A moment so short no one noticed, but a strange relief passed through their eyes.p>p>But it didn't take long for that gaze to be filled with other emotions.p>p>Bang!p>p>For some reason, the door to the meeting room opened again.p>p>Amid the loud noise of the door being slammed open, the employee who opened it shouted urgently.p>p>“N-now you must watch the news right now!”p>p>Without any further explanation, the large screen on the wall lit up.p>p>And what was displayed there...p>p>[Hello.]p>p>A boy with a clearer gaze than anyone else.p>p>The appearance of a boy in an awkwardly worn suit caused most committee members to tilt their heads.p>p>But Director Jeong Min-cheol and Yoon Chang-seob.p>p>“...”p>p>Only those two who had been leading the meeting atmosphere reacted differently.p>p>...It couldn't be helped.p>p>Because it was a face they couldn't possibly forget.p>p>The black sheep of Seonghwa Group owner family.p>p>An existence that couldn't live at this point.p>p>A boy declared to the entire nation.p>p>[I am Kang-geon, the third chairman of Seonghwa Group.]