Chapter 6
So let me ask you briefly.
Not just KBN, but every news channel was talking about Seonghwa Group.
The top-ranked conglomerate in the Korean Empire, Seonghwa Group.
The unthinkable crime of the owner family being poisoned.
Naturally, the market fell into panic.
Seonghwa Group subsidiaries’ stock prices hit the daily lower limit the moment the incident occurred, and both investors and ordinary citizens were plunged into massive chaos.
The reason was simple.
It had come too suddenly.
One day, the owner of Seonghwa Group had vanished.
No, more accurately, it seemed the company itself was on the brink of collapsing.
That was why people demanded immediate announcements more than anything.
What would Seonghwa Group do next?
Who would take responsibility for the company?
Was this simple accident, or someone’s intentional crime?
But hours passed, and Seonghwa Group remained silent.
Perhaps it was only natural.
Everyone who could lead and give orders—the leader and those who could replace him—were all dead.
That was why there could be no official statement, no press conference, nothing at all.
And in that frustrating atmosphere, KBN suddenly broadcast an emergency alert.
“Emergency Live Coverage Scheduled”
“Urgent Statement Announcement by Seonghwa Group Insider”
The news spread rapidly across the internet, and every other broadcaster had no choice but to turn their attention to KBN.
But for some reason, the face that appeared on screen was…
“Hello. I am Seonghwa Group’s third chairman, Kang Geon.”
A strange boy introducing himself as the new chairman of Seonghwa Group.
Naturally, the internet exploded.
The video of the new chairman’s speech played on loop.
The internet was in the middle of a heated debate about Kang Geon.
But there was one emotion strong enough to push all that debate aside.
Anger.
Anger at the culprit who had caused this incident.
And Kang Geon emphasized that point even more.
Someone was trying to destroy Seonghwa Group itself, using the daily lives and happiness of the people as hostages.
The more you thought about it, the more right it was.
If they had not committed the absurd act of poisoning the entire owner family, this situation would never have happened in the first place.
At that moment, the people’s anger grew without bounds.
“By the time things reached this point, what exactly did you, Deputy Kim, do?!”
Bang!
With those words, a man slammed his fist into the wall of the office.
Jeong Min-cheol, the Director of the Future Strategy Planning Office.
His face was bright red as he shouted,
“I can’t even handle one high-school kid who’s been under my management so far? Still haven’t realized who you are?”
And Yoon Chang-seob, the former Secretary Office Chief who had been quietly watching his fury, opened his mouth.
“Deputy Kim is good at following orders, but he’s fundamentally a kind person. So I had to put restraints on him….”
“What do we do?”
“First, tell him to hide like a rat.”
Jeong Min-cheol nodded as if he understood.
Actually, Deputy Kim wasn’t that important right now.
What mattered was Kang Geon’s presence and will.
Even if Deputy Kim had failed, Yoon Chang-seob was certain there would be no major setback in the plan.
Even if he carried Seonghwa’s blood, he was still just an ignorant high-school boy, wasn’t he?
In short, he was easy to control, and he could be eliminated anytime there was an opportunity.
But it seemed that was a big mistake.
Yoon Chang-seob had seen it.
The boy who had always hidden in the shadows until now stood with unmatched dignity under the world’s spotlight.
And in his unwavering eyes, he delivered his sincerity to the nation.
Watching those scenes, a thought crossed Yoon Chang-seob’s mind.
‘He’s just like that person…’
He was a veteran employee who knew Seonghwa Group better than anyone else as its former Secretary Office Chief.
He had been by the side of the first chairman, Kang Seong-cheol, the second chairman, Kang Tae-soo, and the third chairman-to-be, Kang Jun-hyeok.
He was like a living fossil of Seonghwa.
That was why he could make that instinctive conclusion.
The founder and first chairman of Seonghwa Group…
Kang Seong-cheol, whom Yoon Chang-seob deeply respected from the bottom of his heart, and the boy…
They looked so similar it was unbelievable.
Yoon Chang-seob let out a bitter laugh.
Kang Seong-cheol had been called the Mountain Lord.
Bold, fearless, the ultimate leader.
But he could find none of those traits in his grandson or granddaughter.
Yet…
Why…
Was he seeing those traits in the boy who had been called the blemish of Seonghwa Group?
Yoon Chang-seob wanted to call it fate’s prank.
If he had learned the boy’s true nature a little earlier, would the future have been different…?
‘No way.’
At least while the owner family was alive and well, the future would not change.
Yoon Chang-seob let out a small sigh.
Anyway, survival came first right now. He could not afford to indulge in sentiment.
The board was already set. And it could not be reversed.
Yoon Chang-seob slowly sorted through his thoughts.
This incident was never an impulsive act.
It was a plan meticulously prepared over a long time.
The poison had been prepared in a form that left no trace, and the routes of administration had been divided into multiple stages.
Even if they caught a few low-level employees, nothing would come of it.
The tails had already been cut.
So he was certain that the arrow would not point to them in this incident.
In the worst case, they could just use that “method.”
Then the next question was how the boy who claimed to capture the culprit would act.
Whether he intended it or not, he had created a situation advantageous to them by appearing on national live television.
He had introduced himself to the entire nation as the third chairman of Seonghwa Group and sworn to take responsibility.
It meant that for the time being, no one could touch the boy in any other sense.
In a way, the boy had become the last spark of hope for those who supported Seonghwa Group.
But what if that spark was extinguished too?
‘A massive riot would probably break out. And to calm public sentiment, the Imperial Family would have to get actively involved.’
Then Seonghwa Group would be finished. It was something Yoon Chang-seob had never wanted to see.
Still, he thought today would probably bring no major changes. Having dropped a major bomb like a national live broadcast, they needed to catch their breath for a moment.
But.
“He, he just visited the A Building!”
……
Yoon Chang-seob could not make head or tail of the boy’s movements.
***
Without warning, Kang Geon entered Seonghwa Center A Building with Choi Yu-na.
He immediately summoned the key figures under the pretext of an emergency meeting.
Fortunately, thanks to the emergency management committee that had met before, the core personnel had not left A Building, so gathering was straightforward.
The only thing was that the executives who had received the new chairman’s call could not hide their strange expressions.
Bewilderment.
Discomfort.
And cautious vigilance.
The reason was simple. The person was too young.
On top of that, he had been thoroughly hidden since birth as an illegitimate child.
A person they had never seen face-to-face in their lives.
A boy who had called them by the name of chairman out of the blue.
Honestly, it was a lie if he was not stunned.
But no one could openly express dissatisfaction.
Seonghwa Group moved on the principle of strict bloodline succession.
And at this moment, Kang Geon was the only person who carried Seonghwa’s blood.
No matter how unwilling, he had to accept that he was the one.
Creak.
At that moment, the door to the conference room slowly opened.
At the end of the gazes stood the topic of the hour, Kang Geon, with Choi Yu-na.
He was fidgeting with his tie, which still looked uncomfortable on him.
Then he looked around the conference room once, and his eyes naturally stopped on one person.
Yoon Chang-seob, who had attended the meeting as the position of former Secretary Office Chief and advisor.
But Kang Geon immediately headed toward the empty head seat as if nothing had happened.
Once he sat down, the executives followed him and took their own seats.
And.
“I believe the culprit in the poisoning of the owner family is someone inside the company.”
He dropped a bombshell from the very start.
The air in the conference room instantly froze, and Kang Geon continued as if nothing had happened.
“This incident would be impossible for anyone who did not know Seonghwa Group’s internal affairs in great detail. In that sense, I cannot completely rule out the possibility that someone here is the culprit.”
“…C-chairman.”
Someone tried to speak in a panicked voice,
but “Let me ask you briefly.”
Kang Geon cut him off in one breath.
“I want to hear from each of you why you are not the culprit in this incident. I’d rather believe all of you, so.”
Naturally, this was an unexpected turn that no one in the room had anticipated.
Even if there really was a culprit, how would they know if he was lying?
That was why the executives present could not help but wonder why the chairman was asking such questions.
But what could they do?
“Then, let’s start with the Director of the Management Support Office.”
If the chairman asked, they had to answer.
Each one began explaining their own situation.
Alibi, benefits gained through Seonghwa Group, and that a high-ranking person like him would not commit such a thing.
As expected, almost all gave similar answers.
Yoon Chang-seob was no different.
“Seonghwa gave me far more than I deserved. He promoted me from a low-level employee to Secretary Office Chief, paid me an industry-leading salary and benefits, and above all… I already have enough. What is there for me to feel sorry about to kill the owner family?”
Yoon Chang-seob answered Kang Geon’s question with perfect skill.
But for some reason, as his words continued, a grin spread across Kang Geon’s face.
…He had no choice.
Because.
‘I found it.’
His intuition, which did not miss the deep resentment hidden beneath the fox-like eyes, had seen it.