Wouldnât it be nice if everyone in the world understood gratitude and had a sense of propriety? But, as it turns out, many donât. Even among his children and grandchildren, there were quite a few who fell short in that regard.
Thinking back to the looks they gave when they received their inheritance, some hinted subtly, while others outright asked, âWhy is it only this much?â In comparison, Go Mooyeolâs calm and modest demeanor made him seem like a saint.
On top of that, he apologized and, ever since, has shown remarkable self-restraint, giving up drugs and working hard to turn his life around.
"At least in that sense, heâs better than his aunts and uncles. I donât know why they canât learn what even a young kid like him understands. Tsk, tsk."
"â¦."
"They think Iâm their personal bank account. I didnât abolish the inheritance tax for them to act like this. What a mistake that was."
"Chairman, perhaps a little encouragement for the young master? Iâm sure it would make him happy and motivate him further."
"Encouragement?"
Go Young-man nodded slightly and took a seat.
"I did throw him a pretty lousy deal. I was so angry back then, I lost control. Age makes it hard to keep a grip on emotions."
He tapped his fingers on the desk, pondering.
"What would be best?"
"Maybe some financial support for Goryeo Entertainment? Given the young masterâs aggressive investment strategy, he might be lacking funds to fulfill his plans."
"Lacking funds⦠thatâs true. A mere hundred billion is nothing. It was a bit harsh of me."
Most of the family had received trillions, so he could only imagine the resentment Mooyeol must have felt at being given mere billions. Reflecting on it, Young-man realized that Mooyeolâs humble responseâapologizing without complaint, despite being handed a worthless companyâwas commendable.
"But money has low value. As a Go, heâll earn plenty on his own."
"â¦."
"A grandson of the Goryeo Group, unable to make money? The resources of East Asia are in my hands. Of course, the crumbs will fall to him eventually. Growing with the experience of earning money will be good for him."
"If not money, then�"
"What else does he need? Any suggestions?"
The secretary thought for a moment.
"Ah! How about something to support his strength?"
"Strength?"
"He recently hired a secretary and has been looking into land and gang territories to build a private prison. It seems he plans to secure the land by eliminating these gangs."
"Such a pointless endeavorâ¦."
But Young-man paused.
"A prison?"
"Yes, he seems to be planning to operate a private prison."
Young-man reviewed the documents again, confirming the contents.
"This kid⦠whatâs he planning to do with a prison?"
"That⦠Iâm not sure."
"Tsk, tsk. Itâs a womenâs prison, isnât it? Must be to satisfy his fetish."
"â¦."
Young-man shook his head in disappointment. Although he himself had indulged in women when he was younger, his interests had shifted to business.
"Well, itâs only natural for a young man. Better than dying from drug abuse, right?"
"Absolutely, sir."
"Assign him a knight after Chuseok."
"!"
The secretary looked shocked.
"A knight� Are you sure?"
"Yes. He likes women, so send him a young female knight."
"But a knight is a state-level weapon. It might attract unwanted attention."
"And what can they do about it?"
"â¦."
"My grandson! What could they possibly do?"
"My apologies. What about the mecha?"
"A knight and a mecha come as a pair, donât they?"
"And the mecha facilities?"
"Thatâs up to him. Do I need to spoon-feed him? Itâs just been a week. This is encouragement enough."
"Understood, Chairman."
As the secretary withdrew, Young-man went to the window.
Having lost his parents at a young age, Mooyeol was the grandson he worried about the most. But as he constantly went astray, Young-man eventually gave up on him.
But what if Mooyeol truly turned things around?
"This old man doesnât ask for much. Just donât meet a hollow end like your father."
+++
Everything was going smoothly.
We found a suitable new office for Goryeo Entertainment and finalized the contract. The article that Hyun-joo published became a hot topic, causing an uproar online. After all, a prosecutorâs team lost four members, and she herself was injured (we downplayed it as minor injuries). And now it was revealed that the case involved widespread sexual exploitation in the entertainment industry, with most agencies implicated. It was bound to shock everyone.
When Kim Dong-gi exposed similar issues on a broadcast, viewership skyrocketed in minutes. The public was already curious about the entertainment world, and now, with all these explosive details, it was bound to draw attention.
"Public reaction is even hotter than expected. Shortly after Hyun-jooâs article, an actress held a press conference revealing more, setting everything ablaze."
"Perfect. Whatâs going on with the prosecution?"
"Theyâre in emergency meetings; they canât afford to ignore it. All the senior prosecutors have been summoned to the Incheon office."
"Excellent."
Everything was going as planned. Once a special prosecutor is appointed and Lee Na-eun is named, the hardest part will be over.
"Tell Hyun-joo to fan the flames even more. Make it burn."
"Understood."
"Put the trainees through intense training. As soon as the agencies fall, weâll debut them. Train them on interview skills as well."
"Iâll let Rainbow Miracle know."
"Good."
Hyun-joo published a follow-up article. With views coming in fast, the entire social section of her paper joined in, churning out related articles and videos, each one sparking massive responses.
By the next day, the entire Shin Mirae Daily had formed a special team around Hyun-joo, producing more reports, and other media outlets quickly jumped on the bandwagon.
Within a day, entertainmentâs dirty secrets flooded the news, with MiTube videos dominating the trending list.
There were:
"Those agency guys arenât even human. I could say so much, but I canât reveal my identity. Let me just say: theyâre scum. They donât see women as peopleâjust as objects."
And the leaks continued:
Anonymous (123.43): "Wow, lol, Kyung-hee was such a slut, acting all innocent."
Anonymous (123.19): "Hey, donât go there. Whereâs your decency?"
Anonymous (37.123): "Yuck, disgusting."
The fire was now beyond containment.
The powerful who had enjoyed these favors tried to bury the issue, but the ordinary elites didnât have the influence to douse these flames.
"Post the article about Prosecutor Lee Na-eun."
"Yes, Master."
The next day, we dropped another bombshell. Prosecutor Lee Na-eun, while investigating the entertainment industry, had been ostracized within the Incheon District Office, with her team receiving inadequate support.@@novelbin@@
The story quickly spread, riding the wave of the entertainment scandal.
Anonymous (123.43): "Are you kidding me? Should we even call it the Prosecutorâs Office? More like the Garbage Office!"
Anonymous (123.19): "Did you see her interview? Sheâs still fighting for justice. Sheâs our only hope."
Anonymous (163.63): "An agency sabotages an honest investigation? Pathetic."
Finally:
"The Incheon office has decided to establish a special prosecutor."
"Wow, that was fast."
It was only September 10, four days after Hyun-jooâs article on September 7. Now, the big question was who would be appointed. Given the situation, if they didnât choose Lee Na-eun, theyâd face enormous backlash.