How did Aunt find out I needed an island?

Well, I suppose Soo-ah wouldn’t have taken any extreme precautions in her investigation, so it’s not impossible. But even so, was it really worth calling about...?

“Your grandfather, feeling all proud of himself, wanted to gift you an artificial island. If he wants to give away something that’s his, that’s fine, but of all things, it had to be the island I ordered thirteen years ago...”

“Oh... I-I see.”“Naturally, I refused. It’s not just a few pennies, and it’s taken years of preparation for our larger plans.”

It seemed Grandfather had another gift in mind for me, one that eventually made its way to Aunt.

“I feel bad, as if I stole your present.”

“Oh... It’s fine, really. I wouldn’t be able to handle it properly at this point anyway.”“Exactly. The one I ordered is about a third the size of Incheon. You wouldn’t be able to use it even if you had it.”

“Excuse me? A third of Incheon?”

Had they lost their minds?

Incheon is the largest metropolitan city in Korea.

A third of that...

‘Could that Go board really be that impressive...?’

Who knows—maybe by now, Grandfather’s having a full-on conversation with Master Korea-young’s ghost. That might explain his sudden joy.

“Instead, I have a smaller artificial island. If you’d like, you can have that one. It’s much smaller, but that’ll make it easier to use personally. Of course, you’ll need to convince me next month if you want it.”

“Convince you...?”

What was she expecting me to do? Give a PowerPoint presentation on why I need an artificial island?

“Yes. Convince me.”

I didn’t know what she had in mind, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Even with money, you can’t just buy an artificial island, so if all it takes is a bit of persuasion, it’s a bargain.@@@@

Plus, I had a clear purpose for it. I was already preparing to build a prison and set up a mercenary company.

An artificial island would be ideal for running a prison.

“Thank you for the opportunity, Aunt. I’ll prepare diligently.”

“Alright. I’ll see you in a month.”

“Yes, goodbye!”

After bowing to the invisible caller, I ended the call, and Soo-ah spoke up.

“An artificial island? She’s really going to give you one?”

“Yeah, Aunt said so. But I’ll have to convince her, so gather all the information and prepare it for me.”

“Yes, Master. But... wow. That’s not something just any country can get...”

“Aren’t I practically a country? The direct grandson of the Go-Ryeo Group, a walking empire.”

Even if I didn’t have much cash to my name.

“...Honestly, I was on the fence about it, but now it really feels that way.”

“What? On the fence?”

The nerve of her, saying this so early in the morning.

“Such cheekiness. I think you need to be disciplined.”

“Huh? Kyaa!”

+++

I arrived at Go-Ryeo Entertainment’s office in Ganghwa. The first thing I did was call for the members of LUMINA. In the middle of practicing, they rushed over immediately.

Sitting on the couch with my legs crossed, I lined them up before me. They were all drenched in sweat.

“Is everything coming along well?”

“Yes, sir... We’re giving it our all...”

“Not just trying hard—are you doing well?”

“....”

“Words alone won’t cut it. Let’s see it.”

With a look, I signaled the manager, who gestured the timing and started the music. LUMINA, looking a bit tense, launched into a much improved performance, dancing to a provocative song, as befitting their sexy concept.

But despite their efforts, by the time the dance ended, I still hadn’t felt... anything.

‘Hmm. It wasn’t bad... maybe it’s because I was just with Soo-ah.’

That was a shame. Changing the choreography now would take more time, but if they just debuted as they were, it might feel a bit underwhelming.

“Good job.”

“....”

“Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts. Soo-ah, you first.”

Luckily, with production companies constantly facing shutdowns, things should settle soon as more professionals re-enter the market. Plenty of them would be women, too.

“How’s the reaction to the industry’s new standard contract?”

“It’s split. Some like it, while others don’t. Those who appreciate it feel it protects the actors’ rights more. Those who don’t are more focused on the content, concerned with authenticity.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re concerned that prohibiting all skinship, including kisses, could impose creative restrictions on the industry.”

“Hmm.”

True enough, it would be a problem if adult films later turned out to not include real acts.

“Label them as perverts.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just say those who insist on authenticity are just perverts.”

“....”

“If CGI can replace it, why does it matter if it’s real? Are they fantasizing for their own reasons? Something like that.”

“Oh... understood.”

As I continued to handle business, lunchtime approached, and Prosecutor Lee Na-eun called.

“What’s up?”

“I thought I should let you know, sir. It seems the special prosecution may dissolve this week.”

“I already heard from Soo-ah. An article is coming out soon through Hyun-joo. Your people should be able to gauge the situation.”“Yes, though...”

Lee Na-eun trailed off, sounding rather pleased.

“I’ve heard rumors that ‘Go-Ryeo Group’ is somehow linked to the dissolution.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

If it was Go-Ryeo Group, they should be backing the special prosecution, not trying to dissolve it.

“During an investigation, we came across a company involved in sexual bribery, and among the recipients was someone connected to the Go-Ryeo Group’s extended family.”

“....”

Ah.

Makes sense.

People in Go-Ryeo Group could certainly receive those kinds of favors.

Like me, for instance.

It was actually a wonder things had stayed quiet for this long.

“So, the prosecution might be dissolved because your extended family is pulling strings?”

“I received a rather unpleasant blackmail email. There’s pressure from above, but it’s actually a thrill to work under these conditions. Haha.”

Judging by her laughter, she really did seem to enjoy it. It wasn’t just because she trusted me; she always had this demeanor, even when pushing back against me—a genuinely twisted person.

‘Soo-ah called her a psycho... similar to Go Min-ji, perhaps?’

“Just keep doing your job, as befits a righteous prosecutor.”

“Of course.”

“And who’s this relative of mine, exactly? Where are they applying pressure?”“I’ll send their details now. They’re pressuring the Incheon District Prosecutor’s Office, specifically the chief prosecutor.”

The chief prosecutor at Incheon District...

They went straight for a direct hit.

Tsk.

Should I make it clear that Go-Ryeo Group’s sole heir to Go-Ryeo Entertainment is none other than Go Muyeol?

Or do they already know? Maybe it’s just another case of extended family cutting deals behind the scenes.

If so, they should have told me first.

Not that I’d listen.

“No way I’m letting some second-rate relative hog the spotlight... from now on, all entertainment industry favors go through me alone.”

Ding.

The text arrived.

The name of this “extended relative”...

Jeon Seong-hyun.

“Who the hell is that?”

There were so many extended relatives that I genuinely had no idea.