I first encountered that drama through the internet.
It was a real-time trending post on a major community site.
And the title alone was already ominous.
[Recent drama update >>> The Crown Prince threatens a chaebol heir with a gun]
At first, I naturally assumed it was clickbait.
A 21st-century Korean Empire.
They claim to be a constitutional monarchy, yet the Imperial Family actually rules over corporations and politics from above.
The Crown Prince threatens people.
The heirs of top-tier companies cause scandals left and right without facing any real consequences.
I thought there was no way such a premise could seriously work.
The problem was that public opinion saw it completely differently.
-Whoa~ the dopamine is insane lol
-It’s just a drama, people
-The Crown Prince’s face is the plausibility
-Either way, all that matters in a makjang drama is that it’s entertaining
-Look at that 14% rating for the premiere—the public is always right
I read those comments and genuinely couldn’t understand.
Wait, they call it a constitutional monarchy, yet the Imperial Family wields power like that? Does that even make sense?
Then what happened to the Japanese occupation?
And if it’s a constitutional monarchy, why is the Imperial Family lording over politics and the business world?
Even the business side wasn’t normal. Heirs were constantly causing scandals, and corporate succession seemed to play out like some gangster organization’s power structure.
“That writer bastard doesn’t know the first thing about historical accuracy.”
I muttered that under my breath and clicked the clip in question.
And exactly 3 minutes later.
I realized.
Plausibility was shattered.
Historical accuracy was shattered.
Common sense never existed in the first place, but under the banner of “makjang,” anything is possible.
But then…
‘It’s actually entertaining.’
Then again, isn’t that the whole point of makjang dramas? Those kinds of clips are all over the place.
Suddenly someone gets a kimchi slap across the face,
Or the main couple gets hit with the bombshell, “Actually, you two are half-siblings!”
Or the mother-in-law throws an envelope of cash and screams at the female lead to break up.
‘Well, if it were me, I’d take the money and break up on the spot.’
If the mother-in-law is like that, married life would never be easy.
I’d probably get stressed out and file for divorce even faster.
But looking back, I watched makjang dramas without any resistance as a pure-hearted kid.
Thinking about it, maybe makjang dramas were never meant to be understood with your head in the first place.
In the end, what matters is the fun, the thrill, the rage.
And the gripping development that makes it impossible not to click for the next scene.
When the story right in front of you is entertaining enough, people put down their brains more easily than you’d think.
In that sense, I gave the drama a shot myself.
I’d only seen short clips, so maybe I was just being prejudiced.
But in the end, I only made it through 2 episodes.
To be precise, I gave up after episode 2.
I’ll admit the dopamine rush was real, but…
How should I put it? It felt like suddenly pouring raw capsaicin down the throat of someone who never eats spicy food.
Your mouth clearly says it tastes good, but your body refuses to accept it as food.
The real problem is that my pathetic tolerance back then is something I bitterly regret now.
Why?
“Damn it… I should’ve just gritted my teeth and watched to the end.”
Because I ended up falling into that makjang drama world.
And not even as anyone important—as the illegitimate child, the stain on a chaebol family.
***
I realized I’d fallen into the drama world from the very beginning.
I mean, the country was literally called the Korean Empire. In the 21st century, no less.
That alone was enough to tell me I’d landed in the world of 「The Emperor’s Men,」 that makjang drama.
And I wasn’t even a main character. Hell, I wasn’t even a supporting character.
Well… I suppose that’s fair.
Getting isekai’d into one of those roles would obviously drag you into endless trouble.
But couldn’t they have at least made me someone a bit more ordinary?
“Why did it have to be a chaebol’s illegitimate child…”
And of all companies, it had to be Seonghwa Group.
Number one in the Korean business world.
A mega-corporation so massive that people say its revenue alone moves the national economy.
And I was the illegitimate child of that Seonghwa Group’s Vice Chairman.
Someone who could never enter the succession picture from birth. Literally, the stain on Seonghwa Group.
The fact that they dumped me in an orphanage says everything.
‘I can’t even imagine how much they can’t stand the sight of me.’
Then again, maybe having Seonghwa blood flowing through me is impressive in itself.
They do look after me in their own way.
They send massive monthly donations to the orphanage.
They casually deposit money into an account under my name that makes you say “hundreds of millions” without thinking.
And sometimes someone from Seonghwa Group drops by to check on me.
Of course, that last one is probably just to make sure I’m not up to any mischief.
If I went around blabbing that I’m Seonghwa Group’s illegitimate child, things would get inconvenient for them. Though I’m sure they’d just solve it with money anyway.
That’s just how chaebol families work in drama worlds, right?
I had no intention of blabbing about it anyway.
Because my intuition was telling me that wouldn’t be a good idea.
Ever since I possessed this body, I’ve had this ability called “intuition.”
I’m not sure if it was always there, but it goes beyond just having good instincts—it’s more like it points me in the direction that’s best for me.
It’s hard to describe in words, but whenever I follow my intuition, things always turn out well.
And isn’t that all that matters?
Of course, this intuition sometimes leads me into situations that are hard to explain.
“Young Master Kang Geon, out of all the sports in the world, why did you choose boxing?”
Like right now.
Department Head Kim, from Seonghwa Group’s Executive Secretary Office Special Management Team, asked me that.
He’s the guy assigned to shadow me full-time.
In simple terms, he’s my illegitimate child caretaker.
But my intuition didn’t reject him, and just from looking at him with my own eyes, he seemed like a decent guy.
Anyway.
I’ve been learning boxing for about a year now.
The reason was simple.
My intuition told me to.
It’s like the thought ‘learn boxing’ just popped into my head.
But surprisingly, I actually had real talent for it.
How much talent, you ask…
“The head coach at the gym you attend mentioned it, sir.”
“You’re talking about the youth national team thing, right? Don’t worry, I’ll turn it down. I’m just doing this as a hobby to relieve stress.”
“So that level of skill is what you consider ‘just a hobby’…”
Thanks to my gym’s head coach’s aggressive push, I received a recruitment offer for the youth national team, but I couldn’t accept it.
Because that also carried the risk of exposing the fact that I’m the Vice Chairman of Seonghwa Group’s illegitimate child.
Not that I was particularly disappointed anyway.
Like I told Department Head Kim, I wasn’t beating up the other gym members to relieve stress… I was just doing it because boxing was genuinely fun.
At my answer, Department Head Kim gave a bitter smile.
Like someone who’d committed a crime himself, looking apologetic even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Founder and 1st Chairman of Seonghwa Group, Chairman Kang Seongcheol, was known as the Mountain Lord in his youth, famous far and wide for his fists. It seems that blood flows through you as well, Young Master.”
This is a fairly well-known story.
From what I hear, Chairman Kang Seongcheol’s son—
That is, the current Chairman of Seonghwa Group—was once gang-beaten by ten organized crime thugs.
When Chairman Kang Seongcheol heard the news, he dragged them to a place called Cheongunsan and dealt with them personally. A terrifying anecdote…
Of course, the incident never became a big deal back then.
The chairman of Korea’s number one company personally handled some gangsters—he was actually praised for it, with people saying, “Isn’t that practically a public service?”
Honestly, nothing surprises me in this makjang drama world.
If I tried to nitpick everything, my sanity wouldn’t survive.
I let out a faint sigh and spoke again.
“By the way, how long are you going to keep calling me Young Master?”
“As I’ve said all along, you carry the Blood of Sunghwa, Young Master.”
“Sure, but I’m still just an illegitimate child. A stain on Seonghwa Group whose very existence must never be revealed. I’ve never even seen my mother’s face.”
“……”
“Department Head Kim, lighten up. I was just joking. Honestly, I’m pretty satisfied with my life right now.”
The life of a chaebol kid?
It’s stressful, and the more prominent the company, the more unavoidable it is to get entangled with the Imperial Family.
The closer you are to the Imperial Family, the easier business becomes.
Regulations loosen, national projects flow your way naturally, and the political sphere bows its head on its own.
In exchange, when the Imperial Family needs something, the company must willingly become their hands and feet.
Sponsoring imperial events, supporting the Imperial Family’s personal ventures, and sometimes even handling things that can’t be spoken aloud.
Simply put, they’re accomplices smiling at each other while holding each other’s weaknesses.
A massive vested-interest cartel built under the name of the Korean Empire.
And a company like Seonghwa Group inevitably stands at the center of it, while the Imperial Family is bound to be connected to the original story.
In short, getting involved with the Imperial Family is a shortcut to ruining your life.
The only thing I find strange is that in the original, Seonghwa Group wasn’t number one in the business world.
To be accurate, it was more like the Warring States period—there was no definitive top dog like there is now.
But well…
‘That’s not really my problem.’
I’ll just live happily ever after on the money sitting in my bank account.
But it seems even that isn’t allowed for me.
Why?
I became certain the moment I saw the breaking news.
[Mass abnormal symptoms occur at Seonghwa Group’s 3rd Chairman inauguration ceremony]
[Owner family members rushed to hospital in large numbers… Seonghwa Group “assessing the situation”]
“……?”
My head turned toward the TV, where the sound had caught my attention.
On the screen, I saw a familiar building.
Seonghwa Hotel.
The place the Seonghwa Group owner family uses for every important event.
But something was off about the atmosphere.
Anyone could see this wasn’t a normal situation.
The hotel’s front entrance was already overrun with ambulances, and emergency workers were pushing stretchers inside.
Bodyguards in black suits were blocking the perimeter, but the reporters’ flashing cameras and shouting were completely out of control.
The screen shook violently.
At that moment, someone being carried out on a stretcher flashed across the screen.
An oxygen respirator.
Medical staff moving urgently.
And…
Bloodstains?
The anchor’s trembling voice continued.
[It’s been reported that all members of the Seonghwa Group owner family were present at the event, and there are even testimonies of some attendees collapsing after vomiting blood. Police are investigating not as a simple accident but the possibility of a premeditated crime, including the use of poison—]
The moment I heard that, my fingertips trembled slightly.
No way…
Right?
No matter how much this is a makjang drama world, this is too much, damn it.
But before I even had time to lament the situation, my intuition told me something.
“Young Master! There’s no time to explain! Get in, now!”
That I must never, ever get into that black sedan Department Head Kim had brought around.