The Imperial Family would collapse soon.
To be more precise, most of the Imperial Family members currently holding power would die, and an entirely new person would take the throne.
Honestly, I had a rough idea this would happen even before coming here.
After all, isn’t the original title itself “Emperor’s Men”?
On top of that, the protagonist Lee Serin shares the same surname as the Imperial Family—”Lee.”
Which means the “Emperor” in the drama’s title could only be referring to the protagonist, Lee Serin.
‘I was watching some teenage drama set at the Imperial School up until episode two…’
Imperial School.
Chaebol heirs.
Nobles.
And a mysterious protagonist who suddenly appears among them.
On the surface, it was nothing more than a high society romance set in an elite school.
But looking back now, that was just the packaging.
Then again, that’s how melodramas work.
They dress things up as sweet romance in the beginning, then suddenly unleash hidden birth secrets, revenge, and power struggles all at once.
And Lee Serin had all of those elements.
A surname shared with the Imperial Family.
A subtle animosity toward the Imperial Family.
A protagonist highly likely to be the “Emperor” the title points to.
If so, the answer was simpler than I thought.
‘The world of the Korean Empire is a grand stage for Lee Serin’s revenge.’
A woman who had everything taken by the Imperial Family—or perhaps someone who was robbed of the position that should have been hers by right.
That Lee Serin gets entangled with various men at the Imperial School, turns them to her side, and ultimately brings down the existing Imperial forces to ascend the throne. A brilliant story like that.
That was likely the true plot of the original work.
Of course, this was all just my speculation.
‘That is, until I come face-to-face with the Emperor and the Crown Prince.’
If this Imperial Family truly cared about the nation and its people.
If they were truly upright, truly existing for the sake of the Korean Empire…
Then Lee Serin’s rise to Empress would be hard to justify.
The citizens wouldn’t accept it either.
Why would Lee Serin tear down a perfectly fine Imperial Family with her own hands?
Why drive out upright people and make herself the new Empress?
But the Imperial Family I saw today was different.
They looked dazzling on the outside, but thanks to my Intuition, I could tell the inside was already rotten.
From Crown Prince Lee Hwan, I sensed an unbearable arrogance.
A person who takes it for granted that he stands above others.
A person who decides your position before even looking at you.
And the Emperor was worse.
A gentle smile.
A benevolent gaze.
A voice befitting a monarch respected by the people.
Outwardly, he was perfect.
But what lay hidden behind that smile was never goodwill.
Calculation and greed, plus a vicious desire for control that wanted everything in the palm of his hand.
If they’re this rotten, then a story of Lee Serin bringing them down holds up perfectly.
No—if this is a melodrama, that’s practically the only natural ending.
So there’s no reason to align with the Imperial Family.
There’s no stupider choice than boarding a ship you know is going to sink.
In that sense.
‘The path I must take as Chairman of Seonghwa Group is only one.’
Cut ties with the Imperial Family completely.
And step back from the domestic business community.
Even if it means going that far, shift Seonghwa Group’s stage outside the Korean Empire as quickly as possible.
Before the coming bloodbath sweeps through the entire Korean Empire…
The one problem here is that I seem to be the only one who has reached this conclusion.
And so.
“Chairman Kang.”
It wasn’t surprising that the Crown Prince, barely swallowing his anger, was blocking my path.
He’d been glaring at me like he wanted to kill me ever since my inaugural speech…
Seems his pride got quite scratched.
Maybe it’s because I landed a hit on him at the banquet hall earlier.
Either way.
I opened my mouth toward the Crown Prince.
“You called for me, Your Highness?”
At my question, Lee Hwan stared at me silently for a moment.
His gaze was cold.
Not the gaze of a man simply upset, but of one who judged that an inferior dared to cross the line.
“I’d like to have a word with you.”
“Please speak. If it’s a question I can answer, I will.”
At my reply, Lee Hwan’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
He probably expected me to bow my head and apologize right then and there.
But I had no intention of doing that.
I only said what needed to be said in my inaugural speech, and I was never wrong.
“It’s about your speech just now.”
Lee Hwan spoke in a low voice.
“Why did you refuse the Imperial Family’s favor?”
Favor.
It sounds like such a nice word.
But I wasn’t naive enough to miss the meaning hidden behind it.
“I believe favor and business interests are entirely separate matters, Your Highness.”
“……”
“I’m grateful that the Imperial Family views me and Seonghwa favorably. But deciding the direction of Seonghwa Group is, and always will be, Seonghwa Group’s own business.”
A faint smile settled on Lee Hwan’s lips.
But it was different from the relaxed smile he’d worn at the banquet hall earlier.
It was openly sharp.
“You’re still young, and lacking in experience.”
“Yes. I won’t deny that.”
“Then wouldn’t it be wise to heed the advice of your elders?”
“I’m more than willing to listen to advice.”
I answered calmly.
“Whether to follow that advice, however, is entirely my decision to make.”
A brief silence.
The footsteps of people moving toward the reception had come to a complete halt, and those who had already left were turning back at the sound.
Lee Hwan was certainly aware of their stares.
And yet, he did not back down.
“Seonghwa Group is in turmoil right now. The owner family vanished in an instant, and the market is still unsettled. Internally, things are far from stable, and you’re telling me you refuse the Imperial Family’s favor? In all seriousness?”
Lee Hwan took a step closer to me.
“If so, it simply means you don’t understand the world yet.”
His tone carried conviction.
The Crown Prince, teaching a boy with no experience about reality.
Lee Hwan genuinely seemed to believe that.
I looked at him for a moment before speaking.
“Your Highness, I do not make conclusions without grounds.”
“…Grounds, you say?”
“Yes. Seonghwa can move forward without the Imperial Family’s help. After all, Seonghwa Group is not a company that rose to where it is today on someone’s favor.”
At that, Lee Hwan’s expression hardened completely.
I didn’t avoid the Crown Prince’s gaze.
“Decades of accumulated cutting-edge technology, employees who’ve held the line on the ground, and a foundation built through countless failures and successes. Just because the owner family suffered a tragedy doesn’t mean all of that disappears overnight, I believe.”
“…Have you considered that you might be the one to destroy it with your own hands?”
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the Crown Prince’s question.
He’d been telling me I was young, lacking, that I’d ruin the company…
It was oddly repetitive.
Like a man who’d already decided on the answer and was trying to force me into it.
So I decided to ask instead.
“And what is your basis for thinking that?”
“…What?”
“You said I might ruin Seonghwa. So on what grounds did Your Highness reach that conclusion?”
Lee Hwan’s brow narrowed almost imperceptibly.
“Is it because I’m young? Or because of the prejudice that an illegitimate child must have learned nothing?”
“You’re out of line.”
“I’m simply repeating the words Your Highness said.”
In that instant, the air around us froze.
And rightly so.
What I’d just said wasn’t a simple rebuttal.
But so what.
You’re all doomed anyway.
“Your Highness keeps emphasizing that I’m young, inexperienced, and ignorant of the world. Then let me ask you the opposite.”
I looked straight into Lee Hwan’s eyes.
I couldn’t be sure, but it felt like the Crown Prince took half a step back.
“How much do you actually know about me, Your Highness?”
Lee Hwan couldn’t answer right away.
Naturally.
The boy named Kang Geon he knew was nothing more than a few lines written in a file.
The illegitimate child of Seonghwa Group.
A high school student who suddenly became Chairman without any preparation.
That was about it.
But I don’t believe that’s enough to judge a person.
And so.
“Is what Your Highness sees before you the Chairman of Seonghwa Group? Or a naive little boy with the label of illegitimate child?”
“……”
“If you wish to judge me, then judge me all you like. But if the only criteria for that judgment are my age and background… then I don’t believe Your Highness is being particularly fair either.”
I felt Choi Yuna take in a very small breath behind me.
She was probably running through dozens of damage control plans in her head right about now.
Of course, by this point, the situation was far beyond her control anyway.
And then.
“…You have too much confidence.”
Lee Hwan finally broke his long silence and spoke.
“The Imperial Family extended a clear favor to Seonghwa Group. We allowed the inauguration ceremony to take place at the Imperial Palace, and His Majesty even delivered a personal congratulatory address. That was the Imperial Family’s acknowledgment—a sign that we would protect Seonghwa as it reeled from the owner family’s tragedy.”
“……”
“But you kicked that favor away in an official setting. And in front of His Majesty, the honored guests, and the people, no less.”
The Crown Prince’s words weren’t simply laced with discontent.
You spat on the Imperial Family’s favor…
It felt like he was hammering that point into everyone present once more.
“You’ve said the Imperial Family’s favor isn’t needed, so the Imperial Family no longer needs to extend it to Seonghwa either.”
“Then I will respect that, if that is the Imperial Family’s decision.”
“Respect… So you’re saying you won’t back down.”
A cold smile hung at the corner of Lee Hwan’s lips.
“Then prove it.”
“Prove what?”
“That confidence of yours.”
At Lee Hwan’s words, the expressions of the Imperial officials nearby hardened almost imperceptibly.
It seemed they’d already caught on.
To what the Crown Prince was about to say.
“There is an old custom in the Imperial Family. When words cannot bridge two sides, swords are crossed to affirm each other’s spirit and resolve.”
The moment I heard that, a hollow laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
That kind of custom actually exists?
“Of course, it’s not my intention to put our lives on the line.”
Lee Hwan added in a gentle voice.
“It’s nothing more than a friendly duel. No blades are drawn, and no one is seriously harmed. However, a person’s nerve and capacity are revealed quite clearly through it.”
But the meaning behind it was obvious.
Since he couldn’t break me with words, he’d just crush my spirit with force in front of everyone.
“What do you say, Chairman Kang?”
Lee Hwan emphasized the title after my name.
‘Given the situation, it’s certainly not a gesture of recognition…’
This felt more like pressure telling me not to run if I truly was the Chairman of Seonghwa Group.
Even if such a custom actually existed, the very idea of enforcing it in the 21st century was a bit absurd.
The problem was that this was a heavenly drama world, so maybe it could happen after all…
Tsk. I’m starting to dislike myself for accepting things this way.
But then again.
“Very well. But how about we change the event to something fairer? Sword fighting is a custom meant for the Imperial Family, who train in swordsmanship. I’m just a businessman who’s never once held a sword in his life.”
“Oh? Then what event do you have in mind?”
I had a feeling this could turn out to be a decent development.
Why?
Honestly, the Crown Prince’s behavior and tone were like choking on a sweet potato to me.
And while I hadn’t exactly planned it, an opportunity to legally beat(?) him had just rolled right up to my door.
So.
“How about boxing?”
You could use a few hits yourself.