Kang Geon left the imperial palace.
As soon as he departed at the Emperor’s command, the reception came to an immediate end.
What meaning could a reception have without its guest of honor, anyway?
Especially when that guest had completely turned the tables before leaving.
The invited business elites, reading the room, hurried out of the imperial palace one by one. It was time for them to think about what came next.
The Emperor had firmly declared he wouldn’t touch Seonghwa Group, and the new chairman of Seonghwa Group had turned his gaze away from the domestic market entirely, announcing he would forge partnerships overseas instead.
Literally, a new wave of upheaval was sweeping through the market.
And the imperial family…
To be more precise, the Crown Prince’s performance today had been disappointment itself.
Of course, the Crown Prince’s actions had a basis.
Kang Geon, the 3rd chairman of Seonghwa Group, had practically declared war through his inaugural speech.
And he did it right in front of everyone.
From one angle, it was a bold decision, but coming from a mere boy still wet behind the ears, it couldn’t help but look impertinent.
That was why the Crown Prince stepped forward to confront Kang Geon directly—it included representing their grievances and venting their frustrations on their behalf.
If that had succeeded, he could have secured overwhelming support from the business community.
“The chairman of the nation’s top company ignored us, but at least the imperial family saved our face…” something like that.
But that was only if the Crown Prince had managed to overwhelm Kang Geon.
Having so many witnesses meant there was a risk for the Crown Prince as well.
Whatever the outcome, it would be nearly impossible to stop rumors from spreading.
No matter how vast the imperial family’s influence was, most of those invited today were titans who held significant sway in the business world.
How could he possibly control all of them?
In other words, the moment he lost, it would leave a permanent stain on the Crown Prince’s name.
And in the end, he had been arrogant, underestimated his opponent, and suffered a humiliating defeat.
In this world, results are everything, and in that sense, the Crown Prince’s conduct today was certain to leave a question mark on the future of the Korean Empire.
Naturally.
“Dammit!!!”
“P-please calm yourself! Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
“Everyone get out!”
The Crown Prince himself knew that fact better than anyone.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit…!”
Before the medical staff could even stop him, Lee Hwan grabbed nearby objects and hurled them.
Crash!
A glass sitting in the imperial family’s private reception room shattered against the wall.
The imperial officials and medical staff flinched at the sound, but no one dared to properly restrain him.
In his current state, catching his eye would likely mean a bad ending for whoever did.
Lee Hwan, meanwhile, still couldn’t catch his breath properly.
A dull pain lingered in his abdomen, and his side throbbed sharply with every inhale.
His lip was split, and his eye area was swelling up.
He could tell without even looking in a mirror.
How pathetic he must look right now. And who was responsible for that state.
“Kang Geon…”
But what made him feel even more miserable was none other than the Emperor.
Perhaps it would have been better if the Emperor had been furious.
If he had said he wouldn’t let that arrogant young chairman of Seonghwa Group get away with it.
If he had said he would make him pay for insulting the imperial family’s authority.
If he had said that, Lee Hwan wouldn’t have been this enraged.
No, perhaps he might have even felt relieved.
His defeat wouldn’t have ended as just the Crown Prince’s humiliation—it could have been packaged as an insult aimed at the entire imperial family.
But the Emperor didn’t do that.
Instead, he acknowledged Kang Geon.
He said the boy had sufficiently shown his nerve, his capacity, and his resolve to carry Seonghwa Group.
Then he firmly declared he wouldn’t involve himself with Seonghwa Group.
To Lee Hwan, that carried an unmistakable meaning.
The Emperor had set aside the Crown Prince and chosen Seonghwa Group.
No, to be precise, he had stubbornly avoided making an enemy of Seonghwa Group.
Was that truly more valuable than protecting his own successor?
Meanwhile.
“Father… my brother is feeling quite betrayed.”
Lee Hyeon, the Second Prince, was seated across from the Emperor in conversation.
To Lee Hyeon’s worried remark, the Emperor replied calmly.
“The chairman of Seonghwa Group was right. The Crown Prince brought this upon himself through his arrogance. He should know how to take responsibility for it.”
“…”
“Think of it as paying a hefty tuition. He’s lived his whole life without fearing anything in this world, so learning a lesson this way once isn’t so bad.”
A truly cold response.
But Lee Hyeon wasn’t particularly surprised.
If anything, he agreed with his father, the Emperor.
Someone who would one day lead the Korean Empire had to remain composed in any situation.
From that perspective, this experience would surely become a lesson carved into the Crown Prince’s bones and flesh.
It had to.
Otherwise, the man sitting before him might put forward a new successor.
“I heard. You proposed being friends with the chairman of Seonghwa Group first, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Whatever your reasons, well done. Do your best to maintain as close a relationship with him as possible.”
Lee Hyeon raised his head.
As he did, the Emperor’s face came into clear view, smiling with satisfaction.
It was the kind of expression one could only make when they genuinely took a liking to Kang Geon.
So Lee Hyeon asked cautiously.
“What do you plan to do with that friend?”
“Make him a friend of the imperial family, of course. That boy looks like a glittering gemstone to me.”
Now the Emperor was genuinely curious.
Whether Seonghwa, led by that boy, could truly advance further than it had, just as he declared in his inaugural speech.
Though, from the moment he concluded the boy resembled Chairman Kang Seongcheol, he was confident the outcome was already decided.
The only question was how long it would take, and in the meantime, the Emperor planned to prepare as many options as possible.
Among them, the most beautiful method that surfaced in the Emperor’s mind was “marriage.”
Whether it was a marriage alliance or genuine affection, he didn’t care either way.
Whatever the case, wasn’t the most important thing that the chairman of Seonghwa Group become “family” with the imperial family?
The problem was that there was currently no official daughter of the imperial family who could be matched with a boy named Kang Geon.
…Officially, that is.
The Emperor concluded that he would soon need to launch a large-scale search for one missing person.
The only princess of the current Korean Empire, a girl who shared a situation similar to Kang Geon’s.
***
Recently, the most talked-about figure in the Korean Empire wasn’t the Emperor or the Crown Prince, but a single boy.
Kang Geon, the 3rd chairman of Seonghwa Group.
The boy who had made his presence known during the live broadcast solved the owner family’s poisoning incident at incredible speed, and now had even held his official inauguration ceremony at the imperial palace.
And the boy proudly declared in front of the entire nation.
That he wouldn’t keep his gaze fixed on the domestic market.
That Seonghwa Group would collaborate with and compete against companies across the world from now on.
[I came during his inauguration speech… who else could say something like that?]
â””Declaring there’s no one worth partnering with domestically is genuinely insane lol
â””What’s even crazier is he said it right in front of the Emperor and the business elite
â””He’s definitely young, his boldness is just on another level
â””Even so, isn’t he a bit too young lol?
â””I heard he even had a duel with the Crown Prince? Result was Kang Geon’s crushing victory
â””Is this for real?
â””Honestly, I’ve been getting pure dopamine from this guy lately lol
â””This guy? You crazy? Correct that to Chairman Kang Geon
[I figured it out—Seonghwa Group stock is at its cheapest right now]
â””I only trust Kang Geon hyung~
â””What’s Seonghwa Electronics at right now?
â””70,000 won per share
â””It dropped from 120,000 to 50,000 and it’s already climbed 20,000
â””But the future is what matters, I can’t even guess which overseas company they’ll partner with…
â””Obviously it’s already confirmed, right? Otherwise there’s no reason to speak that confidently
â””If he said all that without anything confirmed, he’s genuinely insane
â””True lol
â””It’s hype for sure, but I’m honestly worried, can he handle the fallout?
â””I’m a bit worried too, but looking at his track record so far, I’m just going to trust him
â””Until results come out, I’m staying neutral and watching from the sidelines
â””If he succeeds, it’s legendary. If he fails, isn’t it resignation?!!!
â””Hey! Please stop with the slander against our Chairman Kang ^^
The moment the inauguration ceremony ended, talk about Kang Geon was plastered all over every corner.
And there was one person watching the scene with great satisfaction.
Yun Changseop, who had returned to his position as Chief Secretary of Seonghwa Group.
“I hold your judgment in the highest regard, Chairman. Just as you said, Seonghwa is the nation’s top company. There’s absolutely no reason to stay trapped in the domestic market like a frog in a well. And there’s no reason for Seonghwa to sacrifice itself for the domestic market either.”
Having recognized Kang Geon’s potential early on and begun to devote himself to him, he had only strengthened his conviction through this ordeal.
In that sense, Chairman Kang Seongcheol…
‘Are you watching?’
The boy who resembles you has landed a proper blow on the imperial family.
And he declared he would move in the direction you wanted most.
If he succeeds in securing an overseas partnership here too…!
But his silent prayer didn’t continue to the end.
“How about moving instead of chattering? Thanks to someone making me chairman, you must have a mountain of work to do.”
At Kang Geon’s words, which carried a faint chill, Yun Changseop reportedly returned to slave (?) mode without another word.
And the moment Yun Changseop disappeared, Choi Yuna couldn’t help but ask Kang Geon this question.
“Chairman.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“So, which company are you thinking of partnering with?”
“Oh, that?”
“Yes. Now it’s about time to reveal it and share the news with the reporters—”
“I have no idea, actually. Haha.”
“???”
Kang Geon scratched his head as if he were embarrassed, and Choi Yuna dropped the tablet she was holding.
She had always known…
But their chairman really was insane.
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