Chapter 527
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A few days later, when the plan for the Prestige of Incheon was roughly finalized, I reached out to Go Seon-a.
— Right. So you decided to build it on your island outright?
It felt unfamiliar.
Not anyone else—talking with Go Seon-a.
Hearing her voice through the receiver suddenly felt unfamiliar.
A strange voice, cool yet carrying a bit of heat.
Like her daughter, Go Seonyul, her tone hardly rose or fell and seemed calm, but if you listened closely there was a faint trace of emotion.
The feeling of the bare minimum of humanity, maybe.
“Yes. There’s really no space in Incheon big enough to hold Prestige. Building it on my island was the best choice.”
— If you say so, it must be so. By the way, Father is peculiar. Out of the blue he’s entrusting Prestige to you.
“Not, not completely—only Incheon Bay.”
— He’s handing over the entire Education Department, I hear. That’s effectively the whole thing.
“...”
— Whether Father himself passes it along bit by bit, or you exert influence and nibble away at it piece by piece, it’s a matter of time. It’ll take a while, but still.
Hmph.
You’re overestimating me.
Of all things, to think I could do anything about Prestige.
— When it’s this blatant, it’s awkward even if you expected it. Honestly, it also feels a little too radical considering it hasn’t been that long since you came to your senses.
“Haha...”
Does she have a complaint about Grandfather’s decision?
Well, that could be.... After I came to my senses, all kinds of attention inside the Group began concentrating on me, which, put another way, means the other direct-line were comparatively left out in the cold. Go Seon-a, and her daughter, Go Seonyul.
Even I think Grandfather has doted on me to the point it would be reasonable for them to feel displeased.
From the start, when all the sisters received 1% each, I alone got 3%.
That’s practically at the aunts’ (Vice Chair) level.
— Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not particularly displeased about that. Neither I nor my sisters have any special designs on the Group.
?
No designs on the Group.
Then—
— Think about it. Life is already comfortable enough; there’s no need to needlessly shoulder a mass of responsibility. No one likes that. At least none of us do.
“Er—don’t the Vice Chairs need to pay some mind to it...?”
— Father will handle it.
“...”
These people—
Something’s off across the board.
Why is a chaebol family this uninterested in the Group?
Isn’t it normal to fight tooth and nail for control?
Shouldn’t a jagged, jutting nephew like me be checked with every means possible...?!
— Anyway, our daughters aren’t particularly interested in that side either. They’re all busy living their own lives. Same for me.
“I—I see.”
— In that context, it’s fortunate. You came to your senses. If you hadn’t, one of us would’ve had to succeed Father without mercy. And you wouldn’t have met a pleasant end either. But there’s no need for that, is there?
“...”
— You quit the pills, you’re diligently developing yourself, you’re doing business, and you’re paying attention to Group succession—do you know how fortunate that is? Thanks to you, we have one less thing to think about.
I...have an interest in Group succession??
Diligent???
Where is she getting this strange rumor.
— We’ve strayed. Anyway, I understand. I’ll personally take charge of the Incheon Branch matter.
“Uh... so you’ll come in person? To Incheon.”
— Me, personally?
For a moment she made a little “Mm...” and went quiet.
Seemed she was thinking.
— It doesn’t look like there’s any problem.... Fine. I’ll come myself.
Ohhh...!
At last—at last Go Seon-a is coming...!
— But I can’t make time quickly. There are procedures on this side, too.
“We’re basically building a city, so of course. I can wait as long as it takes.”
— Good. Then—
“Oh, but would it be possible to at least move the Education Department early? That’s the core, after all. The new season starts this March. I want this year’s education to begin in Incheon.”
— Is that so? It’s nice to see you motivated. If that’s the case, I’ll tell Seonyul. She hasn’t been on the job long, but there shouldn’t be any problem with her handling it.
“Thank you!”
When the call ended—longer than I’d expected—a fullness I couldn’t explain welled up.
I couldn’t quite grasp why; thinking it over, it must be because this was the first time I’d had such a long conversation with Go Seon-a.
Up to now it had always just been one-word exchanges, right? Even when I sent a greeting text, the reply that came back was really simple. Only today did we finally have a long, long talk, so it’s no wonder my chest feels tight.
Whatever else, Go Seon-a is also a woman who will become my wife. We should have a lot of exchanges like this going forward.
“She’s my wife.”
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“M—Me... you mean me...?”
“Yeah. You can do it well, right?”
“...”
Seo Aram—who always beamed in front of me and tried her best to please me—suddenly lowered her head with a dark expression.
Her pupils were trembling fiercely; she was considerably flustered.
You could tell just from the fact that someone with Absolute Loyalty couldn’t answer my order immediately. That’s how strongly she was shaken.
“Why, not confident?”
“N—Not... that I’m not confident.... But... why... me...?”
Wearing eyes that just couldn’t make sense of it, she cautiously looked up at me.
There was a little anxiety in them, too.
She must’ve been worrying whether I was dissatisfied with her and pushing her away.
Of course, that’s just needless fear.
As if I’d push you away. You’re just a bit impish and cheeky, that’s all.
“When I corrupted Seo Eunmi and Ma Yeonju, I felt it. Ah, this one has talent on this side.”
“...”
“Training secretaries is, well, not so different, is it? So you take the Prestige Incheon Education Department—that’s what I’m saying.”
“...”
“Listen carefully. Prestige is all about Prestige. You went through the training; you know well, right? What that place does.”
“Y—yes...”
“Train them to suit °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° my taste—yourself.”
“Ah...”
Strictly speaking, of course there’s already someone who oversees the Education Department.
But with the entire Education Department coming over to me, the person I personally plant will naturally gain power.
In other words, our Seo Aram is taking on an enormously important post.
She’s being seated in the position that raises talent for our Group.
Even so, Seo Aram’s expression wasn’t great.
It seemed to be because, if she took that job, she’d have to step down as Protocol Chief and be away from my side.
“That’s what you get for plotting something that cheeky.”
A punishment that isn’t quite a punishment.
For daring to privately talk about making my woman a concubine, I decided to tease her a little.
And, incidentally, to put a bit of distance between us.
For Aram, who treats me like a savior and bears Absolute Loyalty, this too would become a heart-aching trial....
...
I’m kidding; the truth is it felt like time to exercise the protagonist’s power.
Prestige already boasts an overwhelming talent pool, and I’m curious how incredible the ones raised will be if we add the protagonist buff on top.
“My expectations for you are high, Aram. You can do it well, right?”
“Y—yes... I’ll... do my best...”
Aram answered with a somewhat dejected face.
Seeing her like that, my heart softened for no reason.
Maybe... I should give her a little encouragement.
I need to make sure she understands I have no intention of pushing her away or demoting her.
Slide.
“Ah...”
I quietly drew her shoulder in.
Flushing, Seo Aram naturally leaned into me and waited for the next step, and I lived up to that expectation: I slid my hand under her blouse and kneaded the big mound of flesh.
“Master...”
The secretaries each have different “mouthfeel” depending on their type, but among them, Seo Aram is the taste of complete obedience and submission.
Unlike secretaries who serve me because their status leaves them no choice, or out of their own ambition, she serves me out of loyalty from the heart, so when she’s taken, she purely rejoices in the fact that she’s being used by me.
“Think it over carefully. What do I like?”
“Ah...?”
“The High School of Education has its graduation ceremony on February 13, and those girls will enter the Institute on March 2 as is, right?”
“Th—That’s... right...?”
“Prepare that well. It’s a group event for girls who have just become adults. As a man, that’s hard to just let pass.”
“...!”
After thinking for a moment, she soon seemed to grasp my intent and desire, and nodded.
“I’ll fill all of Koryo Prestige with my Master’s cunt...!!”
“...”
No, it doesn’t have to be that grand, uh....