I spent the past three days in absolute chaos. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

I was already a busy person, but I usually had moments here and there to breathe, and if I really made up my mind, I could even take a decent break. But this time, that wasn’t possible.

Work. Only work.

Even cutting down on sleep and sex, I had to fully dedicate myself just to barely meet the deadlines, and even then, I sometimes ran over.

The scope of my businesses was rapidly expanding, and with the Incheon political scene essentially vacant, I was being bombarded with contacts nonstop. That made it even worse.

“That should be enough.”

“From event prep to execution and post-cleanup, I think about three weeks should do it.”

“To be safe, let’s allow for extra time.”

“Got it.”

“It’s fine if you go over schedule, so don’t feel pressured.”

“I don’t have any immediate plans to use it anyway.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks.”

I sent off the super yacht I’d been using to Go Hayan.

She was planning to showcase the various accessories she made using Sinabro (RK-77) on board first, then launch them officially afterward. That would mark the true beginning of Muyeol Chemicals (tentative name).

If RK-77 takes off, I can just set up a decent-looking lab and pretend to do research, start churning out RK-series products, and then at the right moment, drop RK-99.

Maybe I should get a degree in advance just in case...

That’s probably the best way to minimize suspicion.

No matter how much my family’s been warming up to me—hell, some of them are basically turning into my girlfriends at this point—it's still standard procedure to minimize anything that might raise red flags.

Besides, even if my family trusts me, if the outside world starts getting too suspicious, that alone becomes exhausting. I needed at least a baseline academic background to serve as a shield.

And it's February right now... barely, but still.

Classes probably haven’t started yet. If I throw money and power around, I might be able to muscle something through.

I pressed a button to call in the secretary.

Whenever Soo-ah isn’t around, it’s usually someone from the protocol team waiting in the wings like this.

“Call in Soo-ah.”

“Yes, sir.”

After she left, Soo-ah came in not long after.

“You called for me?”

“I think I need to get a degree.”

“A degree?”

“In physics, chemistry, or new materials.”

“Are you... planning to attend classes in person?”

“That won’t work. I need something where I can graduate without doing anything. But the name still has to carry weight. At least a top university.”

Surprisingly, Go Muyeol isn’t even a high school graduate. He didn’t even finish middle school.

Right before entering high school, he was already hooked on drugs and barely showed up to school, spending his time getting laid or passed out. So naturally, his education went nowhere.

The only reason his record shows a high school diploma is because Koryo Group couldn’t have its firstborn grandson being a middle school dropout, so they forced him through a GED. And even that—he clearly didn’t study for it himself. There must have been some tampering involved.

“They can’t know I’m getting the degree handed to me. It has to be from a school where I don’t have a previous record.”

“I’ll look into it.”

The conditions were pretty ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) tricky, but Soo-ah nodded without a word.

“Oh, Master.”

“?”

It looked like something popped into her head, and she brought it up suddenly.

“About the Go teacher candidates you mentioned earlier—I’ve narrowed it down. Want me to report now?”

“Ah. Go...”

Right, I said I’d learn Go to get on Grandfather’s good side...

“Yeah. Bring it in.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be right back.”

Soo-ah bowed politely and stepped out.

Just like I’d been busting my head from nonstop work the past few days, the people under me were all dying too.

The worst off was Soo-ah, who was practically running the entire operation.

Not to mention, she’d never even received proper secretary training—she was juggling this with studying on the side.

Honestly, the girl’s kind of superhuman.

Not long after, Soo-ah came back in.

“I narrowed it down to women over 7-dan, and on the younger side.”

“Hm.”

I took the folder from her and skimmed through it.

They weren’t quite at the level of professionally managed celebrities, but the candidates were still mostly decent-looking.

Were there always this many young, pretty women in professional Go?

I briefly felt a strong sense of doubt, but then I remembered—this is a world where South Korea has over 400 million people, it’s the dominant superpower in Asia, and we’re in a game world setting.

Hell, there are demons in this world. Debating whether something’s realistic is pointless.

“These people, do they know they’re candidates?”

“No, not yet... I was going to notify them later.”

“Notify them...”

It sounded ridiculous, but thinking about it, there’s really no reason not to. I’m just asking them to teach me a game—what are they going to say?

I flipped through the catalog and picked the youngest, prettiest one.

As for her actual Go skills—whatever. I’m not trying to become a master. I just need to be good enough to play a few rounds with Grandpa. As long as she’s a pro, that’s good enough.

Click.

“Bring her in. Give me a full schedule later.”

“Yes, Master.”

Soo-ah retrieved the catalog and stepped out of the room.

Once again, silence settled over the office as I got back to tearing through my work.

++++

“It’s an honor to be invited, Representative!!”

“No, the honor’s mine—thank you for coming.”

In the evening, I called in a large group of surviving lawmakers.

Well—technically, they were the ones who said they wanted to come see me, and I just gave them the green light. That’s more accurate.

Now that Mayor Choi Cheol-kyu is dead, and about 130 ruling party lawmakers were slaughtered, the remaining lawmakers were visibly watching my every move.

Humans really do only learn manners when raw force is staring them in the face.

One by one, I gave each of them a reassuring handshake as they bowed deeply, almost kissing my hand, and hosted a banquet just for them.

We’d only had a single day to prepare, but unless you were aiming for a super yacht-level mega event, I always kept my staff ready to throw something together on short notice.

“Representative, I was hoping to hear a bit about your political direction going forward—would that be alright?”

“Hahaha, of course. I’ll share everything. In fact, I was hoping you might give me some advice on that front, Representative. Ha, hahahaha, haha...”

“Oh really? Then I’ll do my best to offer my humble thoughts.”

Unlike the female lawmakers, who maintained their appearances rigorously, the male ones preferred to leave aging alone, aiming for a more seasoned and dignified impression.

Who knows what they were doing behind closed doors, but at least on the outside, they aged together with the average citizen.

The City Representative of the Better Future Party was also an old man with a warm, grandfatherly look.

After some light conversation, the main dinner began.

All the political figures who held sway over Incheon had gathered there, but of course, I was the centerpiece of it all.

“After the recent major disaster, the public is understandably shaken. With both executive offices—the district mayor and city mayor—crippled, and now even the legislative body suffering such a massive blow, the burden on the surviving lawmakers here today is heavier than ever.

You must now be more proactive than ever, focusing on legislation that directly impacts the lives of our citizens. For example, the Special Prosecutor Activation Bill—something like that. Push through the existing ones quickly, and focus on drafting new bills.”

“...Ahem...”

“Rebuilding public trust is also critical. Many lawmakers are present here tonight, but personally, I believe anyone with legal issues should, at minimum, not be sitting in the legislature. I hope you take this into consideration and clean things up.”

“H-haha...”

The City Rep forced out an awkward laugh, cold sweat beading on his face as he lowered his head.

Behind their smiling faces, the other lawmakers were radiating anxiety, nervousness, and all kinds of negative emotions.

They knew. Of course they knew.

They knew that the Special Prosecutor Activation Bill I was championing was essentially putting a noose around their own necks.

And for my so-called “flawless legislature” to become a reality, they’d have to gut a whole slew of their legally compromised colleagues right now.

“Um, but Representative... I mean, that’s a bit... unrealistic...”

The City Rep tried to persuade me somehow.

Now that I think about it, this bastard had a criminal record, too.

“Unrealistic?”

“Well, I...”

But when I just looked at him in silence, his eyes darted like crazy, and he finally caved in with a “No... no, of course not...” and backed down.

He’ll probably resign from his City Rep position pretty soon.

He has a record—if he doesn’t want to get dragged through the mud, he’d better step down voluntarily.

“For those who are forced to step down, I’ll try to find you a place somewhere in the Group. Nothing prestigious, of course.”

I threw in that line as a follow-up, and their faces brightened just a little.

If someone accurately grasps my intentions and knows their place, it’s worth showing them a bit of mercy.

—

After the banquet ended and the lawmakers left...

Normally, I would’ve gathered the female lawmakers separately for a raunchy drinking session, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the time for that today.

“Find them positions in the Group where they can collect a paycheck comfortably—make sure they have zero authority.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And if any of the female lawmakers have criminal records, place them as advisors to the secretariat.”

“Understood.”

Just because I’m being generous doesn’t mean I’m planning to shower them with wealth or honor.

If they step down quietly, I won’t kill them. That’s all I’m offering. Basically exile—but a slightly luxurious one.

I’ll give them enough to live on, sure, but they won’t be allowed to influence society in any way.

That’s the setup. I’ll shove the useless male lawmakers out of my sight and slap “advisor” titles on the women. Treat them like pets.

Most of them are pretty, after all, so they’re worth keeping. Maybe I should build a house with a fishbowl vibe while I’m at it.