I Became a Scoundrel of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 509

+++

While I was clearing the untouched dungeon called the Permanent Special Prosecutor Office, things outside spun into a full-blown crisis.

As planned, on the 25th the national army pushed into Incheon and the bloodletting began in earnest, and every outlet—domestic and global—rushed the story back home on breaking banners.

Right now the Republic of Korea rules Manchuria, Liaodong, and the Shandong littoral, holding the leash of the Twenty States of China as Asia’s hegemon. The simple fact that a convulsion this big was erupting inside a country like that was enough to smack global markets as if with a nuclear blast.

Of course, our Group and I knew in advance, so we could prepare to a degree.

— The family’s in an uproar. “What on earth is happening in Asia right now?”

“So that’s why you called? You’re... kind of okay about it?”

— ...What exactly is going on? What are you pulling?

Anastasia pinged me for the first time in a while.

With hair a little mussed and a uniform even more military than the last time we met, she looked thoroughly displeased.

“Ah... right. My bad. I should’ve given our Tasha a heads-up.”

— ...

“Though even if I had, would you have believed me?”

— What are you talking about?

“You didn’t believe me when I said our side had already wrapped the politics. Did you?”

— What does that have to do— with...?

She cut herself off mid-sentence, like something had just clicked.

It’s about time our Tasha started having a little faith in me.

“I’m only saying this because you’re Tasha. You can’t go around blabbing it anywhere.”

— ...

She pursed her lips, glanced around quickly.

— Then hang on a sec....

And moved somewhere else.

The scenery whipping past didn’t look remotely ordinary.

“A live operation...? Did they start the CSA sweep?”

Compared to our first meeting, her uniform was much closer to field gear. Hair disheveled. Nerves razor-taut.

About twenty days ago I’d told her the Rachel snatch would open a seam in the CSA and that she should drive a wedge into it. It’s about time for that to kick off.

— Say it. What is it?

“Hm~, but our Tasha’s attitude is kind of off, no?”

— ...

“Maybe I’ll talk... if you show me your chest?”

— What?? I—,

Looking utterly dumbfounded, Anastasia started to say something, then let out a long sigh and popped a couple buttons with brisk fingers.

“Wow. You’re actually doing it.”

Looked like a garrison. A commander baring her tits while everyone else was busting their asses— that’s something.

— Sssk,

Pale skin showed through the parted cloth.

And those nipples I hadn’t seen in a while—

— Satisfied?

I was about to take a moment to appreciate when the bitch covered back up at once.

When I gave her a look that said what the hell was that, she tacked on:

— I’ll drop by soon, so cut the cheap stunts.

“You’re coming?”

— You [N O V E L I G H T] kept telling me to swing by, didn’t you? I’ll come after I wrap this... ugh, forget it. What could I possibly say to you.

“Heh... sure. Then fine.”

A little disappointing— but if she’s dropping by soon, I can let it slide.

I’ll work off this heat with Rachel, another Western girl.

“This time... what should I even call it. Part of an inheritance process?”

— Inheritance process?

“I’ve decided to take Incheon.”

— ...What?

“I, yours truly, am taking Incheon— the biggest city on the Peninsula and Asia’s hub.”

Tasha knit her brows.

— In what... sense do you mean “taking”? As in—,

“Independence. Incheon.”

— !!

“What’s happening now is the run-up to that.”

— Incheon... inde...pendence? Independence? It’s actually breaking off? From Korea? Are you serious?

“Yeah, yeah. I’m very serious. Breaking off from Korea to become my own little dictatorship.”

— What—

“Okay, that’s plenty of insider for now. We both seem busy. Let’s save the catching up for when we’re face to face, yeah?”

— Hmph....

She was about to kill the feed with a confused snort when I stopped her in a hurry.

— ...What? More to say?

“Hold up. You showed me something earlier, so it’s only fair I show you something too.”

— What?

I took out my erect cock and showed her.

Anastasia’s face crumpled, and she killed the call on the spot.

“Look at that reaction.”

She’ll be here soon to ride it anyway, and still she throws a tantrum.

“Seunghee, package the Incheon independence timeline and feed regular briefs to Tasha, and keep tabs on their side’s situation.”

“Yes.”

++++

The 27th.

On the third day of the army’s advance, a major “accident” blew up. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Also according to script.

“Th—these insane bastards...!!!”

“Even if it’s Incheon! How do you open fire on civilians?!”

“You mother****ers!! This is Incheon, you piece of ****!!!!”

A unit disguised as a special operations detachment of the national army opened fire on decent(?) Incheon citizens who were protesting.

Worse, those citizens were the “normal” sort, the ones opposing Jung Mina, demanding she step down as soon as possible and bring peace back.

From the army’s perspective they could be called friendlies— and the army shot them. That made the optics even more shocking.

Even so, with a bit of effort they could have papered it over as a tragic mishap. No one really wants a real war.

But by a stroke of “pure coincidence,” the chain of command that issued the massacre order— and the contents— leaked. And the contents were jaw-droppers like “Incheon’s a rabid dog we shouldn’t deal with; time to break them in,” and “’Ilbeu-Mangcheon’ is truth. Kill as many as we can while we have the chance.”

“Spicy.”

The results were as expected.

In an instant, the tables turned and the national army became an invading force.

And this is Demon-Realm Incheon.

Unlike the rest of the Republic, here private ownership of firearms and other weapons is formally recognized.

With enough money and connections, you can drive a tank down the street and walk.

Which means—

“Kill every last one of them!”

“How dare you, here of all places!!”

—there are a lot of armed citizens, and even if they aren’t armed right this second, if they feel like it they can pick up rifles any time.

The moment word of the army’s civilian massacre spread across Incheon, the protests flared up like wildfire citywide— and most of the crowds were armed.

“T—this is a bit much...!”

The mainland, too, was rocked by the massacre, and the army— “just advancing on orders”— suddenly found itself under pressure from both sides.

Then the 28th.

Heo Ye-won (publicly: Park Hyejeong), Chair of the Intelligence Organization Committee, made a rare public appearance and called an emergency press conference.

“—As you can see, the Republic of Korea has until now been kidnapping and confining our innocent Incheon citizens— solely because they lacked IDs and were unregistered— and has perpetrated unspeakable atrocities. Mayor Jung Mina has always said she could no longer tolerate such things, and that is what has exploded today.”

We dumped the Abyss in the open.

We poured out to the public, wholesale, the full catalogue of their gruesome experiments and the unspeakable outcomes.

Seasoned, of course, to my taste.

This wasn’t in the Blue House script.

Either way, the result was that Jung Mina became justice personified... no— the kind of person who loved Incheon so much she staked everything to defend it.

And we had just waged a sweeping war on organized crime and purged the syndicates, right? Her approval was sky-high even before this popped.

Everything is going exactly to plan.

“Master, Blue House on the line.”

“Wow. Right on cue. They’re monitoring hard.”

“What should we do?”

“Hey, weren’t they the ones who wanted Incheon separated? We’re helping— what’s their problem.”

I took the call. They threw an absolute fit.

What could possibly justify going this far. Wasn’t this too much.

“Look. I’m asking you to take the trash out while you’re at it. Why were you harboring a thing like the Abyss in the first place, huh? Not your intent? Your grandfather told you to leave it alone? Now you’re just saying anything. Yeah, yeah. I hear you. Don’t worry. This all ends well.”

To me.

— Y—young m—,

I hung up and handed the phone back to Seunghee.

“Block them.”

“Yes.”

And then the 29th, the grand day.

With the twin criticals of the civilian massacre and the Abyss, Incheon was at a full rolling boil.

The Abyss is such a conveniently played card because the things they did were so far beyond the pale that simply showing their track record as-is is enough to shock everyone.

Add the slightest tweak and spread it as “these bastards targeted the unconnected, the unregistered, the undocumented in Incheon for abductions and human experimentation,” and it lands instantly.

“At this moment, I stand before you with a heart heavy beyond words.”

With the situation at a breaking point, Jung Mina put herself on an official stage.

She spoke like a penitent at confession.

She rolled out, in a stream, how thoroughly the government had been bleeding Incheon and its citizens dry, how outrageously it had exploited them, how horrific the process had been, pressing every button in the crowd.

“This is a profoundly sorrowful day. I never wanted to reveal this truth to you. I wanted you to remain unaware that such horrors exist. I wanted to achieve Incheon’s revival, peace, and stability while you remained unburdened. That failure is mine.”

In front of me she’s a shrinking violet rivaling Minji-ah, but put her before people and she plays an iron-blooded despot like she’s split-personality.

And she’s oddly good at oratory— with a knack for pulling people in.

“Here and now, I ask you once more to support me. If you believe I have worked for Incheon until now— if you believe I have labored for the peace and revival of Incheon, for public safety so you can walk at night, for homes where you can sleep without fear— if you believe I waged a war on crime, cut down tens of thousands of vicious offenders, and packed the prisons for that goal— then lend me your hands and voices once more. Support this Jung Mina again!”

Crazy woman’s out here speechifying like Hitler.

People stirred from their seats and started to rise.

“Incheon is no longer Seoul’s trash can! We are no longer their colony! We are not their growth engine, and we are not their water treatment plant!!”

“Th—that’s right...!”

“We will do our own work! No longer Incheon for Seoul— Incheon for Incheon’s citizens!!”

“Mm—mph!!”

“So rise for Incheon, and raise me up once more! Not Jung Mina of the Republic’s bureaucracy, but your Jung Mina, Incheon’s Jung Mina! As I rose for you alone, rise for Incheon!!”

In the swell of Uwoaaah I stood and clapped before anyone.

“Long live Jung Mina!!”

The crowd followed.

““Long live Jung Mina!!””

“Long live Incheon independence!!”

““I—Incheon independence long live?!!””

One scorcher of a day.