I Became a Scoundrel of a Chaebol Family
Chapter 253

"Given that Min-young is sending Kang Hye-young, it's clear she's taking great care of me. This alone could be sufficiently flaunted externally."

Others also agreed to send high-ranking officials in their own way.

Min-ji decided to send one of her secretarial team leaders, Ha-young would send heads of key departments, and Ha-yan, Seon-ah, and Seon-yul decided to send a group of their secretaries.

The grandfather decided to send a holographic speech, which might seem trivial, but considering his stature, this was actually more than generous.

"Just showing his face on a monitor and saying a few words will shock people."

Branch families also expressed their willingness to attend once they heard the news.

Despite everyone from the Koryo family showing interest in the event, an unexpected hiccup came from an unforeseen quarter.

"They’re not coming?" "Yes..."

Soo-ah, with a puzzled expression, relayed some hard-to-believe news.

"I’ve made several offers, but ultimately, due to preparations for the by-elections, many from the city's administration, members of the 'Equality Freedom Constitution Party', and various local officials have stated it would be difficult to attend. Instead, they will send representatives from each institution."

"How can they say it's difficult to attend? How long do they think this will take? Does that even make sense?"

Soo-ah handed me the documents she was holding. It was a lengthy explanation, but in a nutshell, they were too busy with the election.

But most of the members belong to the 'Equality Freedom Constitution Party', which makes it somewhat suspicious.

"Are they collectively trying to mess with me?"

"Are they also approaching the laws regarding the permanent special prosecution office in this manner? Opposing me?"

"That's not the case. There’s formal exchange for the sake of public appearances, but no actual opposition has been reported yet. It seems likely to pass naturally over time."

"But why can't they attend this? It’s much easier. It's just a party, voters won’t complain. Are they challenging me now? Want some bribe or something?"

"That..."

Soo-ah cautiously ventured an opinion.

"Perhaps they didn’t like the annotations you added, sir?" "My annotations?"

I glanced over the invitation on my desk.

"Hmm."

Indeed, the back filled with various precautions could be annoying. From the recipient’s perspective, such a verbose invitation might not be welcomed.

But it’s necessary. Given the high status of these individuals, their egos are substantial, and such people often overreach.

I absolutely detest the idea of my secretary being handled by others.

"Plus, considering your past actions, sir, they’re probably not too fond of you. It seems they are rebelling in this manner."

"True. I even find the situation a bit ridiculous myself."

The biggest issue was probably the effective end I put to the celebrity sexual favors. They were enjoying it until I used special inspections through Na-eun to completely mess it up.

It’s not just about fulfilling sexual desires, but taking away their sense of being ‘special’ in society. They have enough reason to be upset.

Thanks to that, my Koryo Enter has grown into a massive agency managing thousands of female entertainers.

And with the backing of the Koryo Group and new industry standard contracts that reduce sexually exploitative content, it must look utterly nonsensical to them.

"The Better Future Party seems okay... It's these Equality guys who are the problem."

Even other agencies confirmed their attendance, but it’s the affiliates of the Equality Freedom Constitution Party that are problematic. Including the mayor.

"Police...no problem, and the prosecution... Well, keep persuading them. But don’t come off too desperate." "Understood."

Two days later, Soo-ah reported back, sweating profusely.

"I'm sorry, sir... Members of the Better Future Party, citing the by-election as a reason, have said it would be difficult to attend—"

I quickly snatched the document she was holding. She had hurriedly prepared it, evident from some papers being crumpled or slightly misprinted.

The important point, however, was that even those who had confirmed their participation were now saying they couldn’t make it.

"Why? If Kim Eun-ji, who’s running for district mayor, can attend, why can’t the others? Are they playing games?" "They heard that the opposing party is focusing on the by-election, so they are reacting to that."

"That's not it. They disliked how Go Muyeol operated but couldn't refuse outright, so they agreed to attend. But then they found out the opposition party isn’t attending much, so they thought, 'Alright,' and decided to boycott too."

As roughly two-thirds of the invited city councilors expressed their inability to attend, the situation was deeply frustrating. While many high-ranking officials from various agencies, such as chief prosecutors and police chiefs, confirmed their attendance, the bulk non-participation of a specific profession implied a coordinated snub.

"Trying to tame me?" I mused, despite Incheon's unique status. Just because they are privileged doesn't mean they can underestimate me. Even though I'm ostensibly a non-entity within the Koryo Group and treated almost like a beggar in my own household, my actions have been significant enough to demand respect.

"Let's wait and see. They might not realize the implications of so many openly declining. They probably didn't intend to insult me."

The next day proved some of my predictions correct. With an overwhelming number of councilors opting out, a few reluctantly decided to attend, and some even sent their aides—a number that was not insignificant.

But this was far from satisfactory. Sending underlings to make an appearance would only count if they were of a status comparable to my aunts or grandmothers. They should have been upfront about this approach from the start.

"Keep an eye on how this develops."

And on the morning of the event, the situation remained unchanged. The majority of the councilors persisted in their refusal to attend. Others were already boarding the super yacht.

Soo-ah, sweating profusely, apologized over the phone. "I'm sorry, sir...! I've been trying to persuade them, but these people are acting mad, not listening..."

Kim Eun-ji, who was running for district mayor, had called multiple times to apologize. It seemed both parties were in a strange deadlock, each thinking their substantial number justified their actions.

"Enough, they're busy, what can we do? They're busy," I dismissed her feeble apologies. "How are your preparations going?" "Doing my best, sir!" "Good, see you later."

After ending the call, anger bubbled up within me. They were really trying to screw me over, huh? People my family sent were coming, and even the branch families had said °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° they would attend.

How dare they, in front of these people, To me, Give the impression of an insult?

"Soo-ah." "Yes, sir." "Doesn't it make sense not to lie to me?" "Of course."

"The candidate themselves is attending, and they say they're too busy because of the by-election. Ridiculous. What should we do with those who lie so blatantly?"

Soo-ah hesitated before responding. "We could force them to come if necessary."

A good suggestion. I had sixteen knights including Baek Seol.

But that lacked impact.

"No, Soo-ah. Didn't I say it makes no sense to lie to me?

A lie shouldn’t reach me."

"Then...?"

"Turn their excuse into a truth. They're too busy because of that darn district mayor election. What if we make that election much bigger?"

"Excuse me?"

"Respect the situation of our respected council members, who are too busy. If the situation where all district mayors in Incheon suddenly had to be reelected came about—"

I stood up, Soo-ah looking at me as if I were mad. It was a familiar expression I hadn't seen in a while.

"People would understand then. Oh, it’s an unavoidable situation. They aren’t just snubbing the young master of the Koryo Group." "..."

I am a magnanimous person. It would be cruel to demand their attendance at my banquet if they really needed to elect new district mayors all over Incheon.

Thus, I decided to forgive the councilors' absence, given their purported busyness. What can you do when they're busy?