I Became a Scoundrel of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 399

“Could that be related to Incheon independence?”

The timing is strange.

Of course, considering the Republic of Korea openly uses terms like Korean, North Korean, and Continental, and is a country that practices blatant discrimination, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

But for it to happen now, of all times, feels like something worth thinking about.

And what they pulled was an elementary school hostage terror attack?

That’s an incredibly effective way to draw massive public attention, but it’s literally the worst method if you want to get what you’re asking for.

The moment you pull a stunt like that, public sentiment turns violently hostile, and naturally, things like the “Continental vote rights” they’re demanding completely go out the window.

If there’s even a half-decent strategist on their side, they’d never resort to this.

A Continental, at this timing, storms into an elementary school in Incheon with a ton of firearms and stages a hostage terror incident?

I had a gut feeling this was somehow connected to the Incheon independence plan.

Ra Seung-hee thought for a moment before cautiously answering.

“...I do get the sense it could be one of the phases. Like using it as the ignition point for escalating conflict.”

“In what sense exactly?”

“We’ll have to watch how things unfold, but... Incheon is the only city in Korea where carrying heavy firearms is legal. If crimes highlighting that fact increase and media coverage spikes, the argument for isolating Incheon more aggressively will gain momentum.”

“So they’re planning to ride that wave all the way to independence.”

It still seemed like there was a long way to go before a megacity like Incheon could realistically declare independence, but the logic wasn’t wrong.

Incheon had always been an infamous city, to the point it’s been called “Demon City Incheon” for decades.

The background for how it obtained its autonomy was based on a similar argument. It’s the only city on the Korean Peninsula where Continental votes can influence elections, so a strong faction had always pushed for strict separation from the mainland.

There’s a reason they gave the city that ridiculous name.

Officially,

The Incheon Advanced “Isolation” City.

The word “isolation” is literally part of the city’s name.

“Assuming this is part of the Incheon independence plan, draft up a scenario and think of preemptive countermeasures.”

“Yes, Master.”

I wasn’t particularly interested in the incident itself, so I dismissed the screen.

The only thing that matters is the aftermath and how it ripples outward anyway.

“Master, President Kim Eun-ji of the Association and Floor Leader Joo Hyun-ah have arrived.”

“Tell them to come up.”

“Yes.”

+++

The Daedong-A International Universal Elementary School hostage terror incident was resolved quickly.

How quickly?

It ended within about two hours — which was how long it took me to brief Kim Eun-ji and Joo Hyun-ah on the Incheon independence situation, have a few drinks while teasing them, and get serviced front and back in the bathroom.

But the resolution wasn’t exactly a happy one.

— It’s a historic tragedy... How... How could something like this happen...

— Do they think they’re some kind of martyrs?! This is an unforgivable, unjustifiable, and must-never-be-justified atrocity that unfolded in the heart of Seoul. Truly horrifying—

— It’s confirmed that all the perpetrators are dead, and innocent students and blameless teachers—

The perpetrators blew themselves up.

Once military authorities got involved beyond the police and even the deployment of Knights was decided, they somehow caught wind of it, released another statement, and then collectively detonated themselves.

As a result, the entire school and parts of the surrounding residential area were obliterated, causing catastrophic damage.

Even I, who isn’t exactly an expert, could estimate just by watching the footage that casualties would be at least 1,000 to 2,000 — a major disaster.

The fact that this happened in Seoul and not Incheon gives me an odd, surreal feeling.

“How the hell did they know the Knights were being deployed?”

“Y-yeah... Good question...”

Kim Eun-ji and Joo Hyun-ah clung tightly to my side, trembling.

I couldn’t tell if they were scared as adults or grieving for the dead kids, but it was a side of them I didn’t expect.

Well, it’s a huge incident. Most people would be shaken by it.

Even though Kim Eun-ji and Joo Hyun-ah were lawmakers who usually slacked off and pocketed funds like freeloaders, they weren’t utterly corrupt, sociopathic politicians.

So it made sense that they’d at least show concern watching the horrific scene unfold on the screen.

“Continental activists demanding voting rights suddenly terrorize an elementary school, then blow themselves up the moment Knight deployment is decided... It’s practically confirmed.”

“C-confirmed? What is?”

“That this is laying the groundwork for Incheon’s independence.”

“...W-what...?”

“It’s designed to make the public demand even stronger isolation measures for Incheon.”

“That’s...”

Leaving the two of them sitting on the sofa looking devastated, I got up.

“Tomorrow’s going to be noisy.”

Well, at least they didn’t jump straight to rebellion or war. Thank god for that.

The next day.

Things unfolded more or less as expected.

The elementary school terror incident shocked not just Korea, but all of Asia, and the world. Countries worldwide issued condolences and condemned the attack.

Even the Twenty States of the Continent — formerly China — immediately cut ties, releasing a strong statement that “terrorism is an inhumane crime that can never be tolerated.”

And that’s despite the incident being directly linked to the rights struggle of Continental people.

Domestically, hatred toward Continentals exploded.

There was already significant discrimination, but this incident was the spark that set everything off.

“It’s burning up nicely.”

“Well, after something like that, naturally...”

“What’s the confirmed damage?”

“The blast was so massive, everyone inside the school died. On top of that, over 100 casualties occurred in the nearby apartment complexes and shopping areas.”

“Tsk tsk.”

The Daedong-A International Universal Elementary School catered to children of the elite, so the campus was vast.

Even so, all students and teachers perished, and severe damage hit the nearby residential areas.

At this scale... The public backlash in Korea will be overwhelming for a while.

Not just a wave — a tsunami.

— This isn’t about Continentals. It’s about Incheon. Having a city like Incheon, where people can openly carry heavy firearms, right next to Seoul is exactly how tragedies like this happen.

— There are 20 million registered firearms in Incheon alone. That’s just the traceable ones. How many more unregistered, illegally modified, or homemade guns are out there among the scum?

— The «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» real issue isn’t guns. Did yesterday’s attack happen because of guns? No. The problem is, you can legally own enough explosives in Incheon to level entire buildings. That’s the core issue here.

The media pinned the blame squarely on Incheon.

Sure, it was Continental activists demanding voting rights who committed the crime, but the reason they could pull off such a large-scale attack was because of Incheon’s lax laws.

From Incheon’s perspective, it’s a bit unfair.

It’s not like they legalized this stuff because they wanted to.

The city only fell apart because they had no choice.

After World War III, Korea gained vast territory, which meant taking in huge numbers of Continentals as new citizens.

A significant portion of those Continentals flocked to the prosperous Korean Peninsula.

But the government, wary of excessive Continental immigration, forcibly concentrated them in Incheon.

At the time, Incheon lacked the infrastructure to support that massive influx of people, and collapse was inevitable.

The city became overcrowded beyond belief, with black market weapons and war supplies flooding in.

Within just five years post-war, over 5 million firearms were circulating in Incheon, completely overwhelming the city’s ability to control them.

Maintaining the existing gun ban under those conditions meant law-abiding citizens had no way to defend themselves against armed robbers or worse.

So, when Incheon was elevated to an autonomous, isolated city, gun ownership was legalized in the name of self-defense.

And that decision snowballed, contributing massively to what Incheon is today.

In other words,

If you trace it back, the Korean government holds significant responsibility for Incheon’s collapse.

But now they turn around and say, “Why didn’t you manage it properly?”

Of course Incheon feels wronged.

— As the Mayor of Seoul, I feel deep responsibility for this tragedy. I share the heartbreak the people are feeling—

Regardless, Incheon, which had been minding its own business, started taking hits.

People highlighted Incheon’s flimsy laws and shattered security.

Naturally, the mainland political scene jumped in.

Both ruling and opposition parties twisted facts, exaggerated favorable narratives, and slammed each other with underhanded attacks, or blatant insults.

It looked disgusting to the public, but in 2077, Korean politics was still driven by self-interest above all else.

Nobody really cared how it looked.

— We need to revise Incheon’s laws immediately. Even if it’s an autonomous city, it’s still part of the nation. Legalized firearm ownership clearly violates the national constitution! We must fix this now!

— Millions commute between Incheon and Seoul daily. Were inspections properly enforced? Are they being enforced now? I say we tighten those weak-ass inspections first!

— I propose building a giant wall between Incheon and Seoul!

Bills flooded in.

Accusations and impeachment motions flew everywhere.

In 2077 Korea, even lawmakers could be impeached, so within days, around twenty National Assembly members from both parties were suspended pending impeachment.

The mayor of Seoul and the district head responsible for the elementary school were, naturally, impeached too.

“This country’s going down in flames. Legendary level.”

Why the hell are they fighting among themselves when a damn elementary school just got bombed?

“Master, they’re discussing forming a Special National Investigation Committee in Yeouido and summoning Jung Mina, the Incheon Mayor, as the first witness.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Simply put, they’re hauling her in for a public hearing.”

“A hearing? Oh boy. Poor Mina’s going to be shaking like a leaf.”

That timid little thing... A public hearing?

Unbelievable.