[ Wednesday, 3:00 PM - Seongsu-dong Block B ]
The Porsche Panamera looked ridiculous parked next to a pile of rusting oil drums.
Lee Ji-eun stepped out of the car, her heels sinking slightly into the mud. The air here was heavy, tasting of sulfur and old chemicals. It was a desolate, grey wasteland in the middle of a bustling city—a scar that Seoul had forgotten.
"This is it," Jin-woo said, standing by a chain-link fence topped with razor wire. "Lot #104."
Ji-eun covered her nose with her sleeve. She looked at the desolate 4,000-square-meter lot. It was filled with debris, dead grass, and puddles of questionable color.
"Jin," she said, her voice tight. "We spent 2 Billion won on this. Plus another 6 Billion for the cleanup liability. We are effectively 8 Billion won in the hole for... dirt."
She looked at him.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
Jin-woo didn't look at the trash. He looked at the skyline. He saw the geometry of the city—the flow of traffic, the density of the apartment blocks nearby.
[ Truth Eye: ACTIVATED ][ Target: Lot #104 ][ Hidden Attribute: Future 'Green Line' Station Hub. ]
"I'm sure," Jin-woo said calmly. He walked over to a particularly ugly mound of dirt near the center of the lot. He stomped his foot on it.
"Right here," he said. "This is where the escalator for Exit 3 will be. And over there, where that dead tree is? That will be a Starbucks."
Ji-eun looked at the dead tree. She sighed, a long, weary sound.
"I hope you're right, Boss. Because if you're not, we just bought the most expensive garbage dump in Korea."
[ Thursday, 8:00 PM - The Conrad Hotel ]
Jin-woo was sitting on the sofa, eating cup ramyun. Ji-eun was pacing the room, checking stock tickers on her tablet.
Suddenly, the TV news alert chimed.
"Breaking News. A catastrophic geological event has occurred in the Gangnam Business District."
Ji-eun stopped pacing. She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
The screen showed shaking camera footage of a street in Gangnam. A massive crater had opened up in the asphalt, swallowing two cars. Behind the crater, a familiar building was leaning dangerously to the left.
The Blue Tower.
"Heavy rains have caused a massive sinkhole beneath the foundation of the newly sold Blue Tower," the reporter shouted over the sirens. "City engineers have declared the building structurally unsound. An emergency evacuation is underway. The building will likely be condemned."
Ji-eun dropped her tablet on the sofa.
"That..." she whispered, her eyes wide. "That's the building Mr. Han bought yesterday. For 10 Billion won."
Jin-woo slurped a noodle calmly. "I told you it was a trap."
[ SYSTEM CRITICAL ALERT ][ Event: 'Gangnam Sinkhole' detected. ][ Asset 'Blue Tower' Value: -50 Billion KRW (Liability). ][ Host Prediction Accuracy: 100%. ][ SYSTEM LOGIC ERROR: Geological events are random variables! How did you predict this?! ]
The blue screen flickered in front of Jin-woo's face, the text vibrating with what felt like digital frustration.
I didn't predict it, Jin-woo thought at the System. I remembered it.
"Mr. Han is ruined," Ji-eun said, sitting down slowly. "He borrowed 3 Billion from loan sharks to buy the down payment. The building is worthless now. He... he's dead."
"He was dead the moment he bet against me," Jin-woo said. He put the empty cup down. "One down. Now we wait for the Mayor."
[ Friday, 2:00 PM - Myung-il Construction HQ ]
Chairman Choi paced his office like a caged tiger.
The room smelled of stale cigar smoke and fear. On his desk lay a stack of urgent notices from creditors. The stock crash had wiped out 40% of his company's value. He was bleeding cash.
"Chairman," his secretary stammered, holding a file. "The banks are calling. They want to freeze the credit lines until the audit is complete."
"Tell them to go to hell!" Choi roared. He swept a crystal ashtray off his desk. It shattered against the wall.
"We need a win," Choi hissed, gripping the edge of his desk. "We need a government contract. Something big enough to make the banks trust us again."
He looked at the map of Seoul on the wall. His eyes landed on the Seongsu-dong District.
"The Mayor," Choi muttered. "He's announcing the Green Line extension tomorrow. If Myung-il Construction wins the bid to build the new station... the stock will bounce back. We can survive."
He turned to his secretary.
"Get me a meeting with the City Planning Committee. I don't care how much it costs. We must get the contract for the Green Line Station. It's our only lifeline."
The secretary nodded nervously. "Yes, Chairman. I will arrange it."
Chairman Choi stared out the window. He didn't know that the land for the station had already been sold. And he certainly didn't know who owned it.
[ Saturday, 10:00 AM - Seoul Municipal Hospital, VIP Wing ]
The new room was like a hotel suite.
It had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a garden, a private bathroom, and—most importantly—a massive 65-inch TV on the wall.
Eun-ji was sitting up in bed, looking healthier than she had in months. Her cheeks had a faint pink color, and she was wearing a new pair of silk pajamas Ji-eun had brought her.
Jin-woo sat in the armchair, peeling a Korean pear with a small knife. Ji-eun sat on the edge of the bed, painting Eun-ji's fingernails a bright, glittery pink.
"Hold still," Ji-eun chided gently. "Or you'll look like a messy painter."
"Unnie, are you going to marry Oppa?" Eun-ji asked casually.
Jin-woo's hand slipped. He nearly sliced his thumb. "Eun-ji-ya!"
"I'm just asking!" Eun-ji giggled. "You guys spend all day together. And you bought him a suit."
"We are business partners," Ji-eun said, blowing on Eun-ji's nails. But Jin-woo noticed she didn't look up, and the tips of her ears were red.
"Shh," Jin-woo said, pointing the knife at the TV. "It's starting."
On the screen, the Mayor of Seoul walked up to a podium. Dozens of camera flashes went off.
"Citizens of Seoul," the Mayor began, his voice booming. "For too long, the northern districts have been neglected. Traffic congestion and pollution have choked our growth."
Jin-woo put the knife down. He leaned forward.
"Today, I am proud to announce the 'Green Seoul Initiative'. We are breaking ground immediately on the new Green Line Subway Extension."
A map appeared on the screen behind the Mayor. A bright green line cut through the city.
"And the centerpiece of this project," the Mayor shouted, "will be a new, state-of-the-art Eco-Station to revitalize the industrial zone."
The map zoomed in. It circled a specific plot of land.
Seongsu-dong Block B. Lot #104.
"We will transform the abandoned chemical factory site into a green hub for the community!" the Mayor declared. "The City has allocated a special budget of 100 Billion Won to acquire the land and decontaminate the soil."
The room went silent.
Ji-eun stopped painting. She looked at the TV. Then she looked at Jin-woo.
"100 Billion," she whispered. "He just said... 100 Billion acquisition budget."
Jin-woo looked at the air in front of him.
[ SYSTEM UPDATE ][ Target: Seongsu-dong Lot #104 ][ Hidden Attribute Triggered: 'Green Line Eco-Station' ][ Purchase Price: 2 Billion KRW ][ Current Market Value: 85 Billion KRW ][ ROI: +4,150% ]
The blue box pulsed. Then, a new message appeared.
[ SYSTEM NOTE: Host is a monster. ][ System apologizes for the previous error in judgment. Logic Module is updating to account for Host's 'Fortune' stat. ]
Jin-woo smirked.
"Did Oppa win the game?" Eun-ji asked, looking between the frozen adults.
Jin-woo stood up. He walked over to the bed and handed a slice of pear to his sister.
"Yes, Eun-ji," he said softly, ruffling her hair. "We won."
He looked at Ji-eun. Her eyes were shining. She wasn't just relieved; she was looking at him with something bordering on worship.
Jin-woo pulled out his phone.
"Director Lee," he said, his voice shifting back to business mode. "Call the City Planning Office on Monday. Tell them we are willing to sell the land rights."
"For how much?" Ji-eun asked, her voice steady but breathless.
"85 Billion Won," Jin-woo said. "Non-negotiable."
He checked the time.
"And after that... get ready for school."
Ji-eun blinked. "School?"
"Yes," Jin-woo said, his eyes darkening as he thought of a certain traitor. "I have a classmate I need to visit."