Demonic Seoul 2077.  

 

Set in a post-World War III Korea, which had expanded to vast territories like Manchuria and the Shandong Peninsula.

 

This open-world game was a cyberpunk story set in the near future, specifically the year 2077.  

 

As the title suggests, it was a game set in the near future. In the cyberpunk genre. 

 

The world was dominated by a colossal corporation with the power of a nation. It controlled every aspect of life. 

 

In short, it was a world where money ruled everything.  

 

And then there’s a heavy dose of nationalistic pride poured into the mix. 

 

That was ‘Demonic Seoul 2077.’  

 

In the game’s story, Korea had become the biggest beneficiary of World War III, which broke out in 2027. 

 

They annexed not only North Korea but also the three northeastern provinces of China, along with Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the Shandong Peninsula. 

 

It had become a massive empire with a population of 400 million. 

 

The catch is, most of those people were Chinese…  

 

Players could choose to play as either a male or female protagonist and enjoy a variety of gameplay options. 

 

One could stand up against the mega-corporation and fight for justice, or one could become their henchmen and wreak havoc. 

 

Alternatively, one could join a government agency, work to restrain the corporations, and fight corruption to restore order to the nation.  

 

If none of those appeal to you, you can accept a pact from the demonic realm, which was always lurking and waiting to invade the human world, and become a ‘Great Demon,’ seizing control of the world. 

 

Or you could become a ‘Demon Hunter,’ someone who fought and hunted those demons to protect humanity.  

 

Either way, the game appeared fantastic.  

 

Many gamers were captivated by this game and opened their wallets—myself included.  

 

The problem is that they crammed in so much stuff that it turned into an absolute disaster of a game.  

 

The optimization was so terrible that I barely managed to finish it before quitting out of frustration.  

 

And then I left a review right away.  

 

I think that review was the reason why I got trapped inside this game world.  

 

The developers must have been pissed about the insult and decided to throw me into this trashy world to make me suffer.  

 

But it appeared like they didn’t quite nail the character setup.  

 

‘Well, I’m not complaining.’  

 

In real life, I was a lonely loser shut-in, but now, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in the body of a third-generation chaebol.  

 

And in this world where corporate power reigned supreme!

 

“Hoo….”  

 

I absentmindedly stared at the smoke rising from the cigarette in my hand.  

 

“What’s the date today…?”  

 

“It’s August 24th, 2076, sir.”  

 

A man in a sharp suit stood beside me. He answered my idle question.  

 

He stood tall and serious beside my lazily sprawled body. His hair was slicked back with a pair of black sunglasses perched on his nose.  

 

His name was Han Kyung-baek, my personal assistant who managed every detail of my life. 

 

Within the company, he was known simply as Chief Han.  

 

‘Act natural. Be Go Mu-yeol.’  

 

I struggled to keep my heart from racing. 

 

It was difficult to suppress my excitement at the thought of starting a new life, but by recalling the personality and memories of ‘Go Mu-yeol,’ my new identity, I was able to calm down a bit.

 

“August 24th… Yesterday was Victory Day, right?”  

 

“You remembered, sir.”  

 

‘This guy?’

 

I turned to glare at him with annoyance, and Chief Han immediately bowed his head, realizing his mistake.  

 

‘Just a glance and he’s bowing.’

 

‘So this is what power feels like.’

 

“I apologize, sir.”  

 

‘Go Mu-yeol’ was an orphan like me.  

 

Of course, he wasn’t born an orphan—he lost both his parents in an accident when he was young.  

 

Perhaps due to that trauma, Go Mu-yeol had grown up to be the black sheep and troublemaker of the Go-ryeo Group. 

 

Even yesterday, on the nation’s biggest holiday, Victory Day, he had spent the day indulging himself with prostitutes, which explained why there were four unconscious women around me on the bed.  

 

‘What a sex-crazed maniac.’  

 

I had all of his memories.  

 

But it was strange.  

 

It felt more like I had ‘studied’ what he had done and gained knowledge rather than actual memories.  

 

It was more like information I had acquired, rather than memories tied to feelings.  

 

I knew, for example, that he had spent the day in an orgy yesterday, but I didn’t feel any of his emotions from the experience.  

 

In a way, I was relieved.  

 

Even though I had transmigrated into his body, I still wanted to remain myself. If I had somehow inherited Go Mu-yeol’s emotions, it would have been a bit unsettling.  

 

This level of distance felt just right.

 

‘Still… No matter how much this guy likes sex, skipping Victory Day was a seriously stupid move.’  

 

Victory Day was an incredibly important event for the Go-ryeo Group.

 

It was not just a celebration of victory. 

 

This event was a massive gathering of Korea’s major business and political figures, where the Go-ryeo Group flaunted its power to the world. 

 

Internally, they dived into various interests in South Korea among themselves, influencing key national issues. 

 

In short, it was one of the most important events in which the Go-ryeo Group demonstrated its control over the country.

 

Yet, on that very day, Go Mu-yeol was off fooling around with prostitutes…

 

‘If I remember correctly, this incident marked the point where all of Go Mu-yeol’s past transgressions finally caught up with him, and he was completely removed from the line of succession. He was given some unheard-of company, Go-ryeo Entertainment or something.’

 

After that, once the main storyline of the game began, Go Mu-yeol was barely mentioned.

 

“Young master. The chairman has summoned you to Geumsusan.”

 

“…”

 

I stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette into the bed and stood up. A slight headache pulsed in my head.

 

“Geumsusan…”

 

“He’s very angry.”

 

“I imagine he is.”

 

I hastily threw on some clothes and left the room. 

 

Chief Han followed closely behind. 

 

As for the unconscious women in the room… The cleanup crew would likely take care of them.

 

As soon as I stepped outside, five young men and women quickly bowed and greeted me. 

 

One of the men sprinted ahead to hold the elevator, while the others formed a protective formation around me.

 

To my left, a woman with a long ponytail stood out, and her tight, swaying hips caught my attention.

 

‘….’

 

Had I lost my self-control just because I was now part of a chaebol family?

 

Before I realized it, I reached out my hand.

 

‘Ah.’

 

Internally, I thought, ‘Oh crap.’

 

If this had been former Korea, I’d be in handcuffs right about now. 

 

It was a terrifying realization.

 

But thankfully, the woman didn’t react at all and continued walking silently.

 

In the South Korea of 2076, which was dominated by mega-corporations, it was practically impossible to go against a chaebol. No matter what.

 

Suddenly, the reality of the new life before me started to sink in.

 

‘That’s right… I’m a chaebol now.’

 

And I wasn’t just any chaebol, but one in the 2076’s South Korea, where corporate power was at its peak.

 

I squeezed.

 

“…”

 

Feeling the soft sensation fill my hand, I gave it a firm squeeze. The woman didn’t show any sign of displeasure.

 

Even as I discreetly let my fingers graze her more intimately, she remained unbothered.

 

I had a feeling that even if I pushed her down and violated her right here, she wouldn’t resist.

 

‘The feel is amazing. So this is what a woman’s body is like.’

 

I groped her in a trance.

 

For someone like me, who had spent my life holed up playing video games, this sensation was horrifyingly stimulating.

 

——-

 

Geumsusan referred to the ‘Go-ryeo Sun Palace’ located in Pyongyang. 

 

It was originally called the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun or the Presidential Palace, back when North Korea existed. 

 

After reunification, it was repurposed as a Victory Memorial Hall. 

 

However, around 2050, the current chairman purchased it and turned it into the Go-ryeo family’s residence. 

 

The fact that they bought a national memorial and turned it into their home shows how seriously the Go-ryeo Group took Victory Day. 

 

The country’s official Victory Day ceremony was still held there. 

 

The president, the prime minister, and all the top officials probably came to Geumsusan yesterday.

 

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.”

 

As soon as Chairman Go Yeong-man saw me, he clicked his tongue in disapproval. 

 

Despite being over 70 years old, he looked barely in his 30s, thanks to advanced anti-aging technology.

 

“I apologize, Chairman.”

 

Even as I bowed deeply and apologized, he turned his back on me as if I was no longer worth his time.

 

And he uttered not another word.

 

“Young master.”

 

Instead, the secretary by his side approached, holding a paper envelope.

 

“The chairman has a gift for you, Young Master.”

 

“A gift?”

 

I took the paper envelope. 

 

This must be the document that handed over ownership of that Go-ryeo Entertainment or whatever it was called.

 

Rustle.

 

As I pulled out the documents and carelessly tossed the paper envelope onto the floor like a proper chaebol brat, the secretary hurriedly bowed and picked it up, explaining as he did.

 

“It’s an entertainment company called Go-ryeo Entertainment. It doesn’t have any notable celebrities under its roster yet, but it has about 100 billion won in capital.”

 

“Wow! 100 billion.”

 

Even though it was 2076, the value of the Korean won was still the same as in Korea before I transmigrated. 

 

The economy progressed, and prices rose over time, but they went through currency redenomination, which was how it was set up.

 

Naturally, 100 billion won was a huge amount of money. 

 

One could buy several houses in the middle of Gangnam and still have money left over.

 

But—

 

‘To a chaebol, it’s nothing but pocket change.’

 

The chaebol families of 2076 South Korea, particularly the Go family of Go-ryeo Group, officially had a wealth of 13,000 trillion won.

 

13,000 trillion won!

 

Even if the family was large and they divided it up, each individual should be holding at least a few hundred trillion won. At least, based on simple calculations. 

 

And that was just the official wealth.

 

‘But I’m only getting a measly 100 billion?’

 

‘Damn! What a screw-up. How badly must this guy have messed up for this to be all I get?’

 

Human greed knows no limits. 

 

Even though it was a great beginning to be born into a third-generation chaebol family, the fact that this idiot’s stupidity only left me with 100 billion won was infuriating.

 

“Young Master, a meal has been prepared. Please dine before you leave.”

 

The secretary’s cautious tone clearly signaled that the conversation with the chairman was over.

 

‘Sigh. Looks like I’ll have to be the one to clean up this mess.’

 

I took the envelope from the secretary’s hand, stuffed the documents back inside, and bowed to the chairman, who still had his back turned to me.

 

“I’ll be going now… I’m sorry, Chairman.”

 

The chairman didn’t respond.

 

———-

 

A palace turned into a victory memorial hall, and now the home of a chaebol family, the ‘Sun Palace’ was extravagantly lavish. 

 

Even the simple hallway was lined with world-renowned paintings at arm’s length, and sculptures exuding modern beauty were placed here and there. 

 

The ceiling was intricately adorned with a painting, telling a story that appeared to have no clear beginning or end.

 

‘Just these paintings alone must be worth over 100 billion won.’

 

I wondered just how much trouble I had caused. 

 

After sifting through Go Mu-yeol’s memories for a bit, I realized it made sense.

 

‘What an idiot.’

 

“Idiot. Complete moron.”

 

“?”

 

What the—? 

 

Who said that? 

 

Who could so perfectly express my thoughts?

 

A woman stood in front of me.

 

She had long, wavy black hair, sharp eyes, and a teardrop mole under her right eye. 

 

She was stunningly beautiful.

 

As I stopped, she pretended to be surprised and coyly covered her mouth.

 

“Oh dear, did you hear that? I’m so sorry.”

 

It was obvious to anyone that she said it on purpose, but she put on a fake act anyway.

 

‘… Is that Go Ha-yeon? Go Mu-yeol’s half-sister.’

 

Unlike Go Mu-yeol, the ultimate troublemaker and incompetent fool, she was extremely capable. 

 

If I recall correctly, she eventually rose to a high position in Go-ryeo or something like that. 

 

I didn’t remember the details.

 

“I didn’t expect your ears to be so sharp, especially since you’re always out of it. I thought you might even be on drugs.”

 

“Did you think that too, sister? I also think Go Mu-yeol is an idiot. We seem to share the same thoughts.”

 

“What?”

 

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

 

I bowed and walked past her as she stood there, dumbfounded.

 

Behind me, I heard her muttering, “What’s with him? Did he eat something weird?”

 

‘No, I didn’t eat anything weird. I’ve transmigrated. Your brother’s body? It’s incredible.’

 

In the worst possible way.