Just as I was thinking that, I saw it—
Emilia's smirk, lifting one side of her mouth mockingly.

Her expression alone told me everything about how she saw me.
A drug-addicted fool, obsessed with women, who could be easily manipulated by throwing some flesh his way.

That’s probably what she thought of me.
And honestly, she wasn’t completely wrong, but seeing that expression made it hard to just play along.

“I could have my fun with idols anytime. I don’t need her pathetic attempt at seduction to enjoy myself.”

And if these girls were the type to be thrown at me right away, they must have been used heavily in this line of work before.
Did I really need to indulge in them, especially while being laughed at?

“I’d rather raise them myself and keep them all to myself.”

I gently pushed the girls away.
The women who had latched onto my arms widened their eyes in surprise as they stepped back.

"What's this talk? Work is more important. Let's get to business right away."
"…"

Emilia was silent for a moment, as if she hadn’t expected that.
It seemed she truly thought I was just some sex-crazed maniac.

Well, considering the kind of life Go Mu-yeol had lived, it made sense.
Even I was tempted.
Hell, I was still fully erect.

"If that's the case, please, follow me to my office."

Emilia waved the women away and led me to the CEO’s office.

"…"

But honestly, even though I made that bold statement, Emilia’s figure was driving me wild.
My erection wasn’t going down—in fact, it was only getting worse.
I’d definitely need to relieve myself with Soo-ah’s body after this meeting.

As soon as I sat down on the sofa in the office, I didn’t waste time.
I spoke up before they even brought refreshments.

"I want to buy your trainees."
"What? Trainees?"

Soo-ah handed over a list.
It was the list of people I had personally selected.

"Ah, so that's why you requested the list of our entertainers and trainees. I see."

Emilia, her expression slightly bitter, let out a small sigh as she looked through the list.

"So none of the entertainers caught your interest?"
"I’m not interested in leftovers."
"…"

She shot me a brief, subtle glare before folding the file and placing it on the table.

"May I ask why? What exactly are you planning to do with our trainees?"
"I don’t think I need to explain myself. But, since you’ll find out soon anyway, I’ll tell you. I’ve just been appointed CEO of Goryeo Entertainment."
"Goryeo Entertainment…?"
"Yeah. Living the idle life as a rich kid got too boring. I figured it was time to try my hand at some actual work."
"So, you're planning to enter the entertainment industry? Is that what you're saying?"
"That’s right."

She tilted her head, leaning back in her chair.
It was a slightly arrogant posture, and she was the first person I’d seen take such a stance in front of me.

"Then why did you pick those particular trainees?"
"Instinct."
"…."
"Do I really need to explain this in so much detail?"

I leaned in closer as she leaned back.
I rested my elbows on the table.

"You get paid, I get the trainees. Isn’t that simple enough? You don’t seem all that concerned about them, anyway."
"That’s why I’m asking. Why go after girls who aren’t even top performers?"
"If they were top performers, would you even sell them? You’d keep them for yourself."
"If you pay me enough, I just might."
"I don’t have that kind of money right now."
"…."

Emilia stared at me for a while.
I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but it looked like she was calculating her options.

"Assistant Dong-ki."
"Y-yes, ma'am?"
"Bring the contracts for the girls on this list."
"Sh-should I bring copies?"
"…."

What’s with this idiot?

"I-I'll bring them right away!"

The man, who had been called Dong-ki, scurried out of the room.
Watching his retreat, Emilia sighed and then suddenly threw out a number.

"Five billion won per person. I’ll hand them over cleanly."
"Five billion? That's a lot for trainees."
"Once you see the contracts, you won’t think it’s that expensive."

Emilia flashed me a seductive, mocking smile.
The way she looked down on me irritated me, but at the same time, I felt a twitch in my lower half.

She was stunningly beautiful—there’d definitely be satisfaction in conquering her.

‘Patience.’

As I indulged in some vulgar fantasies, the bumbling man returned with the contracts.

"Take a look. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied."

"What could possibly make them worth five billion each…?"

…

No way.
No way!

"As you can see, it’s basically a slave contract. These girls just graduated from the orphanage, and I picked them up, offering them food and shelter."

It was truly a slave contract.
Forget revenue shares—the trainees were bound to follow the agency’s commands.
If they ever thought the terms were unfair and wanted to break the contract, they’d owe a massive, astronomical penalty.
And unless the agency agreed to void the contract, it would automatically renew for two years.

‘If this were the Korea I knew, this contract would never be legal.’

But this was the 2077 version of Korea in the demonic city of Incheon.
A contract like this was absolutely enforceable here.

"You're buying their lives."
"Yes. And their lives are young, fresh, and beautiful."

It didn’t take me long to decide.
At this price, buying them was a steal.

"I’ll take them."

After paying a total of 25 billion won, five billion per trainee, I headed to the training studio.
Emilia came along as well.

"That’s the practice room our trainees use."

Through the large glass window, I could see inside clearly.
A little over ten girls were drenched in sweat as they practiced their choreography.
The energy beyond the glass was intense.

Emilia opened the door and walked inside.
The trainees didn’t stop dancing.

They only stopped when Emilia used a remote to turn off the music.
Only then did they finally stop and turn around, panting as they caught their breath.

"Step forward if I call your name."

The trainees trembled slightly at the sound of Emilia’s voice.
She had them disciplined, that much was clear.

‘Well, with contracts like those, no wonder.’

"Jung Min-ah, Kang Eun-chae, Kim Yena, Sung Ye-ji, Han Da-hye."

The girls who were called flinched and hesitantly stepped forward.
Dressed in light workout clothes, their figures were on full display—perfectly sculpted bodies.

"Introduce yourselves. He’s your new owner."
"…Excuse me?"
"Sir, these are the girls. You’ll be taking them now, right?"
"Yes… but, my car isn’t big enough to fit them all. I’ll take one with me, and you can have the others brought to my place later."
"Ah… delivery service too?"

Emilia seemed a little annoyed.
But what could I do? My car wasn’t big enough for five additional people, and even the police vans tailing us were already full.

"Oh! I-I'll take them! I’ll make sure they get there safely, ma’am!"
"…You?"

The bumbling man raised his hand eagerly.
Emilia frowned but nodded in agreement.

"Fine. You’ll be responsible for delivering them. Sir, who will you take with you?"

I glanced over the girls I had just bought.
All of them were trembling with shock.

Among them…

"You. Come with me."
"!!"

I called out to the girl who would one day rise to cult-like fame.
Her name was Sung Ye-ji. In the game, she debuted as the leader and main vocalist of the girl group LUMINA, and from 2078 onward, she absolutely exploded in popularity.

Right now, she might not seem like much, but in a few years, she’ll be a superstar.

‘But according to this contract, she’ll still be practically a slave by then.’

She would be enjoying global fame while still bound by these harsh terms.
I felt a slight pang of pity, but it passed quickly.

After Go Mu-yeol left, Emilia sat in her office, deep in thought.

"…He’s not quite what I expected."

Tapping her finger on the desk, she recalled the events of earlier.

"He even turned down the reception girls. That bastard, fully hard, still held himself back."

Rainbow Miracle's reception team wasn’t the best in the industry, but it was decent enough.
And Emilia had seen enough men to know that when beautiful women with good bodies swarmed them, they all gave in.
She’d never seen anyone refuse such an offer before.

Hell, some of them even hit on her, the agency’s CEO, during the process. Though she always turned them down.

Yet, Go Mu-yeol rejected the reception.
Sure, he might satisfy his urges with the trainees he bought, but the fact that he refused in that moment was something that shocked her.

"…Were the rumors all smoke and mirrors?"

Still pondering, she picked up her phone.

"Yes, ma'am. How can I assist you?"

"Look into Goryeo Entertainment for me."
"Goryeo Entertainment, ma'am?"
"Yes. And I also want more details on Go Mu-yeol. Dig deeper."
"…Investigating the owner family could be dangerous."
"I'm not asking for anything strange. Just find out if there’s anything different from the public perception, okay?"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

"…Understood. I’ll do my best."
"Thanks. I’m counting on you."

After hanging up, she squeezed her phone tightly with both hands.