As I stood my ground confidently, wrinkles formed on Pereira’s brow.

"As someone who has lived longer and as a merchant, I’m giving special consideration to a rising new trader like you. Don’t you understand that?"

Consideration, my foot.

He’s hoping that if I drop the charges, the investigation by Judge Mancini—who’s eager for a promotion—will lose momentum, which would reduce the penalties Pereira has to face. He’s sugarcoating his words as if he’s trying to nurture a young sapling.

Even back in 21st-century Korea, when a new star began to rise, high-ranking officials and corporate leaders would try to …