Empire of Desire: The Showbiz Tyrant

Seo Jinhyuk stood by the window of his office, high above the neon arteries of Seoul, and watched the city's lights flicker like fragile lives he could crush with a thought.

Or used to.

Just hours ago, this office had been his war room — the gleaming crown atop a corporate empire that churned out profits by the billions. Now it felt like a crypt, heavy with silence, haunted by the ghosts of betrayal.

He could still hear them.The boardroom was barely a hundred feet away, but its memory rang in his skull like a gunshot.

"Given the allegations of asset fraud and the ongoing criminal inquiry, the board finds it necessary to seize your shares and remove you as CEO, Mr. Seo."

The words delivered with polite masks — men he'd once toasted deals with, now carefully sliding the knives into his ribs.

And behind it all, like a rotting cherry atop spoiled cake, stood Lee Doyoon. His rival. His old drinking companion. The son-in-law of the Hwa Group, which had always sniffed around Jinhyuk's holdings for weakness.

Jinhyuk clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached. Doyoon hadn't just orchestrated this. He'd savored it.

"Sir?"

The voice came from behind, cautious.Minho stood by the heavy oak door, eyes darting to the shattered whiskey glass on the floor — collateral from Jinhyuk's earlier rage.

"How bad?" Jinhyuk asked, not turning from the window.

Minho cleared his throat, holding an iPad like it might explode."Everything on the books is seized. The Seoul Metro Investigations Office has frozen your personal assets here and abroad — condos, supercar titles, all joint ventures tied to legitimate ledgers."

A humorless laugh slipped past Jinhyuk's lips."And the illegitimate?"

Minho's eyes finally brightened."Busan is untouched. Offshore accounts in Macau and your father's old shipping ties in Sasebo are secure. The elders in Busan have… also extended a private dinner invitation."

At that, Jinhyuk finally turned.

"Busan wants to meet?"

Minho dipped his head."They said it's time you remember where your blood runs thickest. That they have… tasks to anchor your new position."

Jinhyuk's mouth curved in a slow, dark smile.The old mafia. His father's friends. The men who'd once hidden gun shipments in seafood crates and laundered money through shipping manifests.He'd spent half his life trying to bleach himself clean of them.

Now he needed their filth more than ever.

That night: Busan

The private room in Busan stank of soju and grilled eel, but under it pulsed something older — blood debts, sworn knives, decades of backroom murders swept under docks.

The eldest patriarch, Chairman Kang, leaned back in his seat. His face was a craggy ruin of scars and wisdom, eyes still bright with predatory mirth.

"So. The Seoul peacocks tried to pluck your feathers, eh Jinhyuk?"

Jinhyuk dipped his head."They thought they were gutting me. Instead, they've cut my leash."

That earned a low, approving rumble from the old men.

Kang tapped the table."I'll sponsor your new ventures. Our routes will move your luxury stock, your imported watches and brand samples. You'll rebuild under our flag."

Then his eyes gleamed sharper."But loyalty is currency, boy. I want proof. Your first official task is here."

He slid a sleek black folder across the table.

Jinhyuk flipped it open.Inside: agency debt ledgers, notarized contracts, and at the top — glossy headshots of smiling young talents.

At the center: Kang Yura.

A model with debts so deep her family hospital bills were collateral. Her agency owed even more — loans taken from Busan backers, funneling money into risky international training scams. All tied back to Kang's private network.

"Pretty girl, isn't she?" Chairman Kang rasped. "Her agency is begging for extensions. The mother's been making tearful calls to our men."

Jinhyuk looked up, brows furrowing."You want me to collect on small-time talent debts?"

A slow, wolfish grin spread over Kang's lined face."No, boy. I want you to own them.Break her in, make her your first new asset. Have Seoul see that the showbiz prince they thought ruined now holds their brightest little starlets by the throat — or the cunt, if that's more fun for you."

Something primal thrilled down Jinhyuk's spine.Chairman Kang leaned forward, voice lowering.

"Make an example of her. Bend her under your new empire. If she pleases you, we'll let the agency keep breathing. If not…"He made a delicate flicking gesture."Garbage."

Jinhyuk closed the folder. Slowly.His smile was thin, precise, and lethal.

"I'll have her signed within the week. Body, contracts, reputation — all under my seal."

Kang let out a rough chuckle."There's the devil spawn we remember. Good. Now drink."

Back in Seoul

Two days later, Jinhyuk stood in his temporary office above a luxury watch importer — his first front under the new arrangement.

Minho set a neat dossier on the glass desk.

"Kang Yura will be at her agency tomorrow. They're calling it a courtesy meeting to restructure debts. But they don't realize yet it's already under your control."

Jinhyuk flipped the file open, studying Yura's photos. Her eyes shone with soft defiance in each frame, her smile fragile in that way that begged for ruin.

"She'll make a perfect face for my new brand," Jinhyuk mused."Public purity, private corruption. Seoul will adore her — and never suspect what's behind her glow."

Minho hesitated."You plan to… handle this personally?"

Jinhyuk's smile was slow, decadent."Of course. I want her to know exactly who saved her from Busan's collectors. And what price she'll pay for my generosity."

He closed the file with a soft snap.Outside, the city sparkled, ignorant of the new empire about to rise from its gutters.

You thought you could destroy me, Doyoon?Now watch as I rebuild with your worst nightmares — money, power, and your precious women — draped over my arm.

Jinhyuk poured himself a glass of Macallan, swirling it thoughtfully.By next week, Kang Yura would be under his thumb, body and soul — a living testament that no one, no matter how clean or innocent, was safe from the shadow empire of Seo Jinhyuk.