The moment her chameleon of a brother—Peter's oh-so-righteous uncle—called the bank earlier to issue an executive freeze on Madam Kang's assets and "that unbiological boy," Zowie already knew what game he was playing.
He wanted Peter erased.
Legally. Socially. Financially.
Before Eunhwa Kang—the real boss—woke up.
But Zowie?
She knew the truth.
Knew who Peter really was.
Knew exactly what her slimeball of a brother was doing. So when the freeze order hit her desk, she delayed it and pretended the system glitched, told the compliance team she was "reviewing legal implications."
And while the corporate bloodhounds waited for confirmation, she gave Peter just enough breathing room to move.
Because in this family?
Zowie Kang played her own damn game.
She didn't owe anyone an explanation. Not even that vulture in a suit who called himself her brother.
Back in the elevator, Peter sighed in relief after that call. "Thanks, Aunt. Seriously." But before he could hang up, Zowie's voice came back through—cool, clipped, and sharp like a katana resting in a velvet box.
"Oh, and Peter?"
"Yeah?"
"I already bought the penthouse. It's under my name now."
Peter blinked. "You what?"
"No one can kick you out. Not while you're under my roof."
"…You just bought my whole apartment like it was takeout."
"You're welcome."
Click.
Peter stared at the screen, then turned to Lilith. "My aunt just bought the whole fucking penthouse. That woman terrifies me."
"She's my favorite Kang for a reason," Lilith said instantly. "She just casually played Monopoly with your life. I like her."
Peter's smirk was short-lived. A few seconds later, his phone buzzed again—this time from his banking app.
[Account status: FROZEN]
He swore under his breath. "Well… there it is. Right on time."
Lilith checked hers too. "Same here. They caught up. But—" she held up a finger, "—I managed to transfer some of it out before the freeze."
Peter looked at her, eyes narrow. "To who?"
She shrugged like it was obvious. "Soojin."
Peter's entire soul recoiled.
"Lilith. That's your crazy friend who literally replaced her wallpaper with my graduation photo."
"She's obsessed, not crazy," Lilith corrected, like that made it better.
"She called me 'her fantasy tax refund' once."
"She'll never betray you. You're basically her religion."
Peter groaned and let his head thud against the elevator wall. "That girl has a literal shrine. Candles. My name carved on a pink heart pillow. She even tried to print my baby photo on her phone case."
Lilith nodded proudly. "Which is why your money is safer with her than in any bank."
"I feel like I just wired billions of won to a K-pop stan with delusions."
"She'd take a bullet for you."
"She might shoot me to keep me hers."
The elevator dinged.
They stepped out, phones tucked away, eyes set forward.
Frozen accounts?
No problem.
Penthouse secured?
Check.
Their world was burning—but they were still moving, still planning, just got dangerous.
And Soojin?
"Well. At least that fanatic is rich and will be helpful." He thought.
Lilith chuckled as Peter visibly shivered, goosebumps racing down his arms. "Soojin really gets under your skin, huh?"
Peter shot her a look like she just whispered a curse. "That girl's a walking horror movie. Remember she once wrapped her car seats in photo-printed fabric with my face. Full-body poses. Sunglasses. Peace sign. The whole damn catalog."
"I mean… Soojin does call you 'her celestial husband.'"
Peter groaned. "She has a giant photo of me printed as her bedroom wall. Like full-wall wallpaper. And she stares at it before sleeping."
"Loyalty, baby," Lilith said, grinning. "That's trust you can't buy." Lilith was full-on laughing now. "I remember! Didn't Seo Yuri nearly dump you after that?"
"Nearly? She threatened to break my nose and my dick, in that exact order." He sighed. But despite everything, Soojin Min—Queen of the Unholy Peter Shrine—was harmless. Creepy? Yes. Possibly possessed? Also yes. But loyal. Unshakeably loyal.
One of the few people they could count on when the world got ugly. And in Peter's new world of chaos and infinite trade, she was going to be very useful.
"Alright, golden boy," Lilith said, brushing hair behind her ear. "What's the plan now?"
Peter smirked. "You're the K-drama expert. What do you think our lovely Uncle Snake is planning next?"
Lilith paused. Her playful smile dropped just a little, and the strategist in her switched on. "Well… now that we kicked ourselves out of the estate, and he's poisoned the media with that illegitimacy headline and your dating scandal… he'll make sure we're completely cut off. Not just from the main Kang Group, but from every subsidiary. Logistics, media, finance… All of it."
Peter nodded. "Right. Because if we get access to anyone, even someone from Kang Construction, we might slip in evidence, cause a leak, or even convince someone we're telling the truth."
"And if we try hard enough?" Lilith looked at him. "He'll make sure we don't live to see tomorrow."
Exactly.
That was the real game here.
It wasn't just about power.
It was about clearing the board completely. No heirs. No rebels. Just silence. And if Eunhwa Kang, Peter's mother, ever woke up again—she'd be surrounded by a wall of lies too thick to crack. Every asset, every property, every trusted advisor—gone. Replaced. Brainwashed. Bought.
Her voice might carry weight, but if there was no empire left to command?
What was left to rule?
Peter's eyes narrowed. His uncle wasn't just trying to dethrone him—he was setting the entire legacy on fire and replacing it with a paper crown.
Lilith looked at him, thoughtful. "So right now, he's feeding more lies to the media. Probably cooked up a new scandal already. Maybe saying you embezzled funds. Maybe leaked some fake text messages. Anything to make you look unstable."
Peter nodded. "And as the 'Acting Chairman' of Kang Group? He controls every public relations outlet we own. So it won't matter what the truth is—only what people believe."
"And they'll believe him," she added. "Because when there's war inside the biggest conglomerate in South Korea—every greedy bastard just wants to suck up to the winning side." And those greedy bastards were the people who controls public opinion and they would only side with the most promising next king.
No one wanted to back a prince without a throne.
Peter folded his arms. "So the plan? Lay low."
Lilith blinked. "You?"
"I know. Past me—Peter Kang—couldn't shut the hell up. Couldn't sit still. Couldn't hide even if he wanted to." He gave her a look. "But I'm not that guy anymore."
"I've got a system. I've got infinity worlds. I've got something that can get even bigger than Kang Group."
She watched him, carefully. "So you're giving up on Kang Group then I assume? Letting our uncle take everything? Just… walking away?"
Peter's laugh was low, dark, and dangerous. "Walk away?" he repeated. "If I wanted to survive, yeah. I'd disappear. Take what I have, start a new life, never fight back."
He leaned in just a little, voice sharp.
"But let me ask you something, Lilith. What is Kang Group... to an InterWorld Trader like me who's among the only 1% in the infinity worlds traders?"
She thought for half a second before it hit her. "Endless resources," she said. Because that was Kang Group, the empire touched pretty much everything, from mere food processing, clothing, technology and more.
Peter smiled like the devil just texted him a stock tip.
"Exactly."
So was he going to fight back? And how?
Ding!