Chapter 88
Chapter 88
Translation: Godtl
It refers to how small changes can trigger massive events.
I often find myself wondering—
just how many futures have I altered with this ability of mine?
Things I might have dismissed lightly—
could they have actually caused enormous shifts?
The financial markets are like that too.
What seems trivial at first—
those tiny cracks eventually erupt into full-blown financial crises.
People just don't realize it at the time.
So where does this intuition that changed my life come from?
Once, out of curiosity, I scoured the internet for answers.
The most fascinating theory I came across was about human evolution.
The idea that if humanity were to evolve further, we might develop supernatural abilities like those in novels or movies.
Of course, there's no scientific proof—
it was likely just someone's wild fantasy.
But for me, living through such an evolution, it wasn't something I could simply laugh off.
There was another theory, though—
one that seemed both intriguing and highly plausible.
It wasn't some internet rambling, but an actual company working tirelessly to advance human evolution.
Close AI—the company we'd acquired a 45% stake in.
"The company's policy aligns with this. Internal documents state that the ultimate goal of AI development is to facilitate human evolution."
"AI development for human evolution?"
"Yes. Even the former major shareholder, Tusk, said something similar— that one day, AI chips implanted in our brains would handle all learning on our behalf."
It was an incredibly controversial statement.
Yet his vision closely matched Close AI's objectives:
achieving perfect evolution through AI advancement.
Honestly, it didn't feel like a tangible future.
Given the current state of AI, even basic conversations are impossible.
"But someday, won't we reach a point where AI can hold everyday conversations? Where it reads documents for us, summarizes them, and translates everything in real-time across all languages?"
"Yes, someday. But reaching that level would take at least 30 years, I'd guess. Haha."
"I still get chills remembering Tusk's statement. AI chips implanted in our brains?!"
"Don't worry. It won't happen in our lifetime."
The small talk ended there.
The reason Close AI came up wasn't random.
"After you acquired the shares, you didn't take any further action, so they seemed puzzled. I think they're getting impatient."
They probably assumed I was scheming something behind the scenes.
But I couldn't focus on them—
not with Tesla and FaceWeb demanding attention.
After the incident with Tesla, the full-scale competition with FaceWeb began, leaving no room to think about Close AI.
Yet, both the Tesla situation
and the conflict with FaceWeb ended more quietly than expected.
Now, FaceWeb is facing massive backlash, with waves of users leaving—
all flocking straight to our PicPic.
"FaceWeb is scrambling to issue statements, but they don't seem to have a real solution. Their chairman, Marcus Berg, is about to be summoned for a hearing, so they're completely distracted."
The data breach was devastating.
With millions of users' information leaked, public outrage was inevitable.
Meanwhile, PicPic dodged the onslaught
and is now aggressively marketing itself
as the safest, most reliable social media platform, backed by the budget I allocated.
"Anyway, Close AI is flying to Korea to meet you in person."
I had no intention of stopping them.
I was curious about who was running the company too.
"Good. Coordinate the schedule accordingly. Any other matters?"
"There's another major issue brewing. As you know, the Supreme Court recently ruled that Japanese companies must compensate comfort women victims 100 million won each."
Though the Japanese colonial era had ended, its scars still lingered everywhere.
Among them, the "comfort women" were among the greatest victims.
Thus, the Supreme Court had ruled that Japanese companies at the center of the comfort women exploitation case must compensate the victims, but the Japanese government strongly opposed the decision.
Their argument was simple—why dredge up a matter that had already been settled between governments long ago?
"Korea and Japan have clashed before, but this time, the situation seems different. The Japanese government is seriously considering retaliation."
"What exactly would that retaliation entail?"
"They'll probably avoid targeting tourism. Our country accounts for a significant portion of Japan's inbound tourism revenue. So, they'll likely strike elsewhere—most likely in semiconductors."
Photoresists, fluorine polyimide, and high-purity hydrogen fluoride.
These three items were absolutely critical in semiconductor manufacturing.
The problem? Japan controlled over 80% of the global supply for all three.
Moreover, nearly 90% of Korea's semiconductor companies relied on Japan for these materials.
In other words, this was Japan's most potent weapon against us.
And wasn't Korea, with Kangsung Electronics at the forefront, increasingly pivoting toward semiconductors as a core industry?
"The Japanese government knows that too. They're tightening the leash around our necks to threaten us."
This was economic warfare.
No longer did nations clash mindlessly with swords and spears.
Now, they crushed each other with economic might.
"Then Kangsung will take a major hit. NK, too."
"Yes. It's unclear how those companies are handling it, but they must be in emergency mode right now. The Japanese government hasn't made an official announcement yet, but given the rumors circulating, it won't be long."
Just then—
A vibration ran through my body.
It was as if my instincts were warning me—something significant was about to unfold between Japan and Korea.
"Then we should keep a close eye on the Japanese market."
"Understood. Should I prepare the Japanese market data?"
"Yes, please do."
"I'll coordinate with the research team and compile a report."
Just as I thought the meeting was wrapping up—
Another report landed in front of me.
"From Gwangun Shipping."
"...Why is it so thick?"
"They said they drafted multiple proposals for our next strategic plan. It includes route details, finer specifics, and more. They'd appreciate an overall evaluation..."
The document's thickness was murderous.
But since I was the one who'd set this system up, I had no right to complain.
At least it was better than before.
Back then, even the tiniest matters had to be reported directly to me for approval—to the point where it was unclear who was really running the company.
Now, instead of constant updates, they compiled comprehensive strategic proposals like this for my review.
"Looks like another late night."
"Should I have the team summarize it for you?"
Maybe that would be better.
Working together was always more efficient than—
"...?"
But then, a glimmer of light flickered across the report in Hye-rin's hands.
I let out a short sigh.
"No, I'll review it myself."
"Oh. Then I'll prepare some snacks for dinner and overtime."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
After Hye-rin left, I flipped open the weighty report.
"Starting off with a bang, huh?"
Normally, even lengthy reports had only a few key sections that stood out.
But this one was glowing from the very first page—meaning my gaming plans for tonight would have to wait.
＊＊＊
"They say everyone's on high alert right now."
"Yeah?"
"Yes. Rumor has it the Japanese government might drop the hammer as early as tomorrow."
The semiconductor industry was already scrambling with their backs against the wall.
At first, the stance had been that Japan wouldn't dare use critical semiconductor materials as leverage—after all, they had massive influence in the market too.
But given the current rumors, things didn't look good.
"Prime Minister Dobe must have a lot on his mind. The quantitative easing policies he championed under 'Dobenomics' are effectively ending in failure, aren't they? There seems to be considerable intent to bury dissatisfaction with that through this current issue."
"Why the hell are they harassing perfectly good companies like this? They should manage their own political careers properly."
"That's just how approval ratings work."
Just as corporations use politics.
Politics likewise uses corporations.
This situation was no different.
"Then we should prepare accordingly. If they need to urgently procure those three items, they'll have to use our shipping."
"Yes. Ultimately, this is favorable for our Gwangun Shipping. If Japan imposes export restrictions, they'll have to import raw materials through other foreign companies after all."
President Kim Du-yeong smirked.
While it was regrettable that Kangsung and NK would suffer collateral damage from the two governments' conflict, it meant Gwangun Shipping could profit even more.
"So, what about our country? Any plans for retaliation?"
"Well... the truth is, we don't really have any weapons to wield like Japan does."
"So we're just supposed to take this beating one-sidedly?"
"Yes. Since blocking tourism entirely is impossible, they seem to be trying to leverage public sentiment as much as possible. That way, the number of tourists going to Japan would decrease, and purchases of Japanese products would decline too."
The problem was that compared to Japan's trade restrictions, this countermeasure was extremely weak.
While Japan was striking at Korea's core industries, Korea simply lacked equivalent retaliatory measures.
"Tch. We're the ones making money here, but this is still irritating."
"It is rather frustrating, isn't it?"
They say nothing fires up Koreans more than a Korea-Japan showdown.
In sports, losing to any other country might be acceptable, but there's a strong belief that they must never lose to Japan.
It's also common knowledge that any Korea-Japan match, even in unpopular sports, sees ratings skyrocket.
Korea and Japan shared that eternal rivalry.
"Oh right. Have we heard back from Chairman Jeong yet?"
"Yes. Actually, it came in this morning."
"Really? He's already finished going through that massive document?"
"You know how Chairman Jeong Jin-ho works—extremely efficient."
"It's not just speed. The results are phenomenal too. Who could have imagined our Gwangun Shipping becoming the world's largest? All thanks to Chairman Jeong."
That's precisely why they had no choice but to rely on Jeong Jin-ho even more.
However, given how much he had on his plate, they limited themselves to sending quarterly reports, careful not to disrupt his workflow.
"Let's see."
There was only one thing President Kim needed to check.
What exactly had Chairman Jeong marked for attention?
No matter how brilliant the ideas or proposals they sent, if Jeong Jin-ho didn't check them off, they were automatically scrapped.
So no matter how valuable they seemed, he didn't even glance at those.
"'Pacific routes, especially the Northeast Asia sector, need operational efficiency reassessment... Potential cargo backlog delays detected, so for risk management, flexibly adjust schedules at major Japanese ports. Also, temporarily redirect some routes to Central/South America or Europe...'"
President Kim, muttering to himself as he reviewed the report, suddenly paused.
"Is something wrong?"
"Director Yang. Have you read this part?"
"No, not yet."
"Then read just this section about the routes."
Following instructions, Director Yang quickly scanned the report.
"...Huh?"
There, Director Yang also sensed the same incongruity President Kim had noticed.
"This... isn't just simple route adjustments."
"Right. You see it too, don't you?"
"Yes. These changes clearly have deliberate intent behind them. And Japan is at the center of it all."
To a layperson's eye, this report might seem unremarkable.
At face value, it's just about adjusting schedules and rerouting vessels.
But to the eyes of seasoned veterans like these two, it was a different story.
Under the pretext of reevaluating operational efficiency, managing the risk of congestion delays, and adjusting port docking schedules—on top of drastically altering shipping routes—it all seemed unremarkable at first glance.
Yet when they examined the intricately tangled routes and underlying interests, it became clear: this was a deliberate move to delay shipments bound for Japan.
"If the goods don't arrive by the deadline, they'll have to pay penalties. But if everything goes according to this plan, they can skirt contractual violations while ensuring the shipments arrive just barely in time for the deadline."
Normally, shipping contracts set generous deadlines.
So routes are typically designed to ensure all shipments arrive well within that timeframe.
But if things proceed as outlined here, they'll be cutting it dangerously close.
"And it's not just one ship—dozens of vessels bound for Japan would all be arriving right on the edge of their deadlines..."
"That would wreck their logistics, wouldn't it?"
"Exactly. At first, it might not be noticeable, but within weeks, a logistics meltdown would be inevitable. Goods that should arrive won't, and shipments meant to move out won't be processed quickly enough."
Cargo routes are far more complex than they seem.
When you're managing hundreds of ships, complexity is unavoidable.
And since these vessels don't just stay in one country but move between multiple nations, even a slight misalignment in scheduling can cause massive delays.
"But how does President Jeong Jin-ho have such an intricate grasp of these routes? If we adjust everything exactly to these dates and times, it all falls into place perfectly—it's almost uncanny."
"Haven't I told you time and again? President Jeong is more of an expert than we are. He's practically a ghost. Sometimes I wonder if he came straight from the Dragon King's palace."
This single report made it clear what Jeong Jin-ho was signaling.
His target was Japan.
Was he furious that the Japanese government dared to shake the semiconductor empire he had painstakingly built? Or was it a burning patriotism that refused to let Japan have the upper hand?
"Whatever the reason, knowing President Jeong, this is just the beginning."
It had always been this way.
If anyone stood in Jeong Jin-ho's path, no matter who they were, he crushed them mercilessly.
Most ordinary people wouldn't believe it—that every company that had suddenly collapsed or gone bankrupt in recent years was connected to him.
"But—but this isn't just taking on a single company. This is going up against the Japanese government itself, isn't it?"
Even President Kim Du-yeong felt a chill in his chest.
Hadn't PaceWeb, once thriving, touched PicPic only to meet a disastrous end?
But this wasn't a battle between two corporations.
"President Jeong is fighting on behalf of our people. We should be cheering him on."
"Shouldn't we be trying to stop him instead...?"
No. It was already too late.
The moment this report was submitted, orders came back like this.
What did that mean?
It meant Jeong Jin-ho had already laid out his entire plan.
"By now, he's probably issued separate directives and is moving in the financial sector as well. He might've even secured all his positions already. And knowing President Jeong, he's prepared something we haven't even thought of."
The Japanese government likely had no idea.
They were probably drunk on victory before the fight had even begun.
After all, they knew that just wielding those three key items as leverage would guarantee their win.
But beneath their feet, a massive storm was quietly brewing.
"Cherry Blossom Ending..."
"Huh?"
"Operation Cherry Blossom Ending. Sounds nice, doesn't it?"
Director Yang reluctantly let out a laugh.
Truthfully, he wanted to call it something with more impact than just a "project."
Operation: Cherry Blossom Ending.
The complex, interlocking gears were already turning, moving one by one according to the plan.