Chapter 93
Chapter 93
Translation: Godtl
"I wish you had just contacted me casually whenever it was convenient for you."
"I intended to do so as well. But the situation unfolded in an unintended way."
"Are you saying there was no deliberate intent?"
"That's correct. Why would I have any reason to harass Tesla?"
"..."
With an awkward expression, Milon Tusk shook my hand.
"You've received the documents, I see. You want to establish a new subsidiary in Korea to trial-run World Link?"
"Yes. As far as I know, only two satellites have been launched so far. But instead of launching them solely from the U.S., wouldn't it be faster if we also launched them from Korea to fill the skies?"
"What about the technology?"
"We'd have to use what's available at Space T. It's a strategic partnership, after all."
Mylon frowned slightly.
And rightfully so. Though it was called a "strategic partnership," in reality, we were simply setting up a subsidiary in Korea and using Space T's satellite technology to launch them.
Sure, we'd pay some money, but the moment we entered a strategic partnership, the other party would also take a stake in the new company we'd establish, meaning we wouldn't be able to rake in huge royalties.
In other words, no matter how much we dressed it up as increasing productivity or accelerating the number of satellite launches, it was still a loss for Milon Tusk.
That's why I had already prepared several options—financial incentives and other terms—that could sway Milon Tusk's mind.
Though unintended, the current situation made it seem like we were leveraging the battery issue as a form of pressure.
Combined with the various options I was prepared to offer, I thought Milon Tusk would be open to negotiations—
"Understood. Send detailed documents to our headquarters. If you're establishing a subsidiary in Korea, specify exactly how much stake you're willing to transfer to us. I don't expect a 50-50 split, but you'd give us at least 30%, right?"
"...?"
It was surprisingly straightforward.
Was the battery issue really that urgent?
"I saw clearly how you dealt with Isan and its chairman, Carlos Gon, this time. If money doesn't work, you push through with force... It's extreme, but in this society, it seems like the most reliable method."
"You seem to have a serious misunderstanding. Chairman Carlos Gon ended up that way because he committed crimes. It has nothing to do with me."
"Right. Carlos dug his own grave. But for such an incident to occur precisely when you were initiating the acquisition—it's too coincidental to be mere chance."
He seemed to have a strange misconception, but I didn't bother elaborating.
After all, it seemed to be working in my favor, making the negotiations proceed smoothly.
"I don't consider this a complete loss for me either. As you said, if we collaborate not just from the U.S. but also from Korea to launch satellites, we can build the communication network faster. But you must remember—commercialization will take a long time."
Some have speculated about it.
Right now, communication is limited to ground-based stations, but someday, everyone will communicate through satellites floating in the sky.
Yet no one has attempted to launch satellite communication services.
The reason is simple: ground stations are already widespread across the globe, and the cost of launching expensive satellites to build a new network is prohibitively high.
"The biggest issue is traffic management. Even if we blanket the entire sky with satellites, communication in densely populated areas will inevitably cause traffic congestion. To solve that, technological hurdles must be overcome, and above all, AI-based traffic control is essential—"
I was listening with interest when—
Suddenly, Milon Tusk stopped mid-sentence.
As if realizing something, he spoke.
"That's why."
"Huh?"
"That's why you acquired a massive stake in Close AI. AI-driven satellite traffic control. That was the most critical challenge, but Chairman Jeong, you had already identified the problem."
"I'm from a liberal arts background, so even if you explain it like that, I wouldn't understand."
But thanks to Milon Tusk, I learned that the two fields were closely interconnected.
"Investing in promising AI companies in advance, while Space T—an unlisted company—would never release its core technology, so triggering Japan's YCC collapse to simultaneously block battery technology, forcing us to develop the World Link technology ourselves... Just where did you start designing this plan from, Chairman?"
Design.
Perhaps it wasn't just a delusion—maybe it really was a design.
And possibly even a design woven by my own intuition.
Naturally, I grew curious.
Just where had my intuition started designing from, and how far ahead was it looking?
"Silence implies consent, they say."
But Milon Tusk, who had been rigid just moments ago, was now smiling.
"I may not understand much else, but I learned one thing clearly today. Staying on friendly terms with you means, at the very least, I won't suffer losses."
Then he extended his hand to me.
"If you ever need anything, feel free to contact me directly on my personal number. I'll cooperate as much as possible. Seeing how deeply invested you are in my ventures, it seems things are about to go very well. Haha."
Until now, my intuition had occasionally shown me glimpses of a maddening whirlpool whenever I looked at Milon Tusk's face.
But the moment we shook hands—
"...!"
As if something in the future had shifted—
The chaos that had filled his face seemed to return to normal.
This phenomenon was a first.
Until now, whenever my intuition flickered like a light turning on, it had never changed colors. Nor had it ever reverted to normal like this.
But if it had returned like this, then...
"Ah, right. This is just between you and me, Chairman—"
Even though there was no one around, Milon Tusk lowered his voice unnecessarily.
"Bitcoin. What's going to happen with it now?"
"Bitcoin?"
"It's already crashed to $5,000. Is it going to drop further? Or...?"
Unfortunately, I don't track Bitcoin prices in real time.
I only check occasionally.
Because I already know exactly how high it will go.
"Do you trade Bitcoin?"
"N-not me personally. But everyone around me does. With Bitcoin prices plummeting like this lately, they're all acting like it's the end of the world."
"Just tell them to wait."
"...Not to sell?"
"Yes."
I didn't even need my intuition for this one.
It seemed Tusk was seriously caught in Bitcoin's trap.
＊＊＊
"It's really strange."
First impressions of Jeong Jin-ho aside.
How should I describe the face I saw today?
He looked so... docile.
But today was another stark reminder that you should never judge a person by appearances.
Who was Jeong Jin-ho?
He was the core of global economic incidents—so much so that if you pointed a camera at him during a major financial crisis, you'd likely capture the essence of it.
With that innocent face, he had crushed Japan's YCC without batting an eye, all to realize his own plans.
Because of him, Japan faced an economic collapse far worse than during the bubble era.
At this point, Japan should be furious enough to hunt him down, but they couldn't. Instead, they ended up shaking hands with him, even handing over their remaining shipping companies—Japan's last lifeline—to resolve shipping capacity issues.
And that wasn't all.
He formed a major alliance and even threw Carlos Ghosn—who had built an automotive empire in Japan—into prison.
It wasn't about acquiring Nissan's technology or selling cars by taking over the company.
There was only one goal.
To pressure Tesla with batteries and force Milon Tusk to willingly come to the negotiation table.
"How can someone plan things so meticulously?"
No matter how superior one's intellect may be, the fact that someone could devise and execute such a meticulous plan was beyond comprehension. No matter how many times he thought about it, it just didn't make sense.
That was why even Milon Tusk had given up.
After witnessing Jeong Jin-ho, he had realized that no matter how hard he struggled and earned money in his lifetime, there would always be someone above him.
No matter how hard you run, isn't it the way of the world that there's always someone faster?
"..."
But how was he supposed to take this?
"$4,000..."
Milon Tusk's average purchase price was $3,000.
Seeing Bitcoin rise to $28,000, he had held onto his position, thinking it might even reach $50,000.
But then, out of nowhere—
The price had plummeted to $4,000 as major players pulled out.
Soon, it would drop to $3,000.
His break-even point.
For a moment, he was torn.
Should he sell now?
"No. He told me to wait."
But right now, across every community and social media platform, people were screaming.
They declared that the era of Bitcoin was over.
They were raising their glasses, celebrating the end of this tiresome scam at last.
"Ah, no! Even $4,000 is collapsing!"
The price had already broken below the $4,000 mark.
In the end, Milon Tusk couldn't hold on any longer and dumped all his holdings.
"Sigh. At least I didn't take a loss."
He let out a sigh of relief after barely managing to exit his position.
He should've sold everything when it hit $20,000.
But what was the point of regretting now?
What's done is done.
And Bitcoin showed no signs of recovering.
"But why did he tell me to wait?"
If Bitcoin's price kept falling like this, people would lose interest in crypto altogether, and that would directly hurt KW Exchange.
Was that why he told me not to sell?
To keep the suckers hooked a little longer?
"...Hmm?"
How much time had passed like this?
"Huh? Wh-what's this? Why is this happening?"
Suddenly, Bitcoin's price was skyrocketing like crazy.
Just when he thought it was truly over—was this actually a buildup for an even bigger leap?
/
"No way."
It didn't take long for him to find out the reason.
"Libra?"
The Libra Coin, abruptly announced by FaceWeb.
A new-concept cryptocurrency launched by FaceWeb, backed by major currencies like the dollar, euro, and yen.
Holding this coin would allow users to spend it across all of FaceWeb's platforms, with the option to exchange it for the aforementioned currencies at any time.
In other words, a new blockchain coin circulating within FaceWeb's ecosystem had been born.
"Was this why he told me to wait?"
But weren't FaceWeb and PicPic—operated by Gwangun—on terrible terms?
From what Milon Tusk knew, FaceWeb had used every means possible to suppress PicPic, which had been growing increasingly dominant.
The terrifying part was that as soon as FaceWeb launched its attack, a massive data leak scandal erupted—and the one that ended up collapsing was FaceWeb itself.
"And yet FaceWeb did this for them?"
This was nothing short of a miracle, like reviving a dead Lazarus.
Wasn't Bitcoin's price skyrocketing right now?
This was practically FaceWeb giving KW Exchange a lifeline.
"Which means—."
Had FaceWeb, too, ultimately joined hands with their sworn enemy, Jeong Jin-ho?
Whether it was voluntary or forced, he couldn't tell.
"Agh. I shouldn't have sold."
The moment he sold had actually been the perfect buying opportunity!
Today, Milon Tusk learned a painful lesson.
Never again would he doubt Jeong Jin-ho's words.
＊＊＊
"Why is FaceWeb suddenly launching a coin?"
"They've been planning it since the Bitcoin frenzy began. Twenty-eight companies have already agreed to collaborate."
Bitcoin's price had once threatened to surpass $30,000, but after crashing to $3,000, there was no shortage of criticism—both outside the company and within.
"Even though we don't buy and trade Bitcoin ourselves, the drop in Bitcoin's price meant that public interest in the market was crumbling as well."
Which meant KW Exchange's profits would also take a hit.
So I'd been a little anxious too.
My intuition had clearly told me Bitcoin would keep rising endlessly, but seeing the price plummet to $3,000 was enough to shake anyone's confidence.
Surprisingly, though, what breathed new life into Bitcoin was none other than our competitor, FaceWeb.
When they suddenly announced plans to launch their own proprietary coin, Bitcoin's price surged past $10,000 again.
"But ever since FaceWeb's coin issuance announcement, governments in Europe and the U.S. have been expressing concerns. They're citing financial stability risks, money laundering issues, and consumer protection problems above all else."
Bitcoin already existed, but FaceWeb creating and issuing their own coin was a direct provocation to governments worldwide.
Bitcoin, true to its nature, had its price determined by the market and wasn't controlled by any central authority—just as originally intended.
But the coin FaceWeb wanted to issue would be under their control.
To make matters worse, they'd recently suffered a massive data breach that destroyed public trust.
"Nearly every government is opposing it now, and it seems even FaceWeb's internal teams are in turmoil. The companies that agreed to collaborate are just waiting for an opportunity to back out one by one."
Suddenly, FaceWeb was doing nothing but good deeds for our KW Exchange while taking all the flak themselves.
How should I put it?
At this point, they felt less like a competitor and more like some kind of guardian angel secretly supporting us.
After all, they'd brought smiles back to the faces of our KW Exchange employees who'd been on death's doorstep.
"And here's a report compiling recent domestic issues."
Reviewing recent events had become something of a hobby for me.
Because sometimes, these issues were genuinely entertaining—even dopamine-inducing.
"...?"
And occasionally, they'd trigger my intuition to shine through like this.
"NX Rangers?"
"Ah. Unlike other professional baseball teams, the NX Rangers have NX as a naming rights sponsor. They're not involved in operations at all—just lending their name. But recently, the Rangers' CEO was sentenced to prison for embezzling billions, and the KBO permanently banned him. He can never work in baseball again."
I knew about this case from the news.
It had caused quite an uproar.
The team CEO had been caught diverting all the club's funds for personal use.
With baseball's massive fanbase in Korea, this was the kind of scandal that could really ignite public outrage.
"So he stepped down as CEO but still holds shares?"
"Yes. That's why there's still considerable controversy. Even if he's no longer CEO, as long as he holds shares, he effectively still controls the team. The KBO is hoping the Rangers get acquired by another company, but the problem is... no one's interested in buying."
To make matters worse, NX had completely withdrawn its sponsorship due to brand image concerns.
Meaning if the Rangers couldn't find a buyer or new sponsor soon, they might struggle to keep operating.
"Their home being Seoul is a plus. The problem is... their fanbase is small. The Rangers aren't the only team based in Seoul. Plus, with that lunatic CEO and executives running amok behind the scenes, they couldn't even recruit good players—which directly reflected in their performance."
"...You're quite knowledgeable about this, Section Chief. You sound angry too."
"Ah, s-sorry about that. I'm actually a Rangers fan..."
In our country, baseball is the most popular sport.
Just last year, we drew 8.4 million spectators.
And after Korea won gold at the Asian Games, baseball's popularity soared even higher.
"Don't you watch baseball, Chairman?"
"I... watch occasionally."
But I didn't particularly support any team.
I'd never even been to a baseball stadium.
Yet my intuition, which had remained silent on everything else, was ringing loudly about this Rangers organization.
There could only be one meaning behind this.
'Acquire the baseball team?'