Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Translation: Godtl
"President, I've brought an additional list for you."
I was currently reviewing the roster of all the players we could potentially recruit.
Just like the previous list, each player's name shimmered with a faint glow.
Some shone green, others blue, purple, orange, or even gold.
I could see it—the aura they emitted.
'If I had to compare it to a game... It's like being able to distinguish their tiers, isn't it?'
Who was S-rank, who was A-rank.
This intuition seemed to show me clearly.
"..."
Well, in that case, I might as well make the most of it.
I marked only the players whose colors looked the most promising.
"The next page has the list of players currently on our team."
"Ah, really?"
I also checked the players who were already part of the NX Rangers.
"..."
It was worse than I'd thought.
Hardly any of them had a glow.
No matter how much they'd cut costs or recruited lower-tier players to save money...
"Hm?"
But as I scanned the list, one name in particular stood out.
A single player whose radiance outshone every other name I'd seen so far.
"Lee Young-hoo?"
"Ah, yes. You could say he's our team's ace. He's a strong contender for this year's Golden Glove award. Though he's currently injured and might not be able to play, he swept last year's Rookie of the Year awards and has a very promising future."
So, a player who debuted last year and has been performing exceptionally well this season too.
Of course, there were other aces on the team besides Lee Young-hoo, but none shone as brightly as he did.
"..."
I crossed out all the players who showed no glow whatsoever and circled the rest.
"Could you pass this on to Gwangun Prime? Tell them to proceed with re-signing these players and do everything they can to recruit the ones I've marked. Oh, and make sure to hold onto Lee Young-hoo no matter what. Even if it means offering him a higher salary."
Hye-rin took the list from me, and for a moment, her expression stiffened.
"Uh... You're letting go of this many players?"
"If we recruit the ones I've marked, we should be able to fill all the spots, right?"
"W-well, yes, but..."
She looked like she had a lot to say.
And for good reason—Hye-rin had been a long-time Rangers fan, hadn't she?
I didn't know much about baseball, but Hye-rin, being a die-hard fan, must have had far more knowledge than I did.
Yet, her eyes were sparkling for a different reason.
"Then, President, should I bring you the list of coaching staff and managers? The market's quite active for them too."
"Sounds good."
Maybe it was just my imagination, but Hye-rin seemed unusually excited.
I had actually done some research on the NX Rangers online.
The most common topics were outdated facilities and the need to replace the coaching staff. Maybe Hye-rin was embodying the exact sentiments of those fans right now.
'But it's not like my intuition only works for players and not the coaching staff, right?'
Fortunately, that worry turned out to be unfounded.
When I opened the list Hye-rin handed me—still grinning from ear to ear—the profiles of the managers and coaches shimmered just like the players' had.
＊＊＊
"Congratulations, CEO."
"Congratulations? I feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles."
After the NX Rangers were acquired by Gwangun, just like any other M&A, a storm of bloodshed swept through the company.
More than half of the existing executives had been axed.
"Honestly, I thought they'd clean house, including me, but they didn't."
"Right. Usually, they purge everyone and reorganize, but Gwangun didn't. And I'm still wondering what criteria they used to decide who stayed."
"Right. But what's strange is that, unexpectedly, the company is running smoothly without any issues."
After a merger, it's inevitable for a company to experience turbulence and systemic disruptions.
Yet strangely enough, operations seemed to be running even more smoothly than before.
"I looked into it, and apparently, Gwangun is quite famous for this. They take over companies and occasionally replace employees, but there's never been any backlash. In fact, operations improve significantly."
"Seems like their personnel standards are meticulously set, then?"
"Yeah. But it's a bit odd too. Normally, when something comes up, it has to go through headquarters for approval, right? But here, they bypass headquarters and go straight to the securities firm."
Oh Jun-yeop, appointed as the CEO of Gwangun Prime's team, had received three directives through headquarters:
First. If problems arise, consult headquarters.
Second. For matters requiring careful consideration, consult the securities firm.
Third. Unconditionally follow any instructions issued by the securities firm.
"Strange directives, aren't they?"
"Right? But apparently, it's similar across all their subsidiaries. Gwangun is unique—the securities firm holds more power than headquarters here."
How could the securities firm possibly wield more influence than the chairman at headquarters?
And on top of that, they had to unconditionally follow the securities firm's instructions.
"Even so, do we really have to proceed like this?"
"Yes. I thought they'd leave the recruitment decisions to us, but suddenly, they sent this."
Oh Jun-yeop and the Gwangun Prime staff were at a loss.
The first directive from the securities firm was directly related to recruitment.
"It's like they want to completely overhaul our starting lineup and fill it with new players..."
"Looking at the profiles of the players they want to recruit, honestly, none of them seem like great prospects."
"That's exactly why I'm going crazy. They're spending money left and right—even replacing outdated facilities—but then the players they want to recruit are all like this."
When Gwangun, known for making big money these days, announced their acquisition of the baseball team, people thought their stingy days were over and that they'd finally start splurging.
Sure, replacing all the training facilities was a good move, but when it came to player recruitment, they seemed oddly frugal.
Most were inexperienced rookies, and even the veterans they were bringing in were past their prime, their value diminished by age.
There was no logical basis for recruiting these players.
"...If we proceed like this, isn't it obvious to anyone that next season will be a disaster?"
"Probably."
"Then shouldn't we oppose it?"
"Didn't I just say? We're to follow the securities firm's instructions without question or hesitation."
"But... if we do this..."
"Just proceed as instructed. From what I've gathered, Gwangun... is scarier than you'd think. The former CEO who got caught up in all this refused to give up his shares till the very end, didn't he? But when the prosecution swept through without leaving a single trace, he finally surrendered and raised the white flag."
"Somehow, he didn't seem like the type to give up his shares easily. That really happened?"
"And that's not all. Looking at Gwangun's track record, there's more than one or two companies that collapsed after fighting them. People like us could be buried without a whisper. So whatever it is, just do as you're told. If you want to keep your position."
The executives nodded.
They were survivors who had made it through the first wave of cuts, after all.
They knew full well that blind obedience was their only path to survival.
"Oh, right. What about the partnership with the French company, CEO?"
"Renault?"
"Yes. They came in as part of NX's sponsorship deal, but with NX pulling out, their position has become a bit ambiguous."
And it wasn't just any matter—it was related to sponsorship.
"But with tire company NX pulling out, Renault, which had followed in their footsteps, was now facing an uncertain future."
"They told us to consult the securities firm for any major decisions, didn't they?"
Even for matters that weren't particularly important, the plan was to delegate most decisions to the securities firm from now on.
"Let's inquire with Gwangun Securities."
＊＊＊
Looking at presidential elections around the world, typically left-wing and right-wing parties fiercely battle until one side emerges victorious.
But in France, something unexpected had occurred.
Antoine Péron, who had created a new centrist party unaffiliated with either the left or right and launched his campaign, had been elected.
Having served as France's Minister of Economy and Digital Affairs and worked at Rothschild Investment Bank, he was steadily preparing economic reforms while pouring out policies concerning the French economy.
"The key point of this policy is abolishing the wealth tax and transitioning to a real estate asset tax. If we implement this much, domestic companies will be able to cooperate very amicably with our government."
"But won't public discontent grow? It's clearly a tax break for the wealthy, isn't it?"
"That's precisely why we must immediately implement a digital tax. We need to punish those who create tax havens in Ireland and just siphon away our money. We'll also use that to make up for the shortfall in tax revenue."
To smoothly implement his desired policies, the cooperation of the wealthy who held sway over the economy was ultimately essential.
Moreover, shouldn't those who actively supported Péron and even provided election funds be duly rewarded?
"But wasn't it agreed to postpone that until next year?"
"Yes. But I think we need to move it up a bit. Foreign corporations have penetrated our economy more deeply than expected, you see."
"Which ones?"
"Google, Faceweb, BlueZone, and so on. The major corporations go without saying, but there are companies influencing society even more than them. PicPic for social media, Enflix for media, the KW Exchange for Bitcoin, and even shipping and automotive industries. The problem is, all the companies I just listed are connected to a single corporation."
"You mean all those are owned by one company?"
"Yes. Precisely by a Korean entity called Gwangun. While companies like Faceweb or BlueZone dominate one field each, this company is different. From trade and media to virtual assets—and recently, they even dismantled the automotive alliance Renault was building."
Now he understood why his advisors were expressing concern.
From PicPic, the social media platform threatening Faceweb's position, to Enflix as the largest OTT service, along with the world's largest trading company and Bitcoin exchange—all were operated by Gwangun.
Other giants each dominated one sector, but Gwangun was extending its influence like an octopus, spreading its tentacles everywhere, necessitating some form of restraint.
"But... is this really okay? Isn't Japan experiencing a massive economic crisis? They say it's because of Gwangun. I heard they deliberately triggered the economic turmoil."
"So, are you saying France should fear some distant foreign corporation? This is precisely when we must demonstrate our regime's strength. We should strike down foreign companies that have been using tax havens to pay less, with the digital tax we've been postponing, and also introduce Bitcoin regulations to suppress the KW Exchange."
The KW Exchange had already become the world's largest Bitcoin exchange.
When Bitcoin, which had reached $30,000, crashed, many thought it was over—but then, out of nowhere, Faceweb put on a show announcing they would issue their own coin, reviving Bitcoin's price.
"It does seem like some restraint is necessary. That Gwangun company."
"Yes. Their shipping business has already grown uncontrollably to a point where restraint is nearly impossible. But we must step on them before they grow any larger. Like other foreign corporations, they actively exploit tax havens, so at the very least, we must make them cough up more in taxes."
"What about the fuel tax increase proposal this time?"
"We've prepared thoroughly for that as well. Since France has publicly declared itself a leader in eco-friendly systems, we must uphold that stance."
"Good. Let's not drag this out—announce it quickly. Before that Gwangun place can prepare a countermeasure."
Even so, while heavily involved in economic affairs, he had prided himself on having a good grasp of global economic trends. Had he been too engrossed in politics?
A company that started in that small country, Korea, was now stretching its tendrils in all directions, seeking to swallow the world whole.
＊＊＊
"Chairman. It's clear that France is targeting our Gwangun this time."
While checking the sponsors linked to the baseball team we acquired, news arrived from France.
President Péron had unveiled a new economic policy to be strongly pushed from the end of this year and finalized next year.
A new France through environmental protection and energy transition.
That was the slogan President Péron had put forward.
The problem was that upon closer inspection, the policy included tax cuts for the wealthy and fuel tax hikes—and, above all, a slew of tax policies explicitly aimed at our Gwangun.
"Even the minister announcing the policy clearly listed our company's name, word for word."
"Have we not been paying taxes?"
"We've been doing what other corporations do—just the usual practices. We've paid everything we're supposed to. But the French government is throwing a fit, demanding even more. The issue is, since we're not the only company affected and the tax hikes vary across sectors, the financial impact is much larger than expected—bleeding us dry."
On top of that, new Bitcoin regulations had been announced, putting our exchange at risk as well.
"France does have its own Bitcoin exchanges, but most people use our KW Exchange. We don't officially operate in France, but users access our servers based in Europe."
"And they're regulating that?"
"Technically, they're regulating Bitcoin itself, but our exchange will inevitably take the hit."
Other foreign corporations would face restrictions too, but it was clear they were swinging the club hardest at our Gwangun.
No wonder I'd felt something off when they asked how we'd handle Renault, the French sponsor for our baseball team.
"The policy hasn't been implemented yet, right?"
"No. They've announced it and plan to push it through internal discussions as quickly as possible."
Then we needed a countermeasure.
And an extremely cautious one at that.
"If we mishandle this, regulatory winds will sweep across Europe, starting with France. The damage to the company will only grow."
But how do you block a country deliberately targeting you with regulations?
No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn't think of a solid solution.
Lost in thought, I pressed my pen against the notes on France when—
"!?"
A violent shudder surged from my feet to the crown of my head, and a panorama of images unfurled before me like a film reel.
Riots breaking out across French cities, fires raging, people in yellow vests chanting for President Péron's resignation.
A flash of violent protests—there and gone like lightning.
The afterimage still flickered in my vision.
"Chairman?"
Snapping out of the vision, I gasped for air.
It had only lasted a moment, but the vividness made it feel as if I'd been right there.
"Find out more about the policy the French government is pushing. Especially how the French public is reacting to it."
The vision my intuition had shown me depicted hundreds of thousands protesting, riots erupting.
This policy was clearly tied to that unrest.
That was why the people were rising up.
I'd forgotten something.
What kind of country was France again?
The country of revolution.