Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Translation: Godtl
At first, the French government focused on covering their eyes and ears, forcefully suppressing the enraged crowds.
Amid growing concerns that the riots might drag on indefinitely, President Péron himself stepped forward.
"They've finally raised the white flag. I thought they'd hold out to the end."
"Even with President Péron's overwhelming approval ratings, there was nothing he could do in this situation. The protesters were spreading like wildfire, ready to burn everything down."
President Péron withdrew every policy he had sought to implement.
Starting with the most contentious fuel tax, then the tax cuts for the wealthy, and even the digital tax.
He didn't just postpone them.
He outright scrapped them.
To dispel suspicions that he might wait for public sentiment to cool before pushing them again, he even made a public promise—that he would never reintroduce those policies during his term.
"So we don't have to worry for a while?"
"Yes. President Péron hammered the final nail in the coffin with his official statement. Unless there's a change in administration, these policies won't be revived."
One crisis had been averted.
"Good. You've worked hard."
"Not at all. I just did what I always do."
"Heh. Thanks to that, that bastard Péron is going to have a seizure every time he sees Gwangun. Oh, right—I heard. You're planning to make a donation?"
To lighten the weight on my conscience, I intended to make a personal and corporate donation to France—a small contribution to the city's recovery efforts.
"We've filtered out any organizations that seem shady and compiled a list. How much are you thinking?"
"Around ten billion."
"T-ten billion?!"
"Is that too much?"
"Most corporations don't donate that much, even in large-scale contributions."
"But compared to what we made this time, isn't it trivial?"
"Well, that's true."
The ten billion wasn't a figure decided by my intuition.
It was just a way to express my lingering guilt.
But even this required discussing it with my brother first.
I couldn't just spend the company's money as I pleased.
"Well, since we're going big anyway, let's make it twenty billion. France did give us a hard time, but thanks to them, we made a killing. Speaking of which, Jin-ho, why don't we set up a foundation?"
"A foundation?"
"Yeah. We're talking billions here, not just a few hundred million. It's an amount that other centers would struggle to handle all at once. There'll definitely be people within those organizations eyeing that money greedily. So we'll create and manage our own foundation."
"That way, we can ensure maximum transparency in how it's handled?"
"Right. Major corporations usually set up foundations for donations too. Of course... some use them for tax evasion or slush funds, but these days, government oversight is tight, so they can't get away with it like they used to."
The more I thought about it, the better the idea sounded.
I'd already been wondering what to do with all this money piling up.
I'd built properties, made investments here and there, bought my parents luxury cars and designer goods, and given them financial freedom—but every time I blinked, my bank balance had grown even larger.
Yet, indulging in extravagance didn't really appeal to me.
Even if I bought a nice car, my chauffeur would be the one driving it, so there was no thrill in that either.
"Same here. Not that I have room to talk, being born with a silver spoon and all. But I don't care much for luxury. What I do enjoy is splurging on games. That's the most fun."
"Me too. And spending money for my family—it makes me feel like I've really succeeded. That satisfaction is worth it."
"So you want to give back to society a little?"
"It might just be personal gratification, but I had a realization while acquiring the baseball team."
"Huh? Baseball team?"
To become a professional baseball player, you have to make it onto the draft list.
To get there, you have to put in blood, sweat, and tears from your student days, proving yourself as an amateur before earning recognition.
That's why raising such players requires no small amount of sacrifice from their parents.
While selecting players through the draft list based on my intuition, I couldn't help but think:
Surely there must be players in our country with the potential to dominate the world stage—could financial barriers be preventing them from rising?
"Your thoughts are more concrete than I expected."
"Yes. It's truly heartbreaking to see outstanding talents wither away without ever blossoming simply because they lack money. I want to help those people. Although this time we're starting with donations to France, I plan to allocate most of our funds domestically going forward to discover and nurture such talents."
Whether in arts and sports, medicine, law, science, literature—any field.
I intended to use my intuition comprehensively to identify gifted individuals across all areas and support them.
Wouldn't that contribute far more to this country's future than simply dumping money somewhere?
＊＊＊
"Chairman. We've finished closing all positions."
This was probably the moment our team—myself included—had been waiting for most eagerly.
"So... how much is it?"
"After closing all positions and deducting all fees to calculate the net profit..."
Manager Seo swallowed dryly before continuing.
"We've made approximately 5 trillion won in profit."
"F-five trillion?!"
"Wait—does that mean our Prime Department now has 15 trillion won in manageable funds?"
The staff's reaction was the most heated.
"Chairman. Congratulations. Once again, you've made history in the Korean... no, the global financial world."
"It might sound embarrassing to say this, but it's truly an honor to be part of this historic moment."
I shook my head at my team's awkwardly effusive praise.
"What's with all this? I just did what I always do."
"Haha. True enough. So Chairman, will you be taking a vacation for now? The France situation seems to be wrapping up... And currently, apart from France, there aren't any markets showing significant volatility."
I'd thought becoming the head of a securities firm would keep me busy every day, but that wasn't the case.
Because aside from my personal investments, the vice chairman handled everything else.
So the concept of "vacation" didn't really apply.
I'd come in when investments were needed, and when market volatility seemed unlikely, I'd just rest at home while receiving important reports.
"Besides, with 15 trillion won now in our hands, wouldn't it be a waste to just let it sit idle?"
"I knew you'd say that!!"
At that moment, Hye-rin, who'd been clapping along with the others, suddenly raised her arm.
"I've prepared the materials!"
As expected, my team knew me well.
They understood I could never stand seeing money just pile up unused.
"Here's a list of safe assets we can park the funds in, just like last time."
As the sums grew larger, it was time for us to start thinking like major funds.
Looking at funds representing various nations—including our own—the scale of their operations is on another level.
While our team was practically jumping for joy over the 15 trillion won and trembling over how to handle such amounts, for major funds, 15 trillion is pocket change.
The funds they manage start at 100 trillion won minimum.
Take the Kangsung Fund for example—they're already managing hundreds of trillions, and will soon reach 1,000 trillion.
Of course, while that money all belongs to clients and isn't concentrated in a single fund, the sheer scale still carries significant influence.
And where do they primarily park their money? In safe assets.
While some funds pursue high risk and high returns, far more prioritize safety.
Hence the need for fund-level thinking.
First, bury the money in safe assets.
"..."
As I carefully examined the listings, something felt off.
Usually by this point in the documents, my intuition would have reacted to at least one or two items.
But there was nothing.
No shimmering lights, no electric tingles like from a taser.
There was no sensation.
"Are there any other materials available?"
"Ah, this is a compilation of recent issues. Given how many things have been happening, other areas have been relatively quiet, but among them, this is probably the most noteworthy right now."
The protagonist featured in the report Hye-rin showed was none other than the emperor of Europe, the world's dark history—Britain.
"As you know, Brexit was approved by a national referendum two years ago, right? Back then, everyone thought Britain would leave the EU immediately, but it's still a member."
While public attention had waned due to the French protests, the most frustrating situation was actually Britain's.
It had been ages since the Brexit vote, yet the process remained stagnant.
After the resignation of the prime minister who had pledged to carry out Brexit, Theresa May became Britain's new leader—the second female prime minister in British history—and many believed she would bring Brexit to a smooth conclusion.
Yet, negotiations had made no progress.
Because of this, Britain was now in a state of chaos far worse than France's, albeit for different reasons.
"Since it's been dragging on for so long, the market has even stopped reacting at this point..."
In the early stages of Brexit, the British market had been extremely volatile.
But after two years had passed, it had stabilized.
The likelihood of Brexit being revoked had grown so high that the market no longer even responded.
"..."
So, without much thought, I accepted the report Hye-rin handed me.
This was another area with low volatility, so I expected to feel nothing even after reviewing the report—
"!?"
But it seemed I was mistaken.
The moment I took the report from Hye-rin, my dormant intuition suddenly roared in my head, and a powerful thrill surged from my fingertips, spreading throughout my entire body.
And before my eyes, a vivid scene unfolded—
The British people, finally freed from the EU, waving their flags in jubilation.
＊＊＊
"So, does this mean we won't suffer any further losses?"
"Yes, Chairman. The French government has completely backed down, hasn't it? They've scrapped the policy, so there won't be any semiconductor-related taxes imposed."
Kang Sung-ho let out a sigh of relief.
They had already invested heavily in Europe, and when France introduced its digital tax bill, it nearly caused an uproar that could have led to tax hikes across the continent, potentially multiplying their financial losses.
"It's true the world has changed a lot. Who would've thought protests could escalate so rapidly?"
"That's why they say social media has transformed the world more than smartphones ever did. If Gwangun hadn't leveraged PicPic to shape public opinion and collaborated with FaceWeb and other media companies, the policy would never have been revoked."
While he felt relieved, a chill ran down his spine.
In the past, he had thought Jeong Jin-ho was investing too much time and money into social media.
He believed it would have been better to allocate more funds to semiconductors—the lifeblood of the present and future.
But this incident proved why Jeong Jin-ho had poured so much effort into social media.
Hadn't PicPic, a single social media platform, completely shaken France?
Just how terrifying was the power of media?
It could incite people to do the unthinkable.
This had demonstrated that overwhelming force in full.
And it had become Gwangun's greatest weapon.
'Is it that mere wealth alone can't grant true power?'
This was no longer an era where those in high positions could wield authority as they pleased.
The real power lay in who could move the hearts of the masses.
That was true influence.
"And, Chairman. I heard Gwangun has established a new foundation."
"Hmm? A foundation? You mean for donations?"
"Yes. Upon launching it, they announced they'll be donating a staggering 200 billion won to France."
"200 billion? What on earth for...?"
But there was a reason for it.
"They're planting their flag decisively. Didn't I report to you last time that a certain faction had poured a staggering 100 trillion won into the French stock market to take massive short positions using our country's money?"
"Right. So you're saying that was actually Gwangun?"
"Yes. There's no concrete evidence yet that it was Gwangun, but that's what the rumors suggest. Given how the protests have significantly impacted the French stock market, they must have made at least trillions in profit—what they're donating now is just a fraction thrown back as a formality."
So it was like a show of magnanimity—the strong graciously bestowing crumbs upon the weak.
But to the other side, it would feel nothing short of mockery.
Gwangun had incited large-scale protests against France, dumped 100 trillion won behind the scenes to devastate their markets, and walked away with the spoils.
And now, as if tossing a bone to a dog, they were throwing 200 billion won their way.
Here, take this and calm down.
There could hardly be a greater humiliation.
The absurd part? Even if France was furious, there was no way for them to retaliate.
"That friend of Chairman Jeong... he's more vindictive than I thought."
"Had their policy passed, it would've dealt a massive blow to Gwangun. This was a proper payback."
They had dared to encroach on his territory, and he had delivered a decisive punishment.
Behind that gentle, unassuming face lurked the most terrifying beast in the world.
No wonder it sent shivers down his spine sometimes.
When drinking and hanging out, there was no younger brother more easygoing and likable—yet this was the same man.
"But Chairman, the direction of this Gwangun Foundation is... a bit concerning."
"What do you mean?"
"While they did send donations to France this time, they've announced plans to focus their funds on nurturing gifted individuals domestically—across all fields."
"All fields?"
"Yes. Literally every single one."
For a moment, Kangsung Chairman blinked in surprise.
Why had the Gwangun Foundation been established in the first place?
At first, he'd assumed it was a temporary measure due to the large sum being sent to France.
But in reality, that was just an excuse.
"So they have another purpose?"
"Undoubtedly. With all due respect... didn't our own Kangsung establish a foundation long ago to steadily prepare for the company's future?"
It was already widely known that many prosecutors and judges had risen through Kangsung's scholarship programs.
Though Kangsung denied any ulterior motive, there was no denying the immense benefits they had reaped from those connections.
But Gwangun was taking it a step further.
They would pour their overflowing wealth into every field, cultivating future knights to safeguard Gwangun's interests.
While Kangsung's foundation had concentrated its funds in the legal sector, Gwangun sought to spread its influence across all domains.
As this incident had shown, the world had changed.
"Gwangun intends to dominate every field?"
"Yes. It won't bear fruit immediately, but if they keep sowing money like this, nurturing those seedlings..."
"Eventually, it'll be impossible to stop them."
"Exactly. Though, if there's any consolation, spreading funds across all fields instead of focusing on one is highly inefficient. There's no telling where success will come from—if at all. The chances of it being a waste of money are very high."
A waste of money?
No. That was only something someone who didn't know Jeong Jin-ho would say.
The Jeong Jin-ho he knew wouldn't spend a single won carelessly.
There was a reason he had put on this show of donating 200 billion to France under the guise of a settlement while suddenly establishing a foundation.
Especially the part about indiscriminately funding scholarships—it meant he was confident in his ability to cultivate talented individuals who would become core assets in the future.
When it came to investments, no one could match Jeong Jin-ho's instincts.
So in the near future, Gwangun's people will be embedded everywhere?
The problem was—there was no way to stop Gwangun's runaway momentum.
If even the French government had knelt before Gwangun, what could Kangsung possibly do to halt them?
Just as with wealth, so it was with power.
Once momentum took hold, its force grew uncontrollably.
Gwangun, poised to dominate Korea in the near future—and the world not long after.
Maintaining friendly relations exactly as they were now...
That was the only path Kangsung Chairman could take to secure his company's survival.