The Great Land Grab

"What does that even mean? 'Land grab'?"

No one in the room could understand what Yooshin meant by those words on the screen.

Silence filled the room. President Cha rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. Would they accept? The Minister of Foreign Affairs interjected.

"But this time..."

Yooshin cut the Minister off sharply.

"Ten days," Minister Choi Jeong-won replied, raising his hand.

Yooshin’s eyes glinted.

The conference room buzzed. "That’s a good idea. But what do you mean by 'land grab'?" President Cha’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Obviously, they would plummet..." President Cha muttered, then stopped mid-sentence. Yooshin on the screen grinned.

"Then, don't tell me?"

Watching Yooshin’s sinister smile, everyone went quiet. President Cha slowly shook his head.

"We cannot follow what you’ve suggested, Yooshin."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs agreed. "That’s right. The moment this becomes known to the international community, we will face criticism. Our country’s image..."

Other staff members also began to speak up one by one.

"We cannot risk the credibility of the Republic of Korea for short-term gain. In the long run, this will surely deal a fatal blow."

"If this fact is revealed, the risk of being isolated from the international community cannot be ignored."

Yooshin on the screen looked at them with a calm smile.

"I feel the same, Yooshin."

The staff nodded slightly. "My staff and I are the heads of the administration running the Republic of Korea. Naturally, we shouldn't do such things. But, you see... I don't know about you, Yooshin. You are just one of many citizens of the Republic of Korea. It wouldn't be right for the government to stop a citizen's economic activities, would it? We aren't a communist state, after all."

The meaning behind President Cha’s statement was clear. We can’t do it, but you can. So do what you said. We just won’t do it ourselves. And we won’t stop you, either.

"M-Mr. President!"

The staff in the room couldn't possibly miss the meaning. But the President wasn't wrong, either.

With a playful flick of his fingers, the screen went black.

The moment the news that South Korea had rejected Japan's request spread through the media, the Japanese public fell into chaos. Shizuoka Prefecture, home to a nuclear power plant, was in a state of emergency. Shizuoka Station was packed with people. Eyes filled with terror. Heavy luggage on their backs. Everyone was thinking the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠same thing. Everyone knew. The current Japanese government didn't have the ability to end this crisis.

South Korea, a country close yet far, could end this crisis, but they had firmly refused. Therefore, they had to escape from here.

That was when it happened.

As the announcement echoed, people gripped their luggage tightly. Was this what it felt like when a war broke out? Inside the cramped subway station, a young woman holding a baby, an elderly couple looking gaunt and sickly, and office workers still in their suits were all huddled together in one car. People who wouldn't normally associate were packed in like sardines.

Then, a small commotion broke out on one side of the platform.

"Please, just take us! There's still room for a few more! Please? I’m begging you."

A young couple shouted in desperate voices. The woman was holding a newborn baby. Seeing that, the expressions of the people around them became complicated. The subway was already full, with no empty seats to be found. It was packed even in the standing areas. Everyone tried their best to ignore the young couple still pleading desperately.

Just then, the voice of an anchor came from a radio someone had turned on.

Everyone listened silently to the voice flowing from the radio.

On YouTube, the video of people fleeing Shizuoka Prefecture surpassed one million views in an instant. Japanese people who saw the video posted comments.

Unlike the desperate people fleeing Shizuoka Prefecture, the Japanese people watching through YouTube were calm. Although they were all Japanese, those living in cities far from Shizuoka Prefecture thought it didn't concern them much. At least, that’s what they thought.

But that was their mistake.

The next morning. The signal fire was the rapid decline in real estate and stock values in Shizuoka Prefecture. Japan’s stock index plummeted vertically, with no end in sight. The faces of fund managers were filled with terror and despair.

"Crazy!"

"Oh my god!"

They grabbed their hair with both hands and let out laments. Even at that moment, the phones on their expensive tables were ringing incessantly. This wasn't just happening to them. Similar scenes were unfolding all over Japan. Expensive houses, commercial real estate, corporate stock values—everything was crashing. People who had deposited money in banks lined up to withdraw their savings. Signs saying 'Urgent Sale' were plastered everywhere in front of shops and houses.

Japanese people who owned domestic stocks pressed the sell button on their brokerage apps. They were already down more than 70%, but it didn't matter. It was obvious they would become worthless pieces of paper as time went on. Their judgment was that it was wiser to sell right now to salvage even a few pennies.

As the economic collapse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began, there were people moving in the opposite direction.

"Boss, are you really sure we should proceed with this?"

It was Kim Jeong-hyeon, the professional manager of Cheonnuri. His gaze turned to one side, where a sofa was located. There sat Cheon Yooshin, snacking on chips and engrossed in a mobile game. In truth, Kim Jeong-hyeon was carrying out secret orders from Cheon Yooshin—whom he now called 'Boss'.

"A-alright, I understand."

I don't even know anymore. I'll just do as I'm told. It’s not my money anyway.

Kim Jeong-hyeon focused his gaze back on the monitor. The balance shown at the bottom right. *Gulp.* An absurd number, 700 billion, caught his eye. The task Kim Jeong-hyeon—who now called Cheon Yooshin 'Boss'—was assigned was simple. It was to buy up the stocks of Japan's representative companies that were crashing. Even though he had purchased blue-chip stocks that had plummeted nearly tenfold, the balance was still in the blue. The prices were falling even further than the purchase price Kim Jeong-hyeon had bought them at, with no end in sight. Every time that happened, Kim Jeong-hyeon clicked the buy button as if he were picking up trash.

People might call him a crazy bastard, someone throwing money into the dirt, if they saw him.

Meanwhile, Park Hae-soo, who had crossed over to Tokyo, Japan, was walking down the streets. He suddenly stopped in front of one place. It was a 10-story office building. Until a few days ago, the value of this building was beyond imagination, but now the market price had dropped nearly tenfold. The bigger problem was that no buyers were appearing, even though the price was practically a giveaway.

"This place will do."

The eyes of the real estate agent following him widened. When a young man came in a few days ago saying he wanted to buy a building, he thought he was joking. Buying real estate in this current situation? It was a choice that couldn't be made unless one had completely lost their mind. But he really wanted to buy it?

The agent's surprise didn't end there.

"No. Let's just buy this entire district. Is that possible?"

The agent nodded like a madman. "Y-yes, it's possible!"

With the country in such turmoil, he must have had a good dream last night for such a huge fortune to be coming his way.

Park Hae-soo, who had entered the real estate agent's office, felt his heart pounding and his hands trembling every time he signed the various contracts. He trusted Hunter Cheon Yooshin, but buying up the real estate of a collapsing Japan was by no means an easy choice. In fact, he had come to Japan at Cheon Yooshin's request. And he was buying up all the real estate in Cheon Yooshin's name.

Time passed quickly, and Japan fell into a collective panic. There was now only one full day left until the Gate Break.