Overcoming the Crisis (3)
"3… 2… 1… FIRE!" With a thunderous roar, the spacecraft launched. Fortunately, it didn't explode and passed through the atmosphere without a hitch. "We're landing!" At leader Smith's words, everyone was on high alert, but luckily, both spacecraft succeeded in landing on the meteorite. The geniuses at the American and Soviet space agencies had calculated the meteorite's orbital trajectory and landing angles until they were practically coughing up blood. Even with all that, it wasn't a landing that could be 100 percent guaranteed, but fortunately, there was no damage.
"Hurry! We don't have time!" With only eight hours left until the meteorite impact, the expedition members rushed out of the spacecraft to begin their work on a mission that truly held the fate of the Earth in its hands. Yoon-gi nodded with a sigh of relief at Choi Deok-bae's words. The reason this operation could even be executed was the shape of the meteorite. Uniquely, it had a structure like a toothbrush, which made it possible to push nuclear bombs deep into the core of the meteorite. And a lot of them, at that.
[Push multiple nuclear bombs into the interior of the meteorite and split it. As it breaks through the atmosphere, the size of the meteorite will decrease, and the damage will be minimized.]
The common conclusion reached by the US and NASA space agencies led to a unified operation, which was the reason the expedition members were moving now. "Hurry! Let's think about the million dollars we'll get when we go back!" Smith's words lightened the mood, and the members' movements became more relaxed. It didn't mean they were slacking off; it meant the risk of making mistakes due to tension had vanished.
"We're all done!" At the shout of a member dripping with sweat, Smith nodded, gasping for air. "Everyone, retreat to the spacecraft!" The nuclear bombs installed this time were set with both a remote detonation trigger and a timer. They were to detonate after escaping the meteorite, but if they couldn't trigger it remotely due to a malfunction in the spacecraft, the bombs would still go off, so escaping was essential if they wanted to live. "Can we take off?" "Yes, no problem!" Ellie answered Smith's question loudly, and soon the two spacecraft lifted their bodies to escape the meteorite.
Kuaaaa-! With the roaring exhaust of the spacecraft, the two ships broke away from the meteorite and simultaneously began to enter the trajectory to enter Earth's orbit. "Detonate!" The sooner they blew it up, the fewer meteorite fragments would fall to Earth. Therefore, as soon as he felt they were in a safe zone, Smith ordered the detonation. However, the nuclear bombs did not detonate. "What? What happened?" "It seems the detonation device is broken!" "Of all times, now of all times...!" At Smith's panicked voice, Ellie replied again. "There's a timer, so it should be fine. It will explode in 3 minutes." But even after three minutes, no signal of an explosion was detected.
"Ah..." At Smith's sigh, all the expedition members' eyes filled with despair. "I want to ask one 'favor' of all the members." At Smith's words, the expedition members seemed to intuitively understand what he meant, and everyone nodded to themselves. Just as Smith was about to say, 'We go back to the meteorite. And detonate it manually,' a massive explosion occurred on the meteorite side.
-------! An explosion in outer space that couldn't even be described. But thanks to it, the super-giant meteorite split into tens of thousands of pieces, and some of them began to fall toward Earth. As an insurance policy, Yoon-gi had asked Choi Deok-bae to take Johnson and Ggeobeongi to follow the spacecraft. It was to prepare for a 'just in case' scenario, and sure enough, the 'just in case' scenario happened, and the insurance worked successfully.
'How long will it take for Ggeobeongi to return?' It would probably take quite a while for Ggeobeongi, who was four hours away from Earth by spacecraft, to return to Earth. Unlike Choi Deok-bae, Ggeobeongi couldn't move very fast. 'I should buy Ggeobeongi a state-of-the-art computer later.' In fact, Ggeobeongi was grinning because he got to experience nuclear bombs and spacecraft.
"Smith, what were you about to say just now?" At Yoon-gi's playful words, Smith looked momentarily flustered and scratched the back of his head. "No, well... that is..." "You weren't going to say something cringey like 'We will sacrifice ourselves,' like in the movies, were you?" Laughter erupted from both spacecraft. Even the NASA control tower burst into laughter, which was transmitted to the spacecraft through the broadcast, turning Smith's face bright red. 'Should I leave it at this?' Yoon-gi threw Smith a lifeline. "Now, let's go back. Toward our million dollars!"
Two spacecraft filled with joy successfully completed their mission and returned to Earth.
The super-giant meteorite split into tens of thousands of pieces. The fragments that approached Earth all concentrated toward the Soviet Union as if they had made a pact. And the meteorites that remained after burning in the atmosphere fell, scattered across hundreds of locations throughout the Soviet Union. And they specifically targeted only the Soviet industrial facilities. With nearly 80 percent of the facilities suffering damage, the Soviet government's production capacity reached a state of virtual paralysis, and it looked like it could lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union at any moment.
"Do you think another disaster will strike?" At Yoon-gi's question, Choi Deok-bae shook his head. "That's right." In fact, experts' opinions were that the current Soviet Union would collapse in less than a year if someone didn't help. "It felt like a trial. It felt like, 'If you try your best to stop it, I'll end it with this much damage.'" "That's right. Originally, it's impossible to explode a meteorite with a nuclear bomb."
Nuclear bombs were weapons with excellent strike effects in open fields. Therefore, when a meteorite flew in, firing a nuclear bomb at it would usually just leave a scratch on the surface. However, this meteorite was shaped like a toothbrush, so there were many deep holes perfect for pushing nuclear bombs into. That was why the nuclear bomb operation could succeed. "I feel a bit sorry for the people who died." "Is it fate?" "Hmm... still, I feel sorry..." At the strangely profound words, Yoon-gi couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Anyway, I've learned one lesson from this incident." "If you try to change the mainstream of history recklessly, a wave greater than that will approach." Yoon-gi nodded. "Even if you block that wave, something similar to the mainstream of history happens in a different way." The super-giant meteorite could have caused a catastrophe hundreds of times worse than the original Chernobyl, and after barely stopping the super-giant meteorite, damage 'equivalent to Chernobyl in total' occurred in the Soviet Union.
"Haa." Yoon-gi let out a sudden sigh. That was why Choi Deok-bae asked. "We shouldn't try to change the mainstream of history recklessly." "The problem is that I still don't have a sense of what the mainstream of history is. For starters, radiation wasn't the mainstream, right?" In fact, thanks to Yoon-gi, the Earth was able to prevent the massive disaster of radiation. It was definitely difficult, but this incident had its rewards. While feeling the terror of history, Yoon-gi also felt a sense of achievement. And along with this mental achievement, material satisfaction was flooding in toward Yoon-gi, who had spent 350 million dollars plus performance bonuses for the expedition members.
Most of the industrial facilities were destroyed. If you hear it in words, you might not feel the seriousness. But what if you described it as all the convenience facilities within 10 kilometers of your house disappearing? What if you said that not only convenience stores, but restaurants, hospitals, schools, bus stops, taxi stands, roads, sidewalks, and even cell phone signals and internet signals had disappeared? The situation the Soviet Union was currently experiencing was exactly this. Hundreds of regions were currently in need of restoration, but the Soviet Union in 1986 did not have the ability to restore this situation. Considering that the Chernobyl incident was the trigger for the collapse of the Soviet Union, this situation could play the exact same role.
"Thank you so much for coming here despite being busy." At Gorbachev's words filled with apology, Yoon-gi smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. I don't know how proud I am to be called like this whenever there is an important matter." "The Politburo currently considers YK Group, or more precisely, Chairman Choi Yoon-gi, as a 'partner of the Soviet Union'." "That's a very welcome thing to hear." As Yoon-gi reacted with satisfaction, Gorbachev let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
"In fact, when I allowed foreign capital investment in the Soviet Union, it wasn't just YK that approached me." "Is that so?" A new market. Countless companies are bound to jump into it. However, in the Soviet Union, only YK received permission. Why? "Most other companies demanded US dollars as payment or demanded to be allowed to jump into industries such as electronics. That was a difficult thing for us to accept at the moment."
In original history, the fact that Gorbachev showed increasingly reformist moves after allowing foreign companies to invest in Soviet state-owned enterprises was clearly influenced by the companies that approached him. As countless companies came to knock on the door, the fruits were borne. However, due to YK's 'absurd conditions,' only YK was able to enter the Soviet Union much faster than others in the current history. The Soviet Politburo took the stance of, 'Well, there's a company offering conditions like YK, so why should we allow other companies under worse conditions?' and other foreign companies gave up, saying, 'Ugh, forget it. I'd rather not enter.'"
Of course, it was just that the companies gave up on entering as private enterprises, not that they didn't invest in state-run facilities. The problem was that those state-run facilities were mostly destroyed by this meteorite. Eventually, the companies that suffered massive damage effectively withdrew from the Soviet Union. The only private company the Soviet Union could currently hold onto was YK. Because Yoon-gi, a wealthy man who could provide personal loans, belonged to YK.
"Are all other companies currently withdrawn?" "That is correct. We need to rescue the people right away, but with current resources, it's impossible... So, we have to choose. Either receive aid on the condition of accepting private companies into the Soviet Union in large numbers, or..." Gorbachev looked at Yoon-gi with a very apologetic expression.
[If it's not you, we will die. Please help us...]
Yoon-gi, who received this look, opened his mouth to Gorbachev in a somewhat serious tone. "General Secretary, if you accept a large number of other private companies, Soviet society will fall into total chaos." Gorbachev nodded. "The Politburo has already grasped that situation. However, the damage from this incident is so great that the opinion that came out, rather than letting the people starve right away, is to delay the damage, which is to accept private companies."
Yoon-gi fell into thought for a moment. 'If I accept other companies, our YK's first-mover advantage will be completely gone. We haven't even finished the factory, and we haven't even run proper advertisements. In this situation, other companies enter? We'll lose four months of time. Plus, I don't know what will happen to the 350 million dollars.' If it were Gorbachev, he would somehow repay the 350 million dollar loan. But what if the current Soviet government collapsed and a 'democratic government anyway' came in? Since Russia was famous for not repaying debts properly, it was a foregone conclusion that the 350 million dollars invested would fly into the air.
"General Secretary, no matter how friendly I am to the Soviet Union, I cannot just keep giving to the Soviet Union." Gorbachev nodded with an expression that he understood ten, no, a hundred, a thousand times. "Yes, that's right. So our Politburo would like to make a proposal to YK." "Could you tell me?" In the very stable, or even rigid, atmosphere of the conference room, Gorbachev spoke with great difficulty. "Please buy our resources." The only source of money the Soviet Union currently had flowed out of Gorbachev's mouth as an alternative.
"Hmm..." In fact, Soviet resources were not easy items for YK to dispose of either. Because YK didn't operate an oil refinery, didn't operate a gas company, didn't deal with minerals, and didn't deal with timber. 'Right now, that's the case, but in the future, I'll have use for them.' Since it was a deal that would bring tremendous stability if he thought about the future, Yoon-gi nodded. Of course, he didn't nod with a smile. Now was the time for the merchant's mindset to emerge. Therefore, he was naturally revealing that it was 'unavoidable' and 'I'm doing it because it's Gorbachev's request.'
"At this point in time, resources don't have an attractive value to me, but... I will trust the weight of the General Secretary's promise and do so." "Thank you! Thank you!" Gorbachev jumped up from his seat, forgetting his dignity, and bowed his waist to Yoon-gi several times. It was a natural thing in a way. Clearly, it wasn't Gorbachev's fault that the meteorite fell, but if the current situation continued, he didn't know what would happen to the Soviet Union. A coup could occur to dismiss Gorbachev, or large-scale protests or a revolution could occur. Therefore, not only Gorbachev but even the Politburo had no room for thought currently.
"So, may I dare to make a proposal to the General Secretary?" "Yes, please tell me!" Gorbachev waited for Yoon-gi's words with a pounding heart. "If we trade with resources, what percentage of the international market price will you give us?" "That is..." Gorbachev fell into deep thought. He wanted to receive the international market price, or more. However, the current Soviet Union had no room to play hardball. "In addition, the current Soviet Union will not have the capacity to extract and transport natural resources. Is that correct?" "Hmm..." "So I'm going to make a new proposal." "What is it?" "I hope you will provide additional tax exemption benefits."
"...!" Gorbachev's complexion became slightly subtle. However, he soon nodded with a smile, thinking it was a natural reward. "I will tell the Politburo and handle it that way. I'm not giving you a definitive answer right now, but please consider it a de facto definitive answer." "Specifically, I mean the tax equivalent to the amount it costs to extract and transport natural resources. In other words, we will buy bonds. I am confident that this will be of great help to the Soviet finances."
Gorbachev ran a simulation in his head. Disaster recovery was difficult right now, and it wasn't an easy decision to divert manpower there to give natural resources to YK. As such, tax exemption benefits were a rather decent plan. "Yes, I will keep that in mind." "And one more thing." "Please speak." "I would like you not to allow other companies except our YK to enter until '90." "That is..." Clearly, Yoon-gi coolly lent 350 million dollars. However, Gorbachev hesitated to answer because intervening deeply in policy was a concern in many ways. "Instead, I promise to have close conversations with the Party regarding operations during that time."
"What is the level of close conversation?" "From the price of goods to the wage level of employees. As you can see from the factory establishment process, we have no intention of bringing many employees from Korea. YK's profits will soon lead to the income of the people." "Hmm..." Eventually, Gorbachev nodded. Because there were no other options. "I will deliver that to the Politburo and handle it as well."
"Thank you. That is all for my conditions. YK will do its best for the restoration of the Soviet Union along with growth. Instead, General Secretary, please give our YK the strength to leap forward. Because we are a company that wants coexistence, not exploitation. If I break my promise, you may take me hostage and threaten the United States." Although it was a slightly joking remark, Gorbachev couldn't help but be surprised at first. "Oh, no! No! I have no intention of doing that." "It's a joke." At the sight of Yoon-gi smiling, Gorbachev sweated a little, but he smiled back.
"Then, please contact us after the Politburo meeting is over. Once the permission is granted and the document is stamped, we will move immediately." "Of course." Gorbachev, who was nodding, asked one question. "It's a thought that suddenly comes to mind now, but... you have great decisiveness even though you are a minor. When I met you last time, I was so out of my mind that I didn't even realize it..." Yoon-gi smiled. "I'm learning a lot from my grandfather."
Yoon-gi would be a certain adult in two years. Therefore, he had decided that it was okay to reveal himself gradually. As it happened, the Soviet Union was a very good area to be active in before becoming an adult. Therefore, Yoon-gi had decided to reveal himself to Gorbachev. 'I guess I can slowly shed my skin and go out.' Yoon-gi was finally trying to break the oppressive frame of being a minor.
The Soviet Politburo made a decision faster than expected. The decision was, of course, an OK sign. Of course, a second working-level consultation began for detailed adjustments. It included the amount of natural resources the Soviet government had to pay, the full tax exemption period and additional tax exemption period measured by that cost. In addition, it included support for technology for the extraction and mining of natural resources. In a way, the atmosphere seemed to be flowing smoothly. However, Kang Seok-ho was in his own trouble.
"Chairman. No matter how great your oil fields are and how well your businesses are going, it will not be easy to personally aid the Soviet Union. Didn't you just lend 350 million dollars recently? Even if you take out a loan based on the current oil fields, it's too much of a burden." The whole world already knew about this joint operation between the US and the Soviet Union. The meteorite four hours away exploded due to a large-scale nuclear explosion, and hundreds of meteorites fell on the Soviet Union, so it would be strange if there was anyone who didn't know. In particular, the fact that Yoon-gi coolly lent 350 million dollars to the Soviet Union, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, to stop the meteorite during this operation was content that the whole world was amazed by. Furthermore, the fact that it was none other than Reagan's instruction spread, and the Soviet Union did not deny it.
As a result, Reagan's approval rating rose, gaining the image of prioritizing world peace, and Yoon-gi gained the titles of 'mystery' and 'eccentric' at the same time. It was so much so that even his aides were terrified when they heard the truth. At least Kang Seok-ho was less shocked by the overall situation because he was present when meeting Gorbachev. Thanks to that, Kang Seok-ho was able to give advice like this through data he had investigated in advance. However, Yoon-gi just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry. Money that can't even be compared to oil fields will be coming in soon."