thenovelthief Chapter 132
Chapter 132
Translator: DreamscribeThere was a figure named Joseph.
He appears in the Bible as the Prime Minister of Egypt, and it is said that he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream to prophesy seven years of abundance and seven years of famine.
“Since there would be seven years of abundance, he collected 20% of the harvest from the people as tax. He gathered that for all seven years. They built storage facilities all over the land, and it’s said that there was no more room to store anything.”
“Really? They took quite a lot.”
“Well, from Egypt’s perspective, it was a form of price defense. If there's a bountiful harvest everywhere, oversupply would cause prices to collapse.”
“So they stored it up for seven years?”
“Yeah. And then, finally, after the seven years of abundance ended, the seven years of famine came. That’s when Egypt released the grain they had stockpiled. Of course, they didn’t give it away for free, they sold it.”
“To their own people too?”
“Yeah. They took money from their own people as well, and also sold to other countries. As the poor harvests continued, Pharaoh ended up owning astronomical wealth from Egypt and the surrounding nations.”
CEO Kim Doo-young and I were listening intently to the story hyung was telling us.
“That’s insane.”
“It’s a story from the Bible, but the policy model of Joseph is still studied and applied in modern times. The strategic grain reserve system, agricultural supply control policy, state intervention for price control, and so on. You could say the Bible gave us strategies for food security.”
“Oh. Now that you mention it, that makes sense. But Chairman, why bring up this story all of a sudden...?”
“Why do you think? It’s because when I look at what Jin-ho’s been doing lately, it reminds me of Joseph.”
So that’s why he brought up Joseph.
It was probably because of what I had been doing recently.
“I’m aware of it too. I heard CEO Jung has been buying up grain like crazy these days. Oh, to be exact, he’s been buying wheat. I even joked with my staff that maybe a war is going to break out next year. Haha.”
At the same time, I could feel CEO Kim Doo-young glancing at me cautiously.
“Well, let’s hope no such terrible thing happens. So even in jest, be careful what you say. They say words have power, don’t they?”
“Ah, yes. Chairman.”
I didn’t feel the need to respond, but I too am praying that no war ever breaks out.
“Jin-ho. As for the wheat, I’m sure you have your own reasons, so I’ll leave it at that. There’s no particular issue with it anyway.”
“Is there some other issue then?”
“Well, the thing is... you recently made a large donation to Indonesia through the foundation, didn’t you?”
I thought he was concerned about me buying too much wheat, but it turned out to be about the donation to Indonesia this time.
“It was 300 million dollars, right?”
“Yes. Is there some problem with the donation...?”
“I mean, there’s nothing wrong with making a donation. But the timing was a bit unfortunate. Right now, our government and Indonesia are at odds.”
That was news to me.
“What happened?”
“Our government and Indonesia were working together on developing a fighter jet. But those guys used their economic situation as an excuse not to pay their share of the costs. We let it slide once, but then it turned out they were trying to steal the technology without paying.”
“Ah...”
It was an issue sensitive enough.
This was a matter of national security, after all.
“So they got caught trying to freeload?”
“I only found out yesterday. It wasn’t widely known at first, but once the festering issue erupted, it reached our ears too. The government formally protested. And instead of apologizing, those guys brazened it out.”
Indonesia responded lukewarmly to the government’s protest while secretly reaching out to other partners to start a new fighter jet development.
They claimed they couldn’t afford to pay us, yet they were doing something else behind our backs.
“The problem is, at that exact timing, we handed out donations to Indonesia?”
“Exactly. It’s become an awkward situation. The government hasn’t brought it up directly, but I’m sure they’re not happy about it.”
If I had known in advance, I would’ve reconsidered distributing the donations to Indonesia.
“But if we were to suddenly withdraw the donations and retrieve the money now, wouldn’t that make things even more awkward?”
“Well... that’s true.”
“Besides, even if there’s conflict between the governments, that shouldn’t negatively affect the people who actually need help.”
“You’re right about that too.”
The reason our foundation was established was to use my intuition to spend money where it was truly needed.
That’s why I didn’t want to wield someone’s misfortune as a weapon.
“I told you, CEO Kim. Our Jin-ho is really kindhearted.”
“Haha. Of course, I already knew that, Chairman.”
“Yeah. Jin-ho, proceed with this as you see fit. If anything comes up from the government’s side, I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes. Thank you, hyung... no, Chairman.”
As hyung and I were sharing a drink in good spirits, CEO Kim Doo-young looked at us with envy.
“I’ve always felt this, but you two really look like actual brothers.”
“Keukeu. I’m more like an uncle, actually. If I’d started a little earlier, I could’ve had a son his age.”
“But how did the two of you meet? I heard... that there’s a secret organization you’re both running.”
“Hmm?”
At those words, the two of us tilted our heads.
“I’ve heard rumors too. That the two of you are running a secret group. Some even say you’ve built a building just for that organization.”
Ah. Could he be talking about the guild?
But it seemed the rumors had spread in a strange way.
“People are wondering just how important that group must be if you’ve built a whole building for it.”
Hyung and I exchanged glances.
He looked absolutely amused, like he was dying of laughter on the inside.
“I heard Vice President Kang Ji-hwan is part of that group too…”
“Khm. Then why didn’t you ask Vice President Kang about it?”
“I did ask him a few times. But he absolutely refused to say anything. He even warned me not to pry any further.”
“He said that?”
The two of us barely held back our laughter.
“Chairman. I know full well that I’m someone who came from another company and later joined Kwangwoon. But when it comes to loyalty, I’m confident that no one in this company surpasses me.”
“So… what you’re saying is, you want to be part of that group too?”
“I heard that group handles some very important matters. Isn’t our shipping company the second-most core affiliate after Kwangwoon Securities? If I could join that group, wouldn’t it help the company even more?”
Hyung crossed his arms with a purposely thoughtful look.
“Jin-ho. What do you think?”
“I think…”
CEO Kim Doo-young looked at me with a pitiful expression.
“I think it’s a good idea. Coincidentally, we do have a spot open.”
“CEO Jung! I knew it. You’re the only one who truly understands me!”
We actually did need another tanker.
It worked out perfectly.
Vice President Kang and CEO Kim.
I’d be putting these two sturdy tankers at the front.
“Hmm. I see. So that’s how it is.”
Hyung seemed to have made up his mind as well.
The corners of his mouth were already lifting like they were about to fly off.
“Do you have a computer at home?”
“Ah, yes. I have one for work. Though I don’t use it much… but why do you ask...?”
“Then first, go get yourself a new computer.”
“…Huh?”
CEO Kim Doo-young looked back and forth between me and hyung, not understanding at all.
***
“Upon investigating the confirmed cases, WHO has officially identified a mutated virus.”
“A mutated virus? In our Indonesia?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.”
President Joko Widodo of Indonesia let out a sigh.
He had often heard warnings that a new mutation of the coronavirus could emerge, but he never imagined it would appear in Indonesia.
“So what does that mean?”
“Fortunately, with current mRNA technology, a rapid response to the mutated virus is possible. AstraZenon has already received the mutation data from WHO and begun producing a vaccine. They say it’ll be ready within a day or two, and mass production can begin immediately.”
It truly was remarkable technology.
They had said mRNA tech made a quick response to COVID possible.
“The next issue is...”
“Wait. Yaman. Why are you the one reporting this to me? Don’t these things usually go through a meeting with the staff?”
“Yes. I canceled today’s meeting. I’ve brought the matters to report directly.”
“Why? Is there something you want to talk to me about one-on-one?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Vice President Baruf Yaman was a long-standing partner who had entered the political arena alongside him.
That’s why he could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face.
“Something unusual must have happened.”
“Yes. I was about to report it to you. It’s been confirmed that the Kwangwoon Foundation donated 300 million dollars to our Indonesia.”
“Kwangwoon? 300 million dollars isn’t a small amount for a donation, is it?”
“No. They said they’re going to use it to help the citizens of our country who were affected by natural disasters.”
Had it been from another source, they would have expressed gratitude for the goodwill.
But Kwangwoon…
President Joko furrowed his brows.
“Something smells fishy. Is it just me?”
“That’s actually the reason I canceled today’s meeting. I believe Kwangwoon made this donation with a certain agenda.”
“What kind of agenda?”
“The South Korean government has officially sent us a letter of protest. They claim we haven’t paid our share of the cost for the joint fighter jet development project.”
That issue again.
In truth, they had ignored the protest after receiving it.
It wasn’t that they didn’t have the money, but it felt wasteful to hand it over to the Korean government.
“What about the plan to extract the technology? How is that going?”
“We’ve only managed to get about half of it. In any case, the timing of the Korean government’s letter of protest and Kwangwoon’s sudden donation overlaps in a very suspicious way.”
“...Wait a minute. What do you mean by that?”
“I mean Kwangwoon is sending us a message through the donation. Or more precisely, it’s highly likely to be a warning.”
“!?”
He figured there had to be some purpose behind the donation.
But for it to actually be a warning?
“The South Korean government and Kwangwoon operate like one body. Just look at the example with Japan. When Japan started putting pressure on Korea, Kwangwoon stepped up and fought on Korea’s behalf, didn’t they? As a result, Japan’s economy was shattered, and in the end, Japan’s leadership bowed their heads to the Korean government.”
Joko had already heard about that incident.
“Every time Kwangwoon stirs something up lately, the Kwangwoon Foundation is right at the center of it. They approach under the guise of charity…”
“And then stab you in the back?”
“Exactly. On the surface, it’s a donation, but what they’re really doing is quietly seizing control of the region they’re targeting.”
“Then what could Kwangwoon be trying to do by handing out donations in Indonesia?”
“A lot. Sure, they could just be trying to raise their image... but the money could also end up flowing to the organizations currently carrying out terrorist attacks inside Indonesia.”
“W-what!?”
It was outrageous.
He hadn’t even considered that such support could be given under the pretense of a donation.
“They might already be colluding with them. Haven’t the terrorist groups grown increasingly aggressive ever since our conflict with the Korean government started escalating?”
"So those Kwangwoon bastards are supporting terrorist organizations in our Indonesia?"
“There’s no hard evidence. Only suspicion. But considering the timing of this donation, it’s clear they’re sending us a message.”
“If we don’t comply with what the Korean government wants... then who knows what they’ll do with that money?”
“Yes. There’s no way to predict how Kwangwoon might strike us.”
Joko laced his fingers together and fell deep into thought.
“Kwangwoon... why on earth do other countries just let those dangerous people be? Especially the United States. A country like the U.S. should know exactly what Kwangwoon really is. If they just cleaned out those people over there, Kwangwoon wouldn’t be able to run wild like this.”
That had always been the question.
Why do the major powers allow Kwangwoon to do as they please?
“From our perspective, it looks like the Kwangwoon Chairman and the executives beneath him are plotting something sinister, but the reality might be different. They could simply be following orders from above. It’s likely they’re not the true core.”
“So the real shadow force isn’t Kwangwoon, but someone behind them?”
“Yes. If there were a company threatening national interests in the U.S., they’d deal with it immediately. But even that unpredictable Trump didn’t touch Kwangwoon, and the current Aiden administration is the same. In fact, they’re cooperating. You can see it clearly in the recent green energy initiative.”
The White House had either already fallen into the hands of the forces controlling Kwangwoon, or perhaps, even if they wanted to touch Kwangwoon, they couldn’t act because they couldn’t identify who was really behind them.
“According to the information we’ve confirmed, that’s correct. The White House, and not just them, no government in the world has been able to identify the true master pulling the strings behind Kwangwoon.”
That was why no one could strike Kwangwoon directly.
“Even if we take down those puppets, if we can’t find the real one behind them, all we’re doing is provoking them.”
When a chess piece is removed, they simply place another piece on the board.
In the end, unless the root was found and ripped out, it was all meaningless.
“So… what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Why don’t we just pay the share?”
“You want to pay that?”
“It’s money we were supposed to pay anyway. We should scrap all the current projects we’re pushing forward, and just pay our share to Korea and secure at least one of those fighter jets from their side.”
They’d tried to extract the technology while dragging out the payments as long as possible, trying to negotiate leverage.
But to think they’d come at them like this.
“And if we don’t pay?”
“Then… we’ll have to be prepared. Who knows what might happen.”
The country is in turmoil.
Typhoons, earthquakes, epidemics, and more.
The entire nation is groaning.
Meanwhile, terrorists are rampaging, and the country is slowly being sucked into chaos. If Kwangwoon were to deliberately try to shake the nation further amidst all this…
“Hoo-.”
The president let out a deep sigh.
“How much do we have to pay again?”
“2 billion dollars.”
“Send it immediately.”
“Yes. You’ve made the right decision, Mr. President.”
There were already too many places where money was needed, so it was undoubtedly painful.
But wasn’t it better than watching the country fall further into ruin?
“.......”
And yet, even after agreeing to pay, something felt off.
Two billion dollars.
To Kwangwoon, that was pocket change.
Could they really have gone to all this trouble just for that mere two billion?
“No way… Could those Kwangwoon bastards be using the fighter jets as an excuse for some other agenda?”