Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 152

Translator: Dreamscribe“CEO-nim?”

“Ah.”

“Are you alright? I called you several times but you didn’t respond.”

I snapped out of my daze.

‘Was that just now the sound of a gunshot?’

At first, I thought it was a gunshot, but thinking it over again, I realized it might not have been.

How should I put it?

It felt a bit more like a firecracker.

But considering that a chilling and strong red aura had flashed past, it felt like something ominous was about to happen.

“About Japan.”

“Yes, CEO-nim.”

“Is there a serious issue with firearms in Japan by any chance?”

“Firearms...?”

“Yes. Since there are Yakuza over there, I wondered if firearm smuggling happens a lot.”

The Vice President tilted his head.

It was indeed a strange question, even to myself.

“Both Japan and Korea are countries extremely sensitive about firearms. In fact, Japan has even managed to track down all the smuggled firearms that had been brought in by the Yakuza. If a firearms-related incident were to occur, it wouldn’t just be the police responding, there’s a high chance the anti-terror units and even the military would be mobilized.”

"So they generally don't touch guns?"

“Yes. On top of that, just like our country’s gangs, the Japanese Yakuza have also lost much of their former influence due to continuous government crackdowns.”

In our country as well, most firearm incidents occurred within the military.

Japan too has almost never experienced a firearm incident within urban areas.

‘Then that really wasn’t a gunshot...?’

I thought about placing my hand over former Prime Minister Dobe’s profile again, but I didn’t want to experience that horrifying emotion once more, so I let it go.

Those who haven’t experienced it wouldn’t understand.

Whenever such an image, sound, and a series of emotions flash through me, I break out into a cold sweat and feel completely drained.

“But CEO-nim, why did you suddenly ask something like that...”

“Ah, I was just curious. Anyway, what you're saying is that firearm incidents almost never occur within Japanese cities.”

“Yes. Just like in our country.”

Then that's good enough.

Even though my intuition had shown me something bizarre, this investment still felt like a positive one.

“Please inform the Japanese side. That we’re willing to invest generously under these conditions.”

“Yes. But... aren't they expecting a breakthrough strategy from us that could reverse their approval ratings? What should we do about that?”

“How could we know something that even the seasoned veterans of the political field haven’t figured out? So let’s leave that part out and just send them a positive signal for now, shall we?”

“Yes. Then it’s better not to expect too much in return.”

“Still, just in case, please prepare for the investment at the group level. Also, look into which sectors would be good to enter in Japan right now.”

“Yes, CEO-nim.”

Just like the Vice President said, I didn’t hold much expectation.

The reason the Liberal Democratic Party had made such a drastic proposal was because they wanted advice from us.

A breakthrough strategy that could reverse their current slump in approval ratings.

But how could we, who knew nothing about politics, provide such a thing?

“Even if something big happens now, it’s unlikely their approval ratings will turn around.”

Though no one can predict the world, this time, it seemed unlikely that the Liberal Democratic Party could defeat the opposition.

***

“Has a response come from Kwangwoon?”

“Yes. They’ve said they accept our conditions positively.”

“Then does that mean they’ve also given us a strategy to defeat the opposition?”

The senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party had a gleam in their eyes.

The fact that Kwangwoon had accepted the proposal meant they must have given what was desired, didn’t it?

“Well... there was nothing mentioned regarding that.”

“What? What do you mean there was nothing mentioned?”

“Exactly what I said. The only response we received was that they accept our conditions positively and will begin preparations for the investment. Nothing else was said.”

“Could it be we conveyed our message poorly?”

“We clearly stated our position. We asked for help to overcome the current crisis facing our Liberal Democratic Party.”

And yet, they hadn’t made a single mention of a plan and merely accepted the drastic conditions?

“Isn’t this basically trying to get everything for free?”

“Exactly. Just how little must they think of us to...”

The senior members, who felt they had been mocked, were fuming with anger.

Prime Minister Yoshida calmed them down.

“There’s no need for everyone to be upset.”

“But Prime Minister, isn’t Kwangwoon trying to accept only the conditions we offered?”

“They must know as well. That for the conditions we presented to be realized, our Liberal Democratic Party absolutely has to win the election.”

“Then, could it be...”

“It’s one of two things. Either they have a concrete plan but aren’t revealing it to us yet, or they really don’t have a plan at all.”

Only then did they begin to understand a little.

The fact that Kwangwoon had accepted the proposal might mean that they were formulating a plan of their own.

“So let’s wait. They might contact us again soon. If they really have no plan, then this deal will naturally fall apart, won’t it?”

“What if they actually manage to reverse the approval ratings?”

"That's......"

Prime Minister Yoshida paused for a moment.

To be honest, sending that proposal to Kwangwoon had been a desperate move, like clutching at straws.

No matter how he looked at it, there seemed to be no way to turn the situation around.

Could Kwangwoon be any different?

But what if they really pulled it off?

In that case, the Japanese government would have to fulfill all those outrageous conditions.

“Well, let’s think about that when the time comes. As everyone knows, realistically speaking, it would be difficult to honor all those conditions. We could just pretend to go along and drag things out.”

There was no way it would come to that, but if Kwangwoon really helped them overcome this crisis, they planned to fulfill only a few of the original conditions and stall the rest.

Agreeing to all of them would be no different from turning Japan into Kwangwoon’s puppet.

“So we just have to wait quietly until Kwangwoon gives us some kind of hint?”

“No.”

"What?"

“Do you know where former Prime Minister Dobe is going today, just like yesterday and tomorrow? He’s traveling all across Japan’s cities. He’s personally putting in the effort to raise our Liberal Democratic Party’s approval rating, even just a little. With him working that hard, do you really think it’s right for us to just sit still here?”

“Ah...”

It was a message: don’t just sit around, get moving too.

“Everyone, do your part to gain even one more vote. Victory is never something that comes for free.”

***

Though former Prime Minister Dobe was out on the campaign trail, his ears were open in all directions.

“Tsk. I told them we should never go begging to Kwangwoon.”

Dobe scoffed at the foolish senior officials.

To reach out to the very ones who had brought Japan to this state, were they out of their minds?

On top of that, Kwangwoon had sent back a response that sounded like they were mocking the Liberal Democratic Party.

The truth was, those bastards had nothing to lose.

“They’re probably thinking if the Liberal Democratic Party suffers a crushing defeat in this election, they’ll just make a new deal with the opposition.”

Dobe knew it too.

That no matter what move they made now, it would be hard to turn the approval ratings around.

Kwangwoon surely knew that too, that’s why they were acting this way.

“But you never know. A miracle might happen. That’s why I keep going out on the campaign trail.”

“Prime Minister, but... aren’t you going to wear a bulletproof vest again today?”

“Bulletproof vest?”

Dobe chuckled at the chief of security’s question.

“What would I need a bulletproof vest for in a country without guns? Besides, I have to meet the citizens and shake hands. If I wear such a thick bulletproof vest, it’ll actually have a negative effect. And do you know how hot the weather is outside right now? What if I collapse from heatstroke while walking around in that thing?”

If it were America, maybe.

But Japan was a country safe from firearms.

“More importantly, aren’t you guys here to protect me? If anything happens, you’ll block it right away.”

“Yes, don’t worry about that.”

Guns or not, today’s summer weather was brutal.

It was obvious that wearing a bulletproof vest during a campaign rally in this heat would lead to collapse.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Dobe felt a deep sense of responsibility for how much the approval rating of the Liberal Democratic Party had dropped.

If only they had not attacked Korea, if only they had not provoked Kwangwoon, the Liberal Democratic Party would have won the election comfortably.

But now Japan was collapsing.

The Liberal Democratic Party was collapsing along with it.

That was why it had to be saved.

If this party could be revived once more, Japan too could be set back on its feet.

Even if it seemed like there was no chance of victory, elections were something whose outcome no one could predict.

He believed that if they moved forward hoping for a miracle, they could surely win.

“Please trust our party just one more time. We will definitely return this country to exactly how it used to be!”

It was while he was shouting at the citizens like that.

Bang-!

Startled by the sound of a firecracker exploding behind him, Dobe looked around in alarm.

“What was that just now?”

Was it just a firecracker set off as a joke?

That thought lasted only a moment.

“......?”

Was someone hurling curses at him?

Frowning, he turned his head, and there stood a man holding a gun.

And it was aimed straight at Dobe.

“W-what!”

Bang-!

He had no time to dodge in his shock.

The bullet that burst out from the muzzle struck Dobe directly.

***

“H-how on earth did this happen?! A gunshot wound?!”

The Liberal Democratic Party’s senior leadership rushed breathlessly to the hospital where Dobe had been transported.

The Prime Minister had also canceled all his schedules and was on his way.

"Apparently some guy shot former Prime Minister Dobe due to personal grudge."

“I’ve already heard that. But there were guards deployed all over, weren’t there? And they couldn’t stop even that? Does that make any sense at all?”

“It happened so suddenly, and it seems they never even imagined that someone would actually fire a gun at former Prime Minister Dobe.”

Even so, they were guards assigned to protect a former prime minister who had once represented an entire nation.

And yet they failed to stop an ordinary civilian, armed with a crude gun made with a 3D printer, from firing?

“On top of that, I heard the culprit missed the first shot?”

When the first bullet missed, the culprit waited a few seconds and then aimed at Dobe again and fired.

It was a short span of time, but not a single guard, whose top priority should have been protecting Dobe’s safety, moved.

“They did say that at first they thought it was just a firecracker going off and didn’t want to overreact, but......”

Prime Minister Yoshida could not shake his suspicion.

They selected only the best guards in Japan to protect the prime ministers, yet they made such a mistake.

“So then, what is former Prime Minister Dobe’s condition?”

“They are doing everything they can right now, but they told us to prepare ourselves.”

“.......”

Yoshida tightly shut his eyes.

This was a tragedy.

How could a former prime minister of Japan be shot?

This was nothing less than a national disgrace.

“However, Prime Minister. I know it is extremely delicate to say this right now, but...... this might actually be our opportunity.”

“What did you say?”

“First, we should declare a state of emergency response at the national level, and if former Prime Minister Dobe passes away, we must immediately hold a grand state funeral. So that everyone’s attention is focused on it. And we must clearly show our determination that we will never tolerate such violent acts.”

“Are you saying we should frame the opposition as the culprit?”

“Yes. We should push the narrative that the opposition, who feared former Prime Minister Dobe’s influence, orchestrated this. There are only a few days left until the election anyway. If we delay the investigation until next week and create conspiracy theories to damage the opposition’s image, our Liberal Democratic Party might be able to turn things around.”

Even as former Prime Minister Dobe was hovering between life and death, the cabinet members were instead viewing this as an opportunity.

What horrifying people they were.

But Yoshida, who was listening to them, was also a politician to the core.

“I thought there was absolutely no way for the Liberal Democratic Party to win.......”

Even if the sky collapses, there's a hole to crawl out of?

“Do as you said. Immediately declare a state of emergency response, and I will prepare to release a statement.”

“Yes. We will also prepare our response at the party level.”

No one was worried about Dobe’s condition.

If anything, they were at the point of hoping he would simply close his eyes.

His death would become the only way to save the Liberal Democratic Party.

“By the way- wait. About this shooting incident. What kind of grudge did the shooter supposedly have?”

“That’s still under investigation. From what I’ve heard, it seems to be related to some kind of cult, but nothing is confirmed.”

“Could it be... this has something to do with Kwangwoon?”

“!?”

Everyone, who had been about to move quickly, flinched at those words.

“Right after Kwangwoon said they’d accept our proposal, this happened. It means a miracle solution has emerged, one that could reverse the approval ratings of the Liberal Democratic Party, which was said to have no chance.”

“P-Prime Minister. Does that mean... Kwangwoon was the one who targeted former Prime Minister Dobe?!”

“Does it make any sense that elite bodyguards couldn’t stop a single shooting incident? That some random civilian suddenly appeared with a gun and aimed at the Prime Minister? Does that really sound like a coincidence to you?”

That a civilian could shoot and kill Dobe, even with guards present, it was hard to believe.

And such an unbelievable incident happened right after they had made contact with Kwangwoon.

There was not a single person here who truly believed it was mere coincidence.

“Then what are we supposed to do...?”

“What else? Like it or not, a window of opportunity has opened. Our last chance to overturn this election. For now, we have no choice but to make use of this opportunity. We’ll deal with everything else after we’ve won.”

The senior members all nodded at the Prime Minister’s words.

They hadn’t expected the game to be overturned like this, but right now, the party had to be saved, no matter what.

“.......”

After sending them off quickly, Prime Minister Yoshida’s hands and feet began to tremble.

Dobe would soon die.

Whose fault was this, really?

Was it Kwangwoon’s fault for murdering Japan’s former Prime Minister?

Or was it the Liberal Democratic Party’s fault, for making the first deal with the devil that was Kwangwoon?

The devil had acted in accordance with the contract.

But what happens if they don’t receive what was promised?

“.......”

Yoshida swallowed hard.

If you’ve made a deal with the devil, then you must offer a fitting price in return.

Even if that means turning this country into a permanent puppet.