Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 162

Translator: Dreamscribe“Huh? No way. That’s a lie.”

“I’m telling you, it’s true! Honestly, I was skeptical too when I heard that guy liked games, but he’s seriously a game maniac. He has all kinds of consoles at home, and apparently, he always tries out every new game.”

I had also looked into the profile of Secretary of Commerce Henderson.

He looked like someone who worked all day and wouldn’t even glance at a game, but he was actually a game maniac.

“He’s even playing the same game as us?!”

Hyung was extremely excited.

“No way.”

“I’m not lying, it’s true. I was shocked too. He said he’s been playing that game for over ten years. Of course, he’s quit and come back multiple times.”

World of Warlord.

A fundamental RPG game with a solid base of hardcore fans both in our country and overseas.

That’s why a lot of people quit but come back because they can’t forget how good it is.

If there’s one drawback, it’s that the game is quite old, so there aren’t many younger or new users joining anymore.

But once you got hooked, there was no getting out.

“Well, it’s fun because you play it with others. The problem is, when that guy came back to the game, the guild had already disbanded. But finding a new guild is tough since he doesn’t have that much time to play.”

“You seem to have talked quite a bit with him.”

"It was really awkward at first, but once the topic of gaming came up, both he and I just couldn't stop talking. On top of that, since we even play the same game, two hours flew by in an instant. And when I said I thought I could somehow help with his guild problem and would look into it, he even gave me his personal contact info."

From what I’d heard, the Secretary of Commerce was a very important figure to us at Kwangwoon.

He had strong influence internally as well, so having him on our side would be incredibly reassuring.

“Wow. Hyung, that was some top-tier networking.”

“Just got lucky. But I really think we need to set up a proper guild for him in the US. It’s a shame that he wants to enjoy the game but can’t. You know how that feels.”

“Of course. There’s nothing more frustrating in the world than wanting to play a game but not being able to.”

I thought about it carefully.

It wasn’t because I had an ulterior motive, but because I genuinely empathized with that feeling.

“Then how about this? We hire someone who’s good at the game and can also manage a guild well, and create a US branch of our Trinity Guild. Some of our guild members travel to the US on business occasionally, right? We let them join the US branch too, and set up a separate space for them to play together when they’re there.”

“Like how we have a building here, we make something similar in the US?”

“Yes. The US has a lot more land, so we can utilize space even better. It would be nice if you or I have a place to enjoy ourselves when we’re over there too, right?”

“Then we leave the guild management to that employee?”

“Right. They’d manage new members, coordinate schedules, and basically act as a guild manager. I think we can hire a few people for that role and run it properly.”

Hyung looked very satisfied.

“Sounds good. I think Henderson also has people to play with if we just set up a space. A lot of them can’t play for practical reasons, but if we give them a reason, it would work.”

Setting up a US branch of our guild.

The servers are different, but it is possible to connect from Korea to the North American server and play together.

However, because of the server characteristics, ping differences are inevitable if the regions are far apart, making it hard to do raids together.

So we’d be setting up a new guild in the US, allowing people there to enjoy the game among themselves.

“But we can still log in from here, say hi, and chat, right? That’s part of the fun of RPGs too. Honestly, a lot of our guild members are older now and just chat for hours without even hunting or raiding.”

“I’ll look into it and plan it out.”

“You sure? You’re busy with work too.”

“It’s fine. And I think it’ll be fun. I’m already curious what kind of expression that Secretary of Commerce will make when he hears the news.”

There’s a strange connection that exists between gamers.

And if people who are too overwhelmed with work to even take a break can find healing through gaming, then our guild will have fulfilled its role.

“But hey, seriously. That game company Cyclone. What’s up with their management these days?”

Cyclone, the company that runs World of Warlord.

As one of the top three largest game companies in the world, Cyclone had plenty of famous games.

“Was it Underwatch? I heard they hit the jackpot with that one.”

“That was already seven years ago.”

They released a game called Underwatch and gained global popularity, but the company completely ruined it with terrible management.

“Seems like the company’s been in trouble since then, they even got rid of some servers. There’s more lag than before too. Something just feels off.”

“You’re right, hyung. Apparently, Cyclone is actually struggling with operations and is currently looking to sell.”

“What? So it was real? I thought their management seemed like total crap lately. They were half-assing everything to sell the company, huh? They’re not even releasing DLCs. Looks like they’ve given up on attracting new users too.”

It was an old game, sure.

But to continue running for the long haul, new user influx is absolutely necessary.

A game company should release convenience patches and events to attract new users, but there was none of that.

They had practically thrown the game out like garbage.

"Who's going to acquire it?"

“Looks like they’re still looking for a buyer. From what I’ve heard, Microsoft is the most likely candidate.”

“Is Microsoft trying to acquire it for their console games?”

“Seems like it.”

Microsoft had been trying hard to raise the market share of their struggling console.

That’s likely why they were eyeing Cyclone for acquisition, but it didn’t seem like there had been much progress yet.

“I think Microsoft is trying to acquire it at the lowest price possible.”

"Let it wither to death and then buy at rock bottom?"

“Yes, that’s the strategy.”

“Then what about the games currently in operation? Are the users just supposed to suffer during that time? Even if the acquisition goes through, they might neglect our game! Might try to rework everything for consoles!”

“Exactly. That’s why our game is already in a pretty broken state.”

“Th-those bastards!”

Hyung’s hands were trembling with rage.

It had been a while since I’d seen him this angry.

“Phew. These rotten bastards. If you make a game, you should take responsibility for it to the end. What kind of management is this?”

“Well, there are still players sticking around. They’re just taking advantage of that.”

“Damn it, I wish I could just flip their whole table over.”

That’s when it happened.

“......?”

Out of nowhere, my intuitions suddenly flared up.

Was it because of what hyung just said?

“Hyung. If you were to flip it... how exactly would you flip it?”

“Huh? Well, I mean… I’d clean house, from the director down to the staff. Replace them with people who can manage things properly and develop the game.”

My thoughts shook again.

“To do that… we’d have to acquire it, wouldn’t we?”

“Acquire it? But aren’t they currently negotiating with Microsoft? Ah. Wait. Don’t tell me…”

Hyung grinned slyly.

“You’re suggesting we hijack the deal?”

Then, as if reaching the climax, a thrilling sensation spread through my entire body.

Hijacking.

Literally stepping into the middle of negotiations and snatching Cyclone away.

“How much would it cost to acquire Cyclone right now?”

“The current market cap is 60 trillion won.”

“Then we just need to secure controlling shares?”

“Yes. Wingard and Whiterock each hold a significant amount of shares. It’s a dispersed governance structure like Bluezone, so if we pay a slight premium and make a bulk purchase, we could secure control pretty quickly. It’ll cost a bit, though.”

Hyung nodded.

“Perfect timing. Netflix has been working on producing content, and for popular series, they’ve been looking into game adaptations too. Recently, they even created a platform where only subscribers can play games.”

“That gives us a solid justification. We can both restore our game and turn Netflix content into games.”

“Exactly. And the group’s been sitting on piles of money lately. I was wondering when we’d finally put it to use. Hahaha.”

A bright smile spread across hyung’s face.

Just think about it.

How thrilling must it be to acquire the game company you’ve played for so long?

“Oh, right. I heard about it. You're planning to hire people who can consistently communicate with political figures in the U.S., right?”

“Yes. Every time something happens overseas, I feel bad that hyung has to go in person. And it’s hard work, too. So even if it costs a lot, we’re planning to hire people with strong careers and wide networks, to set up our communication channels not only in the U.S. but in various other countries as well.”

“That’s not really necessary, though. Wait… you’re not doing this because of that raid fail last time, are you?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Hm. Judging from that firm expression and voice, I’d say it’s exactly that.”

“It’s not.”

I denied it, but it seemed it was hard to deceive hyung, who had been with me for so long.

***

“CEO-nim. I’ve compiled the list for the U.S. side first.”

The Vice President handed me a list first thing in the morning.

“This is a scout list compiled after a thorough background check and career evaluation by the strategy team.”

These were people who would represent us in communicating with figures in the U.S. and help solidify our standing.

Their resumes were indeed impressive.

But no one particularly stood out.

“.......”

That was until I turned to the next page.

“......?”

One person especially caught my eye.

Partly due to my intuitions drawing me to that spot, but also because their career history stood out to me.

“This person… is it okay to hire them?”

“If it’s for a lobbying position, there could be an issue. Usually, there's a two-year cooling-off period, during which they can't be active. But since we’re hiring for a role closer to an advisor rather than a lobbyist, it should be fine.”

If that was the case, then I had no need to hesitate.

“Then please go with this person. Offer them the highest salary in the industry.”

“Yes, I’ll make the offer right away. Also, it might take more time to hire people for countries other than the U.S. We’ll need to do a thorough review.”

“Understood. I’ll be waiting.”

The person hadn’t accepted the offer yet.

But once we secured the right people, hyung would no longer need to travel overseas and meet everyone in person unless it was something truly important.

And that way, a raid that we had spent weeks preparing for wouldn’t fall apart again, right?

In our case, game appointments were serious matters.

***

John Hamilton, formerly Aiden’s Chief Secretary, thought that once he threw in his resignation and walked out of the White House, he would finally be able to breathe like a normal person and find freedom.

“.......”

But once he was out, his anxiety only grew worse than before.

He began suffering from paranoia, as if someone was eavesdropping on him or watching his every move. Eventually, he had to take medication.

His psychiatrist assured him it was all delusion, that Kwangwoon wasn’t monitoring him.

But.

“As expected…”

Today, he realized once again that he wasn’t living in delusion.

“Kwangwoon really was watching me.”

John’s hand trembled as he looked at the email from Kwangwoon HQ.

He debated hundreds of times whether to open it or not, and finally clicked to read it.

At first, he thought it was a threat.

But the contents were completely unexpected.

“...They want to hire me?”

It wasn’t a threat, but a proposal.

Kwangwoon HQ had asked him to become an advisor, to act as a communication channel in the U.S.

He, who had once been the Chief Secretary to the President.

There wasn’t a single person in politics he didn’t know.

But to receive a proposal like this, and from Kwangwoon of all places?

"Am I crazy!? Like I'd ever join them!"

He shouted and tried to slam his laptop shut.

But his hand hesitated.

“But what if I turn this down...?”

He no longer worked in the White House surrounded by dozens of bodyguards.

Now, he was just an ordinary man.

A middle-aged civilian, for whom even being mugged one day wouldn’t be surprising.

Suddenly, he recalled the many faces, starting with the Japanese Prime Minister who had died mysteriously under Kwangwoon’s hand.

Then what was the way to survive?

And how could he escape this nightmare?

There were only two choices.

Take the gun in the drawer and put a bullet in his head- or, if not that-

“Become one of them.”

If you can’t beat them, join them.

“......Hoo.”

He calmed his trembling heart and slowly began to write a reply.

Aiden’s face flashed across his mind, but what could he do?

“The living must survive.”