Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 176

Translator: DreamscribeApple was the undisputed king of smartphones.

It had been before, it was now, and it would continue to be.

No. That was what everyone had assumed.

"So you're telling me they really can't handle the shipment?"

"Yes, sir. Apparently the rebels attacked so fiercely that the ship nearly sank. Fortunately, Sentinel rushed in and held them off just in time, but the goods in transit all sustained damage, so realistically, both the shipment and the products themselves are likely unusable..."

Apple's CEO, Tim Hook, had a splitting headache.

"Does everyone here understand how serious this is? Our new product launch is right around the corner. First the disaster in Turkey, and now an incident during shipping. How is this even possible!"

The executives had nothing to say.

It was hard to pin the blame on anyone in particular.

If fault had to be assigned, it was Tim Hook's own misstep, pouring astronomical sums into Turkey to build factories en masse.

"Building factories in Turkey was a decision we had no choice but to make. You all know that, right?"

Apple had maintained its position as the world's number one smartphone company and believed it would hold that weight class forever.

Kangseong had been chasing from behind, but the gap that had already opened was one they could never close.

Then an uninvited guest called Kwangwoon appeared, and everything changed.

"After Kwangwoon allied with Kangseong and seized control of semiconductors, they've been checking us at Apple nonstop. Every attempt we've made to build factories in Asia has been torpedoed by Kangseong and Kwangwoon's interference."

The reason they couldn't voice their complaints was precisely those semiconductors that Kangseong and Kwangwoon controlled.

If those two refused to supply semiconductors, Apple's smartphone production would effectively grind to a halt.

"The silver lining is that those two companies have almost never attacked us directly."

Kangseong and Kwangwoon had surely wanted to strike at Apple.

But what stopped them was Apple's standing.

Apple was the company Americans were most proud of.

The pioneer of smartphones, the one leading the pack.

Foreign corporations attacking a company like that?

It would inevitably breed resentment, and that meant politicians would make it an issue.

That was why they had never openly attacked Apple.

"Watching Bluezone fall and then Wizney crumble, I knew Kwangwoon's arrow would eventually point at us. But I never imagined it would be like this..."

"Sir, are you saying you believe Kwangwoon orchestrated all of this deliberately?"

"Of course. Who was it that kept us from building factories? Kangseong and Kwangwoon. Then, through Kwangwoon's doing, foreign investment in Turkey was suddenly opened up wide, and we jumped right in, didn't we?"

Even at the time, it had seemed a little suspicious.

Kwangwoon hadn't tried to stop Apple from pouring investment into Turkey and building factories on a massive scale.

And only now did he realize that had been Kwangwoon's strategy all along.

They had deliberately lured Apple into building those factories.

So that this earthquake could destroy every last one of them.

"Sir, even so, suggesting that Kwangwoon intentionally caused an earthquake is a bit..."

"I agree. Who in the world can intentionally cause an earthquake? If that were actually true, the U.S. government wouldn't have sat idly by."

Tim Hook found his naively innocent executives nothing short of exasperating.

Did they still not understand what that wicked Kwangwoon was capable of?

"This earthquake killed every American operative who had been striking at Kwangwoon's heart. And that's not all. The lawmakers who had united to stop Kwangwoon's ambitions have all vanished without a trace. On top of that, Antitrust Bureau Director Eileen has resigned, leaving the position vacant. Do you know what that means? The government agency responsible for keeping monopolistic corporations in check has ground to a halt."

One of the biggest reasons Kangseong and Kwangwoon had never touched Apple was the Antitrust Bureau. It had been watching Kwangwoon like a hawk, just waiting for them to slip up.

But even that line of defense had crumbled with the Turkey earthquake.

"The shackles on Kangseong and Kwangwoon have come off. That's why they've started acting without a care in the world."

The Turkey earthquake had dealt Apple a devastating blow.

When the factories all collapsed, every critical component needed for Apple smartphones was buried under the rubble, and the factories would have to be rebuilt from scratch.

In desperation, they had scrambled to mobilize every other factory and ship the parts by sea. Then, out of nowhere, this happened.

"The Panama Canal suddenly ceased operations due to a record drought. Kwangwoon is already causing earthquakes, so how hard would it be for them to manipulate the weather? And then the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who declared their support for Hamas, randomly attacked our ship passing through the Suez Canal. Do you really think all of this is a coincidence?"

"..."

It was hard to believe rationally.

No matter how advanced the world had become, the idea of technology that could manipulate natural disasters...

But there was too much circumstantial evidence to deny it.

As if right on cue, starting with Turkey, Apple had been battered by one calamity after another.

Apple felt wronged.

The earthquake wasn't their fault. The incidents at sea weren't their fault either.

If there was anyone to blame, it was all Kwangwoon.

The ones who caused the earthquake, manipulated the weather to block the Panama Canal, and even mobilized rebels to deliberately attack the ship carrying Apple's components.

"Then are you saying Kwangwoon is laying the groundwork to acquire Apple?"

"That's absurd. You know what our market cap is, don't you? Three trillion dollars. Three trillion. And they're going to try to swallow that?"

"Thanks to the media firestorm today, it's dropped back down to two trillion, hasn't it?"

"Even so, Apple's walls are still high. It's unfortunate that the new product launch has been derailed, but Apple won't fall from something like this."

"Bluezone thought the same thing. So did FaceWeb. They were both companies that once broke the one-trillion-dollar market cap."

"..."

That was still shocking, even now.

Who could have predicted that Bluezone and FaceWeb, each representing a pillar of American industry, would end up in Kwangwoon's hands?

Wizney and Jackson Mobil were under Kwangwoon's control, too.

"What's truly frightening is that Kwangwoon, which anyone can see is violating antitrust laws, is still standing untouched. And with the Antitrust Bureau itself at a standstill, do you really think Apple is safe?"

* * *

Lately, it felt like he had been coming into the office nearly every single day without a break.

That was because the crises hadn't stopped since Guyana.

"Any updates on the Panama Canal?"

"No. Since it's due to the drought, they've announced they'll reduce operations to 50% for the time being."

"And Suez?"

"Sentinel has concentrated its security there. The Houthi rebels engaged briefly but then fully withdrew. Apparently, neighboring countries provided assistance."

It was a relief that the Suez Canal was back to normal operations.

"Delivering Apple's shipments is going to be difficult either way, isn't it?"

"Yes. We've pulled every resource to support Kangseong, so covering Apple as well would be impossible."

"Then we'll have to pay compensation."

"Yes, but since this wasn't caused by any error on our part, the compensation will need to be negotiated."

Even so, he didn't want to be stingy about it.

The failure to deliver was due to external circumstances, true, but at the end of the day, a contract was a contract, and they hadn't fulfilled it.

"By the way, CEO-nim."

"Yes?"

"There's a strange rumor going around, on Wall Street and elsewhere."

"A rumor?"

"Yes. It's... that Kwangwoon deliberately engineered all of this to acquire Apple..."

Jin-ho couldn't help but let out an incredulous laugh.

"Us?"

"Yes. It's a completely absurd rumor, but apparently it's being taken quite seriously that we have our sights on Apple."

"Wait. So we supposedly caused a natural disaster on purpose, mobilized rebels to block the shipment, and all that? On top of which, we don't even hold any Apple stock."

"Well, we do hold a small amount of Apple stock, actually. A truly negligible amount. This isn't through our Prime Department, though. It's stock that Kwangwoon Securities itself holds."

But that wasn't for the purpose of acquisition. It was simply a long-term investment the company had held since ages ago.

Other securities firms probably held small positions in Apple as well, through ETFs, long-term investments, and the like.

"Why on earth would anyone jump to that conclusion?"

"Because the damage to Apple this time is greater than anyone expected. The earthquake in Turkey destroyed all their factories, causing losses in the tens of trillions of won, and with the shipping debacle, their new product launch has essentially been scrapped. It's the kind of situation that breeds conspiracy theories."

He had faced plenty of misunderstandings in this position.

But he never imagined it would go so far as people suspecting him of engineering a plot to acquire Apple.

"Normally I'd just let these things blow over, but I think if we leave this one alone, it could hurt Kangseong too."

Kangseong and Apple were rivals who had clashed in fierce lawsuits, but they were also partners who relied on each other. If tensions escalated unnecessarily because of this, Kangseong could take collateral damage.

"Put out an official statement on this. Make it clear that we have absolutely no intention of acquiring Apple. I mean, it doesn't even make sense. How are we supposed to acquire a company with a market capitalization hovering around three trillion dollars?"

"Yes, sir. I'll get the official statement out as quickly as possible."

"Good. Before Kangseong takes any heat."

Even thinking about it again, it was absurd.

Why would they acquire Apple?

"Also, sir. The Foundation sent this over."

"...ESG?"

Environment, Social, Governance.

In the past, companies were evaluated solely on financial performance like revenue and operating profit.

But as industrialization progressed, workers' rights were trampled, environmental destruction and irrational governance structures became hot-button issues, and that was how ESG evaluations came to be.

Companies were no longer judged on revenue and operating profit alone. The question now was whether a company was clean environmentally, socially, and in terms of governance.

There was a reason why corporations these days obsessed over eco-friendliness and poured enormous sums into marketing to boost their brand image.

"In fact, Wingard and Whiterock have both announced that they will absolutely refuse to invest in companies with low ESG ratings. And companies that aren't meeting ESG standards are already seeing their image suffer, which directly impacts their sales."

ESG had become an even more critical factor for companies with the rise of social media.

"Given the Turkey incident and the fact that there are still so many workers in terrible conditions, the Foundation is suggesting that Kwangwoon establish a new ESG association. One that evaluates ESG to a higher standard than what currently exists. Categorized under an Ultimate Tier."

"And aggressively promote it through our social media and other channels?"

"Yes. The Kwangwoon Foundation staff have traveled the world and encountered workers in truly horrific conditions. It seems they couldn't just stand by."

He understood how the Foundation's people felt.

They were all such kindhearted souls. Whenever they encountered people in suffering, they simply couldn't look the other way.

"The intent is good."

"Yes. The intent is good, but if the evaluation criteria are too strict, there will be pushback from headquarters."

"Still, it's for the environment and society. Climate change has been getting worse by the day, hasn't it?"

So if it could help even a little, it seemed like a project worth pursuing.

The whole point was to improve workers' rights and minimize environmental destruction.

"The question is how headquarters will take it..."

Jin-ho closed his eyes for a moment and waited for his intuition to come.

Should he go ahead with it, or tell them to discuss it further?

"...!"

That was when the Tingling swept across his mind.

It was a positive signal.

* * *

"Aigoo. Hyungnim. I heard you were a huge help this time around."

"Hm? A huge help?"

"Oh, you know. When the Apple situation blew up, Kwangwoon's marketing team moved fast and spread the word through the media and social media."

"Ha. Even if we hadn't, your side would've done it anyway."

"We did, of course. But we can't match Kwangwoon's firepower."

Hwang Dae-woon accepted the glass that Kang Sung-ho respectfully poured for him, smiling with satisfaction.

What a world to live in.

Back in the day, Kang Sung-ho had sat at the very top, someone whose face was nearly impossible to see. Now they were close enough to call each other brothers and share drinks like this.

"But I think I may have jumped the gun."

"Sorry?"

"Sung-ho, you must have seen the article. Jin-ho made an official statement through the securities firm."

"Ah... that?"

The article declaring Kwangwoon had absolutely no interest in acquiring Apple.

Seeing that, Hwang Dae-woon had felt a little embarrassed, thinking he might have gotten ahead of himself for nothing.

"Actually, what I felt from it was the strongest possible will to acquire Apple."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Chairman. I heard Kwangwoon is planning to create a new ESG association. Under CEO Jung Jin-ho's direct leadership, no less."

"Ah, right. There's been a lot of internal debate about whether it's really a good idea. But since Jin-ho is the one pushing it, everyone's going along."

"Goodness. You and the executives have been working with CEO Jung for so long, and you still haven't caught on?"

"...?"

Hwang Dae-woon tilted his head in confusion.

What could there possibly be to read into an ESG initiative born from a noble concern for society and the environment?

"Think about it. This isn't some ESG association created by just any company. It's one built by Kwangwoon. Not a small firm's little passion project that nobody cares about, but an association made by the most influential company in the world. The moment this association opens, how many organizations do you think will be scrambling to join?"

"That's... true."

"Unlike the old days, brand value matters now. People don't just look at product quality anymore. That's exactly why Wingard and Whiterock take ESG so seriously. It's directly tied to revenue, isn't it?"

"So?"

"But I heard this new ESG association Kwangwoon is establishing will create a separate Ultimate Tier with extremely strict evaluation criteria. And they plan to widely publicize those results through social media and other channels."

"That's right. That's why even we at Kwangwoon are worried. Honestly, even we might not meet those standards."

"Right. But do you really think CEO Jung would create an ESG association out of nowhere just to turn the gun on his own people?"

At that, Hwang Dae-woon's eyes lit up.

"Then Jin-ho is forging a weapon right now?"

"Yes. He's sharpening a spear to drive straight through someone. And who do you think the target is?"

"If it's a target..."

A single company flashed through his mind in that instant.

"Apple?"

"Exactly. Apple has always been notorious for building factories wherever labor is cheap. And after being checked by Kangseong and Kwangwoon, they pushed even further into remote regions. Now, what happens when an ESG association created by Kwangwoon begins evaluating Apple?"

Apple's brand image wouldn't crumble overnight.

But if it were steadily gnawed away through media and social media?

"Just like worms eating away at an apple from the inside, Apple the company will suffer the same fate."

And those worms were already on the move to devour Apple.

Under the banner of protecting the environment and society.