Translator: Dreamscribe
[PicPic, acquires FaceWeb]
[The birth of a giant SNS empire!]
[Leader of SNS, PicPic. Devours the behemoth, FaceWeb.]
FaceWeb, which had been plagued by a series of stock price crashes and even rumors of bankruptcy.
In addition, the U.S. governnt was thoroughly investigating FaceWeb’s handling of personal data and other actions outside legal boundaries, stating that if necessary, they would proceed with arrests.
In the end, Marcus, unable to withstand the pressure, handed over all his shares to PicPic.
For a re 30 billion dollars.
It was a tragic end for FaceWeb, whose value had once surpassed a trillion dollars.
“What’s the reaction from the U.S. governnt?”
“It's quiet. They’re not interfering, nor are they showing support. It’s a complete non-response.”
“So that ans those bastards could turn on our Jin-ho at any mont?”
“Yes. Right now, Kangseong and Kwangwoon are playing key roles in the semiconductor project being pushed by the U.S., so they seem to be cooperative. But we can’t be certain. President Aiden has been in politics for decades.”
“That sly snake could stab us in the back at any ti?”
“There’s a good chance he might.”
What Chairman Hwang Dae-woon found most puzzling was that-
Why had the U.S. just stood by and watched as FaceWeb was taken over?
No, why had even the judiciary stepped in to help Kwangwoon?
To make sure that Kwangwoon and Kangseong, who were at the core of the semiconductor project, didn’t stray?
However, the U.S. didn’t necessarily have to go that far.
Because if the U.S. governnt were to bring out semiconductor regulations, Kangseong and Kwangwoon would be suffocated all the sa.
Despite that, instead of pressuring Kwangwoon, they had simply encouraged the takeover of FaceWeb.
“Doesn’t sothing feel off?”
“Yes. It’s very suspicious. It’s quiet now, but once public opinion shifts, they’ll definitely turn their guns on us.”
“So that ans we have to bring public opinion to our side?”
“Yes. Should I tell the PR team to circulate so articles?”
“Yeah. Spread them all. And give whatever it takes to the foreign dia, advertising money or whatever, and make them publish articles praising our Kwangwoon and PicPic.”
They couldn’t tell what the U.S. was really up to, but even the United States couldn’t ignore public opinion. After all, they’re politicians who live off votes.
"Should I report this separately to CEO Jung Jin-ho?"
“No. No need. He must’ve already gone through a lot just from acquiring FaceWeb, we can’t burden him with things like this too. What’s our job? It’s to make sure nothing gets in the way of what Jin-ho is doing.”
In other words, they needed to be able to take care of things like this on their own, even without being told.
“Besides, it’d probably be a burden for Jin-ho to ask to do sothing directly. Aren’t we like brothers? That guy is even more particular about manners than most old-fashioned people. So even if he wants to ask for sothing, he can’t say it comfortably.”
Chairman Hwang knew Jin-ho’s heart better than anyone, which is why he was handling the aftermath with tact and discretion.
“So move quickly. Whether it’s dostically or overseas, don’t be stingy with the money. That’s the only way the tower our Jin-ho has worked so hard to build will beco even more solid.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Jin-ho intends to keep moving forward.
But that’s how the world works.
Especially when handling bigger money, soone has to get their hands dirty.
But that soone must not be Jung Jin-ho.
That job had to be Hwang Dae-woon’s responsibility.
***
The FaceWeb acquisition shocked the entire world.
Naturally, Japan, being geographically close to Korea, was also paying close attention to this situation.
“But... doesn’t this violate antitrust laws? I thought the U.S. was extrely strict about that.”
Back when FaceWeb’s stock price was soaring, it had already been sued by the U.S. over antitrust violations.
But strangely, even though PicPic had acquired FaceWeb, not a single word about antitrust issues had co up.
“Starting from Arican dia to Europe and Asia, it’s nothing but praise articles about PicPic. There are hardly any critical articles about monopolies. And even if there are, for so reason, they disappear quickly.”
“So they’re controlling the dia.”
“Kwangwoon has an enormous amount of capital, right? The dia companies must be happily enjoying that money.”
Spending massive amounts of capital to silence not only dostic but also all foreign dia outlets.
It was truly an impressive company.
“Let’s save that for later. We didn’t gather here to praise Kwangwoon, did we? In the end, the reason we’ve ended up in this situation, in this state, is because of Kwangwoon!”
The top leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), the ruling party, was now facing the greatest crisis of their political lives.
“For over 50 years, our LDP has ruled this country. We lost power to the opposition just twice, briefly, but we quickly took it back. But this ti, the situation is entirely different. We’re at the point where the LDP might never regain power again.”
Japan, compared to other countries, is a highly conservative nation.
Additionally, rural votes hold great weight, and the LDP has a solid rural base.
The progressive opposition is urban-centered, but the conservative rural foundation gives the LDP a significant advantage. On top of that, even people in urban areas prefer conservatism over progressivism.
They favor stability over change.
Because of that, the LDP had governed Japan for over 50 years, and the change-averse Japanese public continued to support the LDP that remained constant in its place, rather than seeking sothing new.
“But now that foundation is shaking. The opposition has overtaken us in approval ratings.”
The LDP had almost never fallen behind the opposition in approval ratings.
It happened occasionally, but this was the first ti they had been pushed back this much since Dobe took office.
“After Pri Minister Dobe stepped down, the opposition has gained even more montum. If we can’t turn this around, our party won’t be able to stay in power any longer.”
The LDP had been supporting the Japanese economy through Dobenomics.
Up to that point, things were fine.
Just managing the country in a stable manner,
That was what the public liked the most.
“Sigh... Why did we have to provoke Korea back then...”
The problem erupted when they provoked Korea.
Like poking a sleeping lion in the nose.
Pressuring Korea itself wasn’t the issue, but triggering the wrath of Kwangwoon, who stood behind Korea, was fatal.
“If only we hadn’t clashed with Kwangwoon back then, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
It was the now infamous financial maneuver, nicknad the “Sakura Ending”.
The Japanese governnt suffered a massive economic blow from Kwangwoon and quickly lifted its pressure on Korea, effectively raising a white flag.
They sohow managed to settle the matter, but the problem was that the economic damage once incurred could not be undone.
“We’re looking at yen depreciation, a negative economy, rising prices, real estate problems, and so on. Kwangwoon’s attack collapsed Japan’s economy at once, and even the conservative public realized the need for change. That’s how the approval ratings got flipped like this.”
In other words, because of Kwangwoon alone, Japan’s economy collapsed, and the LDP’s support hit rock bottom.
“Shouldn’t Kwangwoon be held accountable for this?!”
“But if we look at it objectively, we were the ones who provoked them first...”
So they couldn’t exactly bla Kwangwoon either.
If Japan hadn’t picked a fight with Korea for no reason, none of this would have happened in the first place.
“So what do you propose we do? Do we even have a card to reverse this situation?”
“......”
As everyone fell silent, Finance Minister Ishiba opened his mouth.
“This is a problem that neither the Bank of Japan nor the Ministry of Finance can solve. That’s how structurally broken our Japanese economy is. The opposition, the Democratic Party for the People, is using that as a weapon to call for a judgnt on the administration and is gaining approval ratings.”
Due to Kwangwoon’s attack and the collapse of the YCC (Yield Curve Control), Japan was now in an extrely dire economic situation.
They had barely avoided a national default by gathering capital from overseas.
“There’s only one way to resolve this.”
“What is it?”
“We must ask Kwangwoon for help.”
“......!?”
The eting room began to stir.
“Are you out of your mind? You want us to go ask for help from the very ones who brought us to this state?!”
“It’s not simply a matter of asking for help. Even if we do, do you think Kwangwoon will lend us a hand? We’ll have to bow our heads just for them to even consider it.”
“W-What nonsense are you spouting now!”
“It’s not nonsense. Look at the United States. Even when Kwangwoon outright swallowed FaceWeb, they didn’t say a word. It’s clearly a monopoly, and yet there wasn’t a single objection. What does that tell you? That even the U.S. can’t touch Kwangwoon anymore because their power is that overwhelming.”
There was no way to refute that.
Despite the fact that Kwangwoon was now monopolizing SNS platforms and had the power to control public opinion, the United States had made no move to check them.
“There is so responsibility on Kwangwoon’s part for putting our party and this country in this state, but this would never have happened if we hadn’t provoked Korea in the first place. And we have to admit what must be admitted. How are we supposed to take revenge on a company that even the United States doesn’t dare touch?”
“.......”
“Rather than thinking about revenge, we need to think differently. The only escape route that can save our Liberal Democratic Party.”
The only escape route to save the ruling party that was being overtaken by the opposition?
“You really think Kwangwoon can help us?”
"Look at what Kwangwoon has done so far. It's truly a company that doesn't know the word impossible. Also, this ti they're issuing sothing called KW Coin and pushing for a new concept of currency reform. Now that they've devoured FaceWeb, there's no stopping that acceleration."
Kwangwoon had now beco a widely acknowledged massive shadow power.
People were even saying that it was too late to stop their montum.
If so, rather than fighting against them, wouldn't it be better to beg them for help instead? Unlike other places, Kwangwoon might have sothing to overco this crisis.
“But as I said before, even if we ask for help, Kwangwoon has no reason to move. That’s why we need to offer bold terms. We need to cling to their pants if we have to.”
“.......”
Just hearing it was enough to bruise their pride.
But now was not the ti to worry about pride.
This was a crucial mont that would determine the fate of their political careers.
“But... forr Pri Minister Dobe won’t accept our decision. He shudders just at the ntion of Kwangwoon.”
“That can’t be helped. Even if he opposes it, this is a decision we must make if we’re to save the party.”
Though forr Pri Minister Dobe was a retired politician, he still held considerable influence.
Still, they couldn’t just sit by and watch the LDP collapse out of fear of his reaction.
“Then... let’s begin by discussing what kind of proposal we’ll make to Kwangwoon.”
Surrendering and bowing their heads to Kwangwoon was a bitter pill to swallow, but in truth, surrender had never been all that difficult for them, whether in the past or now.
***
The process of rging FaceWeb with PicPic after the acquisition turned out to be more complicated than expected.
There were still many users on FaceWeb, so our first goal was to absorb it into PicPic while maintaining the existing system as much as possible.
“And as soon as possible, we’re planning to allow KW Coin to be freely used on FaceWeb as well. In addition, we’ll need to build a new system so that it can be used on various gas and sites currently linked with FaceWeb.”
The rger of PicPic and FaceWeb.
And the distribution of KW Coin.
Due to the EU’s new regulatory policies and the personal data protection law introduced by Apple, generating revenue through ads had beco more difficult than before.
“That’s why spreading KW Coin is more urgent than ever. The more people use KW Coin, the more it can replace ad revenue to so extent. Also, to attract more creators to PicPic, we’ll need to bring in not only popular strears but a large number of content creators in general.”
“That’s a solid plan. Don’t hold back on investnt, tell them to spend as needed. Right now, we need to focus on strengthening our foundation, not struggling to make a quick profit.”
“Yes. At this point, there are almost no SNS platforms left that can compete with PicPic. The only one hanging on in the video space is YouTube. If we just invest a bit more into our fundantals, I believe we can completely dominate.”
There had been many incidents involved in acquiring FaceWeb, but in the end, everything had been resolved well.
Now, the only thing left was to stabilize the chaotic market.
“Is the report finished?”
“Ah, yes, Vice President.”
“Then can everyone clear the room for a mont? The CEO and I need to have a private talk.”
“Ah, yes.”
The fact that the Vice President, who rarely attended Pri Departnt etings, had co in person made it clear that he had sothing important to say.
“CEO-nim. We received a ssage from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party.”
“...What? Why them all of a sudden?”
This was completely unexpected.
“The LDP is currently facing a serious political crisis. The opposition’s approval rating is soaring right now. So, the LDP has proposed an extrely bold offer to us.”
I took a brief look at the conditions laid out by the LDP.
Not only would KW Coin be allowed to be used like currency in Japan, but they also promised to lift all remaining regulations.
“They really said they’d do all this?”
“Yes.”
But the offer was more dramatic than I had imagined.
It was almost suspicious enough to make wonder if it was a trap.
“In return, there’s a condition. For them to fulfill this deal, the LDP must win the upcoming House of Councillors election. If they fail to secure a majority, the current administration will effectively beco powerless, and the Pri Minister will be forced to resign.”
In fact, there had been a case in 2007 where the Pri Minister resigned due to a loss in the House of Councillors election.
That’s how critical this election was.
If the LDP couldn’t win a majority, it would beco difficult to pass the bills they were pushing, and the current Pri Minister, Yoshida, would lose political standing to the point that he might have to hand over the office to the opposition.
So they had no choice but to overco this crisis.
“But... is there even a way we could help them do that?”
The question was why they were even coming to us with this in the first place.
“To be honest, I was a bit taken aback when I received the official letter too. How do they expect us to boost their approval ratings...? But the conditions they offered are undeniably good. So good that it would be a sha to pass them up. I think it’s worth considering a large-scale investnt in Japan.”
The U.S. recently announced a new semiconductor project.
They plan to build semiconductor plants within the U.S. and increase productivity, which makes Japan’s role even more important.
Aren’t there already key semiconductor components being manufactured in Japan?
That’s exactly what we need.
So if Japan is saying they’ll lift all regulations and accept all our capital, there’s no reason not to go in.
“I’ve brought materials on the LDP and the opposition Democratic Party.”
I opened the docunts the Vice President handed over.
Information about the structure of the LDP and the Democratic Party, what bills they were currently clashing over, who the likely next Pri Minister would be if the Democratic Party won, and so on.
"But just because we invest doesn't an we can flip the approval ratings......"
I muttered as I turned to the next page.
A profile of Japan’s forr Pri Minister, Dobe Shinzo, appeared.
“......”
It didn’t seem particularly important, so I was about to flip past it when.
“!?”
The mont I touched the page, a red image flashed, and a sound loud enough to shake my eardrums burst out.
⎯⎯⎯!
It was the sound of a gunshot.
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