Translator: Dreamscribe
"The trip to Arica is canceled? What are you talking about? And out of nowhere, you're saying I might have to go to Korea?"
ssi had turned down the enormous sum offered by Saudi Arabia and decided on Arica, so this bolt from the blue left him reeling.
"Inter Miami already pulled out. They sent word that they can't sign with us."
"Why?"
"It's because of Kwangwoon. They put in a new offer for you."
Kwangwoon?
He had heard the na before.
Weren't they supposed to be the largest corporation in the world?
"They submitted an offer to recruit you to the K-League, and that's when Inter gave up."
"Isn't Hobbs Family a pretty big company too? Can they really just give up like that because Kwangwoon made an offer?"
Hobbs Family was a construction company based in the United States.
With annual revenues reaching 15 trillion won, they had acquired and were currently operating Inter Miami.
"Compared to Kwangwoon, that's not even a pebble."
"Kwangwoon is that big?"
"Massive. If you asked anyone to na the world's greatest company right now, Kwangwoon would be the first one ntioned. On top of that, you might not know this, but there are so chilling rumors about Kwangwoon. They say the company has trampled over countless businesses and people to grow to the size it is today."
"So Hobbs got scared and backed out because of that?"
"Yeah. Even while we were negotiating with Inter Miami, offers kept coming in from other places, right? But the mont word got out that Kwangwoon had contacted us, every single one of them dried up."
In other words, every club that had made ssi an offer had scrambled to pull out the instant they heard Kwangwoon's na.
Was it really that bad?
Kwangwoon's notoriety?
"So... what am I supposed to do?"
The manager who handled all of ssi's contracts broached the subject carefully.
"How about seriously considering the K-League?"
"No. We decided on Arica because of the kids' education, public safety, and infrastructure, rember?"
"Well, Korea actually has better public safety. There are no gun incidents there. And the infrastructure is very well developed too."
ssi's decision to go to Arica wasn't just for those reasons; the well-established Spanish-speaking community had also been a major draw.
"And Miami was going to give an ownership stake and pay a share of broadcasting revenue, right? Plus the branding business."
On top of that, Inter Miami had already set up several stable revenue-generating conditions for ssi.
The idea was to lay the groundwork so that even after retirent, he could build a business under his own na.
"Don't worry about that. Kwangwoon has already put far more generous terms on the table. They're also planning to recruit all your forr teammates to the K-League, and it seems like they intend to grow the league to a scale that would make the Arican league look like nothing."
ssi was thinking about life after retirent.
The best example was Beckham.
After retiring, Beckham had grown his personal brand even further and was still running a massive business to this day.
That was exactly what ssi had been aiming for when he decided on Arica.
But he never dread the situation would flip like this.
"Can I trust them?"
"If you're thinking about business potential, this might actually be the better option. The subsidiaries Kwangwoon owns are staggering. PicPic, FaceWeb, Netflix, Wizney, and so on. They dominate practically every industry. Now they're expanding into sports. And it seems like they're very willing to actively support your branding business too."
In other words, the infrastructure Kwangwoon possessed for a branding business was simply outstanding.
"......"
Even so, he couldn't help but agonize over it.
Korea, out of the blue.
On top of that, the Korean league wasn't even well known on the world stage.
Especially since one of the reasons he had wanted to go to Arica was the World Cup.
The next World Cup was in Arica, and he had wanted to get acclimated there in advance.
But now he had to go to the K-League, a place he had no ties to whatsoever.
"What if I refuse?"
"To be blunt... you might never be able to play professionally again."
"!?"
ssi stared at his manager with eyes that said surely not.
"I'm not joking. Every major league team has already withdrawn their offers for you. You think that's a coincidence? They know. They know that if they get in the way of Kwangwoon's plans, they could face serious retaliation."
"Then if I turn this offer down..."
"No team will make you an offer. And... there's no telling what Kwangwoon might do to us."
Judging by the manager's expression, he was dead serious.
ssi felt as though, after a lifeti of nothing but football, he was finally seeing the truth of how the world worked.
He might be a superstar rivaling the greatest in the world, but there was sothing above him that controlled everything.
"......"
It seed his choices had vanished the mont Kwangwoon submitted their proposal.
* * *
"No way. Really?"
"Yes. ssi has accepted the offer from Kwangwoon. They're already spreading the news to dia outlets on a massive scale."
I couldn't believe it, so I quickly turned on my phone.
Sure enough.
The main page of every portal site was plastered with nothing but ssi.
-ssi is coming to the K-League?????
-No way, stop lying
-Jung Jin-ho's recruiting power is insane.
-J U N G J I N - H O
-They said Kwangwoon was gonna pour crazy money into sports, and it was actually true
-Wow. ssi is coming? Is our K-League actually becoming a super league?
Online communities and social dia were in an uproar.
The entire world was buzzing over the news of ssi joining the K-League.
"He actually accepted."
"The Strategy Team must have put in a lot of effort. They laid out so incredibly generous terms to bring ssi to the K-League. He probably couldn't refuse."
Even so, it must have been a difficult decision for ssi to co to a place as unfamiliar as the K-League.
Especially since his move to Arica had been all but finalized.
I didn't know what circumstances had led Inter Miami to scrap the negotiations, but even without them, there were plenty of teams ssi could have joined.
The fact that he still chose Korea spoke volus about the Strategy Team's hard work.
"Recruiting ssi was the most important part of this investnt scenario, and now that it's been pulled off, everything else should proceed without a hitch."
Making Korea the center of the sports world.
To make that happen, they would need stadiums that were as spectacular, massive, and cutting-edge as Tottenham's new ground.
The governnt had already embraced the initiative and begun cooperating on it as a national project. The costs would be astronomical, but headquarters seed confident they could recoup the investnt down the line.
"Please pass along my thanks to the Strategy Team for their hard work."
"Yes, CEO-nim. I'm sure they know the real work starts now."
"Oh. What happened with the Saudi situation?"
"Well, Saudi Arabia has been pushing back hard and even sent a formal letter of protest directly to our company."
Saudi Arabia had proposed an investnt to us, but under our newly revised investnt guidelines, they were required to undergo an evaluation by the ESG Association.
That was what had the Saudi governnt up in arms.
"Nothing we can do about that."
"Right. And aside from Saudi Arabia, headquarters has a significant amount of spending on the agenda this ti around. There's the dostic sports industry investnt, and the ongoing project in Africa is already absorbing hundreds of trillions of won."
Honestly, I felt a bit guilty toward headquarters.
The Africa project wasn't about generating profit for the company; it was a humanitarian effort for people suffering from severe famine.
In other words, it wasn't a venture that would benefit Kwangwoon.
"Our Kwangwoon Group brings in staggering revenue every single year. And that's thanks to you, CEO-nim. That's why headquarters is willing to bankroll whatever project you propose. Even if it ans tens of trillions in losses, compared to the money you bring in, it's a drop in the bucket."
Hyungnim, our headquarters, and the Strategy Team all knew that the Africa project would never turn a profit for the company.
It was simply heartbreaking that in the 21st century, people were still dying of hunger, and what had started as an act of goodwill to help them had grown to this scale.
Even so, hyungnim followed my wishes without a word of complaint.
He understood well that the more we earn, the more we should give back.
And part of it, no doubt, was wanting to support his younger brother.
"By the way, CEO-nim. As per your previous instructions, we've been buying up grain across the board, and prices have risen quite a bit. The problem is that forecasts are predicting another severe crop failure like two years ago, which ans prices are expected to spike even further."
Global warming was increasingly making itself felt in daily life.
Rain wasn't falling where it should, and where it shouldn't, it was pouring in excess, causing one flood and disaster after another.
And there were reports that the regions primarily responsible for grain production might suffer another poor harvest this year.
"What about the food supplies we've stockpiled? Do we have enough for relief efforts?"
"Yes. But prices are skyrocketing right now. They've already tripled."
I paused and took a deep breath.
We had already piled grain high enough to overflow the warehouses, and it was more than sufficient to help those suffering from famine.
On top of that, with prices soaring this high, the losses would be severe, so it would make sense to stop buying here, but...
"...!"
My Intuition brushed past the back of my neck.
A pleasant Tingling spread through my entire body.
Was it telling that more food than what we had now would be needed to help people?
"Don't worry about the price. Buy as much as you possibly can."
* * *
There were two reasons the Saudi royal family was aggressively investing in Neom City and the sports market.
One was to change Saudi Arabia's currently poor image on the world stage.
The second was to diversify their revenue, which currently depended entirely on oil, into tourism and various other industries.
With alternative energy sources being steadily researched, there was a strong possibility that oil would one day beco a relic of the past, just like coal.
It was precisely this concern that drove Hamud Salman to pursue strategic investnts.
He had poured considerable sums into sports in particular, scaling up tournants and gradually tightening his grip on the global sports market.
"...Who pulled out this ti?"
"S&G, the Arican construction firm. They've announced they will no longer participate in our projects."
But one piece of unwelco news after another was getting on Hamud Salman's nerves.
It was true that Neom City wasn't progressing according to the original plan, but the construction of various infrastructure projects across Saudi Arabia had been moving along smoothly.
In that case, the construction industry should have been cheering and rushing to Saudi Arabia for the work, but the exact opposite was happening.
"Don't tell they're refusing because of Kwangwoon?"
"Yes. So of the companies are participating in the projects Kwangwoon is currently running in Africa, and even those that aren't directly involved are getting scared and pulling out because of the news that Kwangwoon and Saudi Arabia are at odds."
The Neom City project, which had been progressing well, was now on the brink of being halted.
Things had gone sideways ever since Kwangwoon declared that they would never invest unless a company underwent the ESG Association's evaluation.
"How can those bastards be more afraid of Kwangwoon than our Saudi oil money?"
"It's Kwangwoon we're talking about, not just anyone. A company can turn down Saudi investnt and survive. But if they get on Kwangwoon's bad side, even the biggest firms can be brought to their knees overnight."
In the past, Russia, China, or Arica might have been called the world's bullies. Now, Kwangwoon had assud that role.
How could a single corporation wield that much influence?
It was made even worse by the fact that the White House, which should have been keeping them in check, was acting as Kwangwoon's lapdog.
"So you're saying we can't move forward with the project unless we fall in line with Kwangwoon?"
Just a few years ago, corporations had trembled at a single word from Salman, traveling all the way to the royal palace to bow before him.
But things were different now.
No one feared Saudi Arabia's vast oil money anymore.
They bowed instead to the far closer, far more threatening power of Kwangwoon.
"Tell anyone who doesn't want to work with us that they're free to go. Find other companies."
Prince Salman, who held the Saudi regi firmly in his grip, was far too proud to ever lower his head.
"Your Highness, perhaps it would be wise to try negotiating with Kwangwoon at this point..."
"What? Absolutely not!"
"But if you look at how Kwangwoon has been moving, the situation is alarming."
"What do you an?"
"Kwangwoon has been acquiring grain companies in bulk and piling up grain like a mountain for so ti now, hasn't it?"
Kwangwoon had been purchasing food at a frantic pace, to a degree that seed almost excessive.
"There's a rumor going around about it."
"What rumor?"
"That Kwangwoon is deliberately engineering a crop failure to send food prices through the roof."
"!?"
Salman hesitated for a mont, then furrowed his brow.
"That's absurd."
"This isn't sothing to laugh off. Kwangwoon triggered a massive earthquake in Morocco after Turkey, both of which had resisted their demands. Earthquakes can't be predicted, and it's supposed to be impossible to artificially cause a major one. Yet they managed it, which ans..."
"They could manipulate the weather to cause a crop failure?"
"Yes. If the worst crop failure in history hits this year, grain prices will soar far higher than they are now. And Saudi Arabia imports 90% of its grain, doesn't it?"
If the worst crop failure struck, Kwangwoon, sitting on massive grain reserves, would gain an enormous amount of leverage.
For a country like Saudi Arabia, which was heavily reliant on imports, it would be devastating.
If Kwangwoon used food as a bargaining chip, there would be no defense.
"Those crazy..."
The mont that thought sank in, a cold sweat began to trickle down Salman's back.
It seed he had picked a fight with the wrong opponent.
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