Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Translator: Dreamscribe

JT Group is the largest railway company in Japan.

The revenue it earns through railway privatization alone amounts to tens of trillions of won annually.

Even though Jintetsu was expanding into various sectors while laying down railway lines in the Kansai region, it could not dare to catch up to that figure.

However, there is a need to look at JT Group more clearly.

Originally, all the railways operated by JT Group were state-owned.

But the government decided that there were increasing limitations to operating them and carried out full privatization, leading to the birth of the massive giant known as JT Group.

That said, JT Group was not the kind of place owned by a single person.

Like the Warring States Period, various families had divided ownership of JT Group among themselves.

And although they appeared to be in harmony on the surface, behind the scenes they were nurturing ambitions to stab each other in the back at any moment and devour the entire group.

That was precisely the weakness Jintetsu was aiming for.

Isn’t there a saying about benefiting from the fight of others?

When the families wounded each other by swinging their swords, Jintetsu planned to strike then.

“Ahh……”

But the dream of the Jintetsu Group was collapsing.

All because of a natural disaster, a massive earthquake.

“Chairman. According to the diagnosis, we’ve received an analysis that all the factories and residential areas we were constructing will need to be completely rebuilt. It seems that being close to the epicenter caused significant damage.”

Chairman Kobaya Takashi grabbed his throbbing head.

“What about the railway?”

“The same goes for the railway. The tracks that were under connection have bent, and many sections have been damaged, so it seems we’ll need to start over entirely.”

The Kumamoto Project was Jintetsu Group’s big step forward.

The reckless construction of the Osaka Harukas building was part of that.

So was the massive spending to push forward with the Kumamoto Project.

All of it was intended to build a solid foundation.

It would take some time, but if everything were completed, they could rise to a level where even JT Group couldn’t ignore them and incite internal conflict within JT.

But at an unexpected moment, the earthquake had snatched away all of Jintetsu’s ambitions.

“……Where do I even begin to fix this?”

But the real disaster was just beginning.

“Chairman. It’s said that Kangseong Group will soon be visiting the head office.”

“What? Why those Kangseong bastards?”

Just hearing the name Kangseong made his skin crawl.

To raise funds, Jintetsu had taken a long position in Kangseong Electronics through one of its affiliate investment companies, only to suffer massive losses due to the battery incident.

Rumor has it that Kangseong had deliberately laid a trap to devour the hunters.

Jintetsu had helplessly fallen into that trap and only had its money taken.

And now those bastards were coming here?

Are they coming to bow and apologize?

As if.

“They’re currently holding short-term corporate bonds worth 350 billion yen.”

“That much? Wait. If it’s short-term corporate bonds, are those Jintetsu bonds?”

“Yes. With the maturity date approaching, it seems they’re trying to pressure us as part of the bondholder group.”

It was a mystery how Kangseong had managed to hold so many bonds, but Chairman Takashi soon calmed his startled heart.

“That can be solved by issuing new bonds, right? Didn’t we say we were going to issue additional bonds soon anyway due to the upcoming maturities?”

It was a common method used by many companies.

If there was no money to repay at maturity or if it needed to be used elsewhere, they would issue new bonds to cover the old ones.

It was not considered a major problem.

For large corporations, it was practically standard procedure, and Jintetsu was simply doing the same.

“Well…… The Financial Services Agency and the Tokyo Stock Exchange have refused to approve the bond issuance.”

“W-what did you say?!”

But this was completely unexpected.

The same people who would normally stamp approvals without a fuss were suddenly rejecting it?

“It seems that ominous rumors are circulating in the financial sector. They’re saying that our Jintetsu is on the brink of bankruptcy.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Both the Financial Services Agency and the Tokyo Stock Exchange have responded that approval can only be granted with solid additional documentation and a detailed re-evaluation. From their perspective, it seems our financial indicators are not trustworthy.”

“Don’t spout nonsense and get them to approve it quickly! Our Jintetsu is no mom-and-pop store!”

“I think we’ll get approval if we somehow submit the documents and push through. The problem is that the rumors are spreading so quickly that, at this rate, there may be no one willing to buy the bonds.”

The Financial Services Agency and the Tokyo Stock Exchange may delay bond issuance citing risk.

Even so, the issuance would somehow go through.

However, the real issue was the perception of the buyers purchasing the bonds.

Just as the current rumors suggest, from the outside, the Jintetsu Group appears to be severely shaken.

They had already pushed themselves too far with the construction of the Osaka Harukas building, and this time, they forcefully pushed ahead with the Kumamoto Project.

That was why they had issued bonds worth over 500 billion yen.

But the earthquake had completely destroyed the project.

On top of that, there was damage from failed investments as well.

“But someone seems to be maliciously spreading rumors, inflating the amount of damage way beyond what we actually suffered. Because of that, in the securities market, everyone is dumping our group’s stocks.”

Chairman Takashi felt his mouth go dry.

A chill ran down his spine and his hands were drenched in sweat.

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t a coincidence.

Someone was deliberately targeting the Jintetsu Group.

And that someone was surely the Kangseong Group.

Otherwise, why would they be holding 350 billion yen worth of bonds?

“But the bondholder group coming to our head office this time doesn’t consist only of the Kangseong Group.”

“Who else is there?”

“Kwangwoon Securities is also coming, and they’re holding the remaining 150 billion yen.”

“Kwangwoon?”

Chairman Takashi tilted his head.

Was there another swordsman targeting Jintetsu?

“Who are they again?”

***

I had never taken an airplane before.

Well, these days, everyone goes on overseas trips at least once, and even school trips are often international. But I never had the chance.

I didn’t particularly think I had to go abroad, I didn’t have the circumstances to do so, and even if I did, I preferred staying home and playing games.

“Wow. Thanks to you, Department Head-nim, I even got to come to Japan on a business trip.”

And yet here I was, in Japan.

“And on a private jet too! It was really my first time flying in something like that.”

On top of that, my first flight was none other than on Kangseong’s private jet.

Me, hyung-nim, and Hye-rin ssi, who is fluent in Japanese.

The three of us arrived comfortably in Osaka aboard the private jet that Chairman Kang Sung-ho uses whenever he travels on business.

“But… are we okay not doing anything?”

The reason we came here today wasn’t actually to storm into the company directly.

The Chairman of Kangseong Group.

The CEO of Kwangwoon Securities.

The very fact that these two were visiting Japan as bondholders was enough to apply heavy pressure on Jintetsu Group.

“I don’t think we’ll have to meet with anyone in particular over there. In fact, I heard that Kangseong Group is already putting pressure through Osaka Orient.”

Chairman Kang Sung-ho had apparently met LK Group’s Chairman, Oh Jae-hyun, and after whatever discussion they had, he got control of LK Orient, which dominates the LK Group.

Not only that, he renamed LK Orient to Osaka Orient to make it seem more familiar and friendly to the Japanese people.

By using the LK Group as a front, it was made to look as if a Japanese domestic company was acquiring another Japanese company, rather than a Korean company taking over.

Of course, people in this field would know it was all a ruse, but not every Japanese citizen would be aware of that.

That’s exactly what they were taking advantage of.

In the end, if the government were to take action, they would have to follow public opinion.

“So we really don’t have anything specific to do?”

“Yes. If anything special comes up, we’ll be contacted. Until then, we can just relax.”

“Wow~ Then, Department Head-nim, should we do a bit of sightseeing while we’re here?”

“Uh……”

I glanced at hyung-nim, who was sitting next to me.

My eyes were asking if that would be okay.

Hyung-nim gave a short cough.

“Unless something specific comes up, you young people should go around on your own. I’ve got some separate matters to take care of, so I won’t be able to join you.”

Then he suddenly winked at me.

“Then, Department Head-nim, I’ll treat you to a full-course tour~.”

After quickly unpacking our things at the hotel, I ended up going on a spontaneous Osaka tour with Hye-rin ssi.

Judging by how familiar she was, it didn’t seem like it was her first or second time visiting. She knew lots of hidden local restaurants, where to go for sightseeing, and even where to take well-composed photos.

Thanks to Hye-rin ssi, a guy who had never even been on a trip before ended up going all over the place.

Moreover, the fact that it wasn’t just anyone but Hye-rin ssi I was traveling alone with made my heart flutter, yet at the same time, I had a major realization.

‘I’m really not cut out for traveling.’

I used to think I didn’t travel because I couldn’t afford it, but it turned out my body was instinctively rejecting it all along.

It didn’t even feel like we had walked that much, and yet my feet were sore and I felt completely drained.

“But there’s actually one place I really want to go.”

“Oh, where?” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⸺fire.net

Unlike me, Hye-rin ssi still looked full of energy.

“There’s something I absolutely have to do whenever I come to Japan. Gacha shops! Claw machines! You can’t say you’ve traveled unless you do this!”

There’s a saying that Japan is the country of gacha.

Being the anime capital, there are tons of gacha machines with character figurines and plush toys.

“This is supposed to be the biggest gacha shop in Osaka.”

Coincidentally, that shop was located inside the Osaka Harukas building.

An entire floor was filled with nothing but gacha and claw machines.

It was already surprising that they could fill such a large floor with just those machines, but what was even more shocking was how packed it was with people.

“Jin-ho ssi, you don’t like claw machines?”

“I haven’t played them much.”

There was a claw machine craze in Korea too at one point.

But back then, I was saving every penny for real-money spending in games, so I never bothered with these kinds of things.

Plus, I wasn’t into any anime or had any particular plush toys I wanted.

“Hehe. Today I’ll show you why claw machines are so much fun. Once you try it, you’ll get addicted to that tingling feeling!”

I quietly watched from the side as Hye-rin ssi gave it a try.

“Ugh, so frustrating. This is totally rigged, isn’t it? They must have it set up so you can’t win on purpose! Hmph.”

She liked it, sure, but she never claimed to be good at it.

It seemed like she had tried dozens of times, yet hadn’t won even once.

“Jin-ho ssi, do you want to try?”

Claw machines, gachas, slot machines at casinos, I’d heard that they all had some kind of system.

For claw machines, I’d heard that the claw is usually extremely weak, but after dozens of attempts, just once, the claw strength increases so you can win.

Just like Hye-rin ssi said, it’s all part of the marketing… Huh?

“What is it?”

“…Ah. I’m going to give it a try too.”

“Oh, great! Claw machines aren’t complicated. Just move the joystick and hit the button.”

Up until now, even when I touched the machine, I hadn’t felt anything special.

But then, out of nowhere, I felt a spark at my fingertips.

And sure enough.

“Wow!”

I won the very item Hye-rin ssi had failed to get after multiple attempts.

“What? Jin-ho ssi, that one is nearly impossible to get. How did you do it?”

“I guess… I just got lucky. Want me to try another one?”

“Yes, please!”

I wandered around the shop with Hye-rin ssi, checking out the machines.

She would try anything that caught her eye, while I only inserted money into the ones that gave me a certain “feeling”.

I missed a few because of my lack of control, but up until now, my win rate was close to 90%.

Naturally, the number of plush toys in our hands began to pile up, and people around us started to take notice.

“Whoa. He got another one.”

“Is he using some kind of cheat code? That can’t be real.”

Some people were even secretly following me around, watching closely.

I figured if I kept going, I wouldn’t be able to carry all the plush toys, so I stopped.

“Jin-ho ssi, seriously, what are you? You’re like a hidden master of claw machines! Why are you so good at this?”

“I think I’ve discovered a hidden talent thanks to you, Hye-rin ssi. Oh, is there a plushie you want? Take one from here. Honestly, I don’t need them.”

“Really? Then I’ll take this one… and this one! Please give the rest to your little sister. I’m sure she’ll love them.”

Our Yoon-ah?

I’m not sure.

Still, I should at least bring them home and try giving them to her.

“But it looks like the damage in Kumamoto is still severe.”

On the way back, Hye-rin ssi looked sympathetically at the news being broadcast on a digital billboard in the city.

Fortunately, Kumamoto was no longer experiencing aftershocks, but the number of collapsed buildings meant it would take a long time to recover.

As a result, Japan was asking for help from around the world and calling for unity among its citizens.

“…….”

Watching that, I felt a rush of mixed emotions.

I wasn’t the one who caused the earthquake, but the fact that I was gaining profit from it still weighed heavily on me, after all, I’m human too.

“But apparently, not much in donations is coming in. Maybe it’s because life’s so tough these days.”

I stopped walking.

“……Jin-ho ssi?”

In that moment, something clicked hard inside me.

“Ah. Sorry. What did you just say?”

“They say donation amounts are lower than expected. Even within Japan, there doesn’t seem to be much interest, and not much attention is coming from overseas either. I guess it’s because the economy is so unstable these days…”

I didn’t know why the word “donation” struck me like that.

But I was already feeling heavy-hearted, so in a way, it felt like the perfect chance.

Maybe my instincts were just trying to ease my conscience.

“Then, since we’re on the topic, should we donate a little too?”

“Really?”

My heart had already been feeling heavy.

“I’ll talk to the CEO about this myself.”

I felt like making a donation might help lighten the burden, even just a bit.

***

“What’s going on with Jintetsu now?”

“They’re running around trying to scrape together the 500 billion yen by any means. They managed to issue the bonds, but the problem is, no one wants to buy them.”

It was a good thing we spread those ominous rumors ahead of time.

As the wild rumors that Jintetsu Group might go bankrupt as early as tomorrow spread, they were now stuck between a rock and a hard place.

There had already been speculation that they were reckless in constructing the building, and with the Kumamoto Project getting wiped out by the earthquake, the rumors had only gained credibility.

“They’re trying to sell some of their real estate, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be sold before maturity. And even if it does sell, it’ll take a long time to raise 500 billion yen.”

“So in the end, no matter what they do, they won’t be able to come up with the 500 billion yen before the maturity date?”

“Yes. But the real problem is the Japanese government. We’re pushing hard through Osaka Orient, but if the Japanese government decides to bail out Jintetsu, the situation could turn around.”

That was the issue.

How would the Japanese government view this situation?

If they decided to actively support Jintetsu, everything we’d done would become meaningless.

“They’re not idiots, they must know we’re behind Osaka Orient, right?”

“Yes. Right now, they’re just overwhelmed with the aftermath of the Kumamoto earthquake. Once things settle down, we don’t know how they’ll respond.”

That was the most worrying part.

“Ah. Chairman. Also, Kwangwoon Securities donated 10 billion won for the Kumamoto earthquake recovery.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes. I just received the report earlier.”

A donation out of the blue?

And the amount was… oddly specific.

Ten billion won…

Not a small sum, but not overly large either.

“Doesn’t that sound like the perfect number to show off with?”

“Yes. I thought the same.”

Chairman Kang stroked his chin.

“There’s no way they just handed over 10 billion for no reason, right?”

“Indeed. I doubt it was purely out of goodwill. There’s definitely another intention behind it. Maybe they’re trying to shape public image?”

Chairman Kang had the same thought as his chief secretary.

The fact that CEO Hwang Dae-woon donated through the company meant one thing, Jung Jin-ho was behind it.

“Image-making…”

In times like these, when everything is hard…

If someone came forward and made a large donation, it would naturally be deeply appreciated.

Even the same amount of money can feel heavier or lighter depending on the timing and circumstances in which it’s given.

“He’s sharp, that guy.”

“But Chairman, don’t you think 10 billion is a bit lacking?”

“That’s why it’s 10 billion.”

“Huh?”

“He wants us to cover the rest. Secretary Kim, contact the company and arrange for a 90 billion won donation. Let’s make it an even 100 billion.”

“T-that much?”

“Just think of it as a commission. We’re about to carve up the Jintetsu Group, after all. That’s a bargain.”

A hundred billion won was enough to create serious impact.

“Make sure Japanese media outlets promote the story heavily. Spin it like Osaka Orient made an enormous contribution to earthquake recovery.”

“Do you think the Japanese media will write favorably?”

“Why would Japanese media be any different from ours? Most of them write whatever they’re paid to write.”

The media moves with money.

Their principles are driven by money, it’s the same in any country.

“And send a message to Jung Jin-ho. Tell him I’d like to have a meal together sometime.”

It seemed the time for negotiation was drawing near.

***

“The donation was sharp. The timing was just right. A donation of one hundred billion won, it’s impactful, right? And if the media all push it at once, all those rumors about us being behind Osaka Orient will disappear.”

I had genuinely made the donation with the intent to help.

It felt like my sincerity was being misunderstood.

“But why… just the two of us……”

“I’d been meaning to meet and talk with you one-on-one anyway. Ah, by the way… would it be okay if I spoke casually? I think we’re going to be seeing each other a lot.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

“Haha. Thanks. Don’t feel pressured. I just wanted to sit down comfortably with you, that’s all.”

Don’t feel pressured?

I was feeling extremely pressured.

At this point, I couldn’t even tell whether I was eating with my mouth or my nose.

“When I saw the donation, I got a sense. You’re just trying to make a little noise and have Kwangwoon Securities back out now, aren’t you?”

“……”

Maybe the amount had been too small.

Honestly, the 10 billion won donation was something hyung-nim and I settled on after getting a good feeling about the number during our talk.

I thought it was quite a lot, but to Chairman Kang Sung-ho, it looked like a shallow publicity stunt.

Still, it was true that it was about time for Kwangwoon Securities to start stepping back.

“Securities firms are usually like that, right? They either buy or sell. They don’t actually run things.”

“That’s true.”

It was a fact that Kwangwoon Securities’ position was becoming more and more ambiguous.

Although we were applying pressure alongside Kangseong Group, if Jintetsu really ended up defaulting, we would have to start seizing their assets one by one.

That process would be extremely complicated.

“Do you think Jintetsu won’t be able to recover?”

“This donation will be the final blow. The media will promote it heavily. On top of that, it looks like JT Group has caught wind of this situation. They haven’t said anything to us directly, but judging by their recent movements, it seems they’re trying to help us.”

Everyone knew that Jintetsu Group wanted to surpass JT Group.

“They didn’t like that. A bunch of guys who used to lay railways out in the countryside daring to challenge JT’s dominance. If Jintetsu had completed the Kumamoto Project successfully, the game could’ve gone sideways.”

“Then they really have no reason not to help, do they?”

“Exactly. They’re already sharpening their knives to fight amongst themselves. If some outsider stabs them in the back now, it’ll be a problem, right? They probably see this as a chance to take care of it.”

By directing public opinion toward Osaka Orient through the donation…

While not cooperating with JT Group directly, they too wanted to crush the nuisance that was Jintetsu.

If JT Group could persuade the Japanese government effectively, then the rest of the path would be smooth.

“Now it’s time to negotiate. Kwangwoon’s not going to start carving up Jintetsu like we are, right? That’s our job. So, how much are you going to sell your share to us for?”

And suddenly I was supposed to decide that right here?

“CEO Hwang is going to follow your lead completely, isn’t he? Then let’s skip the complicated procedures and decide here. How much do you want?”

If I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve brought hyung-nim along.

To be asked to name a price so suddenly…

“Well……”

Just as I was about to dodge the question with a vague answer.

“……!”

My right hand, holding the chopsticks, suddenly throbbed with a tingling sensation.

Startled, I put them down, and the sensation vanished.

“……?”

Curious, I picked the chopsticks up again.

That same tingling sensation returned.

I tried picking up just one chopstick this time.

“……”

Nothing.

Then with both again?

“!?”

The sensation surged intensely.

Could it be…?

“Double.”

Chairman Kang, who had been sipping from his glass, suddenly spit his drink out.

“W-wait. What? Double? Are you asking for 3 trillion won right now…?”

“Yes.”

Chairman Kang, still with traces of the liquor he had just spat out on his lips, looked at me like I had completely lost my mind.