Chapter 162

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“What? No way. You’re lying.”

“I’m not. It’s true! When I heard that guy liked gaming, I was honestly skeptical at first, but he’s a total gaming fanatic. He has all sorts of consoles at home, and he says he always tries out new games.”

I had looked into the profile of Secretary of Commerce Henderson myself. The kind of guy who looked like he’d spend all day working and never even glance at a game—turns out he was a hardcore gamer.

“And he’s playing the same game as us?!”

My brother was incredibly excited.

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not kidding. I was shocked too. He says he’s been playing that game for over ten years now. Of course, he’s quit and come back a few times.”

World of Warroad. A classic RPG with a rock-solid fanbase both in Korea and abroad.

That’s why so many people who quit eventually come back—they just can’t forget the experience. If there was one downside, the game was old enough that there weren’t many new or young players. But once you got hooked, there was no escaping it.

“It’s because playing with other people is what makes it fun. The problem is, when he came back to the game, his guild had already fallen apart. And finding a new guild isn’t easy when he doesn’t have much time to play.”

“You two really hit it off, huh.”

“It was awkward at first, but once we started talking about games, both of us just opened up. Especially since we play the same game—two hours flew by in an instant. And when I said I might be able to 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 an extremely important target for Gwangwoon. He had significant influence internally, and having him on our side would be invaluable.

“Wow. Brother, you really know how to work a room.”

“I got lucky. But I do think we need to set him up with a guild in the U.S. It’s sad to see someone who wants to enjoy a game but can’t. You know exactly how that feels.”

I thought it over carefully. Not because I had ulterior motives, but because I genuinely empathized with that feeling.

“How about this? We find someone who’s good at the game and knows how to manage a guild, hire them as an employee, and set up an American branch of our Trinity Guild. Some of our guild members travel to the U.S. for work regularly, right? We can have them join too, so every time they go to the U.S., they have people to play with. We’d even set up a dedicated space for it.”

“Like the building we have here, but one in the U.S.?”

“Yes. The U.S. has more land, so we’d have better space options. And if you or I occasionally visit the U.S., it’d be nice to have a space like that to enjoy.”

“So the guild management would be handled by that employee?”

“Yes. We’d hire a few people who could serve as managers—bringing in new players, coordinating schedules, that sort of thing.”

My brother looked very satisfied.

“That works. Henderson said that if there was a space and people to play with, he’d join in too. Everyone’s held back by real-world constraints, but if we give them a reason and a setup, that’s great.”

Setting up an American branch of our guild. The servers were different, of course—players in Korea could log into the North American server and play together, but the server characteristics meant there would always ping differences depending on regions, making coordinated raids impractical.

So the idea was to create a new guild in the U.S. where American players could enjoy the game among themselves.

“You could still log in from here to say hello and chat, though. That’s part of the fun of an RPG. Honestly, a lot of our guild members are getting older and don’t hunt or raid anymore—they just spend a few hours chatting and then call it a day.”

“I’ll look into it and put together a plan.”

“Will you be all right? You’re busy with work.”

“I’ll be fine. And it sounds like fun. I’m already curious about what expression the Secretary of Commerce will make when he hears the news.”

Gamers had an unspoken bond.

And for people so buried in work they couldn’t even take a break—if they could find healing through a game, that alone would fulfill our guild’s purpose.

“By the way, have you seen how Cyclone Games has been running things lately? What’s going on with their management?”

Cyclone, the company behind World of Warroad. One of the top three gaming companies in the world, with numerous famous titles.

“Weren’t they the ones who made Overwatch? That was a huge hit.”

“That was already seven years ago.”

They had launched Overwatch and achieved global popularity, but through atrocious management, they had thoroughly run the company into the ground.

“Since then, the company’s been struggling—they even pulled some servers. The lag’s gotten worse too. Something’s definitely off.”

“You’re right. Apparently Cyclone is having a tough time operationally and is looking to sell.”

“What? So that was real? Their management really has been going to hell. They’ve been running this into the ground on purpose to sell the company, haven’t they? They’re not releasing DLCs or even trying to attract new players.”

It was already an old game, but if it was going to have any longevity, new players were absolutely essential.

For that, the game company needed to release convenience patches and run events to bring in new users—but there was nothing. They had essentially abandoned the game.

“Who’s buying them?”

“They’re still looking for an acquirer. I hear Microhard has a high probability of making the purchase.”

“Is Microhard trying to buy them for their console games?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Microhard was struggling to boost the market share of its underperforming console. That appeared to be why they were trying to acquire Cyclone, but progress seemed slow.

“I think Microhard is trying to drive down the price as much as possible before making their move.”

“Drive them into the ground first, then buy at the bottom?”

“Yes. That’s their play.”

“But what about the games that are currently running? The players suffer the whole time! And even if the acquisition goes through, they might neglect our game—they’re focused on consoles!”

“Exactly. That’s why our game is already in terrible shape.”

“Those bastards!”

My brother’s hands were trembling with rage. It had been a long time since I’d seen him this angry.

“Ugh. These rotten bastards—if you make a game, you need to take responsibility to the end. Running it like this is outrageous.”

“Well, the ones who want to keep playing are still playing. They’re just counting on that.”

“I really want to shut these guys down, I swear.”

Right at that moment.

“……?”

Suddenly, my intuition was pulsing wildly. Was it because of what my brother had just said?

“Brother. When you say ‘shut them down’—how exactly would you want to do that?”

“Hm? Well, I mean… replace everyone from the director down to the employees. Fill it with people who can provide new management and drive the game forward.”

My mind was shaking again.

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

“Acquire them? But Microhard is in negotiations with them right now—oh. Wait. Don’t tell me…”

My brother grinned and said:

“You mean we hijack the deal?”

At that, a thrilling sensation washed over my entire body.

Hijacking. Literally swooping in mid-negotiation 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 buy up the controlling stake?”

“Yes. Wingard and White Rock hold quite a bit of the shares. The ownership structure is fragmented like Bluezone, so if we offer a premium and buy in bulk, we could quickly secure a controlling stake. It would cost a fair amount, though.”

My brother nodded.

“That works out perfectly. Actually, Amplflix has been producing content, and for popular series, they’ve been looking into adapting them into games. Recently, they even created a platform where subscribers can play certain games.”

“The rationale is solid too. We can normalize our game while simultaneously adapting Amplflix content into games.”

“Exactly. We’ve been sitting on piles of cash in the group and wondering when we’d get to use it. Heh heh.”

A smile bloomed on my brother’s face. Just think about it—acquiring a game company he’d been playing for years. How thrilling would that be?

“Oh, right. I heard something—you’re planning to recruit people in the U.S. who can maintain ongoing communication with political figures?”

“Yes. It’s not right for you to personally fly overseas every time something comes up. It’s a burden, and frankly, it’s exhausting. So even if it costs more, I want to hire people with strong careers and wide networks to set up communication channels not just in the U.S., but in various countries.”

“That might be a bit much. Don’t tell me… it’s because of that raid that fell through last time?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Hm. The firm expression and tone tell me otherwise.”

“It’s not.”

I denied it, but it was hard to fool my brother after all these years.

***

“Sir. I’ve put together an initial list of candidates from the United States.”

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

“This was created after thorough background checks and career evaluations by the Strategy Team.”

These would be the people who would communicate with American contacts on our behalf and strengthen our position. Their résumés were indeed impressive. But no one in particular stood out.

“……”

The moment I turned the page.

“……?”

One name jumped out at me. My intuition was blazing in that direction, but beyond that, his career genuinely caught my eye.

“Is it… all right to recruit this one?”

“If we were hiring him as a lobbyist, there would be issues. Typically, there’s a two-year cooling-off period that restricts their activities. But since we’re hiring him in more of an advisor capacity, not as a lobbyist, it should be fine.”

If that was the case, there was no need for further deliberation.

“Then let’s go with him. Offer the highest salary in the industry.”

“Yes. I’ll extend the offer immediately. As for candidates from countries other than the U.S., that will take more time. We need to be very thorough in our vetting.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

The candidate hadn’t accepted yet, but once this person was on board, my brother wouldn’t need to personally fly overseas and exhaust himself meeting people—unless something truly critical came up.

That meant a raid commitment wouldn’t fall through like last time, after weeks of preparation. Our gaming commitments were serious business.

***

John Hamilton, who had served as Aiden’s Chief of Staff, had thrown in his resignation and walked out of the White House, believing he would finally breathe freely and regain his liberty.

“……”

But once he was actually out, his anxiety had only worsened. He was plagued by paranoia—feeling as though someone was wiretapping his conversations, as though someone was watching him—until he eventually reached the point of needing medication.

His psychiatrist had reassured him that everything was merely a delusion, that Gwangwoon was not surveilling him. But—

“I knew it…”

He realized once again today that he had not been living in a delusion.

“Gwangwoon was watching me.”

His hands trembled as he stared at the email from Gwangwoon headquarters. He deliberated hundreds of times whether to open it, and finally clicked.

At first, he thought it was a threatening email. But the content was far from what he had expected.

“……You want to hire me?”

What Gwangwoon had sent was not a threat—it was a job proposal.

A proposal to become an advisor at Gwangwoon headquarters and serve as their communication channel in the United States.

Hadn’t he once been the President’s Chief of Staff? There was no one in politics he didn’t know.

But to receive such a proposal from Gwangwoon of all places.

“Have I lost my mind!? Join them?!”

In a fit of rage, he moved to shut his laptop. But his hand froze.

“But if I refuse this…”

He was no longer working at the White House with countless security guards. He was now an ordinary citizen.

An ordinary middle-aged man who wouldn’t be surprised if he were robbed on the street any day. In an instant, images flashed through his mind—the Japanese Prime Minister who had met a violent end at Gwangwoon’s hands, followed by faces of numerous others.

So what were his options for survival? And how could he escape this suffering?

There were two choices.

Either pull the gun from the drawer and put a bullet through his own throat—or—

“Join their side.”

Wasn’t there a saying? If you can’t beat them, join them.

“…………Phew.”

He steadied his trembling heart and slowly began to type his reply. Aiden’s face briefly flashed in his mind, but what could he do?

“A man’s got to survive.”