Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 210

Translator: Dreamscribe"They're blocking Kwangwoon Insurance?"

"Yes. The Insurance Association has been lobbying hard. They've been reaching out to lawmakers on both sides, Republican and Democrat, and the ones who've taken the lobbying money are now trying to block Kwangwoon Insurance's entry into the market."

Aiden, who had been shackled back to this godforsaken White House by an unwanted reelection, let out a scoff at the report.

"They must have lost all sense of fear. They have nothing better to do, so they're blocking what Kwangwoon is trying to do, of all things?"

Were there really still people out there who didn't know what Kwangwoon was?

Pathetic.

"Still, they do have sufficient reason. At the end of the day, these lawmakers are being funded by the Insurance Association, and they're likely pocketing plenty of money under the table, too. It would have been hard for them to refuse."

"Lose their cash flow, or get on Kwangwoon's bad side. And they chose the money."

People lose all reason when money is involved.

Congressional salaries were generous enough, but it was hard to turn down a benefactor who handed over several times that amount in a single payment.

"So how exactly are they putting up resistance?"

"To establish an insurance company in the U.S., you need a license. If the state regulatory agencies don't issue one, you simply can't operate. A few states have granted approval, but far more have not."

"And all of that is the Insurance Association's doing?"

"Yes. The insurance cartel's network is every bit as massive as the financial cartel's. They know that Kwangwoon Insurance entering the market would inevitably cause disruption, so they'll do everything in their power to stop it."

Kwangwoon was trying to enter the insurance market with unprecedented terms.

They claimed it was about looking after vulnerable populations, but anyone could see that was just bait.

On top of that, Kwangwoon had been promoting themselves in their usual fashion, through the most extreme methods imaginable. Specifically, by having an insurance company CEO killed.

"Has any evidence turned up?"

"The Insurance Association has been going all out trying to find it alongside the FBI, but no matter how hard they look, they can't find a single trace."

In a way, it was only natural.

Their opponent was Kwangwoon, after all.

"The perpetrator isn't confessing either?"

"No. They asked questions about Kwangwoon, but the suspect reportedly countered by asking why they would even ask such a question."

"Not a single connection has been found? Really?"

"Correct. They apparently don't even use any of Kwangwoon's social media platforms."

Truly ruthless, not leaving behind a single trace. That was Kwangwoon.

"What about the trial?"

"The Insurance Association doesn't want any more public attention on this issue, so they've pressured the courts to expedite the trial. The verdict should come down as early as next week."

Normally, it took at least several months to try someone for murder.

The courts were that busy.

But this time, the bizarre spectacle of a trial being convened almost immediately after the suspect's arrest had unfolded.

It wasn't because the courts had suddenly found free time. It was pressure from the Insurance Association, desperate to erase the suspect from public memory before people elevated the killer any further into a messianic figure.

"If the suspect keeps coming up in conversation and continues to provoke people, there's a high probability of copycat crimes, isn't there?"

"I heard they've taken down the profiles of all the executives."

"Yes. On top of that, the people actually pulling the strings behind the cartel don't have public profiles to begin with. Even if someone commits a crime targeting the people whose profiles have been circulating, they'd only be killing foot soldiers."

This was what made invisible power so terrifying.

The CEO who had been killed this time, the profiles circulating on social media, all of them were the same.

None of them held real power.

They were merely managers, following orders.

The true power lay elsewhere.

And that was precisely why Kwangwoon was riding so high right now.

Kwangwoon was widely associated with the name Jung Jin-ho, but he was not the one who truly held power. Someone else was clearly behind him.

But people had no idea who that someone was.

That was why killing the public-facing figurehead could never kill the power itself.

Because the true entity existed separately.

"What is Kwangwoon doing about all this?"

"Nothing. No response whatsoever."

"No response at all?"

"None."

"......."

Why?

Somehow, that was even more terrifying.

Any other company would have protested such unfair treatment and threatened legal action.

But Kwangwoon remained still. Quiet.

The calm before the storm.

That was what Aiden felt.

"There hasn't been any separate contact through John either?"

"No. There hasn't, Mr. President."

It was absurd, really, the president of the United States sitting around waiting for instructions from a single corporation.

But he needed to remember that the very reason Aiden sat in this chair was entirely Kwangwoon's doing.

"No word, no response... that means they're preparing something. Pass this along to the Democratic lawmakers who are working with the insurance cartel right now. Tell them to quit their foolishness, and if they're going to play both sides, to do it smartly."

Hadn't Aiden's own administration been reduced to a Lame-duck Administration, an unprecedented disaster, just from crossing Kwangwoon the wrong way?

He didn't want to repeat that nightmare. The mere thought of it was horrifying enough.

"Then again... those insurance bastards, it's about time someone put them in their place."

Still, he couldn't help but be curious about how the insurance cartel, strutting around with their noses in the air while extorting people, would be torn apart by Kwangwoon's hands.

* * *

"LA denied us approval too?"

"Yes. They've refused to issue the license."

Opening an insurance company in Korea hadn't been a problem at all.

Approval had come through immediately.

The problem was the United States.

Every state had different laws and required separate approvals, making the whole process complicated in every possible way.

Even so, the number of states currently refusing to issue a license was far too high.

"What reason are they even giving?"

"They claim there's a high likelihood that we'll disrupt the market. That we're not a suitable fit for the business, either. They've attached various other reasons as well, but... the truth is, none of this is because of any actual problem on our end."

"Is it the Insurance Association?"

"Yes. The Association is using its lobbying power to desperately block Kwangwoon from entering the insurance industry. It's not just license denials. It seems like they're trying to shut us out entirely."

The Insurance Association viewed Kwangwoon's entry into the insurance business with open hostility.

"And you know how we've been gathering people who were harmed by unfair claim assessments to compensate them? They're now characterizing even that as an illegal act intended to deliberately damage other companies' brand images, and they're trying to impose sanctions."

"I guess they really think we're serious about getting into the insurance business."

"Yes. They see our claim of helping vulnerable populations as a pretext for brand promotion and stealing all their customers. That's why they're trying to block our entry."

Honestly, we had no such intentions.

We weren't seriously trying to enter the insurance industry.

We just wanted to extend a helping hand to people who needed it.

That was our genuine intent.

But the world, as always, only looked at our intentions through a warped lens.

I truly wanted to help vulnerable people, yet in their eyes, I looked like a robber trying to steal their customers.

"Sounds like we need to clear up this misunderstanding."

"We could also go the route of legal disputes, but that would take far too long. We're not seriously trying to make money from insurance, so I'm not sure there's even a reason to go the legal route."

The Department Head-nim was right.

We weren't trying to make money from insurance. We were trying to do charity work.

And launching into a fierce legal battle just to do that seemed laughable.

"...So the best approach would be to resolve the misunderstanding with the Insurance Association?"

"Yes. I think the first priority should be sending a message to the Insurance Association's side and opening a dialogue."

"And if they won't listen?"

"Then, unfortunately... wouldn't it be better to pull out? The insurance cartel is so massive that if they decide to make trouble for us, the damage could spread to our other subsidiaries as well."

Cartels really were frightening.

From their perspective, a major corporation like Kwangwoon suddenly entering the insurance business could understandably be unwelcome.

That was exactly why he wanted to avoid a complicated legal battle.

So the only option left was resolving things through dialogue, but...

"Should I request the Strategy Team to try persuading the Insurance Association?"

At the Department Head-nim's words, a sharp tingle ran through my fingertips.

Rather than writing a letter myself and explaining things at length, leaving it to the Strategy Team, which specialized in exactly this kind of work, seemed like the better option.

"Yes. Please ask them to try to persuade them. We're trying to do something good here. We're not trying to steal their business."

"Then I'll have the Strategy Team take on this matter. Having them step in should help, at least somewhat. Though... I wouldn't get your hopes up too much."

I had already half given up myself.

And yet, the fact that my instinct had first signaled me about this venture, didn't that mean a breakthrough was bound to appear?

* * *

"Good. LA is all wrapped up. What about Chicago?"

[It looks like the license denial will come through there soon as well.]

"Good. Everything is going very smoothly."

Carlson, the UHIP Chairman, answered the call from his employee with a satisfied smile.

Kwangwoon, those bastards.

He knew their influence was formidable, but they shouldn't underestimate the cartel that had an iron grip on America's insurance industry.

"I don't care if Kwangwoon makes a fortune. Let them rake it in elsewhere. There's no need for them to encroach on our territory."

[Yes. It seems Kwangwoon was rattled by our aggressive pushback. They haven't mounted any response.]

"...That's a bit odd. A company of Kwangwoon's caliber wouldn't back down this easily. They might be planning something else. Look into it."

[Yes, Association Chairman.]

"Anything else to report?"

[There is... something we discovered today. Apparently, profiles of key Insurance Association personnel, including yours, Association Chairman, have been circulated through the dark web.]

"What? What did you say?"

Carlson, who had just finished his business in the bathroom and was standing in front of the mirror, furrowed his brow.

"And you're only telling me this now? Is it serious?"

[There's no need for major concern. They weren't posted openly on social media. It only went through the dark web, so the number of people who've seen it is likely small. Besides, not a single person among those whose profiles have been shared on social media has been harmed so far.]

The world was heading in a strange direction.

It was pitiful, really, this sorry state of the nation, deifying and praising the person who had gruesomely murdered an insurance company CEO.

That was why the Insurance Association was rushing to end the trial and bury this whole issue as quickly as possible.

They had also been taking down the profiles circulating on social media, and thankfully, no copycat crimes had occurred yet.

"Keep monitoring, and if any accounts are sharing these profiles, report them immediately. Hit them with lawsuits, too. If we don't suppress this, the damage could get worse."

[Yes. We'll do that.]

"Oh, right. And I need to increase my security detail. Up until now, my profile had never been leaked, so I hadn't paid much attention to it."

[We'll take care of that as well.]

"Good. Then I'll see you shortly. I'll be leaving the hotel soon."

[Yes, Association Chairman.]

Until now, Carlson had believed he was safe from these copycat crimes.

Because his profile had never once been leaked.

Since it was never made public in the first place, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary person to know his profile.

"But who the hell leaked something like that?"

After hanging up, Carlson opened the bathroom door.

At that exact moment, he collided shoulders with someone coming in.

"Oh. Sor..."

He gave a cursory nod and was about to walk past.

"Association Chairman Carlson."

A deep, heavy voice sent a chill down his spine.

"Wh-who..."

"This is revenge for my parents. You thief."

By the time he turned his head, the muzzle of a gun was already pressed against his forehead.