After the Divorce, I Found a Thousand Bitcoins - Chapter 164

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

I Got Divorced and Found a Thousand Bitcoins Episode 164

[KH Group’s shocking demands. Innovation for the future, or special privileges for a mega-conglomerate?]

[Civic organizations strongly oppose: ‘Free provision of millions of pyeong of land is clear national wealth outflow!’]

South Korea was boiling like a blazing furnace day after day.

The hefty bill Kang Hyeon had thrown down: deregulation and free land provision.

Public opinion among the National Assembly, media, and civic organizations was starkly divided into two camps over this issue.

“No matter how great the economic effect, we cannot donate national territory to a single company!”

“Is this really the time for such leisurely talk!”

An economics professor appearing as a panelist on a TV debate show retorted with bulging veins.

“Look at the forward base MOU that KH signed with the Indian Government! While we hesitate and calculate on our abacus, that massive capital is already moving to India!”

Kang Hyeon’s ruthless negotiating power that had secured the Indian Government’s full support.

It presented Korean society with both a massive shock and a terrible dilemma.

Would they lose the goose that lays golden eggs like this, or embrace it despite the controversy over special treatment?

The political sphere was divided into pros and cons, engaging in mudslinging fights daily, and public fatigue had reached its peak.

Late at night. KH Group Headquarters Office.

A quiet space perfectly insulated from the world’s noisy clamor.

Kang Hyeon had dropped the approval documents he was holding and was fast asleep, buried deep in the sofa.

The murderous schedule that had continued for days and endless number-crunching battles.

No matter how strong one’s mind, even physical fatigue couldn’t be deceived.

Beyond his closed eyelids, a strange and distant dream unfolded.

‘Where is this…’

Weightless darkness.

Kang Hyeon was floating in the middle of empty space, looking down at his feet.

The massive Earth slowly rotating with a blue glow from an infinitely distant place.

And countless trails of light covering it.

The blue light of destruction, the black light of despair, and brilliant red light.

The colors of abilities he had seen in reality were tangled like giant serpents, swirling and coiling tightly around Earth.

As if they were living beings with massive will.

Or as if trying to whisper some very important truth toward Kang Hyeon.

“Kang Hyeon.”

Just as the mass of light opened its giant mouth to swallow him whole.

A familiar voice pulled him up from the swamp.

Flash.

“…Haa.”

Kang Hyeon opened his eyes while exhaling roughly.

As his vision gradually became clear, Kwangho’s face came into view, looking down at him with a worried expression.

The cool air of the office brushed against his sweat-soaked forehead.

“What kind of dream did you have to break out in such cold sweat? Are you really okay these days?”

Kwangho asked while setting down ice water on the table.

A space with just the two of them. The comfortable voice of a friend with titles stripped away.

Kang Hyeon loosened his tie and smiled faintly.

It wasn’t his usual cold and arrogant predator’s smile.

It was just a slightly awkward laugh of the human Choi Kang-hyeon, clearly showing signs of fatigue.

“I’m fine. The dream was just a bit rough, that’s all.”

Kang Hyeon downed the ice water in one gulp.

As the cold water moistened his burning esophagus, his head cleared a little.

Kwangho plopped down on the opposite sofa and stared intently at Kang Hyeon.

“Liar. You’ve been running without even breathing lately.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’re exactly like you were back in college.”

Kwangho chuckled while resting his chin on his hand.

“Remember during group projects? When all the other guys ran away and went AWOL, you alone would stubbornly find all the materials and stay up all night making PowerPoints.”

“…That’s right.”

“Your expression right now is exactly the same as back then. The face of someone standing on a cliff’s edge, carrying all the world’s burdens alone.”

At Kwangho’s words that hit the mark, Kang Hyeon seemed at a loss for words and quietly lowered his gaze.

“Honestly, you’re a bit scary these days.”

Kwangho’s voice dropped to a lower, more serious tone.

“Your ability to read situations and cut through their leashes is perfect, but… you have no composure. Your personality has become too sharp, as if you wouldn’t bleed a drop if stabbed.”

Sincere advice from his closest friend.

He had accurately seen through the precarious essence hidden behind the mask of a predator.

Kang Hyeon let out a hollow laugh and rubbed his face dry.

“Have I changed that much?”

“You’re completely a heartless capitalist monster who wouldn’t bleed a drop even if stabbed.”

Kwangho’s words thrown out like a joke.

Kang Hyeon leaned back deeply against the sofa and let out a long sigh.

His tense shoulders crumbled ever so slightly.

“Maybe… I was getting impatient.”

“Impatient?”

“The business grew at a much larger and more violent pace than I expected.”

Tens of trillions of won in capital. A massive corporation holding the nation’s fate.

“If I make one wrong move, tens of thousands of people who depend on me for their livelihood will be out on the streets. Trying to survive in the jungle while leading such a heavy burden, I unknowingly bared my teeth too much.”

An introverted young man with a strong sense of responsibility.

This was the terrible pressure he had to bear after becoming the emperor of a vast empire.

At Kang Hyeon’s low and bitter confession, Kwangho quietly closed his mouth.

“And… what happened in Taiwan.”

Kang Hyeon’s eyes instantly sank dark and heavy.

The horrific regional war between China and Taiwan.

The vivid memories of the brutal battlefield he had witnessed directly through his abilities and with his own eyes came flooding back.

“I saw too many people die. On the streets, under collapsed building debris.”

“…”

“Because of politicians’ shallow pride and ideology, innocent people died so futilely and helplessly.”

Beyond Kang Hyeon’s clenched fist, his pale knuckles stood out prominently.

He could read someone’s destruction through the power of money, but was helpless before raining missiles.

The terrible sense of powerlessness that struck him who believed he stood at the pinnacle of capital.

“So what do you want to do?”

Kwangho asked very carefully, yet heavily.

“Running alone on this cliff’s edge, gritting your teeth like this, what do you really want to grasp?”

Silence continued for quite a while.

Kang Hyeon silently gazed at Seoul’s dazzling night view outside the window.

And soon, his tightly closed lips slowly opened.

His raw, genuine feelings that he was confessing for the first time to his closest friend, kept deeply hidden.

“It’s still vague. But… I’m thinking of building overwhelming power first.”

“Power.”

“Just as money is perfect power in financial markets, I think the world’s order is no different.”

Launch pads toward space, artificial intelligence and robots to control the world.

This wasn’t simply money games to expand a company’s size.

“I’ll grasp more money and more ruthless influence.”

“…”

“So that no crazy politician or nation would dare carelessly start wars. At minimum, I’ll create a game where people within my boundaries don’t die such futile dog deaths.”

He’s not a tyrant trying to dominate and oppress the world with money.

A lonely yet grand resolution to create perfect and overwhelming capital deterrence so that no one could carelessly weigh lives on a scale.

Kwangho stared at Kang Hyeon in a daze.

He had thought him a heartless monster.

But inside that cold metallic shell, a heart more passionate and human than anyone else’s was pumping blood in solitude.

“Crazy bastard.”

Kwangho let out a bitter laugh as his eyes reddened.

“You’ve been carrying that heavy burden alone and keeping quiet about it all this time?”

“Executives are naturally lonely.”

“That’s ridiculous. You haven’t fixed that useless habit of taking everything on yourself since college.”

Kwangho stood up and patted Kang Hyeon’s shoulder with a casual yet firm touch.

“Don’t overdo it, man. If you collapse, KH will fall apart immediately.”

“I know.”

“And if it gets really tough, lean on me. I’m the president of KH Capital after all, so I can at least help with things like matching fonts on group project presentations.”

Rough but sincere comfort.

For the first time in a very long while, a comfortable and deep smile slowly spread across Kang Hyeon’s hardened lips.

The massive boulder pressing down on his shoulders seemed to lighten just a little.

He tightened his tie again and nodded toward his most reliable ally.

A private room in the Government Seoul Office.

Thick document folders lay on the meeting room table where heavy air lingered.

Minister Choi’s face showed deep fatigue and anguish.

“Chairman. The backlash from the National Assembly and civic organizations currently exceeds imagination.”

Minister Choi rubbed his face dry and let out a deep sigh.

“From accusations of giving preferential treatment by offering national territory to a single company to frames of national wealth outflow. Honestly, the political and social pressure is so severe that the regime’s fate hangs in the balance.”

“I fully understand.”

Kang Hyeon answered calmly while taking a sip of warm tea.

Gone was the cold pressure that used to ruthlessly drive opponents to the edge of a cliff.

His gaze had softened somewhat, but its essence remained unshakably firm.

“What I want is clear. But I’m not seeking unilateral exploitation from the nation.”

Kang Hyeon placed his clasped hands on the table.

“When KH establishes roots for future industries in South Korea, national competitiveness will rise dramatically. Thorough mutual benefit. That’s the real picture I’m drawing.”

“Of course! I also completely agree with that excellent vision.”

Minister Choi nodded urgently and opened the document folder on the table.

“That’s why I’ve cautiously brought a government-level compromise proposal.”

“A compromise proposal.”

“The core issues you requested, Chairman. The designation of robot regulation-free zones in the Capital Region and the initial site for the space launch pad – we’ll take responsibility and prioritize their passage.”

A half concession.

It was the best card the government could offer while watching the worsened public opinion.

“However, there’s one condition.”

“Please tell me.”

“Please officially promise large-scale domestic job creation at the KH Group level. We need a certain and massive justification that can instantly soothe the hardened public sentiment.”

What politicians need most desperately is ultimately public cheers and votes.

Receiving Minister Choi’s earnest gaze, Kang Hyeon quietly set down his teacup.

‘Job creation.’

Orbis’s humanoids and Astra’s automated production lines flashed through Kang Hyeon’s mind.

The massive future approaching.

Simple labor would inevitably leave the hands of frail humans.

“Minister. Let me speak honestly.”

Kang Hyeon’s voice sank heavily and seriously.

“In the near future, robots and AI will perfectly replace 90% of physical labor.”

“…Excuse me?”

“It means there won’t be tens of thousands of production workers deployed in the massive factories KH builds like in the past.”

Minister Choi’s face instantly hardened.

But Kang Hyeon’s words weren’t finished.

“That doesn’t mean I’ll leave humans to be miserably obsoleted.”

Human dignity.

It was the heavy weight of life that Kang Hyeon had felt to his bones on Taiwan’s horrific battlefield.

He had moved one step further from being the past heartless mechanical predator.

“A world where machines replace arduous labor. In that place, we must find ways for humans to coexist with machines and create new value.”

“Ways to coexist…”

“Advanced jobs suited to new industrial ecosystems, and creative domains that only humans can handle. Let the government and KH put our heads together to draw that blueprint.”

It wasn’t a shallow compromise of throwing a few simple production jobs.

A massive and weighty proposal to completely design the future of the nation and humanity together.

Minister Choi stared at Kang Hyeon in a daze.

It wasn’t the kind of vision that could come from a mere businessman’s mouth.

“…I understand.”

Minister Choi nodded heavily with deep impression.

He no longer added any political conditions and put his fountain pen to the compromise proposal on the table.

Scratch. Scratch.

The light yet resolute friction sound across the paper.

It wasn’t a simple contract.

It was a historic and great first step toward a new era where massive capital and state power joined hands, where machines and humans would coexist.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————