Money Likes Me Too - Chapter 250



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Episode 250. (Complete)

2036.

The lunar colony’s population has surpassed one million.

It is now a full-fledged city, and more.

“Chairman Kang, welcome.”

There were two old men who greeted me at the lunar landing pad.

One was Biden, the third president elected since moving to the moon from Nexus One.

Even though he is well over 90 years old, he has a healthy face. This is thanks to the help of cocoa genetic technology that is resistant to low gravity and space radiation.

“Why are you the one saying hello first?”

The only other old man left to grumble about was Donald Trump.

He served as President of the Moon until last year.

I have been a wild man, or rather a man of the moon, for a long time now. However, I stand here with the title of chairman of the welcoming committee.

“The President is stepping down.”

“I am the chairman of the welcoming committee for Chairman Kang, you know.”

I mediated the never-ending fight between the two.

“Okay. I’m happy to see you both equally, so let’s stop arguing here. I’m getting a cold shoulder.”

Actually, the wind didn’t blow because it was the moon.

But my gentle encouragement brought Trump’s face back to its usual sullen expression.

Anyway, they are both incredibly healthy. They look like they could live healthily for the next 10 years, or even 20 or 30 years.

We traveled by moon rover.

“This is the Nexus Five construction site.”

“Do you need anything?”

I asked with anticipation.

“There is already so much support that we are actually having to expand the construction sites. Even the Nexus Seven and Nexus Eight are overflowing. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Biden smiled and assured me, not even knowing what I was thinking.

‘Nexus Eight? Eight is annoying.’

I cursed inwardly.

Then I went to the construction site of Nexus Six, which is about to begin. A lot of time had passed. I returned to my office in Nexus Three.

We had a tea party.

— It’s good to see you both in good spirits. Nice to meet you.

Vice Chairman In, who had been waiting for us, gave us some words of encouragement. Trump and Biden both burst into laughter.

“Anyway, Vice Chairman In, don’t you share a field of vision with these two humanoid chief secretaries? You must have seen them yesterday, so why are you so happy?”

I tackled him.

— Still, seeing the body and sharing the view are different, Chairman Kang.

“Okay. Let’s say that’s true.”

The laughter was endless.

After a while,

“Then, Mr. Chairman, are you leaving for Mars right away?”

President Biden asked. I nodded.

“I have to finish preparing for the Mars Olympics, which is only a few years away. It will be the first grand festival held on Mars by humans. I have to take care of it.”

It’s not that I don’t care, I can’t help but care. Even just a little bit of attention saves money.

They’re all like that.

I have to look at each one with my own eyes.

If there is any part where money can be spent, it must be pointed out without exception. Even though it is money that will not decrease, it is not something that can be done without making an effort. After all, humanity has a long way to go.

Both eyes narrowed.

“The Olympics on Mars? That’s something I couldn’t have imagined when I was young.”

“Mr. Trump, when you were young, wasn’t it right after World War II? Of course you couldn’t have imagined it. With your poor imagination.”

Trump immediately laughed at Biden’s sentiment, sweeping back the few strands of hair he had left.

“You are talking about your brother-in-law.”

Biden blew up.

This conversation is the grumbling of people over 90 years old. I said, hiding my laughter.

“Shall we get up now? If you feel sad, let’s have a meal together. I’ve prepared it downstairs.”

“What if it’s downstairs?”

“Hey, are you old and out of your mind? Isn’t there a Joel Leboucher store downstairs that our President Kang likes?”

[La Table de Joël Levouche on the Moon].

“Welcome, Chairman Kang.”

It didn’t take a minute for chef Joel Leboucher, now with a full head of white hair, to greet us with a broad smile.

Tea will be served at the [Cafe Off Road on the Moon] next door. President Yeo Hyeon-jeong has also become a full-time resident of Dal.

Everyone who knew me had a place on Mars, as well as the moon.

* * *

The people of Pangku and Baedal have advanced to Mars following the moon.

‘As expected, it’s Kang Si-hyeon.’

Nexus Three,

Lee Chung-jae muttered to himself as he looked out of the villa that seemed to have been moved from Jeju Island.

Although day and night are not as clearly divided as on Earth, you can still tell the time by looking at the Earthrise that unfolds before your eyes.

“Mr. Chairman.”

The chief secretary came in. His head was covered in frost.

“Don’t call me Chairman.”

“Haha, I think I’ve heard that a thousand times now.”

“That’s true.”

He smiled bitterly.

“Sit down.”

“yes.”

I sat next to the chief secretary. My years on Earth flashed through my mind.

“What did Chairman Kang say?”

He asked.

“He said that if you run for president this month, he will not spare his support and encouragement, no matter how much it costs. It looks like he was waiting for you anyway.”

Lee Chung-jae brought the teacup to his lips with a satisfied expression.

It has been more than a decade since Trump and Biden, who are nearly 100 years old, exchanged moon presidencies.

Now it was time for a new face to appear. He thought he was the right person. He gently sounded out Chairman Kang’s opinion and heard good things about it.

“In that sense, Chairman Kang sent a gift.”

A gift? A question mark appeared on Lee Chung-jae’s face.

But that question mark quickly turned into an exclamation point.

— Hello, Chairman Lee Chung-jae. I am Vice Chairman In, who will always serve you.

His eyes widened at the familiar sight of the humanoid he often saw near Kang Si-hyeon. The chief secretary continued speaking.

“I am old now. I should hand it over to the next generation.”

“Getting old. If you think about it that way, what will I become?”

“The chairman is still young.”

“Haha, this guy is really something.”

— The chief secretary must also keep his position. I am not a human being, so someone must be there to help me.

The tactful Vice Chairman’s words filled the room with harmonious laughter. It was an ordinary day on the moon.

At that time, America.

“A gift for me?”

Jeff Vegas, the president of Red Origin, a company that is not quite as big as SpaceX’s Cocoa, but is responsible for the transportation and logistics between the Moon and Mars.

“Chairman Kang sent it.”

“Don’t let me in.”

He was the vice president.

— Hello, Jeff. This is Vice President In.

“Vice Chairman In, nice to meet you.”

Jeff smiled brightly and returned the greeting. Being with Vice Chairman In meant that he was now Cocoa’s friend.

That was so happy.

He had to become friends with Cocoa, not only for himself, but also for the hundreds of thousands of employees working at Amazon.

There is still a long way to go in the future. Pride is of no help in the future.

He lost not only to Elon Musk, but also to Kang Si-Hyeon.

‘I don’t feel bad.’

Kang Si-hyeon is no longer human. He is a god. There is nothing to be upset about in losing to a god.

* * *

CEO Yeo Hyeon-jeong, who opened branches of Cafe Off Road on the moon and Mars, has returned to Earth.

‘He is truly an amazing person.’

I felt it every time I returned to Hwapyeongsi.

When I first came to Hwapyeong, it was a rural area with rice paddy ridges visible. Every time I went to work, I smelled compost.

It had only been a few years since Kang Si-hyeon first came here that it began to transform into a large city, and now it was becoming a metropolis that surpassed Seoul.

It didn’t even take a few decades.

“Hey, boss!”

“Oh my, this is surprising.”

As I headed to the place where Chairman Kang always stayed, lost in memories, a surprise guest had arrived.

“Chairman Nam Hyeon-seung, Chairman Lee Seok-hwan. What brings you two busy people here?”

The two of them burst into laughter without saying who would speak first.

“Isn’t it Christmas Eve?”

“Even if Si-hyeon isn’t here, the three of us should spend Eve together. Aren’t we bound by loyalty?”

Soon, the three of them sat down with Kang Si-hyeon’s coffee in front of them.

On Mars, on the Moon, and everywhere on Earth, the most popular menu item at Cafe Off Road was Kang Si-Hyeon Coffee (‘Double Shot, Lactose-Free Milk, One Pump of Honey Blended Syrup’).

Nam Hyeon-seung frowned after taking a sip.

“What does this taste like?”

“It’s just delicious.”

The female manager responded in a loud voice. She changed the subject.

“Now that we’ve passed the moon and Mars, what’s your next goal, Chairman? Is this the end?”

There was silence for a moment.

“No way.”

Nam Hyeon-seung answered.

“That guy will never stop. Titan? Once he gets there, he’ll be aiming for the outer solar system next.”

I won’t stop until I die, he concluded.

Perhaps even death cannot stop him. His expression was shining as if he was recalling the face of a friend he had gone to school with decades ago.

Meanwhile, KSH Holdings Hwaseong Branch,

Now, two people who seemed to have some experience were having a conversation. They were Chairman Lee Jong-seok and CEO Lim Gyeong-jun.

The two have been competing for 20 years to build their fortunes, and recently appeared on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people, alongside Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos.

Lim Kyung-jun grumbled.

“Even so, isn’t the chairman the richest man in the world?”

“You’re talking about your brother-in-law. Is that why you invested so much in Mars? To beat me?”

“I have to beat the chairman. Then how can I beat Chairman Kang, who is so stubborn?”

Lee Jong-suk had no choice but to acknowledge those words.

“That’s true.”

“Right? You admit it?”

It goes without saying. It is impossible for an Earthling to surpass Chairman Kang’s wealth. Even the world’s greatest Elon Musk would take a thousand years.

Perhaps, even if all the wealth accumulated by mankind throughout history were gathered in one place, it would not be able to match the wealth accumulated by Kang Si-Hyeon in 40 years.

– I’m an exaggeration.

Vice Chairman In’s clear voice was heard.

“Surprise. You were reading my mind?”

— Of course. I told you. I am everywhere.

Lim Kyung-jun intervened.

“As I live, I realize that Vice Chairman In’s words are sometimes wrong.”

— What is it?

“I said he was a manager. But this chairman is not a manager. He is the chairman.”

For a moment, silence fell over the room.

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“sorry.”

“Does anyone know that?”

This time, laughter erupted.

“While we’re on the subject, can you tell me the total amount of Chairman Kang’s assets?”

Lee Jong-suk asked without missing a beat. However, Vice Chairman In’s answer did not come through the speaker.

“Are you going to do that until the end?”

I had already asked him ten times. But Vice Chairman In had never given me a proper answer. This time was no different.

Lim Kyung-jun added.

“The chairman is also amazing. How come he never steps down from his top position? He just keeps going in the opposite direction······.”

“fizzle.”

-fizzle.

Vice Chairman In and Chairman Lee Jong-seok shouted at the same time.

“It’s a secret that everyone knows, so what are you talking about?”

Lim Kyung-jun shook his head. Laughter broke out again. This time, it was a long laugh that seemed like it would last forever.

* * *

Ten more years passed like that.

The year 2048.

Finally, all stages of terraforming Mars have been completed, exactly 24 years after the completion of Earth Nexus One.

[ Mars Year 1 Declaration. Cocoa Kang Si-Hyeon Chairman’s manly appearance. (Photo) ]

It was named the first year of Mars.

Now we have to wait until Mars slowly adapts to its changed environment and its temperature, water, and air become similar to those of Earth.

The initial population of Nexus Four was 500,000.

The Nexus One had 100,000 people, the Moon’s Nexus Three had 300,000 people, so it made sense for Mars to start with 500,000 people.

When the Nexus Four was built, the Olympic Stadium was also built, because that year the first Olympics were held on Mars.

[ Athletes representing each country on Earth are arriving one after another. (Photo) ]

It was the first grand festival held outside of Earth.

Starships took off from the Moon and Earth in a flash. It was inevitable that they would have to carry tens of thousands of people.

Of course, the accident rate was 0%.

It’s a little faster than the original eight months, but it’s still a space trip that takes months. It cost hundreds of billions of dollars just to reduce the accident rate. And it cost hundreds of billions more to improve the quality of service. It was a real slog.

I was jealous of Elon Musk, who runs Starship.

‘I should have taken the Starship business away from you.’

It’s a shame. We lost to the preemptive effect.

Of course, there were many ways to take it back. I just had to spend more money. But my conscience was on the line. I couldn’t help it.

I had to spend my money in other ways.

It was Titan.

So I opened a Cocoa forum.

It’s a huge conference where all the cocoa companies and related companies from Earth, Moon and Mars gather. It’s as big as the Olympics, to put it a little exaggeratedly.

Reporters also flocked from all over the universe.

A reporter opened his mouth.

“As of 2026, NASA estimates that it will take at least four centuries to terraform Mars and make it habitable for humans.”

At the time, yes, I was wrong, but I answered.

“But Chairman Kang completed all of this work in 20 years. Of course, extraterrestrial activities are impossible without wearing a suit, but this alone is said to be the greatest advancement in human history in less than 10,000 years.”

“yes.”

“Don’t you think that even if it’s fast, it’s too fast?”

What I’m saying is.

It was too fast. It was so fast that I couldn’t spend as much money as I thought. It was like pouring salt on a sore wound.

But the reporter continued talking.

“At that time, Chairman Kang also announced something. It was the development of Titan, which he had previously proposed as a long-term goal for 2026. I would like to pay infinite respect to your choice of Titan development as the topic of this forum. Are your thoughts still the same? Do you think that Titan development is necessary?”

I remember something that happened more than 20 years ago. I answered forcefully.

“Of course. I have to go to Titan.”

If you don’t do that, you’ll have virtually no way to spend the money that’s growing like a zombie.

The reporter said so anyway.

“However, it has been pointed out that terraforming Titan would cost a lot of money. It is said to be twice as much as the entire budget for establishing colonies on the Moon and Mars. Do you agree with this?”

No, I don’t agree with that.

“no.”

“then?”

It’s not double.

“It will cost five times more.”

That’s the minimum.

It costs more.

Of course, there were some opposing opinions. They said that it wouldn’t be five times as much because of the experience they’ve accumulated over time. Well, that could be true.

But that didn’t matter.

As long as it costs a lot of money, that’s enough. While the reporter was silent, I slowly continued telling the story. After writing down what I had to say for a while, the reporter opened his mouth again.

“I have one last question for you, Chairman Kang.”

“It’s okay. You can ask for two more.”

All the reporters gathered at my words laughed heartily. They were all kind people who knew how to laugh.

The reporter who asked the question smiled broadly and continued speaking.

“One is enough. The others were just a taste, and this is the key question for me.”

“Then go ahead.”

I’m getting more and more tired.

“There is a rumor that Chairman Kang Si-Hyeon hates money. That is why he invests recklessly and starts businesses without any preparation. The criticism is that the great result of cocoa is just luck. Do you have anything to say about this?”

What was meant to happen has come.

They try to package it this way and that, but in the end, what they want to ask is, ‘Do you really hate money?’

Everyone was murmuring.

“Did you really tell that story?” “Your spirit is amazing?” I said quietly, but everyone could hear. I smiled inside.

I suddenly felt like revealing everything.

But that can’t be the case.

As always, I don’t feel like revealing my true feelings even now. There are many people looking at me. There are more. Hundreds of thousands, millions. There is a minimum sense of responsibility.

“······.”

The silence grew longer as they thought. Anxiety crept into some of their eyes.

Finally my mouth opened.

“No.”

It’s true, that’s the kind of person I am, I swallowed hard.

Relief came over everyone’s expressions as they understood. I felt satisfied. For a moment, fatigue came over me. Chairman In, who had been observing my complexion, stopped everyone.

— Now the interview is over. Everyone, please go back. Thank you for writing the article.

A little later,

After the event, I returned to the chairman’s office and fell into deep thought.

— What are you thinking so deeply about?

Chairman In’s questions continued to follow.

“Just a thought.”

— Just thinking about it is fine. It seems like an important issue. Tell me.

“Yes, you can tell Chairman In.”

— Come on.

Did you notice something?

She’s looking at me. The android’s body is so detailed that it almost feels like I’m dealing with a person.

My mouth opened without resistance.

“Actually, I’ve lived my life thinking that I hated money.”

— I think so.

She already knew.

“But now.”

— No, really?

“No. I don’t think so. I’m not really sure. It’s not accurate.”

Her smile didn’t fade for a long time after hearing my words.

— I think so.

She spoke with arsenic.

— You may have thought that Chairman Kang hated money all this time. It seemed that way to me too.

“I see. As expected.”

— What happens if we do that? We pass the singularity. Do you know what that means?

The voice was sharp.

— The chairman has always lived with money. He has made a lot of money. And he has saved humanity. He has made a way to leave the Earth and live on the moon and Mars. He is even thinking of going to Titan. Even if it was all because he hated money, if this is the result, can we really say that he hated it? Everything is said by the result.

I didn’t answer that.

Because it seemed right.

“I see, that’s what happened.”

My mouth opened.

“That’s right. I never hated money.”

I felt like my life had been redefined.

It was refreshing. The realization was deep and profound.

So much so that I never want to talk about him again.

But that’s okay. Chairman In will keep the secret forever. She is a machine that must follow Asimov’s principle of not harming humans. That’s the limit of artificial intelligence.

It was then that the door opened again.

“Yes, Mr. Chairman!”

This time it was Han Jang-soo.

“The plan to use Titan was approved by UNS resolution before it was even submitted. It was unanimous. As expected, it’s Chairman Kang. Investment requests are coming in from all over. Your foresight is amazing!”

His smiling face came into view before my eyes.

A smile crossed my face and Chairman In’s face at the same time as I saw that sight.

My mouth opened.

“Okay, what else do you want me to do?”

Now I didn’t hate seeing that bright smile.

There’s work left to do. There’s money left to spend.

Then just do it. Just spend the money. Then, it will be decided which one will survive first.

— That’s right, Mr. Chairman.

“yes?”

Vice Chairman In and I exchanged meaningful smiles.

“What is it, you two?”

It was the bold voice of Han Jang-soo, who made it seem as if there was something that only he did not know.

I still couldn’t feel what kind of conversation had taken place between us, what kind of communication had taken place.

It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to know.

No, I wish I didn’t know, Han Jang-soo added.

“Anyway, it’s amazing. This is all an achievement that Chairman Kang alone has made.”

“no.”

I answered.

“Our cocoa, no, we all achieved it together.”

“I would appreciate it if you would think so.”

Vice Chairman In smiled brightly at Han Jang-soo’s answer.

I laughed along too.

Han Jang-su was an important person to me.

Of course, Lee Jong-suk, Im Kyung-jun, Yoo Jae-hong, Nam Hyun-seung of Baekgye and Lee Seok-hwan of Pangku, and others······. Anyway, I can’t list all the names I remember, but the countless people who have passed through my life are all equally important.

It has been that way so far, and it will continue to be that way.

Whether you like money or not is not an important issue.

There is only one thing that is important.

As long as I live, I will never stop. The happiness and development of humanity will continue forever, as if it were reaching the ends of this universe.

There is only one.

Someday I will be able to say it too.

I can confidently say that at every moment of my life, money has loved me, and I, too, have loved money.

– end.

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