America: My Time

Chapter 1349 Calculation
Chapter 1339 Schemes

"How's the situation in South Korea? After all this commotion, they must be in a tough spot right now. How long can they hold out? Can they refuse the 'goodwill' demands from the US?" John quickly stopped paying attention to the situation in the US. After all, the deed was done, and Morgan and Rockefeller had taken over the reins. Now he needed to focus his energy on Asia, and the situation in South Korea was also under his watchful eye!
"The situation in South Korea is far from ideal. They've already mobilized ordinary people, but this is just a drop in the ocean and won't do much good. It might even exacerbate the conflict and cause public discontent." Lee Boo-jin sighed as she spoke. She was also a little confused about the current situation in South Korea. She didn't understand why those officials would make such a decision. It made no sense and shouldn't have happened!

"Hehe, that's perfectly normal. They don't want to take the blame, they don't want to be branded as incompetent, so naturally they want to find a way to shift the blame. Aren't Soros and his ilk the best choice? Don't worry about their actions. What we need to do is seize the opportunity to take over the Korean market, to grab market share before our American counterparts can act, and not give them a chance to gain the upper hand. As long as we control the market, even if those guys come back in, it won't have a significant impact on us. At that point, we'll be invincible!"

“I will make arrangements, but the situation on the Korean side is so dangerous, and things are not peaceful on the Japanese side either. It will get even worse there. If you ignore those guys’ requests, it will make them take risks and make the situation on the Japanese side get out of control. It may even make them take targeted actions!”

"I know, but I don't think these guys would dare to turn against me directly. Besides, they're too greedy. Don't be fooled by their seemingly smarter, even more submissive, behavior compared to those Koreans. They're inherently greedy and have been watching me closely. If I don't take this opportunity to teach them a lesson and show them when to back down, I'm afraid there will be even bigger trouble in the future. I'm not afraid of them jumping out and causing trouble one by one. What I'm afraid of is them hiding in the shadows, becoming a venomous snake that could ambush me at any time. That's the most dangerous thing."

“However, once they make a move, it will inevitably affect your plans in Japan, and may even affect many of our previous plans. Those guys in Japan have already taken many actions against us, from retail to clothing, automobiles, and even food. This will have a significant impact!” Lee Boo-jin has a good grasp of retail and food, and at least understands the changes in the Japanese market and is aware of the undercurrents in the Japanese market.
"Then let them explode. If they don't, how will we know who our enemies and friends are? Besides, they want to impact our market share, but do they have the capability? Trying to compete with us for market share is wishful thinking. Our advantages are far beyond their reach. We can wage a price war against them. Can they afford it? Even if we earn less, we can use a price war to completely crush them! You don't think all those plans I made before were just for show, do you? You don't think our presence in Southeast Asia was useless!"

Lee Boo-jin sighed when she thought about John's operations in Southeast Asia. Not only would Japan be affected, but South Korea would too. John's operations in Southeast Asia gave them an absolute price advantage in retail and clothing. If a price war broke out, neither South Korea nor Japan would be a match for them, and both would suffer a devastating blow.

"If we really do that, we'll become the target of everyone's criticism and suffer even more consequences?"

Hearing Lee Boo-jin's words, John smiled calmly, shook his head, and said, "No, you're wrong. We won't become the target of everyone's criticism, and we won't be greatly affected. They won't dare to make a big fuss. Do you think life isn't difficult for the lower classes in Japan and South Korea? Do you think those guys don't have any resentment? Just a spark will ignite their discontent and bring boundless disaster to Japan and South Korea. If they are truly angered and their chance of survival is lost, those guys will become incredibly crazy. No one can withstand such an impact."

John is right. Neither Japan nor South Korea dare to oppose him in this regard, nor dare they hinder him in terms of basic necessities. They cannot afford social unrest, nor can they bear the discontent of the lower classes. If things escalate out of control, someone will pay the price, and a heavy one at that. Will the officials be willing to take the blame? No, they won't. They won't shoulder the burden for the conglomerates, nor will they bear the infamy for life. They can't afford such pressure!

John now holds far more cards in his hand than Japan and South Korea can match. Although Japan and South Korea have made some preparations, their efforts are woefully inadequate compared to the overall situation. They lack John's ability to plan for years, even decades, and wait for this day to arrive. Now that their internal crisis has erupted, resolving it in a short time will not be easy.

Although John's performance this time was rather bland, even subtly revealing a hint of resistance and dissatisfaction, would the Japanese really dare to turn against him? No, they wouldn't. At most, they would cautiously probe again and again, gradually testing John's reaction rather than directly confronting him. Controlling vital resources like energy, retail, and food, the Japanese didn't have the confidence to directly confront John; they couldn't afford his retaliation.

John wasn't unaware of the situation in Japan, but he simply didn't care. He wanted to force those guys to make a decision; otherwise, why would John have directly allowed 'Seishin Bank' to short the yen?

Those guys from Japan wanted to test John, and John was testing them in return. They wanted to take advantage of John, and John wanted to take advantage of them in return. Now it all comes down to who has the better tactics and who will have the last laugh.

"Aren't you worried about their safety? In South Korea, those people don't dare to act rashly. At least they don't dare to target me, or anyone else. But Japan is different. This kind of thing has happened more than once. Aren't you worried about their safety at all?" Lee Boo-jin asked doubtfully, a hint of expectation in her eyes.

“You always think those guys are so stupid. If they were really that stupid, they would be easy to deal with, and there wouldn’t be so many problems and troubles. They wouldn’t do that, at least not now. Otherwise, why do you think they would use Miho Nakayama and the others as a test instead of Momoko Kikuchi and the others? They are also afraid, and they understand that there are some things they can’t do, at least not now!” “But aren’t you afraid that those people will incite others to take action? After all, the dark forces in Japan are very ruthless; they will do anything for profit!” Lee Boo-jin still didn’t want to believe in the bottom line of those Japanese guys, because in her eyes, these guys had no bottom line; there was practically nothing they wouldn’t do.

"Don't worry, those guys won't do that. If anyone tries to make a move, they'll stop them immediately. And you don't think the Jaguar Security personnel are just for show, do you? You don't think your security forces are useless. They all have security personnel protecting them. As long as they don't do anything foolish, there won't be any problems. So many years have passed; do you think they'd be foolish enough to do something irrational? Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Don't be intimidated by the pressure I'm putting on them; the greater the pressure, the less those guys will dare to act rashly. At most, they'll use women like Miho Nakayama and Yasuko Sawaguchi to test the waters a bit. Don't worry, the situation you're worried about won't happen!"

John shook his head slightly. He knew those guys in Japan better than Lee Boo-jin. After all, he had known them for over a decade and understood their thoughts much better.

Actually, John did give those guys in Japan opportunities, but they didn't appreciate his good intentions, which led to the current situation. These guys were too greedy, always wanting more benefits while forgetting they didn't have the power to do so. They always tried to take advantage of John. Previously, John hadn't completed his plans and needed to compromise with them, but now he doesn't need to, hence this obvious change!

"You really don't care about Miho Nakayama and the others? I don't think you're that kind of person!"

Hearing Lee Boo-jin's words, John shook his head and said, "Do you think it's useful to talk about this now? From the moment they made their decision, they had to bear all the consequences. It wasn't me who expelled them; they left voluntarily. If I still valued them, how crazy do you think those guys in Japan would become? I can't put others in danger for their sake. That's why I haven't intervened myself, but instead let Akiko handle it. People are all made of flesh and blood. Do you think I'm that heartless, that cruel?"

If he could, John wouldn't want to go too far, nor would he want a direct confrontation with those guys from Japan at this time. But everything was out of his control, and he couldn't back down. Otherwise, the consequences would be even more serious. Some things aren't as simple as they seem.

“Alright, stop thinking so much. Instead of worrying about these things, why don’t you think about how to persuade your father? Do you think your sister’s situation is so easy to resolve? She comes from a family and has received many conveniences and benefits from it. She should bear the responsibilities that come with it. Not everyone can have ‘freedom.’ ‘Freedom’ comes at a price!” John shook his head as he spoke. He didn’t approve of the idea that someone who enjoys the conveniences and benefits brought by their family but doesn’t want to take responsibility and wants to pursue so-called ‘freedom’.

You reap what you sow. You can't just think about enjoying the benefits your family brings without taking on the responsibilities it provides. Even Lee Boo-jin has shouldered her share of responsibilities for her family and done a lot, which John understands. But her sister clearly doesn't have that mindset. Perhaps she hasn't experienced the harsh realities of life, or perhaps she's too selfish.

There are always people who use countless reasons and excuses to avoid taking responsibility. But there's no such thing as a free lunch. If you enjoy the benefits brought by your family, you must bear the responsibility. John, at least, knows very well how carefree that person is in the US, and all that pressure falls on Lee Boo-jin, after all, she's the one who arranged it all!

"I don't know how to persuade her. Her thinking is still so naive, and she is still so self-centered. She hasn't changed at all, which makes me feel helpless!" Lee Boo-jin sighed. She originally thought that with time and experience of society, her sister would change and her views would change. But reality slapped her in the face. Her sister hadn't changed at all and was still doing things her own way!

“You need to let her experience some things. You can’t always take care of her and let her have no pressure. You can’t let her bear all the pressure on her own. You need to let her understand what she should face. Even my children will not be given that kind of ‘freedom’. After enjoying the benefits brought by the family, they must take on their own responsibilities. Unless they can make their own way in the world and do not need the support of the family.”

"Just like you, becoming a conglomerate tycoon?" Lee Boo-jin looked at John with annoyance. In her opinion, a prodigy like John would never appear again. After all, no one could stand at the pinnacle of American conglomerates in less than twenty years, build their own conglomerate, and even control a state!
“No, he doesn’t need to be that strong. It’s enough to have a world-class company. If he can do that, then he can choose for himself and no one will interfere. If he can’t, then he has to obediently follow the family’s arrangements. You don’t think Eva and Allen’s wedding will be that simple, do you?” John shook his head gently as he spoke. John understood that his younger brother and sister’s wedding was still a marriage alliance.

(End of this chapter)