192.
Taelim Insurance meeting room.
The executives who had been kneeling just moments ago had now returned to their seats, each marked with their own name.
The stiff chairs of the meeting room, which they had never once found comfortable, were now cozier than any chair in the world.
That said, their postures weren't sloppy.
They sat up straight and focused.
Their gazes had changed too.
The executives were filled with a will that seemed capable of accomplishing anything.
*So this is why they send people to Marine boot camp? We just banged our heads for a bit, but the efficiency is incredible?*
He was newly astonished.
The executives continued the meeting, thinking they ought to have their heads banged periodically.
"Alright. You understand the situation now, right?"
I briefly filled them in on the current situation.
"Yes, sir!!"
Their voices were good.
Military discipline had fully set in.
Good. Let's go with this.
"So, we need to create a new insurance product."
At my words, Aena nodded.
I pressed the remote and the screen turned on, a PowerPoint filling the display.
**[APRC]**
*(Asia-Pacific Risk Consortium)*
Large letters written in the center of the screen.
"This is the name of the consortium we're creating. APRC will have the China Insurance Association (IAC) and the Philippine Insurance and Reinsurance Association (PIPA) participating."
The executives' eyes widened simultaneously.
The Philippines was one thing, but the China Insurance Association (IAC) was famous for being stuck-up.
Backed by the enormous domestic demand of China,
they were people who wouldn't even snort at ordinary proposals.
And yet, no one had imagined they would participate in APRC.
"We don't have time. We need to create the insurance product quickly."
"We need two types of insurance products."
"One is primary insurance received from shipping companies."
"The other is reinsurance received from insurance companies."
"You know how to do it, right?"
At my question, an executive answered in a timid voice.
"We know, but reinsurance isn't really our area of expertise either..."
His voice trembled.
"It's fine. You just have to work hard. Didn't I say earlier? We would never scold you even if you can't do it. We're a company for life."
At those words, a shiver suddenly ran down his spine.
Words came to mind naturally.
*Death is faster than resignation.*
*No need for written apologies either.*
He suddenly wanted to work hard.
Strangely, he felt like he could do it well.
My words continued.
"The insurance needs to be made like this."
"Premiums reduced by 20% compared to existing rates."
"War, international sanctions, and port blockade risks also covered conditionally."
"Insurance approval changed from 72 hours to 12 hours."
"Expanded coverage."
"Establishment of a fast-track clause allowing immediate payment upon accident occurrence."
As I listed the items that needed to go into the insurance while looking at the screen, one executive spoke up.
"At that level... the conditions are much better than global insurance companies, aren't they?"
"We're latecomers. To win new contracts, we obviously need good conditions."
Another executive answered.
"But I think it's too excessive. I think it would be sufficient even if you took out a few things."
"We won't have problems just from giving a little more. No restaurant has gone bankrupt from giving too much food. Don't worry."
"There is concern it could be abused by the shipowners."
"Finding that out and preparing for it is your job. You want me to make everything and spoon-feed you?"
Instantly, the pleasant atmosphere of the meeting room froze over in a flash.
As the conversation continued, he had momentarily forgotten.
He had mistaken it for an ordinary meeting.
As always, rather than offering ideas, he had highlighted only the drawbacks.
He had lived his whole life that way.
But it wouldn't do here.
The person sitting before them was no ordinary person.
He had to be careful.
Another executive spoke.
"Very well. It's all good, but I think we'll need to negotiate the coverage conditions with the China Insurance Association and the Philippine Insurance and Reinsurance Association. At those conditions, I don't think they would ever accept."
"It doesn't matter. They're just there for show anyway. If necessary, I might give them a few dozen trillion, but receiving a few dozen trillion from them would just be too embarrassing. It's not like we're begging. Think of this as Taelim's independent insurance. So put in whatever you want. I'll take responsibility."
The executives found this situation too unrealistic.
They had knelt and banged their heads as soon as they entered the meeting room.
A man holding a sword was watching from one side of the meeting room.
It was violent.
Yet the meeting content was completely different.
It passed quickly, but it was professional.
Nothing was omitted.
And the most problematic part: profit.
Companies do this work to earn money.
A company is not a charity.
So usually, insurance is designed to collect high premiums
and avoid paying out insurance claims.
All sorts of toxic clauses are hidden in the terms.
But this was the opposite.
Premiums were lowered.
Insurance claims were increased.
Methods to receive insurance money conveniently were included.
And he spoke of tens of trillions as if it were nothing.
As if lacking that amount wouldn't matter at all.
Not hundreds of millions, not billions, but tens of trillions.
Ordinary companies restructure and change employment rules over a few hundred million.
They steal rest from workers and don't provide safety equipment.
But that man said to give everything.
He said no restaurant has gone bankrupt from giving too much food.
They didn't think this was something that could happen in reality.
So they wondered if it might be a dream.
Nevertheless, they strangely believed in him.
No, they wanted to believe in him and rely on him.
That man sitting before them.
I slowly made eye contact with the executives and spoke.
"You heard what I said earlier? Who are the bastards playing around right now?"
"Japan, sir."
"Those Japanese bastards are creeping in trying to swallow our country again. Are we just going to watch? Or are we going to stop them?"
"We have to stop them!!"
"We called those who resisted against foreign invasion the Independence Army."
"?!!"
The executives' expressions changed.
Their eyes grew moist.
"From now on, you are the Independence Army. Not simple insurance peddlers, but the Independence Army!"
"Waaaah~~~~~~"
A noble sense of mission descended upon the executives' shoulders.
An air that seemed capable of accomplishing anything surged forth.
"With the heart of saving the nation, create the insurance. Complete market analysis, insurance design, and risk analysis, and turn it into a product in 24 hours. Can you do it?"
"We can do it!!"
"Your voices are too quiet. Can you say it again?"
"WE CAN DO IT!!!!!"
A voice louder than the Nonsan Training Center echoed through the Taelim Insurance meeting room.
.
.
.
The executives returned to their respective seats almost at a run.
When they returned to their seats, their team leaders and team members were gathered.
They had already arranged meetings by phone.
The executive who checked on his team members caught his breath and spoke with a solemn expression.
"First, no leaving work today. No, we don't know when we'll leave work."
At the incomprehensible words, the team members looked at each other's faces.
"Let's vote. Raise your hand if you absolutely must leave work today."
The office froze instantly.
However, the executive didn't seem to be joking.
His tone was excessively serious,
and his movements were needlessly sharp.
This could absolutely never be a joke.
Naturally, they wanted to leave work.
But they couldn't raise their hands.
"If you want to leave, write a resignation letter and go."
A resignation letter?
No one could raise their hands, terrified by the word resignation.
Unlike the bewildered team members, the executive's expression was extremely satisfied.
"Congratulations. Now you too are the Independence Army."
"Excuse me? What? Independence Army?"
What independence army all of a sudden?
Was that even the right thing to say in this situation?
"Now I will deliver the orders."
"From now on, we design new insurance."
"Within 12 hours, design the new insurance and run simulations."
"Huh? Is that even possible?"
The team leader reflexively tried to protest, but he couldn't.
The executive's eyes weren't normal.
They were half-crazed, eyes seized by madness.
He instinctively realized that no matter what he said to those eyes, it wouldn't work.
"Bring the draft within one hour from now."
"30 minutes to analyze risk cases."
"Attach the reinsurance structure simultaneously with the design."
The orders continued endlessly.
Yet this was exactly the roadmap needed to make insurance.
With a frustrated heart, he turned his head to look at other departments, and the situation was the same elsewhere.
Taelim Insurance itself was seized by madness.
Normally, these were team leaders who would have started with "Us?" "Now?" "This is impossible," but today was different.
The sharp-witted team leaders quietly began to work.
Everyone started typing on keyboards and making phone calls here and there.
Foreign languages popped out from throughout the office,
and printers were spewing out paper like mad.
It was a chaotic scene, but strangely everything meshed together like gears.
In the midst of this, one team leader cautiously asked.
"Director. Even if we make insurance like this, it takes months just to get approval from the FSS. There's no point in rushing like this."
The director, checking the draft on his monitor, answered without taking his eyes from the screen.
"Don't worry. It'll pass in an hour."
"Excuse me?"
Only then did the director take his eyes from the monitor and look at the team leader.
"Team Leader Kim. You know, I'm really proud to be in the Independence Army. I'll never do anything to dishonor that name. So Team Leader Kim, show some will as a member of the Independence Army too."
The moment he heard those words, Team Leader Kim realized.
That the director was not in his right mind.
And that this was not an insurance company.
It was the Independence Army headquarters,
a place trying to block the enemy with insurance and achieve independence.
Team Leader Kim's eyes grew solemn.
He quickly ran to his seat and opened his laptop.
Team Leader Kim intended to contribute to independence in his own way.
.
.
.
Busan.
Ashin Shipping.
Lee Seongcheol, CEO of Ashin Shipping, was sitting in his office, smoking cigarettes.
The ashtray was already full, but the only thing he could do now was smoke.
Lee Seongcheol was truly going crazy.
The company could collapse over nothing.
Ashin Shipping was a container shipping company based in Busan, focusing mainly on Japanese routes.
Busan-Shimonoseki, Busan-Osaka, Busan-Fukuoka.
It operated short, fast, and profitable routes.
But the situation changed drastically when insurance was put on hold.
Work had dried up for the sole reason of having no insurance.
No, strictly speaking there was work, but they couldn't put ships out.
They couldn't sail ships without insurance.
Nor could they let ships sit idle.
Ships cost money even when moored doing nothing.
Including labor costs, port entry and exit fees, berthing fees, anchorage fees, mooring fees, and maintenance costs.
Money leaked out even when they did nothing.
Even if ships didn't move, they had to pay employee salaries.
A ship is only a ship when it's moving.
No, it's not even that we're asking them to lower premiums. Why won't they provide insurance?
Every time he said something, it was "risk holding."
That damn risk holding.
He was sick of it.
That was when.
An alarm popped up on the monitor.
**[Taelim Insurance - Taelim Independence Insurance Information (Conditional coverage for war, sanctions, port blockades)]**
Lee Seongcheol frowned when he saw the subject.
Spam mail.
With rumors circulating that ship insurance was blocked, it was obviously a ploy to bait people with the subject line.
He knew of Taelim Insurance.
He had no interest since it was a company that didn't handle marine insurance.
Marine insurance made by such a place?
He knew what to expect without even looking.
It would be a mess.
These guys were just trying to use this situation to make money;
there was no way they had made proper insurance.
Bastards.
Lee Seongcheol clicked the email.
His mood was already foul, and he had nothing to do.
He would look carefully, analyze item by item, and curse them out.
He would post curses in the shipowners' group chat.
Warning them absolutely not to fall for it.
- Premiums reduced by 20% compared to existing rates
- Conditional coverage for war, sanctions, and blockades
- Immediate primary payment upon accident occurrence
- 24-hour consultation service
Huh?
What was this?
The email was filled with content completely different from Lee Seongcheol's expectations.
Lee Seongcheol read the email from the beginning again.
Even rereading it, the content didn't change.
*Is this for real?* he thought.
The conditions were overwhelmingly better than the insurance Ashin Shipping had previously been enrolled in.
If this was to exploit their desperation and make money, they had succeeded.
His heart shook.
Even knowing it was spam, he was drawn to it.
If they're going to give all this away... you want to trust them just once.
"Manager Kim."
"Yes, CEO."
"I forwarded an email. Look into it. Make sure to check with headquarters, double and triple check. It's important."
"Understood."
"Get the terms and consult with lawyers too. The insurance specialist lawyers."
"Understood."
How much time had passed?
Manager Kim came running, out of breath, with an excited expression.
"C-CEO, I've checked. It's real."
"What?"
"I checked not only Taelim Insurance but also the China Insurance Association (IAC) and the Philippine Insurance and Reinsurance Association (PIPA). They confirmed that they indeed receive reinsurance when accidents occur. They said they formed a consortium called APRC. They said it's a commemorative event for the launch of marine insurance."
"Really?"
"The lawyers said it's an incredibly favorable insurance with no toxic clauses either."
"Really?"
In that instant, the two embraced.
They immediately came to their senses and separated at once, but their excitement remained.
"Sign up for the insurance immediately and prepare to put the ships out."
"Yes. I'll prepare right away."
As Manager Kim left, Lee Seongcheol picked up a cigarette again.
It was the same cigarette, but the taste was completely different from before.
It was sweet.
Looking at the countless ships moored at Busan Port, he said.
"Yeah, a ship is only a ship when she's moving."