Chapter 128: The Oligarchs of Russia

The oligarchs were the ones who successfully re-elected Yeltsin.

It was a clear demonstration of their hold over the media. They controlled the broadcasting stations and newspapers, airing only bleak images from the Communist era and never broadcasting any negative news since the democratization.

I wondered how far I had run while imagining what Berezovsky was like.

In the distance, the Kremlin caught my eye.

The vehicle carrying me swiftly arrived in front of the hotel.

“Please wait a moment.”

The car stopped, but Igor got out first.

After exchanging a few words with the armed guards outside the hotel, mercenaries got out of another car.

“You can get out now.””

Igor opened the back door for me.

As I got out of the car, I asked him, “Are the hotel guards armed?”

“That’s the norm in Russia.**

The Russian security situation didn’t seem better than I expected.

As I stepped out of the car, I saw mercenaries surround me.

“You can let your guard down once we’re inside the hotel. Even the Red Mafia can’t step inside. Especially if it’s a hotel owned by an oligarch.”

I walked into the hotel surrounded by mercenaries.

When we arrived at the lobby, the mercenaries surrounding me dispersed.

“The meeting place is Berezovsky’s office on the top floor. Half of you will stay in the lobby. The other half will follow me to the top floor. Only me, Black, and the three bosses can enter the room.”

The security was even tighter than when I met Rubin, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

I chuckled in disbelief.

We took a private elevator to the top floor.

As soon as we reached it, the mercenaries were patted down by the guards over there.

“Only three people can go inside,” Igor explained in Russian, and one of Berezovsky’s bodyguards raised his hand.

“Let’s go. If it’s you, Igor, the chairman won’t raise any issues.”

The mercenaries and Berezovsky’s bodyguards faced off, and I walked through them.

The man guiding us knocked on the door at the end of the corridor.

“Chairman, Igor has arrived.”

“Tell him to let us in.”

As I entered, a middle-aged man with slightly receding hairline approached me.

“Oh, Igor! It’s been a while. I heard you joined a mercenary company in America. What brings you to Russia?”

“It’s been a while, Chairman.”

“Hahaha! It’s good to see you. You’re still alive after receiving my mission. You’re here to report on it, right?”

Berezovsky’s relationship with Igor seemed closer than I thought.

After finishing his greeting, Berezovsky turned to me with interest.

“Hello, Chairman. My name is Kim Mu-hyeok.”

I greeted him with a smile.

I spoke to him in perfect Russian.

“So, you’re the owner of Black Bear? You’re younger than I expected. Oh wait, because you’re Oriental, I can’t tell how old you are. I apologize for that.”

“No, I’m still in my twenties.”

Berezovsky smiled and shook my hand. His eyes widened a little in surprise.

“Hahaha! You’re even younger than I thought! So, I hear you requested to meet me through Igor?”

“I want to conduct business in Russia, but I need the permission of an oligarch to do that.”

“Your Russian is quite fluent. Let’s sit down. I always welcome business talks.”

Berezovsky gestured toward the sofa and naturally sat in the main seat first.

Igor stood behind me while Manager Ma sat next to me.

Berezovsky’s friendly smile turned into that of a businessman.

“I agreed to meet you because of the life debt Igor saved me, but what kind of business do you want to discuss?”

The economic crisis in Russia had not affected the oligarchs.

Many Russian businesspeople had already smuggled their domestic capital abroad. So, even if the value of the Ruble dropped or the economy collapsed, it would have no effect on them.

“For now, I’d like to negotiate with the government. I hope you can play the intermediary, Berezovsky.”

Because of Dream High, I was capable of connecting with not only the politicians of Washington, D.C. but also the top figures of Wall Street.

However, I had no connections in Russia. I planned to use the oligarchs as a starting point.

“…”

Berezovsky had not reacted well.

‘He’s probably calculating the profits he would get from me…’

I smiled and waited for him pretend as if I didn’t know.

After a while, Berezovsky spoke up.

“I don’t trust American investors.”

“I know that.”

Considering the things American investors had done to Russia, it would be strange for them to be friendly.

The Wall Street banks, including JP Morgan, did not care what happened to the Russian economy if it meant profit for them.

The Russian government needed investments, so they had no choice but to accept their offers. Many Russian companies went public on the New York Stock Exchange.

However, at present, the stocks were trading at only ten to twenty percent of the offering price. No, it should be said that they were not being traded at all.

This was due to the oligarchs’ close relationship with the American investment banks.

‘Despite everything, he’s still a greedy piece of shit pretending to be patriotic…’

I didn’t like him, but I couldn’t show it.

“I’m not the same as the old men on Wall Street. I want to grow together with Russia. I don’t plan to just extract its resources and run away.”

Russia was a wise investment in the long term. Its abundant underground resources and military power could be a strong support for me.

The era of Yeltsin was gradually coming to an end. Soon, the era of Putin would arrive.

“And how can I trust you?”

Berezovsky did not let his guard down easily.

I held off my impatience and made a more direct statement.

“What will it take for you to trust me?”

“You have to convince me. What’s the point of me teaching you how to do it?”

He was just like an old fox.

He wouldn’t easily reveal his inner thoughts.

“I will give you a stake in every business I do in Russia. I will even make sure to put your name in it.”

It was dirty, but for now, I had no choice but to do this to connect with Putin.

“Haha! Now we can have a proper conversation. You’ve got guts, kid. Don’t you agree, Igor?”

Igor, who was standing behind me, simply lowered his head.

“You’re still as boring as ever.”

Berezovsky, who shook his head, looked at me again.

“Well then, who do you want me to introduce you to? The Prime Minister? Yeltsin? I’m sorry, but Yeltsin’s health has not been good lately. Let’s exclude him.”

Berezovsky boasted that he could introduce me to anyone I wanted.

“You can introduce me to Putin, the head of the FSB.”

“Huh? Putin? But he’s completely unrelated to the economy. He won’t be any help.0”

His baffled reaction was exactly what I was expecting.

“For my purposes, it’s important to have the FSB’s cooperation. It won’t be a problem, will it?”

I provoked him with my question, and he chuckled.

“Hahaha! What a character you are. I know Putin very well. All right, I’ll introduce you, but you might also need Yeltsin’s daughter and his chief of staff. Is that all right?”

“Thank you.”

“Just wait a moment.”

Berezovsky picked up the telephone next to him and called someone.

“Yeah, Vladimir. This is Boris. . . .”

The call was short and lasted only a few minutes. After hanging up, Berezovsky smiled at me smugly.

“He says to meet him at his house tonight.”

“Thank you.”

I finally made a connection with Putin in Russia.

“I’ll treat you to lunch. You too, Igor.”

As Igor looked at me in agreement, I nodded and said, “I’d appreciate it if you could recommend some delicious Russian cuisine. It’s my first time having it.”

“Russian cuisine? I don’t eat Russian food. The chef here is exceptional at making French cuisine. Let’s have that instead.”

Berezovsky led the way and stood up first.

As night fell, we headed to Putin’s house as scheduled.

I turned to Igor, who was in the passenger seat.

“Igor.”

“Yes, boss?”

“You seemed pretty close to Berezovsky back there.”

Igor turned his head to look at me.

“When I served in the military, I helped him once. After the USSR collapsed, he offered me a position under him when I retired, but I wanted to leave Russia.”

“I’m sure the journey to America wasn’t smooth for a Russian soldier like you.”

“That was a long time ago. Thanks to Eric, I was able to join Black Bear.”

I smiled and nodded.

“In the end, you returned to Russia when all was said and done.”

“Russia is still my homeland. However, I don’t want to work under the oligarchs. Their desires are too loathsome.”

“What about me?”

“I’m a soldier and now a mercenary. I only follow orders, and I never make my own judgments.”

I was beginning to like Igor.

“Do you happen to know Putin?”

“I’ve only heard of his name and have never met him. There’s little camaraderie between KGB agents and Soviet soldiers.”

Everywhere in the world, inter-agency power struggles existed.

The car carrying me drove for thirty more minutes before finally arriving at Putin’s house.

Igor got out first and exchanged a few words with Putin before coming back to me.

Igor looked a little uncomfortable as he glanced at me through the car window.

“He wants to meet with you alone.”

“That’s fine.”

“It can be dangerous. You should know the KGB has a bad reputation.”

“If he wanted to harm me, he wouldn’t call me to his home.”

Igor’s concern was expected, but I knew better than anyone else what Putin was like.

I patted Igor on the shoulder several times as I got out of the car.

“You should stay here as well.”

Putin’s desire to talk just the two of us told me that he had some knowledge of me.

“But…”

Igor’s worried expression was the same as before.

I smiled in reply and approached Putin.

“Putin? I’m Kim Mu-hyeok. It’s nice to finaly meet you.”

“I am Vladimir Putin. Pleased to meet you.”

I followed Putin into his house alone.

The front door slowly closed. There was no one in Putin’s house.

I was led to the dining table and made to sit down.

“Would you like some black tea?”

I heard drinking Putin’s black tea is a bad omen…

“I’d prefer coffee.”

“You’re missing out on some good black tea…”

I grinned bitterly inside.

Soon, coffee and black tea arrived. Facing me across the table, Putin placed a cup of coffee in front of me.

“I can’t guarantee its taste.”

“I’ll enjoy it regardless.”

That’s not the problem. I just didn’t want to feel something bordering on murderously intense gaze peering at me like a black tea…

After taking a sip of the warm coffee, I set it down. Putin looked at me, my eyes narrowed at him while he sipped his black tea alone.

“What do you want to meet with me? You can’t be looking to just meet with me, the owner of Black Bear and Dream High.”

As expected, he was the head of the FSB.

He has probably already figured out my identity.