Chapter 221: Don’t Make Absurd Excuses

Although the IT bubble caused the collapse of many companies, the rapid development of the internet was transforming people’s lives.

I could sit in my office in Myeong-dong and monitor stock markets from across the globe.

“The drop is far worse than expected, isn’t it?”

I had predicted a significant decline due to the Nasdaq index rising over 50%, but this was far too severe.

It wasn’t just fluctuations; trading was halted and a circuit breaker had been triggered. They were trying to buy time for people to calm down, but it was pointless.

Contrary to my expectations, the FRB proceeded with the scheduled interest rate hike. When interest rates rise, funds should flow into bonds, yet the bond market was also unresponsive.

‘Why on earth did they go ahead with the rate hike?’

I couldn’t fathom the FRB’s reasoning.

Clearing my mind, I turned off the monitor.

The game was already in motion. In the U.S., Han Gyeong-yeong was doing his best, while in Japan, Eva was also giving her all.

Perhaps I had been staring at the monitor too long; my eyes felt gritty. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes for a moment.

How much time had passed?

I woke to the sound of knocking on my office door.

Manager Ma entered and bowed slightly.

“Boss, we’ve received contact from Russia.”

“From Russia?”

“Yes, it’s a call from Chairman Roman Abramovich. He wants to speak with you.”

“Hmm…”

The purging of oligarchs in Russia was progressing slowly.

A comprehensive tax investigation into Gusinsky had begun. His media empire, built over nearly a decade, was crumbling.

Ultimately, Gusinsky handed over his media empire to Gazprom through negotiations with Putin.

He fled to Spain with a mere $200 million, leaving behind billions in seized assets.

Sure, $200 million is enough to live on, but he had lost all his influence in Russia.

The fall of Gusinsky, once rumored to manipulate the presidency alongside Berezovsky, was monumental.

“Please connect me.”

I stood up and moved to a comfortable sofa, taking the phone handed to me by Manager Ma.

I could hear English over the receiver.

― Charlie, it’s Roman.

“Yes, Roman. Long time no see.”

It was a familiar voice.

― How have you been?

“Oh, you know me, same old. How about you, Chairman?”

― Um.

I sensed something was off in Roman’s hesitant tone.

Finally, the purge of Berezovsky had begun.

“Is this about Berezovsky?”

― As expected… Charlie knows everything. I reached out because I have a favor to ask.

As I opened the conversation, Roman seemed to relax a bit and continued.

“A favor, huh? Is there anything I can help with?”

― You know Putin is visiting Korea soon, right? I believe I’ll be accompanying him.

“Hmm…”

Putin had planned a visit to East Asia to counter Western influence.

Originally, Korea was to be the last stop, but this time it was the first.

For the Kim Hak-gwon government, it felt like a windfall out of nowhere.

For a Korea surrounded by major powers, relations with Russia were diplomatically significant.

― During that visit, Putin will look for Charlie.

“I don’t see why he would seek me out, especially not in Korea.”

― No, he will definitely look for you. Although I’ve provided some documents about Berezovsky’s corruption, we haven’t completely eliminated him. I believe he will seek your advice.

“Roman, you handed over the documents, and yet you still haven’t caught him?”

A foreboding sensation made me frown.

Berezovsky acquired Sibneft, a state oil company, for a pittance in exchange for supporting Yeltsin. He committed numerous corrupt acts during that process.

He would stop at nothing, including kidnapping, intimidation, and murder. He eliminated several competitors and manipulated the Red Mafia like puppets.

Roman had been at the forefront of that.

It was unthinkable that the opportunistic Roman hadn’t gathered evidence on Berezovsky’s crimes.

― Charlie, the truth is I threatened Berezovsky to transfer his shares in Sibneft. In return, I would help him hide abroad…

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

“What the hell…”

― Please, give Putin a good word for me.

Seriously, I’ve never seen a fool quite like this.

“Listen, Roman. Are you joking? You want to throw away this hard-earned opportunity all because of greed? How could you be so short-sighted?”

When we met in Russia, I had liked Roman quite a bit and had given him some hints.

But it was evident he hadn’t changed. The greedy opportunist Roman made the same choice as before.

― But I owe you a debt of gratitude; you were my benefactor. I wanted to give you a chance. I don’t want you to spend your life in prison.

“For heaven’s sake, don’t make absurd excuses. It’s disgusting that you’re becoming so loathsome.”

I’ve been dealing with enough variables lately; hearing this only intensified my frustration.

In China, Wen Jiabao’s movements were restricted, and in Russia, the purge of Berezovsky was delayed.

It felt like there was some organized effort to obstruct me.

Roman grew silent over the receiver, perhaps taken aback by my harsh demeanor.

I sighed and forced my anger down.

“Roman, if you want to befriend me, don’t ever make excuses. Speak honestly, and I will help you. I actually liked you. Don’t disappoint me.”

― Understood.

“You’ve lost a chance to earn more money due to your small greed. Let’s meet in Korea and discuss. I need to assess the situation myself.”

I hung up the phone abruptly with no further pleasantries.

“Damn it. A single slippery eel has managed to entangle everything!”

“Are you okay?”

Manager Ma asked as he took the mobile phone back.

“It did throw a wrench in our plans, but nothing major. For now, we’ll wait for Putin’s visit. Nothing more has come in, right?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

As I looked at Manager Ma’s calm expression, a bit of clarity returned.

“What about China? Is Wen Jiabao’s movement still restricted?”

“Yes. It appears he is deliberately keeping a low profile due to the Shanghai faction’s pressure. The entry of Elder Jang Dae-ho into the country has also been blocked for now.”

“He must be quite disappointed.”

With Wen Jiabao’s movements stifled, everything had gone awry. China was always a place where variables could arise at any moment.

I should have brought him to Korea as early as possible.

As I pressed my forehead with my hand, Manager Ma added in a comforting tone.

“I believe just meeting you made him happy. I heard from the security detail that he wouldn’t mind living in China.”

“Well, as long as there’s money, being together matters more. For now, keep monitoring China’s movements closely.”

“Understood.”

“You can go now. I need some time alone to sort my thoughts.”

After sending Manager Ma off, I leaned back against the sofa, closing my eyes and immersing myself in thought.

A few days later, on the day Putin, the President of Russia, first visits Korea.

A documentary about Putin aired on TV, and major newspapers were filled with articles emphasizing the significance of his choice to visit Korea first in East Asia.

[Why did Russia’s new President Putin choose Korea as his first destination?]

These were the types of articles circulating. The entire nation was focused on the Korea-Russia summit.

“What time is it at the Goryeo Hotel today?”

“The dinner is set to begin at seven o’clock.”

Putin brought a large contingent of Russian businessmen with him for this visit.

Having been severely impacted by Western capital, Russia needed cooperation with East Asia.

After the summit with Kim Hak-gwon, a dinner with businessmen was scheduled for the night.

“Let’s get going soon.”

“Yes, Boss.”

It didn’t take long to travel from Pyeongchang-dong to the Goryeo Hotel.

The banquet hall at the Goryeo Hotel was eerily quiet, perhaps because most guests hadn’t arrived yet.

As I surveyed the banquet hall, I caught sight of a familiar face.

A friendly-looking man, orchestrating the seating arrangements for Putin’s schedule and the attendees.

“Medvedev!”

Medvedev, who had been speaking with the security team from the Blue House, turned to me.

“Oh! Mr. Kim! Long time no see.”

Medvedev approached me with a beaming smile and embraced me.

“Haha, indeed. I think this is the first time since President Putin’s inauguration ceremony that we’ve met.”

“You don’t come to Russia often enough. It’s been ages since we last had a drink together. You’ve got three days in Korea, so let’s grab dinner sometime.”

“I’m all for it. But will there be time?”

It was a schedule involving a president’s direct visit. It was clear that every moment was tightly packed.

“If it’s late at night, I’m sure it would be fine.”

“Then please contact me later. You’ve come to Korea, so I must treat you right.”

“Great. Let’s chat more later. You’ll probably be seated at the same table as me. I’ll finish up preparations and come find you.”

After a brief conversation, I parted ways with Medvedev.

As I walked toward the tables, I noticed high-ranking officials and chairmen of major corporations gradually entering through the banquet hall’s entrance.

The sight of people clustering together in the spacious banquet hall was reminiscent of an alumni reunion.

“Mr. Kim!”

I turned at the sound calling my name.

It was Kim Seong-hyeok, the chairman of Hyunhwa Group.

“Ah, Chairman Kim! Long time no see.”

I extended my hand with a smile on my face.

“Yes, Mr. Kim. It’s been a while since we met.”

Chairman Kim Seong-hyeok shook my hand, his own face brightening with familiarity.

“I heard that Hyunhwa Group is stabilizing quickly. You’re incredibly capable!”

Having ousted Kim Seong-hak as chairman, Kim Seong-hyeok demonstrated far superior management skills than his brother.

Though he took on the managerial role during the foreign exchange crisis, he swiftly restructured loss-making affiliates to mitigate damage.

At the same time, he made aggressive investments in several sectors.

Thanks to this, Hyunhwa bounced back quicker than other conglomerates.

Although he transferred solid affiliates to Il-sung, he displayed remarrkable decisiveness in eliminating all of Kim Seong-hak’s people.

“It’s all thanks to you, really. Without the need to focus on protecting the management rights, I could concentrate on operating freely.”

Due to the shares I held in Hyunhwa Group, Kim Seong-hyeok didn’t have to unnecessarily tie up company funds to defend management rights.

“I trust Chairman Kim. Just keep doing what you’re doing now.”

“Haha, will do!”

As I chatted with Chairman Kim Seong-hyeok, most of the guests arrived in the banquet hall.

Following the guidance of the Blue House security team and Russian administrative staff, I was seated at my assigned table.

At my table, I sat with Medvedev, the chairman of Gazprom’s board, Lee Hyun-jik, the Prime Minister, and Alexander Poloshin, the head of the administrative office.

Before sitting down, I greeted Prime Minister Lee Hyun-jik.

“Hello there. I’m Kim Mu-hyeok.”

Prime Minister Lee Hyun-jik stared at me intently.

“Who are you?”

“I run a small business. I’m Kim Mu-hyeok.”

“Oh, is that so? Nice to meet you.”

He received my greeting in a rather indifferent manner before turning away.

What a strange person. No surprise he got appointed as the Prime Minister under a Progressive Party government despite being from the Conservative Party.

“Why are you sitting here?”

Seeing me sit at the same table, Prime Minister Lee Hyun-jik questioned with a confused look.

“I was assigned here.”

“What? Don’t joke around. Please go to your original seat.”

I was taken aback by Prime Minister Lee Hyun-jik’s dismissive attitude.

The atmosphere at the table turned frigid.

I stared at him without answering.

“Chairman Kim Mu-hyeok is a friend of Puti and mine, Prime Minister. I personally arranged for him to sit at this table. Is there a problem?”

Surprised, Lee Hyun-jik’s expression changed at Medvedev’s sudden interjection.