Chapter 224: Not a Good Choice

After Kim Mu-hyeok left the banquet hal, the people in the dining area resumed their conversations.

Seo Mang-geon from JC Foods and S Yong-geon from Il-sung met face-to-face foor the first time in a while.

“Brother, it’s been a long time.”

Seo Yong-geon approached Seo Mang-geon first. Turning awayrom his previous conversation, Seo Mang-geon glanced at the sour of the voice.

Upon recognizing the owner of the voice, Seo Mang-geon’s brow furrowed slitly. After asking for the other person’s understanding, he coldly addressed Seo Yong-geon.

“Yeah. Yong-geon, it’s been a while.”

“Uncle, it’s nice to see you again.”

Seo Jae-sang, who stood nearby, awkwardly greeted Seo Yong-geon. Seo Yong-geon nodded back in silence after receiving greetings from Seo Jae-sang.

A brief, uncomfortable silence fell over them until Seo Yong-geon broke it first.

“Brother, can we talk quietly?”

“Is there anything left for us to discuss?”

“Brother!”

Seo Yong-geon’s voice rose sharply as he interjected. The piercing tone made Seo Mang-geon’s expression stiffe

“Are you raising your voice at me right now?”

“Don’t make a scene. Let’s talk privately, just the two of us.”

“Alright. Let’s hear what you have to say. Jae-sang, continue talking with the others.”

Leaving Seo Jae-sang behind after a nod, the brothers Seo Mang-geon and Seo Yong-geon med to a corner of the dining hall.

The two sat in silence, staring at each other’s faces for a long time.

The awkward silence lingered, and once again, Seo Yong-geon was the first to speak.

“Brother, what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you team up with Kim Mu-hyeok?”

The power struggle for management rights in JC Foods had captured the industry’s attention, and Seo Yong-geon had been closely following it.

“Should I just sit back and let my management rights be snatched away? Like how you lost Il-sung?””

“Brother, do you really think I took Il-sung from you? That’s noot how it went. You tried to take it from father and ended up backfiring.”

With those bold words, Seo Mang-geon clenched his fist, s wrinkled hands trembling.

“…What did you say?”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it? If you hadn’t made that mistake, you would have inherited it smoothly. Well, if that was the case, Il-sung wouldn’t even existt today.”

Seo Mang-geon had thought he coulsideline the founding father in the back room while claiming the throne himself, but he had failed to consider the variable of Cheon Tae-san.

With Cheon Tae-san’s emergence, all thares of goodwill that Seo Mang-geon had secured vanisheinto thin air.

In an instant, his greed had pushed him out from his position as the prince of Il-sung. Remembering that ttime, Seo Yong-geon spat out,

“You led me to this!”

“That’s just your interpretation.”

As Seo Yong-geon sneered, Seo Mang-geon’s contorted face gr red with anger.

“You manipulated me!”

“I never did such a thing.”

The two exchanged glares, sparks flying as their conversation remained at a standstill.

“And let’s say I did manipulate you. That only means you’re foolish for falling for it. Because of me inheriting Il-sung, I’m able to securee this position now. Il-sung will soon surpass DDaehyeon.”

“…”

Seo Mang-geon trembled with rage,is lips pressed tight as emotions boiled underneath.

“Aren’t you a member of Il-sung too? Yet you chose to ally with Kim Mu-hyek. How did you fall so low? Do you believe surrendering to him is better than to your own brother?”

A mocking smirk deepened on Seo Yong-geon’s lips. He continually referred to him as brother, yet the underlying sentiment was one of disdain.

“I’m different from you. I’ve prepared every strategy to safeguard the management rights—even if your shares from Il-sung are combined with mmine.”

The decision to relinquish shares of Il-sung was known only to SSeo Yong-geon and a select few close associates. Yet, Seo Yong-geon was already aware of it.

Noticing that fact, Seo Mang-geon’s expression harden even more.

“If I win this time, JC’s name will vanish from the Republic of Korea. When I commit, I see it through. You know that better than anyone else.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Whether it’s a threat or advice, time will tell.”

Seo Mang-geon, shutting his mouthglared at Seo Yong-geon. His eyes were filled with swirling emotions.

“You’ve always been like this. Your condescending gaze, your tone, your actions. I’ve hated every single part of it.”

Watching him speak with disdain, Seo Yong-geon shook his head.

“I’ve never looked down on you, brother. The one with insecurity is you, don’t you see?”

“Enough. I have nothing more to say. Is this why we needed to talk alone? Just to exchange these words?”

With a sly grin, Seo Yong-geon suddenly wiped his expression clean and shook his head slightly.

“Yet, we’re still blood relatives, aren’t we?”

“Ha ha ha! Blood relatives?”

Seo Mang-geon erupted into heartyaughter, as if hearing something absurd. But for just a moment, his expression chilled.

“Then you should’ve helped me this time. An open bribery ad appeared on all the front pages of newspapers. And Eva’s representatives have been giving interviews non-stop. But you didn’t even make contact? You must just be waiting for us to fold.”

Seo Mang-geon’s gaze grew sharp. that beast who claimed to be his brother was waiting for JC Group to collapse, it was all but certain.

“You mean you want me to cave in and reach out to you for help?”

“Is that a problem? If that did happen, would I have ignored your call for help?”

“Huh…”

With that shameless retort, Seo Mang-geon released a deep sig

“Enough. I don’t want to hear anything more from you.”

Seo Mang-geon stood up first. Wating him, Seo Yong-geon threw out his last words.

“You’re going to regret this, brother.”

“Whether I’ll regret it or you will is something time will reveal, just as you said. By the way, today, Kim Mu-hyeok’s influence is far reater than I expected. He’s apparently handing over all authority regarding Russian investments to him. How do you feel about that?”

Mocking, Seo Mang-geon shrugged and turnedack toward the dining hall.

Though it was the fox with the tiger’s name that held sway, Seo Yong-geon could only glare at the back of his head, unable to argue further.

From a distance, Seo Jae-sang, noticing Seo Mang-geon’s approaching figur excused himself from his conversation and hurried toward him.

“Father.”

“I’m fine.”

Seo Jae-sang, hurriedly supporting the visibly exhausted Seo Mang-geon, asked,

“Did you fight with Uncle?”

Seo Mang-geon flinched slightly b shook his head. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he suddenly asked,

“…What did you see today?”

“Huh?”

“What did you feel being here today?”

At the question, Seo Jae-sang glanced around. Numerous Korean and Russian entrepreneurs mingled, engaged in conversation.

“From what I see, many people find the country of Russia quite appealing. Just look at the ones gathered here; they are the ones who sustain the Korean economy, aren’t they?”

Seo Mang-geon nodded. Clearing hithroat, he locked eyes with Seo Jae-sang.

“Yes. Everyone wants to invest in Russia’s future. But the authority is in the hands of that loan shark, Kim Mu-hyeok, whom you didn’t reard. What do you think about that?”

Seo Jae-sang’s face flushed red. Rather than berating him, Seo Mang-geon continued gently.

“Your world isn’t the only one out there.”

“I’m sorry, Father.”

“I know you feel inferior to Jae-hoon. However, there’s no reason or need to compare yourself with him.”

Seo Mang-geon thoroughly understo the inadequacy his son felt. Giving a gentle pat on Seo Jae-sang’s shoulder, he scanned their surroundings and said,

“It’s time to look beyond the narrow confines of Korea and see the world. Aren’t you curious about how that young man, Kim Mu-hyeok, will grow? He’s soeone who will live in your era. So I trust you’ll know what to do next.”

“Yes, I will cherish that deeply, Father.”

“Alright, that’s enough.”

A firm answer brought a deep smile to Seo Mang-geon’s face.

* * *

Following Director Poloshin, I arrived at the suite on the top floor of the Goryeo Hotel. As Poloshin opened the door, he said,

“You can go in now. You requested a private meeting.”

As I stepped inside, I found President Putin sitting alone in the spacious suite’s living room, having a drink.

“Mr. President.”

“Mu-hyeok. Welcome. Sit down, sit down.”

As I sat on the couch across from him, Putin poured some liquor into my glass.

Lifting my glass, he smiled warmly.

“Let’s make a toast.”

After clinking our glasses, we downed our drinks in one go. The sharp aroma of vodka filled the air.

“Vodka is truly the best drink. Sipping on wine all night at the banquet was just so torturous.”

“Is that so? I sometimes miss the vodka I drank in Russia.”

“Kim, you seem to hold your liquor better than I expected. This is not a slight, by the way.”

“I know, Mr. President.”

As our glasses exchanged hands and the atmosphere grew relaxed, Putin suddenly threw in a joke. I could tell he was treating me more comfortably.

“How did you find my gift?”

“I was surprised. I didn’t imagine you would delegate all power concerning Russian investments to a foreigner.”

“What does it matter that he’s Korean? What’s key is whether I can trust him or not. That’s what truly matters to me.”

A smile crept onto my face. Finally, the efforts to gain Putin’s trust were being rewarded.

It was like winning a lottery ticket that could lead to lucrative rights in Russian underground resources.

Thanks to that, Korean companies were left with no choice but to please me.

That alone was enough to give me an edge in the head-on battle against Il-sung. The moment the othher large corporations chose Il-sung’s side, investmentss in Russia would disappear into thin air.

“Thank you for placing your trust in me; I will repay you in kind.”

The previously upbeat atmosphere dropped quickly when Putin mentioned Roman.

“Have you heard about Chairman Roman?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he was such a foolish man.”

As I bowed my head, Putin waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s fine. Would you think Kim would know better?”

“I knew he was greedy. That’s why I thought he would be the best fit for the job.”

Putin seemed to agree as he nodded, slowly swirling his drink.

“I, too, didn’t think he was that foolish. I’ve already detained Berezovsky, though.”

“I heard about that from Medvedev.”

“Honestly, I’d rather just have him killed…”

The omnipotent powerholder Putin could kill him at any moment if he wished. But that was not the right course of action.

“…It’s not a good choice, Mr. President.”

“I know.”

“What are you planning to do about Chairman Roman? Do you still intend to eliminate him?”

“I’m not sure. I’m still contemplating.”

Finishing his drink in one gulp, Putin set his glass down.

“He’s foolish, but he also knows how to be humble.”

Putin seemed to have a lot on his mind regarding Roman’s traits.

“If you’re not planning to wipe out the oligarchs completely, he’s the best candidate for the job.”

“However, he made a very big mistake this time. I definitely afforded him an opportunity. Though you recommended him, the Roman I saw struck me as a greedy individual.”

Pouring more liquor into his glass, I followed suit and filled mine. I was so focused on Putin’s words that I splashed a bit.

“But greed can be too excessive.”

“It’ll be hard to nationalize all of Russia’s industries as they were during the Soviet era. If that happened, no one would invest in Russia.”

With the transformation from the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation, many state-owned companies were privatized.

While they hadn’t passed management rights to foreigners, they provided Russian enterprises an opportunity to invite overseas investments.

Of course, many side effects came with it, but drastic changes usually come with pain.

However, if you decide to abandon all this and revert to the past, Russia would end up isolated just like before. Putin was well aware of that fact.

“I’m not thinking of nationalizing all companies. Neither will I conduct things like during Yeltsin’s era.”

“I think it’s better to use Roman to control the private companies. He made a mistake once, but he’s not foolish enough to repeat it. In fact, it might be his shackle.”

As Putin stroked his chin, he entered deep thought. While he was pondering, I sipped on my drink and awaited his response.

After some time, Putin finally opened his mouth.

“Alright, let’s go with that. But why are you so invested in Chairman Roman?”

I chuckled lightly at his questioning gaze.

“Of course, because it will be beneficial to you, Mr. President. And I do like him as a person too.”

Putin nodded, possibly expecting this response.

“Well, since the moment you visited me, I knew Mu-hyeok had impeccable foresight. I’m talking about when no one thought I would become president.”

Rather than say I approached him knowing his future, I offered a shy smile.

“By the way, I heard the nobility in Europe are in quite the uproar due to Mu-hyeok…”

The mention of them came from Putin. The direct warnings I received regarding them came through Putin too.

“I’ve received reports that one family is suffering due to you. They’re discussing how to resolve it.”

Putin’s words instantly wiped away the drunken haze I was in.