Chapter 791: The Puppet Master

I shared a lot of information with Medvedev, who visited almost every day.

“Aren’t you busy? Anyone would think this was your home,” I teased, laughing.

As night fell he naturally came over, and I greeted him with playful criticism.

“Haha. When else would I get an opportunity like this? Aren’t you the busy one, Boss Kim? Even when I visited you in Russia, we never spent this much time together. Coming at night is the only way.”

Medvedev chuckled, his response coated in a playful slyness as he mirrored my laughter.

“Or, do you dislike my visits?”

“It’s not that I dislike it, but I worry about bad rumors. Isn’t it time we started caring about what other people think?”

“What do you mean…?”

Medvedev trailed off, his tone filled with curiosity as he looked at me, clearly not understanding what I was implying.

I realized he had no clue what I was talking about, so I cut straight to the chase.

“The current president is term-limited and can’t run again next time unless the constitution is amended. But amending the constitution is even more difficult.”

In my past life, instead of amending the Russian constitution to eliminate term limits, Putin had passed the torch to someone else. No one knew why, and speculation was rife.

Back then, the U.S. watched figures like Igor Sechin and Sergey Lavrov, close confidants of the president, considering them as potential successors.

Sechin was a highly trusted figure, holding the position of chairman at Rosneft, the second-largest company in Russia after Gazprom.

‘For me, him taking the next seat of power would be the worst-case scenario.’

He was a prominent Siloviki figure who had been the most vocal opponent of my acquisition of Yukos’ subsidiaries.

‘But Sergey Lavrov is no pushover either.’

As the foreign minister, he was the one who represented Russia’s policies and views, taking the president’s place.

He was more conservative than anyone and more dedicated to representing Russia’s interests than anyone else.

‘Medvedev is my only card.’

My deep dive into Russia’s political and economic landscape this time around had changed many things.

Medvedev had risen to the center of power faster than in my previous life, and the ramifications of that were still unknown.

“Hmm… isn’t it still too early to talk about a successor?”

“Time waits for no one, Medvedev. What if a competitor emerges while you’re still resting easy?”

Medvedev and the Siloviki were never going to get along.

A typical bureaucrat like Medvedev and the intelligence and military-born Siloviki were never going to mesh well together.

Moreover, thanks to my meddling, the Oligarchs, who held a significant amount of power in Russia, had joined hands with the Siviki, who’d been pushed out of the power struggle. It was a significant deviation from the future I knew.

······.

“Amending the constitution is difficult for now. The president knows this and so do you. Of course, everyone knows this, but as you know, he is not one to let go of power easily, is he?”

He was so obsessed with power that he wouldn’t let go of it until death.

And judging by his actions in my previous life, I knew his nature well enough. He never hid his lust for power.

“Ultimately he will hand over the presidency to someone he can trust, only to take it back to maintain his power. He’ll make such a decision while considering legal constraints but will keep the backdoor open to maintain his influence.”

Medvedev remained silent.

I understood. It was not an easy subject to answer. Still, I pressed on.

“I’m heading back to Korea now, and I won’t be able to focus on Russia for a while. That’s why I’m bringing this up today.”

There were plenty of opportunities to speak with Medvedev during my stay in Russia.

But today might as well be the last, so I chose to bring up this sensitive subject.

If Manager Ma sorted out the internal strife within Heavenly Group today, I was planning to head back to Korea immediately.

“If you are uncomfortable discussing this, I will stop.”

“······Boss Kim, if the fact that we discussed this leaks out, I could be killed.”

“Do you not trust me? What good would it do me to get rid of you?”

I had no intention of changing the Russian president.

Even if I wanted to, unlike with China and North Korea, Russia wouldn’t be easily swayed.

If variables occurred and someone else took power in Russia, I would at least want it to be Medvedev.

I had already invested a lot in Russia. I may invest more in North Korea later, but right now the investment was much larger in Russia.

Authoritarian states like Russia’s economy tend to fluctuate along with their politics. Hence, I desired political stability in Russia.

“Shall we stop?”

“No. Please continue.”

Medvedev chose to open Pandora’s Box after all.

If someone else were to take power, it would be just a business problem for me, but for Medvedev, it was a matter of life and death. He had no choice.

“You need to manage your image. You need to stop the constant conflict with the Siloviki. Instead, become the mediator between the Oligarchs and the Siviki, and the Siloviki.”

Medvedev was given the presidency in my previous life because he acted as a proper mediator.

“Are you asking me to betray the Oligarchs and the Siviki?”

“Betray?”

He’s had his fair share of politics, yet he still views politics in such black and white terms.

In politics, today’s enemy can be tomorrow’s friend.

Even I, a businessman, know this, yet he, a politician, does not. Well, I guess that makes him perfect for a puppet.

“The Siloviki’s goal is to ensure that the current president’s regime continues so they can safeguard their interests. Therefore, they are a group that will do anything for the sake of his power.”

The current president and the Siloviki were bound by fate. If one collapsed, so would the other.

“The Oligarchs don’t care who is in power, as long as their businesses thrive. The Oligarchs and Siloviki are groups with different motivations.”

They would never bet everything on Medvedev.

“The Siviki might be slightly better. But they are politically incompetent, despite their bureaucratic skills. If they had enough political power, they wouldn’t have been pushed aside by the Siloviki in the first place. They have no choice but to team up with you. They aren’t a group that’s loyal to you.”

As I calmly laid out the reality, Medvedev’s expression became subtle.

Neither the Oligarchs nor the Siviki were part of a community that shared the same fate as Medvedev.

And could reconciling with the Siloviki truly be considered betrayal?

“I’m not telling you to enter the inner circle of the Siloviki. That’s the worst move you could make. Unless you’re from the KGB or FSB, you can’t become a main player. Or at least a general from the army.”

Many media outlets categorized Medvedev as Siloviki when he became the next president.

But the reality was different. Medvedev was always an outsider to the Siloviki.

“The President also wouldn’t want any one faction to grow too powerful. He would think that that power might turn against him.”

By passing Yukos to me, he had curbed the Siloviki’s monopoly. I could get a glimpse of his intentions through that action.

“So, from now on, position yourself not as a representative of one faction, but as a mediator between both.”

“Is that even possible? The Siloviki don’t like me.”

Medvedev expressed his difficulty while frowning.

“If you keep approaching them, they won’t be able to openly ignore you. That would be defying the authority of the President who gave you power. I’m not asking you to chemically combine with them. You just have to play the mediator role.”

I continued to persuade the hesitant Medvedev.

After a long discussion, he finally nodded.

“I’ll try. But, in order to become closer with them, we must throw them a bone.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“It would be great if you did, but… why are you doing this for me? It’s not like it matters to you who becomes the puppet.”

Medvedev already knew the next president would be Putin’s puppet.

So now I needed to be honest with him.

“For me, it’s best if Medvedev, with whom I have a good relationship, becomes the next president. That’s better for my business and my safety, and I believe it will bring greater returns on my investments.”

I believed Medvedev would not forget me if he became a true power in Russia.

Medvedev met my eyes, then slowly nodded.

“I understand. Then I should start preparing now.”

Finally, a satisfying answer. I smiled brightly, grabbed his hand, and patted it.

“Good thinking. It won’t be easy. Mediating between the two axes of power. You may get called a bat but that’s how you’ll survive, Medvedev.”

“If it weren’t for you, Boss Kim, I wouldn’t have made up my mind so easily.”

Medvedev had already gone far off the path he was supposed to walk due to my meddling.

So, it was right to redirect him like this. For me and for him.

“No. Even if it weren’t me, you would have ended up doing so.”

“You’re too modest. I’m not that brave. The next President…”

It wasn’t something he could just do because he wanted to. He ultimately needed to be chosen by that person.

Our conversation ended with a knock at the reception room door.

It was Manager Kim who had knocked.

“There’s a call from Korea.”

Judging by who had come to tell me, the call was probably from Manager Ma.

I nodded and looked at Medvedev. He smiled as he got up.

“I’ll be going now. Don’t bother seeing me out.”

“Alright. I can’t go far anyway.”

“Hahaha. Of course. You need to make a phone call. I’ll come by again tomorrow.”

After seeing Medvedev off, I took the phone from Manager Kim.

“Manager Ma, what happened?”

—The general meeting has just ended, Boss.

“Is that so? Are you hurt?”

I knew there was little chance he was, but I still asked to make sure he was alright.

—I am not hurt.

“That’s a relief. Was it resolved cleanly?”

—Yes. As planned, Im Hwa-soo has been elected as Chairman. Chu Dong-bin will continue as Vice Chairman to help the group transition smoothly, and he has said that he will retire once everything is stable.

So, Chu Dong-bin would remain a subordinate of Yoo Sung-jin until the end. It was unfortunate, but I couldn’t do anything about it.

“He’s saying he’ll follow Yoo Sung-jin. Tell him to do so. No, tell them that I’ll meet Chairman Im Hwa-soo and Vice Chairman Chu Dong-bin when I get back to Seoul. I need to see them at least once.”

—Yes, I will let them know.

If the new chairman of Heavenly Group had been decided, it was time for me to return home.

“Is it okay for me to head back to Korea now?”

I deliberately delayed my return because Manager Ma had been too worried.

—Yes, but how should we deal with Yang Woo-guk and his supporters?

“If you clean up all of them, half of Heavenly Group will be gone?”

—Um… if we just clean up the department head level or higher, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

“What do Chairman Im Hwa-soo and Vice Chairman Chu Dong-bin say?”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Then, Manager Ma’s voice was chilling.

—I don’t think we can entrust everything to them anymore. I think we need to set an example for them.

It seemed like Manager Ma was furious. I decided to respect his opinion.

“Then there’s nothing more to say. Manager Ma, take care of it. Your decision is as good as mine.”

—Thank you, Boss.

“Then, let’s meet in Korea in two days. Let’s get there in the morning, if possible, and finish what needs to be done. It feels like the longest I’ve been away.”

—Yes. I’ll wait for you at the airport.

“Okay then. I’ll hang up since you must be busy.”

As the call ended, Manager Kim spoke with a keen eye.

“I will have the flight permit ready so we can leave the day after tomorrow, Boss.”

I nodded, then looked out the window.

It was time to go back to Korea.