Free Web NovelWhen Putin told me that Yumashev had ordered him to monitor my activities in Russia and report on them, I burst out laughing.
“Hahaha.”
How could I not laugh, when the games of power were exactly the same whether in Korea or Russia?
There was silence on the other end of the line, so I quickly apologized.
“Ah, sorry about that. It just slipped out. You’re free to tell them where I go and who I meet. I don’t have any more appointments anyway. I was just planning to do some sightseeing for the next few days...”
― I see.
“At the moment, you’re in a position where you have no choice but to play nice with them, right? It’s not like Prime Minister Primakov, who was just appointed, even trusts you.”
Yevgeny Primakov, recently appointed Prime Minister, had no ties to Putin.
― Understood. Thank you.
“Director, I said I wanted us to be friends, not just business associates. Still, I appreciate the call. It couldn’t have been easy for you to make it.”
Putin’s power came from Yumashev and the oligarchs. Without their full support, he would have been rotting away in some remote Russian post.
And yet, he still gave me a warning. I liked that.
“Let’s talk again soon.”
― Let’s do that.
That call fully woke me up.
I got out of bed, pulled out a bottle of wine, and sat at the dining table. I stared out at the darkness settling over Moscow and fell into thought.
‘So they want to keep tabs on me, huh.’
I’d already met everyone I needed to in Russia.
Putin had been the real goal from the start—there was no longer any reason to stay.
I picked up the phone and called Chief Ma.
“Let’s go sightseeing in Moscow tomorrow. Talk to Igor, pick some spots, and let me know.”
“Sightseeing, sir?”
Chief Ma sounded slightly taken aback.
I smiled and nodded.
“Looks like the people in power here are quite curious about me. If they’re so interested in my movements, showing them a bit of sightseeing should satisfy them.”
So I spent the next few days touring Moscow with Igor as my guide.
Eventually, Yumashev reached out.
He asked to meet privately, just the two of us.
“Good to see you again.”
Yumashev greeted me with a smile, a stark contrast to our first meeting.
“You too, Chief.”
We exchanged pleasant greetings, and light chatter filled the room.
“How was your Moscow sightseeing?”
So he wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that they’d been watching me, huh?
“Very Russian. The whole city feels like a museum.”
“Haha. I’m glad you saw it that way.”
Our laughter filled the room—both of us hiding our real thoughts.
Yumashev was the one who cut to the chase.
“About the bond purchase...”
“Yes?”
“Instead of government bonds, how about corporate bonds from Gazprom? Wouldn’t that be safer?”
“Gazprom?”
“Yes. They need funding for a new project, but they’re short on capital.”
A new project, huh.
His motives were so transparent I had to suppress a laugh.
“Gazprom is certainly a trustworthy company. But corporate bonds have a lower yield than sovereign ones...”
“We’ll try to match your expectations as best we can.”
Corporate bonds from Gazprom were indeed more reliable than Russian government bonds.
But it still reeked.
“Has this been discussed with Gazprom’s management?”
“Yes, everything’s been settled. As soon as you agree to invest, it can proceed immediately.”
After the fall of the USSR, most state-run enterprises had been sold off to oligarchs under the guise of privatization.
But in truth, over 50% of shares were still held by the Russian government—it was a façade.
Yeltsin treated Gazprom’s assets like his own private vault. He’d freeze their funds at will and release them only when money was brought in—a ridiculous cycle.
This bond issuance was just a way to exploit Gazprom as a proxy, since they couldn’t get what they wanted through government bonds.
“Alright.”
“Wonderful news!”
As soon as I gave my answer, Yumashev’s face lit up with joy.
We agreed to finalize the details in a few days, shook hands, and parted ways.
I remained in Moscow for several more days, met with Gazprom executives, negotiated the amount, rate, and schedule, and signed the contracts.
A total of $200 million in dollar-denominated bonds. $100 million with a 3-year maturity, and $100 million with a 5-year ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ maturity.
“Thank you. This will help us put out a critical fire.”
Gazprom’s management bowed deeply to me.
But it was obvious—half of that $200 million would end up in the hands of Yeltsin’s family.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to invest in such a solid company.”
After the executives left, only Berezovsky and Yumashev remained.
With a wide smile on his face, Yumashev asked me,
“When will the funds arrive?”
“Once I return to Korea, my team will fly to Russia. Everything should be settled then.”
Yumashev nodded with satisfaction.
“Well, I should get going. I have other appointments.”
“Of course. Thank you for coming, even though I’m sure you’re busy with national matters. You didn’t have to come in person for this contract.”
“Haha. But this is a historic moment—Russia hasn’t had a major investment contract like this in a while. I had to witness it myself.”
Yumashev stood up and offered me his hand.
“Let’s meet again.”
Just as I was preparing to return to my hotel—
“Come in my car.”
Berezovsky suddenly approached me with an unexpected suggestion, smiling.
“I have something to tell you, quietly.”
I couldn’t read his intent.
When Chief Ma and Igor shook their heads, Berezovsky added,
“Don’t worry. If I’d planned to do something to you, it would’ve happened already. Igor, you know that too, right?”
Igor didn’t respond, but eventually gave a slight nod.
“Just the two of us?”
“Yes, just three people—driver included.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Boss...”
Chief Ma started to object, but I raised my hand to stop him.
“It’s fine.”
I got into the limo with Berezovsky.
He had all his secretaries and bodyguards ride in a separate vehicle.
“Drive.”
At Berezovsky’s command, the car slowly pulled away.
“I’ve got a lot of enemies. This is the safest place to talk.”
Even with Yeltsin’s backing, his power wasn’t absolute.
At that very moment, the Communist Party still held many seats in parliament and considered the oligarchs their enemies.
Especially Prime Minister Primakov.
“So, what is it you wanted to say privately?”
“Can you connect me to a buyer who could acquire all the companies I own? I’d like to sell them off as soon as possible.”
“Excuse me?”
I had to ask again—he caught me off guard. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
“I know that you—or rather, your associate James Han—has ties with many investment banks in the U.S.”
“We do, yes...”
“Please look into it. Or better yet, if you could buy them all, that’d be even better.”
I didn’t know his exact circumstances, but... was he already expecting his downfall?
Otherwise, there’d be no reason to liquidate.
Even with enemies, no political force currently had the strength to go after Yeltsin.
Only after Yeltsin collapsed two months later would Primakov lead a full-scale investigation into oligarchic corruption.
And Berezovsky, the poster boy for the oligarchs, would be target number one.
But that wasn’t supposed to happen yet...
“It’s too large.”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking you in private.”
“I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t promise anything. Who in their right mind would want to acquire a Russian company right now... Especially ones that were previously state-owned. I’m not sure the Russian government would even allow the sale.”
“I’ll handle that. Just connect me with the investors.”
This man was starting to feel like a liability.
He had already served his purpose—he got me to Putin.
And I had no intention of boarding a sinking ship.
I calmly masked my thoughts and replied.
“Understood. I’ll contact James Han as soon as I return to Korea and have him reach out to U.S. investment banks.”
Only then did Berezovsky’s tense face soften slightly.
“Thanks. Let this be our little secret. Handle it quietly.”
“Understood.”
Soon we arrived at my hotel.
“If this works out well, I’ll gift you a nice estate.”
That was the last thing he said before I got out of the car.
He stepped out with me and extended his hand.
As I grasped his hand, Chief Ma and Igor—standing nearby—simultaneously drew their guns.
Bang!
Gunpowder smoke drifted from the hand not locked in mine.
Berezovsky wore a chilling smile I had never seen on him before.
“I told you, this would be a secret just between us.”
The driver, who’d been with us the entire ride, slumped over toward the window, blood spilling from his head.
A murder in broad daylight—in the middle of Moscow.
“I’ll be waiting for good news.”
Letting go of my hand, Berezovsky patted me on the shoulder a few times and stepped into another car parked nearby.
As his bodyguards moved the driver’s corpse, Berezovsky’s car calmly pulled away from the hotel.
No one stopped him. Not even the police guarding the hotel.
That was the kind of power he wielded in Russia.
“Boss, are you alright?”
Chief Ma holstered his gun as he asked.
I nodded, and Igor along with the other mercenaries finally lowered their weapons.
Under their escort, I returned to the hotel.
“Igor, can someone really be killed in the middle of the city like that?”
“In today’s Russia—yes.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“Felt like a warning.”
“I thought so too.”
“All business is done. Let’s return to Korea tomorrow. Contact the airport and get clearance to leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
Igor saluted and stepped out.
But Chief Ma stayed behind, staring at me.
“What’s with that look, Chief?”
“Don’t ever leave me behind again.”
“Were you worried?”
“This isn’t a joke, Boss.”
“Alright, I got it.”
“Good.”
It must’ve really bothered him—he nagged me twice more after that.
I called Putin and told him I was leaving the next day.
“I’m heading back to Korea tomorrow. I hope we’ll be friends next time I visit Russia.”
Putin didn’t give a clear answer.
― ...See you next time.
By the time I returned, Putin would already be at the center of power.
The connection was made—but who knew what would happen next?
After a light dinner, I turned on the TV before bed.
A talk show was on, but it suddenly switched to breaking news.
Yeltsin had been hospitalized with pneumonia.
I stared blankly at the news anchor seated at the desk.
‘He’s already hospitalized?’
Yeltsin’s pneumonia wasn’t supposed to happen for another two months.
Why did the timeline move up?
Was this part of some calculated operation to eliminate rivals, like in those old conspiracy theories?
‘Putin’s going to gain Yeltsin’s trust even faster now.’
If I’d been just a few months late, it would’ve been much harder to get close to Putin.
The next day.
I arrived at the airport, finished my check-in, and headed to the private gate.
But no matter how long I waited, the gate didn’t open.
Igor asked an airport staff member nearby what was going on, but got only vague answers.
“What’s happening?”
“They say departure clearance hasn’t been granted.”
“Didn’t we get clearance yesterday?”
“Yes, everything was finalized. Takeoff permission, departure time—everything.”
“Find out what’s going on. Fast.”
But there was no need.
“Mr. Kim Muhyuk?”
Two men approached us.
“Who are you?”
Igor stepped forward to block them.
“Prosecutors. You’ll need to come with us.”
“What does the prosecution want?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Will you come quietly—or do we need to arrest you?”
Looked like Prime Minister Primakov was already moving.
Was he planning to use me to get to Berezovsky?
“Let’s go. No point sitting around here if we can’t fly.”
“Smart choice.”
As we stepped away from the terminal, hundreds of armed police were already waiting outside.
I looked around and asked the man who came to fetch me:
“What is this, a war zone?”
“You hired mercenaries, didn’t you? They’re not exactly ordinary people.”
