Free Web NovelThey had clearly accounted for the possibility that we might resist—that’s why they’d brought so many men—but despite that, their attitude wasn’t exactly coercive.
“I’ll lead the way. Please follow me.”
The place they brought us to wasn’t far from the airport.
A building with no signage.
From the outside, it looked nondescript, but the interior was surprisingly clean.
“The Prosecutor General will be arriving shortly.”
Once we reached the inner room furnished with a sofa and a table, the man said only that before stepping outside.
Only Igor and Chief Ma were allowed to follow me inside.
The rest of the mercenaries were waiting outside the building.
“I’ve already contacted Eric.”
It seemed Igor had gotten in touch ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) with Eric the moment the situation began to escalate.
I slowly shook my head.
“It’s probably because I met with Berezovsky. The news came out yesterday that Yeltsin collapsed, and if the Prosecutor General is making moves, it means Prime Minister Primakov gave the order.”
Igor’s eyes widened at my words.
“If the Prime Minister is involved, it’s a much bigger problem.”
Primakov, considered Yeltsin’s rival and potential successor, had likely seen Yeltsin’s hospitalization as an opportunity to expose his corruption.
And the opening move was Berezovsky’s misdeeds.
Primakov hadn’t gone through FSB Director Putin—he had instead mobilized Prosecutor General Yury Skuratov to initiate the investigation.
It was surprising that I ended up being the first target, but then again, even Yeltsin’s hospitalization happened two months earlier than in the original timeline. I could handle this level of deviation.
“Still, it was good you contacted Eric.”
The only concern was that Prime Minister Primakov had been fiercely critical of the U.S. and NATO’s involvement in the Kosovo War.
And Black Bear was deployed right in the middle of that war.
But that wasn’t the issue now. Right now, overcoming the foreign exchange crisis took priority.
A short while later, the door opened, and a man in a black suit walked in.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Yury Skuratov.”
Without any formalities, he got straight to the point.
“Do you know why you’ve been summoned here, Mr. Kim Muhyuk?”
“No idea.”
“We are currently investigating Berezovsky for various corruption charges linked to the Kremlin. You’ve been observed meeting with him frequently lately...”
So the Prime Minister’s side had been wiretapping, filming, and tailing Berezovsky this whole time, huh?
“I came to Russia purely to make investments. I happened to be introduced to Berezovsky through Igor here, while trying to meet with local businesspeople. Is meeting with another businessman a crime in Russia?”
“Hah... Mr. Kim, you seem to misunderstand. We also know that you’ve been in contact with the Kremlin.”
“Then please tell me exactly why I’ve been summoned. If discussing investment is a crime in this country, maybe I need to reconsider.” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“Mr. Kim!”
The calm atmosphere didn’t last long.
My conversation with Skuratov went nowhere—it was just two tracks running parallel.
It’s not like I did any business with Berezovsky. And even if I had, only a fool would admit it here.
“What did you discuss with Chief Yumashev?”
“I asked about issuing government bonds. But I chose to invest in Gazprom corporate bonds instead—they seemed more trustworthy.”
“Did you offer a bribe?”
“A bribe?”
“Did you offer any bribes in exchange for issuing those corporate bonds?” ƒгeewebnovёl.com
“Why the hell would I do that? I came to invest in a collapsing Russia—shouldn’t you be paying me instead? You think I’d be stupid enough to bribe someone to buy your country’s failing debt? Would you?”
“What did you just say?”
I found myself shaking my head involuntarily.
So this is Primakov’s so-called sword? No wonder he fell so easily to Putin’s counterstrike.
“That’s enough, Prosecutor General.”
Just as the unproductive conversation dragged on, the door opened again, and in walked Prime Minister Primakov.
“You must be Kim Muhyuk. Nice to meet you. I’m Yevgeny Primakov—somehow ended up as Prime Minister.”
I stood up and took the hand he extended.
“Pleasure to meet you. I heard you played a key role in establishing diplomatic ties between South Korea and the Soviet Union. It’s an honor.”
“You remember that? Young man, you sure know a lot. Please, have a seat. I hope the trip here wasn’t too uncomfortable?”
“There was nothing particularly uncomfortable... except for the hundreds of police. Thought a war had broken out.”
“Haha. I apologize. I know exactly what kind of company Black Bear is, you see.”
I hadn’t expected Prime Minister Primakov to show up in person.
“I’d like your help catching Berezovsky.”
He wasted no time getting to the point.
“I haven’t done anything with Chairman Berezovsky.”
“I know. You’re investing in Gazprom.”
“Then why block my departure?”
“Listen. I plan to summon Berezovsky to the prosecutor’s office soon. We’ve uncovered some of his crimes, but we’re still missing the smoking gun—the blow that can take him down.”
I briefly imagined siding with Primakov instead of Putin, and helping him eliminate Yeltsin and the oligarchs.
But I couldn’t see how that would benefit me.
The people backing Primakov were Soviet nostalgists.
“We only met a few times.”
“You must’ve shared some kind of secret. A conversation important enough for a man to be shot dead by his own driver in the middle of the city.”
Primakov took off his glasses and started cleaning them, speaking as if it were nothing of consequence.
Having served as Foreign Minister for years, he was an expert observer. His eyes never left mine.
“I was shocked too. The man just pulled out a gun. But we didn’t have any secret discussions.”
“Don’t you want to return to Korea? There’s nothing to gain by dragging this out.”
Primakov’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
“Is that a threat?”
“From me? You’re misunderstanding.”
Ah, right. I’d forgotten this was Russia.
I really wanted to smack that smirking face of his.
“Well, what’s the big deal if I get back to Korea a little late? Thanks to you, I can take a nice vacation.”
“Why take the hard road when there’s an easy one?”
“I’m not interested in Russian politics. I came here as a businessman. I don’t care for dirty political games.”
Finished wiping his glasses, Primakov put them back on.
“Tell me what you discussed in that car. That’s all I ask, and I’ll grant you clearance to leave.”
‘This is a secret between just you and me.’
Berezovsky’s warning came to mind.
No matter what this guy tried, he would never beat Yeltsin.
Sure, if I helped him, maybe he could pull off a reversal. But the odds weren’t in his favor.
“I thanked him for introducing me to Chief Yumashev and for helping with the Gazprom investment. He also said he appreciated that I was investing in Russia despite the hard times.”
“...Very well. Contact me if you change your mind.”
Apparently, my face betrayed no intention of saying more. He stood up, shaking his head.
“So you're saying I’m to be held here indefinitely?”
He didn’t answer, but the silence said enough.
“Prime Minister, are you doing this because I’m a Korean citizen? Would you have done the same if I were American?”
Primakov turned away, as if he had nothing more to say.
“If you leave things like this, the aid from the IMF and the U.S. will be delayed.”
At that, Primakov paused.
“You have that kind of power?”
“Chief Ma.”
I took the phone Chief Ma handed me and called Rubin.
“Yes, Secretary. This is Kim Muhyuk.”
— Oh! Charlie. What’s going on?
I gave him a quick rundown of my current situation.
— Put him on.
Primakov seemed amused by my boldness.
“Please, take the call. It’s Secretary Rubin from the U.S. Treasury.”
I raised the phone and wiggled it slightly with a shrug.
“Not going to answer?”
Primakov frowned and finally took the phone.
His English was surprisingly fluent.
“That’s really Secretary Rubin?”
I couldn’t hear the contents of the call, but from Primakov’s tone, I could guess what was being said.
The U.S. wouldn’t go to war with Russia over me, but delaying support a bit? That was doable.
For Rubin too, the first time was the hard part. The second time would be easy.
Eventually, Primakov returned the phone with a contorted face.
“Yes, Secretary.”
— I gave a warning, but Russia is not Korea or Japan. The White House will never move because of you.
“I understand.”
As I ended the call, I glanced at Primakov’s face.
He had already composed himself again.
“Would you prefer to speak with the President of South Korea instead? If a diplomatic incident happens because of me, Yumashev and Berezovsky will be thrilled.”
The pressure from the U.S. and protests from Korea might not mean much to him.
But they could become a weakness.
At last, Primakov’s mask cracked.
“Can you handle the consequences?”
“I’ll be reconsidering all investments in Russia. And I’ll give interviews to both American and Russian media.”
“...”
“A businessman came here to help Russia and was unlawfully detained and threatened by the country’s Prime Minister. So I’m pulling my investments. What kind of investor would willingly deal with a country where the man appointed to save the economy acts like this?”
Primakov’s face turned beet red with rage, but he didn’t refute a single word.
Right now, he was no different from a conscript nearing discharge, watching every step so he didn’t screw up before leaving.
I waved the phone lightly.
“Should I call?”
Primakov didn’t respond. He simply turned his back and gave an order to Prosecutor General Skuratov as he walked out.
“Let him go.”
“But...”
“It’s fine. He wasn’t part of the original plan anyway. Even if we stick to our initial course, we still have a chance.”
“Understood.”
Before leaving, Primakov shot me a glare, then disappeared from sight.
Skuratov wrapped things up in his place.
“Please forget what happened here.”
“I’m not interested in your power struggles. May I leave now?”
I stood up with a light laugh.
“And would you be so kind as to reinstate our takeoff clearance? Thanks to the Prosecutor General, our schedule’s a mess.”
“I’ll call the airport to ensure you can depart immediately.”
From the car, I dialed Putin.
“Director.”
— ...
“You probably already know, so I’ll keep it short. This is the moment I mentioned. I hope you make the right choice.”
I ended the call with just that.
“What a damn eventful day.”
I said it playfully, but no one in the car was laughing.
We arrived at the airport.
We skipped departure procedures entirely, and the moment we boarded the private jet, takeoff clearance was granted.
The plane lifted off without a hitch, heading for Gimpo Airport.
The tumultuous year of 1998 had ended—and a new year was dawning.
