Free Web NovelAfter Yoon Changho’s press conference, momentum for launching the new party began to build rapidly.
Starting with the young reformist members of the Conservative Party—whom we had already sounded out—even some from the Progressive Party began expressing interest in joining.
Of course, that was thanks to my efforts.
Those who could be bought with money were bought. Those who couldn’t? I blackmailed with their weaknesses if I had to.
I did everything within my power.
Even though the party hadn’t officially been launched yet, its approval rating in public polls had already surpassed that of the Conservatives, landing it in second place—proof of the growing national interest.
While working on this project, I’d visited several secret locations, and the need for a truly secure space free from information leaks became clear.
I asked Lee Sanggeun to arrange a private location, a place that would accept no customers—one that only I could use.
The first person I met there was Han Kyungyeong.
“Oh, this place has a nice vibe.”
Han Kyungyeong looked around the empty shop.
From the outside, it looked like a closed restaurant, but there was a hidden [N O V E L I G H T] entrance through the underground parking garage.
The concealed underground room was small but styled luxuriously, like a hotel suite—comfortable and most importantly, soundproof and wiretap-proof.
There was only one staff member, who handled both cooking and service.
“Not bad, right?”
I picked up the whiskey on the table and poured him a glass.
“You’re heading to the U.S. right after China, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“No matter how busy you are, you need to come back to Korea for Yoon Changho’s party launch ceremony.”
“Just let me know in advance and I’ll clear my schedule. But don’t you think you’re getting too involved in politics?”
Han Kyungyeong dropped an ice cube into his glass with the tongs and voiced his concern. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
“I don’t have much choice. There are domestic circumstances to consider. Once things settle down, I won’t have to get involved so directly.”
“You should’ve just taken U.S. citizenship. They offered, didn’t they?”
“America doesn’t really separate politics from business either. It’s actually harder over there. Political donations and lobbying are legal, remember?”
“Still seems better than Korea.”
“Just trust me.”
“Well, you’ve never made a wrong call. I’ll give you that.”
He raised his glass.
The clink of glassware echoed crisply through the quiet room.
“Eric contacted me—asked when you’re coming to the States.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I heard they pulled out of Kosovo and deployed again into another African civil war?”
“Doing well, I see.”
Black Bear was steadily expanding its number of mercenaries.
It had cost astronomical sums, but with Dreamhigh’s financial backing, we kept acquiring the best gear and talent.
“Why are you building a mercenary company like that?”
“Insurance. Look at what happened in Hong Kong. Without Black Bear, things would’ve gone badly.”
“You’ve made enough money by now. You could slow down a little. Why insist on taking over even the shadows, not just the spotlight?”
I laughed softly, and he gave me a puzzled look.
“Have you ever thought that the world we know... might not be all there is?”
“What, are you a conspiracy theorist now?”
“The Rothschild family definitely exists. And there are other families too. I’m telling you—they do exist.”
His eyes were skeptical.
But I was convinced. And it wasn’t just because of something Putin had once said to me.
“We don’t know how far their influence reaches. Maybe they haven’t moved against me yet because I’m not a big enough threat—or maybe they’re already watching.”
Even I vaguely remembered the conspiracy theories floating around.
But what if they were true?
How much wealth and power do they hold?
And what impact could that centuries-old financial and political power have on my future?
“Well... I did notice during the Russian bond purchase that someone was shadowing our moves. I thought at the time we might be under surveillance too.”
“Still haven’t found out who?”
“No. They funneled the money through several shell companies—it’s impossible to trace.”
Han Kyungyeong had clearly been digging, bothered by the whole situation.
“There’s no need to be afraid of them. We walk our own path. We don’t need to cower just because they’re tailing us. We just have to be ready.”
He seemed convinced and nodded quietly.
“Alright. I’ll leave that to you. For now, I need to focus on China.”
“Did you look into the companies?”
“I already sent staff over. Meetings are scheduled. Whether or not they’ll take the investment is up in the air, though.”
“They probably will. They need the capital. The question is how much we invest and how much equity we get in return. Foreign investors can’t hold controlling interest in Chinese firms. If negotiations stall, let me know.”
Was it South Africa...? Some firm bought 32% of Tencent shares for a pittance.
I couldn’t recall exactly, but I think it was in the mid-to-late 2000s.
There probably weren’t any competitors yet.
“If there’s no competition and they don’t hate money, it shouldn’t be hard. I’ll make sure you don’t have to come to China yourself.”
“Confident, huh?”
When I chuckled, Han Kyungyeong shot me a sideways glance.
“But wouldn’t Eva be more suited to this? Especially since it’s China?”
“Your name carries more weight than Eva’s. The Chinese care a lot about appearances—image, even if it’s all for show.”
“You mean marketing it as a Dreamhigh-backed investment?”
“In the long run, Eva will handle all our China-related investments. But right now, she doesn’t have enough name recognition.”
He nodded, but muttered that China still rubbed him the wrong way.
“What about a translator?”
“Luckily, one of our employees is Chinese-American. I sent him ahead.”
“There really are Chinese people everywhere.”
“Well, there are billions of them. And the country’s massive.”
The sound of clinking ice followed Han Kyungyeong’s sigh.
“Did you finish scheduling with Wen Jiabao?”
“Yeah. One event in Beijing, one in Shanghai. He asked me to stick by his side the whole time. Like I’m some kind of accessory...”
Grumbling about feeling like a politician’s ornament, Han Kyungyeong lifted the bottle and topped off my glass.
“Just back him strongly. It’ll pay off.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Knowing that we wouldn’t have much face-to-face time in the coming weeks, we drank late into the night.
Upon arriving in China, Han Kyungyeong’s first event was a public appearance at a Communist Party event alongside Wen Jiabao.
He flaunted their friendship and declared his intent to invest continuously in China.
“Thank you. You helped me save face.”
Wen Jiabao spoke fluent English as he addressed Han.
“It’s all what Muhyuk told me. See you in Shanghai.”
“Do you have other plans while you're here?”
“I’ve got some investment meetings lined up. Whether anything will come of them... well, we’ll see.”
Wen Jiabao looked intrigued when Han mentioned investing in Chinese companies.
“May I ask which companies you're considering?”
“I’m looking at some IT firms. They’re not big yet, but I believe in their future.”
“Ah...”
Disappointment was clearly written across Wen’s face.
Han added slowly.
“I’ll be investing in state-led initiatives too. Joongwoo Group will be scouting factory sites in China soon. I’ll keep my promises, don’t worry.”
“Hahaha... of course.”
Wen laughed awkwardly, perhaps realizing he’d been too transparent.
Leaving him behind, Han moved on toward Zhongguancun in Beijing.
The translator I’d dispatched in advance soon joined him.
“Who’s the first meeting with?”
“Robin Li.”
“What company?”
“Hasn’t been founded yet, but it’s in the works. He was already a well-known IT expert in the U.S.”
With his arms crossed, Han leaned back in his seat, and one eyebrow twitched.
“Apparently, he’s already registered several patents in the U.S. Built websites for multiple Wall Street firms too. After raising two million dollars in funding, he returned to China.”
“He’s already received investment?”
“Only two million dollars. And we’ve received a positive response. But—typical of a Chinese entrepreneur—he’s incredibly stubborn...”
“Well, we’ll see how far that stubbornness goes in front of money.”
The car driving through the streets of Beijing came to a stop.
Han Kyungyeong got out and looked around with a deep sigh.
“...This is really the place?”
“Yes. They said they’re trying to save money, so they’re preparing their startup here.”
It looked like a hotel ready to collapse at any moment.
“Let’s go in for now.”
He stepped toward the building—which could barely be called a hotel, perhaps more of a rundown inn.
The front desk was empty. It was hard to tell if the place was even operating.
Guided by the interpreter, they found the room, and Robin Li opened the door with a smile.
“I’m Robin Li.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m James Han.”
Inside the room, another Chinese man was already waiting.
“This is Xu Yong, my business partner.”
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Xu Yong.”
Robin and Xu Yong offered the only real chair to Han Kyungyeong, then quickly took folding chairs from somewhere and sat down.
The staff member sent as interpreter could only stand awkwardly beside Han, a little pitiful.
“Sorry for asking you to come to such a shabby place. We haven’t secured an office yet,” Robin Li said, scratching his head in embarrassment. ƒreewebɳovel.com
“I heard you already secured funding in the U.S.?”
“It wasn’t much. There’s not much confidence in the Chinese market among Wall Street people. I barely got the $2 million through personal connections.”
So the rumors about them staying here to save money turned out to be true.
Han Kyungyeong nodded indifferently.
“Let’s hear your business plan.”
Robin handed over the business proposal he had prepared, and Han passed it to the staff member to review.
But he preferred direct conversation over documents—people were easier to assess through dialogue.
“How did you even find me? You’re still at the stage of figuring out how to begin, right?”
“You’re a well-known figure.”
Han Kyungyeong smiled nonchalantly at Robin’s puzzled expression.
After Kim Muhyuk had instructed him to invest in Baidu, Han had thoroughly researched Robin Li.
Beyond the staff report from earlier, Robin had made quite a name for himself in the U.S. tech scene. He even held patents on search engine algorithms.
“I’m not that well-known.”
“Giving up a successful future in the States to return to your homeland and take on a challenge—that’s no easy decision. I’d like to hear a proper plan.”
Robin’s explanation followed: the initial goal was to offer search engine services to existing portal sites.
‘He’s probably planning to license his engine to other providers. But that’s not where the money is. He should just create his own portal. If he had enough capital, he’d probably want to.’
Once again, Kim Muhyuk’s predictions were right on the mark.
Having long since given up expecting anything “normal” when it came to Kim Muhyuk, Han shook his head slightly to himself.
“Are you short on money? Or short on technology?”
Robin’s expression flared slightly.
“James! If you’ve come to invest, you should at least show some respect.”
“I need to know the facts to decide how to proceed. I am investing. I just want to hear what it is you really want to do.”
“...”
If they were to become real partners, understanding each other’s vision was crucial.
It was a convincing argument.
“Scrap your current plans. Tell me: how much money would it take to build a search site like Google or Yahoo? I heard Google is already using an algorithm you created. So this is about capital—how much do you need?”
Robin glanced briefly at Xu Yong, then replied.
“Let us discuss it in private.”
“Of course.”
Robin and Xu retreated into the adjoining bedroom and shut the door.
Meanwhile, Han turned to his staff member and asked:
“What do you think?”
“It’s a decent business. But I’m not sure it’s worth investing in.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Well... they’re basically a supplier. There are already plenty of companies in the U.S. with superior technology. I don’t see any unique reason to invest in a Chinese firm.”
“What if they were creating a site like Yahoo?”
“That’s a whole different story.”
Inside the room, Robin and Xu were having a serious discussion.
“What do you think, Xu?”
“About James?”
Xu shrugged.
“I can’t speak for everything, but he’s pretty well known on Wall Street. You might not know since you don’t care much about that world, but he’s a major shareholder in Yahoo, Apple, and Microsoft.”
“He wants us to create something like Google.”
“Isn’t that what you originally wanted to do anyway? You were only trying to license the engine because of funding issues.”
“Well... that’s true, but...”
“What is it?”
Robin hesitated, then mumbled:
“Don’t you think he might threaten our control of the company?”
“This is China. Foreigners can’t hold management rights. You don’t need to be scared from the start. I’m all for it.”
Xu laughed heartily and clapped Robin on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry so much. You came back to China to do what you wanted, right? If it’s James, he’ll definitely fund us.”
“Yeah... you’re right. Let’s talk to him some more...”
“Smart move.”
Robin, having made up his mind, opened the door and returned to the living room with Xu.
“We’ll accept your investment.”
“Good. How much do you need?”
Xu, standing beside Robin, replied.
“We need at least ten million dollars. We won’t be able to build a revenue structure for at least one to two years. We’ll need funds to survive that period.”
