Free Web NovelAfter finishing my schedule in Russia, I returned to Korea.
The moment I stepped out of Incheon Airport, I took a deep breath and let out a small, foolish laugh.
“The air in Korea even smells different. Don’t you think so, Manager Ma?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Boring guy.”
Although Manager Ma answered curtly, his face looked a little brighter too.
No wonder — overseas he had more to worry about than usual.
Manager Ma opened the car door for me. As soon as I got in, the door closed.
“Shall we head to Pyeongchang-dong?” he asked from the passenger seat.
Where should we go? After a moment’s thought, I said,
“I’ve been gone for a while, so there’s probably a pile of work waiting. Let’s go to Myeongdong first and handle the backlog.”
“Understood. Depart.”
Manager Ma gave the order to the driver, and the car began to move smoothly.
Before long, we arrived at the Myeongdong office. I was sorting through the documents of what had happened while I was away when my phone rang.
— Mr. Kim.
“Ah, did you handle Medvedev well?”
It was a call from Russia.
I put down the papers and focused on the conversation.
— Yes, thanks to you, it went smoothly. But the investigation into Usoyan and Ivankov will take longer than expected.
“Really? Did something happen?”
— Well, you know Mogilevich suddenly died. Because of Zyuganov’s attention, we’ll probably have to keep them in custody for about a month.
A month was too long. My brow furrowed naturally.
Right now, the Russian underworld was so unstable that nothing would be strange even if chaos erupted at any moment.
The top dog Mogilevich was dead, and the next most powerful — Usoyan and Ivankov — had been detained.
Who knew what new forces might rise next.
“Is Zyuganov really willing to take the political risk of questioning Mogilevich’s death?”
— It seems there are things we don’t yet know.
That kind of defiance against Putin could cost Zyuganov politically.
Yet he was still prying into Mogilevich’s death. There had to be a reason, but for now, there was no way to know it.
“All right. Still, we must release Usoyan early. Otherwise, Moscow could really turn into a battlefield.”
— Surely not.
“Don’t think of the mafia in terms of normal human logic. Those bastards will do anything.”
— If we release Usoyan, Zyuganov will definitely strike back...
Medvedev hesitated.
If, after dealing with Mogilevich, he wasted time like this, the plan to bring the Russian underworld under control would be ruined.
“Tell Zyuganov to name his price. There’s obviously a reason. It’s better to yield one thing and gain control over Russia’s underworld — in the long run, that will benefit Putin more.”
— Understood. I’ll try.
Usoyan had to be released safely for my plan to be complete. If not, I’d have to redraw the board entirely.
“Medvedev, don’t just ‘try.’ You must do it. It’s what’s best for both me and Putin.”
— This is the first time I’ve heard you sound so firm, Mr. Kim. Understood. I’ll make it happen.
“Thank you, Medvedev.”
Only after hearing his firm answer did I relax my frown — but the call wasn’t over yet.
— And... we’ve retrieved the Budapest item. It’s genuine.
“You already recovered it?”
To think they’d retrieved something hidden in a secret vault in another country in just one day — the saying even when rotten, a croaker is still a fish came to mind.
— Yes. We have agents stationed in Hungary. It’ll take some time to bring it to Russia, but the recovery itself is complete.
“That’s good. There shouldn’t be any problems with transport, then.”
— It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Kim.
Medvedev laughed lightly and went on.
— Also, about General Nikolaev — we’ve confirmed some leads. But it won’t be easy to move against him right away.
“Really?”
— His influence over the military is immense. Without solid evidence, we can’t even summon him.
“He’s that powerful?”
— Yes. If we arrest him without proof, it could trigger a coup. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
A coup.
If Medvedev was using that word, it meant Nikolaev’s power exceeded what I’d imagined.
I repeated the shocking word under my breath.
“...A coup, huh.”
— Haha, don’t worry. Once we have evidence, we’ll strangle him. We’ll also find out where the remaining nukes ended up. You wanted to know whether Kim Jongil got his hands on any, right?
“Yes. Exactly.”
If the Americans found out that lunatic had nuclear weapons right now, the fallout could engulf all of East Asia.
— We’ll keep investigating.
“All right. I’ll be waiting.”
— If the U.S. negotiations make progress, contact me. And if anything hits a snag, call right away.
“I’ll contact you with good news.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Before ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) I could even respond, Manager Ma entered, looking grave.
I glanced at him in confusion, then said quietly into the phone,
“I’ll contact you later. Something urgent just came up.”
— Of course. I’m counting on you, Mr. Kim.
As soon as the call ended, I set the phone down. Manager Ma stepped closer.
“Boss.”
His voice was rigid.
“What is it? Something happened?”
“There’s strange movement from Ilseong Group.”
“Ilseong?”
“Yes.”
“Explain. What’s going on?”
If he looked this serious, Seo Yonggeon must have done something.
But there wasn’t much Ilseong Group could do now. Even if they tried something, there was little that could hurt me.
“Yesterday, an ambulance entered Chairman Seo Yonggeon’s residence.”
“An ambulance? And then?”
“Since then, access to the VIP ward at Ilseong Hospital has been completely restricted. They’ve asked all patients there to leave, either discharging them or transferring them to Korea National University Hospital. ...It seems Chairman Seo’s condition is critical.”
Most of those staying in Ilseong Hospital’s VIP ward were major figures from politics or business.
If they were forcing them all out, Seo Yonggeon’s health must have taken a serious turn.
In my memory, Chairman Seo was supposed to remain active and healthy for at least another ten years.
Even with the future changed, there was no reason for him to suddenly collapse...
That thought froze midway, and the smirking face of Seo Jaehun flashed across my mind.
“If it’s true that Chairman Seo’s in trouble, find out whether he’s dead or alive, and what Ilseong Group is doing right now. This is important.”
Manager Ma nodded grimly and left. I went back to the documents — but none of them registered.
Eventually, I put them down and moved to the sofa, sinking into it and closing my eyes.
Thoughts raced through my head.
‘Did Chairman Seo ever fall ill around this time? What changed?’
A throbbing headache followed.
Chairman Seo wasn’t supposed to die like this.
He was meant to watch with his own eyes as Ilseong Group — his everything — crumbled, and to feel that agony through his entire body.
Even then, it wouldn’t amount to one-tenth of the pain my grandfather must have endured.
‘Can the future really change this much?’
The future I knew was shifting little by little. Of course, it made sense that my actions altered major outcomes — but even things like this?
“...Haa.”
I exhaled deeply and shook my head. What’s done is done.
‘Pull yourself together, Kim Muhyuk. Don’t weaken. No regrets.’
I’d already gained too much. If the future changed, then I would just shape the new one myself.
Steeling myself, I picked up my phone and called Eva.
The ringing barely lasted a few seconds before she answered.
— Boss, long time no see. You’re back in Korea, right?
“Eva, I need you to come to Myeongdong.”
— Myeongdong? What’s going on?
“Just come. We’ll talk here.”
— Okay, Boss.
Sensing the seriousness in my voice, Eva replied quickly.
After hanging up, I pressed the bell to summon Manager Ma.
He entered, and at my gesture, took a seat.
“Did you start looking into it?”
“Yes, Boss. I’ve mobilized all our intelligence networks.”
“Few people will know anything yet. Keep close watch on Secretary Lee Seokmin’s movements — and on Seo Jaehun.”
“Yes, I’ve already ordered it.”
Ilseong could wait for now. I nodded and shifted topics.
“They’ve retrieved the item in Hungary.”
“Really? That’s good news.”
“Yes. The investigation into Nikolaev will take more time. Stay in contact with Igor and report any developments in Russia immediately.”
“Understood.”
We were organizing Russia-related affairs when Eva arrived.
“Boss, I’m here.”
Eva waved cheerfully at me.
“You’re here, Eva? Sit down.”
“Sure. What’s going on? You sound tense, and your face looks serious.”
As soon as she sat, I told her about Ilseong Group.
Her bright smile faded into a grave expression.
“...An ambulance to Ilseong Hospital? I met Chairman Seo not long ago, and he didn’t show any signs of illness.”
“Really? When did you meet him?”
“After you left the country. He called me, so I went to the Ilseong headquarters. We met privately, and he didn’t look sick at all. If anything, he was brimming with energy.”
So he called for Eva right after I left. Seo Yonggeon must have been desperate.
“What did he talk about?”
“What else? He asked me to help secure support for Ilseong Electronics from the affiliates. I told him to ask you, but he refused. Said he’d never stoop that low. If he wanted to keep his pride, he shouldn’t have contacted me at all.”
Eva shrugged and shook her head.
“That was it?”
“He rambled about this and that, but it all came down to one thing — help Ilseong, and the reward won’t disappoint. You should’ve seen how much I laughed that day.”
So Ilseong Electronics’ funding lines had completely dried up — proven.
For him to ask Eva for help meant Chairman Seo’s pride had already taken a hit.
“Chairman Seo knows how to put on an act, huh. How about their share structure? Can we take over management?”
“Impossible. I’ve never seen a company so perfectly fortified. He doesn’t even own that many shares personally, but he’s interlocked all the subsidiaries’ stakes so tightly that they form a shield around each other. Unless there’s a capital increase, taking over is impossible.”
As expected of Seo Yonggeon. If Eva said that, then there really was no opening.
The biggest wildcard in a management dispute was always a paid-in capital increase — but Seo Yonggeon wasn’t the type to take such a gamble.
“Fine. So he looked perfectly healthy, right?”
“Yes. Not like a sick man at all.”
“I see.”
I tapped the armrest of the sofa, thinking. A man who’d seemed fine just days ago suddenly being rushed to the hospital — something reeked.
‘Did Seo Jaehun do something after all?’
If it were him, harming his own father wouldn’t be out of character.
Even in the original timeline, such rumors had floated around.
“For now, drop everything else and focus on Ilseong Group. Watch their movements closely — especially whether Seo Jaehun is maneuvering for succession.”
“Okay, Boss.”
If Seo Jaehun was pushing succession right after Seo Yonggeon’s sudden collapse, Ilseong Group would inevitably reveal its weak points.
Following that trail would expose its vulnerabilities.
“For now, let’s just observe. We don’t have proof yet.”
While I was giving further instructions, there was a knock at the door.
Manager Ma rose and opened it. One of his men whispered something to him, then left.
Manager Ma closed the door and said,
“Vice President Cheon Jisoo is downstairs. What should we do?”
“Cheon Jisoo?”
My eyes widened.
Since my grandfather’s funeral, she hadn’t contacted me once — and now she’d come to see me in person.
