Free Web NovelWhen Russia cut off the supply of crude oil and natural gas to Europe, Western Europe fell into chaos.
Even during the Cold War, the Soviet Union had once shut down gas pipelines to Western Europe—
but times were different now.
For the moment, countries could rely on their reserves.
However, if the shutdown lasted long, the economic blow to Western Europe would be catastrophic.
Governments across Europe convened emergency meetings, contacting Russia through official and unofficial diplomatic channels.
But the Russian government only gave flimsy excuses and no clear answers.
Barely a day had passed—yet global oil prices had already jumped by thirty percent.
“So you’re telling me this entire mess was caused by some businessman named Kim Muhyuk? And you actually expect me to believe that?”
Adam Smith, the newly appointed director of MI6, slammed the report onto his desk.
“Yes, sir. That’s correct.”
“Are you underestimating me because I’m new in this chair?”
“Of course not, sir.”
The head of the foreign intelligence division shrugged casually, which only irritated Adam further.
He tapped the papers on his desk, scowling.
“So you’re saying Russia shut down the oil and gas valves to all of Western Europe because of one Korean man? Are you serious right now?”
“Yes, sir. Kim Muhyuk contacted Medvedev directly. Shortly afterward, an emergency cabinet meeting was held in Russia, followed by official notifications sent to all involved governments. Considering the sequence of events, our team’s conclusion is that Kim Muhyuk is connected to the decision. Estimated accuracy: over ninety percent.”
The answers were consistent and unwavering.
Adam looked down at the photos scattered across his desk, his expression filled with disbelief.
“So this young man is the reason all of Western Europe is in a panic right now?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How much do we actually know about him?”
Adam ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“We’ve been monitoring him for a while, but the CIA refuses to share any of their intelligence.”
“......And why would the Americans do that?”
“There’s a rumor that Kim Muhyuk was the one who persuaded Russia to abstain during the UN vote on the Iraq invasion.”
Adam’s eyes widened.
“What? Is that true?”
“It’s still a rumor, but the likelihood is high. He’s only a businessman, but his influence in both Russia and Korea is said to be enormous. He also has close ties to Korea’s president-elect.”
Listening to the report, Adam drummed his fingers on the desk, deep in thought.
“All right. Let’s investigate him thoroughly.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll form a dedicated task force.”
“Good. Do that. I’ll report to the Prime Minister myself. Dismissed.”
The division head bowed and left the office.
Left alone, Adam muttered quietly.
“Kim Muhyuk...”
Meanwhile, the same division head stepped into his own office and made a call.
“Yes. I reported to the director as you instructed. Yes, yes. I’ll proceed as planned.”
And this was not unique to the U.K.—similar scenes were unfolding across Europe.
Every Western European intelligence agency reported the same name. freёwebnovel.com
Governments immediately inquired with South Korea,
but even Seoul had no official answer to give.
* * *
“What the hell did you do this time?”
Myungsoo burst into the study, scolding me the moment he came in.
I lifted my head from the documents I was reading—and was startled by his face.
In just a few days, Lee Myungsoo looked like he’d lost half his weight.
“Rough week? Your face looks...”
“Terrible? Damn right it does. The transition committee barely got organized, and now every lobbyist, union leader, and business rep wants to meet me. I’m losing my mind here.”
He dropped heavily into a chair, grumbling.
“But that’s not the real problem. The government and the transition team are in total chaos. Britain, France, Germany—every major Western European country is demanding to know why Russia’s behaving like this.”
“......”
“It’s you, isn’t it? Tell me it’s you.”
I felt a small pang of guilt; after all, I was partly responsible for his exhausted look.
I nodded slightly. Myungsoo pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Oh, for god’s sake. We just finished forming the transition committee, and now you hand us this disaster?”
I quickly raised my hand and showed him three fingers.
“Three days. After that, the supply will resume. Just act like you don’t know anything until then.”
“So today’s day two... which means it’ll reopen after tomorrow. Damn it. What’s the reason, anyway?”
I briefly explained what had happened so far.
After listening, Myungsoo’s face went pale.
“Okay. Yeah. This can never come out. If it does, we’re all dead.”
“It won’t. The Russians don’t like having my name associated with them either. Everyone might know quietly, but no one will ever say it aloud.”
“Still, you never know. I’m not even going to tell President-elect Yoon Changho about this.”
Myungsoo understood better than anyone why I wanted to bring down Ilseong Group—and he sympathized.
He looked at me, his expression mixed with relief and awe.
“So this really is the end, then. Your revenge on everyone responsible for your parents’ deaths...”
I nodded slowly.
“I spent years circling back to destroy the empire called Ilseong Group. Now they’ve lost everything—power, reputation—and soon, they’ll lose their lives too.”
Myungsoo didn’t say a word. He just listened quietly.
Then Chief Ma opened the door and entered.
“The U.S. Embassy just called, sir.”
“What did they say?”
“They didn’t elaborate. Just that they’d like to meet you today.”
“Really?”
I checked my watch. Almost dinnertime.
“Tell them I’ll meet them at Myeongdong Hotel for dinner.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll relay that.”
After Ma left, Myungsoo frowned.
“This is about the gas situation, right?”
“Probably. The U.S. wouldn’t miss something like this.”
“You sure you’ll be okay?”
I shrugged.
“It’s not against America’s interests, so they’ve got nothing to complain about. Don’t worry. I was planning to have dinner with you, but looks like I’ll have to rain-check.”
“Oh, please. I’m booked solid anyway. I’ve got a truckload of people trying to get dinner with me these days.”
“Figures. You’re the power center of the new administration now. Just keep an eye on your parents, okay? Don’t let anyone cause trouble.”
His expression stiffened immediately.
Guess something had already happened.
“What? The flies already gathering?”
“Ha...”
Instead of answering, Myungsoo sighed deeply.
“Yeah, all sorts of people are already coming with requests—recommendations, job favors, you name it. My mom’s getting really stressed. She used to love meeting people, but now she barely leaves the house or makes appointments.”
It was inevitable.
The more influence Myungsoo gained politically, the stronger the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ lobbying toward his parents would become.
They’d never do anything that could harm their son’s career—but the constant pressure itself was stressful enough.
“Why not move them to Seoul and live together?”
“You know how they are. Same with your grandmother and Hyunsung’s parents too. None of them want to leave their hometowns. And I don’t want to force them to just because of me.”
He took a sip of water and continued.
“Well, I’ll handle it somehow. Anyway, prosecutor appointments are coming up soon. The transition team’s already arranged with the Blue House to finalize them.”
Finally, the reason for his visit. He pulled a thick stack of documents from his bag and handed it to me.
I took it and began reading the first page.
“The Prosecutor General—Kim Hak-gwon and Yoon Changho—will remain in position until their terms end. The Head of the Central Investigation Department will be someone close to the president-elect...”
I flipped through the pages while Myungsoo explained.
He was to be the first former prosecutor—specifically, a former Prosecutor General—to become President.
Plenty of politicians had come from the prosecution, but none had ever reached the presidency before.
Critics argued this would turn the nation into a “Republic of Prosecutors.”
Half right, half wrong.
In truth, Korea had always been a republic of prosecutors.
Every administration’s first act was to mold the prosecution—the sharpest knife in their arsenal—to its liking.
Of the four major investigative agencies, none had power comparable to the prosecution.
No leader would ever let that go unused.
But this time was different.
Because I was here.
And with me around, the prosecution couldn’t hold any real power.
Then I spotted a familiar name on the list.
“Jeong Taehun got promoted straight to section chief, skipping deputy. Criminal Division 5 of Seoul District.”
“That’s thanks to you. He was still a regular prosecutor while his peers were all promoted. Now he’s the first of his class to make section chief. Total turnaround.”
Jeong Taehun had executed my orders perfectly—the ones concerning the Heaven Church case.
Despite immense outside pressure, he stood firm and finished things cleanly, as promised with Han Hyunsu.
Smart and bold. The kind of man you keep close.
“Good. A sharp knife I can use.”
“Hyunwoo’s also on the list. Deputy chief prosecutor, but stationed at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office—basically the same as a full chief. There’ll be some shakeups in seniority this round, but that’s per the president-elect’s wishes.”
I hadn’t interfered much in the prosecution appointments.
It was Yoon Changho’s old turf anyway, and Oh Hyunwoo could manage it fine.
I closed the file and nodded.
“Quite a few will be forced out, then.”
“Obviously.”
“What about Minister of Justice?”
“Appointed from the judiciary. The Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs will be a prosecutor. Chairman Oh Jungseok of the transition team advised that. Said filling every position with prosecutors would look bad and that power should be balanced. The president-elect agreed.”
I’d made the right call bringing in Oh Jungseok.
He was skillfully handling sensitive political issues before they could explode.
“Then I guess it’s time to take care of our own people, isn’t it?”
All key economic appointments had already been filled with my recommendations.
Most of the mofia—the powerful bureaucrats from the Ministry of Finance—had sworn loyalty to me. That meant I was responsible for their fates.
But I couldn’t just leave the mofia unchecked.
I planned to place someone above them—someone they absolutely hated.
I recommended the current Fair Trade Commission chairman, Park Younggeun, as Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy.
“Thanks to you, Park Younggeun’s basically done everything possible in the economic field. Sure, Kim Hak-gwon first discovered him, but you’re the one who made him FTC chairman and now deputy prime minister.”
“He gets results. He’s an economic expert. And the mofia need a leash—without one, they’ll turn feral. Park’s perfect for the job.”
We chatted a bit more after that.
Eventually, Myungsoo glanced at his watch and stood up.
“Heading out? Next time we’ll actually eat together. Sorry about today.”
“Yeah, yeah. Buy me drinks next time instead.”
He grinned slyly and waved as he left. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
At Myeongdong Hotel, a staff member who recognized me greeted me and led me to the private dining room where the U.S. ambassador was waiting.
Inside, the man rose to his feet and extended his hand.
“I’m Hamilton. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Kim Muhyuk.”
He had recently been appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Korea.
As soon as we sat down, Hamilton smiled affably.
“You must be incredibly busy with your business ventures. I sent you an invitation a while back, but you didn’t attend.”
“Did I? I must’ve had another engagement at the time.”
“Haha, no worries. I know how busy you are. I was just teasing.”
The door opened and the food we’d pre-ordered was brought in.
“Let’s eat first, shall we? We can talk while we do.”
We made some idle conversation over dinner.
When I set down my fork and knife, I went straight to the point.
“So, what was it you wanted to meet me about?”
Hamilton dabbed his lips with a napkin and smiled faintly.
“Before coming to Korea, I had never heard of you, Mr. Kim. But the moment I was appointed ambassador, your name started coming up everywhere.”
He took a sip of water, then met my eyes squarely.
Setting down the glass, he laced his fingers together and smiled again.
“You’re neither a politician nor a general, yet your name is all over the place.”
I smiled back.
Hamilton continued smoothly.
“We’re aware that you were involved in Russia’s recent actions. The White House wants to know why.”
