Free Web NovelHu Jintao didn’t answer right away.
He just toyed with his whiskey glass, lost in thought, while Wen Jiabao watched his expression carefully.
Only Bo Xilai, seemingly unaware of Hao Xun’s existence, turned to me with a question.
“President Kim Muhyuk. Are you saying this man, Hao Xun, is Premier Wen’s foster son... and also a member of the underworld?”
“That’s right. He’s the vice boss of the Black Dragon Society.”
“We’re talking about managing our slush funds. Do you really think it’s possible to entrust that to the underworld? That will turn into a weakness sooner or later.”
On the surface, Bo Xilai’s concern was reasonable.
But this was China.
“Well... the Black Dragon Society is not like other underworld organizations. I’ve already done a lot of business with him. Of course, they’re not some clean, perfectly legal organization... but honestly, is China a country that runs on only legal dealings? Managing your slush funds is illegal in itself.”
Bo Xilai let out a low murmur.
In truth, what did it matter if dirty money was laundered by the underworld or a foreign financial institution?
All that mattered was whether they managed it well and returned it to you properly.
“He understands the entertainment business, he has good ties with Korea, and he’s trustworthy. The only person who fits all those conditions is Hao Xun.”
“So you’re quite taken with this man.”
“Yes. I’ve worked with him on several projects. He does his job well and quietly. Acts without fuss, with his head down. A person like that is worth trusting.”
“A man praised that highly by President Kim... now I’m curious too.”
Bo Xilai turned his body toward Wen Jaibao.
“Premier. Please introduce me to him as well. I’d like to meet him.”
“All right. I’ll arrange an opportunity.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
By that time, it seemed Hu Jintao had finished weighing his options. He put his glass down and asked Wen Jiabao:
“Wen Jiabao.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Can we trust Hao Xun?”
“...He will not betray us.”
“If anything goes wrong, you’ll have to take responsibility. That level of commitment is necessary if we’re going to entrust him with this work.”
Wen Jiabao couldn’t answer easily. The weight of the word “responsibility” was not light.
But after a moment he gathered himself and answered firmly.
“Yes. I will take responsibility.”
“Good. Then we’ll give him this task. As for the specifics...”
Satisfied with that answer, Hu Jintao turned his pleased gaze to me.
“Can you oversee things, President Kim?”
“I have to go to Russia for the North Korea issue, and there’s a lot on my plate. Instead, I’ll have experts sent from Korea and tell them to work things out together with Vice Boss Hao Xun.”
“Hm. Are you sure about this? This whole affair is meant, after all, to stop Jiang Zemin’s growth.”
Hu Jintao frowned slightly, concerned. freewёbnoνel.com
“It’s fine. They’re people I trust, and we’re not starting big right away. For now, all we need to do is import Korean dramas and movies to screen in China — and at the same time, start building theaters here.”
“Theaters? Will that make money?”
“They won’t be ordinary theaters. I’m talking about ‘multiplexes’ — complex commercial facilities that combine shopping malls with cinemas. We build those complexes all over China. Once those are in place, it will take a very long time for latecomers to catch up.”
Even in Korea, single-screen theaters were slowly declining and multiplexes were taking root.
In my previous life, Wanda Group had begun constructing the largest multiplex network in China, and by the early 2010s, it became the world’s largest multiplex group.
This time, I intended to be the one to propose that idea instead of Wanda.
“In a complex like that, people shopping will naturally stop by a theater. And the reverse too, of course.”
“Yes, exactly. I assume Chairman Wang Jianlin turned to entertainment because of multiplexes. To raise the value of his real estate. Put in the effort once, and it yields several layers of profit. It pays off.”
“Real estate, hmm... Good. We’ll proceed that way.”
That was as far as my advice could reasonably go.
Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao soon started discussing business matters between themselves.
Bo Xilai moved closer, poured me a drink, and spoke.
“Let’s forget the past and get along. It may have started as a bad connection, but it could become a good one.”
“Of course. Besides, you and I never clashed directly, did we? I don’t hold any ill feelings. Let’s get along.”
We clinked glasses and smiled at each other.
In truth, I didn’t fully trust the man yet.
But helping raise Bo Xilai, who had joined hands with Hu Jintao, into the next Chairman could turn out to be entertaining.
There was still plenty of time. I’d think about it slowly.
* * *
The next day.
After wrapping up all my business in China, I flew out to Russia.
When I arrived at the Moscow airport, Han Kyungyeong was waiting for me.
“Hey, Muhyuk!”
He waved both hands enthusiastically. I smiled at the sight.
“I didn’t expect you to come all the way out to pick me up.”
“What are you talking about? The boss himself is coming — of course a puppet president like me has to show up! Come on, let’s go.”
Joking lightly, Han gestured ahead. A car he’d prepared was parked in front of the airport.
We drove for quite a while before arriving at the house in Moscow.
The moment we stepped inside, we got straight to business.
“We’re signing the Yugansk acquisition contract tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. Tomorrow. All that’s left is the signature. I held off on it so you could be here. You’re coming to see it, right?”
I gave a small nod.
After all the effort we’d poured into this, there was no way I wouldn’t see it with my own eyes.
“I figured you would. Still hard to believe we’re actually acquiring a Yukos subsidiary. If the Kremlin hadn’t tilted in our favor, it would’ve just been nationalized, right?”
“Probably.”
In my previous life, all of Yukos’s subsidiaries were nationalized.
The executives pursued lawsuits against the Russian government in Britain and America, but up until my death they never secured a final ruling.
“Hey, we bought Yugansk below its true value. Still, we didn’t absolutely gut them, so even if they sue, we’re fine, right?”
“Oh, the executives? I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Even if they sue in the U.S. or U.K., could they really win against us? Everyone will prefer us running it.”
I smiled faintly at Han’s reply.
We’d win even if they sued — but I didn’t particularly want a mud fight.
Maybe reading my mind, Han went on.
“And, compared to the Russians, we’re more trustworthy, right? The courts will either rule in our favor or just drag things out endlessly. Either way, we win.”
Only then did I nod in satisfaction.
“Then the acquisition won’t have any big issues. Good work. Once we sign, take a vacation. I’ll give you a month off.”
“What? A month? Why only a month! What kind of slave-driving boss are you!”
Originally, I’d planned to give him a sabbatical.
But circumstances had changed.
With the North Korea situation poised to explode, I couldn’t send him off on a long break.
“Just rest for a month. I could give you more, but we don’t know how this will play out.”
“Because of North Korea?”
“Yeah. The sanctions resolution will pass soon. After that, North Korea might change rapidly. You can’t exactly vacate your post in a moment like that.”
“Ha... You hardly rest yourself, so I can’t even complain. Fine. But I’m resting at that island in Greece, got it?”
“Yeah. Rest there properly.”
He grumbled, but Han knew as well as I did — you don’t get to relax just because someone hands you “vacation time” on paper.
“So what do you think will happen?”
“North Korea?”
“Yeah. You must have a plan, right? There’s no way you’d just sit still with nothing.”
“Well...”
I laid out my plan for him.
After listening to everything, Han’s jaw dropped.
“You sure about this? If it fails, you could be in some serious trouble.”
“There won’t be any evidence tying it to me. We’ll make it look like Jang Songthaek hired the mercenaries with his own money. Don’t worry.”
I answered lightly, but Han still looked uneasy.
“Ordinary people may not know... but those in power can’t help seeing who’s behind it. Isn’t that right?”
“They’ll know — but they’ll have to pretend not to. And even if they do know, so what? With the U.S., China, and Russia all checking one another over North Korea, they won’t be able to stop what I’m doing. So don’t worry.”
“Muhyuk... I’m scared. We could lose everything in an instant. I want to stop here.”
He sounded genuinely worried, but it was far too late to stop.
So much had already changed because of me. I had to steer things through to the end.
“Don’t worry. We won’t lose anything. I promise.”
I was saying it to him — and to myself.
“...Yeah. You’re going into the Kremlin tonight, right?”
“Yeah. I’m meeting him alone for the first time in a while. I don’t know why he insisted on the Kremlin instead of the dacha. I’ll have to see him to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) find out.”
After that, I briefed Han on what to do if the North Korea situation pivoted suddenly. Even without long explanations, he quickly grasped the key points.
Since Han Kyungyeong was the type who could run with things once given a direction, I wasn’t overly worried.
We hadn’t seen each other in a while, and we talked for a long time. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the Kremlin.
I took only Manager Ma with me and set off.
After a brief security check at the Kremlin, I was escorted to the innermost secret room.
“Oh! Muhyuk. Good to see you.”
The master of the Kremlin greeted me, and we exchanged a light hug.
“You should come more often.”
“Haha, I’ve been busy with this and that, my head’s a little fried. My apologies.”
“No, no. It’s not like I don’t know how busy you are. Come, sit.”
Almost as soon as I sat down, he filled a glass with strong vodka and pushed it toward me.
“Let’s have a drink first.”
I took the glass and clinked it lightly against his.
The vodka went down in one shot, burning my throat and quickly warming my body.
“First off, thank you for acquiring Yugansk. Thanks to you, it looks like the Americans won’t be able to cause too much trouble.”
“It’s a business that benefits me. If there’d been no profit, I wouldn’t have agreed, no matter how much you asked.”
“Haha. ‘If there’d been no profit, I wouldn’t have’...”
He trailed off and refilled our glasses.
“But you can’t own 100% of it. You know that already, yes?”
“Yes. Forty-nine percent will be split among people connected to you and Medvedev. And we’ll appoint as chairman whomever you designate. But management will be ours. Please allow the chairman to remain a figurehead while the vice chairman actually runs everything.”
At the suggestion of putting up a puppet, the president frowned. But he soon nodded decisively.
“Hmm. As long as it doesn’t harm Russia’s interests, I won’t make an issue of it.”
“Russia’s gain is my gain. You don’t have to worry about that.”
He raised his glass again, and I followed.
We downed another shot of strong vodka in one gulp and set our glasses down.
“We can discuss Yugansk in detail later. What did the Americans say about the North Korean nuclear issue?”
“That’s what I came in person to talk about. I’ve convinced both the U.S. and China.”
“Hm... Are you a politician or a businessman? I can’t tell what you are anymore.”
“I’m a businessman. I’m only getting involved in this North Korea problem for the sake of my business. I have absolutely no intention of entering politics.”
“We’ll see with time.”
He spoke slyly, but I truly had no intention of going into politics.
I’d seen too clearly what became of politicians.
“All right, then. Tell me.”
I took a breath and repeated what I’d said in China, word for word.
All the while, the president just drank vodka silently and listened.
When I finished, he set his glass down and asked:
“So you’re telling us to support the sanctions resolution?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And what do we gain?”
For this man, I had to reveal at least part of it.
I ran my fingers over the glass, then spoke carefully.
“Jang Songthaek will stage a coup. If he succeeds, you will finally be able to pursue your long-held dream — construction of gas and oil pipelines running from Siberia through North Korea into South Korea.”
