Free Web NovelOnly after several more rounds of drinks did the real conversation begin.
“I heard Medvedev came to see you yesterday. Were you very upset?”
The president already knew exactly how things had unfolded, yet he asked about my feelings as if he didn’t.
To gauge his true intentions, I didn’t answer right away and simply looked at him in silence.
Our gazes tangled in midair, and only after a long moment did I open my mouth.
“Why did you do that?”
“The PMC? Or approaching Igor?”
“Both. I honestly don’t understand what you were thinking.”
He lifted one eyebrow as if puzzled.
“How strange. For Muhyuk, who knows me better than anyone, to be unable to read my intentions?”
“......How could I possibly know all of your deeper intentions?”
He burst into hearty laughter, lifted the vodka bottle, and filled the glasses.
“So I went beyond your expectations. That makes me feel rather good.”
He looked genuinely pleased. After taking a drink, he set his glass down and spoke.
“First, let me apologize. Approaching your man wasn’t my will. The fellow we recruited to establish the PMC got ahead of himself.”
“I didn’t think it was an order from you either, Mr. President.”
“I appreciate you thinking that way. Come, have another drink.”
With the master of Russia apologizing in person, there was nothing more to press.
I took the glass he offered and downed the vodka in one go. Then, setting the empty glass down, I issued a warning.
“Mr. President. Please make sure this never happens again. I respect you, and I respect Russia. That’s why you must respect me as well. Only then can our friendship last a long time.”
The president said nothing, merely nodding slowly.
I picked up the bottle in front of me and filled the empty glasses.
“Have a drink. Let’s forget everything that happened yesterday.”
The president also emptied his glass in one go. As he set it down, he immediately revealed his true thoughts.
“Sitting in this position, there isn’t much I can do as freely as I’d like. Domestically there’s no problem, but international opinion is never friendly toward Russia.”
Even if the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was still Russia.
Even the United States, which held its position as an overwhelming superpower, couldn’t dare ignore Russia’s potential.
“In the midst of that, watching Black Bear’s performance made me think that intervening in other countries in that way—by hiring mercenaries—might be possible.”
After Black Bear’s success in successive wars, the number of countries employing private military companies increased.
It seemed Russia wanted to establish a PMC for that purpose as well.
But that was like trying to cover the sky with one’s palm. No one trusted a PMC based in Russia.
Outwardly, it would be intervening in conflicts under contract, but everyone knew the Russian government’s hand was behind it.
“There’s no way they wouldn’t know the Russian government was involved.”
“I know. Of course I do. But they can’t openly criticize me. After all, it’s not the Russian military being deployed. To criticize that would mean criticizing both the United States and Korea, who hired Black Bear and deployed it in Afghanistan and Iraq, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“That’s why the idea of recruiting Igor came up. His operational capabilities have already been proven in many places.”
Igor’s competence was already well known.
Just the achievement of successfully carrying out the infiltration operation into North Korea made him an irresistible talent.
“That’s why Medvedev made the proposal to you. But I hesitated. I said the Muhyuk I know would never be the kind of man to discard his own people first.”
“That’s right. If Igor himself decided to leave me, I’d be willing to let him go. But I will never be the one to send him away.”
He gave a small chuckle, as if he’d expected that, and shrugged.
“I heard he already refused. There won’t be another proposal, so I hope you’ll understand.”
“There are still many former special forces soldiers left in Russia. If you recruit them, you’ll be able to accomplish what you’re envisioning.”
When Black Bear recruited mercenaries, it considered character just as much as ability.
The battlefield is a place where even normal people come back broken.
Due to the nature of the job, mercenaries stay in war zones longer than regular soldiers. If their values aren’t firmly grounded, it’s obvious they’ll commit all kinds of war crimes.
Even after selecting mercenaries so carefully, there were still occasional incidents during the Iraq War.
But if people were chosen based solely on ability......
‘It would be a catastrophe. I really need to strengthen the character screening even more.’
Despite hearing that the former special forces soldiers remaining in Russia were highly capable, this was the reason not all of them were hired.
“That’s right. I believe in Russia.”
“I can’t send Igor, but I can provide as much consultation as you want.”
Whenever the president asked, I explained how Black Bear operated, within the limits of what I knew.
Once the discussion about PMCs came to an end, he finally turned his attention to the box I’d brought.
“By the way, what’s that? Looks like a jewelry case.”
“Ah, this is a gift for you, Mr. President.”
I placed the box on the table and opened the lid.
The president’s eyes widened as he alternated his gaze between me and the contents of the box.
“Could this be......?”
“Do you recognize it?”
“Isn’t that a Fabergé egg?”
As expected of a Russian—he recognized it instantly.
He stared at the Fabergé egg for a long while, then let out a sigh of admiration.
“It looks like the Alexander Memorial Egg. Am I right? Am I seeing this correctly?”
He urged me to answer quickly.
I’d never seen him this excited before.
“Yes. It’s already been authenticated. Sotheby’s auction house confirmed it as genuine.”
Letting out another exclamation, he carefully pulled the box containing the Fabergé egg closer to himself.
After examining it silently for a long time, he asked,
“You’re giving this to me as a gift?”
“Yes. It’s a gift that suits you better than anyone else, Mr. President. The owner of this item is you.”
“My goodness...... I’ve received a truly great gift.”
I’d given him various gifts before, but I’d never seen him express his emotions so openly.
“I have another Fabergé egg.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
I already knew there was one Fabergé egg in the Kremlin.
More precisely, one owned by the president.
“I’d like to show it to you, but unfortunately it’s stored in the Kremlin’s treasury, so I can’t.”
With a wistful look, he continued while gazing at the egg.
“Fabergé eggs are treasures that symbolize the Russian Empire. But those foolish revolutionaries sold them all off without knowing their value.”
Fabergé eggs began to scatter across the world after the Russian Revolution.
As the revolutionaries nationalized imperial assets, they sold them, causing them to be dispersed far and wide.
“If I had lived in that era, I would never have sold the imperial treasures to other countries.”
The Russian tsar, who longed for the Russian Empire and dreamed of a new one, was genuinely angry.
“What good is that kind of money, judging Russia’s pride like that. Bastards without pride.”
After muttering curses under his breath, he pulled the egg even closer to himself.
“I’ve received a truly precious treasure. I should give you a gift as well, Muhyuk. What should I give you to make you happy?”
That’s what made him worth giving gifts to—he knew how to reciprocate.
“Is there anything you want?”
Just as the owner of the egg was decided, what I wanted was already decided too.
I didn’t hesitate ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) and spoke immediately.
“I want to proceed with the construction of gas and oil pipelines connecting Russia and Korea.”
The Northeast Asia pipeline project involved three countries: Korea, North Korea, and Russia.
“Hmm......”
“This isn’t something that should be dragged out. Now is the right time. If not now, it’ll be even harder to build later.”
“Muhyuk. As you know, we don’t have the leeway for that. Preparations are already underway for an oil pipeline connecting China and Russia. Building another pipeline at the same time, passing through North Korea all the way to Korea, would be too much for us.”
The oil pipeline connecting Russia and China was also a project I’d been involved in.
“I’ll take charge of the construction myself.”
“Construction isn’t the problem. The cost is.”
“I’ll cover that as well.”
“You’ll cover that cost yourself?”
Pipeline construction required an enormous amount of money. When I said I’d handle that issue, the president’s expression changed.
“In return, grant me exclusive usage rights to that pipeline and gas line.”
“......Listen, Muhyuk.”
The president called my name with a troubled look. I knew it was a bold request.
What ruler would choose to hand over national infrastructure to a private individual?
“I’m not asking for unlimited rights. Just thirty years. After thirty years of use, it will revert to the Russian government.”
But this was Russia. It was possible.
For the synergy between the Russian oil company I owned and Jungwoo Refining, building the pipeline and gas line was essential.
“If it’s difficult, you don’t have to force it. You asked what I wanted, so I simply said it.”
The Russian tsar fell into deep thought.
While waiting for his answer, I drank two glasses of vodka in quick succession.
This was a gamble.
Even decades later, the oil pipeline connecting Russia and Korea had never been realized.
With North Korea standing as a massive barrier, it was not an easy project.
But this life was different.
North Korea was dreaming of change, and just collecting transit fees from the pipeline would bring them significant profit.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
Permission was granted. I cheered inwardly.
But I carefully masked my expression and asked in a worried tone,
“Are you sure?”
“Just promise me one thing.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“If we want to stop that pipeline at any time, you’ll agree to it.”
Russia’s greatest weapon was the gas valve.
He liked using energy as a weapon to pressure Western Europe.
But that meant I wouldn’t truly have full authority.
“Using energy as a weapon against Western Europe alone is sufficient. And even if you do use it that way, leaving one escape route open would be good for you and the Russian government as well. You need an exit strategy.”
“I can’t make exceptions.”
“You’ll understand later why I’m saying this. Please trust me, Mr. President. I won’t do anything that harms Russia.”
I met his gaze directly without flinching.
For a long time, our eyes clashed in midair.
But in the end, with a sigh, he accepted my proposal.
“......Alright. We’ll do it.”
“Then, after obtaining approval from the Korean and North Korean governments, I’ll visit Russia again.”
He nodded. Waving his hand lightly as if he didn’t want to talk business anymore, he spoke.
“Enough of these headache-inducing topics. Tell me about what happened in Iraq. I heard there were some interesting incidents.”
Everyone I met asked about that. Slowly lifting my glass, I told him about what happened in Iraq in as much detail as possible.
“Hahaha! Yes, of course. I knew you’d do something like that.”
After hearing everything, he burst into hearty laughter.
As the conversation continued, it drifted not only to Iraq but also to the Sotheby’s auction.
“Sotheby’s auction...... I’ve heard plenty about it.”
“They kept begging me to put the egg up for auction. It took quite some effort to turn them down.”
“Well done. Russia’s treasures should remain in Russia. But no one’s trying to sell them.”
“Oh, speaking of which, I heard rumors that discussions are underway regarding nine Fabergé eggs owned by the Forbes family appearing at a Sotheby’s auction.”
I casually passed along a rumor I’d heard through Peterson.
“What? Is that true?”
“Yes. That’s what I’ve heard.”
“I understand that no dates or prices have been set yet. Just that talks are happening. But since I heard it from an executive-level source, it’s probably not baseless.”
He hurriedly grabbed his glass, drained it in one go, and spoke with determination.
“We must acquire them. No matter the cost.”
“Why not leak this information to the oligarchs? It might be a good way to test their loyalty.”
In the past, one oligarch had bought all the Fabergé eggs scheduled to go to auction right before the sale and donated them to the Kremlin.
“Oh? That’s a good idea.”
It was something I’d said offhandedly, but his reaction wasn’t bad. frёewebnoѵēl.com
The president always liked to test people.
The drinking session, our first in a long time, stretched endlessly with all kinds of conversation.
In the end, it wasn’t until morning that I was finally able to leave the villa.
