Genius Grandson Of The Loan Shark King

After hesitating for a long while, Michael finally answered my question.

“No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand what you want, Charlie. Someone who already has enough wealth and power wouldn’t possibly want anything from me.......”

The confident demeanor he had when we first met was nowhere to be seen. His voice trailed off.

Michael hadn’t brought any bargaining chip with him.

“Director Michael.”

I called him with a smile.

“Everyone has something they can do. Some people go into politics, some go into business, and some farm for a living. Everyone’s work is different, but in the end, they’re just doing what they’re capable of. Some people to change the world. Some to make money. Some simply to survive.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“That everything has its use.”

“What is it that you want? Please tell me directly.”

At the word “use,” Michael spoke with a grim tone. Watching him as if he had steeled himself, I asked,

“Michael. Where does your dream end?”

“What do you think a salaried man’s ultimate goal is? I want to become the chairman of Chevron.”

“I’ll help you achieve that dream. No— I’ll expand your influence within the oil cartel. In return, you report everything that happens inside the oil cartel to me. Even the smallest details.”

“......Are you telling me to become a snitch?”

Michael frowned deeply, his brow furrowing. But he didn’t reject it outright.

“In return, I’ll give you information as well. How you use that information within the cartel will depend on Director Michael’s abilities. This is what we call mutual benefit (相扶相助). You’re very interested in the East, so you understand what I mean, right?”

“Helping each other.”

“To start the deal, Chevron will take charge of exploring Block 7 together with Yugansk Oil. That doesn’t sound bad, does it?”

With the carrot he wanted dangling right in front of his eyes, Michael swallowed dryly.

“Charlie, is that really possible?”

“If I couldn’t even do that, how would I make you the chairman of Chevron? I’ll contact you soon. Go back to the U.S. and wait. And make sure Chevron can’t interfere with this pipeline construction project. From what I know, Director Michael oversees most of Asia.”

“Yes. Chevron doesn’t have much interest in Asia. But I believe Asia is the future.”

Michael truly did have a sharp eye for reading the times.

“That’s right. We have to think about the future. China will keep growing, and changes in North Korea will transform all of Northeast Asia. If excessively bloated defense budgets are reduced and that money is spent elsewhere, Korea, Japan, and even North Korea can all grow more.”

Of course, it was something that would still take time.

And I possessed the bomb that could shorten that time.

“The oil business will change as well. The excessive concentration of oil interests in the Middle East will gradually diminish.”

“Even if oil is discovered in Block 7, the importance of the Middle East won’t change.”

“That’s true. Even if oil is found, it might amount to 10% of Saudi Arabia’s estimated reserves at best. Natural gas would be more than that, but still. Technology keeps advancing. I’m already preparing for change in the United States. That change will become an opportunity to reduce the influence of Middle Eastern countries.”

I had been slowly and quietly preparing the shale revolution for a long time.

For that purpose, I bought up all related patents and shared the bits of future knowledge I knew with them.

“Are you talking about shale oil and shale gas?”

“The shale revolution. That will change the paradigm of oil.”

“We’re aware of it too. But the technology is still lacking, and the facility investment costs are enormous. Production costs are far too high. Isn’t it an unprofitable business?”

“For now, yes. Right now, production costs are around 70 dollars, aren’t they?”

Traditional oil drilling methods had production costs hovering around 20 dollars.

But extracting shale oil cost nearly 70 dollars.

At present, the structure was such that the more you pumped, the more losses you incurred.

“That sounds about right. That’s why most shale-related companies have gone bankrupt.”

“Bankrupt, huh. Director Michael, you know George Mitchell, right?”

“Yes. Of course. He’s the one who developed hydraulic fracturing. I heard he eventually ran out of money and sold his company.”

“We acquired it. And we’re consolidating all related patents under a single company. All this time, we’ve steadily supported George Mitchell while continuing to look for ways to lower production costs.”

Michael listened to my words in a daze, then murmured in admiration.

“So you were the one who acquired George Mitchell’s company, Charlie. Just how long have you been preparing for this?”

“If you wait until the shale revolution happens and oil market dominance shifts from the Middle East to the United States, it’s already too late. A businessman needs to jump into the market faster than others and think about reaping the profits.”

“But no matter how much you lower production costs, they can’t go below conventional methods. No major oil company would jump into a business with lower profitability.”

As Michael said, major oil companies had no interest in the shale revolution.

They already held countless oil fields across the world, and there was no reason for them to extract oil and natural gas from shale at a higher cost.

But as time passed, they would naturally come to extract energy from shale gas.

However, the companies that initially jumped into shale gas were mostly small firms.

The shale revolution would succeed, but those companies would fail to enjoy the fruits of it, being sold off to major oil companies instead.

The best way for major oil companies to enter the business without taking losses was to acquire small and mid-sized companies that already possessed sufficient technological capability.

But this time was different.

Because I intended to buy up those so-so small companies one by one and turn them into a single massive oil company.

“You might think it’s all just empty talk right now, but in a few years, you’ll understand exactly what I meant.”

Despite my words, there wasn’t a trace of expectation on Michael’s face.

He seemed far more interested in the immediate scraps dangling before him.

“Well, that’s something for later. For now, we should talk about the Block 7 exploration rights. I’ll contact you after negotiations with Japan are finished.”

After sending Michael on his way, I contacted Han Kyungyeong.

— Oh. Muhyuk.

“Are you busy? Can you talk?”

— No matter how busy I am, I always have time to take your call. I was actually about to contact you. Just like you said, I’ve built connections with the heads of asset management firms that hold over 5% of Chevron’s shares.

“That was fast. As expected of you, hyung.”

— Without the Dream High name value, it would’ve been absolutely impossible.

Listening to Han Kyungyeong’s banter, I shared my plan to nurture Director Michael into a core figure within Chevron.

— Hmm. Then I’ll have to manage him.

As expected, he caught on instantly.

Even without long explanations, Han Kyungyeong immediately understood what I was getting at.

That’s why it’s so comfortable working with my own people.

“If you do ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ that, I’d really appreciate it.”

— Yeah, I’ll handle it. He doesn’t seem like someone you need to deal with personally anyway.

“Thanks, hyung. I’ve got too much on my plate to worry about that as well.”

— Don’t thank me. I’m just doing my job for the money I get paid.

His joking reply made me laugh without realizing it.

“Keep Michael under special management, and don’t hold back on support.”

— Don’t worry. I’m better at dealing with people than you, you know?

“That’s true. Ah, how’s old man George Mitchell doing? Is the tech development going well?”

— Old man George? He said he was testing a new technology, but I haven’t heard anything since. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

No news at all...... That worried me a bit. Progress seemed slower than I’d expected.

“He’s important for our future too. So keep a close eye on him. He’s quite old, so I’m concerned.”

— You really have a soft spot for elderly people. Got it, boss.

“See you next time. I’ll head to the U.S. around the presidential election season.”

After ending the call with Han Kyungyeong, I set the phone down.

* * *

“How much longer?”

“We’ll arrive shortly.”

The next day.

I headed toward the Gyeongui Line Inter-Korean Transit Office.

We soon arrived at the checkpoint, and our group got out of the car.

True to being a newly built facility, the transit office was extremely clean.

Due to the nature of the inter-Korean border office, where exits and entries were prohibited outside designated times, there were hardly any people around.

The moment we entered the building, Taesan Bank came into view on the left. Seeing it in a place like this strangely made me feel more at ease.

It seemed Taesan Bank had set up a branch to handle currency exchange and banking services for South Korean workers.

It wasn’t like an enormous amount of money would circulate just because a bank branch was here, but a bank was still something you couldn’t do without.

“Let’s look around the bank first. We still have time, right?”

“Yes. You mentioned before that you wanted to take a look, so we arrived an hour early.”

As I started walking toward the bank, a group of people approached us.

“President Kim Muhyuk?”

A middle-aged man at the front called my name.

“Yes. I’m Kim Muhyuk.”

“Welcome. I’m Kim Taehyung, in charge of this transit office. The Ministry of Unification contacted us directly and told us to receive you.”

I was scheduled to visit Pyongyang via the Kaesong Industrial Complex as a kind of special envoy, after agreements between the South and North Korean governments.

It seemed the government had instructed them to manage me carefully.

“The North Korean side hasn’t arrived yet. Would you like to look around the office? I’ll guide you.”

“How will the exit screening proceed?”

“There were instructions for you and your party to pass through without screening. We were told everything has already been coordinated with the North Korean side.”

“I see. Then we’ll look around here until the North Korean delegation arrives.”

“I’ll guide you.”

Director Kim Taehyung stepped forward to do so himself.

“That’s alright. I just want to look around quietly. If there are places we shouldn’t go, please let us know.”

“As long as you don’t cross the exit gate, you’re free to move around.”

“Understood. Then please don’t worry about us and take care of your own duties. I’ll look around on my own.”

“Still......”

Despite my repeated refusals, he stubbornly insisted on guiding us.

Given that he’d been instructed to give me special attention, it was only natural he’d be uneasy about letting me wander alone.

But I truly wanted to walk around by myself.

“I’m not saying this out of courtesy. If you keep insisting, it’s going to become uncomfortable.”

“Understood. Please call if you need anything.”

Only after I openly showed my discomfort did they finally disperse to attend to their own work.

“Unnecessary formalities are a pain.”

“I’ll make sure to pass that along together the next time we contact the Blue House, boss.”

I nodded at Manager Ma’s words.

Given how important this place was, it felt absurd that such a high-ranking official would act like this just to provide me with protocol treatment.

Once the distractions were gone, I led Manager Ma and the security team around the building.

Starting with the bank near the entrance, the first floor housed the civil affairs office and waiting area.

After slowly touring the first floor, we went up to the second.

The second floor contained convenience facilities like a convenience store and a cafeteria.

Daehyeon Construction’s office was also located there. We spent about an hour inspecting various parts of the transit office.

“President Kim Muhyuk.”

While we were on the second floor, Director Kim Taehyung returned.

“The North Korean delegation has arrived.”

I checked my watch and nodded. They seemed to have arrived exactly on time.

“They’re not late. Let’s go down.”

“However......”

Director Kim Taehyung trailed off.

I stopped and looked at him.

“Someone from the very top level in North Korea has come.”

“The top level?”

“Yes. Choi Ryonghae himself came.”

So that was why Kim Taehyung was being cautious. Choi Ryonghae was known as Jang Songthaek’s closest aide.

“Is that so? Let’s go down for now.”

Together with Kim Taehyung, I went down to the first floor and headed toward the exit gate.

Beyond the gate, I could see Choi Ryonghae and members of the Korean People’s Army.

“We can cross, right?”

“Yes.”

I led my group across the exit gate.

“President Kim Muhyuk. It’s been a while.”

Choi Ryonghae greeted me with a smile. I returned his greeting with a smile of my own.

“It really has. I’m very glad to see you. I never imagined we’d meet again safely like this.”

The smile vanished from Choi Ryonghae’s face, hardening instantly.