That all authority over Korean conglorates’ investnt in Russia would be entrusted to .
At Putin’s completely unexpected declaration, everyone at the table stared at with looks of shock.
I too was startled and turned toward him, and he smiled as he t my eyes.
Even dvedev, sitting beside him, seed to have known already—there was a faint grin at the corner of his lips.
“President Kim is the only person in Korea I can trust. So if you have any questions or difficulties regarding investnts in Russia, bring them to him anyti.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Chairman Song Chanwoo bowed and stepped aside. Next, Ilseong Group’s Chairman Seo Yonggeon stepped forward.
“I am Chairman Seo Yonggeon of Ilseong Group.”
At Voloshin’s introduction, Putin nodded, and Seo Yonggeon bowed politely. Fluent Russian flowed from his mouth.
“President Putin, I am Seo Yonggeon, head of Ilseong. It is an honor to et you.”
“Co, sit.”
Putin acknowledged the greeting with barely a glance, waving him into a seat. His treatnt of and Seo Yonggeon was worlds apart, and I saw Seo Yonggeon’s face stiffen.
I exchanged a few words with dvedev, then noticed, and a °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° mocking smirk tugged at my lips.
“What kind of investnt does Ilseong plan in Russia?”
Catching my scorn, Seo Yonggeon frowned, but at Putin’s words he quickly forced a smile and answered.
“We are considering an automobile plant and a mobile phone manufacturing plant.”
“Good.”
Putin nodded perfunctorily with a token complint.
“As chairman of Ilseong Group, you must know President Kim well. All matters related to Korean investnt in Russia will proceed under his authority.”
“What?”
Seo Yonggeon, taken aback, blurted out, but Putin’s reply was cutting.
“If you aren’t fluent in Russian, then you should bring an interpreter. What exactly is this supposed to be?”
“Mr. President, that’s not what I—”
Seo Yonggeon rushed to explain, but Putin cut him off even faster.
“I’ve heard your investnt plans. That will be all. You may leave now.”
Dismissing him coldly, Putin then turned with exaggerated warmth toward .
“Muhyuk, let’s have a drink together after this, shall we?”
“It would be my honor anyti to share drinks with you, Mr. President.”
Pleased with my answer, Putin’s smile deepened.
Though dismissed, Seo Yonggeon lingered. Voloshin rose and approached him.
“Chairman. Due to ti constraints, the President still has other etings with chairn. Please rise.”
“Ah... yes, understood.”
Wearing a sour expression, Seo Yonggeon stood and bowed to Putin.
“I will see you next in Russia.”
“Fine.”
Putin gave a halfhearted reply without even looking his way.
Perhaps unable to mask his emotions, Seo Yonggeon’s face was steeped in humiliation as he lifted his head.
That only made the sneer on my lips deepen.
“By the way, Chairman Seo—are you even in a position to invest in Russia right now?”
His eyes flashed with anger as he glared at , but without a word he turned and left obediently.
“President Kim, I know you and Ilseong are not on good terms. Still, this is an official occasion. Please observe decorum.”
The quiet admonishnt ca from beside . I turned to see Pri Minister Lee Hyeonjik.
“Decorum?”
“This is in front of the Russian President. I ask that you set aside personal feelings here. Please.”
Looking around at him and those nearby, I gave a slight nod.
Indeed, there was no need to show ugliness in front of so many eyes.
“Understood. I will be careful.”
“Thank you.”
I could well understand Lee Hyeonjik’s position. As soone under Kim Hakgwon, he had no real way to diate properly between and Seo Yonggeon.
So he could only plead.
Putin, having heard the interpreter convey our exchange, let out a hearty laugh.
“Pri Minister, it’s fine. President Kim and I aren’t the type to stand on ceremony. Don’t be too hard on him.”
Most of the top conglorate chairn chose to pursue investnts in Russia.
The reason was simple.
What they sought were the underground resources spread across the vast Siberian plain.
To curry favor with the Russian governnt, they announced plans for automobile factories or other ventures they didn’t truly need.
Russia’s natural gas output ranked among the highest in the world, and how much more was buried remained unknown. Of course they would covet it.
“Muhyuk, I’ll be in touch later.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
With the etings finished, Putin exited the banquet hall with Voloshin.
Now the real networking between Russian oligarchs and Korean conglorate leaders began.
Surveying the hall, Pri Minister Lee Hyeonjik also rose from the table.
“President Kim Muhyuk, I will see you again.”
“Yes, Pri Minister. Please call .”
I rose as well and extended my hand.
After our handshake and a nod, Lee exchanged a brief greeting with dvedev, then left the hall.
When he was gone, we returned to our seats.
“You could have given so advance notice.”
“Ha-ha, I wanted to see the look on your face when you were caught off guard. Fortunately, it worked well.”
dvedev spoke with a mischievous laugh.
Even after rising to power under the absolute authority of Putin, he still hadn’t lost that streak, and I found myself smiling too.
As we traded light jokes, I glanced around. The chaebol chairn were conversing with Russian oligarchs, but their eyes kept flicking toward our table.
“By the way, you dealt with Gusinsky cleanly.”
I ignored the stares and asked dvedev quietly. He nodded.
“My intent was to see him rot in prison for life, but Putin insisted it be wrapped up with exile abroad.”
“...I see.”
If Gusinsky remained alive, Putin would always face headaches. I frowned at the thought of ending it with exile.
“But thanks to that, Gazprom acquired his dia group for a pittance. Gusinsky’s influence in Russia is gone completely.”
“Still, alive, he could speak ill of Putin abroad, couldn’t he?”
At that, the genial smile vanished from dvedev’s face in an instant. A chilling air settled over him, even a hint of killing intent.
With an expression I had never seen from him before, he spoke quietly.
“In that case, his life will be ended. That is Putin’s decision.”
Yes, for Putin, it would be the simplest thing.
As we continued speaking, I scanned the room.
Then my eyes t Roman’s, and he began walking toward our table.
“Chairman, it’s been a long ti.”
Roman bowed to dvedev, but his greeting was t with a cold reception.
With a dissatisfied expression, dvedev only gave a curt nod without further words.
“Charlie, it’s been a while.”
Roman did not seem surprised by dvedev’s cold response, and so he turned to greet instead.
“Roman, it has been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yes, I’ve been doing well. May I sit?”
At his question, I glanced at dvedev. Though still wearing a displeased expression, he reluctantly nodded.
“Sit.”
Roman, casting cautious glances at dvedev, sat down awkwardly.
From their reaction, it was clear Putin and dvedev already knew what Roman had done. He was lucky enough just to still be alive.
“Roman, why did you do it?”
Since they already knew, there was no reason to mince words. I got straight to the point.
It was I who had given Roman a path to survive, and he had accepted it.
To throw away Putin’s trust over a petty gain—it was no different from trampling his own red carpet.
“...”
Roman hesitated, unable to answer right away.
His silence grew heavier, and it was dvedev who finally spoke first.
“Did you beg President Kim to spare you?”
One cannot deceive a ghost. I gave a slight nod.
“President Kim advised Putin, didn’t he? To use Roman to bring down Berezovsky?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But this Roman here did sothing stupid. He told Berezovsky everything about our plan.”
dvedev clicked his tongue in irritation, glaring at Roman.
“He told him to flee abroad, promised him money when he reached England, and demanded Berezovsky hand over his Sibneft shares.”
The situation was worse than what Roman had told . If Berezovsky had ti to escape, it would have been a critical blow to Putin.
Unlike Gusinsky, Berezovsky had once been Putin’s supporter and knew far more of his dark secrets.
“Fortunately, we stopped him before he fled. For now, he is confined to his ho.”
“That is indeed fortunate.”
“If President Putin had not been fond of you, had not considered you a friend, this would have been the end of your connection to him.”
A single misstep, and years of effort could have been undone.
But as dvedev said, thanks to approaching Putin before he rose to power and being treated as a friend, his trust in had not been broken.
After hearing it all, I looked at Roman with a blank expression. He could not even et my eyes.
“Does this differ much from what you said on the phone?”
“N-no, that’s not...”
“Excuses are unnecessary. If you made a mistake, then explain it and apologize. Then fix it. Why do you insist on self-justification?”
Roman pressed his lips tightly together, as if unable to speak. Instead, I turned to dvedev.
“What did Roman say?”
“Nothing worth hearing. Only that after seeing Gusinsky flee to Spain, he tried to profit before Berezovsky could be dealt with. That was all we could extract. Putin was furious when he heard. Roman’s actions did nothing but provoke his anger.”
Should I help him? Or just turn away?
Hearing dvedev say that Putin was enraged made hesitate.
Sensing my hesitation, Roman hurriedly spoke up.
“Please, help just this once. If you do, I will never forget the debt.”
At this mont, I was Roman’s only lifeline.
Putin, having exiled Gusinsky abroad, had made it clear: any oligarch—or anyone else—who defied him could be dealt with the sa way at any ti.
And Roman had dared to provoke such a man. It was like kicking a hornet’s nest, then begging not to be stung.
“Haa... you fool. I will speak with the President later. But you must know—you will lose much in the process.”
“...Understood. I beg you.”
“I will contact you later. For now, go.”
Roman’s lips trembled as though he had more to say, but in the end, he silently rose and walked away.
Once he was gone, dvedev asked,
“Is it really necessary to strain yourself to save him?”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to give him a chance at least once? This incident will teach him caution. And it’s convenient to hold a debt over soone when you need to control the oligarchs.”
dvedev still looked unconvinced.
“There’s no reason it has to be him.”
“He is capable, at least. A ruthless opportunist, yes, but skilled nonetheless.”
Even if I did not help him, Roman would sohow survive and go on to control nearly half of Russia’s industry.
A man of ability, but unpredictable. Putting a leash on such a man was a bargain.
“I don’t understand it.”
dvedev shook his head. I gave him a soft smile, trying to reassure him.
“Do not trouble yourself over it. I will handle this matter personally.”
As I smiled and glanced around the hall, I caught Chairman Kim Byungwoo looking in my direction.
I gave him a slight signal, and he promptly ca over.
“Chairman, this is Chairman Kim Byungwoo of Joongwoo Group. He and I are close.”
I introduced him to dvedev. Rising, dvedev extended his hand with a smile.
“I am dvedev.”
“Kim Byungwoo. I am responsible for Joongwoo Group.”
dvedev shook his lightly trembling hand a few tis before speaking with easy geniality.
“I know Joongwoo Group well. Wasn’t it the company that invested heavily across Eastern Europe? Though you withdrew from most of those ventures.”
“That’s correct. But I still believe Eastern Europe is worth investing in.”
As Kim Byungwoo sat, the conversation grew more lively.
“Joongwoo Group is my company.”
“I am aware.”
“As expected of you, Chairman. Of course, though it is mine, the managent rests entirely with Chairman Kim here. I do not involve myself in day-to-day affairs.”
“Is that so? I hadn’t known.”
A few jokes eased the tension, and the atmosphere beca friendly.
Just as I was preparing to bring up the main subject, Chief of Staff Voloshin approached .
“The President requests your presence.”
“Does he? I still have much to say. Chairman Kim, please enjoy your conversation with the Chairman here.”
Rising, I spoke to dvedev. He nodded, then winked with a grin.
“If you’re that disappointed, why not share a drink with tomorrow?”
At his playful invitation, I responded with a smile and a nod.
As I left the banquet hall with Voloshin, every gaze in the room followed .
Ignoring the sting of their eyes on my back, I went after him.
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