Capítulo 145: Chapter 145: I Know Nothing of Russian Politics
Roman would still be gaining power behind the backs of the first-generation oligarchs.
I greeted them with a calm expression, smoothly transitioning into casual conversation.
"Do you like soccer, by any chance?"
I smiled as I replied to Roman's question.
"Of course! Korean men are crazy about soccer. The 2002 World Cup was co-hosted with Japan, which really boosted the public's interest in it."
"Ah, I heard about that. I hope Russia qualifies for the World Cup. If I visit Korea, would you be my guide?"
"Definitely. You can come anytime, and I'll show you around."
"You really change when talking about soccer, Roman."
Roman broke into an awkward smile when Berezovsky chastised him.
"Alright, let's stop chatting for now. I have a lot of people to introduce you to. Follow me."
Berezovsky led me through the crowd while still talking to Roman.
This felt like a reward for keeping the secret of Prime Minister Primakov's pressure on me.
He even subtly brought it up when we met at the party yesterday.
"Gusinsky."
At Berezovsky's call, a man talking to someone else turned to look at us.
"This is my friend, Kim Mu-hyeok. Introduce yourself"
"Nice to meet you, Chairman Gusinsky. I'm Kim Mu-hyeok."
"I'm Vladimir Gusinsky."
He was a media tycoon who tightly controlled Russia's media.
Coincidentally, he was the same age as Putin and even shared the same name.
"I've heard so much about you. If Murdoch is in the U.S., then Gusinsky is in Russia."
"Thank you. You're making me blush."
Gusinsky smiled at my flattering words.
Given that Murdoch was his role model, his reaction was only natural.
"You should appear on our broadcast program sometime."
"It would be an honor if you invite me."
Following Berezovsky, I chatted with first-generation oligarchs and a few second- and third-generation oligarchs who would soon rise into prominence with Putin's power.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the chairman of Yukos.
Vladimir Potanin, the bloodthirsty corporate raider.
Viktor Vekselberg, the man known as the Steel King.
Alikperov, the Oil King.
The combined wealth of all the people here exceeded half of Russia's total wealth.
There were so many of them that I got tired of greeting them.
Perhaps because of Berezovsky's influence, most of them were friendly towards me.
Eventually, I left the garden and had a private conversation with Berezovsky inside the mansion.
"What do you think? This is where Russia's future is decided."
Berezovsky looked proud as he pointed out his power to me.
This must be what happens when political power and wealth meet.
But this man was destined to fade into the annals of history.
I smiled, hiding my true thoughts.
"It seems that way."
"Thank you for keeping your end of the bargain."
"You have already thanked me yesterday."
"If you had spoken up, President Yeltsin would be in serious trouble right now. I was only one of Primakov's pawns. His true objective was Yeltsin."
That must mean I gained favor in Berezovsky's eyes.
"Did you like the mansion?"
"It's a really nice mansion! The renovations aren't complete yet, but I like it just the way it is."
"I'm glad you like it. About the acquisition of the company we talked about before… just forget about it."
With the political threat removed, he no longer needed to sort out the businesses.
Berezovsky was completely overlooking Putin's ambitions.
"Yeltsin will step down soon."
I already knew this since Putin told me, but I pretended to be surprised.
"Putin will act as interim president until next year's presidential elections. The problem is that there's a split opinion among the oligarchs."
Berezovsky supported Putin.
Gusinsky supported Moscow's mayor, Luzhkov.
The oligarchs were split into two factions.
"Everyone agreed to support Yeltsin's re-election as president, but they had different ideas for his successor."
"May I ask why you chose Putin?"
"He's a friend I recommended to you. He listens well. Luzhkov has been in politics for a while and is far too experienced. Gusinsky will have to push him to support you."
Apparently, Berezovsky had no idea about Putin's ambitions. He seemed to think I was a novice in the political arena who had only recently entered the political world.
He probably still wanted to partition the power among themselves like they did during Yeltsin's presidency.
But Putin was not someone who would share power.
"I know nothing of Russian politics."
"Well, you wouldn't know anything about it if you were out of the loop. Obviously, if you have no vested interest, you wouldn't support anyone. Putin? Luzhkov?"
"I have some ties to Prime Minister Putin, so my opinion won't be objective."
"Still, tell me what you think. There's money at stake for all of us."
I paused to think.
Regardless of what I said, Berezovsky would only do what he wanted.
If I praised Putin, he might see me as a competitor.
"I'd say you'll end up with whoever you choose. If you can control someone, that's the best option. You either go with Putin or Luzhkov. It's best to think about who will be most helpful to you."
"That's a pretty standard answer."
"Isn't 'standard' the same as 'correct'? You're aware of this."
Dissatisfied with my answer, Berezovsky frowned, lost in thought.
"But if the person you back comes to power, won't you have a chance to eliminate your competitors?"
He nodded slightly without answering.
Now, the first-generation oligarchs, including Berezovsky, were evenly dividing the profits of their positions as Yeltsin's re-election campaign committee members.
But they had no opportunity to eliminate their rivals.
No matter who they backed, the will of the Kremlin Palace mattered most when it came to selecting Yeltsin's successor.
Berezovsky was close to Yeltsin's family, so he'd be influential in the dynasty's affairs.
"Just the same…"
Finally getting the answer he wanted, he stood up from his seat and smiled.
"You keep me around and talk nonsense at the party. Let's go. After the elections are over next year, come to Russia. There'll be plenty of food waiting for you."
"Yes, sir."
I followed Berezovsky out of the room.
I wandered around the garden with a glass of wine, lost in thought.
"Are you enjoying the party?"
Roman approached and asked.
"Oh, Chairman Roman."
"Just call me Roman. May I ask what your English name is? It's a little hard for me to pronounce your name."
"It's Charlie."
"Charlie. Nice! I'll call you Charlie, and you'll call me Roman."
"Sure, Roman."
Roman smiled brightly.
"I heard you like soccer?"
"Yes."
"Do you watch the Premier League?"
"Yes. Korea's domestic league isn't exactly…"
"Hahaha. Same here. The same applies to our country as well. In the end, it's also about money. The best players play where the money goes, so the leagues become more interesting too."
"I agree with you entirely."
Roman seemed to truly love soccer.
He bought Chelsea to make FM a reality, after all.
"Which team do you support?"
"Manchester United. I like their manager more than their players. Sir Alex Ferguson."
"I see. I like Chelsea. Their performance isn't all that great, though."
He was a Chelsea fan? I thought he just bought the struggling club.
Our conversation about soccer was endless.
"It's been a while since I've had a conversation like this. Let's get closer, Charlie."
"I enjoyed it too."
"How about we both buy a soccer club and face each other in the Premier League? That would be fun!"
"That does sound interesting."
I never thought of that before.
"Well, see you next time."
Our long and engaging conversation ended when Berezovsky searched for Roman.
I went with him to greet Berezovsky and then left the venue.
It was both amusing and frustrating to know the future.
"I will never fall like those other guys."
My words, uttered like a monologue, echoed in the car.
* * *
Kim Hak-gwon summoned me to the Blue House the day I returned to Korea after finishing my schedule in Russia.
"It's been a while, Mr. President."
"Welcome, Kim. It's been a while."
We greeted each other with smiles, a bit formally.
"Have a seat."
Kim Hak-gwon sent away his Chief Secretary.
"I heard you helped the Minister of Foreign Affairs while in Russia?"
"It was a coincidence. I couldn't just ignore it, seeing as I'm a citizen of Korea."
"Right… do you have connections in Russia?"
"I traveled around a lot for business, so I have connections here and there. I thought you already knew that."
As the National Intelligence Service Director, Lee Chan-jong had mostly destroyed the files he collected about me during his retirement.
However, the new National Intelligence Service Director that Kim appointed must have started to gather information about me the moment he stepped into office.
I would like to recruit that new NIS director, but since Kim would have learned how good I am at manipulating others, he wouldn't have appointed someone I could easily outmaneuver.
Kim didn't really deny what I said.
"You have some connections with the new prime minister, Putin?"
"Yes, but just a little."
"You're better than our Ministry of Foreign Affairs!"
Kim sighed.
He seemed to have changed his stance on things a little.
"Why are you making things difficult for me?"
That made me chuckle.
"Mr. President, I haven't done anything to make things difficult for you. Didn't you try to put the necklace on me first? I'm just a mere human being. How could I trust you right away when you do that to me?"
"…"
"I helped you, but instead of rewarding me, you went ahead and kept an eye on me."
"In Korea! In the Republic of Korea, which prides itself on being a gun-free zone, guns were used! I think would be pretty reasonable for me to take notice of that, no?"
Talk about being unreasonable.
"I would have gladly handed you the scapegoat! I would have been happy to help you in a way that would have benefited you! The shooting incident was not that important to me. You only wanted me to behave according to your wishes by using it as leverage. Isn't that right?"
"…"
Kim refused to answer.
"You should have just left me alone. Had you done that, I would have wholeheartedly helped you with your work."
"I guess I made a mistake. I apologize…"
He was sorry, huh?
He probably didn't want to apologize, but I had no use for it.
"It's fine. I understand."
"Thank you. I expect to see more cooperation from you.
"As long as you can keep your hands off my work, I'd be happy to help. Also, promise me that you won't interfere with my affairs anymore."
It seemed like the Minister of Foreign Affairs had praised me after returning from Russia.
"All right. I'll make sure to let you conduct your own business from now on."
"Okay."
I couldn't tell what his true feelings were, but at least that would conceal his actions from me for a while.
When I stepped out of the office, the Chief Secretary Park Won-seop frowned after making eye contact with me.
I laughed at his stupid face.
On my way home, I subtly hinted to Manager Ma.
"I think Kim Hak-gwon is looking to reconcile with me. There's a high chance it's a two-faced strategy. I should keep an eye on him since he might try to move first."
"Yes, Boss."
After a few days, I received a call from Wen Jiabao.
"Mr. Kim, I had a nice talk with Wang Gang. There shouldn't be any problems getting you out of Hong Kong now that I have also coordinated with the Hong Kong government."
"Thank you. I will contact you after everything has been wrapped up."
"I'll be coming to Korea next month. Let's meet then."
"Yes. I'll see you then."
I soon received a message from Eric saying that Mei Hong had been captured and he would take me back home on his private jet.
"Manager Ma, take me to the factory."
"Yes, Boss."
After Manager Ma left, I took out my phone and contacted Eva.
Boss!
"Eva, are you busy?"
"Busy, but when the boss calls, I have to go to him. What can I do for you?"
"Let's go somewhere together. I'll pick you up."
"Where to?"
"It's a surprise. I will be there in a minute, so finish up your work."
Eva has to be the one to break through her trauma by herself.
It would be a tough journey, but I would make sure she personally kills Mei Hong.
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