Genius Grandson of the Loan Shark King

You probably did that eventually

Night came quickly in Moscow.

I shared a lot of information with Medvedev, who came to see me almost every day.

"Aren't you busy? If someone saw you, they would think this was Medvedev's house."

As night fell, I laughed and scolded him as he came to me naturally.

"Haha. Do you get this kind of opportunity often? Isn't Mr. Kim busier than me? He's never spent this much time with me since he's been busy with his schedule since he came to Russia, so he has no choice but to come at night."

Medvedev answered with a sly smile and followed me.

"Or do you not like me coming to you?"

"It's not that I don't like it. I'm just worried that bad rumors will start to spread. Isn't it time for me to be afraid of other people's eyes?"

"What is that······?"

Medvedev looked at me, his voice trailing off as if in doubt.

It seemed as if he had no idea what I was talking about. So I got straight to the point.

"The current president is subject to term limits and cannot run for office again unless the Constitution is amended. But amending the Constitution is even more difficult."

In his previous life, he could have simply amended the Russian Constitution to remove term limits, but no one knew why Putin had to hand over his position to someone else, and all sorts of speculations were made about it.

Even at that time, the United States was watching closely the developments of the president's closest associates, such as Igor Sechin and Sergei Lavrov, who were considered as potential candidates for the next presidential election.

Sechin was a man trusted by the president so much that he was appointed chairman of Rosneft, Russia's second-largest company after Gazprom.

'For me, that person becoming the next president is the worst of the worst.'

He was a prominent figure in the siloviki who most strongly opposed my acquisition of Yukos's subsidiary.

'But Sergei Lavrov is no pushover either.'

As Foreign Minister, he was charged with representing Russian policy and views on behalf of the President.

He was more conservative than anyone else and represented Russia's interests better than anyone else.

'The only card I have is Medvedev.'

In this life, I have become so involved in Russian politics and economics that a lot has changed.

Medvedev rose to power faster than he had in his previous life, and there was no telling what variables would come into play.

"Hmm······. I think it's still too early to talk about a successor."

"Time does not wait for us, Medvedev. What will you do if you are so comfortable that you have a competitor?"

Medvedev and the Siloviki could not have gotten along well.

It was difficult for Medvedev, a typical administrator, and those with intelligence and military backgrounds to bond chemistry.

Moreover, the future changed significantly when the oligarchs and Medvedev, who had taken over one axis of Russian power because of me, joined hands with the Sibiliki, who had been pushed out in the power struggle by the Siloviki.

"······."

"It is difficult to amend the Constitution right now. The President knows that, and you, Medvedev, know that too. Of course, everyone else knows that too. But as you know, he is not the kind of person who would give up power, is he?"

He was a man obsessed with power to the point where he would not give up power until he died.

Also, just by looking at his actions in his previous life, you can tell enough about his disposition that he never hid his desire for power.

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"Ultimately, he will try to maintain power by handing over the presidency to someone he trusts and then taking it back. He will make that choice considering legal constraints, but he will try to keep the back door open and maintain his influence."

Medvedev had no answer.

I could understand that it was a difficult topic to answer easily, but I continued talking.

"I'm going back to Korea now. Then I won't be able to pay much attention to Russia for the time being. That's why I'm bringing this up today."

During my stay in Russia I had many opportunities to speak to Medvedev.

But I brought up this difficult topic because I thought today would be the last.

Because today, if Director Ma sorts out the internal strife within Cheonha Group, I plan to go to Korea right away.

"If you find it difficult to continue the story, I will stop."

"······President Kim. If the fact that I talked about that topic gets out, I could die right away."

"You don't trust me? What good would it do me to blow up Medvedev?"

I had no intention of changing the President of Russia.

Even if I set my mind to it, unlike China or North Korea, I couldn't easily be shaken.

If by any chance a variable arises and someone else takes power in Russia, I hope it will be Medvedev.

I had a big investment in Russia. I may have more money invested in North Korea later, but right now I have much more money invested in Russia.

In an authoritarian country like Russia, when the political situation is unstable, the economy also becomes unstable. That's why I wanted political stability in Russia.

"Then shall we stop?"

"No, please continue."

Medvedev ultimately chose to open Pandora's box.

For me, even if someone else had taken power, it would only have caused some disruption to my business, but for Medvedev, it was a matter of life and death, so he had no choice.

"You need to manage your image. Stop fighting with the Siloviki. Instead, act as a mediator between the oligarchs, the Sybiliki coalition, and the Siloviki."

Medvedev was given the presidency in his previous life because he was a good mediator.

"Are you telling me to betray the Oligarchs and the Civilians?"

"Betrayal?"

Even though I've been exposed to a lot of political stuff, I still see politics as a binary issue.

The political world is a place where today's enemy becomes tomorrow's friend.

He, a politician, doesn't know what I, a businessman, know. Well, that's why he's perfect as a scarecrow.

"The goal of the Siloviki is to ensure that the current president's regime continues to exist and that their interests are protected. So they are a group that will do anything to maintain his power."

The current president and the Siloviki were a community of shared destiny. If one side collapsed, they would collapse together.

"The oligarchs don't care who is in power, as long as they do their own business. The oligarchs and the siloviki exist for different reasons."

They would never gamble everything for Medvedev.

"The Sibiliki may be better. But they are politically incompetent, not to mention administratively. If they had enough political power, they would not have been pushed out by the Siloviki. In the end, they had no choice but to join hands with Medvedev. They are not a group loyal to you."

Medvedev's expression became subtle as he was gently reminded of reality.

Neither the oligarchs nor the civil servants were a community that shared the same fate as Medvedev.

But can reconciliation with the Siloviki really be called a betrayal?

"I'm not saying that you should join the inner circle of the Siloviki. That's a handshake. You can't be mainstream there unless you're from the KGB or the FSB. Or you're from the military."

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As Medvedev took over as president, many media outlets labeled him a siloviki.

But the reality was different. Medvedev was always a stranger to the siloviki.

"The president would also not like one side to become more powerful. He would think that power could be aimed at him."

By handing over Yukos to me, he put the brakes on the Siloviki's solo run. This act gave me a glimpse of his intentions.

"So from now on, please position yourself not as a representative of one force, but as a mediator between the two sides."

"Is that possible? The Siloviki don't like me."

Medvedev furrowed his brows in embarrassment.

"If you keep approaching them, they won't be able to openly ignore you, Medvedev. That would be a challenge to the authority of the president who gave you power. I'm not saying you should chemically bond with them. You just need to act as a mediator on the surface."

I continued to persuade Medvedev, who was hesitating.

After much persuasion, he finally nodded.

"I'll try, but I'll have to throw them some food to get to know them."

"I will take care of that and prepare it myself."

"I would be happy if you did that, but... why on earth are you doing this to me? Don't you really not care if someone else becomes a puppet, as opposed to me?"

Medvedev also already knew that the next president would be Putin's puppet.

So what I had to do now was to be honest and tell the truth.

"For me, it is best to have Medvedev, with whom I have a good relationship. That is good for my business and my well-being. I believe that if I invest, I will get a bigger return."

I believe that if Medvedev ever becomes a real power in Russia, he will not forget me.

Medvedev met my eyes and slowly nodded his head.

"I see. Then I should start preparing from now on."

Finally, a satisfactory answer came. I smiled brightly, took his hand, and patted the back of his hand.

"You've thought it through. It won't be easy. It's about mediating between the two axes of power. You might get called a bat, but that's how Medvedev survives."

"If it weren't for President Kim, I wouldn't have been able to make up my mind so easily."

By my intervention, Medvedev had already strayed far from the path he was supposed to take.

So it's right to change direction like this. For my sake and for his.

"No. Even if it weren't for me, you would have done it anyway."

"How humble. I'm not that strong-hearted. The next president······."

It wasn't something I could just say I wanted to do. In the end, I had to be chosen by that person to be able to do it.

Our conversation ended with a knock on the living room door.

The one who knocked on the door was Manager Kim.

"I got a call from Korea."

Judging from the message that Manager Kim had come to deliver, it seemed to be a call from Director Ma.

As I nodded and looked at Medvedev, he stood up and smiled.

"I'll get up now. You don't have to come out to pick me up."

"Right. I can't go far."

"Hahaha. Of course. I need to talk to you. Then I'll come back tomorrow."

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After sending Medvedev away, I handed over the cell phone to Manager Kim.

"Director Ma. What happened?"

- The general meeting just ended, boss.

"Really? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Although it was unlikely, I was worried that Director Ma might have been injured, so I asked about his well-being first.

- No injuries.

"That's good. Did you clean it up neatly?"

- Yes. As planned, Im Hwa-soo was elected as chairman. For the time being, Vice Chairman Chu Dong-bin will continue to serve as vice chairman and assist in the stable handover of the group. And when things stabilize to a certain extent, he has expressed his opinion that he will retire at that time.

In the end, it seems that Chu Dong-bin will remain Yoo Seong-jin's subordinate until the end. It's unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do about it.

"If he says he'll follow Yoo Sung-jin, then tell him to do so. No. Tell him that when he returns to Seoul, he'll meet with Chairman Im Hwa-soo and Vice Chairman Chu Dong-bin. But I still need to see their faces at least once."

- Yes. I will convey it that way.

Now that the new chairman of Cheonha Group has been decided, it's time to return to Korea.

"Can I enter Korea now?"

I deliberately delayed my return because of Director Ma's excessive concern.

- Yes. But how should we deal with Yang Woo-guk and the people who supported him?

"If we clear them all out, half of Cheonha Group will be gone?"

- Hmm······. I think there won't be a big problem if we just organize those at the manager level and above.

"What do Chairman Im Hwa-soo and Vice Chairman Chu Dong-bin say?"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Soon, Director Ma's voice was heard, and it was incredibly cold.

― I don't think I can leave everything up to them anymore, so I'd like to set an example for them.

It seems like Director Ma is really angry. I decided to respect his opinion.

"Then I have nothing more to say. Director Ma, take care of it yourself. Whatever decision Director Ma makes is my decision."

- Thank you, boss.

"Then let's go to Korea in two days and see. If possible, I'll go in the morning and finish up the necessary work. I think this is the first time I've been away for this long."

- Yes. I'll wait for you at the airport.

"Then I guess you're busy, so I'll hang up now."

As soon as the call ended, Manager Kim spoke quickly.

"I'll get you clearance to take off tomorrow morning, boss."

I nodded and looked out the window.

Now it was time to return to Korea.

< You probably did that in the end > End

< Slowly recover the invested funds >