Chapter 679: A Gift for the President

It was only after several rounds of drinks that the real conversation began.

"I heard Medvedev visited you yesterday. Were you upset?"

The President, already aware of the situation, feigned ignorance as he inquired about my feelings.

To gauge his intentions, I remained silent, simply watching him.

Our gazes tangled in the air, and after a long pause, I finally spoke up.

"What on earth were you thinking?"

"Was it about the PMC? Or the approach to Igor?"

"Both. I honestly have no idea what you're thinking."

He raised an eyebrow, appearing puzzled.

"Strange. My intentions are unreadable to you, Mu-hyeok, who knows me so well?"

"…How could I possibly understand your deep intentions?"

He chuckled heartily, lifting the vodka bottle to refill his glass.

"You've surprised me, and that makes me happy."

The President looked genuinely pleased. After downing a shot of vodka, he spoke.

"First, let me apologize. My intention wasn't to approach your people. The friend I brought in for the PMC acted too hastily."

"I don't believe you directed such orders, Mr. President."

"I appreciate your understanding. Now, let's have another drink."

It was unwise to argue when the head of Russia himself was apologizing.

I raised the glass he handed me and downed the vodka in one go. Setting the empty glass down, I warned him.

"Mr. President, please ensure this never happens again. I respect you and Russia, and you must respect me in return. That's essential for our long-lasting friendship."

The President silently nodded in agreement.

I poured more vodka into my glass from the bottle in front of me.

"Let's drink to that. We can forget all about yesterday with this glass."

He too emptied his glass in one swift motion, and as he placed it down, his true feelings came to light.

"Being in this position, there's not much I can do as I'd like. Domestic opinions are manageable, but international views are never in our favor."

Even if the Cold War had ended with the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia still retained its power.

Even the overwhelming superpower like the U.S. couldn't underestimate Russia's potential.

"Seeing Black Bear in action made me think I could also intervene in foreign affairs by hiring mercenaries like that."

After witnessing Black Bear's success in consecutive wars, more countries began employing private military companies.

Russia seemed to be considering forming a PMC for that reason.

But it was akin to trying to cover the sky with one hand. No one would trust a PMC based in Russia.

On the surface, they claimed to be involving themselves in conflicts under contract with the Russian government, but everyone knew the government's influence was at play.

"It's impossible for anyone to not know about the government's involvement in this."

"Of course they know. But they can't openly criticize me for it. I didn't deploy Russian soldiers after all. If they were to criticize me, then they'd have to critique both the U.S. and Korea for employing Black Bear in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."

"Well, that's a fair point."

"So, the talk of bringing in Igor came up. His operational capability has been proven in various situations."

Igor's competence was already well-known.

His achievement in executing a successful infiltration mission in North Korea alone made him a coveted talent.

"That's why Medvedev likely proposed it to you. But I hesitated. The Mu-hyeok I know would never dismiss his own people first."

"You're correct. If Igor decides to leave first, I'd consider it, but I won't be the one to send him away."

He smiled slightly, as if he expected as much, and shrugged.

"I've already been told you declined. I doubt there will be another proposal, so I hope you understand."

"Russia still has many special forces left. If you recruit them, I believe you can accomplish what you have in mind, Mr. President."

When Black Bear hires mercenaries, they heavily weigh both skills and character.

The battlefield can drive even the sanest person mad.

Mercenaries typically spend more time in combat than regular soldiers. If not properly grounded in their values, they're likely to commit all sorts of war crimes.

Despite carefully selecting these mercenaries, there were still those who caused incidents during the Iraq war.

But if we were to choose people solely based on ability…

'A catastrophe would surely occur. We need to strengthen our character checks.'

Despite hearing of the competence of the special forces left in Russia, that was the reason not everyone was hired.

"That's the way it must be. I believe in our Russia."

"I can't send Igor away, but I can offer him as much advice as needed."

When the President asked questions, I explained how Black Bear operated to the best of my knowledge.

Once our discussion about the PMC ended, he finally showed interest in the box I brought along.

"By the way, what's that? It looks like a jewelry box."

"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, and he alternated his gaze between me and the contents of the box.

"This can't be…?"

"Do you recognize it?"

"Isn't this a Fabergé egg?"

True to a Russian's instincts, he recognized it instantly.

He stared at the Fabergé egg for a while, admiring it.

"It seems to be an Alexander commemorative egg. Am I seeing this correctly?"

He urged me to confirm his answer eagerly.

It was my first time seeing him so excited.

"Yes. It's already been appraised as authentic. Sotheby's verified it as the real deal."

He once again expressed his admiration as he carefully pulled the box containing the Fabergé egg closer to himself.

After silently examining the egg for a while, he asked.

"You're giving this to me as a gift?"

"Yes. It suits you better than anyone else. The owner of that item is you, Mr. President."

"Oh my… I've received an incredible gift."

While I had given him various gifts before, he had never displayed such open joy.

"I have another Fabergé egg in my possession."

"Oh, really?"

I was already aware that he owned a Fabergé egg from the Kremlin.

To be more precise, it belonged to the President.

"I wish I could show it to you, but it's stored in the Kremlin's treasure vault, so I can't display it right now."

He gazed longingly at the egg as he continued speaking.

"A Fabergé egg is a treasure symbolizing the Russian Empire. But those foolish revolutionaries sold everything without a clue."

The Fabergé eggs wandered the world after the Russian revolution.

The properties belonging to the royal family were sold during the nationalization process initiated by those who sparked the Russian revolution.

"If I had lived in that era, I would have never sold the royal treasures to foreign countries."

The Tsar of Russia, longing for the imperial past and dreaming of a new Russian Empire, was genuinely outraged.

"What good is money in judging Russia's dignity? Those without pride!"

He muttered curses under his breath, pulling the egg closer to him.

"I've received an exceptionally rare treasure as a gift. I also need to give Mu-hyeok something in return. I wonder what would please him?"

He was indeed someone who understood the value of gifts. A person who can reciprocate when given something valuable.

"Do you have anything in mind?"

Just as the egg has an owner, I also had something I wished to receive.

Without hesitation, I spoke up.

"I wish to proceed with the construction of gas and oil pipelines connecting Russia and Korea."

The Northeast Gas Pipeline project involved three countries: Korea, North Korea, and Russia.

"Hmm…"

"This isn't something that can be delayed. Now is the time. If not now, it will be harder to construct later."

"Mu-hyeok, you know, but I don't have the luxury for that. The construction of the oil pipeline connecting China and Russia is already in progress. It would be unreasonable for us to build another pipeline running through North Korea to Korea simultaneously."

The construction of the oil pipeline connecting Russia and China was also an endeavor in which I was involved.

"For now, I will take charge of the construction."

"The construction itself isn't the issue. The funding is the problem."

"I will cover that as well."

"You're saying you'll cover that?"

Constructing an oil pipeline requires a colossal sum of money. When I mentioned I would take care of it, the President's expression changed, indicating newfound interest.

"But please grant me the exclusive rights to the use of the pipeline and gas line."

"…Hey, Mu-hyeok."

The President called me, appearing troubled. I understood it was an unreasonable request.

What ruler would choose to cede national infrastructure to an individual?

"I'm not asking for unlimited rights. Just for 30 years. After 30 years, it will revert to the Russian government."

But in Russia, this might be feasible.

The construction of the pipelines was essential to exploit the synergy between the Russian oil company I owned and Jungwoo Oil.

"If it's too difficult, you don't have to push it. I just said what I desired because you asked me to."

The President of Russia fell into deep thought.

I waited for his answer while I quickly downed two shots of vodka.

This was a gamble.

The oil pipeline connecting Russia and Korea was a project that had not seen progress for decades.

It was a difficult endeavor due to the massive wall of North Korea standing in the way.

But this life was different.

North Korea was dreaming of change now, and even just collecting customs fees for the pipeline would be a great benefit for them.

"Alright. Let's go with that."

His approval came down, and I silently cheered inside.

But I feigned concern, trying to sound worried as I asked.

"Are you sure this is okay?"

"Just promise me one thing."

"Speak up."

"As long as you promise that you'll halt the operation of the pipeline whenever we want, that's fine."

Russia's greatest weapon was its gas valves.

He favored using energy as a weapon to pressure Western Europe.

But then I wouldn't have complete control either.

"Using energy as a weapon is sufficient for just Western Europe. Even if that weapon is used, it would benefit both you and the Russian government to leave a loophole behind. A fallback strategy is essential."

"I can't allow exceptions."

"In time, you will understand why I'm saying this. Trust me, Mr. President. I won't do anything against Russia's interests."

I stared straight into his eyes without flinching.

For a long moment, our gazes clashed in the air.

But ultimately, he accepted my proposal with a sigh.

"…Alright. Let's go with that."

"Then I'll return to Russia after obtaining the approval of the Korean and North Korean governments."

He nodded. As if he didn't want to discuss business any further, he waved his hand lightly to change the subject.

"Now, let's stop with the headaches. Tell me about what happened in Iraq. I've heard it was a lot of fun."

Everyone I meet always asks me about it. I slowly inclined my glass, recounting everything that happened in Iraq in as much detail as I could.

"Hahaha! Yes, of course. I knew you would be like that."

With laughter spilling from his mouth after hearing my tales from Iraq, the tension dissipated.

As we talked, the conversation drifted from Iraq to Sotheby's auction.

"Sotheby's auction… I've heard a lot about it."

"They were so insistent asking me to put the egg up for auction. I had quite the trouble refusing them."

"Good. Russian treasures should remain in Russia. But no one is really eager to sell them."

"Oh, speaking of which, I heard rumors that the Forbes family is in discussions to auction nine Fabergé eggs."

I nonchalantly shared the rumor I had heard through Peterson.

"What? Is that true?"

"Yes. That's what I understand."

"I believe details like dates and amounts haven't been disclosed yet. I just heard there was some back-and-forth in discussions. But since I got this intel from an executive, it must be there is some truth behind it."

Urgently searching for his drink, he emptied it in one gulp and said gravely.

"We absolutely must acquire them at all costs. No matter how much money it takes."

"Let's leak this information to the oligarchs. Testing their loyalty might be a good idea."

Originally, one of the oligarchs had planned to auction a Fabergé egg, but right before the auction, he purchased all of them and donated them to the Kremlin.

"Oh? That's an interesting approach."

It occurred to me suddenly, and his response was quite positive.

The President always liked to test people.

This long-awaited drinking session stretched endlessly with various tales.

Eventually, I was able to leave the villa only when morning broke.