Empire of the Ring

“Prince consort, I think we should go to Istanbul because Her Highness has asked us for a few things. There is also an extension of the hotel security contract too, so we’ll have to go there anyway.”

“A business for the security company?”

“Mr. Cha said that two hotels had asked for an extension of service.”

“Are you getting paid for your business trips from Mr. Cha?”

“You’re in the same company. Why do we get paid separately from him?”

“Oh! You’ve been working unpaid. Zeynep Security Service is Mr. Cha’s business that he runs on his own. Of course, you should charge him for your service.”

“Both Mr. Cha. or Mr. Park doesn’t want to pay us separately. They all say it’s your company.”

“Phew, I’ve already given them the companies. Why are they refusing their chance?”

“…”

It seemed that the follower couple would never charge Cha In-soo or Park Jong-il for their service. Youngho sent them off. It seemed that his two dear friends would never take the companies for their own.

The follower couple was happy to go on a business trip. They were going to take the six-seater jet since they would be buying in some goods for Fatima. Since the 12-seater mid-sized jet was brought in, the six-seater jets had been used to travel anywhere that would take more than two hours to get on a light airplane. The light airplanes were now used to go to the Atyrau Airport or to patrol by Countryside Force guards.

The range of patrols was also extended to the Ural River and the coast of the Caspian Sea, which was also welcomed by the Navy. Because of that, fuel for airplanes was provided by the Kazakh Navy. So, jets were frequently used without any pressure. It was much more economical to use a six-seater jet, which was three times faster than a light airplane.

In the autonomous state, time was money. Given that most businesses were scattered all over the place, it was by no means a luxury to travel on a personal jet considering the poor traffic conditions in the area.

***

Eriksson, the broker of the Information Agency, also attended the recent coronation ceremony. Being a busy person he was, he could only stay for the day, but Youngho still found the time to talk to him in private.

Eriksson was also surprised by the Arirang Autonomous State. He said that he could not believe how Youngho created such a well-organized urban area in the wilderness in such a short period of time. Although it was a small state, it looked like a state with a bright future.

“It might sound funny, but you might be able to attract a huge amount of investment just for the dynamic of the autonomous state. If you’re interested in issuing government bonds, please tell me any time.”

“We’re not a country but an autonomous state. How can we issue government bonds? Besides, I hate to be in debt more than anything else.”

“It’s not debt, it’s like safety. The country or company that has the Arirang State’s government bonds would not let the state go wrong. If they don’t want to make the bonds into scraps of paper, they’re going to try and protect the state.”

“Wouldn’t they ask a lot in return if they put that much effort into helping the state?”

“That’s a matter of concern for later on. You can eliminate immediate threats and move forward with the bonds.”

After talking about the bonds, Eriksson informed Youngho that Nikolay and the buyer had exchanged memorandums of understanding on the sale of Nikolay’s factories in Krasnoyarsk.

“The seller was satisfied with the amount of money he made from the deal. You played a big role in this, Mr. Lee.”

“Well, I only delivered the seller’s message.”

“It’s hard to find any item that’s as special as this. Politically sensitive items are quite advantageous for buyers. Our agency needs to find something like this and please its customers. The leadership group of my organization appreciates your contribution to the group.”

“I`m glad to hear that. I jumped in to connect you to the seller because I was eager to get help with the Siberian project from him, but I was a little worried since it was a big deal.”

“The higher-ups of my company were glad to give you what you wanted, so I brought it as a gift to celebrate the coronation.”

Eriksson presented two external data storage devices that were each sized about the palm of his hand.

“This has a two terabyte capacity. It has laser-related technology.”

“You managed to get it already?”

“It’s what we’ve been keeping. My superiors easily agreed to give it to you since it wasn’t a very important technology. They said that they’re willing to offer this level of technology as much as they can in the future for such a great client like you. Please don’t hesitate to ask us if you need anything else.”

The Information Agency did not hesitate to offer the technology Youngho requested. It seemed that the company had rated the autonomous state very highly as a potential client.

Even though Youngho could not trust the agency completely, he wanted to take advantage of it by maintaining a good relationship as much as he could.

“Your clients might complain if they find out that you’re giving me exceptional benefits.”

“It’s a gift from my personal relationship with you, apart from leaving the US Intelligence Service. Our agency looks forward to keeping our good relationship with you and the autonomous state. Although our organization is primarily concerned with buying and selling information, we have clients whom we specifically manage, and you’re in that category.”

“It’s an honor that you think so highly of me.”

Youngho wondered who the higher-ups of the Information Agency that Eriksson frequently talked of, but he did not bother asking. It was because if he tried to find out about their identities, his relationship with the Information Agency might not continue.

“Please thank your superiors for me. Also, tell them that I’d like to work toward the benefits of each other together based on mutual trust.”

“Thank you for taking the small gift with pleasure. There will be a day when you’ll meet with my superiors. They also want to meet you very much. If you start interacting with my superiors, the autonomous state will have a strong background.”

“I look forward to that day.”

Youngho could not help but wonder what kind of people were really running the Information Agency. What he felt whenever he interacted with Eriksson was that he was a strikingly intelligent person. Such brilliant people were working as brokers of the Information Agency which had a faster information network than the world’s leading consulting firms. This would mean that the company’s sub-organizations were probably massive too, but the agency’s true identity was not yet revealed to Youngho. It was surprising that there was a group that was more secretive than the US CIA. It was something to look forward to meeting the leadership group since they were also willing to meet Youngho. Whatever their identity was, he wanted to interact with them as much as he could, unless they were a direct threat to the autonomous state.

***

Nikolay, the businessman of the South Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, expressed his willingness to repay Youngho for making the deal. His voice on the phone was full of excitement. It seemed that his problem with the authorities in Moscow was resolved.

In fact, Youngho called Yaniv to ask for arrangements for Nikolay since those who were in power in Moscow could still bother Nikolay even though his factories in the city were sold.

“Mr. Lee, I don’t know how to thank you. The deal was negotiated at a proper price. I have nothing in Moscow now.”

“I’m glad to hear that Mr. Chairman.”

“You mobilized Mr. Yaniv. He played a big role in this. I’ll thank Mr. Yaniv myself sometime soon.”

“How did you know that? I didn’t tell you about that, and Mr. Yaniv doesn’t expose himself when he works.”

“I was told by the authorities in Moscow. They said that they could not refuse Mr. Yaniv’s request and asked me to make a compromise at the proper level.”

“Then let me give you a piece of advice. I want to stop you from contacting him individually. If he knows that he was exposed, he’ll find it uncomfortable. I’ll take care of it from my side.”

“Honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable contacting him alone. I’d appreciate it if you would say thank you for me. When the sale is complete, I’ll send you a token of appreciation.”

Many businessmen feared mafia bosses in Russia since they could destroy their businesses easily.

“You don’t have to do that. I didn’t want anything when I decided to help you. Also, I know for sure that you’d also help me with my business in Siberia if asked. I’m only happy because your voice is so bright. I’m fully satisfied with that.”

Youngho wanted something bigger than a mere commission or reward since Nikolay was a person who would benefit in Youngho’s businesses in Siberia in the long run. Knowing that Nikolay was a businessman who would be willing to pay him even after the deal was over was a great achievement this time. Many other people would be willing to pay when they had a problem, but once it was settled, they tended to hesitate as it was not an urgent matter for them anymore. Sometimes, Youngho had a hard time even getting in touch with them since they were reluctant to receive his call.

It was natural since everyone loved money. However, such behavior was a temptation to be avoided when doing businesses because no business partners would be around if one acted like that. There was a proverb that said ‘suffering a big loss in going after a small gain.’ It had been proven many times through different cases in the business and political world.

“Well, you had a big event, but I didn’t even congratulate you. Because my health condition is still not great, I couldn’t visit you, sorry, Mr. Lee.”

“Oh, Chairman. I know your situation better than anyone else. Please don’t say that. I’ll be back in Siberia soon when I finish some of my work here.”

“Oh, please stop by my mansion when you’re here. I prepared a small gift, but I couldn’t deliver it to you. It’s late, but I really want to give it to you, please accept it. In Russia, it is a virtue to give a gift to an acquaintance’s event.”

“In that case, I’d be happy to receive it.”

Nikolay was trying hard to earn Youngho’s favor since he was a capable man with connections to powerful people such as Yaniv. Youngho did not trust anyone in the business world but there was no reason to refuse Nikolay since he was also quite useful and handy for him too.