Chapter 287: Is That Even Possible?

Monday morning.

As soon as I arrived at the office, I went straight to Chairman Park Yeongil.

I gave him a detailed report on what had happened during my business trip to Hong Kong and how events had unfolded afterward.

— ...After receiving a harsh rebuff from Chairman Xi Jinping, Politburo member Liu Peiqi went to confront Chairman Zhen Weiliang.

— I would have done the same in his position. And what did Chairman Zhen do?

— He followed my advice exactly, so Politburo member Liu completely lost his fighting spirit.

— Well, that’s for the best. But surely Liu won’t back down that easily?

— To placate him, Chairman Zhen bought the diamonds back for $7 billion. However, Liu still hasn’t given up on his plans and decided to purchase nine tons of gold bars belonging to Chairman Zhen and Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

— They say that when people go mad with power, they lose touch with reality. It seems this is exactly such a case.

— I completely agree with you, Chairman.

— Has the gold deal already been completed?

I shook my head and answered Park Yeongil’s question.

— Chairman Zhen offered a 2% discount from the LBMA price. Politburo member Liu dug in his heels and is demanding a 5% discount.

— The international price of gold is $850,000 per kilogram, so that 3% difference comes to roughly $230 million.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan chimed in to make the numbers easier for Chairman Park to grasp.

— That’s more than I expected. Why is Liu being so blatantly difficult?

— He claims that in private gold transactions, a discount of 5–8% from LBMA prices is standard practice.

— I see. Then why is Chairman Zhen refusing to budge?

— Politburo member Liu is in a position where he desperately needs to buy that gold.

— So Zhen is simply taking advantage of his desperation?

— I won’t deny it. That’s exactly what he’s doing.

— And what’s your prediction, Chief Cha? How will this end?

Chairman Zhen Weiliang had made $8 billion from the diamond deal with Liu Peiqi. Considering that he had paid $6.5 billion to me, Vice Chairman Wei Chen, and Vice Chairman Tang Guochang, he had been left with $1.5 billion in profit.

Taking that into account, I had advised him to accept Politburo member Liu’s demands. However, he ignored my advice and stubbornly clung to a 2% discount from the LBMA price.

— It’s difficult to say for certain.

— If Politburo member Liu buys the gold at an inflated price, he certainly won’t let it go afterward. What do you think, Chief Cha?

— I agree, Chairman.

— We can’t allow things to develop that way. Chief Kang, connect me to Chairman Zhen.

— Yes, sir.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan gave a brief reply, dialed Chairman Zhen Weiliang’s number, exchanged a few words with him, and handed the phone to Park Yeongil.

— Chairman Zhen, why don’t you give in to Politburo member Liu’s demands?

— $230 million isn’t pocket change!

Zhen Weiliang’s reply carried an unmistakable note of absolute refusal.

— So you’re going to stand your ground to the bitter end?

— Well, I won’t dig my heels in completely. I’ll pretend to give in reluctantly and offer another 1% discount.

— Excellent. Let’s settle it that way. I’m hanging up.

— Hold on a minute.

Zhen Weiliang stopped Chairman Park just as he was about to hang up.

— Is there something else?

— Yesterday afternoon, Politburo member Liu sent a pursuit team to the Philippines to capture former CEO Go Yeongjun.

— You do know that former CEO Go is resting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, don’t you?

— I heard about it from Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

— Then you already know how this is going to end.

After exchanging a few more words, Chairman Park Yeongil ended the call.

He relayed the gist of his conversation with Zhen Weiliang to me and asked for my opinion.

— ...Where exactly do you think Politburo member Liu will send his men?

— He’s convinced that former CEO Go Yeongjun is hiding on the Philippine island of Mindanao.

— And what should we do about his men?

— It would be best to simply let them wear themselves out on their own.

— Let’s do that. By the way, what if Vice Chairman Tang sets his sights on the gold Liu buys?

I recalled my phone conversation with Vice Chairman Tang Guochang last night.

After learning that Politburo member Liu Peiqi was buying gold from Zhen Weiliang, Tang Guochang declared that he intended to seize the shipment.

Naturally, I strongly talked {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} him out of it.

I told Chairman Park Yeongil about the conversation without hiding anything.

— I calmed Vice Chairman Tang down by assuring him that Politburo member Liu has no chance of getting onto the Standing Committee anyway.

— And what is that conclusion based on?

— Chairman Zhen may have fleeced him mercilessly, but Liu still presented Chairman Xi Jinping with $15 billion worth of diamonds. Nine tons of gold is worth only about half that amount. How do you think Chairman Xi will react when he receives another nine tons of gold?

— Hahaha!

Chairman Park Yeongil burst into hearty laughter, as though the mere thought of it gave him immense pleasure.

I waited for his laughter to die down before continuing.

— Politburo member Liu plans to give Chairman Xi a total of twenty tons of gold.

— But to buy the remaining eleven tons, he’ll need to find another $9 billion somewhere?

— He’s counting on capturing former CEO Go Yeongjun and taking his money.

— Ah, so that’s why you said he has no chance of getting a seat on the Standing Committee.

— Exactly, Chairman.

— All right, let’s move on to another subject. How are things progressing with Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui’s purchase of North Korean missiles?

I had been planning to bring up that very subject, so the timing was perfect.

— The situation is taking a rather interesting turn.

— In what way?

— North Korea upgraded its old submarines with technical assistance from Russia.

I gave Chairman Park a detailed report on the latest intelligence we had received as of yesterday evening.

— ...The three submarines carrying the missiles and launchers were 200 kilometers north of Taiwan.

— By now, they must be somewhere north of Taiwan.

— To increase their speed, the North Korean submarines travel on the surface at night. Taking that into account, they should be passing through the Taiwan Strait around now.

— I see. And when will they reach the Port of Iligan on Mindanao?

— The CIA estimates three to four days.

— Are they being tracked?

— They’re being shadowed by our Shin Chaeho, the latest 3,000-ton submarine, as well as an American Virginia-class nuclear submarine.

— So there’s no chance of losing them even if we tried. What do you plan to do with the North Korean submarines?

— We’ve decided to intercept and seize them.

— Is that even possible?

Chairman Park Yeongil looked at me in surprise.

— According to intelligence obtained by RGB Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol, the North Korean submarines were given a strictly calculated amount of fuel—exactly enough to reach their destination.

— Is North Korea really that short on fuel?

— Exactly. Vice Chairman Wei Chen plans to eliminate Chen Zhihui. Because of that, the North Korean submarines won’t be able to hand the missiles over to him. In that case, they’ll have no choice but to turn back, but they’ll run out of fuel and become stranded in the open sea with no way to go anywhere.

— Won’t North Korea try to hand the missiles directly over to Abu Sayyaf?

— Of course they’ll try, but that plan won’t work.

— Explain why you think so.

Chairman Park Yeongil impatiently urged me to continue.

— The Philippine government forces will soon launch a large-scale operation to wipe out Abu Sayyaf. Their leader, Carlos, will be too busy trying to save his own skin to have any time to make contact with the North Korean submarines.

— Hmm... I see. Is there any chance the North Korean submarines could obtain fuel somewhere else?

— As part of the operation against Abu Sayyaf, the Philippine government forces plan to take complete control of every port on Mindanao. So there simply won’t be anywhere for them to obtain fuel.

— All right, I understand the situation.

It was finally time to reveal the main reason I had come to see Chairman Park.

— Chairman, Philippine President Gonzalez has asked our country and the United States to send special envoys.

— Is that so? And who has been appointed?

— President Cho Seokchin chose me and NIS Director Om Giyeon.

— If the President chose Chief Cha, I’m sure he had good reasons for doing so. When are you leaving?

— Tomorrow morning, aboard CIA Director Griffin’s private jet.

— Do you really have to fly on his plane?

— I won’t be able to take Saho with me on an ordinary commercial flight.

— Why do you need to take Saho?

— Abu Sayyaf’s base is located deep in impenetrable jungle, so conducting reconnaissance there through conventional methods would be extremely difficult.

In other words, Saho was needed specifically to conduct reconnaissance inside the bandits’ base.

— Did you ask Saho what he thinks?

— Yes. He’s already raring to go and was demanding that we leave immediately.

— Well, that’s for the best. Chief Kang, you’ll accompany Chief Cha.

— Yes, sir!

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan answered in a booming voice.

***

— Chief Cha, you called for me?

Vice President Cho Myeongsu sat down on the sofa and looked at me curiously.

— Tomorrow morning, I have to leave for the Philippines as President Cho Seokchin’s special envoy. While I’m away, I’m leaving the company in your hands, Vice President Cho.

— You have absolutely nothing to worry about.

— Haha, excellent. Now let’s discuss business.

— I’m listening. What would you like to know?

— How is the Westinghouse acquisition progressing?

— Department Director Jeong Sunho is handling negotiations with President Lipman, but there’s been almost no progress.

Westinghouse President Lipman must have demanded a sale price of $10 billion, while Director Jeong Sunho was firmly holding his ground at $7 billion. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

The price gap was simply too large, which was why negotiations had reached a deadlock.

Only Chairman Bongard could break this stalemate.

I dialed his number, and his cheerful voice came through the phone.

— Chief Cha, how have you been?

— Thanks to you, Chairman Bongard, I’ve been doing very well. I apologize for bothering you so late.

— It’s only ten in the evening here, so there’s absolutely no need to apologize.

— Then I’ll get straight to the point. Director Jeong Sunho is currently on a business trip to Canada regarding the acquisition of Westinghouse. However, negotiations with their management have clearly stalled.

— It’s about the price, isn’t it?

It was as if he had read my mind.

— You’re absolutely right, Chairman Bongard.

— I’ll take care of the matter myself, so don’t trouble yourself over it, Chief Cha.

— Haha, understood. I’ll leave it entirely to your influence.

— Consider it done. Since we’re already talking, there’s something else I’d like to discuss.

— I’m listening.

— As you advised, I’m planning to enter the oil futures market, but my senior management is strongly opposed to it. How should I resolve this problem?

For oil futures to generate substantial profits, China’s economy first needed to recover.

And for that to happen, Chairman Xi Jinping needed to immediately stop doing foolish things.

There was no reason to expect that, which was precisely why Vice Chairman Tang Guochang was preparing a plan to overthrow him.

However, I couldn’t reveal information like that even under threat of death.

That was exactly why Chairman Bongard was having difficulty convincing his management.

— Chairman Bongard, what if you invest your personal funds in oil futures?

— I’d be happy to, but...

I understood perfectly well why Chairman Bongard hesitated.

— Chairman Bongard, Vice Chairman Tang is systematically and very carefully preparing a coup d’état.

— But there’s still a risk that their plan could fail, isn’t there?

The anxiety in Bongard’s voice was unmistakable.

I needed to dispel his doubts.

— If you want to make a wager, Chairman Bongard, I’m willing to accept it on any terms.

— Very well. I’ll trust you, Chief Cha. What kind of return should I expect from oil futures?

— Even if the coup succeeds and Vice Chairman Tang comes to power, China’s economy won’t recover overnight.

— You mean this needs to be a long-term play?

— Exactly, Chairman Bongard. With a one-year investment horizon, you can expect a return of around 30–40%.

— That’s quite respectable.

After discussing a few more details with Chairman Bongard, I ended the call.

At that moment, Vice President Cho Myeongsu asked in bewilderment,

— Chief Cha, why is Chairman Bongard so eager to help our company in the first place?

— Bongard Investment Group is the second-largest shareholder of KBH Investment.

— Ah, so that’s why.

Vice President Cho Myeongsu nodded in understanding, finally grasping the situation.