Chapter 11

The Bear's Soup is now my responsibility, Chapter 11

011 A Bank Run caused by a 50-year-old wine.

When Ivan asked a question, Nikolai took out 12 documents from his inner pocket and handed them over.

“What is this?”

“Just take a look first.”

After reading the title, Ivan looked back at Nikolai and began to read in silence.

Rustle~ Rustle~

One page, two pages, three pages….

About five minutes later?

Ivan put down the last page.

Maria, who had been watching from the side, picked it up and read it.

“So, you're saying we should expand the store to about five floors and categorize it into sections like daily necessities and electronics?”

It's like a large supermarket combining E-Mart and Home Plus.

When we have enough funds, we plan to create a clothing specialty store like Doota.

And since the land here is spacious, there's no need to build underground.

“Yes, to put it simply, that's the idea. And we plan to eliminate middlemen and deal directly with producers. In the future, we aim to build factories in Russia, but for now, we plan to import popular items from abroad.”

“Hmm….”

“Isn’t it similar to GUM? But it’s different. If we compare it to a foreign company, it’s similar to Walmart in the U.S. Since your company has a nationwide distribution network, we can proceed more quickly.”

Despite his confident words, Ivan stared at Nikolai for a moment and then spoke with a stern face.

“So, after wandering around for over a month, the best idea you could come up with using that good head of yours is to copy the Americans?”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“Isn’t this just copying Walmart? Am I wrong?”

Ivan shook his head in disappointment.

Maria, who had just finished reading the business plan, also showed interest.

“You should know, right? Is this something a Yusupov should do? After my grandfather and I built the business to this level, you don’t even think about inheriting and expanding it, and instead, you present this ridiculous business plan?”

Ivan, with a slightly flushed face, hit the business plan with his palm and strongly expressed his dissatisfaction.

It was unlike the usually composed Ivan.

“Is this what a businessman should do? Not just any foreign company, but copying Walmart in the U.S. I see.”

Maria, nodding in agreement with her husband's thoughts, spoke.

But her words were...

“What’s wrong with copying?”

“What, copying... huh, huh?”

“Has anyone in this world started something without copying?”

Both of you make it sound so trivial when you say it.

Benchmarking is a widely used management method worldwide.

“Nikolai, since you went to art school, you should understand.”

“...?”

“When an artist starts, they first build a solid foundation and then begin by imitating the works of masters, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And as they improve, they develop their own style. Isn’t that right?”

“Exactly, Mother.”

Nikolai was impressed by this side of his mother.

He knew she was smart, having worked in the legal field, but he didn’t expect her to be so insightful.

“Is business like painting?”

“The principles are similar. Why do you think Russia is in this state?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s because we closed ourselves off and lived like frogs in a well. Go out on the streets now. Do you know how many homeless people are wandering around, starving?”

“...”

“Is it fine for the Yusupov family to live well while others suffer? Is it not our responsibility to help the country and economy, which are in ruins? Is it enough to just inherit and continue your father’s business as you say?”

“Why are you so worked up all of a sudden?”

“I’m just frustrated. If we can copy and do well, it will benefit the country and allow us to do more good.”

“You’re still too worked up.”

“My son showed you a business plan to try something proactive, and you just shut him down. How can I not be worked up after seeing this?”

“No, dear... That’s not how business is done.”

Ivan’s voice gradually softened as he saw his wife’s new side.

“To be frank, what do you really know about business? You just inherited a company that was already built by your father.”

“...You’re being unusually harsh today.”

“Is it not harsh for you to say those things to Nikolai, but not for me to say them?”

“Indeed...”

Maria, who had been a prosecutor, was a well-educated woman.

But when she married into the Yusupov family, she, like many Russian women, had to give up a lot.

After living a suppressed life for so long, Maria, seeing a path forward through her son, finally let out all the pent-up feelings.

Though she had lived a suppressed life, she hoped her children would live freely.

Or perhaps she had other thoughts.

“Father, Mother is absolutely right. You might think this business plan is just copying Walmart, but I believe it’s the fastest and most certain way to succeed.”

“The fastest and most certain way to succeed?”

“Yes. What do you think is the fastest and most certain way to beat the best?”

“Hmm...”

Ivan thought for a moment but couldn’t easily come up with an answer.

He had always been the best in his field in Russia, so he never had to think about it.

Also, he followed his father’s instructions without question, so he never considered such questions.

But he understood what his son was trying to say.

“Act like the best?”

“Yes, that’s right. Act as much like the best as possible. Then adapt it to the local context. In other words, not just copying, but maximizing the strengths and adapting to the local market. It’s like how artists first imitate the works of masters and then develop their own style, as Mother mentioned earlier.”

“...”

“Just like how a successful movie leads to sequels, or a successful car leads to a series with the same name. Creating Pepsi to compete with the dominant Coca-Cola is also a similar approach.”

“...”

“That’s why I believe the fastest and most certain way to beat the best is to copy them.”

As Nikolai continued, the couple became more engrossed.

Their own child, yet today he felt particularly unfamiliar.

“Why try a different path when a guaranteed successful path is available?”

“...”

“Moral standards? That’s something only the well-fed can afford. When it’s a matter of survival, it’s meaningless. Focus on survival first. Good deeds can be done after success.”

“...”

“And Walmart is just an example. It’s not about copying Walmart specifically. If we consider it that way, are all large supermarkets in the world copies of Walmart?”

After Nikolai finished, a moment of silence followed.

Ivan thought about what Nikolai and his wife had said.

His son’s analysis was accurate.

Haven’t global companies been copying successful products for decades and adding features to create new ones?

Let’s start by copying, as my son suggests.

Russia isn’t in a position to create something new right now.

As my wife said, we should go out, learn from the best, and use that success to do more good.

What is a proper business?

Isn’t it about maximizing profits and contributing to society and the people with those profits?

Ivan slowly spoke.

“However, even if we follow your advice, how do you plan to secure the funds?”

Shasha had asked the same question, so Nikolai spoke honestly.

“We have Grandfather.”

“Grandfather?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a significant amount of money. Do you really think Grandfather will just hand over such a large sum? It’s impossible.”

It’s possible.

This was a fact known to both Nikolai and Grandfather, but they hadn’t mentioned it yet.

They would confirm it in December.

“Why would a cautious person like Grandfather follow my advice?”

Ivan had thought a lot about this, even without Nikolai’s question, but he hadn’t found an answer.

“Would he have used all the collateral and credit to take out loans from every bank, knowing that if this fails, the Yusupov family would disappear without a trace?”

“I see...”

“Grandfather saw me as a businessman, not just a grandson. That’s why he followed my advice.”

“Hmm...”

So that’s why.

Ivan’s doubts were now resolved.

Ivan and Maria’s faces brightened.

“A few months from now, when the results are in, Grandfather will definitely listen to me, even if I ask for a lot. In business, he’s very clear about who he supports.”

What if, by some chance, he refuses...?

It would be a real disaster.

“Alright, let’s try it according to the business plan. If Grandfather bet everything on his grandson, I can’t refuse to trust my own child. Let’s start as soon as the results are in.”

Ivan felt a weight lifted, thinking he had fulfilled his duty as a father.

But that was Ivan’s perspective; Nikolai’s was different.

“Father, we should start ‘now,’ not ‘when the results are in.’”

“Huh?”

“We need to act now, believing that things will happen. Waiting for the results and then acting will be too late.”

“Indeed... I wonder who you take after. Alright, I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Thank you, Father. And Mother.”

Nikolai bowed and headed back to the workshop.

The couple’s expressions as they watched him go were very complex.

After Nikolai closed the front door, Ivan spoke as if he had been waiting.

“I didn’t expect you to use your college drama club experience on our son.”

“You were in a drama club? You never told me.”

“Why would I go around telling everyone about it?”

“And it seems Nikolai’s interest in the arts is like yours.”

“To connect it like that... I thought you were more like me, a prosecutor. The way you speak is so smooth, like you’ve been practicing. And you did better than I did in drama.”

“I won’t do this again. I was so nervous, I almost passed out.”

“Ha, you too.”

Ivan was also nervous but pretended to be calm in front of his wife.

“But it seems to have worked.”

“See? I told you it would work.”

“It did work, but our son really went all out on us. This is a new feeling. How did you know he would bring the business plan?”

They had acted out a scene.

Nikolai had been trying to gauge his resolve by provoking and cornering him.

“I asked Shasha casually. Lately, he’s been going around a lot, so I thought something was up.”

When they brought the Ilyas, he felt his son was planning something.

Maria, with her woman’s intuition and mother’s insight, figured it out.

“Shasha? He’s not usually so talkative.”

“I bribed him with alcohol.”

“Bribed with alcohol? You can buy vodka, but to fall for that? Hmm. Shasha isn’t usually so easy to bribe with alcohol. He’s quite picky about it. I know this from drinking with him.”

Ivan tilted his head, and Maria smiled.

“Remember when we went to Oxford for Denis’s enrollment?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“You brought 10 bottles of very good wine, didn’t you?”

“So, you...?”

Ivan suddenly stood up.

“What’s the big deal? I only took one bottle.”

“So, you bribed Shasha with one bottle of wine?”

“Yes. Shasha is easily swayed by alcohol.”

“Ha... What kind of wine did you give him?”

“What kind of wine?”

“It’s a 50-year-old wine, and only 10 bottles exist in the UK. It’s very expensive. Oh, what a waste.”

His expression showed genuine regret.

“You should have mentioned it when you brought it.”

“Mentioned it? You would have scolded me for buying expensive alcohol again.”

“Why buy expensive alcohol that’s bad for your health?”

“I should have kept quiet.”

“You bought it for your beloved son, and you’re so upset about it?”

“How can I win against a prosecutor like you?”

Losing is winning.

He had learned this after living together for over 20 years.

“And one more thing. When you said you didn’t know much about business and that you just inherited a company, it sounded sincere. Your hands and lips were trembling. Explain this. Quickly.”

Maria stood up to leave.

“Where are you going? We’re still talking.”

“It’s just a feeling. It’s going to snow. Sonya! It’s going to snow, so stop playing and come inside!”

“What snow? The sun is shining so brightly.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Anton, after leaving Nikolai’s house, was heading to the company to meet his second brother, Yegor.

As his car stopped at the traffic light in front of the State Bank on the central avenue, Anton’s face suddenly crumpled.

“Ha, this...”

That line. That long, endless line.

He saw the endless line in front of the State Bank, the largest bank in Russia.

‘It seems the end is near. The things Nikolai predicted are becoming reality...’

The line was formed by depositors, feeling anxious and trying to withdraw their money.

This means...

A bank run.

It means the largest bank in Russia is on the verge of bankruptcy, and other banks are not far behind.

However, the bank run in Russia at this time was different from future bank runs.

There was no deposit insurance law.

So, if a bank goes bankrupt, depositors lose everything.

On the other hand, those who borrowed from the bank don’t have to pay back their loans.

So, it becomes a zero-sum game.

Both sides lose everything.

At that time, no one expected banks to go bankrupt.

It was also a time when Russia, newly formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, had not yet established proper laws.

Anton felt as if the State Bank was showing him the future he was about to face.

‘Damn...’

If this continues, he might have to sell the steel company he secretly acquired due to financial pressure.

‘And I can’t just sell dollars and gold...’

Holding onto them could recover the losses and even bring in huge profits.

He just needed to hold on.

But the current situation made him incredibly frustrated because he couldn’t hold on even if he wanted to.

‘What a mess. I’m facing a profitable bankruptcy...’

If he sells it, he will be completely disowned by his father and kicked out of the Yusupov family.

It means the end of his succession.

‘What to do...’

While Anton was deep in thought, the traffic light turned green, and the car slowly moved forward.

Toward the direction of Yegor’s company.