Chapter 2

The Bear's Soup is Now My Story Chapter 2

002 Change / Fiancée

After leaving the hotel, Kang Jin-ho got into a taxi, recalling the memories of his new body, Nikolai. Many people had gathered in the Red Square, partially covered by snow. Even after passing through the square, he could see crowds of people on the streets and roads everywhere.

‘I’ve come back 32 years in the past…’

An indescribable emotion welled up inside him.

His certainty that his situation had changed was further confirmed by the taxi driver’s words.

“Russia has changed, and this is the first time you’re riding today.”

“Oh, yes.”

“It’s dark about what to eat from now on.”

“…?”

Just like in Korea, where taxi drivers often chatted, it seemed to be similar in Russia.

“Each person only gets 3,000 rubles, and I haven’t even exchanged all of it yet.”

3,000 rubles per person?

Recalling his memories, 3,000 rubles was enough for a family to live on for a month.

Kang Jin-ho, pondering the driver’s words, decided to ask.

“Has there been a currency reform?”

“Huh? You didn’t know? For the next 20 days, old money can be exchanged for new money.”

“Hmm. I’ve been abroad for a while.”

“Ah, I see. Your family must be quite prominent. Going abroad is a dream for ordinary people. And you just came out of a hotel.”

Kang Jin-ho understood why the driver said this.

It’s difficult for ordinary people to go abroad.

It’s only possible if you have a strong backing.

Most hotels were used by domestic rich people or foreigners.

They were also very expensive compared to the local prices, and there were many restrictions on their use by ordinary people.

That’s why the driver said this.

“The world has really changed. It’s harder to save people without money than those with money.”

“That’s true.”

“If 20 days pass, the old money will just be pieces of paper. I see. Even if you have money, it’s a worry….”

“Maybe there are people in the countryside who don’t even have 3,000 rubles?”

“I was thinking of taking a passenger and going to the countryside.”

During the 1 hour and 30 minutes drive to his home, Kang Jin-ho had quite a conversation with the driver.

Thanks to this, he was able to resolve most of his immediate questions.

“We’re here.”

“Thank you. Here you go.”

“Oh, you’ve already exchanged it for new money?”

This money was given to him by Nikolai’s mother.

As he was about to get out of the car, the driver quickly lowered the right window, poked his head out, and looked at the house with envy.

“Wow, what a house… I could tell from the moment you got in the taxi that your parents must have held high positions in the government.”

“Ah, well… be careful.”

He brushed off the comment and headed towards the house.

In front of him stood a large Russian-style mansion, reminiscent of a famous sports star’s home.

It was so large that it would take a few minutes just to walk around it.

‘Hmm. So I’ve entered the body of a descendant of an old noble family… In Russian terms, blue blood?’

During the Soviet era, most people lived in 5-story apartments distributed by the state, regardless of the region.

Thus, it was impossible to buy or sell houses officially.

The only way was to bribe officials or engage in covert transactions through connections.

Even if you were rich, you couldn’t spend money freely.

If you spent a lot of money or bought expensive items, the police would always investigate.

Therefore, living in such a grand mansion meant two things.

The family was extremely wealthy.

And they had significant power.

Before opening the gate, Kang Jin-ho recalled a part of Russian history he had studied since childhood.

The Yusupov family.

A family that played a significant role in the Soviet economy and whose influence extended to Russia.

Even as a journalist, Kang Jin-ho had heard of them.

The person who assassinated Rasputin, who plunged the Russian Empire into chaos, was the Duke of Yusupov, coincidentally also a second son.

Becoming the son of such a prominent family, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

After gathering his memories, he was about to ring the doorbell when a man with a massive build opened the door.

“Out all night? Wow, it’s going to snow in summer.”

It was Sasha, 26 years old, five years older than him.

He looked a bit better than a monkey.

They had lived together since the parents, who managed the house, died in an accident.

Although Korean and younger, he managed most of the household affairs and was friends with Nikolai.

Without saying a word, he moved, causing Sasha to tilt his head.

Kang Jin-ho, standing in front of the entrance after crossing the vast garden, which was larger than a soccer field, thought to himself.

‘Phew. Don’t be nervous and try to act as naturally as possible. After all, from now on, I have to live as Nikolai.’

Kang Jin-ho, or rather,

Now determined to live as Nikolai, slowly opened the front door.

And what he saw in front of him was.

“…Nikolai.”

His father, Ivan Yusupov, with a face devoid of any emotion.

* * *

The representative of a company that produced a significant portion of the essential goods in the Soviet Union.

With a face as cold as ice, he asked indifferently from the sofa, crossing his legs.

“Where have you been this morning?”

Nikolai was taken aback by his father’s sudden question.

He had just spent the night and returned, yet he was being asked this.

‘He doesn’t care about his children. No, he doesn’t care about me specifically.’

Nikolai was already a weak person.

Considering the Soviet tradition of valuing the character of men, this was a natural assumption.

“Why are you silent?”

“…I went for a bit of exercise.”

“You exercised? That’s unusual. You always just draw pictures.”

With that, he turned his attention back to the newspaper, showing no further interest in his son.

Meanwhile,

“Nikolai, you went for exercise?”

“Yes.”

A middle-aged woman, his mother Maria, was carrying strawberries and bananas from the kitchen, even in the middle of winter.

“Goodness. Well, it’s nice to have a hobby. It’s better than just staying at home because it’s cold, isn’t it, Ivan?”

“Hmm.”

Ivan, who didn’t take his eyes off the newspaper, remained silent. Maria glared at her husband once and then asked Nikolai again.

“Is it noisy outside?”

“The Red Square and the roads are packed with people. The country has changed, and there’s a currency reform, so everyone seems quite anxious.”

Nikolai maintained a calm expression as he sat across from his mother.

Maria, with a worried look, asked her husband.

“Ivan, we don’t have much money left to exchange, do we?”

“I’ve already exchanged it all.”

“Oh, already?”

“People with political connections finished long ago. This is a big deal for ordinary people, but not for us. Anyway, Nikolai.”

“Yes, Father.”

“What’s going on with you and Zhenya?”

Zhenya, as he referred to her, was the fiancée of this body and the second daughter of the Romanov family.

The Romanov family.

This family, which had come from Europe long ago, was renowned for producing kings in Greece, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.

Since the 19th century, it was known for producing many handsome and beautiful people.

However, as the number of people living frivolous and dissolute lives increased, they were also known for being morally corrupt.

Most importantly, the men of the family suffered from M-shaped baldness.

When Nikolai remained silent, Ivan frowned and put down the newspaper.

“Zhenya’s father called a while ago, saying he wants to cancel the marriage. Do you know how shocked I was when I received that call?”

Maria, with a worried look, asked.

“Nikolai, what happened?”

“…”

“He just called and announced it. We need to know the circumstances.”

Nikolai, knowing the situation through his memories, replied calmly.

“I was going to tell you, but they brought it up first. I’m going to break the engagement.”

“What?”

Thud.

Ivan, who was eating strawberries, slammed his fork on the glass table and raised his voice.

“Is that what you call talking? Do you know how much effort your grandfather and I put into connecting with that family?”

“It was Zhenya who said no, not me.”

Kang Jin-ho, having accepted all the memories, decided to explain things step by step from Nikolai’s perspective.

“Young people can fight and take a break from each other. Why break the engagement over something like that?”

“You should say that to Zhenya, not me.”

Ivan was taken aback by the boldness of the response but quickly continued.

“Look at you. You said you wouldn’t go to university unless we sent you to art school, and now you’re on leave. And you’re always whining, so it’s no wonder they want to break the engagement! If I were Zhenya’s father, I would have done the same. Tsk tsk.”

Nikolai was called a genius from a young age, and he was expected more than anyone.

But he had fallen so far.

“Ivan….”

Maria’s voice made Ivan look at his son with dissatisfaction but say nothing more.

However, Nikolai thought differently.

If this conversation ended here, it would disrupt his future plans.

He might never be able to change Ivan’s opinion of him.

“The reason for the break is infidelity.”

Ivan, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up at the sudden statement.

“What do you mean…?”

“I saw her with another man at the hotel.”

“…!”

“We may not be as prestigious as the Zhenya family, but we’re not a family that would proceed with a marriage knowing such a fact, are we?”

Nikolai, who was usually timid, could say this because he was now Kang Jin-ho.

He had no intention of marrying a woman like Zhenya.

“Zhenya is not a woman worthy of our family. Please leave the marriage to me. I will ensure it doesn’t disappoint you.”

“Hmm….”

Ivan looked at his wife Maria with a puzzled expression.

She had a similar look.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go upstairs now.”

With that, Nikolai headed upstairs.

The couple, watching their son’s back, were filled with bewilderment.

They had never expected such words from their usually quiet and timid son.

“Phew. This is more shocking than the fall of the Soviet Union. Is that really Nikolai?”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“How can a person change so much in one day?”

Ivan was even more surprised because this was a child who couldn’t even respond to him.

“If it’s true… then we have no choice but to break the engagement, as Nikolai said. Should we tell your father the truth?”

“Hmm.”

“Perhaps they brought it up because they know your father’s business is struggling?”

“That’s likely. They’ve known about Nikolai for a long time, and with the country changing, they probably think your family will lose their positions.”

The Yusupov family, Nikolai’s paternal side, was known for their economic prowess.

His maternal side was known for their legal expertise.

“Do as Nikolai says.”

“He’ll be very angry… and might never give Nikolai another chance.”

“I have no intention of accepting such a person into our family.”

“…”

“Ivan. We can’t give up on Nikolai.”

After a moment of thought, Ivan finally nodded.

“There’s no other choice. I’ll try to explain to your father.”

“You’ve made a good decision. But Denis and Victoria will be disappointed. They were happy that Nikolai had a chance to change.”

Ivan, despite his wife’s words, muttered to himself.

“Hmm. A break….”

Knowing the right timing and positioning is crucial, even in such times.

In this period of great change,

Did the Romanov family make the right decision?

* * *

Nikolai’s life changed.

He no longer planned to attend university, so after gaining a new life, he decided to start with what he had never forgotten.

‘Just wait a little longer. I’ll come for you soon.’

The first step in his plan was exercise.

With his weak body, he felt he might collapse and die while walking.

The vast garden meant he didn’t need to go elsewhere to exercise.

He started by running ten laps around the house as soon as he woke up, followed by push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and other simple but aerobic exercises to build his strength.

“Phew. It feels good.”

Sasha, who loved exercise, exclaimed, “A person can change overnight,” but he helped a lot despite his words.

At the same time, he asked Sasha to investigate Putin’s whereabouts.

Fortunately, Nikolai had the equivalent of an average person’s salary in new money, which was worth much more in this period of great change.

With the country in ruins, whether you were a government official or an ordinary person, having no money was the same.

‘By now, Putin must be driving an unlicensed taxi in St. Petersburg.’

Nikolai’s prediction was accurate.