Chapter 25

The Bear Soup is Now My Story 25

025 Korean Branch Manager / ADSL National Project

Tomorrow is the day Nikolai and Sasha return to Russia.

Although their purpose here was 200% achieved, they had to solve the Icos problem upon returning.

They had received money from Iriyon, but the true identity of Icos was highly suspicious.

Reviewing the events so far, Icos seemed to know a lot about Nikolai.

They knew he had entered Korea and even tried to import Korean products to Russia at that specific timing.

It was a dubious company in many ways.

‘There must be someone behind it. Or it’s connected to someone who knows me well.’

While deeply engrossed in thoughts about Icos, Sasha’s surprised voice reached his ears.

“Wow! Are Koreans crazy or what?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Look at that. How did they think of using a ladder to lift things?”

When he saw what was causing the commotion, it turned out to be a ladder truck brought by the moving center.

It’s more surprising that other countries haven’t thought of this.

“It’s so convenient to lift things up in one go. It saves time and makes it easier for the workers.”

“True. Can this be done in Russia?”

“Well, if we bring in the equipment, it’s not impossible. But most Russian apartments are only five stories high, so it might not be very useful?”

Russian men, being strong, can easily move heavy items up to the fifth floor. With cheap labor, there’s no need for expensive equipment.

However, things will change when the high-rise apartments Nikolai is planning are built.

Meanwhile, Manager Lee looked at the scene with a reflective expression.

“People envy me for being a branch manager of a large company, but how much can a salaryman’s salary really be? I managed to buy an apartment in Dobong-gu after saving and dividing my salary for nearly 40 years. I never thought I’d be able to buy an apartment in Seocho-gu like this.”

At that time, there wasn’t much difference in apartment prices between Seoul and the provinces.

It was also an era when the wage gap between large and small companies wasn’t significant.

Thus, it was possible to buy an apartment in Seoul by saving diligently and taking out a small loan.

However, as real estate prices skyrocketed, it became as difficult as winning the lottery.

No, even if you won the lottery, buying an apartment in Gangnam would be impossible.

Fortunately, Manager Lee managed to move to Gangnam before that.

“The money from selling the apartment in Dobong-gu, plus the money Nikolai gave me, left a little extra. I’m truly grateful for fulfilling my dream.”

“Thank you for helping my husband. The kids are so happy.”

Manager Lee’s wife looked at her high school-aged children, who were smiling happily, and said with joy.

“Please don’t be too harsh if the manager changes companies.”

Life is all about timing.

In four years, the IMF crisis will hit, and things will get tough. You need to switch now to survive.

Manager Lee seemed willing to move.

However, he said he needed a week to persuade the employees who followed him.

Nikolai agreed to wait for that amount of time.

“Once you become the Korean branch manager, you won’t have to worry much about money. I’ll make sure you earn a lot.”

“I only trust you, Nikolai. You’ve been recognized in the company and promoted quickly. You’re really good at your job.”

“I know you’re good at your job.”

Indeed, he was a talent worth recruiting.

His ability to poach from well-known companies in just about 20 days was impressive.

Nikolai visited the new home with Manager Lee’s family.

It was a 42-pyeong apartment with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, facing south with a clear view and a fairly luxurious interior.

At that moment, Nikolai’s phone rang.

Ding-ding-ding-♬

“Hello.”

- The sofa set you ordered for the first floor has arrived.

“Can you see the moving truck nearby? They’re lifting things with a ladder truck right now.”

- Oh, yes, it’s right next to me.

“Tell the owner to lift the sofa as well.”

- Understood.

He paid with the ‘8 Degrees’ card.

He swiped it for the top-tier option.

After hanging up, Manager Lee’s wife slightly bowed her head.

“You even gifted us a sofa. Thank you so much.”

“New furniture is needed for a new home. Your wife should go down and talk to them.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Now, Nikolai and Sasha had to start preparing to return to Russia.

The gifts they bought were so many that they had six suitcases, and they needed to finish packing by the end of the day.

* * *

The next day, Manager Lee saw them off at Gimpo Airport with a regretful look.

“I’m going to change companies.”

“You’ve made a good decision.”

“There’s a talented employee I need to persuade. It might take some time, but I’ll let you know by the end of this week.”

“If you vouch for the employee, I can trust them. Once everything is settled, give me a call. I’ll send you money to prepare the branch. And from now on, you’ll need to handle more than just import and export.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you for trusting and working with me.”

“No, thank you for recruiting me.”

With that, Nikolai and Sasha parted ways with Manager Lee and returned to Moscow after a 9-hour flight.

* * *

“Uncle Nikolai!”

As soon as he entered the gate, Sonya greeted him first.

She hugged him as if they hadn’t seen each other for years.

“Wow, you’ve grown so much.”

“I’ve been eating a lot of bread and soup, so Dad says I’ve gained a lot of weight.”

“Yeah, you need to eat a lot when you’re growing. Did you earn a lot of money while I was away?”

“A lot of Grandpa’s friends came, so I sang and danced for them and earned a lot of money. The bear piggy bank will be very full.”

“Good job. How about a quick review? Your初心?”

“Don’t lose it~!”

“What about dollars?”

“They’re the truth~!”

“Good, we’ll do the rest later.”

“I’m so tired, let’s go inside quickly.”

Exhausted, Sasha whined, and Nikolai turned to Ilya.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been busy upgrading the program and looking for IT experts. Haha.”

“Let’s go inside first.”

Father Ivan Yusupov was still out for the large supermarket business.

Nikolai greeted his mother, Denis, and Victoria.

“Mother, I’m back.”

“You must have worked hard. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“As you can see, I’m fine.”

He raised his arms to mimic a wave, and Denis, who was standing nearby, interjected.

“Your face looks a bit fuller. Did you eat a lot there?”

Nikolai, who was usually quite slim, showed any weight gain very clearly.

After eating greasy food for a while and then filling up on Korean food for a month, he naturally gained some healthy weight.

But now he had to go back to eating greasy food.

He already felt a bit nauseous.

“When are you going to the UK?”

“Why do you ask suddenly?”

“You’ve graduated, so you need to start working. How long do you plan to be unemployed?”

“Are you already giving me a hard time for working?”

“No, go to the UK and help me with my work.”

“Huh? Is there something I can do in the UK?”

It’s the most important thing.

I need someone to take charge of investing in global companies.

I don’t need to look elsewhere.

Denis studied business at Oxford and had good grades.

“There is. Let’s talk about it later. It might take a while. Victoria, once the supermarket opens, help me out. The accounting department needs someone trustworthy.”

“Are you going to use the whole family?”

Victoria smiled mischievously.

“You need to apply what you learned in real life to improve your skills. Just come and check after school. You don’t need to stay at the supermarket all the time. Start officially after graduation.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“If you don’t want to, I’ll tell Father to cut off your allowance.”

“Really.”

Even though he grumbled, based on Victoria’s personality, she would help.

If he thought it was impossible, Nikolai wouldn’t have brought it up.

“Mother, I’ll be in the workshop and come back for dinner.”

“It’s hard to adjust to the time difference. Why don’t you rest a bit?”

“I’m fine. Sasha, are you okay?”

“Hmm? Not okay….”

“See? Even Sasha, who is older than me, is fine.”

Sasha, with dark circles under her eyes, sighed deeply.

“Also, these bags are gifts. Mother, please distribute them. There are three boxes of ginseng and red ginseng, and the ones marked ‘Oseong Group’ should be set aside for Grandpa. Leave two boxes of chocolate pies and you can eat the rest.”

“Alright, I’ll do that. Go to work.”

Nikolai changed into tracksuit and headed to the workshop at the back of the house.

“Ilya, how many people are coming?”

“Exactly 55 people can come immediately. About 70 more can come within this month due to personal reasons.”

So, they have around 125 people secured.

It might seem like too many for a new start, but if he doesn’t bring these people, their skills will go to waste, and they will scatter to other countries.

‘I might as well push a bit harder. Grandpa has agreed to provide the funds anyway.’

Once they are settled, Nikolai can cover the costs on his own, so he decided to get help for now.

Actually, this isn’t help.

It’s support for the work Nikolai has done.

“But what are you going to do with so many people?”

“I want to start an online business.”

“An online business?”

“Yes, creating a website and doing business online.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. It’s already started in other countries.”

While it’s happening in the US, its influence is still minimal.

In 1995, two years from now, Amazon will launch.

So, Nikolai plans to launch a Russian version of Amazon at the right time.

He already has a name in mind.

《Black Hole》

It means to absorb everything, symbolizing the goal of absorbing all businesses in the world.

“But with Russia’s internet infrastructure… Is it good enough? The speed is too slow, isn’t it?”

“I have a plan for that.”

One of the key figures in the Soviet internet history is Viktor Glushkov, a founder of artificial brain science.

He started the ‘OGAS Project’ long before the World Wide Web (1990) but it collapsed with the Soviet Union.

However, the talent is still in Russia.

Nikolai plans to gather these talents to write a new history.

That evening, he greeted his father, who came home exhausted, and the next morning, he headed to Yuri’s house.

* * *

“You look even better than when you left.”

“Maybe because I was treated well there.”

“Haha, I’ve tried Korean food a few times. It’s not only delicious but also healthy, so it’s easy on the body.”

Nikolai presented the gifts from Chairman Lee, including ginseng and red ginseng.

“Is this from Chairman Lee?”

“Yes, he said he has memories with Grandpa and gave these gifts. He even paid for the most expensive room in Korea for a month.”

“I remember seeing it briefly. Hmm… It’s been 6 years since he passed away. It’s touching to see his son taking over the business.”

Yuri Yusupov tried to recall the memories but couldn’t remember the face clearly.

“You didn’t come just to give gifts. What do you want to say about Icos?”

“Grandpa knows me too well.”

“Haha, old age sharpens one’s intuition. So, what’s the situation with Icos?”

Nikolai explained the situation with Icos.

Yuri’s eyes sparkled with interest throughout the story.

“I agree with you. There must be someone related to us in Icos. Otherwise, they couldn’t know your movements so accurately.”

Yuri frowned in thought.

“Hmm, maybe….”

“Why do you say that?”

“No, it’s just a thought.”

“Grandpa, maybe I’m overthinking, but….”

“…?”

“Are you thinking of Uncle Anton?”

“Haha, you’re more perceptive than I thought.”

“I considered Uncle Anton but concluded it wasn’t him.”

“There must have been a reason.”

“It’s just a feeling. No matter how much Uncle Anton dislikes me, he wouldn’t be so twisted to bring outsiders into the family business.”

“Hmm….”

He couldn’t say that Uncle Anton lacked the ability.

To Nikolai, Anton was just an uncle, but to Yuri Yusupov, he was a son.

No matter how bad, a child is still a child.

“You. You have a good heart. I understand why you said that.”

“It’s not just that… Uncle Anton is definitely not involved.”

“If you’re that sure, it must be true. Do you plan to investigate further?”

“Yes, I need to find out. And I have to resolve it to make the contract with Iriyon effective.”

“Sure, if you get stuck, just let me know.”

“I will. And I have a new national project to propose to President Yeltsin.”

“A new national project?”

To succeed in the online business, this must be made a national project.

If not, it will be a complete failure.

“Yes, I want to make the internet and information communication industry a national project.”

ADSL.

He’s proposing to start a project that Korea began in the late 1990s, five to six years ahead of time.

Nikolai foresaw this and brought it up.

Even if Yuri Yusupov tells the administrative director about this project, the government won’t have the funds to proceed.

So, this project can only be carried out by Unicorn.

By taking over the internet network, which should be managed by the government, Unicorn can eventually enter the mobile communication business.

Since the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) first fined Google for antitrust violations in 2020, anything is possible now.

‘It would be good to start this with Korea.’

By working together, both countries can significantly reduce the initial investment costs.

Korea can also start this project five to six years ahead of its original timeline, creating a win-win situation.