Chapter 35

The Bear's Soup is Now My Turn 35

035 Contract / Stanford Bachelor's and Doctorate

The excavation of the Bohai ruins began in earnest amidst the deep interest of the Korean people.

The more they excavated to the north, opposite the apartment direction, the more relics kept appearing.

This gave rise to a dilemma for the Korean government.

Who would manage this place?

Given that it was in a foreign country, it was thought that Korea would find it difficult to manage it proactively.

Thus, the conclusion was:

"Do you mean you want us to manage it?"

In response to Nikolai's question, Dr. Kim added his own thoughts to the government's position.

"Yes, as you know, the ruins are quite extensive, and to manage this place, a continuous budget is required."

"Of course."

"The current government has allocated a special budget under public pressure, but there's no guarantee that the next administration will do the same."

Dr. Kim's words made sense.

It was understandable to worry that such an important site might be neglected.

"Therefore, the government and our academic community have concluded that we would like Mr. Nikolai of the Unicorn Group to manage it."

"Me?"

"Yes, nominally, the Unicorn Group will manage it, but we would like you, Mr. Nikolai, to be the overall responsible person."

Nikolai frowned.

His expression seemed to ask, why entrust this unprofitable task to me and make it a hassle?

'The golden goose is coming to me. But I shouldn't show too much enthusiasm. I need to act as if I don't want it...'

"I understand the government and academic community's position, but that's from your perspective."

"…?"

"To maintain and manage such a vast area, as you mentioned, it will require a lot of money. How do you plan to solve that?"

Well done.

As always, a proper refusal is a virtue and the foundation of profit.

"We have also reached a conclusion on that. We will turn this area into a tourist attraction."

"A tourist attraction?"

This matched the blueprint Nikolai had in mind.

"Yes. If we turn this place into a museum and open it to tourists, the revenue will be considerable. That will be used for maintenance and management."

"Do you mean the revenue will go to me, or rather, our Unicorn Group?"

"It will go to you. What do you think?"

Of course, thank you. Why ask and confirm something so obvious?

However, Nikolai clenched his toes to prevent himself from blurting out "thank you!"

"Hmm. It's not a Russian museum, and for it to be sustainable, Koreans will have to fly here. How many will come…?"

"Will it be difficult?"

"Not necessarily… How about this?"

"…?"

"If you sign a contract with the government's seal, our Unicorn Group will take full responsibility."

How can I trust just words?

To ensure everything goes smoothly, clear evidence must be left.

"Though it may be a bit awkward to say, until recently, a military regime was in power, right? Even now, with a civilian government, who knows when the situation might change…"

"I understand your point. But if we consider that, Russia is a socialist country…?"

This person is letting it slide. If he pressed the issue, it would be embarrassing.

"Korea's presidential term is five years, right?"

"That's correct."

"Here, re-election is possible. It's almost a given that President Yeltsin will serve another four years. Besides, it's the Unicorn Group. You must have looked into what kind of company Unicorn is, right?"

Given the importance of the proposal, he must have investigated the Unicorn Group.

A company that has survived for decades since the time of Secretary Gorbachev.

Wouldn't it be more trustworthy than a president who steps down after a few years?

Indeed, Dr. Kim's face showed his agreement.

"We also trust the Unicorn Group. That's why we want to entrust it to you. However, the contract part is not within my jurisdiction, so I need to report to the government."

"Of course. Go and resolve this, and come back. I'll be waiting."

"Understood."

* * *

Nikolai, along with his family except for Dennis in the UK, went to a resort outside Moscow that Yuri Yusupov had arranged.

This time, even his maternal relatives came, making it reminiscent of a large Indian family.

"Nikolai, you have a call."

"Who is it?"

"Dr. Kim. From Korea."

Taking the handset from Sasha, Nikolai smiled with satisfaction.

"Hello, Dr. Kim."

- I called the company, and they said you were at a resort, so I called you here.

"Good job. Is it the lunar calendar there?"

- Yes. The holiday starts from January 30th. It's about the contract we discussed.

"How did it go?"

- It went as you wished.

"Great."

- I'll bring the contract back. It will have the government seal, so you just need to sign it.

"Is that okay?"

- I made a bold request, thinking you might be busy, but you agreed.

Dr. Kim, who I thought would be rigid, handled the matter well.

"I'll go to Ussuriysk on the 11th. Is that okay?"

- I'll be there for the excavation anyway. Enjoy your vacation.

"Then let's meet on the 11th."

After hanging up, Nikolai started thinking about how to run the museum.

'To really tap into it, I need to make it so impressive that Koreans will be in awe. Once they see it, they'll never forget. The visitors will spread the word.'

It will be a great destination for school trips and popular for group tours.

* * *

Nikolai, dressed warmly, headed to the river in front of the dacha.

There, Yuri Yusupov and Justice Minister Zakhar were enjoying fishing.

Most of the men were fishing, but the women, finding it too cold, stayed in the dacha.

"Your fishing skills are exceptional. Once you cast the line, big fish keep coming up."

"It's been a while since I held a fishing rod, so maybe I'm lucky. Hehe."

The two men, who wielded significant influence in Russia's economic and legal circles, had armed guards patrolling around the dacha.

"It's been ages since I enjoyed fishing so comfortably. How about we arrange such a family gathering once a year?"

"Sure, I'll be there if you let me know."

The conversation, which had been casual family talk, gradually shifted to more practical matters.

"Father-in-law, the government officials are somewhat dissatisfied with the Chechen War, aren't they?"

"Why wouldn't they be? With the economy in this state, there are complaints everywhere about the necessity of the war. Internally, we've also implemented comprehensive gun control… The people might be happy, but there are many who are dissatisfied."

"There will be complaints, but I think you handled it well."

"I didn't do anything special. I just followed Nikolai's proposal."

"Still, you've taken on all the complaints and threats, which is a significant achievement. President Yeltsin only made the decision recently, fearing strong opposition."

It's true that gun control has made Russia noisy.

Following Nikolai's advice, anyone who smelled like a mafia member was sent to Siberia for logging, but guns still remained.

They had been distributed since the Soviet era.

Unable to wait any longer, Zakhar took a bold step.

Report voluntarily within six months.

If not, you'll face a five-year prison sentence.

As a result, a massive number of guns were being turned in across Russia.

The ones that could be used by the military were sent to the war in Chechnya.

As the conversation shifted from national affairs to business, Nikolai casually mentioned a new venture to Yuri Yusupov.

However, the family's reaction was unusually lukewarm.

"Even the internet business will take a while to bear fruit. Are you saying you want to invest in another IT company? Hmm…."

Yuri, who usually gave a very positive response to Nikolai's ideas, seemed different today.

Yegor, sensing and worrying about this, added his thoughts.

"Wouldn't it be better to focus on expanding U-Mart? The Gum department store is just starting, so it will require a lot of attention. Ivan is already overworked because of your projects. Maybe you should slow down."

At the time, almost no one knew much about the IT field, so this reaction was perhaps understandable.

...or not.

This is just opposition for the sake of opposition.

Hearing Yegor's sarcastic comment, Ivan, who had been baiting and casting, accidentally hooked Yegor's ring finger.

It was a small revenge from Ivan, who had 25 years of fishing experience.

Nikolai, amused by his father's special love for his child, continued.

"The reason I insisted on the internet business is this. In the future, IT businesses will generate higher profits than exporting millions of cars or millions of tons of natural gas."

"Isn't that too far ahead? The internet infrastructure isn't even in place yet."

"Uncle, have I ever failed in a business I pursued?"

At this, Kirill interjected, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"What about the apartments? A whopping 5,000 units. How do you plan to sell them all? How many people will live in Ussuriysk and Vladivostok? The industrial zone workers are too busy to buy many homes."

Kirill seemed to think his argument was logical, and his shoulders tensed.

However, Nikolai, who had anticipated this, dismissed it casually.

"Most Russians will tell you it can't be done, just like Uncle and Brother. Anyone can oppose."

"What?"

As Yegor flared up, Nikolai tapped his temple and said,

"When one person uses their head well, many people get jobs. That's why I invested in construction and manufacturing. However, these fields have limits. To overcome them, we must lead in the IT industry."

Unlike Yegor and Kirill, Yuri seemed to see the potential and nodded.

"And Uncle."

"…?"

"From what I can tell, you're in contact with Uncle Anton. When you're close to coal, it gets on your clothes."

"…What do you mean?"

"If you go to Ukraine, how will it affect Kirill's feelings?"

Be careful. If you keep causing trouble, you might end up like Uncle Anton.

Though it was a somewhat aggressive statement to make to his uncle, Yuri said nothing, leaving no room for a response.

Yegor and Kirill glared at Nikolai as if they wanted to eat him.

In contrast, Zakhar and Ivan's faces showed a faint smile