Chapter 47

The Bear Country is Now Mine Chapter 47

047: Apartment Surroundings / Wearing Underwear to Order Pizza?

Mortgage slaves, house poor, rent poor, refugees from the housing market...

The younger generation thought of homes in this way.

Among the many problems our society faces, the most difficult to solve might be the issue of housing.

Since humans first appeared on Earth, the top priority for human genetic cells has been survival.

Everything in human evolution was for survival.

Housing is one of them.

A place where one can sleep safely and protect their children who carry their genes.

Homes were spaces for survival and for the continuation of the species.

People were obsessed with homes.

Because of the survival instinct embedded in every cell by evolution.

For society to be stable in the long term, the housing problem must be solved at the very least.

Nikolai started the apartment business with this in mind.

The Ussuriysk Unicorn Apartment.

A building that completely changed the Russian concept of a home.

Everywhere, people were bustling about, moving in.

In the lower floors, they used ladder trucks imported from Korea to move their belongings, while in the higher floors, they used elevators.

“Honey, is this really our home?”

“You’ve asked that a few times already.”

“What can I do? I’m so nervous, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

The wife, who had followed her husband after he got a job at a Korean company in the industrial zone, had eyes filled with joy and a dazed look.

The head of the family of five smiled contentedly as he watched his children playing happily in the playground, and his wife held his hand with the same expression.

“Dad! Mom! I love it here. The school is so close too.”

The parents were also relieved because the elementary, middle, and high schools were all nearby.

Meanwhile, people from the broadcasting station were filming these scenes.

- This is the Ussuriysk Unicorn Apartment. Today is the first day of move-in. When the construction of this apartment was first announced, many people were skeptical due to the advanced technologies that were to be incorporated. What do you think of this apartment?

This broadcasting station was 51% owned by Nikolai.

However, other broadcasting stations were also sending reporters to cover the event.

This was because the Russian people had a deep interest in it.

- A 5,000-unit apartment building on the 35th floor is rare not only in Russia but also in the world. Moreover, this is the only apartment that uses such advanced technology.

The reporter also conducted interviews with Nikolai and Minister Zakhary of the Ministry of Justice.

After the interview, Dr. Kim, who had just moved into the apartment with his colleagues, approached Nikolai.

“You really did a great job. There are no apartments like this in Korea. I can’t imagine how much people will love it.”

“I’m glad you’re satisfied. Is the excavation of the archaeological site going well?”

“Thanks to you, it’s going well. Now that we have a place to stay, we can work more comfortably.”

With five 45-pyeong units, we can live very comfortably.

“By the way, about those dachas. Can we really use them?”

His colleagues, who were standing nearby, also looked curious.

“Of course. Since we allocated one per household, your team can use five. Each dacha has a number, right?”

“I saw. I went there earlier, and it’s so spacious. The dacha itself is amazing.”

The dachas were even larger than expected.

Although they were a certain distance from the archaeological site, they were moved back a bit to avoid any issues, making them even larger.

“What about the greenhouses you built on the dachas? What are they for?”

“They are for growing vegetables. With the central heating system, you can grow them even in winter. Even after U-Mart opens in five months, the vegetables grown here will be better.”

“Wow. I’ve met many people, but Nikolai, you are truly...”

Dr. Kim clenched his fist.

His colleagues also smiled, acknowledging Nikolai.

“Oh, this is my grandfather. He’s running for president this time.”

“Oh, I saw it on the news. I hope he wins.”

“Hehe, thank you. I’ll do my best to win.”

Although he was still collecting 1 million signatures and hadn’t registered as a candidate yet, Zakhary greeted people as if he was already going to win.

After parting ways with Dr. Kim, Nikolai showed Zakhary the 45-pyeong unit.

“What do you think, Grandfather?”

“This is what a home should be. How comfortable it is. If I were newly married, I would have moved in right away. Hehe.”

“I’ll use the apartment supply as part of your election platform. We’ll provide these apartments at low prices nationwide.”

“Do you really plan to do that? Won’t there be financial difficulties?”

“You don’t need to worry. Even at a low price, it will still be profitable.”

“If you say so, then it must be true.”

“I’ll make sure that Russians don’t suffer from housing issues in the future. We’ll build them simultaneously nationwide, so please highlight this during the election.”

In Korea, there was a similar election promise.

Half-price apartments.

But the people didn’t believe it.

Even though the CEO of the construction company said it was possible.

After building the apartments himself, he understood.

Half-price apartments are possible, as long as the developer doesn’t get greedy.

Nikolai was able to build such apartments because he had let go of some of his greed.

Of course, even with reduced greed, he still made a significant profit due to the large number of units.

Nikolai and Zakhary, who received a lot of positive energy from the people moving in, visited the U-Mart and surrounding commercial area construction sites to encourage the workers before returning to Moscow.

* * *

Russian men are famous for their short lifespans.

The number of men drops sharply once they reach their late 40s.

Because of this, there is a famous saying in Russia:

- A man just needs to be better looking than a monkey.

There are fewer men than women for various reasons, and their lifespans are shorter, making it a challenging country for women to secure a good man.

This has led to men being quite promiscuous.

The main reasons for the short lifespans include alcohol, smoking, obesity, traffic accidents, and reckless behavior, but alcohol is the biggest factor.

Vodka.

There is a famous anecdote involving vodka and Yeltsin.

In August 1994,

When Yeltsin visited unified Germany, he gave an impromptu speech while drunk and even took the conductor's baton from the orchestra at a welcome concert in Berlin, conducting wildly to the music.

This scene was broadcast live on German TV and later spread worldwide, cementing Yeltsin's image as a drunkard.

In 1995, an even more absurd incident occurred.

Yeltsin's accommodation in the United States was the Blair House, right in front of the White House.

One night, a secret service agent guarding Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the accommodation saw a man in his underwear trying to hail a taxi.

It was clearly Yeltsin, who was visibly drunk, saying he was going to buy pizza.

The next night, another agent found him staggering drunk near the basement of the accommodation, almost mistaking him for an intruder.

These absurd incidents occurred during the Clinton administration.

Despite his daughter Tanya's denial, these events symbolically represented Yeltsin's alcohol-related behavior.

Today, Yeltsin couldn’t resist the temptation of vodka and drank heavily, passing out.

Tanya, looking at her father with a complex expression, sighed deeply and walked out to the living room.

“Has he fallen asleep?”

At Makar, the chief of staff’s question, she nodded briefly and sat down on the sofa.

“He needs to start his election campaign by traveling the country from March 26. Do you think he’ll be okay? If this continues...”

“It’s a habit that has lasted for decades. A few words from us won’t change it.”

“You know, when he drinks, he sometimes acts like a sleepwalker. Don’t you think we need to take some measures to prevent problems?”

“I’ve tried many things, but nothing worked. The only thing we can do is to prevent him from going out.”

Ideally, she wanted to strictly control the sale of vodka.

If that wasn’t possible, she wanted to lower the alcohol content.

However, all these ideas were vetoed by Yeltsin.

No wonder Tanya hated vodka the most in the world.

“What about the opposition?”

“They are recruiting many former communist officials. Their support rate is rising, especially in small and medium-sized cities.”

“Have they registered as candidates yet?”

“No, they will probably do it around March 23 or 24.”

“How much of a difference do you think there will be between us?”

“Based on multiple surveys nationwide, it’s a very close race...”

“Are we slightly ahead?”

“Yes...”

If this continues, it could put a brake on his re-election.

Fine wrinkles appeared on her smooth, white forehead.

“If things continue like this, Minister Zakhary’s role will become very important...”

“Yes. Zakhary’s support rate is rising sharply. It will likely increase even more after he registers as a candidate.”

“Depending on where Zakhary stands, the next president could be decided?”

“Of course, we need to keep an eye on the other candidates, but based on the current situation, that’s the case.”

Tanya’s mind was racing.

“How many candidates are gaining as much recognition as Zakhary?”

“Although they haven’t registered yet, there are about two. However, they aren’t creating as much buzz as Zakhary.”

If nothing special happens, Zakhary will hold the key.

“Find more ways to support Zakhary. And you said you didn’t meet President Yuri last time?”

“Yes.”

“Meet him and build more trust.”

“How should I do that?”

“Tell him that the Chechen War and election funding were our mistakes. If he needs help with the current business, tell him to ask for anything. Promise to meet all his requests.”

“Understood.”

She glanced at the door behind her and sighed again.

“How about tomorrow’s morning meeting...?”

“Is it possible with him sleeping like that?”

“...Then let’s postpone it to late afternoon.”

“Even late afternoon won’t work. Let’s push it to the day after tomorrow.”

“The day after tomorrow is already full of important schedules.”

“Then, shall we try something like what happened in Germany and the United States?”

“No, no. Let’s postpone it.”

* * *

Nikolai and Minister Zakhary of the Ministry of Justice visited the place where the signatures from all over the country were being sorted and received good news.

“Sir, the number of signatures supporting Minister Zakhary has exceeded 800,000.”

“Oh, already 800,000?”

“Yes. With about a month and a half left, we should easily exceed 1 million.”

“Great. Please keep up the good work. And use this for a team dinner tonight. I’ve put in more than enough.”

“Thank you, sir!”

After generously giving the bonus to the employee, Nikolai looked at Zakhary.

He seemed to be holding back his emotions, his mouth tightly closed.

“Grandfather, as you heard, reaching 1 million signatures shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Yes, when you said you would use this method, I was a bit worried. But to see such quick results...”

“This is just the beginning. Don’t relax until we enter the Kremlin.”

“I’ve bet my remaining life on this, so don’t worry.”

Who will be the second president of Russia?

The result will be revealed soon.