“How do I get a subsea concession?”
“First of all, a corporation is required. Then, you must apply to the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy to obtain permission.”
If the application was filed now, it was clear that there would be people trying to snatch it. Most people watching the news knew that I had found a wreck.
Even if no one else knew, it was clear that Mt. Yu would know.
‘If it were those guys, they’d reject the permission, and they’d find it by exploring on their own.’
It’s like eating porridge and giving it to a dog. So unfortunately, I decided to leave the treasure map (medium) alone.
‘It’s a mineral that can be produced in Korea… If you want to make a profit by lifting it from the sea, the only thing that comes to mind is oil.’
It is said that it is a country that does not produce a single drop of oil, but in fact, Korea was an oil-producing country. Although not a large amount, oil was being mined off the coast of Ulsan.
‘It’s not even a remote area.’
Even if there was oil, it was not a strange location. The sea was wide and it was difficult to explore all areas, but the story changed if there were coordinates.
‘But only when I have permission.’
One more reason to push Seol Kyung-taek to the presidency has increased.
***
Hugo Evans contacted me to see if he would compensate me for not getting the (middle) treasure map right away. It was quite a long time since we met once a month in January.
“(Mr. Evans. Long time no see.)”
{(Mr. Kim. How are you?)}
“(Yeah. Mr. Evans was all right?)”
{(Thanks to you.)}
Hugo Evans was staying to acquire another oil concession in Angola. It seemed to be with the powerful people of the Angolan government, but it took longer than expected.
‘It’s not easy to get a resource project.’
It was clear that if Hugo Evans, who had a lot of experience as a lobbyist, had to put in a lot of effort, I wouldn’t be able to do it.
Since I am an investor, I can leave the rest to the expert Hugo Evans.
‘All I have to do is meet before the contract, check the reliability, and check with the law firm Sanctuary to see if there are any problems with the contract.’
That was enough.
“(Why did you contact me?)”
I expected it, but I asked, pretending not to know. Money was constantly flowing out of the account for the activity expenses given to him, so now it was time for the output to come in.
{(I contacted you about Angola oil field investment. You don’t know how hard I worked on this.)}
“(Are you successful?)”
{(Yes. How would you like me to explain in detail? Shall I visit Korea?)}
I thought it would be better to meet in New York to use the law firm Sanctuary. but···.
‘It’s okay for the person in charge of the law firm Sanctuary to come to Korea.’
Maybe because I’m Korean, I wanted to give my co-workers a tour of Korea. The more you know about Korea, the higher your national prestige will be.
Fortunately, there were not many election campaigns as the candidates for Yoosan’s side had not yet been decided.
“(I see. If you tell me what time you will arrive at Incheon Airport, I will pick you up.)”
{(You don’t have to do that. I’ll find it myself.)}
“(Mr. Evans. Is this your first time in Korea?)”
{(I can’t believe it. I’ve been here a few times.)}
that was a bit disappointing
“(Then let’s meet at the arrivals hall. Please let us know the time and we will pick you up if possible.)”
{(Okay. I’ll contact you after booking the flight ticket. Let’s meet for more details.)}
“(Please come in good health.)”
{(All right.)}
There were two reasons for inviting Hugo Evans to Korea. One was to give them a tour, and the other was to get help with the election.
‘I’ll be able to listen to some advice.’
I called the law firm Sanctuary.
{(Yes. President Kim. Long time no see.)}
“(We are reviewing the Angola oil field development contract. Can you send one expert in the field to Korea?)”
{(Of course. Travel expenses are added, would you mind?)}
“(The settlement will be done by Mr. Balman.)”
{(Okay. When can I send it?)}
“(I would like to stay for about 3 days from tomorrow.)”
{(Where can I send it?)}
“(Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul…)”
This time, he gave me the address of the new staff dormitory. I thought about calling her home, but it seemed like the time had come to separate work from work.
‘It looks like my parents will continue to live in Hannam-dong now.’
My mother also started looking into the cultural center, and my father looked into the academy. If it is not a place to stay for a while, I wanted to make the house a place for the family, except for essential people.
{(The Angola investment bill is expert Kyle Brady. We’ll make sure it arrives by tomorrow.)}
“(Thank you.)”
I was getting used to working over the phone.
***
When it was time for Hugo Evans to arrive, I was preparing to leave, but Ha-yeon came down rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Dad. Where are you going?”
“Yes. I’m going to visit my dad’s friend.”
“So early?”
Ha-yeon gave a long yawn, then stumbled over and clung to my leg.
“Goodbye.”
I like that boss’ gag
We picked up Hugo Evans from the airport and brought him to Hanseonggak in Gangnam. It was because Kyle Brady, who had been sent from the law firm Sanctuary, hadn’t arrived yet.
It was not too late to look at the contract after having a meal and chatting in a comfortable place.
“(How was Angola?)”
“(It’s very warm. It was a country with nice people and a taste of staying.)”
He turned his gaze to the street.
“(Korea seems to be developing every time I come. Even though there weren’t many tall buildings like this when I came here 10 years ago.)”
“(Is there a saying that even mountains and rivers change in 10 years?)”
“(That’s cool. I see a lot of German cars too.)”
The streets of Gangnam were lined with luxury foreign cars such as BMW and Audi. I wonder if the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was called the Gangnam Sonata.
‘Because we’re riding in a Mercedes too.’
As for the bulletproof car, the one from Benz was the best. I didn’t have to ride a bulletproof car in Korea, but I chose a bulletproof car just in case.
Although he enjoyed riding a Bentley, he always used a Mercedes-Benz when serving important guests. It was because I hoped there would not be a big accident in Korea.
Looking at the well-decorated entrance of Hanseonggak, Hugo Evans exclaimed.
“(It’s a very beautiful store.)”
“(Inside is better.)”
Hanseonggak was a building well decorated in oriental style with the motto of Hanjeongsik. Upon entering, the owner recognized me and greeted me.
“Chief Kim, are you here?”
“Do you have a seat?”
“The plum room is empty.”
Thanks to coming at an ambiguous time, neither lunchtime nor dinnertime, I was able to enter the plum room without a reservation. Hugo Evans glared at the luxurious oriental painting hanging on the wall.
“(Mr. Kim is right. It’s nicer inside.)”
“(The meal is also delicious.)”
It’s a regular house, so I wanted to brag about it.
“(May I recommend a menu?)”
“(I’ll look forward to it.)”
When in doubt, the expensive menu is better.
And Hanseonggak’s most expensive menu has never disappointed me. All the people who ate together said that it was delicious, so it was a restaurant guarantee check that you can trust and order.
From galbi to japchae, gujeolpan, fresh roast, and all kinds of jeon, the table is full, so you just have to pick and eat what suits your taste.
A table was filled with numerous Korean dishes. It was a huge amount to fill a desk for 4 people even for 2 people.
I didn’t forget to provide additional plastic gloves and a fork for him who might not be able to use chopsticks well.
Hugo Evans picked up his chopsticks.
“(I practiced hard for today.)”
“(You’re doing well.)”
Hugo Evans was quite good at chopsticks. He came up with several menus and started eating.
“(It melts in your mouth.)”
The ribs at Hanseonggak were excellent. He ate slowly and opened his mouth.
“(Can we talk about work?)”
“(I was waiting.)”
“(This time, a new oil field was discovered in Block 12. I was contemplating whether to hold an open bidding, but I persuaded it well and we decided to accept it.)”
“(How big is it?)”
“(Estimated reserve is 20 million barrels. It is slightly larger than the field you invested in earlier. The expected investment is 300 million dollars.)”
“(How did you decide to divide the ratio?)”
I was the one paying for the investment, but there were two more groups benefiting from this business.
“(Angola’s powerful people have decided to take $3 per barrel. 10% of the profits go to me and the rest goes to President Kim Jae-goo.)”
At $3 a barrel, it was $60 million at 20 million barrels. In terms of our money, it was 75 billion, so it was to make a huge profit in return for handing over the business once.
‘It deserves a bribe.’
If you could get 75 billion won in a single bribe, few people would be able to refuse it.
It was a pretty good condition even considering the additional costs such as transportation. Even if it wasn’t me, someone would attract this business, so there was no reason not to sign a contract.
“(Contract. Thank you for your hard work.)”
“(It took a long time, thank you for trusting and waiting.)”
I was just busy and couldn’t contact him often. There is also a surplus of capital. Now, he was concentrating on turning that capital into a real thing.
And Hugo Evans was helping it out so nicely.
‘The more oil, the better.’
This was an era that could be called the oil era. All industries around the world, including industry, electricity, and agriculture, were based on oil. Petroleum is not only used as a fuel for vehicles, but also used as a raw material for plastics and asphalt.
The polyester that goes into the clothes I’m wearing now was also a chemical product made from petroleum.
So, I couldn’t be more satisfied with it.
“(Write the contract when the lawyer arrives.)”
“(great.)”
“(What are you going to do next?)”
“(First of all, we should start mining. And after confirming that mining is working properly, we will try to find the next business.)”
I would have made quite a lot of money, but I liked the unstoppable passion. The money I invested in his business was already close to $300 million. Even if he only ate 10% of this, it was 30 million dollars, so he could eat and play for the rest of his life.
“(Are you going to continue this job?)”
“(Of course, because securing resources will become very important as time goes on. As you know, resources are not infinite.)”
Hugo Evans met his eyes with a serious expression.
“(I agree.)”
“(As expected, Mr. Kim and I can talk. Besides, he has such a big hand. I think we can do many business together in the future.)”
“(As much as you like.)”
Any investment in resources was always welcome.
“(Are the preparations for the general election going well?)”
“(Thanks to Mr. Radley Wood’s introduction, I’ve been able to set the direction of the policy. Now all I have to do is make a plan and put it into action…)”
“(What are the odds of winning?)”
“(well.)”
I heard that lions do their best even when catching rabbits. Looking at the current situation, Han Seong-min had a high chance of winning, but it was not certain.
‘People don’t vote only by making promises, so it would be nice to have someone who can guide the direction of election campaigns.’
Hugo Evans opened his mouth.
“(Don’t you need advice on preparing a speech or doing activities? Someone I know has the time, so I can introduce you right away.)”
“(Who are you?)”
“(He is a person with a good understanding of image making.)”
“(I want to meet you once.)”
Anybody Hugo Evans could recommend would have a track record. It’s up to you to choose whether or not to accept his advice, but it seemed like it would be okay to bring him in.
“(Then can I call you in Korea?)”
“(I’d like you to do that. You can give me my number if you feel comfortable)”
“(Let me introduce you first.)”
“(hahahaha. Thank you.)”
Wouldn’t that be more comfortable?
***
After Kyle Brady, a member of the law firm Sanctuary, arrived and signed a contract with Hugo Evans in his presence.
It was the content of paying him and delegating the Angola oil field contract authority. Since the contents of the contract had already been written, there was nothing to change.
Kyle Brady also added a clause requiring Hugo Evans to pay damages if he changed the terms of the contract.
And after the work was over, he gave the two people a trustworthy subordinate and gave them a tour of Korea.
‘I must like Korea.’
I wanted to introduce myself, but unfortunately, I was busy with work so I didn’t have time to go around with them.
In addition to being busy with golf practice, Dokgo-gap called a full meeting today.
‘I’m not the kind of person to call for nothing, so I’m going to attend.’
When I attended the meeting, it was good to hear the story of Lee Yu-san or Han Jung-taek camp. He didn’t say much even when I gave him information about Seol Kyung-taek.
In addition, it was necessary to have a face stamp in order to attract the members of the meeting to my side before the presidential election.
‘I have to rescue at least three communication companies.’
I wasn’t very interested in other companies, but I wanted only those that controlled information. Yuhan-gyeol showed interest in me, so it was okay, but the problem was Jung Min-jae.
‘Jung Min-jae is the president of JJ Telecom, which has the highest market share, so I really want to attract him to my side, but I don’t think it will be easy.’
He didn’t know that he would fall from the side of the poisoned glove. Because they appeared together and disappeared together. It seemed that it would not come over until the meeting collapsed.