We stayed at a hotel near the US Embassy.
It was an American-owned hotel, frequented by many American diplomats and businesspeople. The best part was its thorough soundproofing and protection against eavesdropping.
Given Russia's history with such matters, it couldn't hurt to be cautious.
From the hotel, we had a panoramic view of downtown Moscow.
"Since we came all the way to Moscow, shouldn't we at least see the sights? Like Red Square, or Saint Basil's Cathedral."
"Oh! You know Saint Basil's Cathedral?"
"It's in Tetris."
"..."
It was a bit disappointing not being able to sightsee, but wandering around outside now would unnecessarily attract media attention.
By now, the Russian government was likely deliberating whether or not to accept the investment. They surely knew I was staying at this hotel, so contact would come in some form.
I stayed in the hotel and reviewed the materials.
"President Vysotsky…"
The 21st century was the golden age of strongmen.
President Ronald had publicly vowed to 'make America great again,' and Prime Minister Okazaki had shouted about 'restoring Japan.' And Chairman Zhang Pinghua declared the 'Great Power Resurgence' and the 'Chinese Dream.' President Vysotsky, too, pursued a 'Strong Russia' throughout his time in power.
Viktor Antonovich Vysotsky.
Formerly of the Russian intelligence agency, the KGB, he entered politics and was appointed Prime Minister by President Boris Yeltsin.
Later, when Yeltsin resigned the presidency due to health problems (he was notoriously known for his drinking and public intoxication), Vysotsky, then Prime Minister, became acting president and took power.
He subsequently won the presidential election, beginning his long period in power. However, the Russian constitution prohibits a president from serving three consecutive terms.
Contrary to everyone's expectation that he would amend the constitution to serve a third consecutive term, Vysotsky stepped back and put forward his close associate, Volkov, as the presidential candidate.
Volkov was widely recognized as Vysotsky's loyal subordinate. With Vysotsky's support, he was easily elected president. Vysotsky temporarily stepped down to the position of Prime Minister.
Then, in the next election, he ran for president again. The rationale was that the Russian constitution only forbids three consecutive terms, not three terms in total.
Vysotsky was again elected president with overwhelming support, and Volkov, the outgoing president, stepped down to become Prime Minister. It was a perfect example of 'revolving door' politics.
"Why do dictatorships even bother holding elections?"
"To acquire legitimacy for their rule."
The German sociologist and philosopher Max Weber described three types of legitimate authority: traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal.
Traditional authority refers to hereditary rule. The logic is: my father was king, and his father was king, so I will be king too. This was the norm in most countries in the past.
Charismatic authority is when an individual gains power through heroic deeds. Mao Zedong, who founded the People's Republic of China, or Mustafa Kemal, who founded the Republic of Turkey, fall into this category.
Rational-legal authority comes from democratic procedures agreed upon by members of society… namely, being chosen through elections.
"It's not always just one of these; often, leaders possess two or even all three types of authority simultaneously."
Like a charismatic leader being elected, or someone being elected after their father held the position.
Of course, rational-legal authority is considered the best. Elections conducted through legal procedures solidify the legitimacy of rule.
Therefore, most dictatorships maintain at least the facade of democratic procedures. Even the Democratic People's Republic of Korea holds votes!
Combine that with three generations of hereditary succession and daily propaganda hailing the 'Supreme Dignity,' and they've technically acquired all three forms of legitimacy.
That might explain why rebellions or revolutions don't occur even when the economy collapses and people starve, but that situation likely won't last forever.
"Legitimate or not, the most important thing is the economy. People might overlook a dictatorship if the economy is growing."
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and even experiencing national default, Russia seemed to be on a path of decline.
However, after President Vysotsky came to power, Russia experienced a spectacular revival. The economic crisis was overcome, and GDP grew significantly.
This wasn't necessarily because Vysotsky did anything particularly well. It was simply because oil prices consistently rose during his time in power.
Although Russia isn't an OPEC member, its economic structure is virtually identical to those of OPEC nations. In other words, it's a typical resource-dependent economy that relies on oil and natural gas.
The arms industry is perhaps the only other area where it stands out. The Soviet Union once engaged in an arms race with the US, and Russia inherited that technological capability. However, even this is becoming increasingly difficult.
Modern advanced weapons require a foundation in heavy chemical industries and the IT sector. While improving existing weapons might be possible, there's a limit to creating cutting-edge weaponry when the underlying industrial base is weak.
The annexation of Crimea demonstrated Russia's power to the world, but conversely, it raised alarm among European nations.
Following Western sanctions, the ruble plummeted, and the economy fell into recession.
Right now, the Russian economy is poor, even putting it mildly. Sanctions were a decisive blow, but viewed objectively, the failure to transition its industry predated them.
Comparing it with China makes the economic report card even clearer. While Vysotsky was in power, China grew at a tremendous speed. Whether pushed by the government, benefiting from a large domestic market, or ignoring patents to copy foreign technology… regardless, dozens of world-class companies like WeChant, Alijini, and Weihua emerged.
Yet, Russia's globally recognized company, then and now, is Gasprom. As the name suggests, what this company does is sell gas.
"Still, it's fortunate they at least have resources."
"That's true."
Oil and natural gas produced in Russia are supplied throughout Europe via oil and gas pipelines. There are quite a few countries that would be thrown into chaos if Russia immediately shut off the gas pipeline valves.
However, Russia would also have to endure significant damage in that scenario, making it difficult to actually implement.
"Well, look at Ukraine. Even while at war with Russia, they can't touch the Russian gas pipelines running through their own territory."
Taekgyu nodded.
"Touching that would make you an enemy of Brother Vysotsky. Like, a total enemy."
There are things you can do in this world, and things you cannot. Messing with Russian gas pipelines obviously falls into the latter category.
***
Two days later.
An invitation arrived from the Kremlin. Not via a minister or the prime minister, but a request for a direct meeting with President Vysotsky himself.
Meeting the US President, the Chinese Chairman, and now the Russian President... Isn't this something worth bragging about?
"What if we go and end up drinking radioactive tea?"
"Hmm."
This didn't sound like a mere joke.
President Vysotsky is notorious for assassinating political opponents. The most famous case involved the assassination of a former agent who had defected to the UK.
The cause of death, surprisingly, was radiation poisoning. A large amount of the radioactive substance polonium was detected in the teacup he had used.
Naturally, it's impossible for an ordinary person to obtain radioactive materials.
The fact that they used a radioactive substance, when ordinary poison would have sufficed, leads some to view it not as an assassination, but as a public execution.
The assassination occurring on its soil caused an uproar in the UK.
It was clearly the work of Russia, and everyone knew President Vysotsky was behind it. But realistically, there was no way to hold him accountable.
The UK indicted numerous individuals in Russia connected to the case, but Russia ignored the charges, let alone extradited anyone. In protest, the UK withdrew its diplomats from Russia, and Russia reciprocated.
"So what happened then?"
"Well, that was the end of it."
Only the deceased ended up pitiable.
Just in case, I tried to think if I had done anything wrong to Russia or President Vysotsky. Fortunately, it seemed I hadn't.
It didn't seem like Russia would gain anything by feeding me radioactive tea. On the contrary, if something happened, Russia had much more to lose.
Therefore, there was nothing to worry about.
"Still, maybe it's best to write a will before going?"
"..."
Isn't that just tempting fate?
***
We took a car to the Kremlin, where the presidential office is located.
We arrived 30 minutes before the scheduled time, but were told President Vysotsky had a prior engagement and would be about two hours late.
Since we had anticipated this, there was no need to be flustered.
"Understood. We'll wait patiently."
President Vysotsky is famous for being late to important meetings. He even keeps leaders of major powers waiting, sometimes for 30 minutes, sometimes for several hours.
It's a diplomatic discourtesy, but no one had the nerve to complain to the Russian President.
To kill time, Taekgyu had brought a stack of comic books.
"This feels nice, like a manga cafe. All we need now is some ramen."
Treating the Kremlin like a manga cafe... Anyway, since I had nothing else to do, I read comics alongside him. I started reading without much thought, but found it quite enjoyable.
"Is there a next volume for this?"
"Not out yet. This author's release schedule is terrible. They're always announcing hiatuses in the magazine. I was thinking of giving them an OTK Award, but if the serialization is like this, I'll have to reconsider."
"..."
So much for fair judging?
About an hour later, we were told President Vysotsky had arrived. All things considered, we hadn't waited that long.
When an aide offered to escort us, Taekgyu waved his hand.
"Tell him to wait a moment. I'm at a crucial scene, I'll go after I finish this part."
The aide was taken aback, and I dragged Taekgyu inside.
Inside the reception room was the man I'd seen countless times on TV.
He smiled and said,
"Welcome."
Receding white hair, a square face, dark eyebrows, and blue eyes. Despite being in his mid-sixties, he still projected a powerful presence.
He was surprisingly short. Although he wore shoes with high heels, his actual height seemed less than 170 centimeters (about 5'7").
This was President Vysotsky, known as the 21st-century Tsar. He had been president of the vast nation of Russia since I was in elementary school, and still was. In terms of time in power, President Ronald couldn't compare, and his tenure was much longer even than Chairman Zhang Pinghua's.
President Vysotsky wasn't alone. An interpreter stood beside him, and two dogs sat in front of the sofa.
They were none other than his pet dogs. For reference, he is famously a dog lover.
The problem was that the dogs were enormous black Dobermans. They were known to accompany him even on hunting trips.
He once brought them into a meeting with the German Chancellor, who was reportedly terrified. It seems self-proclaimed strongmen all tend to have at least one peculiar taste.
It would hurt if they bit, wouldn't it?
Unlike me, who flinched at the thought, Taekgyu seemed delighted.
"Oh! They're cute. What are the puppies' names?"
"..."
Do those even count as puppies?
"May I pet them?"
"Be my guest."
As a surprised President Vysotsky nodded, Taekgyu casually reached out towards the Dobermans.
They were likely well-trained, but if, by some chance, a dog were to bite, it would create a serious situation. Eventually, President Vysotsky sent the dogs to another room.
We exchanged greetings and sat down. As it wasn't a formal occasion, the atmosphere was relaxed.
"You must be tired from the journey. Let's have some tea first."
The prepared beverage was, of all things, black tea. Served in ornate cups, the tea had a clear, reddish hue.
President Vysotsky poured the tea himself.
"Drink up. It's a tea you won't taste anywhere else."
"..."
What exactly did they put in it that makes it unavailable elsewhere? A spoonful of special Russian-made radioactivity?
I felt extremely anxious, but there was no choice. With the feeling of drinking poison, I lifted the teacup.
Seeing this, Taekgyu quickly said,
"I'll have cola, please. Coca-Cola, if you have it."
"..."
This American lackey!
President Vysotsky, leaning back comfortably, asked various questions about my business ventures and about Korea.
After about 30 minutes of such conversation, we finally got to the main topic.
"I hear you wish to invest in Professor Petrov's research."
"That is correct."
President Vysotsky shook his head and said,
"Russia's nuclear technology is already world-class, and we possess abundant natural resources. Is there really a need to push ahead with these experiments?"
Does he mean he won't grant permission easily?
I set down my teacup and said,
"I disagree. Russia's future depends on this."
President Vysotsky showed interest.
"How so?"
"The global automotive market is rapidly transitioning to electric vehicles. Russia might lag slightly due to its vast permafrost regions, but it's only a matter of time. As the global reliance on fossil fuels inevitably decreases, Russia must prepare for what comes next."