Empire of the Ring

Like the last time, Michael came out to greet Youngho at Frankfurt Airport.

“Michael, you’re too kind, people might think there’s something going on between us.”

Michael smiled and welcomed Youngho excitingly.

“Let them think whatever the like. In fact, I’m in love with you these days!”

“Phew! Stop that, I’m afraid that you’ll give me more difficult assignments when you call me these days.”

“I won’t send you to dangerous places anymore. You need to be alive, safe and sound until one day you can pass down your farming know-hows to my future farm in the states.”

Michael planned to establish a farm in the states with the money he made by selling the oil information. It was not a bad plan for his retirement since the job of a CIA agent, especially someone high in rank like him, was highly stressful. He could purify his body and mind through peaceful farming career.

However, Youngho could never trust the chief’s words that he would not be sent to dangerous places anymore since Michael sought him first whenever there was an urgent business.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness but I don’t want to be related to you even after my resignation.”

“Ha! You don’t trust me at all.”

His face was bright although he was saying that. Youngho was dying to ask how much he made from selling the information. Michael added as if he knew what Youngho was thinking about,

“The amount of information sale is a secret to both parties, and the corporation doesn’t want to reveal how much they paid as well. I just earned a little more than you, alright?”

“Okay, I didn’t say anything. Well, if you could teach me your know-how, maybe I can teach you my know-how on farming.”

“I’ll introduce you to a middle man someday, I don’t directly talk to the business owners.”

In order to prevent revealing their identities, the information seller and buyer usually has a middle man between them. It meant that there was a middle man’s organization specializing in this kind of business.

It was intriguing to see different parts of the world. In the corporation world, business owners could only make profits when they were a step ahead of others. Even if a source offered unconfirmed information, they were willing to go through a confirmation process on their own after they bought the information.

Then after the process, the right amount was paid to the seller. So, the seller would not make money if the information was absurd.

Up until now, the information Youngho had have contacts with were only useful inside the intelligence agency but he decided to collect information related to business and economy.

While Michael was still around in the European chapter, he could learn from him how to be in the information business. This could be an opportunity to make big money.

After all, Youngho never wanted to do the CIA’s work for the rest of his life, his goal was to raise Zeynep Farm wine company as a world-class corporation. As a side job, he could still be the face of Yaniv’s oil exploration company. He and Yaniv were already in the same boat that he decided to be as cooperative and proactive as possible. It was not a mafia business since it was a normal, legal business. He still don’t fully trust Yaniv since he was still a mafia, so if Yaniv was involved in illegal deals for their business, Youngho thought that he should say farewell to him at the end.

Youngho was not afraid of mafias now. It was because not only was he a skillful man on his own but also because he has powers now. Recently he increased ten more guards for his farms. He sent three men to Charles Farm and assigned the rest at Zeynep Farm. The size of Zeynep Farm was now 1,600 acres and having only five security guards were not adequate anymore.

Now on Zeynep Farm, twelve armed security guards protected the farm around the clock. Youngho intentionally spread the word that there were many guards on Zeynep Farm, so that some lame organization or thieves could not even dare to step in his farm. He bought fifteen more four wheelers for patrolling purposes. They could be turned into a grape carrier when a container was attached in the back, so they could use them during the cultivation season as well.

***

Youngho received a call from the Korean embassy of Baku. They wanted to take a tour around Zeynep Farm with some visiting Korean high officials from Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. He wanted to decline the request but he reluctantly agreed, only for the sake of ambassador K. He told Jongil to stay in Chunho Merchant’s Baku branch office when the officials visit the farm since Jongil was upset with them too. How he would react to their visit was just unknown.

The next day, Korean officials in their mountain clothes and embassy staffs in suits stampeded into Youngho’s farm. The wind of Baku in March was still sharp and strong that even little rocks were blown from it. However, Youngho did not like the fact that the Korean officials were in their outdoor look when they were visiting his farm as an official event. Although it might be an effort to get rid of authoritarianism among the officials as a recent Korean movement, they were supposed to dress in proper attires when they were visiting a foreign country. Just like the Europeans, people of Azerbaijan were conservative people who cared about formalities to a great deal. Starting from how they dressed, Youngho did not like a single thing about them.

Another thing that got him angry was that the high Korean officials treated him as if he was their subordinate. He understood that they were people of power in Korea but they were his guests at this moment. The councilor of Korean embassy gave the director of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy a seat of honor, without Youngho’s consent. Usually the seat was for the host of the farm. Although Youngho was younger, they could not treat him, the CEO of the farm, this way.

“Excuse me. I know why you are here but have you known me before?”

“…”

“Did you used to be a senior from my college or from the Navy?”

The councilor of the Korean embassy hardened his face. Although he knew that he made a mistake, he did not expect this from Youngho.

“Director, I heard that you were in charge when you heard about the decrease of oil production. Is that correct?”

“Umm… I’m not… a decision maker… and I…”

The director blabbered in embarrassment.

“That information was something I retrieved risking my own business. You declined ambassador K who flew there to deliver the message, I heard that you also warned him not to spread a rumor.”

“…”

“I assume Korea has an overflowing amount of dollars since you’ve rejected a chance to save billions of dollars but you’d rather pay that to oil-producing countries. Did ambassador K ever say anything about me before you came here?”

The director’s face was darkened at Youngho’s criticism. His reply was even frustrating.

“It is such a waste but our government system does not work that way. We can’t process anything trusting from an unconfirmed information that is from an unknown source.”

“What about the intelligence agency of Korea? I know that they work around the world. Why is there no one to investigate information from a common civilian?”

“…”

Since he already started this, he wanted to say all of the things on his mind. He wanted teach them the truth before they left the farm.

“You know, I work hard in a foreign country and send money to Korea but I don’t know how you had the courage to show up here after wastefully spending dollars.”

“Hey, Mr. Lee. Please, let’s stop this here. These officials are just here to meet a successful Korean business owner. They are not relevant to making political decisions.”

The councilor of the Korean embassy was the one who acted like a thorn in Youngho’s side

whenever he visited the embassy, interrupted him, making him even more furious.

“Mr. Councilor, you know I have declined this multiple times. What is the reason for insisting to come and making things complicated?”

“…”

“No matter how high your ranks are in Korea, I am the owner in charge here. Also, don’t you think you should dress formally when you’re officially visiting a foreign corporation despite how cold it is outside? The embassy should have advised that much. Will you be dressed like this when meeting President Aliyev? You’re just looking down at civilians like me.”

“Oh, you’re taking it too harshly.”

“I’m going to say one more time, I think the private Korean oil companies are hundred times better than you. They at least trusted my information and bought oil before the prices got higher. Anyway, thank you for visiting my farm, I hope you have safe trip back to Korea.”

Youngho’s intention was to turn them away out of his farm. They had no choice since the owner did not want them in the farm anymore. Their faces reddened, they got in their cars and drove away without looking back.

***

Fatima who came to serve Korean tea to the visitors quietly watched what was going on. Seeing Youngho who kept smoking cigarettes out of anger after the visitors were gone, she took away the cigarette that was in his mouth.

“Oppa, they would’ve understood you by now. Please calm down.”

At Fatima’s words, Youngho felt a great surge of emotion, without even knowing, he was chocked up. Although he was a strong man from the outside, emotionally he was not as strong. His rage surged in and he felt bitter inside.

He wanted to make his own country stronger and that was why he tried his best to be of help when he heard the information about decreasing oil production. It was just painful to look at hopeless government officials.

‘Lee Youngho, you’ve got a long way to go. You need to control yourself better if you want to be a person of more power,’ Youngho thought.

Jongil who came back to the farm later was still upset by hearing what they had done to Youngho.

“Why didn’t you just kick them out at the door. What? The director had no power to decide anything? Why do they go around and wasting taxes in foreign countries? They always take long before deciding and lose their chances… Man. They are tax thieves!”

Not all officials were like that. However, the people in charge of deciding important matters for the country did not have any opinions, they just wanted to maintain their positions by impressing people of higher ranks.

“Jongil, let’s just go for hunting. I can’t sit still. It’s so depressing.”

“Hey, it’s going to get dark soon. Let’s just eat grilled pork belly and drink up soju.”

Jongil who was always fond of hunting, declined Youngho’s suggestion.

“We’ve got to beat up the councilor in the embassy, I never liked him anyways. You know, when I went there with Karajan to submit marriage application, he was so picky.”

“Dude, don’t even! We shouldn’t use our energy for that kind of person. Let’s just not deal with them anymore. I’m not going to help them no matter what. Those officials just think they’re high and mighty above us.”

“You are the one who tries to help all the time.”

Jongil’s remark was bitter. Youngho did not care about the past where he used to help out with any problems of the embassy but he was afraid that Korea was run by empty-minded officials. The future of Korea would be dark if the government stayed the same. People might say that the political world had made them that way but what Youngho felt was that they could never change their ways.

The high officials visiting in this foreign country must have come to Youngho’s farm to receive a souvenir wine from a successful winery. The foxy counselor must have taken the lead.

To Youngho’s knowledge, government officials visited grain fields for a reason of encouraging local farmers and always returned after receiving huge amounts of gifts from farms. They never paid for the gifts or souvenirs.

The concilor must have come to Youngho’s farm to save his face but his attitude had turned them down. Unlike an ambassador position, councilor eventually would return to Korea to his original position. The councilor must have tried to impress the government officials in order to look good when he returned Korea. Youngho sighed to find out the reality of the Korea’s government. It was just pathetic that they sent someone like the councilor to work in a foreign country and represent Korea.