1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 107



Only Krnovel

Episode 107

“Extra edition! Extra edition!!!”

5 o’clock in the morning.

It is still the crack of dawn, and a man holding a bundle of newspapers is handing them out to the neighborhood, shouting out loud that they are extra editions.

Even though it was clearly still a time when everyone was asleep, he paid no attention and woke people up with a voice that sounded like the whole town was going to disappear.

“Ahh… …!!! What the heck is this chaos since early in the morning!”

Lee Seung-baek, the vice president of Hyunjoong Oil, who lives in a nearby detached house, also eventually wakes up from his sleep to the sound of a man’s loud voice outside the window.

His wife also gets up, rubbing her eyes, and speaks in a disgruntled voice.

“Yeah, I told you I was going to move to an apartment.”

Vice President Lee Seung-baek gets out of bed, puts on his clothes, and answers his wife.

“I told you. I hate places that are like chicken coops, like apartments. I like single-family homes like this.”

“Anyway, where are you going? Why are you wearing clothes?”

Vice President Lee Seung-baek had already put on his outerwear.

“I need to see what they are doing making such a noise so early in the morning.”

“Oh my, just leave it alone.”

“No. I can’t do this because I’m so annoyed. I’ll be right back.”

Lately, there hasn’t been anything that’s so great that it could be called a special edition.

The last time the paper appeared as an extra was when it bought territory from Russia.

The Internet had already become widespread and every household had a TV, so for an extra edition to have any significance, it had to be a truly shocking event.

‘What on earth is going on that makes you talk like that so early in the morning?’

When Vice President Lee Seung-baek put on his shoes and went outside, perhaps because of the loud noise, there were several people outside despite the early morning.

The man who had been shouting loudly went to a place a little distance away, and there he was also throwing out newspapers while shouting loudly that it was an extra edition.

And the floor was littered with newspapers, presumably ones he had scattered.

‘Let’s see how great the article is.’

Vice President Lee Seung-baek picked up the newspaper that had fallen on the ground and began to read it.

And the moment he read the headline written in large letters on the extra edition, his mind went blank.

[Oil producing country, Republic of Korea!]

And the article under that title was even more shocking.

[January 23, 1999. The day the Republic of Korea became an oil-producing country. The 7th block oil field was discovered! The reserves are much larger than those of other oil-producing countries. It is known that the profitability is high and mining can be done right away. The 7th block resource company announced that they will begin mining in earnest within this week. – Tongil Ilbo]

‘They really discovered genetic material in Block 7?’

“Extra edition! Extra edition!!”

Vice President Lee Seung-baek runs to the man who is already shouting from afar that it is an extra edition.

Then he grabs him urgently and asks.

“Hey, is this real? Is it really true that oil was discovered in Block 7?”

The man shakes Seungbaek Lee’s hand and speaks with a slightly annoyed expression.

“Can’t you see what’s written there? If that’s the case, would the Tongil Ilbo have been bored at this hour and written a false article? This is a deal that the president personally called in reporters and announced early this morning!”

Vice President Lee Seung-baek hurries back home.

This was not the time to be this leisurely.

I had to hurry and go to work.

This was a major event that would change history at the national level, but it was especially a huge event that could change the fate of the company, Hyunjoong Oil, where he worked.

Seungbaek Lee hurries into the house and starts looking for his cell phone.

“Honey! Where is my phone!”

“Your phone? Wait a minute… Oh, here it is.”

My wife hands me her cell phone.

As soon as he receives the cell phone, he hurriedly opens it and checks the incoming calls.

[13 missed calls]

I’ve already received more than ten calls from the company.

There was no need to call again.

First of all, I had to hurry to the company.

“Honey, I’m going to work! Let’s eat dinner with Youngjun!”

Vice President Lee Seung-baek hurries out, taking only his car keys with him.

Now was not the time to wash or do anything.

It was literally an emergency situation.

My wife, who was just preparing breakfast, asks in surprise.

“No, it’s not even 6 o’clock and you’re already leaving?”

“I have to go to work quickly. It’s a real emergency.”

His wife takes a can of soy milk out of the fridge and hands it to him, asking with a worried voice.

“Please have this before you go. By the way, did something bad happen at the company?”

Vice President Lee Seung-baek shakes his head and answers.

“No, it’s the opposite. Maybe our company will grow ridiculously large. And maybe I will… … .”

“What does that mean?”

Although she was a wife he loved very much, he didn’t have time to explain all this to her right now.

He handed the newspaper he was holding to his wife and said.

“First of all, I’m in a hurry, so check this newspaper. And I might not be able to come in for a few days.”

My wife opens the newspaper and is shocked.

“No, what are you talking about? Are you saying that oil is really coming out of our country? Honey! Honey!”

Despite his wife’s desperate voice, Vice President Lee Seung-baek hurriedly left the house.

Despite waking up a few hours earlier than usual, he didn’t look tired at all.

Because now, I was convinced that this commute would drastically change my life and my family’s life in the next year or two.

* * *

As morning came and the sun rose, the news began to spread beyond Korea and around the world.

“Shouldn’t Prime Minister Hosokawa step down soon?”

Liberal Democratic Party President Ogawa talks with fellow party member Tokuya about Prime Minister Hosokawa’s future.

“That’s right. With approval ratings dropping like this, holding on isn’t the answer.”

Prime Minister Hosokawa’s approval rating is currently falling, and he is finally in second place.

That is why there was talk of his resignation not only in the opposition party but also within the ruling party.

“That’s been going on for a long time. Shouldn’t our Liberal Democratic Party take power again now?”

“That’s right. Once the Liberty Reform Party is convinced, we can’t hold out any longer.”

If the Liberal Reform Party, which has 30 seats, pulls out of the coalition with the Hosokawa cabinet, Prime Minister Hosokawa will certainly not be able to hold out any longer.

If Prime Minister Hosokawa were to step down, the LDP would seek to take power once again through a coalition with the Liberal Reform Party.

“That’s right! I don’t know how long I have to watch Korea keep making such a fuss.”

These two people were still intoxicated with images of Japan’s past.

Even though Japan was already a sunken ship, they still thought that they could overtake Korea again if they wanted to.

“An apology for the past colonies? It’s really pathetic that such an unpatriotic person is the prime minister! What did we do wrong to Korea in the past? Isn’t it because of us that Korea has developed so much?”

“What the President said is right. If the unpatriotic people step down quickly and someone like the President becomes Prime Minister, Japan will get back on the right path.”

Tokuya agrees with Ogawa and lifts him up.

Ogawa’s mood improves considerably.

Prime Minister Ogawa drinks tea from the table and fantasizes about the Japan he will rule.

But then the door opens and someone rushes in, breaking Ogawa’s illusion.

“Hey, Congressman… …!! This is a big problem!”

The one who came in was none other than Tokuya’s secretary.

He opened the door hurriedly and came in, holding a newspaper in his hand.

“What’s going on that’s making such a fuss!”

Representative Tokuya yells at his secretary.

It was my first chance to get my bearings in a long time, but I feel bad because I lost the opportunity because of my clueless secretary.

“That, that… … . Ha, in Korea… … .”

“What in Korea! Speak properly!”

The secretary barely catches her breath and opens the newspaper as she speaks.

“They say that a geological resource has been discovered in Korea! And it was discovered in the 7th mining area that Prime Minister Hosokawa agreed to last time!”

“Phew hew… … !!”

After hearing the secretary’s story, President Ogawa spat out the tea he was holding in his mouth.

“What, what did you say… … ! That’s true… … !”

Then he wipes around his mouth and asks his secretary.

“Yes, it is true. I heard that President Kim Jong-guk personally announced it… … .”

“That, that kind of nonsense… … .”

And so, Prime Minister Ogawa’s fantasy of becoming Prime Minister ended in just a few minutes.

Japan, thanks to its sensible leader, will be able to spend the coming winter quite warmly.

And because of this, the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan became distant from the ruling party for the next 20 years.

* * *

Two days after the discovery of the genetic material, the South Korea-US summit was held.

I went to the airport just in time for Clinton to arrive.

As Clinton gets off the plane, a cannon salute sounds.

He will be greeted with the utmost courtesy befitting the President of the United States.

“Thank you for your hard work on your long journey, President Clinton.”

As soon as Clinton got off the plane, he ran up to me, grabbed my hands, and spoke to me in a voice that sounded somewhat polite.

“Don’t worry. It must be hard for you to come to Korea, where you are a blood comrade from the United States.”

“Haha. Blood comrades, I’ve heard that a lot from former presidents, but it’s a bit new to hear it from President Clinton.”

He must have already heard that the oil field was discovered in Block 7.

That’s probably why he’s acting even more polite than usual.

“What do you mean? I always thought of Korea as the country closest to the United States.”

“Is that so? Haha. That’s good to hear. For now, it’s a bit awkward to keep talking here, so should we talk in the car on the way?”

“Yes, of course.”

He rides in a limousine with President Clinton, accompanied only by a few security guards and a driver, without any reporters accompanying him.

As soon as the car starts moving, President Clinton speaks to me in an envious voice.

“President Kim Jong-guk, you are truly amazing.”

“What do you mean?”

“How did you achieve such great results this time too?”

“You’re talking about the 7th district, right?”

Clinton nods and says.

He looked extremely envious.

“Yes, I am very envious. Mr. President. Is it true that the oil field discovered in Block 7 this time is true?”

I hesitated for a moment and then answered him.

‘Well, it’s already a known fact anyway.’

“Well, it is a matter of national security… but since it is already known, there is no point in hiding it. That is true. It is true. We are still measuring the size, but it is estimated to be around 100 billion barrels.”

The actual figure confirmed by smartphone was 183 billion barrels, which is almost double what was said, but I shortened it a bit because there was no need to tell you all of it.

“What, a hundred billion barrels?”

Clinton is speechless at the mention of a hundred billion barrels.

“Yes. And it is estimated that there are natural gas reserves, but we don’t know the extent of it yet. Haha.”

“Even natural gas… … .”

Clinton couldn’t help but be surprised.

The U.S. government estimates that reserves could reach up to 30 billion barrels.

But 100 billion barrels was an unbelievable number.

But surely this is not a lie.

There is one thing that Clinton realized after talking and holding summits with President Kim Jong-guk several times.

Kim Jong-guk may not have been all that good for America’s interests, but at least he wasn’t a liar.

‘A hundred billion barrels is a lot more than the reserves in the United States… … .’

Current estimated reserves in the United States are about 29 billion barrels. 100 billion barrels was more than three times that number.

Clinton barely regains his senses and asks.

“So, when do you start mining?”

I answered with an indifferent expression.

“It’s already coming in. I think we’ll start seeing significant production later this week.”

The U.S. government has been preparing for this summit for several months to address trade imbalances with South Korea.

But that didn’t matter to Clinton right now.

‘First, we need to negotiate about that crude oil.’

I had to somehow get my spit on that crude oil.

In the future, the global crude oil market will certainly be led by Korea.

Now is not the time to be negotiating with Korea over the trade imbalance.

If we could just negotiate well for this crude oil, there would be absolutely no reason to be dragged around in the Middle East any longer.

I could barely contain my laughter at the sight of Clinton like that.

‘It’s funny how the world’s Clinton is so restless.’