The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 240

240. Beyond the Cold War (3)

“My name is Nick Bard.”

The man who met Jung Hyun-woo in Washington was an aide to Congressman Jack Edinburgh.

“The Congressman is…”.

“He had to attend an urgent meeting. So, I’ve been assigned to this matter.”

Jung Hyun-woo suspected that Jack Edinburgh was avoiding a difficult issue.

‘Is it impossible to even talk to the Soviet Union because the Cold War is still ongoing?’

He couldn’t be sure, as he hadn’t personally experienced that era of America.

“This is a topic that I contacted the Congressman about in advance, but is it permissible to discuss it with you?”

He was asking if he could proceed with the discussion, given that Nick Bard was just an aide.

Nick Bard nodded and replied.

“Having worked at the State Department, I believe I can adequately address this matter.”

Jung Hyun-woo couldn’t help but be skeptical of the claim that he had experience working at the State Department.

‘Hmm, did he really work at the State Department?’

The U.S. State Department is the equivalent of the foreign ministry in other countries.

Jung Hyun-woo leaned back in his chair and said.

“First, I’d like to hear about the possibilities.”

What Jung Hyun-woo wanted to know from Edinburgh was whether American companies could acquire Soviet intellectual property rights.

“I think the chances are fifty-fifty.”

Jung Hyun-woo frowned at the fifty-fifty assessment.

‘That means they won’t be held responsible even if it fails.’

He couldn’t help but frown.

“Fifty-fifty is not the answer we want.”

Nick Bard waved his hands and replied.

“Fifty-fifty wasn’t a figurative expression. I answered that way because I genuinely believe there’s a 50% chance.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s frown lessened as he asked.

“Mr. Bard, do you really think there’s a 50% chance of success?”

Was it truly possible to acquire intellectual property rights from the enemy country, the Soviet Union, in the 1980s, when the Cold War was in full swing?

He couldn’t help but doubt Nick Bard’s assessment.

“Secretary Gorbachev is someone who can communicate with.”

Gorbachev was the last secretary of the Soviet Union, who advocated for reform and openness [Glasnost and Perestroika] and is famous for his role in ending the Cold War.

However, he was not popular in the Soviet Union because of his perceived failure to smoothly manage the problems that arose after the end of the Cold War.

“Are you saying we can talk to the Soviet government?”

“First, we need to talk to the Reagan administration.”

“You mean if the Reagan administration approves, negotiations with the Soviet Union are possible?”

Nick Bard nodded.

“Everything has to follow procedure.”

Jung Hyun-woo thought his calm voice was more suitable for a diplomat.

‘Politicians need a strong voice that moves people’s hearts, rather than a calm voice.’

The qualities needed for diplomats were different from those needed for politicians.

“Then how should we approach the Reagan administration?”

“We’ll approach it from our side.”

“Are you saying that you, as the aide, will bring up our proposal?”

Nick Bard smiled and replied.

“I still have connections in the State Department.”

Jung Hyun-woo had nothing to lose. However, he felt a little uneasy entrusting the work to someone else.

“This matter is also important to our company. I’m asking you as the representative.”

It was a request from the owner of a large company that was vying for the top one or two spots in U.S. stock market capitalization.

Nick Bard couldn’t take his request lightly.

“Mr. Jung, I can’t guarantee that it will pass, but I will do my best.”

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t particularly appreciate diplomatic rhetoric such as “trying hard” or “considering it positively.”

However, Nick Bard was a former diplomat, so he couldn’t expect him to use definite expressions.

* * *

“Did things go well in Washington?”

It was a holiday, but Sarah and Jung Hyun-woo were leaving the house early in the morning and driving around the suburbs of Boston.

“Well, I don’t know what to say.”

“An uncharacteristic failure for Charlie?”

“I couldn’t meet Congressman Edinburgh.”

Sarah raised her eyebrows and asked.

“I thought the meeting with Congressman Edinburgh was long when I came home late yesterday, but it wasn’t?”

“I only met with the aide.”

Sarah sighed briefly.

“Ha… I guess trading with the Soviet Union is risky after all.”

“The aide said fifty-fifty.”

“Fifty-fifty?”

“He said it was really fifty-fifty.”

Sarah shook her head.

“Isn’t that just a polite way of saying it’s highly unlikely to work out? Like a 99% chance of failure in reality.”

Jung Hyun-woo looked at the luxury houses passing by outside the window and replied.

“He’s a former diplomat, so he told me to trust him.”

“A former diplomat aide?”

“We’ll find out over time whether the Congressman sent that person out intentionally, or whether he just sent the aide to avoid the issue altogether.”

Sarah acknowledged his words softly.

“Then we won’t know the results this year.”

“That’s right.”

There were only a few days left in the year.

“We’ll turn right.”

With the driver’s signal, the car entered a small town.

“The town is small.”

Sarah added an explanation after hearing Jung Hyun-woo’s words.

“Because there are only 20 households.”

“Is it that small?”

The number of buildings visible seemed to be much more than 20 households.

“Because one building doesn’t represent just one household.”

It meant that there were separate outbuildings for managers or visitors.

“Stop there.”

The driver stopped the car as the real estate agent sitting in the passenger seat signaled.

“Here it is.”

The reason Sarah and Jung Hyun-woo were busy moving around since morning was to find a new home.

Jung Hyun-woo wanted to continue living in the city where he used to live, but he couldn’t help but be conscious of the excessive attention he was receiving.

‘Beacon Hill will be insufficient, too.’

Beacon Hill was a transportation hub where you could easily go to both MIT and downtown Boston, and it was where people above the middle class lived in Boston.

But even Beacon Hill wasn’t secluded enough for Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah.

“Now, let’s go in.”

Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah entered a mansion with a blue roof.

The inside of the mansion was accented with marble and simple decorations.

‘Is it styled after the mansion of a Roman aristocrat?’

It didn’t reach the splendor of a European aristocrat’s mansion, but was it neat?

The agent went ahead and explained the mansion, where the owner was currently away.

“This mansion has 12 rooms and 15 bathrooms. And there is a movie theater and a bar in the basement.”

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t particularly enjoy movies, so the theater wasn’t a major selling point for him.

Sarah looked around the house and said.

“The house is clean. Is there an outbuilding here?”

“There is an outbuilding for security personnel and managers located 50m behind. It has 3 rooms and 3 bathrooms.”

Sarah liked that the managers’ quarters and the main building were separate.

“That’s good.”

Jung Hyun-woo looked around the mansion with an indifferent expression. Then Sarah asked.

“Don’t you like it this time either?”

Jung Hyun-woo replied briefly.

“It’s too big.”

Sarah shook her head and said.

“This size is necessary even just for the security team.”

It meant that they could no longer stay in a typical house like before.

“If the house is big, the distance to move around is also long, and it’s hard to set up a computer.”

The agent smiled and responded to his concerns.

“You don’t have to worry about installing a computer. The previous owner also used a computer in this house.”

The computer Jung Hyun-woo was thinking of was not a small personal computer.

“Come to think of it, you said the basement was big, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Shall we take a look at that place?”

“Of course, it’s possible.”

The agent led them to the splendid stairs at the entrance, which could be considered the lobby.

“This way.”

Sarah tilted her head as Jung Hyun-woo became interested in the basement.

‘Hmm, why is Charlie more interested in the basement than the rest of the house?’

He had wanted to see the basement of the house he had visited earlier, but he couldn’t because it was being used as a food storage.

“Here it is.”

The basement of the mansion was quite large.

Jung Hyun-woo was satisfied with the large bar and the theater where thirty people could watch movies simultaneously.

“Sarah, this is good enough.”

Sarah asked him.

“You’re not going to use this space as a theater as it is, are you?”

“Of course. I’m going to turn it into a development lab.”

That meant filling the theater and bar with computers.

‘Typical Charlie,’ Sarah thought.

Jung Hyun-woo subtly inquired about her thoughts.

“Does Sarah have any other ideas?”

“No. I’m not interested in the basement. A neat study and a garden where I can take a walk after drinking tea are enough for me.”

Sarah preferred a space where she could leisurely enjoy reading rather than a theater or a place to drink.

“Then Sarah can have the entire first floor.”

“Does that mean Charlie gets the second floor?”

“No. The basement is enough for me.”

The agent didn’t find it strange that the two were discussing the use of the mansion without asking about the price.

‘The richest man in America wouldn’t check the price one by one when buying a house,’ he mused.

Of course, just because the client was the richest man in America didn’t mean he intended to overcharge them.

Rather, he wanted to close the deal at a fair price.

‘This deal will be reported all over America,’ he thought, realizing the publicity it would bring.

The agent judged that this deal was unlikely to be kept secret.

Sarah and Jung Hyun-woo continued their conversation.

“Charlie, I’m against putting a bed in the basement.”

“We might sleep here if we get sleepy.”

“No way.”

When Sarah said firmly, Jung Hyun-woo raised both hands in the air in mock surrender.

“You can’t even put one bed in such a large space?”

“We should sleep upstairs.”

Sarah was adamant.

“Hoo… Okay.”

Because she was so firm, Jung Hyun-woo had no choice but to step back.

“Then, are we going with this house?”

Jung Hyun-woo asked, tilting his head.

“Are we deciding after seeing only three houses?”

He thought it was unlike Sarah.

‘I thought she would look at a few more,’ he pondered.

Sarah turned around and replied.

“Time is precious. I can’t spend a whole day looking at houses.”

She thought half a day of rest was more valuable than buying a multi-million dollar mansion.

“Okay. Let’s go with this one then.”

The agent breathed a sigh of relief at their decision.

‘Phew… I didn’t lose the best VIP clients in America,’ he thought, relieved.

He offered to show Sarah and Jung Hyun-woo the bedrooms upstairs.

Then Sarah shook her head.

“Unless there’s a particular problem, I think we should head out.”

The agent asked in surprise.

“Isn’t the bedroom the most important place for newlyweds?”

Sarah’s face flushed slightly at the mention of newlyweds.

“We’re not married.”

The agent was startled and apologized to her.

“I’m sorry. I thought you were already married because you seemed so close.”

Jung Hyun-woo scratched his head and clarified the agent’s words.

“Sarah is my sister.”

The agent knew that Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah had completely different surnames.

‘The life of the upper class…’ he thought, implying it was beyond his understanding.

He could only assume that there was some deep story he couldn’t understand.

“Still, I recommend you take a look at the bedrooms.”

When the agent recommended the bedrooms, Sarah reluctantly turned her steps.

“You must have done a good job if you’re recommending it with such confidence.”

As she expected, the bedrooms on the second floor were all clean and modernly decorated.

“Excellent.”

Jung Hyun-woo knew that Sarah’s compliment was a conventional expression.

‘Since the main house is this size, it might feel like Sarah has returned to the house she used to live in,’ he thought.

Of course, he had never lived in such a mansion before.

“Each room has a bathroom, and you can also install phones and TVs.”

The fact that phones and TVs could be installed meant that computers could also be installed.

Jung Hyun-woo was satisfied with the agent’s explanation.

‘I can make a computer room on the second floor too,’ he mused.

He wanted to put the main server in the basement and create a personal workspace on the second floor.

* * *

U.S. Department of State.

Assistant Secretary of State Colin Parks joked at the visit of an old friend.

“Did you get fired at the end of the year?”

“Fired? I just came to see a friend.”

The U.S. Department of State is one of the largest organizations in the U.S. government, and until recently, it was also called the State Department along with the Department of Defense.

Therefore, more than thirty assistant secretaries like Colin Parks were assigned.

“A Republican powerhouse’s aide comes to see a friend at the end of the year when he’s busy? That’s not a convincing answer.”

The person who came to see Colin Parks was Nick Bard, an aide to Congressman Edinburgh.

“I have something to ask, so I made an excuse to come see you.”

“An excuse?”

“As you said, it’s hard to get away from the congressman’s office at the end of the year.”

Colin Parks tapped the desk and said.

“Then I’ll listen. To that excuse.”

Nick Bard sat down in the chair and said.

“There’s a company that wants to do business with the Soviet Union.”

Colin Parks frowned at the mention of the Soviet Union.

“With the Soviet Union?”

“Why? Is it not allowed?”

Colin Parks sighed deeply.

“Hoo… It seems you’ve caught a whiff of something.”

Nick Bard smiled and said.

“I’ve heard rumors about Gorbachev.”

In a few days, Gorbachev would enter his third year in power. Of course, the power of General Secretary Gorbachev was not yet great. He struggled with the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident this year, but was severely damaged due to the astronomical recovery costs.

In addition, the war in Afghanistan was still at a standstill. It was Gorbachev’s second year with no good news.

“He is pushing for an open-door policy.”

Nick Bard asked, crossing his legs.

“I heard Coca-Cola is going in?”

Colin Parks did not deny his friend’s question.

“How did you know?”

“The rumors are spreading so much.”

In late 1986, Coca-Cola was about to open in Moscow.

“So, is the company you brought Pepsi?”

Pepsi was Coca-Cola’s eternal rival.

“No.”

“Then is it McDonald’s?”

McDonald’s, along with Coca-Cola, was a brand that symbolized American capitalism.

“It’s Victoria Corporation.”

Colin Parks frowned at Nick Bard’s answer.

“Victoria Corporation? Doesn’t that company sell computer software? Are they going to sell software to the Soviet Union?”

Nick Bard replied again.

“They’re not selling software, they’re buying it.”

Colin Parks’ eyes widened.

“They’re not selling things, they’re buying them in reverse?”

“They say there’s content they like in the Soviet Union.”

Colin Parks sighed briefly.

“Hmm, I can’t say for sure.”

What the United States wanted was for American goods to penetrate the Soviet Union, not for Soviet culture to enter American society.

“Is it not possible?”

Colin Parks asked Nick Bard.

“Would the higher-ups like it if Soviet movies or dramas were shown on TV?”

“What if it’s not TV dramas or movies?”

“A novel?”

Colin Parks thought that novels were relatively free.

“It’s a game.”

Colin Parks stroked his chin at his friend’s answer.

“You mean a computer game.”

He felt it was ambiguous.

‘It will have less impact than movies or dramas, but it will have a stronger negative perception than novels,’ he considered.

He put his hands together and asked.

“I want to talk to the person in charge at Victoria Corporation directly.”

“So you’re saying no to me.”

“There are ambiguous parts.”

Nick Bard nodded.

“I understand. I’ll connect you with them.”

He thought the ball had now passed to Victoria Corporation.

‘This side is just a connector,’ he thought.

Nick Bard did not know the value of Tetris that Jung Hyun-woo was trying to secure, nor did he even know what kind of game it was.

In the end, this problem could not be solved unless Jung Hyun-woo stepped in.