Three fighters were displayed inside the secured facility.
Two of them were the familiar older-model Sukhoi jets I had seen many times before, but the third one was unusual.
Its exterior was painted entirely black.
Its design looked like something straight out of a video game.
I couldn't understand why such a fighter was here.
Staring blankly at the black jet, General Lee Ho expressed his gratitude once again.
"I never even dreamed we'd be able to bring the Berkut to Korea. The Su-47 Berkut, which is the pinnacle of Russian aviation technology, becoming part of the Republic of Korea Air Force's fleet —thank you so much."
"You said Su-47?"
"That's right. The Su-47 Berkut, a one-of-a-kind stealth fighter of the highest specs that Russia produced only a single unit of!"
Was my hearing failing me?
I hadn't been told exactly which fighter jets were coming.
But how could such a top-secret, latest-model stealth fighter—one that Russia guards with extreme secrecy—end up in South Korea?
I hadn't even thrown huge amounts of money around.
Even including the purchase, transport, and miscellaneous expenses, we only paid about 200 million dollars.
Yet here they were, sending a cutting-edge fighter that's hard to even price.
It had to be a drastically downgraded version.
I was certain it was a non-flying display model, stripped of many systems.
"…It's probably only fit for display, but if it helps the Air Force, that's fortunate."
"This is not just a display model. It's fully operational and capable of flight. All the radar equipment is installed, and it even has internal weapons bays—the hallmark of a stealth fighter. This is a fully functional aircraft!"
Crazy!
I barely held back the curse that was about to slip out.
No matter how good my relations with Russia were, handing over a top-secret, latest-model fighter jet—essentially a national secret—was shocking.
Instead of feeling happy, I was scared.
I couldn't understand what Russia's intentions were behind this move, and no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't grasp what Roman, who spearheaded the deal, was really up to.
But there was no need to reveal these doubts.
In front of General Lee Ho, I kept my composure and continued acting calm.
"...We went a bit beyond the limits for the advancement of the Republic of Korea Air Force."
"Thank you very much for creating such a great opportunity to leap forward the Air Force's technological capabilities!"
"May I make a quick phone call? I want to express my thanks to the Russian side for sending such a generous gift."
"Of course. I'll escort you outside the secure area."
Following General Lee's lead, I moved to a quiet spot.
After carefully making sure no one was around, I called Governor Roman.
"Did you send the wrong item? We received something completely unexpected."
[Did I send a total wreck? I heard there was a fighter sitting abandoned at the airport, so I was told to send it along as well.]
"Abandoned at the airport?"
[Yeah, they said due to maintenance costs, there's a fighter left unused at the airport. They told me to just include it. Please, let's not make a fuss over this, considering our relationship.]
An abandoned fighter—could it really be the Su-47?
I understood that the latest fighters cost a fortune to maintain, but just leaving one idle at the airport?
And now Roman was begging me.
He didn't even realize that the one he should be asking was me.
"So... shall we agree not to make an issue out of this?"
[Of course. If South Korea doesn't make an issue of it, Russia won't either. In fact, only a handful of people even know that three fighter jets were sent to Korea.]
"Then I'll see you again when I visit Russia next time."
[Please come often. We'll be waiting.]
And just like that, the call ended.
No matter how chaotic Russia might be, to get hold of a top-tier fighter jet like this in such a way… well, it wasn't entirely unprecedented.
Before my return to this timeline, Korea had once purchased a rocket model from Russia.
But Russia didn't have the budget to produce a new model, so they sent a genuine, fully-built rocket to Korea instead.
Thanks to that, Korean rocket technology advanced by leaps and bounds.
Now, the Su-47 fighter would play that same role.
…But was it really a mistake?
No, that wasn't the time to worry about that now. The item was in our hands, and Russia had sealed their lips.
Whether it was sent by accident or not, we'd take advantage of it.
I quickly gathered my thoughts.
"The call just ended. Russia's been really proud about this. They said they sent the Su-47 because of their friendship with me, but requested we keep the security extremely tight."
"That's only natural. We've doubled the security personnel at the Defense Science Research Institute compared to usual."
"The jet must only be used for research. Any test flights could cause serious problems."
"Of course! How could we waste such a precious machine flying it? We don't even have time to fully disassemble and study every part."
General Lee Ho was practically chomping at the bit.
Having secured the only unit of this ultra-modern jet—made just once due to costs—there was so much they wanted to try.
"As you know, this was incredibly difficult to obtain. Taewoo Group threw everything they had into it. The unofficial funds spent could've been enough to rebuild the Air Force runways twice over."
"I have no words. I will personally handle persuading the Ministry of Defense regarding the Taewoo Group's new headquarters. I promise the Republic of Korea Air Force will never raise any objections."
"Even if you build two new headquarters?"
"Not just two—ten new ones, and I still wouldn't complain. …Though I assume you'll cover the runway relocation costs, right?"
General Lee Ho suddenly remembered the issue of the runway relocation costs.
For the sake of Korea's national defense, that was a cost worth bearing.
"Of course, Taewoo Group will cover the entire relocation expense. We also plan to make a generous donation to the Ministry of National Defense."
"You truly are different from the others. There was a very bad group that demanded the runway be moved but refused to pay a single penny of the cost."
That must have been the Charlotte Group.
For nearly twenty years, Charlotte had been trying to build a new headquarters on their site and naturally clashed fiercely with the Air Force.
No wonder General Lee still held a grudge against them.
"We are a Korean group, aren't we? Economic development and national defense are inseparable."
"Exactly! I hope the relationship between Taewoo Group and the military continues just as it is now!"
Is this how a life-saving benefactor is treated?
Generals usually have pride that reaches the skies.
Especially the Air Force, being smaller in number, tends to be full of pride, yet General Lee treated me with complete humility.
"Well then, I'll see you again soon. And if Taewoo Group ever needs any help, don't hesitate to contact me."
"I pray daily for Taewoo Group's endless success. Thank you so much."
Feeling uncomfortable and out of place, I hurriedly left the Defense Science Research Institute and headed back to the company.
The issues with the Air Force and the Ministry of National Defense were mostly resolved.
Now, all that remained was to finalize the negotiations between the government and the Seoul city administration.
I had left this matter entirely to my grandfather, but to get an update, I went to the chairman's office.
"How are the negotiations with the government going?"
"You brat! Do I have to report to you?"
"I came to report that the Air Force and Defense Ministry issues are mostly settled. I'm not here to rush or pressure you, Grandpa."
Honestly, that was exactly why I came.
Since his grandson had already solved the Air Force problem by bringing in fighter jets from
Russia, I was subtly pressing him to speed up the government negotiations.
"The talks with the government are more or less done. Now we're just working out how much money we'll have to donate and hand over to the government and Seoul city."
"To whom exactly do we have to donate?"
"I'm no mother bird, but there are far too many mouths to feed. The government, Seoul city, and even the district where the new headquarters will be built all want their share."
My grandfather groaned.
And it was true — there were more places than I'd imagined that needed money.
"Wouldn't something like 100 to 200 billion won in total be enough?"
"What kind of dog's name is that? The hard-earned money of Taewoo Group's employees and executives isn't something to just hand over so easily."
"If you try to save a little money now and delay, you might end up paying much more later."
"But if you hand over too much at once, they'll just ask for more. You have to negotiate just enough so everyone can save face. That's how agreements are reached."
That was the wisdom of a seasoned veteran.
Acting generous enough so those giving can boast about their kindness, and those receiving can feel grateful — that was the lesson.
"So, is the agreement progressing well?"
"I've got two cards in hand, so it's not too difficult. I might have to discard one, but somehow, by next year, we'll break ground on the new headquarters."
"If you have to discard one card, does that mean you can only get approval for one site?"
"That's probably how it'll go. Trying to catch two rabbits at once might mean losing both."
Anyone could see that Grandpa was right.
Trying to get approvals for both sites might backfire and end up with neither.
But how much effort had I put into securing those two sites?
I wanted to get approvals for both, at least to reward my hard work.
"For now, get approval for just one site, and leave the other one to me."
"Looks like you've come up with a clever plan."
"If negotiations get tough, sometimes you have to resort to threats, right?"
"You never get good results threatening the government."
"But if the threats don't come from Taewoo Group itself, what's the problem? I hear that pressure is coming from the U.S. or Russia. How could I stop that?"
The plan was simple: handle the new headquarters site through negotiations, and use a bit of trickery to secure approval for the other site.
"Can you make sure that Taewoo Group is completely out of the loop?"
"Of course. I'll handle it so Taewoo Group isn't connected in any way. First, we must solve the approval issue for the new headquarters."
"It'll probably be decided on the Charlotte Group site. Charlotte Group did the groundwork for nearly 20 years trying to build their headquarters there."
Grandpa's words would sting if the Charlotte Group heard them.
Still, he wasn't wrong. Because Charlotte Group had invested so much time, we could negotiate a little more comfortably.
"Then I'll leave the new headquarters to you, and I'll be going on a business trip to the U.S. I need to meet several people to resolve the other site issue."
"By the time you get back from your trip, I'll have everything settled regarding the new headquarters site."
The U.S. trip wasn't just about the site issue.
At this point, it was also essential for securing new business opportunities for Taewoo Group.