A Genius Speaks with Money

Chapter 18

I, Lim Hyunjun, laid out yet another nonsensical excuse.

“It was just that vacation started. I wanted to come here at least once.”

“Stop with the lines that sound like a travel agency advertisement. If that were the case, would there be any need to leave all those good hotels behind and come all the way to this place?”

I turned my gaze away with an awkward smile.

“Well, famous tourist spots are a bit hectic. I like quiet places, which is why I did this. Does it not suit your taste, CEO Choi?”

“It is not that it does not suit my taste, but shouldn’t I know your intentions so that I can prepare myself mentally as well?”

“There is absolutely nothing like that this time. Probably.”

Choi Seo-jun looked at me with eyes full of suspicion.

Instead of answering, I avoided his gaze by looking out the window.

After riding in a taxi for a long time, a small, old-looking hotel was situated at our destination.Red bricks and an antique sign.

Inside the quiet alley, that place alone gave off an atmosphere as if time had stopped.

Checking the place he had reserved, Choi Seo-jun spoke.

“Is it here?”

I nodded and went inside while carrying the luggage.

As we opened the hotel door and stepped inside, the warm indoor air greeted us along with the scent of unfamiliar spices.

And there was a person who quietly raised their head from behind the counter, who looked quite aged.

A beard mixed with silver, wrinkled eye areas, and dark pupils.

An elderly lady with a similarly gentle smile stood beside him.

“Welcome.”

It was an English pronunciation mixed with a calm yet somewhat exotic accent.

The moment I made eye contact with them.

Somewhere, I felt a chilling tug on one side of my chest.

The old man made a quiet gesture and spoke.

“You are Mr. Lim, correct? I have been waiting for you.”

Choi Seo-jun turned his head with slightly surprised eyes.

“Yes, that is correct.”

Without a word, I gave a short smile and greeted him lightly.

The elderly lady handed over the room keys kindly and spoke.

“Our nationality is British, but we were born in Iraq. It is rare for guests to come to this place, so how did you find out and come here?”

I slowly nodded and answered.

“Because I heard that this is a quiet place.”

“That is right. We have lived in this neighborhood for a long time, and it truly is a peaceful and quiet place. I hope you like it as well.”

The old man handed over two keys and spoke quietly.

“The rooms are on the 3rd floor. If you take the elevator up, they are rooms 305 and 306 at the end of the hallway.”

Choi Seo-jun nodded and received the keys.

Beside him, the elderly lady added more words.

“We live on the 5th floor. It is the top floor of this hotel. The 2nd floor through the 4th floor are the guest rooms where visitors stay. There is a restaurant on the 1st floor.”

“There are more floors than I thought.”

At Choi Seo-jun'

s words, the old man smiled and nodded.

“Even though it looks small, it is quite spacious on the inside.”

The elderly lady stiffened her expression slightly and continued speaking cautiously.

“Ah, and there is one thing I must tell you.”

I and Choi Seo-jun raised our heads at the same time.

“There is one guest currently on a long-term stay on the 4th floor. Since he is a quite sensitive person.... It would be best if you do not go up to the 4th floor if possible.”

Choi Seo-jun answered.

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

I silently observed the expressions of the elderly couple closely.

Then, I asked cautiously.

“What kind of person is he?”

The old man shook his head and spoke.

“As he is a guest, I cannot tell you. Since it is an era where personal information is so sensitive. Just please make sure that no unnecessary misunderstandings occur.”

At the old man'

s words, I nodded as if lost in thought for a moment and then spoke quietly.

“Yes, I will be careful.”

Arriving at the 3rd-floor hallway, the two of us stood in front of our respective rooms.

Just then, the stairs leading to the 4th floor caught my eye.

As if drawn by something, I slowly moved my steps toward there.

The moment I glanced up the stairs.

In the faint shadows, silhouettes of several men were visible.

When Choi Seo-jun sensed something and tried to follow, I quietly raised my hand to stop him.

“Shh!”

After a moment, as if nothing had happened, I turned back, picked up my luggage, and entered the guest room without a word.

Choi Seo-jun roughly threw his luggage inside the room and immediately came out to the hallway.

Then he went to my room, which was right next door, and pressed the bell.

Ding-dong.

After a short while, the door opened and I poked my head out.

“CEO Choi?”

“Let us talk for a moment.”

I opened the door wide.

Even though it was an old building, the inside of the room was quieter and cleaner than expected.

Choi Seo-jun entered the room, closed the window, and even drew the curtains before finally speaking.

“You saw them on the stairs earlier, didn'

t you. That there were several men on the 4th floor.”

I did not answer.

Instead, I poured a glass of water, placed it on the desk, and slowly sat in the chair.

Choi Seo-jun'

s gaze became sharp.

“That elderly couple who owns the hotel were not British. Their accent and everything made them seem Middle Eastern. Representative, please tell me now.”

I still remained silent.

I took a drink out of the refrigerator, poured it into a glass, and placed it in front of Choi Seo-jun.

Only after I took a sip myself did I cautiously open my mouth.

“It is not certain yet. But soon, the Prime Minister of Iraq will change.”

Choi Seo-jun'

s eyes widened.

“What does that mean? That the Prime Minister will change.”

“Yes. It is almost a foregone conclusion that he will change. The person staying in this hotel is the son of the strong candidate for the next Prime Minister.”

“...Wh-at?!”

Choi Seo-jun looked at me with an expression as if he could not believe it.

“...Why is such a figure here. I mean, why is he staying in a rural hotel like this?”

“Because if he is in Iraq, he has to be mindful of reporters and politicians. He is staying here quietly.”

I smiled meaningfully and added.

“However, it would be a problem if we are not the only ones who know that such a person is here.”

Only then was Choi Seo-jun realizing that this trip was not a simple trip.

I sent Choi Seo-jun back to his room, saying I was tired.

In fact, for now, saying many things would be of no help to me.

It would only give room for unnecessary misunderstanding.

Actually, I did not know from the start that the son of the Prime Minister candidate, Zaidi, was staying here either.

It was while I was organizing materials related to Taeseong Construction a few days ago that I suddenly boarded the plane to the UK.

It was because of a memory that passed through my mind like a flash.

‘In one month, the Prime Minister of Iraq will change.’

In the blurred news screen within my memory, a subtitle was floating that read, ‘The son of a strong Prime Minister candidate was kidnapped by armed rebels in the UK’.

That incident became the decisive turning point that led Hakim al-Zaidi to become Prime Minister.

Along with that, the fact that the power landscape of Iraq completely shifted afterward also came to mind.

I looked back into the Taeseong Construction Iraq project materials.

I realized that the incident and the current timeframe matched perfectly.

‘If so, then that son might be staying in hiding somewhere in the UK right now.’

However, I did not know at all exactly where he was, or even who he was.

Believing only in the single memory that had permeated me like a sense, I headed to the UK.

I had merely discovered a quiet hotel run by an Iraqi elderly couple.

In fact, it was just good luck.

I became certain after seeing the strange attitude of the elderly couple I met a short while ago and the appearance of the strangers guarding the stairs to the 4th floor.

Probably, the person staying here was very likely to be the son of Prime Minister candidate Zaidi.

I let out a long breath.

Although I had come to the UK recklessly, I also knew.

This time, the opponent was not an ordinary criminal organization.

Al-Jahad.

An armed rebel group that is notorious throughout the Middle East for terrorism, kidnapping, and the massacre of civilians.

Whenever the regime was shaken, they would dig into that gap and shake the political situation, and it was an organization that even American and European intelligence agencies supposedly could not fully grasp the reality of.

Such a monster-like group was targeting the son of Prime Minister candidate Zaidi.

There was a high possibility that they were right inside this building where the target was located.

I looked at the key placed on the desk.

The key with the number 305 written on it.

And the 4th floor above them.

“How would I do this....”

In that single phrase I spat out like a monologue, a heavy sense of responsibility was mixed with a feeling of helplessness regarding the bleak reality where no solution was visible.

Next morning.

The two of us took seats and sat in a corner of the hotel restaurant on the 1st floor.

The morning sunlight of a calm small city was shining through the window, but the air flowing over the table was strangely heavy.

Choi Seo-jun, who took a sip of coffee, opened his mouth first.

“Representative, that person you mentioned yesterday. Is it really true that he is the son of that candidate?”

I slowly nodded my head.

“It is not certain. However, if he is receiving this kind of protection at this point in time, wouldn'

t it be so?”

While quiet classical music was flowing, the elevator door opened with a sound.

The gazes of both of us headed toward there.

The one who appeared first was a Middle Eastern young man who looked to be in his early twenties.

He was a man with thick eyebrows, neatly trimmed hair, and a sharp yet deep impression.

Behind him, two men of sturdy build came down following him.

Their gestures were like bodyguards scanning the surroundings.

When I signaled toward Choi Seo-jun with my eyes, he noticed and turned his head as if nothing were wrong.

As the young man entered the restaurant, the elderly couple rushed to the restaurant side and welcomed him with bright faces.

The elderly lady hugged him tightly and offered a warm greeting in a language I could not understand.

On the old man'

s face, a sense of welcome and worry dwelt at the same time.

I watched that scene quietly.

There was no need to explain with words.

The behavior of the bodyguards.

The attitude of the elderly couple.

And more than anything, the atmosphere of the young man himself told me who he was.

I quietly set down the coffee cup and fell into deep thought.

I was pondering how to create a point of contact with him.

In the meantime, the group belonging to the son of Prime Minister Zaidi, having finished their meal, slowly rose from their seats.

I also rose quickly and spoke to Choi Seo-jun.

“Let us get up too. Please give me the business card case.”

Receiving the business card case, I held it along with a newspaper and walked.

Choi Seo-jun, who was in the middle of drinking coffee, also stood up quietly and followed me without knowing why.

The two of us moved our steps toward them naturally, as if by coincidence.

Samir al-Zaidi, the son of Prime Minister candidate Zaidi, walked straight toward the elevator with the bodyguards to leave the restaurant.

I intentionally walked a bit out of the way in their direction and then brushed past Samir, bumping into him.

I lost my balance and almost fell on one knee, dropping the newspaper and business card case I was holding.

“Oh, my. I am sorry...!”

At that moment, the bodyguard beside Samir moved quickly and pushed my shoulder roughly.

The moment that touch reached me.

The world stopped as a flash went off before my eyes.

A dark room.

A voice that sounded threatening.

“Samir al-Zaidi is in the UK right now.”

“Good. Al-Jahad will move soon.”

“Prime Minister Faraj will like it.”

The person handing over Samir'

s information to someone was that very bodyguard who bumped into me.

He was a subordinate of the current Prime Minister, Nadim al-Faraj, in the past.

Now, he was holding hands with Al-Jahad for him.

As the scene before my eyes disappeared without a trace, I suddenly gasped for heavy breaths.

As I barely regained my senses, I heard Choi Seo-jun'

s voice.

“Representative! Are you okay?”

Choi Seo-jun hurriedly supported my arm.

The bodyguard frowned and stepped back.

At that time, Samir al-Zaidi personally walked forward.

He picked up the business card case that had fallen on the floor.

He approached me, Lim Hyunjun, and Choi Seo-jun as we stood there dazed and spoke quietly.

“Are you okay? I have a rude bodyguard.”

I looked up at him while catching my breath.

Thick eyebrows and calm eyes.

And a way of speaking that contained sincere worry.

Now, I could be certain.

This young man before my eyes was indeed Samir al-Zaidi.