A Genius Speaks with Money

Chapter 20

I, Lim Hyunjun, leaned back on the sofa in the room after finishing the call with Samir.

Only a small desk lamp was on near the sofa.

I looked at the book lying face down on the table that I had been reading.

Actually, I thought a call might come tonight.

So I had been sitting on the sofa, staying up all night reading a book.

Fortunately, I wasn'

t that tired thanks to sleeping in advance in the early evening.

While waiting with my cell phone nearby, a text message came from an unknown number.

I smiled.

As expected, the contact I was waiting for had arrived.

After checking the text immediately, I replied to Samir right away.Then the phone call followed.

After talking with Samir, I put down the cell phone and slowly leaned my body against the back of the sofa.

A smile flowed from my lips.

It felt like the puzzle piece I had been waiting for had found its place.

I tilted my head back slightly, closed my eyes, and then picked up the book again.

The warm aroma of coffee was spreading faintly in the quiet dawn of my room.

Since that day, Samir has continued to contact me carefully.

The two of us still hadn'

t met face to face, but we shared information through texts and short calls.

In the meantime, our trust was gradually deepening.

I gave repeated advice.

"Now is not the time to move. You must make him act first."

Samir was anxious every moment.

But he followed my advice, and eventually, that waiting produced results.

A few days later, as if by magic, the bodyguard who had been holding his breath moved.

When Samir intentionally changed his route and leaked his outing plans, as expected, the man approached, seizing the opportunity.

The moment Samir came out of the bookstore.

The man wordlessly grabbed Samir'

s arm roughly and led him toward a car waiting outside.

Sensing a strange vibe, Samir immediately moved in the pre-arranged manner.

The agents stationed in advance intervened in an instant.

The traitor was arrested on the spot, and the communication records connected to him were secured.

Circumstances showing that he was in collusion with the armed rebels, Al-Jahad, were also revealed.

Immediately after the incident was settled, Samir contacted me first.

-It was just as you said. Really, he was targeting me.

"I am glad it was finished well. Now, let'

s meet in person and talk."

That evening.

Samir waited for me at the hotel'

s first floor while controlling the outsiders.

After the appointed time passed, Choi Seo-jun and I arrived.

Samir welcomed us warmly.

When he reached out his hand to me, I shook it.

"I am Samir al-Zaidi."

"I am Lim Hyunjun."

Our eyes met.

In those eyes, trust was dwelling.

After the greetings ended, the three of us naturally sat down.

The elderly lady, the owner of the hotel, brought out warm tea.

Samir slowly opened his mouth while feeling the warmth as he wrapped his hands around the teacup.

"Mr. Lim Hyunjun, thanks to you, I saved my life. To be honest, at first, it was difficult for me to believe your words. But now, I can say with confidence. If it weren'

t for you, I would have been dragged away somewhere by now."

I smiled quietly and shook my head.

"That is thanks to your calm and good judgment. I only helped you make that judgment."

Samir shook his head.

"Among the people I have met so far, you are the first person to judge the situation so coolly and possess such insight."

When I tried to reply with a humble smile, Samir raised his hand to stop my words.

"Being too humble is also not good to see. You are a special person with wisdom. I guarantee it."

I replied with a smile.

"Thank you for looking at me kindly."

Samir'

s expression became serious.

He looked at me, then quietly lifted the teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"Mr. Lim Hyunjun, thanks to you, I survived."

He slowly continued his words.

"In our culture, we do not end a favor with a simple greeting of gratitude. It is our way that we must repay a person who saved a life more than a brother."

Samir placed his hand over his chest.

At the tips of his fingers, a deep determination was loaded.

"So, I will speak clearly at this place today."

Samir looked at me with eyes that did not waver in the slightest.

His appearance was solemn, as if a royal were making an oath.

"You are no longer a stranger to me. You are my benefactor, and my brother."

As Samir spat out the words, it felt as if the air changed.

I lost my words for a moment and listened intently.

"In our culture, the one who saved a life is no longer a stranger."

Samir placed his hand over his chest.

Tradition, belief, and a man'

s honor were loaded into that movement.

"God said, '

He who forgets a favor is like he who forgets God.'

I will remember your favor and intend to repay it through actions in the future."

After a moment of silence passed, Samir reached out his hand to me.

"If you take this hand, you are now my brother."

I took that hand without a word.

A firm resolution was felt over the hands held together.

I also spoke calmly to Samir as if in return.

"Thank you for calling me a brother. Your loyalty and honor. I will also not forget them."

Samir was very pleased.

We raised the teacups placed in front of us.

And as if making an oath, we drank the tea in one gulp.

Samir put down the cup and said in a much lower and firmer voice.

"Hyunjun, whatever you want or whatever you need in the future, just say the word. What you want will soon become my work."

At Samir'

s words, my eyes sparkled.

I was wearing a peaceful smile without showing it on the outside.

Samir expressed trust even more than I had expected.

I laughed lightly while joking around.

"Then don'

t expect too much. I am a person who wants quite a lot."

Samir said while laughing silently.

"I'

m already looking forward to what words you'

ll use to fluster me."

***

After forming a sworn brotherhood with Samir, Lim Hyunjun, and Choi Seo-jun moved somewhere to sightsee before leaving the hotel.

Perhaps because we had spent the past few days in tight tension, both of us were catching our breath for the first time in a while with much lighter clothing.

Choi Seo-jun asked with a pleasant smile.

"CEO, it would be disappointing to just leave since we'

ve come all the way to London. Is there anywhere you want to go?"

I wore stylish sunglasses and answered quietly while looking at Piccadilly Circus square.

"Well. More than that, it feels strange to see the streets that I only used to see on broadcasts a long time ago right before my eyes like this."

"CEO, is this by any chance your first time in the UK?"

At that moment, my footsteps stopped.

At Choi Seo-jun'

s one question, the deep part of my heart stung.

"I suppose so. I haven'

t traveled abroad much more than I thought. It'

s really nice to travel like this."

Choi Seo-jun nodded without any suspicion.

"Coming to a place like this definitely makes you feel like your perspective is widening significantly."

I smiled lightly while breathing a sigh of relief inwardly.

"That'

s right. Since it'

s a rare moment of leisure, let'

s enjoy it. There should be days like this."

I walked ahead before Choi Seo-jun could talk to me.

I planned to enjoy the day while looking at the scenery that I wouldn'

t have felt in my past life.

While we were having a good time in the UK, a disturbance broke out once in Korea.

***

Taeseong Construction headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Lim Do-hyun, the president of Taeseong Construction, appeared before reporters.

Dressed in a neat suit, he stood on the podium with a firm expression.

As the camera flashes flickered, he opened his mouth in a determined tone while standing in front of the microphone.

"First of all, as the president of Taeseong Construction, I feel a heavy responsibility for the total collapse of the Iraq Karbala refinery project."

For a moment, only silence lingered in the conference room.

President Lim Do-hyun took a deep breath and continued speaking without looking down at the prepared script.

"It was judged that the project in question could no longer be sustained due to the local political situation and complex external variables. Accordingly, the company inevitably decided to withdraw from the business."

Flashes went off again here and there.

Several reporters were busy typing quickly on their keyboards.

"Accordingly, the management feels infinite responsibility for all the confusion that has occurred, and some of the relevant working-level staff have decided to take responsibility themselves and step down."

President Lim Do-hyun stopped speaking for a moment.

He stepped to the side and bowed deeply to show his apology.

Standing in front of the microphone again, he raised his head and spoke.

"Furthermore, I am well aware of the anxiety that shareholders must be feeling regarding our company'

s stock price, which has plummeted due to this incident."

President Lim Do-hyun immediately continued the next words.

"I, Lim Do-hyun, as the president of Taeseong Construction, plan to personally purchase Taeseong Construction stock by investing my personal assets in order to fulfill my responsibility for this incident."

A slight stir arose in the conference room.

President Lim Do-hyun bowed his head once more at the end.

"Believing in the company'

s future, I will take the lead and take responsibility first. I will repay you with management so that we can become a more cautious and solid Taeseong Construction in the future."

President Lim Do-hyun'

s remarks were immediately delivered as real-time breaking news.

[President Lim Do-hyun. Declares buyback of treasury stock.]

The stock market welcomed this.

The stock price, which had been falling sharply, began to move upward gradually as if reflecting this.

Shareholders welcomed this.

As soon as Lim Do-hyun returned from the press conference room, he closed the door to the president'

s office and loosened his tie.

Behind his neat expression, the tension and fatigue he had deeply hidden were briefly revealed.

After a while, with the sound of a knock, Executive Director Lee Tae-jun entered the office.

After greeting with a wordless bow, he examined Lim Do-hyun'

s complexion.

"You worked hard, President."

"What is the current atmosphere?"

When Lim Do-hyun asked, Lee Tae-jun stood right next to him and spoke quietly as if reporting to him.

"The market reaction is better than expected. As the remark '

I will buy treasury stock with my own money'

appeared as the headline of major media outlets, the stock price also turned into a rebound. Investor reactions overall showed a positive response."

Lim Do-hyun nodded and wore a strange smile.

"Yes, of course it should be so. A manager who takes responsibility. People feel relieved easily just by showing this kind of attitude."

Lee Tae-jun took out the alcohol stored in the office and poured it into a glass, handing it to Lim Do-hyun.

He lifted the glass as if he were used to it and took a sip.

The sweet scent of vanilla brushed the tip of his nose.

Turning his gaze while holding the glass, he asked in a low voice.

"How is the thing I separately ordered going?"

Lee Tae-jun stepped closely to President Lim Do-hyun'

s side.

"The timing you mentioned was correct, President. When Taeseong Construction'

s stock price fell, Taeseong Electronics also showed a simultaneous downward trend."

Lee Tae-jun handed the documents he had brought to President Lim Do-hyun and continued speaking.

"We purchased stocks every day through the borrowed-name accounts we have been preparing. We purchased a little more than the expected amount, so the stake secured so far is a little more than planned."

Lim Do-hyun'

s eyes read down the documents.

The corners of his mouth slowly rose, and he wore a satisfied expression.

"Good. As expected, it is clean when you handle it."

Lim Do-hyun quietly tapped on the desk with his finger and said slowly.

"Even if we are caught, we can just package it as being for the purpose of defending the stock price."

Lee Tae-jun bowed his head and answered in a low voice.

"As expected of you, President."

While they were rejoicing, Taeseong'

s subcontractors, who had been working for the Karbala project along with Taeseong Construction, were faltering.