A Genius Speaks with Money

Chapter 91: The Hidden Architect (1)

I smiled lightly.

“I would appreciate it if you could consider it as containing my sincerity to be with you, Prime Minister.”

The Prime Minister looked at the invitation once more and soon closed the box quietly.

He turned his head and looked at the banquet hall as if lost in thought for a moment.

Beyond the sound of glasses clinking with occasional smiles, they were all watching me and the Prime Minister.

“Well, it feels a bit awkward to just accept this.”

The Prime Minister turned his head again and looked at me.

“I know that you are young, but you are not someone who acts rashly. In a way, you are more political and idealistic than I am.”

At those words, I lowered my head for a moment.

It was a humble-looking attitude, but I did not try to deny the inner thoughts hidden within it.“I heard that Iraq is also standing at a crossroads where change is needed. If the youth move forward in step with new industry and education, I believe this country will soon be able to achieve growth that surpasses oil.”

The Prime Minister quietly reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“I agree with those words. I will accept the invitation.”

The corners of his mouth rose.

“I also feel that this is a proposal that cannot be accepted if not today.”

They were polite words but were full of meaning.

I could see the figures of several aides watching the two of us exchange glances with each other.

Samir also seemed somewhat surprised, but his expression soon brightened.

The two of us eventually took a commemorative photo.

The camera flashes went off continuously, and a scene full of trust was produced.

“It is a bit much to just move past after receiving such a big gift. There is a person I want to introduce to you.”

Then, he turned his head and called Samir who was standing next to him.

“Samir, is the prepared waiting room there? Guide the Representative to Vice Chairman McCain.”

Samir nodded his head briefly as if he understood.

“I understand, Father.”

The Prime Minister continued his last words toward me.

“Among the people who came to this place now, that person will be the one who can help you.”

They were meaningful words.

I followed Samir out of the banquet hall and moved along the inner hallway.

Behind me were Moon Jong-beom and Director Jeong Jin-woo, who had followed at some point.

After passing through a passage that was quieter than the banquet hall and had heavy security, what appeared was a place where armed guards were stationed.

When we stood in front of a wooden door with gold patterns luxuriously engraved, Samir knocked and then opened the door.

A middle-aged man with gray hair sitting comfortably on the sofa slightly lifted his head.

Wearing a dark navy suit, he was a man whose gentle impression stood out.

He slowly got up and reached out his hand toward me.

“Representative Lim, I am glad to meet you in person. I am Clayton E. McCain.”

When I offered greetings while already knowing who he was, Moon Jong-beom felt like his breath had stopped.

He wondered if there was anyone in the whole world who did not know who that person was.

He was the person holding the position of Vice Chairman of the US Federal Reserve.

I held McCain's hand warmly without even the slightest hesitation.

“It is an honor to meet you, Vice Chairman McCain.”

The two of us sat down after sharing a warm handshake.

Samir quietly closed the door and spoke to me for the last time before going outside.

“I hope you obtain good results.”

The door closed, and a heavy silence flowed in the room.

Jeong Jin-woo approached me and whispered in my ear.

“This place will surely be eavesdropped on as well.”

I nodded.

Vice Chairman McCain was sitting with one leg crossed and looking at me fixedly.

It was an attitude as if this meeting itself was a waste of time.

Contempt was seeping into his gaze.

It looked like he had no intention of sharing even a single word.

He raised his two arms and then opened his mouth reluctantly.

“I came out to this spot because it was the Iraqi Prime Minister's request, but I don't really have much to say.”

I laughed lightly.

As if the rude attitude was just nothing.

“I understand. Your expectations of me must be very low.”

McCain's eyebrows twitched a little.

The attitude of not taking rudeness as rudeness rather flustered him.

“I heard that you are the child of a Korean chaebol family. What was it again?”

I spoke while pointing at something with a glance.

“It is the company that made the cell phone placed in front of you.”

“Ahem.”

Of all things, Vice Chairman McCain had placed a cell phone on top of the table.

It was also a cell phone made by Taeseong Electronics.

He pushed the cell phone aside as if nothing were wrong and cleared his throat once more.

He turned his gaze and looked toward the window, then looked at me again.

His gaze became fiercer than before.

“I see your age is quite young. Do you not know at all how scary the world is?”

With those words, I picked up the teacup.

The fragrant tea scent lingered at the tip of my nose.

He was clearly looking down on me for being young, but I felt it was rather funny instead.

I put down the teacup and stared straight at McCain.

“That is correct. One does not know how scary the world is without experiencing it.”

My voice was soft, but there were bones in my words.

“Maybe that is why I have no fear. I do not know what cowardice is.”

McCain narrowed his eyes.

The wrinkles around his eyes grew deeper and deeper.

Usually, he only saw people who were cowed and acted like fools in front of him, so my cocky appearance came across as very fresh.

Perhaps that was why a strange curiosity arose.

McCain toyed with the teacup with his fingertips and looked at me fixedly with an indifferent expression.

‘No fear?’

That one word felt like a provocation.

Until a moment ago, he had dismissed this young Korean man as just a smooth-talking chaebol heir.

But now it was different.

It didn't just stimulate his curiosity, but also subtly scraped his pride.

“Not knowing fear can be courage, but it is also dangerous.”

He slowly lifted his teacup and took a sip.

It was clearly full of meaning as if checking me.

However, I countered with a smile.

“That would be so. Well, for an ordinary person.”

McCain's mouth corners rose.

He was interested, not mocking.

“You speak in an interesting way. It is enjoyable.”

He looked down at me again with his two arms draped over the sofa arrogantly.

However, although he did not want to admit it inside, he felt that his opponent was not easy to handle.

McCain unintentionally began to talk more and more.

“So, if you have no fear, how far can you go? What if I ignore you here and turn around?”

I leaned my body forward and rested while clasping my two hands.

“Of course that could happen. If that happens, you will end up missing a chance. And you will surely regret it later.”

The air in the room became distorted again.

McCain stared at me for a moment without being able to say anything.

If it had stimulated his curiosity until a moment ago, now he became curious as to how far this young fellow's bluff would continue.

Hands calmly clasped.

There was no trembling or hesitation there.

He liked the attitude full of conviction rather than it being a bluff.

“Did I miss a chance?”

He muttered lowly and snorted.

However, the emotion contained within it was not just simple ridicule.

I did not miss that gap.

I slightly lowered my head and quietly added.

“Are you not the one who is more sensitive to the word 'opportunity' than anyone else, Vice Chairman? How long are you going to live being satisfied with being the Vice Chairman?”

McCain's gaze turned sharp in an instant.

His lower lip twitched minutely.

This was a question that could never be passed over lightly.

“What does that mean right now?”

I did not avoid his eyes.

Rather, I looked like I was enjoying that gaze.

“I just purely spoke my thoughts.”

At that moment, the air in the room sank heavily once again.

I had touched a line that must not be dared to be touched.

However, McCain did not get angry easily.

No, he could not get angry.

Because those words accurately pierced his deepest part.

McCain spoke slowly.

“Right. The Vice Chairman position is not bad either. However, it is not such an easy thing to endure the fact that the person above me is sitting in that position when they are inferior to me in both family and skill.”

He revealed his inner thoughts on purpose.

He was testing how I would act here.

I quietly nodded my head and this time I sat while leaning my body comfortably against the sofa.

“That is why I had this thought. That there is no reason a person like you could not be the Chairman if only there were a chance. Of course, 'a little' help from someone would be necessary.”

McCain laughed out loud.

It was not because he looked down on me or because it was really funny.

It was because he had been pushed back a step in the match with a young fellow, although he did not want to admit it.

“Are you saying that you can help me?”

I shook my head.

“No. It is not helping, but giving you a chance.”

McCain's laughter gradually subsided.

His gaze turned cold again.

“You are going to give me a chance! How arrogant.”

He pointed his finger at me and said while staring terrifyingly.

“Who the hell are you to say whether you give me a chance or not? Do you think the world is that easy?”

I narrowed my eyes and slightly raised the corners of my mouth.

“There is no way. I know better than anyone that the world is not simple. That is why opportunities are always given to a very small number. Only those who are prepared can also obtain a chance. Most people do not know that, but does a person like the Vice Chairman not know?”

I stared into McCain's eyes.

This much was enough for provocation.

Now it was time to dig into that gap and capture him.

“I am just letting you know in advance the fact that such a moment will approach.”

“What on earth is the moment you are talking about?”

McCain's voice became a level lower.

I continued speaking calmly.

“The Chairman seems to really like women. Is that not how scandals are? If he is caught having an affair with a secretary, will he really be able to maintain the Chairman position?”

McCain's pupils shook.

He had never heard such a story.

‘Even this kid knows something that I do not know?’

In fact, what I knew was the future.

The reason I could speak so strongly toward McCain was also thanks to having information about the future that I already knew.

The current Chairman would soon lose his position and it would become vacant due to an affair with a secretary.

Of course, the Chairman was not McCain.

McCain's personality was much worse than he thought.

He did his job well, but everyone who knew him hated him.

However, if he knew the information in advance, the story would change.

Of course, it was a story that depended on how he acted.

I intended to give him information and help him become the Chairman.

This much was nothing to me.

McCain sat in his seat and tried to pull his dazed mind together.

A moment ago, I had taken out a business card, placed it on the table, and disappeared.

Nevertheless, his head was entirely filled with the story I had told.

‘I can also become the Chairman!’

Someone's secret sometimes becomes another person's opportunity.

However, this is also a story limited to only those who are prepared in advance.

I knew that.