novelraw Chapter 94: The Hidden Architect (4)
Chapter 94: The Hidden Architect (4)
It was Choi Seo-jun who found me after contact was lost.
In fact, Choi Seo-jun was in Istanbul, Turkey, when my party and I were in Iraq.
When he had just finished a meeting there, his cell phone vibrated shortly.
[Terror risk. Please notify the Korean government.]
It was a text message I had sent.
He tracked the location of my cell phone.
It was still the house where the Prime Minister lived.
But then it suddenly started to move.
His face gradually hardened.
I was never a person who would play a joke with something like this.Choi Seo-jun called immediately.
It was the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Iraq.
“It is an emergency. Representative Lim Hyunjun of HJ Partners might have been kidnapped in Iraq. Please notify the Korean government immediately.”
That information was delivered to the Minister of Foreign Affairs right away.
Within a few minutes, it was delivered to the President as a direct report to the Blue House Crisis Management Center.
An emergency meeting where working-level officials from the National Security Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of National Defense gathered was carried out smoothly.
The President, who received this news from the Chief of Staff, valued the seriousness of this matter more than figuring out if it was true.
In the unlikely event it was a lie, the national prestige could be damaged.
However, even if that were the case, he moved under the judgment that it was better than losing me.
To that extent, the government also did not fail to know the work I had done so far.
I was already a talented person who was indispensable to the Republic of Korea.
The President ordered immediately.
“Contact the Turkish and Iraqi governments immediately. No. Connect them to me right away.”
The President talked directly with the Turkish government.
After a while, Choi Seo-jun arrived at a Turkish Army Aviation Base near Silopi.
The base commander approached him.
“We have finished contacting the Iraqi side.”
Choi Seo-jun boarded a military helicopter.
A ground agent raised his hand and signaled.
“Taking off!”
The helicopter rose into the sky with a roar.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, Samir al-Zaidi barged into the Prime Minister's office.
He spat out his words urgently while wearing a very flustered expression.
“Father, Representative Lim Hyunjun is in danger. I received contact from Director Choi Seo-jun.”
The Prime Minister already knew.
Before his son came in, he had just received contact from the Korean government.
“Calm down first, as Director Choi Seo-jun is said to be coming here from Turkey.”
The Prime Minister gave various instructions to his secretary.
And he called Samira Naji.
Soon, Samira came into the Prime Minister's office.
“You go by helicopter and meet Director Choi Seo-jun. Since we are currently searching for Representative Lim Hyunjun, assist Director Choi Seo-jun. And if anything happens, report it to me immediately.”
Samira wore a surprised expression but soon answered calmly.
“Yes, I understand.”
When Samira left and the door closed, the Prime Minister looked out the window silently for a moment.
Sand dust was wavering.
He let out a quiet sigh and then spoke to the aide standing right next to him in a firm voice.
“Put in a call to the military.”
The aide nodded and hurriedly picked up the receiver.
Before long, the voice of the Defense Minister was heard over the receiver.
The Prime Minister received the receiver and spoke slowly.
“I am Prime Minister al-Zaidi. From now on, immediately deploy the units among all military forces that are capable of searching. You must find Representative Lim Hyunjun who came from Korea.”
When a question was asked over the receiver as if checking something, the Prime Minister raised his voice.
“That person is a guest we invited. If he dies on our land, this will damage the country's prestige. This is also a matter of my personal honor as al-Zaidi.”
He let out a large breath and added instructions.
“Search everywhere, including the border areas and combat zones. If necessary, cooperate with neighboring countries as well, but no matter what happens, you must bring him back alive. Otherwise, who would join hands and work with our country.”
-I understand.
The Prime Minister put down the receiver.
Now there was no choice but to wait.
If lucky, I would live.
If unlucky, he thought I would die.
***
The air of the desert was hot, and the wind wavered roughly.
She sped across the desolate ground while riding a motorcycle.
The hem of the black coat Elina wore fluttered in the wind.
Her gaze was fixed on a red pillar of fire soaring beyond the distant horizon.
‘Found them.’
The pillar of fire soared high into the sky, making the surroundings red.
Her intuition told her that I was there.
As she stepped on the emergency brakes, the motorcycle stopped while sliding.
She quickly turned off the engine and covered her face with a black muffler.
A pistol was already held in her right hand.
The silence settled over the desert was being broken by the burning sound heard beyond the flames.
Elina moved her footsteps carefully.
The shape of a vehicle half-burned by fire was seen.
Two people were lying near there.
‘Lim Hyunjun? And the one next to him is... ah.’
She approached slowly and lifted the pistol.
She aimed while holding her breath.
There was not a single moment of hesitation in her touch as she was about to pull the trigger.
Bang!
A shadow flying from behind rushed at her.
The bullet went wide.
The two rolled on the ground, and a sandstorm whipped up violently.
Elina quickly changed her posture and tried to twist the man's wrist, but he held on doggedly.
The one who rushed at Elina was Jeong Jin-woo, who was a wreck.
The bodies of the two became entangled.
Jeong Jin-woo pressed down hard on her side with his elbow.
Elina kicked Jeong Jin-woo’s knee with her heel.
Thud thud.
Rough breathing and painful groans followed.
“Why are you trying to kill him!”
“You don't get involved. Because I don't want to kill you too!”
As Elina's words spat out coldly, Jeong Jin-woo’s pupils shook.
She took out her gun again and finally pushed Jeong Jin-woo away while twisting her body.
Taking that gap, she aimed the gun toward me again.
It was then.
From far away, the ‘thrum thrum thrum thrum thrum’ sound of a military helicopter vibrated.
Elina pulled the trigger without hesitation.
“No!”
Jeong Jin-woo threw his body along with a sharp shout.
A gunshot rang, and blood splattered.
Jeong Jin-woo’s body fell over me.
Blood gushed from his back.
A groan full of pain burst out, but he glared at Elina while gritting his teeth.
Jeong Jin-woo’s pupils gradually became blurred.
Elina ground her teeth shortly and tried to aim her gun again, but the shouts of soldiers were already heard from far away.
She turned her body without hesitation and fled into the desert.
She failed the mission.
While running, Elina looked up at the sky.
The faces of her family members flickered one by one in her eyes.
‘Whether I die this way or that way, will it be the same. If so, by my own hand...’
While Elina was fleeing, Iraqi special forces soldiers moved quickly while exchanging signals over the radio.
Stretchers carrying the injured were shaken in the soldiers' hands.
Jeong Jin-woo and I, and even Moon Jong-beom, who was found fainted.
The three were urgently moved to the helicopter.
“The blood won't stop!”
“Take off quickly!”
Only some boarded the helicopter.
The rest pursued the criminal who disappeared.
Soon the helicopter rose into the sky, and sand dust rose thick.
Someone sent a radio transmission.
“Target secured. Serious casualties occurred. Heading straight to the hospital. Please request the emergency team to standby.”
A medic was also on the helicopter heading toward the hospital.
However, they were helpless in this situation.
They could only do their best to stop the bleeding by pressing on the wound of Jeong Jin-woo, who had a gunshot wound.
“The pulse has weakened.”
“The blood pressure is falling. Squeeze the IV.”
My face was stained with blood, and I was only letting out faint breaths.
The medic looked at that slight movement and shouted with hope.
“Hang in there just a little bit.”
The golden sun gradually settled over the horizon.
At the boundary between death and life, the helicopter was flying through the sky carrying hope.
***
Choi Seo-jun, who came to the Iraqi border from Turkey by helicopter, boarded the helicopter sent by Iraq again.
Inside, he was clutching a radio while wearing a headset.
Samira, who came along as a translator, also sat next to him with a tense expression.
“What did you say? Please say that again.”
The news heard through Samira was shocking to Choi Seo-jun.
[Chief Jeong Jin-woo gunshot wound. Representative Lim Hyunjun and Assistant Manager Moon Jong-beom are unconscious. Currently being transported to the hospital.]
Choi Seo-jun shouted loudly at Samira.
“Let us go to the hospital too!”
Samira nodded and turned her head toward the cockpit.
Soon the helicopter banked and made a sharp turn.
The people inside grabbed the handles tight to keep their balance.
Time passed, and the military helicopter landed while creating a rough wind.
As the sun had almost set and darkness was deep, the medical staff moved busily and heightened the tension.
When the helicopter door opened, the soldiers who jumped off first quickly rushed in carrying stretchers.
“One person has a gunshot wound in the chest. Two people are unconscious.”
The doctor shouted while raising his voice.
“This way!”
I was carried on a stretcher while unconscious, and Moon Jong-beom, who was next to me, was the same.
And Chief Jeong Jin-woo was taken off the helicopter wearing blood-soaked clothes with a gunshot wound in his right shoulder.
“Move the gunshot wound patient first!”
The medical staff urgently moved Jeong Jin-woo to the emergency room.
Their expressions became serious again.
The gunshot wound in Jeong Jin-woo’s right shoulder was not simple.
The location was not good, so the surgery itself was high-difficulty.
A dangerous situation where he could even die during surgery if things went wrong.
“The trauma area is too dangerous. If we operate in this current state, it is hard to guarantee the patient's life.”
At the doctor's words, Choi Seo-jun let out a deep breath.
A judgment was needed.
However, he could not make a judgment at all as to what would be good to do with a person's life.
While he was hesitating, I opened my eyes like a miracle.
“Ugh....”
“Representative!”
I recognized Choi Seo-jun within my blurred vision and barely moved my lips.
“What is the current state?”
“Chief Jeong Jin-woo has a gunshot wound. He needs surgery right away, but they say it is difficult here. And they said Moon Jong-beom might be left with a disability in his left arm.”
Hearing those words, I slowly caught my breath and barely began to speak.
“Bring medical staff from Korea. If it is difficult here, only perform first aid and the surgery will be in Korea... ugh. Move us by charter plane.”
After finishing my words, I dropped my head again.
My body, whose consciousness was cut off, went limp.
Choi Seo-jun stared at me blankly and soon pulled his senses together.
He relayed the words I said to Samira.
“Please tell the medical staff as the Representative said. We will transport them to Korea after giving first aid.”
“I understand.”
As his mind was about to become distant, Choi Seo-jun slapped his own cheek hard.
After that, he picked up his cell phone and called somewhere.
After a moment, a characteristically heavy voice was heard.
“What is the matter?”
It was Chairman Lim Man-seok.
“Chairman, Young Master Hyunjun has been terrorized.”
A quiet silence flowed for an instant.
Choi Seo-jun continued to summarize the situation.
“Chief Jeong Jin-woo has a gunshot wound, and Young Master Hyunjun has severe fractures in his chest and legs. Assistant Manager Moon Jong-beom might also suffer a disability in his left arm. Surgery is impossible locally.”
“And so?”
“Young Master Hyunjun instructed me personally. To bring medical staff from Korea and move them to Korea after only giving first aid here.”
Lim Man-seok asked.
“Is there no threat to Hyunjun's life?”
“For now, that is correct.”
Lim Man-seok let out a sigh of relief.
“I understand. I will launch the private jet immediately.”
“Thank you, Chairman.”