Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 67

67. Lakhman’s Gift (1)

A humble Korean stew restaurant near the hotel.

It was Jung Yoon-ah who insisted on coming to this kind of place.

“Oppa, would you like some more radish kimchi?”

“Sure.”

Jung Yoon-ah places the kimchi on Tae-soo’s spoon.

Tae-soo suddenly remembers when his mother placed kimchi on his spoon when he first returned.

The food he ate back then was also hangover stew.

So, Tae-soo asked Jung Yoon-ah,

“Don’t young ladies usually prefer steak, pork cutlets, or spaghetti over this kind of stew? We could have had a fancy lunch at the hotel restaurant.”

“Next time. Let’s have stew today, and a fancy steak dinner at the restaurant next time.”

“Do you like Korean stew?”

“I eat everything well.”

She smiles brightly as she eats the stew.

“Were you worried about my stomach?”

“Did you know?”

“I saw you looking for motion sickness pills and stomach medicine.”

Jung Yoon-ah playfully glares at him.

Yet, a smile never leaves her face.

“I told you to wait on the bench, but you followed me?”

“I was curious about you going to the pharmacy. I was worried you might be very sick.”

“Ah······!”

Jung Yoon-ah’s face turns red.

“Don’t say such embarrassing things. This is a Korean stew restaurant.”

Jung Yoon-ah lightly taps Tae-soo’s thigh under the table.

It doesn’t hurt, and it’s just cute.

“If you’re taking a long flight, it’s too painful to have a hangover and motion sickness.”

“You can just sleep all the way.”

Jung Yoon-ah looks at Tae-soo with a disappointed face.

“You won’t be able to come to Korea for a long time, right?”

“For a while, yes.”

“When you come to Korea, would you like to have a meal together at a restaurant?”

She subtly points in the direction of the hotel.

“I heard the steak at the Geumsan Hotel restaurant is so delicious.”

“It seems you deeply regret choosing Korean stew for me.”

“Are you deliberately rejecting my date invitation right now?”

That’s not it.

It just made him wonder if she would remember this promise even after she became a famous actress.

“I don’t know. You’re not even giving me your contact information, so how would I know? You’re so mean.”

Jung Yoon-ah turns her head away.

Yet, her face is full of playful laughter.

“Tae-soo oppa.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

“What are you thankful for?”

“For giving me such sharp advice. It really woke me up.”

Jung Yoon-ah holds the memo Tae-soo gave her tightly.

“You’re the first person to say that to me.”

She smiles brightly.

“I hope that when you return to Korea, my photos will be plastered all over the city, my movie posters will be hanging in every theater, and my commercials will be on TV every time you turn it on.”

“That will happen. You are pretty, beautiful, charming, and probably have excellent acting skills.”

Jung Yoon-ah smiles shyly.

“Silly. I mean, I want you to think of me when you see my pictures.”

She hands Tae-soo a piece of paper.

“It’s my contact information.”

There’s no other way since Tae-soo won’t give her his number.

She winks at Tae-soo.

“Contact me anytime. I’ll be waiting.”

“You’ll be too busy to bother with my calls when you become a famous actress.”

“When I become a famous actress, I’ll buy you steak at the finest restaurant in Geumsan Hotel, okay?”

She winks once more.

“So, you’re paying for the stew today.”

* * *

The person who came to pick him up at the airport was Song Chang-joon, a second secretary from the embassy.

Song Chang-joon smiled as he loaded Tae-soo’s trunk into the car.

“Wow, your stay is shorter than your vacation period? I thought you’d stay for a month since you came back home.”

“The construction work is busy, so I can’t leave my post for too long. Visiting my parents is enough of a vacation.”

Song Chang-joon makes a dumbfounded face.

“Not a girlfriend, but your parents?”

“It was Parents’ Day, wasn’t it?”

“······.”

“I pinned a carnation on their chests.”

“······.”

He pinned carnations on his parents’ chests on Parents’ Day, sent Han-soo to the United States, met Jang Mal-dong, and met Jang Joon-yong of Geumsan.

And he also met a pretty girl, though not a girlfriend.

“Where shall I take you? To your accommodation first? Or the port? The road construction site? The Bedouin village?”

“Let’s go to the Saudi government office.”

“Pardon?”

Song Chang-joon wiggles his ears.

“Where are you going again as soon as you arrive in the Middle East?”

“The Saudi government office. The one in charge of developing the western cities of Saudi Arabia. Lakhman will be working there.”

Strike while the iron is hot.

He had to meet Lakhman and give him the work he brought from Korea.

Song Chang-joon starts the jeep.

“You really live a busy life. I should have known since you meet the Bedouins as soon as you arrive in the Middle East.”

“Will it take long?”

“It will take a bit longer than expected. We have to go to Jeddah.”

Jeddah is one of the largest cities in western Saudi Arabia.

It is also a port city bordering the Red Sea, and its name means ‘grandmother’ in Arabic.

It is a city where pilgrims pass through as the outer harbor of Mecca, and commerce is active due to the developed trading port.

This is also why Lakhman was able to come to the port where Tae-soo works on a luxury cruiser.

“Then, while we’re going, please tell me about the construction situation and other things I need to know.”

Song Chang-joon shakes his head.

“I feel like I’ve become a secretary for Taeyang Construction instead of being affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

“Would you like to submit your resignation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and join Taeyang Construction? We would welcome Secretary Song at any time.”

“I am honored to receive your scouting offer.”

Song Chang-joon bows playfully.

But a strange stirring begins to arise in his heart.

‘Should I really quit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and move to Taeyang Construction?’

The work of following the ambassador, taking pictures, sending telegrams, preparing official documents, and accompanying him on business trips, etc.

It seems much more fun than those chores.

‘If I stay by Kang Tae-soo’s side, I might be able to see a bigger and more wonderful world.’

Ambition begins to burn brightly in Song Chang-joon’s heart.

But he quietly shakes his head.

‘It’s too early yet. It’s easier to get into this man’s eyes by helping him from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs right now.’

There are many things to help with as an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sending telegrams, taking pictures, accompanying him on business trips, and providing interpretation.

‘Damn it, I didn’t join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to do these chores.’

It’s a deplorable thing.

* * *

The Saudi government office located in Jeddah, a western city of Saudi Arabia.

Lakhman, who was working on passing documents, looked up at the employee’s report.

[Who said someone came to see me?]

[They say it’s a foreigner who is building the Yambu Road.]

Kang Tae-soo came to see me!

I was going to contact him anyway, so this is perfect.

[Bring him in. I’ll meet him.]

As soon as Lakhman’s permission was given, the employee opened the door and left.

Lakhman, left alone in the office, clasped his hands together.

‘I don’t know how he knew to come and find me, but I’ve already prepared a gift for him.’

Lakhman looked down at the stack of documents on his desk.

It was the city development plan he had been writing himself until just now.

Knock knock.

[Come in.]

Kang Tae-soo entered the office.

Tae-soo was surprised to see the dazzlingly luxurious office.

The finest carpets, the finest wooden furniture, and expensive decorations.

Even the curtains were embroidered with gold thread, and jewel decorations were sparsely embedded.

The Saudi government office he saw on the way here was plain, but this place was like another world, detached from everything else.

‘Even looking at it again, his taste is really extravagant.’

So, the Corrino chieftain knew who he was at once just by looking at the luxury cruiser from afar.

It was an unusual taste for a member of the Saudi royal family, who are considered frugal compared to other kingdoms.

Even the clothes he was wearing were extremely flashy.

The stylish Lakhman opened his arms to welcome his ally.

[Long time no see. Kang Tae-soo, I’ve been waiting for you. I have prepared an alliance gift.]

Tae-soo also smiled brightly and greeted him.

[It’s been a while. I have also prepared an alliance gift for you.]

It’s a really good relationship.

A give-and-take relationship.

Lakhman smiled with satisfaction.

[Since you came to find me with an alliance gift, I have no choice but to treat my guest lavishly. Shall we have a glass of red wine and talk slowly?]

Is this man boldly proposing to drink alcohol in the government office?

[No, thanks. Wouldn’t it be a big problem if we got caught? There will be many eyes watching, unlike on a cruise ship.]

[You’re a foreigner, and I’m the head here, aren’t I?]

Lakhman smiles meaningfully.

He subtly puts the red wine he had hidden under his desk on top.

[I learned how to drink a $40,000 bottle of the finest wine properly, you know? Look. The sediment has settled nicely, right? You can drink it as it is.]

This man seems to have really gotten a taste for high-end wine.

He was always drinking red wine in Dubai.

His habits and tastes seem to be the same now as they were then.

[You’re not going to break the bottle right away to show off again, are you?]

[When I think about it now, it’s a waste. If I had known it was such delicious wine, I would have hidden it and drank it alone from the beginning, rather than serving it to guests.]

That $40,000 wine also seems to have been secretly hidden to drink alone.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have come out from under his office desk.

[How about it? Would you like a glass too?]

[Sure, give me one.]

Tae-soo and Lakhman held up their wine glasses.

Tae-soo savored a sip of the wine.

The flavor is rich, and the aroma is diverse.

The finest wine is always delicious.

[Thanks to you, Lakhman, my mouth is enjoying a luxury.]

[If you keep poor friends around, all you get are fleas and bedbugs. On the other hand, if you keep rich friends around, even the leftover rice looks delicious.]

That’s why people cling to those with money.

[Oh, by the way, here’s a gift that the Saudi royal family sent to you first.]

Lakhman said.

[The royal family has decided to pay you for the construction.]

[Construction payment? The road hasn’t been completed yet, but the royal family is paying me? Instead of you, Lakhman?]

The construction cost of 12.5 million dollars that Samwon Construction won.

Of that, Tae-soo will receive 70%, which is 8.75 million dollars!

Lakhman and I raised the stakes in the bet.

If Tae-soo completes the construction within the deadline, Lakhman will pay with oil instead.

A whopping 35 million barrels of oil!

[No, this is the cost of building waterways, wells, and roads in the Corrino and Hakonen villages. It’s money that the government has decided to support.]

[Ah, I see.]

That construction is being done with money from the limestone mine and cement factory.

‘The Saudi royal family is even taking care of the construction costs that I didn’t even ask for.’

It was something I never dreamed of receiving support for since it wasn’t a construction project commissioned by the Saudi royal family from the beginning.

I was happy.

[Thank you to the Saudi royal family.]

[We should be more grateful to you for willingly doing this great construction for the Saudi people without expecting anything in return.]

[But how much is the royal family supporting?]

[18 million dollars. It was covered with an emergency budget.]

That’s a lot.

It’s even more than the amount of the road construction that Samwon Construction won.

Tae-soo glanced at Lakhman.

[Is it possible to exchange this for oil as well?]

[Hahaha, you really like oil.]

[I’m asking for the same conditions this time as well.]

[There’s nothing I can’t do. We prefer to give it in oil rather than dollars. Again, it will be this December, right? To coincide with the completion of the road construction.]

Great!

The amount of oil to be received keeps piling up.

Soon, the dollars in my account will also be inflated and piled up.

[You know, right? The only thing to trust instead of words is the contract.]

[Of course. I have engraved your teachings deep in my bones. I had already prepared the contract in advance.]

Lakhman opened the desk drawer and took out the contract he had prepared.

[You’re meticulous.]

[I learned everything from you. Thank you for teaching me good things.]

The two began to sign the contract.

In an instant, they divided the contract, and the two smiled at each other.

Trust sprouts in the midst of exchanging contracts!

[Then, shall I present the gift I prepared this time?]

Lakhman put out the stack of documents he had placed on the desk.

Tae-soo received it and read the title on the cover.

It was a development plan for the western cities of Saudi Arabia.

It is a coastal expressway construction plan that runs along the Red Sea for a whopping 164 kilometers [approximately 102 miles].

Approval has been granted from above, and the pre-bidding announcement is scheduled to be announced in June.

[I have come to give you a 24.059 million dollar road construction project as an alliance gift.]

It was the very construction project that Samwon Construction was known to have won in Saudi Arabia for the first time in the past.

‘This is coming back to me.’

Is it because Samwon Construction was acquired by Taeyang Construction?

Is it the fate that was originally planned, or is this also the result of Tae-soo’s efforts?

Tae-soo, looking at the Kaiba Expressway construction plan, had a complicated heart.

‘In the past, the Yambu-Umlaji Expressway construction, which involved Samwon Construction and Lakhman, ended in failure. In the end, the truth was buried under the agreement of the leaders of both countries. But this time, I have taken over the construction.’

In the current situation, the Yambu-Umlaji Expressway construction will be completed without any problems within this year.

Tae-soo was confident.

This construction will be recorded as the first successful case of a Korean construction company in Saudi Arabia.

‘I hope this will change Lakhman’s position as well. The Kaiba construction has fallen back into my hands.’

A question suddenly arises.

‘In my past life, Samwon Construction failed this Yambu-Umlaji road construction. But how did they get the Kaiba-Al-Ula Expressway construction the following year?’

Samwon Construction lost its credibility to the point where the Saudi royal family sent an unofficial letter of protest.

But how? By what means?

Tae-soo sensed that there was a conspiracy involved here.