Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 42

42. Meeting the Bedouins (1)

Jang Mal-dong had no choice but to answer.

“I used Park Tae-jong.”

“Is there a possibility that Park Tae-jong is the backer?”

“Unlikely.”

Jang Mal-dong stated firmly.

“Park Tae-jong moved down to Pohang and became distant from Park Jeong-hwan’s policy discussions. He was completely unaware of the 8.3 loan freeze, which was an emergency measure.”

“Hmm. Kang Tae-soo’s backer isn’t easy.”

Indeed, the backer is proving difficult.

After searching meticulously for half a year, one would expect to find at least a shadow, but there are no clues at all.

It’s as if he’s a giant who doesn’t exist in this world.

“To think there’s a force moving even more secretly than us, lurking within Park Jeong-hwan’s inner circle and connecting with Kang Tae-soo. Who could that be?”

This must be caught.

Now that we know there’s such a mastermind, we must eliminate the danger in advance.

“My reputation as an information broker is in tatters.”

It’s bitter.

The man in the hanbok [traditional Korean clothing] took another sip of tea.

The aroma is terrible and doesn’t suit his taste.

“To think that even the meticulous Park Jeong-hwan would be manipulated by Kang Tae-soo.”

Park Jeong-hwan is a difficult man in many ways.

That’s why he continues his dictatorship for so long.

He doesn’t easily relinquish the power in his hands, nor is he easily swayed by those around him.

That’s why he’s not an easy man.

But for Kang Tae-soo to have swayed such a man is unbelievable.

“Park Jeong-hwan is supporting him through his Chief of Staff, Kim Jeong-rim? That’s unusual.”

“I was also surprised by that.”

It was news from the Blue House [the Korean presidential residence].

Jang Mal-dong reported on what had happened in Pohang.

The man in the hanbok listened intently.

The more he heard, the more intrigued he became.

“Bribes?”

“None. He definitely went in empty-handed. Park Jeong-hwan isn’t the type to be swayed by money envelopes.”

“Park Jeong-hwan is a man who wouldn’t even notice a thick box of apples [a euphemism for bribes].”

He’s the type to seize and embezzle companies, dividing them up.

So how could he be swayed by petty cash?

The money boxes that Han Cheong-ho of Cheongil gave Park Jeong-hwan whenever he came to visit were merely tokens of sincerity.

Park Jeong-hwan also looked kindly upon this sincerity and only gave him face-saving gestures.

“He’s truly amazing. Park Jeong-hwan isn’t the type to be easily taken advantage of.”

“Even as I heard the report, I was so dumbfounded that I had to double-check several times. Tsk!”

Jang Mal-dong clicked his tongue.

“What on earth did that crazy bastard use to win over Park Jeong-hwan? I’m dying to know.”

“Me too. I can only assume it was no ordinary trick.”

Judging from Park Jeong-hwan’s actions, it seems he truly moved his heart.

We don’t know what Tae-soo used to entice Park Jeong-hwan.

Our reach doesn’t extend to those who entered the Pohang Steel President’s office.

That’s because the members in the Pohang Steel President’s office are not easy to deal with.

“What’s the reason Kang Tae-soo is in that position?”

“I heard that Park Jeong-hwan specifically asked to be introduced to Kang Tae-soo.”

“Park Jeong-hwan first?”

How can that be?

Why would Park Jeong-hwan be so eager to see that guy first?

Kang Tae-soo is just a mine owner from Gangwon-do and a small construction company president who receives school construction subcontracts.

“It’s hard to believe, but it seems to be true.”

Jang Mal-dong relayed the detailed situation.

The man in the hanbok let out a hollow laugh.

The more he heard, the more absurd it became.

He could only click his tongue repeatedly.

“Unbelievable.”

“Yes, I feel the same. I’m dying to know how he’ll resolve the situation in the Middle East.”

“Hmm.”

The man in the hanbok tapped the coffee table with his finger and pondered for a moment.

“This piecemeal information isn’t enough. I want to hear a more detailed and vivid story. I want to know how that interesting fellow handles things.”

After thinking carefully, the man in the hanbok finally smiled.

He had a good idea.

* * *

The Saudi air was dry and hot.

There were no direct flights from Korea to Saudi Arabia, so they arrived via Bangkok.

For Hol쭉이 [a nickname, possibly implying someone thin or lanky], who was stepping on foreign soil for the first time, the feeling was special.

“Tae-soo, it’s late winter in Seoul, but it feels like summer here.”

“It’s still winter here.”

“Even though it’s this hot?”

“It’s about 20 degrees even in winter here. And the humidity is low.”

Usually, the winter temperature in Saudi Arabia is around 14 to 23 degrees Celsius.

Most of the land is desert and grassland, so it’s much drier compared to Korea.

Hol쭉이 looked around with a curious expression.

“When you think of the Middle East, shouldn’t there be palm trees, camels, and Persian carpets everywhere? But it’s a bit desolate here. There’s a lot of sand.”

“It’s a desert country.”

In the 1970s, Saudi Arabia was not as developed as it is in the 21st century.

It’s on a different level from Dubai in the 21st century, which was built by pouring in oil money.

Now, it just looks like one of the desert cities that would appear in an Indiana Jones movie.

‘The background of Indiana Jones was Jordan, though.’

Jordan or Saudi Arabia.

Hol쭉이 sighed.

“I heard that Middle Eastern beauties are voluptuous, but why are they all covered up?”

The miners also looked around and said a word each.

Song Jin-gu frowned, his already fierce expression becoming even more menacing.

“Collecting debts, making loans, buying land, running errands all the way to Gangwon-do. Now you want me to work as a miner in the Middle East? Ah, damn it.”

I don’t know what that guy said to the elder that made us come to the Middle East as hired hands.

“Our elder isn’t an easy person to deal with. Still, he’s a resourceful guy.”

It was then.

“Excuse me, are you Kang Tae-soo?”

A man in his late 30s wearing a gray suit approached Tae-soo after spotting him.

He was slender, with a dark complexion and a rather intelligent look.

He was fluent in Korean, so he was Korean.

“Yes, that’s me. Who are you?”

There are only two types of Koreans who would come to the airport to find Tae-soo in Saudi Arabia.

Goodwill or malice!

‘If he was sent by Jang Mal-dong to deliver something to me, Song Jin-gu would have recognized him. Is this guy sent by Kim Jeong-rim?’

Kang Tae-soo stepped forward.

“I am Kang Tae-soo. Are you Korean?”

“Yes, I work at the Saudi Arabian Embassy. I’m Second Secretary Song Chang-jun.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Tae-soo extended his hand and shook hands.

“What brings a Second Secretary here?”

“I received instructions from above to help Mr. Kang Tae-soo.”

Song Chang-jun raised his finger and pointed to the sky.

“I see. What kind of help can I expect specifically?”

“I was told to help in every way possible. I’ll help with basic translation, directions, sending telegrams, shipping luggage, and finding accommodations and restaurants.”

“I’ll be receiving more help than I expected. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Secretary Song Chang-jun looked at Tae-soo with a strange expression.

“Your backing is truly impressive. The person who gave the instructions to help is the same as the President, but for some reason, the specific instructions were all different.”

“Was that so?”

“How on earth did you move three powerful figures to contact the embassy separately?”

“Three powerful figures?”

He was puzzled.

‘Besides Chief of Staff Kim Jeong-rim, other people gave instructions? Who are they? What instructions?’

Secretary Song Chang-jun looked at Tae-soo with a strange expression.

“Chief of Staff Kim Jeong-rim, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jang-gil, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Sang-seop. The instructions that came down, divided 2 to 1, were quite different.”

“What do you mean the instructions are different?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. To put it simply, they were extremely different instructions. One side requested obstruction, while the other requested active cooperation.”

It was unexpected.

Song Chang-jun was wearing a meaningful smile.

“Do you have any idea which line I’m on now? You’ll know just by looking at my affiliation.”

Of course, Tae-soo understood the meaning of those words immediately.

‘The influence of the Vice Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs was stronger than that of Chief of Staff Kim Jeong-rim.’

In a way, it’s only natural.

Because this embassy belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Thank you. I’m lucky. I look forward to working with you.”

“I’m the one who should say that. The ambassador has very high expectations.”

Tae-soo thought.

‘He’s a Second Secretary in name, but it turns out he’s the ambassador’s confidant.’

Otherwise, there’s no way a Second Secretary would know this kind of high-level information.

‘It must have been difficult to refuse the instructions from the Presidential Secretariat.’

Song Chang-jun nodded as if he understood the situation.

“It just so happened that there was some friction between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Secretariat. You were lucky.”

Then he hinted.

About his direct line.

“Our ambassador is quite close to the Vice Minister. He’s also curious about the progress of Pohang Steel’s construction.”

Song Chang-jun subtly revealed the source of the influence.

‘It was someone sent by Park Tae-jong.’

I didn’t expect him to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so actively.

I saw him once in Park Tae-jong’s office.

At the time, Park Tae-jong was on the phone with Choi Jang-gil, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

I heard that’s how he was able to quickly learn about the suspension of molybdenum extraction in the United States.

“Pohang Steel is being built at an incredible pace these days. I think the construction will be completed a little earlier than the scheduled date.”

“Our ambassador is also very interested. He wants to participate in the Pohang Steel completion ceremony.”

He meant that he wanted to transfer from the Saudi Arabian Embassy and return to Korea.

That’s not something Tae-soo could do, but Park Tae-jong might be able to.

“I don’t have that kind of power yet, but I’ll subtly ask if it’s okay to send the ambassador an invitation to the completion ceremony.”

But Park Tae-jong was the one who asked the Vice Minister first.

Perhaps the ambassador’s wish will come true.

“The ambassador would be very pleased if you would do that.”

“By the way, who moved the Minister of Foreign Affairs?”

This time, Song Chang-jun also answered subtly.

“We received a call from Geumsan Shipping and Geumsang Oil, saying that their ships had arrived at the port.”

It meant that Jang Jun-yong of Geumsan was also friendly to Tae-soo and moved the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

‘I can understand Park Tae-jong, but I didn’t expect Jang Jun-yong to move for me. Hmm.’

Well, what does it matter?

I don’t know what his intentions are or why he moved, but it’s good.

Because it’s clear that it will help Tae-soo right now.

‘Since he showed goodwill first, I’ll repay him with goodwill later. If not, I’ll just return it more than that.’

But there was something that didn’t add up and was puzzling.

“Geumsan’s ships? They should be arriving in a few days, though?”

Tae-soo deliberately set the date of his trip to the Middle East to be similar to the ship’s arrival time.

After all, it’s difficult to proceed with construction properly without heavy equipment and water.

“They say they came at full speed without stopping. After checking, everything, including water and heavy equipment, is the same as in the official documents. The ambassador moved quickly and took care of all customs clearance and tax issues.”

Tae-soo asked Song Chang-jun.

“Could you move the heavy equipment that came from Geumsan’s ships over here?”

“It’s already on its way. Geumsan requested it, saying that time was of the essence.”

Nothing could be better.

‘Geumsan is quite efficient in handling things.’

Tae-soo smiled.

“I should thank the ambassador in many ways.”

“The ambassador hopes that the Samwon Construction issue will be resolved as soon as possible.”

“Of course. That’s why I came all the way here.”

Song Chang-jun extended his hand and said.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“I’m the one who should say that.”

Tae-soo took his hand and shook it.

Song Chang-jun smiled brightly.

“The ambassador is very concerned about this unfortunate incident. As a result, the subordinates are also busy.”

“If I want to properly express my gratitude, I need to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

“The ambassador would have been very happy if he had heard that. I will do my best to support you.”

Very good.

‘I was going to look for someone familiar with the local area anyway, but you’ve saved me the trouble.’

A Foreign Ministry secretary with a confirmed identity has been assigned as a translator and guide.

Moreover, the secretary said it openly.

Since he’s not on the same line as the Secretariat, he’s willing to help completely.

What could be a more reliable help than this in a foreign country?

‘The omens are good from the start.’

I have a strong feeling that things will really work out.

“Follow me. I’ll guide you to your accommodation.”

“Just a moment. I have someone to meet before that.”

I decided to receive the item I asked Jang Mal-dong for here.

Vroom.

Just then, a car was rushing over from afar, kicking up a sandstorm.