CH76 | MCT

Her Wish (2)

Mu-hui whispered softly.

"But… you don’t want children, do you?"

It was true.

Tae-soo still couldn’t forget the children from his past life.

Their memories lingered, haunting him.

He wasn’t ready to hold another child in his arms.

"And I won’t try to convince you. To be honest, I’m not sure I have the courage either. I’m afraid… afraid they’ll point fingers at us, at our child, for being different."

International marriages were uncommon.

Even more so in Saudi Arabia.

And in Korea, a foreign-born child would face just as much scrutiny.

"I love you deeply, but we already know how this ends. That’s why I decided to leave."

A single tear traced down her chin.

It fell onto the back of Tae-soo’s hand, still holding her close.

He pulled her in tighter.

"If it’s about marriage, about our child’s future, then let’s take time to think. Stay by my side, and we’ll face it together. We both need to be prepared for this."

Through teary eyes, she managed a smile.

"So you understand. Our love isn’t easy—it requires sacrifice."

"Nothing worth having comes without commitment."

"I knew what I was giving up when I chose you. I’ll bear the cost of my love."

"Then let me bear it with you, no matter what that price may be."

"But I can’t let my child pay that price."

Love could be a beautiful illusion.

But a child would be reality.

She smiled faintly, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Do you hate me for this? Do you think I’m being foolish?"

Tae-soo gently wiped away her tears.

"No, I understand. And I could never hate you."

"I must seem pathetic… after all this thought, this is the choice I made."

"If this is your decision, after careful consideration…"

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Then I will accept it."

Mu-hui wrapped her arms around him, whispering,

"I knew you would say that. You’ve always respected my choices."

She closed her tear-filled eyes.

Tae-soo’s embrace was warm.

"This will be our last night together."

—I only hope I won’t become a burden on your path…

That was her final wish.

***

Saudi Airport - Restroom

Song’s daughter stepped out of the restroom.

She was dressed in a man’s suit.

Her mother gasped.

"Why are you dressed like that? You’re such a beautiful girl—what is this?"

"Mom, keep your voice down! Do you want people to notice two foreign women wandering around alone?"

Her voice was deliberately deeper.

She grabbed her mother’s hand and picked up their suitcase.

"Once we leave the airport, you’ll wear a local woman’s outfit. Cover your face with a veil."

She moved quickly, scanning her surroundings with sharp eyes.

"I don’t know whether we should wear a hijab, chador, abaya, or burqa, so we’ll go with whatever the local merchants recommend. The less we stand out, the better."

Her mother hesitated.

"Why are you so scared? Your father… what happened to him was—"

"I told you. Dad is still alive."

Her grip tightened on the suitcase.

"Finding him won’t be easy. We might have to search the desert."

Her mother’s voice wavered.

"What are we going to do…?"

"First, I’m going to check the hotel where my father stayed. If it was him, he would have left some kind of trail."

Just then—

A deep voice spoke in English.

"Are you from Korea?"

"You must be mistaken. We’re Japanese."

Song’s daughter feigned ignorance.

But the man held a letter.

It was written in Korean.

[You and your mother have come a long way. Follow this man. He will take you to where I am. I’ll be waiting.]

She quickly checked the secret code her father had embedded in the letter.

Only then did she bow.

"I’ll be in your care."

***

"I made this for you."

As a farewell gift, she gave Tae-soo a handkerchief.

It was embroidered with colorful thread on traditional Bedouin fabric.

Only then did Tae-soo realize—

He never knew her name.

Your Dancer

She never revealed it in the end.

In Tae-soo’s heart, she would always remain the beautiful dancer.

***

"What are you doing here?"

It was Secretary Song.

Tae-soo quickly tucked the handkerchief into his pocket.

"Just clearing my thoughts."

"You look troubled. Is it complicated?"

Tae-soo didn’t answer.

Instead, Secretary Song handed him several notebooks.

They were the ledgers his wife and daughter had brought from Korea.

"What are these?"

"A bargaining chip. A bomb to drop on Han Cheong-ho."

They were records of Han Cheong-ho’s corruption.

Multiple ledgers, meticulously categorized by each subsidiary of Cheongil Group.

Tae-soo flipped through them rapidly.

"There are gaps."

Song’s eyes widened.

"You could tell at a glance?"

Of course.

In his past life, Tae-soo had reviewed countless corporate ledgers.

He had even learned bookkeeping directly from Secretary Song.

These ledgers, the format, the item placements—they all felt familiar.

"I extracted only the most incriminating details from the records I handled."

Embezzlement, bribery, tax evasion, hidden assets.

That’s what these pages exposed.

Flipping through, Tae-soo stopped at a peculiar detail.

A red "X" mark appeared repeatedly throughout the pages.

He pointed to it.

"What do these red Xs mean? They show up often."

"Ah, those? They indicate transactions or evidence that Han Cheong-ho has already erased—through sales, transfers, or outright destruction."

They marked the instances where Han Cheong-ho had cut off loose ends.

Tae-soo’s expression darkened.

"So he’s been methodically covering his tracks."

Song’s gaze wavered.

Tae-soo caught on immediately.

"You’ve erased quite a few yourself, haven’t you?"

"...If the higher-ups say jump, I have to ask how high. What choice do I have? It’s a matter of survival."

That was how Secretary Song had endured under Han Cheong-ho for 28 years.

He let out a deep sigh but soon lifted his head.

"Most of the documents I lost were taken out of my hands. But the ones I personally destroyed—I kept copies. Quite a few, actually."

That was how Han Cheong-ho’s secret ledgers came to be.

"Judging by what I see, it looks like Han had others dispose of evidence as well."

"The ones marked with a triangle—those are the ones I suspect were handled by Park and Ahn. I secretly kept track of their work."

There were a lot of triangle marks.

A frustrating reality.

"It’s still missing a decisive blow to take Han Cheong-ho down."

The man had spread bribes far and wide.

With this much evidence, the people at the top would likely turn a blind eye.

"This still isn’t enough to buy my family’s safety, is it?"

"It’s more than enough. It all depends on how I use it."

Song studied Tae-soo carefully.

His gaze was filled with warmth.

"You’re really letting me go? Won’t you regret it?"

"You’ve reunited with your family. Now you should live happily. Your chains are broken. You’re free to leave."

How could he leave now?

"I’d like to stay by your side a little longer, Kang Tae-soo."

Tae-soo hadn’t expected that.

"I still owe you too much. I want to help take Han Cheong-ho down."

Song reached into his coat and pulled out another book.

Something he had set aside just for Tae-soo.

"This is the strongest weapon of all. But it comes with great risk."

This was different from the previous ledgers.

This was Han Cheong-ho’s Achilles' heel.

"This...!"

Tae-soo’s eyes widened.

His fingers rushed through the pages.

When he reached the final entry, he closed his eyes.

"This is it. This will bury Han Cheong-ho in one strike."

"If you use this, you’ll be in danger too. This is the kind of document that should never see the light of day."

That much was clear.

To use it properly, Tae-soo would have to put his own life on the line.

But the sheer power of this information was undeniable.

"I’ll use it wisely."

He needed to wait for the perfect moment.

The plan had to be airtight.

Han Cheong-ho had to fall—alone.

'Not yet. The time isn’t right.'

There was still much to prepare.

"One strike. That’s all it takes."

If someone had to die, it would be Han Cheong-ho.

Tae-soo wouldn’t go down with him.

After Muhee left, Tae-soo focused entirely on construction.

***

June 22, 1973

In South Korea, the Namhae Bridge officially opened.

On the same day in Saudi Arabia, the bidding for the Khaybar-AlUla Highway project took place.

June 23, 1973

South Korean President Park Jung-hwan announced the "June 23 Peaceful Reunification Declaration," proposing non-interference in internal affairs and simultaneous UN membership for both North and South Korea.

That same day, the bidding for the Khaybar-AlUla Highway project closed.

Tae-soo secured the contract without much difficulty.

In his past life, the project had been worth $24,059,000.

This time, however, the contract was signed for a staggering $35,000,000—a generous gift from Rahman.

***

A Few Days Later

An invitation arrived from Pohang Steelworks:

"We would be honored if you could attend the Pohang Steelworks completion ceremony and grace the occasion with your presence."

The event was scheduled for July 3, 1973.

With this, Pohang Steelworks would take its first steps toward fulfilling Korea’s ambition of becoming a steel-producing powerhouse.

When the Saudi Arabian ambassador received his invitation, he was ecstatic.

"Finally! I have an excuse to leave Saudi Arabia!" he cheered.

Tae-soo also received an invitation.

However, citing his construction obligations, he politely declined.

Meanwhile, the ambassador offered his second secretary, Song Chang-joon, the chance to return home with him.

"I'm sorry, sir. I will remain in Saudi Arabia a bit longer. There's still much to do for the project."

Song Chang-joon refused to return.

Instead, he chose to stay—without resigning from the Foreign Ministry—offering his continued support to Tae-soo.

Both Song Chang-joon and Holjjuk were diligently learning under the guidance of Secretary Song.

"Impressive. These two definitely have talent. They’re outstanding."

Over time, Secretary Song’s praise became more frequent.

October 6, 1973

The newspapers and TV broadcasts were dominated by a single topic: war in the Middle East.

"October 6, 1973! The Fourth Middle East War has begun!"

"Egypt and Syria have joined forces in a full-scale surprise attack on Israel!"

"On Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement—when many Israeli soldiers were on leave—the attack caused massive casualties!"

Then, on October 17, 1973…

Outraged by the Western world’s support for Israel, seven Arab oil-producing nations issued a joint declaration.

In Tae-soo’s previous life, the embargo had been led by six OPEC nations: Libya, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia.

But this time, Saudi Arabia joined the coalition, bringing the total to seven nations.

"We will impose an oil embargo on all Western countries supporting Israel!"

"We will expel every oil company from nations that aid Israel!"

The oil-producing countries united to expel Western European oil companies.

Thus began the "weaponization of oil."

The impact was immediate and immense.

Newspapers and television broadcasts reported the crisis in real time:

"European oil stocks are plummeting daily!"

"As oil stocks crash, related industries are also seeing sharp declines!"

"Due to the embargo, oil prices are skyrocketing!"

The world had plunged into the First Oil Shock.

The global economy reeled from the effects of the Middle East conflict.

October 26, 1973

A few days later, the headlines screamed:

"The Middle East war is over!"

"Israel has barely managed to repel the Arab coalition through a counteroffensive!"

However, Israel had exposed its national security vulnerabilities and suffered heavy losses.

Meanwhile, the Western powers that had supported Israel lost access to Arab oil.

The era of cheap oil-fueled capitalism had come to an abrupt end.

A new era of global upheaval had begun.

The Saudi royal family also experienced a seismic shift.

One name dominated the headlines:

"Who is Khalid, the Saudi Minister of Defense, now the most powerful figure in the kingdom after the Middle East war?"

Until now, Khalid had kept a low profile, lying in wait.

But with the war, he seized the opportunity to consolidate power, resolving internal conflicts between the Finance Minister and the Minister of Construction.

With the royal family under his control, he made bold moves:

His right-hand man, General Abdullah, was promoted to Minister of Industry.

His son, Rahman, was rewarded for his military logistics contributions, becoming Head of Eastern City Development.

Khalid personally informed Tae-soo of these developments:

"This is all thanks to you. With Abdullah as Minister of Industry and Rahman leading eastern city development, we can now push forward with the Jubail Industrial Port project."

Then, with a smirk, he added:

"Not a single drop of oil will be sold to Cheongil Refinery—not from Saudi Arabia, not from any of the seven oil-producing nations."

***

Cheongil Group was thrown into chaos.

Word spread that Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan had openly mocked Han Cheong-ho, bragging that Geumsan had secured stable oil supplies from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

At last, the tides had turned.

"It’s finally over."

December 1, 1973

Tae-soo broke ground on the Khaybar-AlUla Highway project.

Two days later, on December 3, he completed the Yanbu-Umraji Highway project.

With this, Tae-soo won his bet against Rahman.

After settling various oil-related transactions, Tae-soo was left with an astonishing 60 million barrels of oil under his control.

Just then, a visitor arrived.

"It’s been a while. Have you been well?"

It was the man in hanbok he had previously met at Jang Mal-dong’s house.