CH54 | MCT

As You Wish (2)

After Song Chang-jun left, Tae-soo fell into deep thought.

What is Cha Ki-beom really after? Delaying their departure might benefit me somehow, but I can’t see how yet. The disadvantages, though, are clear.

The key issue was that the special agents' stay in the Middle East would be drastically shortened.

They kept pushing back the departure date with various excuses, but now, by tying their return to the upcoming Red Cross talks, they had subtly locked in their return schedule.

If the special agents fail their mission and go back empty-handed, Park Jung-hwan’s anger could turn on me. He’d see it as not getting his money’s worth for fully backing me.

There was only one reason Park Jung-hwan had supported Tae-soo so aggressively: image rehabilitation.

He wanted to be seen as a heroic president who dispatched elite agents to rescue kidnapped citizens.

Could Cha Ki-beom be working with Han Cheong-ho?

Tae-soo’s expression darkened.

I need to assume the worst-case scenario and act accordingly.

It didn’t matter who Cha Ki-beom sent.

Tae-soo had already prepared countermeasures.

But this kind of pressure was unacceptable.

He made up his mind.

Instead of relying on the special agents, I’ll secure their identities myself. That way, no matter how short their stay is, Park Jung-hwan’s objective will still be fulfilled.

Tae-soo adjusted his coat and grabbed his car keys.

With the engine roaring to life, he set off toward the settlement where the Corino and Harkonnen tribes lived together.

***

Night Falls Over the Desert

The Bedouin village emerged under the beam of his headlights.

As Tae-soo arrived, the villagers greeted him warmly.

[What brings you here at this hour?]
[Have you had dinner?]

Tae-soo smiled and reached into his bag, pulling out gifts for the children.

Recognizing what he had brought, their faces lit up with joy.

[Foreign snacks!]
[It’s full of candy and chocolate!]
[Mom, can I eat this?]

The young Bedouin women, their faces bright with laughter, chimed in playfully.

[Why don’t you stay the night?]
[Shall we prepare a place for you?]

Tae-soo chuckled and shook his head.

[No, I’m not here as a guest today. I came to discuss something with the elders.]

Disappointment flickered across the young women’s faces.

Just then, from a nearby tent, a familiar figure emerged halfway, playfully twirling a sash between her fingers.

It was the dancer.

She gave Tae-soo a mischievous wink and a sly smile.

Tae-soo couldn’t help but smirk.

Haven’t seen her since that night. Seems like she’s doing just fine.

He turned toward the chief’s tent.

Inside, the leaders of both tribes were gathered, hunched over blueprints, deep in discussion—likely about the next day’s construction.

[You’re working hard even late into the night.]

As Tae-soo entered, they greeted him warmly.

[Ah! Our benefactor! What brings you here at this hour, when the night’s dew begins to settle upon the desert sands?]
[You’ve come at the perfect time. We actually wanted to ask for your advice.]

Tae-soo took the seat offered by the chief.

[Before we talk about construction, there’s something I need to ask first.]

[Go ahead. If we know the answer, we will tell you everything.]

[You mentioned that you’re keeping the Samwon Construction executives detained, correct?]

At the mention of the Samwon Construction executives, the atmosphere in the tent shifted.

The friendly expressions the Bedouins had for Tae-soo disappeared, replaced by hardened, hostile glares.

[Why are you asking about them?]

Tae-soo’s reason was simple: to confirm their identities and hand them over to the special agents.

But judging by the Bedouins’ reactions, something else was at play.

Curiosity sparked within him.

[Hmm, now that I think about it, I never asked for the full story. Why did you detain them? I heard there were some clashes before, but...]

At his casual inquiry, a flood of angry voices erupted.

[Don’t even get me started! Those bastards were completely out of control.]
[We were already fighting over water, and they dared to pull something insane.]
[We had no choice but to capture the ones causing trouble. The rest? They scattered like cowards, without a shred of loyalty or honor.]

It was clear Samwon Construction had burned every last bridge here.

[What exactly did they do?]

[They demanded an entire well for their road construction. In this drought!]

Tae-soo’s eyes darkened.

These were people who had fought wars over water.

And yet, some outsiders had come in and demanded a well?

It was beyond reckless. It was insulting.

[That’s completely unreasonable.]

[Exactly! Look, even if they were ignorant of our situation, we might have let that slide.]

[There’s more?]

[They tried to lay hands on our women. By force.]

Tae-soo froze.

Until now, he had assumed Samwon Construction was simply struggling against local resistance.

But what the Bedouins were saying was on a completely different level.

[…They tried to assault your women?]

[Fortunately, we caught them before anything happened. But tell me, should we have just let that go? That’s why we locked them up. We told them we’d release them if they offered a formal apology, but they just scoffed at us.]

Tae-soo’s expression hardened, a deep furrow forming between his brows.

[They deserve divine punishment. But why didn’t you report this? If you had informed the Saudi royal family or the South Korean embassy—]

The Bedouins turned away, as if offended by the mere suggestion.

[You think we’d go running to authorities like cowards? Those scum aren’t even worth reporting. We handle our own matters.]

[So we chained them up and locked them away. By now, they must have had plenty of time to reflect.]

Bedouin traditions dictated that they avoid harming outsiders whenever possible.

Even now, their idea of punishment was merely restricting movement with chains.

Tae-soo?

He would’ve hung them upside down.

[I had no idea this had happened. As a fellow Korean, I sincerely apologize for their actions.]

Tae-soo bowed his head.

The tribal elders waved their hands, shaking their heads.

[No, no! You have nothing to apologize for, honored one!]

[Thank you for understanding. I’d like to confirm their identities.]

At this, the elders exchanged uneasy glances and scratched their heads.

[Well… The thing is… We don’t actually know who they are.]

[We only detained those who were in the wrong... Since they’re outsiders, we didn’t bother investigating too deeply.]

[I see.]

Tae-soo understood.

He fell silent, lost in thought.

‘Should I meet with the Samwon Construction executives in person…?’

It would be troublesome.

For many reasons.

‘They’re just sacrificial offerings for Park Jung-hwan. Getting involved with them would only be a headache.’

Once Tae-soo confirmed that the Bedouins were keeping them secure, he lost all interest in them.

After all, it wasn’t his concern.

The special agents would arrive soon enough to take them away.

Tae-soo already had more than enough on his plate.

He had neither the time nor the reason to care.

‘If I meet them, the road construction issue will inevitably come up. And if they find out that Taeyang Construction took over Samwon Construction’s project… they won’t stay quiet.’

It wasn’t just the project that had been taken over.

Somehow, the entire company had fallen into their hands.

All Tae-soo had asked for was an official handover document for the road project—
but Park Jung-hwan had personally stepped in and handed over Samwon Construction to Taeyang Construction.

‘We have absolutely nothing to gain from meeting. That’s why I’ve been supporting them from the shadows with supplies and food, without ever stepping forward myself…’

There was another reason Tae-soo wanted to avoid them.

‘If they cunningly try to cling to Taeyang Construction, that would be just as problematic.’

Compared to Taeyang Construction, Samwon Construction was a giant.

Their capital, technology, experience, and workforce—

Taeyang Construction couldn’t compete on any level.

‘I have no intention of serving them as my new masters.’

If they pretended to integrate into Taeyang Construction, only to take over from within, it would spell disaster.

Tae-soo and Park Chul-wan would be forced into a power struggle with Samwon’s old leadership.

And once that battle began, there’d be no turning back.

‘New wine belongs in new wineskins. There’s no place for them in Taeyang Construction. I’ll build this company around Park Chul-wan.’

His mind was made up.

‘All I need to do is confirm their identities and assist the special agents. I just need to call in one person and ask a few questions.’

Tae-soo spoke up.

[Could you bring me the president of Samwon Construction for a moment?]

[Ah! We do know who the president is. But he’s not here.]

[What do you mean? Did you release him?]

[No.]

[Then… is he dead?]

The Bedouins had a reputation for not harming outsiders—
but this was the desert.

There were plenty of ways to die out here.

A deadly disease.

Getting caught in a fight.

Simply getting lost and never making it back.

[No, nothing like that. We never even captured him in the first place.]

[What?]

[When the fighting between our two tribes began, he was the first to flee—took all the valuables and ran.]

The more Tae-soo listened, the more absurd it sounded.

A dry laugh escaped him.

He recalled the abandoned construction site from when he first arrived.

At the time, he had assumed the Bedouins had looted everything of value.

But in reality, it was the Samwon president and his people who had made off with the goods.

[Then who exactly are the people you captured? Are they really Samwon’s executives?]

[We’re not entirely sure. They seem to be part of the leadership, but…]

Tae-soo trailed off mid-sentence.

Of course, they wouldn’t know the details.

[We’re sorry… We just don’t know.]

The Bedouin leaders looked troubled.

‘I might as well go question them myself. That’ll be quicker, even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.’

Tae-soo suddenly felt a little bad.

[There’s nothing to apologize for. I was the one causing unnecessary trouble. I’ll just go and ask them myself.]

[Had we known it was important, we would have checked more thoroughly.]

[Don’t worry about it. It’s not that big of a deal.]

It was a simple task.

All he needed were their names, positions, and ages at Samwon Construction.

‘Park Jung-hwan just wants to be seen as the president who rescued hostages. As long as I gather some basic details for the media, that’s enough.’

Having the president would be nice—
but if he wasn’t here, so be it.

The executives would be useful—
but if they weren’t here, it didn’t matter.

For Park Jung-hwan, just the fact that these captives were from Samwon Construction was enough.

[So where are they now?]

[Come with me. I’ll take you to them.]

***

Inside a desert tribe’s tent.

Seven men sat together, clumsily chained with shackles.

Thanks to the good meals they had been receiving, they looked well-fed and healthy.

One of them suddenly snapped, flipping over his bowl.

“Ugh, this tastes disgusting! And they expect people to eat this?”

It was the kind of tantrum even a child wouldn’t throw.

“And last time, when they threw that feast, they left us out completely. Looked like the whole tribe was having the time of their lives.”

“I’m not someone who should be eating this dog food. Damn it.”

The Vice President of Samwon Construction fumed, seething with frustration.

The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt.

“Just wait until I get out of here. I’ll make these bastards pay.”

“Sigh… Executive Director, please. This all started because the Vice President got drunk and tried to mess with one of their women.”

“What? Like I was the only one? You all just sat there behaving yourselves? I was just drunk and made a little mistake—does it really warrant all this?”

The memory of the desert warriors dragging them away and beating them senselessly flashed through their minds.

Their teeth clenched instinctively.

“Honestly, if we had succeeded, this wouldn’t even feel unfair.”

“That’s true.”

“I mean, have you seen the women here? Gorgeous faces, incredible bodies. And we’re just supposed to sit here and do nothing?”

“We’re not monks, for crying out loud. They were playing way too hard to get.”

It felt unjust.

“We’ve been stuck overseas for months without seeing a single decent woman, without a proper drink. We finally get a chance to enjoy ourselves, and one little mistake ruins everything.”

Someone sighed.

“I heard the president took off with our entire safe?”

“President Choi! That son of a bitch!”

“The moment he insisted we drink our fill, I knew something was off. We walked right into a trap.”

For a long while, the tent was filled with curses aimed at President Choi and his lackeys.

Then, the complaints shifted to their miserable life in captivity.

“I can’t eat a meal without meat. The food here is awful, and they barely give us any water.”

“They haven’t washed the bedding even once. Guess it’s because these savages have no sense of hygiene.”

Water was precious in this drought-stricken land.

But these men couldn’t care less about that.

Once again, they longed for home.

“I just want to go home. What the hell is this? Coming all the way here just to live like this…”

“We’re not working, we’re not getting paid. And on top of that, we’re eating garbage and chained up like dogs.”

Woof! Woof!

Just then, the barking of a dog echoed from outside.

Someone must have been on patrol nearby.

“Those Bedouin bastards must be planning to squeeze every last penny out of our ransom.”

“Obviously. That’s how medieval nobles used to survive—getting ransoms for their prisoners.”

“You think they’re negotiating our ransom with the Korean government? That’s how international terrorists do it.”

“What the hell is the Korean government even doing? Their citizens are being held hostage, and they’re just sitting on their asses?”

They couldn’t take it anymore.

“Screw this. We need to do something.”

“Do what? We’re prisoners. What can we possibly do?”

The man spat on the ground.

“We break out.”

The others stiffened in shock.

“Escape?”

“Yeah. No one’s coming to save us. What, are we just gonna rot here forever?”

It was time to take matters into their own hands.

And their goal was clear.

“President Choi. That bastard ran off with our entire safe? I have a good idea where he went.”

The safe.

Their ears perked up.

“We find Choi. We take the money. And we go home.”

The safe Choi had taken.

It contained roughly four million dollars.

“Our passports and cash are in that safe. If we catch Choi, we can take the money, have a little fun, and then head back to Korea. What do you say?”

It was an offer no one could refuse.