CH50 | MCT

Invitation from the Saudi Royal Family (2)

Shortly after, the cruise yacht docked at the end of the port.

A man in a black suit stepped off the yacht and approached Tae-soo.

Both Tae-soo and Chief Corino waited for him.

Corino seemed to recognize the man.

[Greetings, Chief Corino. It has been a long time.]

[Ah, now I see—you’re from House Harkonnen.]

[Yes. On my way here, I happened to hear some wonderful news. I understand you’ve decided to put an end to the tribal war. That is a truly momentous decision.]

[It’s all thanks to the benefactor standing right here.]

The black-suited bodyguard glanced briefly at Tae-soo.

He did not seem to consider him an important figure.

[The Saudi royal family wishes to understand the current situation fully. Would you be willing to come aboard the ship and explain?]

[Very well.]

[Thank you, Chief Corino.]

[What about this man? Will he be joining us?]

[No. The request was only for you, Chief.]

[In that case, I suppose I have no choice.]

Corino turned to Tae-soo.

[I’ll be back shortly. This shouldn’t take long.]

***

A moment later

The bodyguard came rushing back from the yacht and hurried over to Tae-soo.

Catching his breath, he spoke.

[I must sincerely apologize. I did not recognize the benefactor and acted discourteously. Chief Corino has informed me of everything in detail. As both a member of the tribe and a citizen of the Saudi Kingdom, I extend my deepest gratitude.]

The bodyguard gave a polite bow.

[Lord Rahman wishes to meet and speak with you. Would you accept his invitation and come aboard?]

Tae-soo nodded.

[Of course. I’ll gladly accept the invitation.]

As Hul-jjuk attempted to follow, the bodyguard shook his head.

[Only the honoured guest has been invited.]

***

Aboard the Luxurious Cruise Yacht

Tae-soo followed the bodyguard onto the extravagant vessel.

At the highest seat of honour, under a gold-framed canopy, sat a man in his 30s.

He was draped in opulent robes embroidered with gold thread, his body adorned with an array of gem-encrusted jewellery.

A stylish moustache, sunglasses, and a confident air—

‘A true Middle Eastern fashion icon.’

As soon as he saw Tae-soo, Rahman rose from his seat and opened his arms wide in welcome.

[Welcome aboard my ship!]

Chief Corino introduced him.

[This is Lord Rahman. The twelfth son of the current Minister of Defense and the man overseeing western Saudi Arabia’s urban development.]

Tae-soo gave a respectful bow.

[I am Kang Tae-soo from the Republic of Korea.]

Rahman removed his sunglasses and grinned broadly.

[So you are the man who turned the entire desert upside down the moment you arrived in our kingdom.]

Tae-soo’s eyes widened.

‘No way—this guy?’

But his shock was for a different reason.

‘Mr. Abraham?’

Tae-soo had met this man before.

He was one of the renowned figures who never missed a major global event in Dubai.

‘The man who made a name for himself by planning and building modern Dubai… Why is he now in charge of constructing cities in western Saudi Arabia?’

It was a bit confusing.

‘His identity was always shrouded in mystery. But now, it turns out he’s a direct member of the Saudi royal family?’

Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is also its largest and most famous city.

By the 21st century, Dubai would overshadow Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital, as a major port and tourist destination.

‘Why was a Saudi prince involved in Dubai’s city-building efforts? Was there an undisclosed backstory?’

Rahman handed his sunglasses to a waiting attendant behind him.

Then, in a relaxed and confident manner, he began his introduction.

[I am Rahman bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The twelfth son of Khalid, who was the fifth son of the great King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia.]

The introduction was long, but Tae-soo, already familiar with such formalities from past encounters, didn’t mind.

The royals of this region took immense pride in reciting their lineage—tracing their heritage back to honour their ancestors.

‘At least Rahman starts from the first king. That keeps his name relatively short.’

It was common for some to include the names of ancestors going back eight generations in their introduction.

Rahman gestured to the seat beside him.

[Sit here. I have much to discuss with you.]

[Very well.]

Tae-soo took the seat Rahman offered.

Chief Corino quickly moved to sit beside him.

But Rahman raised a hand.

[No, Chief Corino. Do not intrude. This conversation will be between the two of us alone.]

With that, he dismissed Corino.

Corino hesitated for a moment, his expression somewhat displeased, but ultimately stepped back.

Rahman then motioned to his bodyguards.

[You all leave as well. This is an important discussion.]

The guards wordlessly bowed and took a few large steps back.

Now, in the lavishly decorated reception area aboard the yacht, only Rahman and Tae-soo remained.

Rahman leaned in slightly.

[Do you know this? The Saudi royal family has a total of 32 departments. Of them, only three are truly friendly toward South Korea.]

Tae-soo already knew this fact.

Rahman raised three fingers, then began folding them down one by one.

[The Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally, my own department—the Ministry of Construction.]

He clenched his now fully closed fist, shaking it slightly as he gave a cold smile.

[What a shame. After this incident, all three pro-Korean departments have now disappeared.]

His words were laced with undeniable weight from the very start.

[Since I invited you onto my ship, it’s only proper for me, as the host, to offer you a drink.]

Rahman picked up a bottle of wine and began pouring it into two glasses.

[How about some wine?]

[Sounds good.]

It had been a while since Tae-soo had held a wine glass.

Rahman studied him with an assessing gaze.

[Tell me, how does this wine look? Does it seem cheap, or does it seem luxurious?]

It was a test.

But Tae-soo had spent years dealing with high-ranking elites as the chief secretary of Cheong-il Group.

He had been properly educated in fine wines and had developed a keen palate over the years.

He swirled the glass gently, observing the colour.

"One can determine a red wine’s vintage, quality, and origin just by looking at its hue. Given its ruby tint, this appears to be a well-aged, top-tier wine.]

Tae-soo closed his eyes momentarily, savouring the aroma and taste.

[This is a Shiraz-based blend with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Could this be… Penfolds Grange, 1951 vintage?]

Rahman smirked, twirling his glass arrogantly.

[Spot on. I bought this for $40,000 a bottle. Impressive.]

Penfolds Grange was regarded as one of the finest wines in the world, an Australian national treasure.

In fact, in 2001, it was officially registered as Australian cultural heritage.

Since its first vintage in 1951, every release had been renowned for its quality, but the 1951 vintage was considered the pinnacle.

‘In 2018 or 2019, I remember a U.S. wine cellar selling a 750ml bottle for $90,000. That’s over a hundred million won. He really pulled out an insane bottle just to host a guest.’

This was true Middle Eastern royalty—wealth on a whole different level.

It felt like his palate was getting the royal treatment for the first time in ages.

[An exceptional wine.]

Rahman nodded, but his expression darkened slightly.

[Exceptional wine? That’s what I thought too. Australia’s best wine, a prestigious brand, and an outrageous price tag. At the very least, I expected it to meet the basic standard.]

Suddenly, his expression twisted into a deep scowl.

[But it tastes worse than cheap wine. Bitter. Astringent. Ugh, utterly undrinkable.]

With no hesitation, he flipped his glass over, pouring the expensive wine onto the floor.

Rahman’s icy gaze bore into Tae-soo, as cold as a sheet of ice.

[No matter how much it costs, if it’s undrinkable, it’s garbage. Nothing but food waste.]

He grabbed the bottle of red wine and hurled it to the floor.

The crimson liquid spread across the pristine white cloth like spilt blood.

[Samwon Construction. They promised to finish a three-year project in two years, yet they barely completed a third before running away.]

Rahman gritted his teeth.

[It was a $12.5 million project— a highway that would mark the beginning of western city development. Do you know why I’ve poured so much effort into developing this port and building Shoboxi? Because this port was meant to become the center of the oil industry! And you bastards turned it into garbage!]

He yanked at the collar of his robe as if it were choking him.

[Damn it, because of you, I can’t even breathe properly.]

With a sharp rip, Rahman tore his collar apart, as if he wanted to tear Tae-soo apart just as badly.

He tossed the shredded fabric onto the ground.

[Because of you, my honour has been trampled. My pride was shredded to pieces. My reputation, tattered like this cloth.]

His voice rumbled like a growling beast.

[The western city construction is now on the verge of being halted. The unfinished road has been abandoned. And I… I am about to be dragged down from my position. Because of you!]

Tae-soo smirked.

‘Rahman… a barking dog isn’t scary.’

The truly dangerous ones don’t bark—they strike in silence, biting down on their prey’s throat in an instant.

‘Mr. Abraham… now, that was a fearsome beast. The one that Han Il-kwon dreaded.’

A man who had climbed to the top of Dubai through blood and struggle.

A man who wielded his dagger in silence.

Rahman, on the other hand, was comfortably thriving under the protection of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defense.

‘But even a young beast is still a beast. A guard dog will never grow into a mere lapdog.’

Tae-soo remembered him clearly from their encounter in Dubai.

And that intrigued him.

‘If I can tame him while he’s still young, mould him into my ally… he’d be worth an army.’

Might as well give it a shot.

Tae-soo studied his wine glass and spoke.

[If a wine has an excellent aroma, a rich colour, and comes from a prestigious vineyard, yet tastes cheap—there are only two possible explanations.]

He began swirling the wine in his glass.

[Either you were scammed and bought a cheap knockoff… or you don’t know how to handle a fine wine properly.]

Rahman’s eyes flared with anger.

[Are you insulting me? Are you saying I’m either a fool who got scammed or an idiot who doesn’t know how to drink fine wine?!]

Tae-soo pointed at the broken bottle lying on the floor.

[A fine wine must be properly decanted before drinking. You brought this bottle on a high-speed cruise across the sea—its contents must have been shaken into a murky mess of sediment.]

Rahman hadn’t even checked for that.

[Red wine is like an elegant yet temperamental beauty. If you serve it without carefully separating the sediment that has built up over decades of ageing, of course, it will taste bitter. Only with patience can you experience its true flavour and aroma.]

Bang.

[Are you trying to lecture me right now?]

Tae-soo gestured toward the wine decanter sitting on the table.

[You took the time to properly prepare for drinking a fine wine, yet you rushed the most important step. Perhaps it was because you were too impatient after hearing that I had arrived at the port?]

Tae-soo had already seen right through Rahman’s situation.

[Were you so desperate that you couldn't wait an hour for the sediment to settle? You threw away a top-tier red wine just because it tasted a little bitter—don’t you think that was wasteful?]

[Hah! It's just a damn $40,000 bottle!]

[Then what about a $12.5 million road construction project? Will you throw that away just because you’re angry?]

Tae-soo knew better than anyone that Rahman couldn’t afford to abandon the project.

‘If he could have scrapped the roadwork, he wouldn’t have sent unofficial letters pressuring Park Jung-hwan, nor would he have pushed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so hard.’

Besides, Rahman had admitted it himself.

—"I’m about to be dragged down from my position. Because of you!"

There was only one reason Rahman was this furious.

‘He has no choice but to finish the road construction—no matter what.’

Tae-soo was completely confident.

‘You showed your hand too soon, Rahman. If you wanted to deal with me, you should have been more composed—like before.’

Tae-soo knew for certain.

‘Rahman is standing at the edge of a cliff. That’s why he’s resorting to threats. No matter what, he must complete the project. That’s his weakness. And that’s why he will never be able to reject my proposal.’

A predictable hand.

A predictable bet.

A predictable outcome.

‘Rahman, you’re already on the same boat as me. And the one steering this ship… is me, Kang Tae-soo.’

Their goals aligned.

They both needed the road construction to be completed on time.

That meant Rahman had no choice but to be his ally.

That’s why he had rushed here in person, disguising his desperation as intimidation to force the construction forward.

Because Rahman’s survival depended on Tae-soo finishing the project quickly.

‘Rahman, you came all the way here and even spilt your secrets for me. How considerate. I’ll make sure to meet your expectations.’

Now, it was Tae-soo’s turn.