Security Chief Kasim entered with a grim face.
"Your Highness, Sheikh Mansur. You called for me?"
"Kasim, speak honestly. Were there no holes in our security?"
Kasim hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth.
"Your Highness. The truth is, there have been several strange incidents lately."
"Strange incidents?"
"Unidentified vehicles have been spotted several times on the outskirts of the royal palace."
Mansur's gaze turned cold.
"Vehicles?"
"I judged it was not a direct threat. Also, there have been multiple hacking attempts on our security system recently."
"Hacking?"
"Yes. Fortunately, all were blocked, but the attackers' level was considerable. Their skill at severing traces made it clear they were a professional organization. We have not yet identified them."
Kasim lowered his voice.
Mansur struck his desk with his fist.
"Why was I not informed of such critical matters!"
"I apologize, Your Highness. However, every attempt failed, and Your Highness was busy with the royal marriage arrangements..."
Mansur spoke in a voice filled with rage.
"My sons are hovering between life and death. What could be more important than that?"
"I am truly sorry."
Kasim bowed his head.
Mansur took a deep breath and calmed his mind. This was not the time for anger. He needed to assess the situation coolly.
"When did those hacking attempts begin?"
"Exactly one month ago."
"One month ago..."
Mansur murmured.
That was around the time the Saudi royal delegation had visited the Abu Dhabi palace.
'Could the Saudi royal family be involved?'
Could they have proposed a marriage to strengthen diplomatic ties on the surface, while attempting to hack their systems?
"Kasim, immediately switch all security systems to maximum alert. And contact Princess Amira—"
Mansur stopped speaking.
"Your Highness?"
"No. See to the security strengthening first. And this matter must absolutely not leak outside."
"Understood."
After Kasim left, Mansur fell into deep thought.
He needed help to find answers.
But who could he trust? In this situation, he could not tell who was truly the enemy and who was an ally.
Mansur pulled a business card from his desk drawer.
'Perhaps an outside expert is needed in a situation like this.'
The moment he reached for the phone, the door burst open and Al Mahdi, the royal physician, rushed in.
"Your Highness! Terrible news!"
"What is it?"
"The youngest prince has begun showing the same symptoms!"
Mansur's face turned pale.
Time had truly run out.
***
Mansur was engulfed in despair.
The past few days had been the longest and most painful time of his life.
He would rather have gone to war and fought with a gun in hand; watching his children suffer from an unknown disease pained his heart even more.
Just then, Deputy Foreign Minister Yusef rushed in.
"Your Highness, urgent news."
"What now?"
Exhaustion was evident in Mansur's voice.
"Information has arrived regarding the doctor recommended by the WHO GOARN Network."
The WHO GOARN Network was the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, led by the World Health Organization (WHO). It had been created to swiftly dispatch experts and resources to the field when infectious diseases or public health crises broke out across the world, preventing their spread and strengthening the response capabilities of each nation.
Mansur had previously requested that the GOARN Network secretly recommend the foremost expert.
"Who is it?"
"They say he is a Korean doctor named Kang Tae-ho. A biochemical terrorism specialist."
Yusef carefully continued speaking.
Mansur let out a bitter smile.
"A biochemical terrorism specialist?"
Yusef unfolded the documents he was holding.
"According to the materials sent by the WHO GOARN Network, this doctor has resolved three international biochemical terrorism incidents so far. But does the name Doctor Kang Tae-ho not sound familiar to you, Your Highness?"
Yusef lowered his voice even more.
Mansur furrowed his brow.
"Kang Tae-ho..."
At that moment, a memory surfaced.
"Wait—if it's Doctor Kang Tae-ho, isn't he the Korean doctor who treated Prince Faisal and Princess Amira?"
"That's correct!"
"We must contact him at once."
Mansur rose hurriedly. The princes' conditions were worsening by the hour. There was no more time to wait.
Yusef asked with a surprised expression.
"Your Highness, can we trust him?"
"My sons are dying. I must try anything. With the world's finest medical staff having all given up, this doctor is my last hope."
It was an immediate decision, uncharacteristic of the usually cautious and circumspect Mansur.
As Yusef raised his eyebrows, Mansur's cold voice rang out.
"Of course, we cannot blindly trust him. Place him under 24-hour surveillance. Record and report his every move to me. And if he fails to save my sons..."
Mansur's eyes narrowed.
"Then we shall truly have to suspect him. Because all of this may not be a coincidence."
"Understood, Your Highness."
"And Yusef."
"Yes?"
"Tell no one of this. I will contact you after I see the results."
After Yusef left, Mansur remained alone and organized his complicated feelings.
Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School...
With the world's finest medical teams all having raised their hands in surrender, the Korean doctor who appeared happened to be the very one who had treated Prince Faisal and Princess Amira.
Could that be a coincidence?
'If you are truly a savior, save my children. But if you are the enemy...'
Mansur clenched his fist tightly.
***
Tae-ho disembarked from the Emirates private jet, pulling his carry-on. The scorching desert heat of 42 degrees Celsius struck his face, yet his mind grew calm instead.
'So I've finally arrived.'
UAE Foreign Ministry officials were waiting at the entrance to the airport VIP terminal. A man wearing a white traditional kandura stepped forward.
"Are you Doctor Kang Tae-ho? I am Deputy Foreign Minister Yusef."
"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Tae-ho greeted him politely.
"His Highness Sheikh Mansur is waiting. This way, please."
Standard immigration procedures were completely bypassed. Instead, he was guided through a separate VIP passage to a special screening area.
Tae-ho could feel the piercing gazes of security agents posted everywhere.
Whether due to his keen intuition, he often felt a tingling, itchy sensation, as if a spider were crawling across his skin. Whenever he turned his gaze in that direction, his eyes invariably met someone's.
But it was a journey he had embarked on knowing it would not be easy.
He had a clear purpose.
Tae-ho kept his mouth firmly shut and silently quickened his pace.
A black Bentley Mulsanne sped through the streets of Abu Dhabi.
Tae-ho looked out the window at the skyscrapers flashing past.
Etihad Tower, the Abu Dhabi National Bank Building—everything glowed with a golden light.
As Tae-ho stared blankly out the window, Yusef spoke to him.
"Is this your first time in Abu Dhabi?"
"Yes, it is."
"What do you think of our country?"
"It is truly astonishing. I heard that just thirty years ago, this was all desert. They call it the Pearl of the Middle East for good reason."
"The reason it is called the Pearl of the Middle East is, of course, because Abu Dhabi is beautiful, but also because the pearl industry once flourished here. Heh heh heh."
Yusef laughed, seeming pleased by Tae-ho's compliment.
As the vehicle entered the palace district, the atmosphere changed completely.
There were five checkpoints in total.
Each time, there was ID verification and a vehicle search. The guards meticulously inspected the undercarriage with mirrors attached to the ends of long poles.
"The security is truly thorough."
"There have been some special matters recently."
Yusef did not speak at length, but tension permeated his voice.
After getting out of the car, Tae-ho momentarily stopped breathing at the sight of the majestic palace unfolding before his eyes.
The palace built of white marble was like a mirage over the desert. Golden ornaments atop its domed roofs gleamed in the sunlight.
"This way, please."
Entering the main hall, he saw an interior where Arabian tradition and modern atmosphere blended together perfectly. A massive crystal chandelier hung from a ceiling twenty meters high, and the walls were decorated with intricate Islamic patterns.
"Please wait a moment. I will inform His Highness Mansur of the doctor's arrival."
After Yusef disappeared, Tae-ho was left alone. But he was not truly alone. The gazes of guards posted everywhere were fixed upon him.
'So Amira grew up here.'
The dazzling space where she must have spent her childhood.
Tae-ho looked around the palace interior, thinking of Amira.
"Doctor Kang Tae-ho?"
At the voice from behind, Tae-ho turned around.
A man who appeared to be in his late forties was approaching. He wore traditional clothing, but the modern suit jacket draped over it made for an impressive appearance.
And suspicious eyes.
"I am called Mansur."
"I am Doctor Kang Tae-ho."
Tae-ho bowed politely.
Mansur scrutinized Tae-ho sharply.
The last hope that might save his sons.
...Or the enemy.
"Let us get straight to the point."
Mansur's voice was cold.
"My sons are dying from an unknown disease. The world's finest medical staff have all given up as well."
"I must see their condition before I can judge, but..."
As Tae-ho replied, Mansur cut him off.
"Before that, I have something to ask. Is it truly a coincidence that you are here?"
Tae-ho's expression did not change in the slightest.
"I do not understand what you mean."
"Is it not too much of a coincidence that you, of all people, were dispatched by the WHO as a biochemical terrorism specialist? You are the very same doctor who treated my niece and nephew just a month ago."
A light of suspicion rose in Mansur's eyes. But at the same time, there was desperation as well.
A complex emotion of wanting to believe while suspecting.
Tae-ho looked straight into Mansur's eyes and spoke.
"Your Highness, I am a doctor. The sole reason I am here is to save my patients."
"Is that all?"
"..."
A brief silence passed.
Tae-ho knew intuitively.
No matter what he said now, Mansur would not easily believe him.
It was time to tell part of the truth.
"Of course, when I first received the WHO's request, I too was greatly surprised. It had only been a short while since I treated Prince Faisal and his sister. But when I heard that their family was in danger, I could not simply look the other way. Because they are important people to me as well."
Mansur's expression shifted subtly. It was the answer he had expected, yet an honesty he had not anticipated.
"Then can you save my sons?"
Tae-ho nodded.
"I will do my utmost. But first, I must see the patients and determine exactly what is happening."
"Very well. But know this one thing: if you bring harm to my sons, the consequences will be more than you can bear."
"That will not happen, Your Highness."
"Then let us begin."
Mansur nodded.