The office of the US President was filled with a soft light from the Christmas decorations, but the atmosphere was not warm.

He set aside the banquet with his family and called me back in.

A quiet space where only the two of us remained.

The President sat in his chair with his hands folded, leaning forward as he asked.

“Now, speak honestly. Just how did you know that? You knew something that even the CIA and the Department of Defense were not yet certain of.”

I wore a relaxed expression and slowly began to speak while wearing a smile for a moment.

“The affairs of the world are like a puzzle. When the pieces that do not stand out are gathered, a big picture finally reveals itself.”

The President's eyes narrowed.

“What does that mean? It is difficult to understand.”

“In war, money moves before bullets. Crude oil prices stir, the bond market fluctuates uneasily, and risk signals listed in corporate reports appear. There are signs that appear before they are revealed to the media.”

I stopped speaking for a moment, then looked at the President's gaze head-on and opened my mouth again.

“I gather those pieces one by one. Sometimes, when small rumors, market reactions, and the directions in which capital flows are joined together as one, a big picture is drawn. Just as you, Mr. President, confirmed the truth through military and CIA reports, I merely looked ahead through the market and the flow of money.”

Astonishment brushed past the President's face.

He inhaled briefly and asked back.

“Reading the flow… for you to be able to get it that accurately with just that. It is difficult for me to believe.”

I lightly shrugged my shoulders.

“Funny enough, money does not lie. In a way, they are the most honest scraps of paper in the world.”

Instantly, the air in the office became heavy.

The President did not say anything to my words and slowly leaned his body against the backrest.

After pondering for a moment as if lost in thought, he soon opened his mouth.

“Hmm, I do not know how I should judge this. It is quite an interesting perspective.”

He tapped on the table with his fingertips for a while, then breathed lowly.

Unlike the flickering of the bulbs on the tree that filled the room, his mind was only troubled.

I spoke on purpose, half-joking and half-serious.

“Surely you do not think I said that because I see into the future, right? That is a nonsensical story.”

At those words, the President snorted and retorted.

“Haha, yes. That is right. There is no way that could be the case.”

He denied it with his mouth, but his pupils shook for a moment.

The timing I mentioned was too accurate.

No matter how lucky I was, he could not understand at all how it would be right to judge this.

As he did so, he convinced himself before he knew it.

The ability to read the flow of money that I mentioned.

He reached the conclusion that perhaps my brain was so much more superior to an ordinary person's that I read moves even for things he could not see.

It was a much safer interpretation than the floating cloud of seeing the future.

He breathed in deeply and organized his thoughts.

While the President was doing that, the boy in front of him was too calm.

Showing an unwavering attitude even in a threatening situation, I always kept my center and did not show a subservient appearance.

The confidence to be able to control oneself no matter what situation one faces was a talent that power holders instinctively coveted.

The instinct that he must hold onto me persistently pushed its way up in the President.

“Fine. The ability to read the market and gather and analyze its flow. If one has a genius brain, such a thing might be possible.”

He said he understood, but a different thought bloomed in his heart.

The thought that it would be beneficial to himself if he kept this child by his side.

I was a talent needed for the country and for himself as well.

The bulbs on the tree sparkled once more.

As if he had firmed up his resolve, the President leaned forward.

With his hands clasped, he lowered his voice.

“By the way. You have done the equivalent of a truly dangerous adventure. Since you came to meet me again on a day like today.”

A peculiar smile flowed on his lips.

“I usually spend time with my family on an evening of a day like this. The reason I called you back to the extent of setting that aside is because this matter is that important.”

Unlike his face that harbored laughter, the words that came from his mouth were meaningful.

“So, what do you want from me?”

From afar, a carol was heard very faintly.

The President caught his breath and waited.

I faced that gaze calmly.

I finally opened my mouth with a polite attitude.

“Mr. President, have you perhaps ever heard of an organization called Onyx Crow?”

The President seemed not to know well, as if it were his first time hearing it.

He instinctively glanced at the aide.

He also shook his head, as if he did not know well either.

In fact, Onyx Crow was as good as an existence that still drifted like a shadow because even its substance was unclear.

The President asked back in a low voice.

“Tell me about that Onyx Crow.”

I slowly began the explanation.

“Because the existence itself is unclear, many people dismiss it as a ghost-like name. However, what is certain is that they are an organization connected with Al-Jahad.”

As the word Al-Jahad came out, the President's brow narrowed.

“Connected. Specifically, in what way?”

I caught my breath and answered calmly.

“Onyx Crow does not directly step to the front. Instead, they manage the funding lines and weapon supply networks and make organizations like Al-Jahad move like puppets. What is visible on the outside are rebels and terrorists, but the ones truly taking profit behind them will be someone else.”

The President tilted his head back slightly and stared at me with keen eyes.

“Then, you are saying it is an international weapon trade network rather than a simple terrorist group?”

“That is right, Mr. President.”

I nodded and continued.

“As they are a shadow-like existence whose name is not even distinct, they were at the end of every illegal fund flow. They have not appeared distinctly now, but someday they will emerge above the surface.”

The President's fingertip unconsciously tapped the table.

He muttered to himself as if lost in thought.

“I have never heard such a report…. For a Korean businessman to mention an organization that even intelligence agencies have not clearly identified first.”

I raised my lowered eyes again.

“What I am telling you is not a simple guess.”

I quietly stood up from my seat.

While the President and the aide watched me with questioning eyes, I slowly took off my jacket and hung it on the chair.

Soon, I began to unfasten the top buttons of my shirt in order.

In my unexpected action, a look of fluster was evident on the President's face, but I did not stop.

As the aide moved to restrain me, the President raised his hand and stopped him.

I said calmly.

“Do not worry. I am not trying to harm you.”

The chest revealed after the buttons were unfastened.

There, a scar as if cut by a blade remained vividly.

The President's face stiffened.

“…This?”

I lightly pointed to the scar with a calm expression.

“It is a trace left by Onyx Crow. Thanks to them, I almost died. This is the truth, so you will probably find out if you check.”

I slowly fastened my shirt and continued speaking.

“My survival was possible because of the sacrifice of a colleague. They do not stand out, but they certainly exist. That is why I dared to mention that name to you, Mr. President.”

The President fell into contemplation for a while as if he had lost his words.

Although it was a name he was hearing for the first time, he could not dismiss it as a lie if it were to the extent of showing the scar directly.

He slowly raised his head.

Then, the aide who was standing quietly nearby drew close to the President's side quickly and sensibly.

The President said.

“You, find out about this matter immediately. What kind of organization Onyx Crow is. Mobilize all information networks, but make sure the report is made only for me.”

The aide's complexion turned dark.

“Mr. President, if so….”

The President raised his hand and blocked the words the aide was trying to say.

“Refrain from unnecessary questions. Even if there is no big problem right now, I cannot just sit by and watch if they are connected with Al-Jahad.”

At those words, the aide nodded and took a step back.

“I understand, Mr. President.”

The air in the room, which had been heavy, softened somewhat.

Only then did the President let out a long breath and look at me.

“Is this enough now?”

I quietly lowered my head and smiled.

“Yes, Mr. President. I have nothing more to say. However, if you remember the name I delivered today, it will surely be of help before long.”

The President looked at me piercingly.

The way of speaking was very polite, but it was as if I were a person who already knew the result.

Just how could a boy who was not even twenty years old be this calm.

How could he have the courage to risk danger to inform an organization that even intelligence agencies do not know.

It was merely marvelous to him.

“Let us stop here for today. I too must return to my family now. If it becomes any later, tonight might become painful.”

I stood up from my seat with a smile and bowed my waist.

“On a day like this, you must spend it with your family. I shall be going now as well.”

I left the office with light steps like a person who had finished all the work to be done.

After I returned, the President who remained alone in the office fell into thought.

Before long, the office door opened cautiously.

The one who entered was a high-ranking official from an intelligence agency.

He, who entered with a stiff face, began the report after sharing a brief greeting before the President.

“Mr. President, I have something to tell you about the person who returned a moment ago.”

The President's eyes flashed.

“Oh? What did you find out about that person?”

In fact, the President had told them to find out about me.

He was in the middle of hearing that report now.

The official opened the file and began to explain point by point.

“He is the third generation of Korea’s Taeseong Group. He is from a chaebol family, but he was not a person with only a simple background. He has ranked first in the nation several times, even within Korea. He seems to have a brilliant brain.”

The President slowly nodded his head while his arms were crossed.

Up to this point, it was a story he too knew well, in fact.

“That is not all. He is the representative of an investment company called HJ Partners, and its performance is to a surprising degree.”

Handing over the content recorded as a report to the President, he added an explanation again.

“And not long ago, there was an attack incident in Iraq. That very young man was attacked. Fortunately, he saved his life, but… what is more surprising. He brought the perpetrator of that incident directly from the UK and the trial is currently in progress in Korea.”

“The UK government would not have stayed quiet.”

“It seems that the perpetrator himself said he would go to Korea.”

The President's pupils shook.

Did that not mean it was like entering a tiger's den on one's own feet.

The official caught his breath and continued speaking.

“As a result of synthesizing information, the organization that attacked Lim Hyunjun is ‘Onyx Crow,’ and the circumstances that they are actually connected with Al-Jahad are gradually being revealed.”

The President smiled and muttered to himself.

‘That child, perhaps he might be a much more necessary person than I thought.’

The gold light of the tree reflected in the President's pupils and sparkled.