“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, after you gave me such a good opportunity.”
“To be honest, I’m disappointed. I heard you were adapting well.”
AllDayGuard CEO’s Office.
I was discussing my resignation with CEO Hwang Byeong-il.
It was my fourth month working in Alpha Team.
According to the original plan, I was supposed to leave Alpha Team now and take charge of another team.
But after working in Alpha Team,
I thought I still wasn’t qualified to be a team leader.
I was lacking in too many ways.
In security work, variables popped up at all times without warning,
and I didn’t have the ability to handle all of them.
I was severely lacking in experience.
The short time I had spent working in Alpha Team wasn’t enough to fill that gap.
Before I received a team leader title I couldn’t handle,
before a team was set up for my sake,
I thought it was right to say something.
To tell CEO Hwang Byeong-il that he didn’t need to make a team for me.
That I would be resigning.
I thought that was right.
That was my way of being considerate toward CEO Hwang Byeong-il and AllDayGuard.
“Couldn’t you build that experience while serving as team leader?”
“A team leader is a position of responsibility, not a position for studying, isn’t it?”
“Depending on the situation, you can do both.”
“I’m grateful for your consideration, but I think a team leader should be someone who is perfectly prepared.”
Yes, if I’m being honest, team leader?
I could do it.
If I formed a team with experienced members
and mainly took on light projects, it wasn’t impossible.
After trying it, honestly, it wasn’t that difficult.
But I really don’t think security work suits me.
When I first received AllDayGuard’s offer,
I imagined meeting all kinds of people and gaining new experiences in all kinds of places.
Building rapport with the client,
traveling around the world—
that kind of fantasy.
But the reality was: no conversation with the client.
You did go to various places, but all you did was move between hotels and event venues.
There was no break time either.
No, there was, but since we rested in shifts, even when I rested, it didn’t feel like I was really resting.
I kept feeling pressed for time, which made me impatient.
I also disliked how vague the boundary was with secretarial work.
The bodyguard I experienced was somewhere between a bodyguard, a secretary, and an event staff member.
Honestly, during my four months of work, I had never once felt a threat of terrorism or personal danger.
I had never subdued an enemy, nor had I attempted an emergency escape while escorting a client.
I didn’t want to do this job just to run errands for drugs
or make a path so an idol could pass through a crowd of fans.
It was also true that I felt a deep sense of doubt over whether I really had to do this work.
Saying I lacked the capability to be a team leader might be an excuse.
But right now, I think it’s true.
“Could you not think about it a little more?”
“I’ve made my decision.”
“I understand. I had hoped you, Deputy Team Leader, and AllDayGuard would be together for a long time, so this is unfortunate.”
“I’m sorry. You gave me a good opportunity, but I couldn’t make the most of it.”
.
.
.
I informed the team of my resignation.
The team leader wore an unreadable expression,
and An Jibin had the look of someone who thought he was the victor.
Was that the kind of expression one made after getting rid of an aching tooth?
While I was at it, should I knock out one more tooth for him?
I skipped team training
and gathered the items I had left in my locker.
When I went outside the office, I saw a familiar face.
Colonel Son Taejin.
He was the person who had been the commander of the Suho Unit.
Why was he at AllDayGuard?
I gave Colonel Son Taejin, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, a light salute.
“Unity!”
“Unity.”
Colonel Son Taejin lightly returned the salute as well.
Colonel Son Taejin glanced at the box in my hands.
“If you have time, how about a cup of tea?”
“Sounds good.”
At Colonel Son Taejin’s invitation to tea, I readily agreed.
He was one of the people I didn’t dislike.
Colonel Son Taejin walked ahead of me deeper into the company.
Why?
Shouldn’t we be going outside?
The place Colonel Son Taejin stopped at was the advisor’s office.
Colonel Son Taejin opened the door familiarly and went inside.
“Come in.”
“Pardon? Yes.”
“It’s been quite a while since I was appointed as an advisor, but it hasn’t been long since I started coming to the office. My discharge was delayed much longer than expected.”
At Colonel Son Taejin’s words, I sat down awkwardly on the sofa,
and Colonel Son Taejin prepared the tea.
“I’ll do it.”
“Please don’t take away one of my few pleasures.”
I insisted several times that I would do it,
but Colonel Son Taejin firmly refused.
Come to think of it, I’d been told that someone had recommended me.
Could that perhaps have been Colonel Son Taejin? I began to wonder.
Colonel Son Taejin sat down with a tea set on a tray.
He poured green tea from the teapot into a teacup and handed it to me.
“I’ve been completely hooked on this tea lately. Try it. It’s not bad.”
“Yes.”
From the moderately warmed teacup, I could faintly taste the characteristic bitterness and sweetness of green tea.
There was also a grassy fragrance.
“How is it?”
“It’s good.”
“I brewed it myself, but I think it came out well. Haha.”
“I think you brewed it well.”
Had Colonel Son Taejin always been this lighthearted?
When he was the unit commander, he had been a little scary.
“So you’ve decided to leave?”
“Yes.”
“Sergeant Gong, do you know that I recommended you?”
“I guessed just now when I saw you here.”
“Actually, I wasn’t the one who recommended you. Gyutae asked me to.”
“You mean Team Leader Song Gyutae?”
At the unexpected name, it felt like my heart dropped with a thud.
But how could Team Leader Song Gyutae have recommended me?
He was someone who was at the National Cemetery now.
“Yes. One day, we were having dinner together, and he said this. ‘Commander, please look after our Inbae. He may seem sociable, but he’s a guy starved for affection.’ So I said, ‘Then you look after him.’ And he told me his team was already taking good care of him. We just laughed it off… but after what happened to the 2nd Company, when I heard you were being discharged, I couldn’t just let it pass. So I asked them to bring Inbae in.”
“.......”
“Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Your skills and your record were both good, so the company scouted you without any objections. It would have been nice if we could have worked together for a long time. What a shame.”
“I’m sorry. I was lacking.”
“I should have paid more attention. I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. I’m truly grateful that you recommended me.”
“No. I’m the one who’s sorry. If I recommended you, I should have looked after you, but I ended up having my discharge delayed because I was being investigated here and there.”
It seemed Colonel Son Taejin had also been investigated after that incident and then discharged.
Well, it was an incident where eleven people died at the same time, so it would have been difficult for the commander to continue his military career.
Still, I was relieved.
Because he seemed to be doing well.
We exchanged small talk.
Things like what I wanted to do from now on, whether I had any plans, whether there was anything he could help with.
I also told him that I had no plans and that I wanted to rest for the time being.
It was a conversation as bland as the green tea we were drinking,
but like the tea ceremony, it was a conversation mixed with consideration for the other person.
“Contact me anytime if you need anything.”
“I will. Unity.”
“Unity.”
After finishing the conversation, I bowed properly and left the advisor’s office.
When I had been in Congo, I had left without even greeting him properly and had been scolded by Team Leader Song Gyutae.
Now there was no one to scold me, so I had to behave properly.
*****
The Jinlian Gang had recently been expanding its influence at a terrifying pace.
The few pistols the other side possessed were no match for rifles.
With powerful firepower as their foundation,
they took control of many of Macau’s major businesses.
In particular, they focused on seizing distribution lines.
As a result, Macau’s distribution had reached the point where it was difficult to operate without going through the Jinlian Gang.
Whether it was alcohol, food ingredients, or anything else, the Jinlian Gang was involved somewhere in the middle.
It felt as though Macau had fallen into the Jinlian Gang’s hands.
Perhaps because it was a small city, the takeover happened in an instant.
But as the business grew rapidly, the problems grew as well.
“Hwasayan (the final decision-maker/a term for the head of the organization), we are far too short on product right now.”
“How much is left?”
“At this rate, I don’t think it will last even two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
“That’s right.”
“Nothing from the Hong Kong faction or the mainland faction either?”
“That figure includes their stock. The consumption rate is much faster than we expected.”
“What about our route?”
“We’re operating it as much as possible, but it’s nowhere near enough. It’s difficult to bring in large quantities through our original route.”
“What about the route the Hong Kong guys used?”
“When they lost their businesses to us, they blew it up themselves.”
“The mainland line too?”
“Yes.”
Lafei had a headache.
This was the time when they had to row with all their might.
They had to establish their position now.
Macau was the world’s largest casino city.
It had been nearly twenty years since it surpassed Las Vegas, which was said to be the most dazzling.
Without question, Macau was overwhelmingly the world’s greatest casino city.
The Jinlian Gang had become the largest organization in such a Macau.
But because they had grown in an instant, they hadn’t properly established the infrastructure they needed.
They would have to create new smuggling routes,
but for now, they needed to put out the urgent fire right in front of them.
There was only one person who came to Lafei’s mind.
******
I resigned without a plan.
Once I had resigned, I couldn’t keep living in the dormitory.
I packed up the little luggage I had—
to be precise, I put it into my inventory—and left the company.
I had nowhere to go.
Should I go traveling?
Or should I go to Congo?
Should I go see Poapi’s face?
Or Southeast Asia?
Even Jeju Island?
That was when—
Bzzzz.
My messenger app rang.
- Candy Boy, how have you been?
[So-so. What’s up?]
- There’s something I’d like you to help with. I was wondering if I could ask you.
[What is it?]
- Thanks to your help, Candy Boy, our organization has grown a lot. But we haven’t been able to bring in enough volume to match. Could we get your help with that part?
[What’s the item?]
- Drugs. The country of origin is the Philippines.
[Leave me the contact info for the person in charge over there.]
- Thank you, Candy Boy. I won’t forget this favor.
[I heard gratitude is supposed to be shown in money.]
- I’ll prepare money too.
[Prepare it in coins.]
I immediately set off for Incheon Airport.
.
.
.
Bohol, Philippines.
When the plane arrived at Bohol–Panglao International Airport,
the countless people who had come to Bohol for vacation—
families, friends, couples, and so on—poured off the plane,
and I got off as well, mixed in among them.
A South Korean passport was powerful.
In Southeast Asia, it let you pass through just about anywhere without much questioning.
I, too, was able to leave Bohol Airport without being asked a single question.
At the airport, I called the man from a public phone.
- Candy Boy?
“How did you know?”
- Lafei told me. He said Candy Boy would contact me.
“It could have been someone else.”
- This is a number only Lafei knows.
“Excellent customer service.”
- Hahaha. This much is basic. So where are you now?
“Bohol–Panglao Airport.”
- Then I’ll book you a hotel, so get some rest. Let’s meet tomorrow.
“I appreciate the kindness, but since I’m a J, I already booked a hotel before coming. They gave me a hotel discount coupon.”
- Hahaha. You’re an amusing guy. Got it. Then let’s meet tomorrow at Bohol Island City Mall. How’s two o’clock? We can have lunch together too.
“I’m on the shy side. Could I just receive the goods?”
- Haha. That’s fine too. Then we’ll leave the goods somewhere and contact you.
“Okay. Thanks.”
After ending the call, I took a taxi toward Alona Beach.
Alona Beach, located ten minutes from the airport,
was a place where all tourists gathered, enough to be called the travelers’ street.
Restaurants, shops, convenience stores, diving shops, money changers, pubs, McDonald’s, even ATMs.
It was also where hotels and resorts were clustered.
All kinds of people gathered here.
There were so many tourists that there was no better place for someone like me to disguise myself and hide.
As soon as I arrived,
I bought shorts, slippers, and a T-shirt with “I♥BOHOL” written on it and put them on right away.
I also bought sunglasses and a straw hat and wore them.
The person reflected in the mirror looked, to anyone’s eyes, like a tourist who had come to Bohol for fun.
Dressed like that, I walked along Alona Beach with a beer in one hand.
Was it because of my outfit?
Or was it because the setting sun looked different?
I truly felt like I had become a tourist.
The exotic scenery and unfamiliar smells made my heart flutter even more.
Come to think of it, aside from Congo and Macau, this was my first country.
Though I had come because of work.
It felt much more like traveling.
As for the work, all I had to do was pick up one item, so it wasn’t difficult.
Tomorrow, I just had to collect the goods from wherever they were.
That would be the end.
But I wouldn’t leave Bohol right away.
I would stay in Bohol for at least three more days before leaving.
Coming all the way to Bohol and leaving after just one day?
And as someone from South Korea?
Wouldn’t anyone find that strange?
That was why I planned to stay in Bohol for at least three days.
Once I thought that, I felt like my mind grew more relaxed.
Like a young tourist, I had booked a cheap hotel on Alona Beach.
Then I went to a nearby restaurant to eat dinner.
I ordered a meat dish called sisig.
It was a traditional Filipino dish made with pork, chicken, liver, and other ingredients, seasoned with calamansi, chili, and more.
Pizza or steak could be eaten anywhere,
so I wanted to try Filipino food if possible.
The seasoning was a bit strong,
but it was pretty good when eaten with rice.
As I was eating dinner alone, someone spoke to me.
“Did you come alone?”
When I raised my head, a woman in a one-piece dress with long hair was looking at me.