“Wash up.”
The first thing I said to Marian when she came into the room was to wash up.
Marian didn’t argue and went into the bathroom.
A little while later, when I heard the sound of running water, I checked the bag.
The reason I’d told Marian to wash up was because I needed some time alone,
time to check the bag and put it into my inventory.
The 007 briefcase was locked with a double lock.
After checking the bag, I put it into my inventory.
Then I sent a message to the handler.
- Got it. But you locked it?
[There’ve been a few guys skimming the goods midway lately… It’ll be hard to deliver it like that, right? Then I’ll give you the passcode. Just take out the contents.]
- No. No problem. Give the passcode to Rafei.
[Oh~ Really? You can deliver it even like that? Impressive. What kind of route did you open up?]
- Don’t tell me you were expecting an answer.
[Haha. I was just so surprised. Can you do other countries too?]
- Other countries like?
[Hong Kong.]
- Of course.
[Then could I ask you to handle one item? It needs to go express. Originally it had to arrive within a week, but from now it’ll be hard to get it there within a week, so ten days? Could you do it within fifteen?]
- Don’t worry, bro. I’ll deliver it within a week.
[Really? A week? Thank you so much. I was really worried, but you’ve taken a load off my mind, bro. I’ll make sure you get paid express rates. Can you send me your account?]
- The account can wait until the delivery is complete. Let’s settle up then.
[You’re really thorough. I’ve never even seen your face, but I trust you. I think I understand why Rafei chose you.]
- Contact me once you leave the item. You’re not going to leave it at the Esca Hotel again, are you?
[Am I not supposed to?]
- It’s not that you can’t, but I’d prefer another hotel if possible. Even better if you use an unmanned locker.
[An unmanned locker? If you used something like that in the Philippines, the door would be ripped off in ten minutes. No, you probably couldn’t even find a locker with its door still properly attached.]
- Really?
[Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll leave it at another hotel and contact you.]
- Got it.
.
.
.
After I finished contacting the handler on the Philippine side,
Marian came out after washing up.
“Get ready. We’re going out.”
“Huh?”
Marian looked at me as if I were being absurd.
“You said you’d be my guide, didn’t you? Are we just going to stay in the hotel room? Are you a hotel guide?”
“That’s not it, but…”
“I’d like you to get ready quickly.”
Marian looked at me like she couldn’t believe it, but she started getting ready anyway.
.
.
.
After leaving the hotel, we wandered around Bohol here and there
like an ordinary couple.
We rented a car and went to the Chocolate Hills, saw the tarsiers,
ate by the Loboc River, and rode a zipline.
I’d started doing it to look like an ordinary tourist,
but once I actually tried it, it was fun.
There were even times when I just stared blankly for a moment at scenery I’d never seen before.
That was how impressive the view was.
As for the zipline, it was fun,
but in terms of thrills, it still couldn’t compare to rappel training or airborne training.
It seemed this kind of trip was a first for Marian too.
She looked even more excited than I was.
Well, like how people say there are more people living in Seoul who’ve never been to Seoul Tower,
just because someone lives in Bohol doesn’t mean they’ve been to all the tourist spots.
Especially in Marian’s case, it would be even less likely.
We returned to Alona Beach, had dinner, and went back to the hotel.
.
.
.
The next day as well, I used Marian to retrieve the bag and prepared to leave Bohol.
Three days was enough.
Wouldn’t that be enough to have fulfilled my duty as a tourist?
I spoke to Marian.
“I have to leave now. It was fun while it lasted.”
“Thank you too. Thanks to you, I was able to get away from that hellish place for three days.”
Marian’s expression changed.
An emotion I couldn’t tell was sadness or regret passed across her face.
I can read anger and vengeance frighteningly well, but emotions like that are still difficult.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t experienced many partings.
I didn’t know what to say in this situation.
I just stayed quietly silent, and Marian spoke first.
“There’s something I feel sorry about.”
“Something you feel sorry about? What is it?”
Marian brought it up with difficulty, as if she felt guilty.
“That… the steak place.”
“The steak place we went to?”
“Yeah.”
“What about it?”
“Actually, that place isn’t a famous restaurant. It’s expensive and doesn’t taste good.”
“Really? I didn’t eat, so I wouldn’t know.”
I let it pass like it was nothing.
A restaurant could be bad and expensive.
Places like that were everywhere.
I wasn’t interested.
“But I really wanted to go there at least once. So I tricked you and took you there. I’m sorry. And thank you for taking me. Thanks to you, my wish came true. Hehe.”
When I heard that,
I remembered Marian slowly chewing and savoring the steak.
‘She really wanted to enjoy that moment.’
For some reason, Marian looked pitiful to me.
I remembered Marian’s face as she marveled at scenery she was seeing for the first time at the tourist spots.
I remembered Marian saying she couldn’t eat much, while continuing to eat.
To me, it had just been work.
I had only brought her along to hide myself and put her forward in my place.
But for Marian, it must have been time outside of hell.
Before I knew it, I was calculating how much money I had in my inventory.
Three million dollars taken from the rebels.
Of that, I’d given 2.2 million dollars to my team members.
Of the remaining 800,000 dollars, I’d spent 100,000 on a sniper rifle.
Seven hundred thousand dollars.
And the 50,000 dollars I’d received from selling the guns last time.
The money I had was 750,000 dollars.
Excluding my salary, excluding Korean won, the pure dollars sitting in my inventory.
Could I spend 30,000 dollars of that on Marian?
Would that be right?
If I bought Marian?
I couldn’t keep her in the Philippines forever,
and I couldn’t take her to Korea either.
“I won’t forget. I was happy. Really.”
Marian said.
I don’t know if this is right.
But what can I do?
My feet won’t move.
It isn’t an emotion like love or romance.
How should I put it?
If I’d grown up in the Philippines,
if I’d been a woman,
wouldn’t I have ended up like that? That kind of thought?
If I could change a person’s life with 30,000 dollars, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to give it a try.
“Get up.”
“Already? Can’t we stay a little longer?”
Marian asked back pitifully.
“Where do we have to go?”
“You don’t have to take me back.”
Marian’s expression turned urgent.
“You told me to buy you. First, let’s go ask the price.”
.
.
.
Not long after Marian came out of the restaurant, Mustache appeared with a car.
Mustache stopped the car and was about to put Marian in, but when he saw me standing beside her, he was startled.
“I wasn’t trying to scare you, sorry. I have some business over there too, so let’s go together.”
The mustached man looked at Marian, and Marian nodded.
The place we drove to was behind Alona Beach,
only about ten minutes away.
Their base was a single-story office in fairly poor condition.
When I tried to enter the office, they searched my body.
While being searched, I examined the building and the people.
Only one entrance.
Three windows, but they were blocked with security bars.
There were three people outside.
I still couldn’t confirm how many were inside.
I went in.
Inside were a few desks and a cheap sofa.
And only one person was in the office.
“Welcome. I’m Sandro.”
The man, who had a fairly plump build, greeted me warmly.
Warmly enough that I wondered if he knew me.
“Hello.”
I smiled, sat on the sofa, and crossed my legs.
Sandro naturally sat across from me.
“So. What brings you here? I’ve been in this business for over fifteen years, but you’re the first one to come all the way to our office.”
“Really? I’m honored. Is there no benefit for your first customer?”
“That would depend on what you came here for, wouldn’t it?”
“I came to buy Marian.”
“Oh? Really? As expected of Marian. She completely bewitched you in just three days. But what to do? Marian is our ace, so she’s a bit expensive.”
“How much?”
“One hundred thousand dollars (130 million won).”
“What? What do you mean, one hundred thousand dollars? You said thirty thousand.”
Marian, who was beside me, shouted.
“When are you talking about? Do you know how much prices have gone up? We have to reflect inflation.”
“Oh. That’s much more expensive than I expected. No discount?”
“That’s the price with the first-time customer discount included.”
“Really? Then I can’t buy her. Then I’ll be going.”
“No, you can’t. This isn’t some convenience store where you can come and go whenever you please. I even gave you a consultation, so even if you can’t buy Marian, you should at least pay the consultation fee before you leave.”
“How much would the consultation fee be here?”
“Take out everything you have in your pockets and leave it. That’s the consultation fee.”
I took a single 20-peso (400 won) bill from my pocket and put it on the table.
“This is all I have in my pocket. Well then, it was a good consultation. Thanks for consulting me.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
Sandro burst into loud laughter at my actions.
“Hahahahahaha. This is so funny. I don’t think I’ve had a situation this amusing in years.”
“It’s funny?”
“Yeah. Very, very funny. You’re the first guy like this. But 20 pesos is all you’ve got in your pocket?”
“Yeah.”
“You came to buy Marian, but you brought 20 pesos? You expect me to believe that?”
“I’m not an idiot. Did you think I wouldn’t know you’d act like this? Of course, if the price was right, I’d withdraw the money from the bank and give it to you. Did you think I’d carry cash all the way here?”
“That’s true. Then I guess now it’s not a consultation fee I need to take, but a ransom?”
“What?”
“You’ve been kidnapped now. You’ve seen it on the news now and then, right? People who go missing in the Philippines. Today, you’re going to become one of them.”
“Aren’t you trying to commit a pretty big crime for 20 pesos?”
“Who knows if it’ll be 20 pesos or 200,000 dollars? We’re going to take your phone and contact everyone in it. If someone pays, great. If not, then there’s nothing we can do. From now on, you’re a lottery ticket. Let’s see if you hit first prize.”
“I think I understand why you’re working in a shabby place like this.”
“What?”
“The way you make money is by taking me hostage? Isn’t that too old-fashioned? Seems like there would be plenty of other ways.”
Sandro pulled the gun from his waist and pointed it at me.
“I’d prefer if you called it classic. And this makes more money than you’d think. Cleanup is easy too.”
“Hahahaha.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Just because this situation is kind of funny. An idiot pointing a gun at a customer who came here to make a deal.”
Maybe the word idiot pissed him off, because Sandro fired one shot at the ceiling.
Bang!
“Does this situation seem like a joke to you? Because I’m talking with a smile, you think you can laugh too? Huh?”
Sandro aimed the gun and came toward me,
and the lackeys who heard the gunshot also rushed into the building.
“Whoa, whoa… Calm down. I’m a hostage and a customer. You should be treating me a little more preciously.”
“I’ll decide that, so you just shut up.”
Sandro swung the handle of the gun toward my head,
and I had absolutely no intention of letting it hit me.
As I rose from the sofa, I wrapped Sandro in my arms and spun once.
In an instant, Sandro was standing in front of me like a shield, and the gun that had been in Sandro’s hand was now in mine.
Without hesitation,
I shot the three lackeys standing by the door.
Bang, bang, bang.
They collapsed in an instant, and Sandro, in my arms, gaped in shock.
“Now, shall we have a little talk?”
.
.
.
I laid the men who’d been shot down and staunched their bleeding.
“I stopped the bleeding. As long as the blood stops, your lives won’t be in danger.”
I’d shot them in the thighs, so their lives wouldn’t be in danger.
Maybe because it was their first time being shot, the men who’d been shot had no will to fight at all.
They were merely trembling in fear.
On the other hand, Sandro was thrashing around while tied up with rope.
But even that thrashing looked pitiful.
“Untie me. When the organization guys get here in a little while, they won’t let you off.”
“Oh, how scary. Then I guess I’ll have to kill you quickly and leave before that.”
He must have only thought I’d be scared,
because he seemed shocked and flustered by my words, as if he’d never considered that he himself might die.
“Mind if I look around?”
Regardless of Sandro, I began rummaging through the old office.
“Don’t. I said don’t search, unless you want to die.”
“Don’t touch that.”
Sandro kept shouting something,
but I ignored him and continued checking what was inside the desks and cabinets.
The cabinets were full of all kinds of documents, bankbooks, identification cards, bundles of cash, and more.
“Wow~ There’s nothing you guys don’t do.”
“You do all sorts of things.”
“You forge IDs too? Can’t you make me one or two?”
“You launder money too, huh?”
“You guys might be pretty useful.”
“Fuck, just touch it. I absolutely won’t let it slide.”
“What’s with you? I’m just looking.”
In truth, I wasn’t just looking.
I took everything worth taking.
As I was taking things, an interesting thought occurred to me.
“Sandro. How about going into business with me?”