“Sandro. How about partnering up with me?”
“What kind of dogshit is that?”
“You don’t know what a partnership is?”
“I know what a partnership is. But I’ve got no reason to partner with you.”
“Anyway, isn’t there a limit to how much money you can make selling women here? I’ll make you a real ‘Bahala Na.’”
“What are you talking about? Selling women makes plenty of money, and we handle plenty of other product besides that.”
“Keep doing all of it. Just help me out instead, and I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”
“What do I have to do?”
“First, I think I need to see your skills. Whether you’ve got what it takes to be a partner.”
“Skills?”
“I need to know how capable you are before I can trust you with work.”
“You sure talk big for a young punk. Our skills are the best in the Philippines.”
“Everyone says they’re the best. They just can’t prove it.”
“Untie this for a second.”
Sandro, who seemed to have calmed down a bit, asked me to untie him.
I went over to Sandro and untied the rope that had bound him.
I could afford to do that because subduing someone like Sandro was entirely within my abilities.
Sandro sat up properly and started talking in earnest.
“So what do you want?”
“A forged identity, a shell account, and Marian.”
“Marian doesn’t seem to fall under ‘skills.’”
“I’m purchasing Marian.”
“You’re really head over heels. The ID will take more than a week. But I can give you the account right away.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s an account we made back when we were laundering money—a clean one that’s never been used. So you can just use this.”
“Yeah?”
Sandro held out a slip of paper with the account number written on it.
“Sounds good? Then I should show some sincerity too.”
I took out a pouch from my inventory and opened it.
“A hundred thousand is too much for Marian. Make it fifty. And the rest is an upfront fee and the kids’ hospital bills. Isn’t this enough?”
“I don’t love it, but since it’s our first deal, I’ll take just this much.”
I held out $100,000 for Marian’s price and the account and ID fees.
“Then I’ll see you in a week. Let’s go, Marian. Grab your passport.”
Marian and I grabbed our passports and headed for Macau.
It was quite a while later when Sandro realized the money was gone and screamed, but by then, nothing could be done.
*******
—Lafay. The goods have arrived in Macau.
[Yeah? Faster than I thought. Leave them there and I’ll come pick them up.]
—Instead of leaving them there, can I send them with someone?
[Someone? I don’t mind. Why?]
—I’m trying to pull some strings for a job.
[A job referral?]
—The friend I’m sending. Help make her into a proper person.
[I’m not exactly gifted at making people into something.]
—If you keep her close and have her work, won’t she become a proper person?
[I suppose that much might work? Send her over.]
—Thanks. I won’t take the delivery fee this time, then.
[Don’t do that. We’ll be doing business continuously from now on, right? I’ve already left the money at the London Hotel under the name Candy Boy.]
—I asked you to prepare it in coin, though?
[Just in case, I prepared both coin and dollars.]
—Thanks.
After finishing the call with Lafay, I looked at Marian.
Marian still didn’t seem to understand the situation.
It must have been a long day for her.
In the morning, she’d said goodbye to me thinking I was leaving.
At noon, she’d gone into the organization’s headquarters and come out with her passport.
And she’d gotten on a plane and come to Macau.
In the midst of all that, she’d supposedly become a free woman.
Marian seemed unable to keep up with the rapidly changing situation.
We ate at a restaurant in Macau.
It was a steakhouse.
“Apparently this place is quite good in Macau.”
“It’s delicious. Incomparable to the Philippines.”
Marian gave a bright smile.
“You don’t regret leaving the Philippines?”
“No. I don’t have family anyway, so if I’m going to drift around, I might as well do it by your side.”
“Hmm... I can’t be with you, Marian.”
“What do you mean?”
Marian set down her fork.
“Exactly what I said. Just as you said, I bought you and saved you from hell. My role ends here.”
“I came all this way trusting only you, though?”
“I’ve arranged a place for you to stay and someone to protect you. For now, learn the ropes from that person. If it doesn’t suit you, you can learn something else or go live somewhere else. You’re free now.”
“I don’t want to... I want to be with you...”
“We’re different. I live my life, and you live yours.”
“I have to pay back my debt.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I said I’ll pay it back!! Let me stay by your side and I’ll earn money to pay you back. I’ll work hard and do whatever you tell me. Don’t abandon me.”
“I’m not abandoning you. We’re going to lead different lives. I can’t pull you into my life.”
“You’re not pulling me in. I want to be together.”
After that, we went back and forth like that for quite a while.
Me saying we couldn’t be together, Marian saying she wanted to.
It was tense, like we were running on parallel lines.
But I would not be with Marian.
My role ended when I pulled her out of that hell.
Everyone has to live their own life.
You can’t live your own life leaning on or depending on someone.
That goes for me and Marian both.
I wasn’t casting Marian aside.
I was helping her stand on her own two feet.
Marian couldn’t even eat the steak she loved so much.
She just kept shedding tears.
I worried whether I should hand her a tissue, but fortunately there was a thick napkin in front of her too.
Fancy restaurants really are nice.
For a long time, we sat there without a word.
Without touching our steaks, we simply watched them grow cold.
.
.
.
I stopped the taxi in front of The Golden Lotus and made sure Marian went inside.
I gave her the black business card I’d received from Lafay, and she went right in through the entrance.
Bag in hand.
[Received the goods. The person too. How unexpected. So this was your type?]
—It’s not what you’re thinking. Don’t get the wrong idea.
[I wasn’t thinking anything, though?]
—Anyway, please take care of her.
[Can I ask for goods again?]
—As much as you want.
I went to the London Hotel, found the bag of money, and spent one night there.
The next day, I took a ferry to Hong Kong and delivered the drugs requested by the Philippine handler.
Here too, I just had to leave the goods at a hotel.
It wasn’t difficult.
[Received the goods well. Thanks. You have excellent skills.]
—It was nothing. I sent the account number.
[Sent it right away. Check it.]
—Received it well. Thanks.
[Can I ask again next time? Is a larger amount possible?]
—As much as you want.
Shortly after, $50,000 came into the shell account I’d received from Sandro.
Since it was express, it seemed they’d offered a good price.
Yesterday, I’d received $30,000 from Lafay.
In just two days, I’d earned $80,000—over 100 million won.
If I include the Philippines schedule, wasn’t it more than two days?
A week?
It made me think about money again.
There was a time when I couldn’t eat because I had no money.
I starved every day.
I couldn’t use electricity or water.
As a soldier, getting even 200 a month had been difficult.
The annual salary for a team leader position at All-Day Guard had been 7,000.
But delivering drugs with my inventory, I earn 100 million won a week.
Moreover, that price wasn’t even what I’d asked for.
It was just the price they set.
And they keep asking.
[Can I ask again next time?]
That means demand is enormous.
It’s them asking me to help because there will be more of this work in the future.
So perhaps they offered the price somewhat favorably.
I fell into serious thought.
What should I do?
Should I go back to Korea and get a job?
Submit applications, write cover letters, prepare for interviews?
Or learn a trade?
Or prepare to fry chicken?
Or wander overseas like this delivering drugs?
It’s illegal.
It’s dangerous.
If caught, it’s straight to a 20-year prison sentence.
Various thoughts swirled through my head.
Nothing is decided, but one thing is certain.
Whatever I do, it will be very hard to find a job that earns 100 million won a week.
Money isn’t everything, but it’s hard to find something as important as money.
Dreams? Hope? Future? Vision?
If I’d had those, I wouldn’t have joined the army.
I would have gone to find that dream.
I don’t know.
For now, I’ll drink today.
I’ll think about it tomorrow.
I drank strong whiskey on Soho Street in Hong Kong.
.
.
.
I stopped by the Philippines to check the newly made IDs.
One was a Philippine passport, the other an Indonesian passport.
They were very elaborately made.
With this quality, it passes.
“By the way, did you take our money?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Money?”
Sandro suspected me because of the missing money.
Of course he had reason to suspect me.
I’d been rummaging around near the cabinet that day.
But the reason he couldn’t pin it on me was that rolled-up money would show immediately if you stashed it somewhere, and the clothes I’d been wearing that day weren’t the type you could stuff such things into.
I didn’t even have a bag.
I’d even sat there for quite a while before leaving.
It was something I absolutely couldn’t have done if I’d taken the money.
“The money was gone after you left that day.”
“What was I holding that day? I only took Marian. And if I’d stolen the money, would I have come back here?”
“I... I suppose not?”
“Here. Take this.”
I quickly held out money to change the subject.
$20,000.
It was a considerable sum.
“What’s this?”
“The remainder for the IDs. And didn’t you say you lost money? Use it for operating expenses. We’re partners, after all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Even though I was returning the stolen money, Sandro was deeply moved.
I felt like I finally understood what they meant by hearts appearing in someone’s eyes.
In exchange for returning the money I’d stolen from Sandro back to Sandro, I’d bought Marian, acquired forged IDs and a shell account, and even received Sandro’s affection.
As expected, money has to circulate to play its proper role.
“How are those friends? The ones who got shot.”
“They say they’ll be fine if the disinfection is done properly.”
“Sandro, take good care of them. Taking care of them when they’re hurt builds trust in you.”
“Got it. Don’t worry.”
“Then I’m off now.”
“Going straight to Korea?”
“No. I’m going to stay here for about two more days.”
“Want me to set you up with a woman?”
“No thanks. I just want to be alone.”
I booked a luxury resort at Alona Beach and spent two days only at the resort.
I did some thinking about what to do from now on, got massages, and swam.
I didn’t leave the resort.
I hated the thought of going out and having someone approach me like with Marian.
******
I found a gosiwon.
Why?
Because I had no home.
The house I lived in had been redeveloped, and until now I’d lived in the barracks and dorms, but I’d been discharged from the military and quit my company.
Now I couldn’t stay there anymore.
So I found a gosiwon.
A gosiwon boasted the ideal conditions for an unemployed twenty-something.
Resident transfer registration was possible, and it was cheap.
They provided rice, kimchi, and instant noodles.
There was no window, but it was a sufficiently luxurious environment.
Actually, I’d tried to find a place with a jeonse lease.
I’d saved my entire salary from my military days, and there was quite a bit of money already in my inventory.
That would have been enough to secure a jeonse rental.
Nevertheless, the reason I didn’t get a jeonse place was that I was away from home too often.
When I first got back from the Philippines, I slept at a motel.
Because I had nowhere to go.
But motels were too uncomfortable.
I didn’t mind one night, but trying to stay a few days, the people coming and going got on my nerves, and it was inconvenient in many ways.
While that was going on, I got a call from Kevin, the Philippine drug supplier.
He asked me to do it just one more time.
The destination was Hong Kong.
Just in case, I contacted Lafay too.
I asked if he needed anything since I was going nearby.
Lafay was overjoyed and earnestly asked me to bring it several times over.
So I ended up going to the Philippines once more.
When I got back, more than ten days had passed.
With me being away from home this often, was a jeonse lease even right?
The place wouldn’t be maintained well either.
I wondered if it was right to keep paying utilities.
Most decisively, not knowing when or how I’d change jobs or residence, signing a two-year contract bothered me too.
Motels were uncomfortable, studio apartments were expensive.
Amidst all this, I saw a gosiwon.
One bed, one desk, end of story.
Bathroom, kitchen, and shower room were all shared.
If I laid my body down, the space was completely filled.
It was cramped.
Yet this space was comfortable.
Lying down, this space alone felt entirely mine.
It felt like my own space, free from any disturbance.
So I liked it.
Though the smell from the galbi restaurant on the first floor wafted up, though the sound of doors opening and closing rang out about once every three minutes, though rustling sounds could be heard at all hours, though voices asking for quiet were constantly heard, I still liked it.
I could hear the sounds of people living.
“What? Fuck? You done talking?”
“No, fuck, you can’t even walk? Bitching about walking, bitching about keyboard noise, bitching about breathing. If you’re gonna be that sensitive, go live in the fucking mountains.”
“Are you talking down to me right now?”
“What, I can’t even talk? You gonna stop me from talking now?”
“Look at this bastard.”
“Fuck, since when have you seen me to be calling me this bastard and that bastard, huh? Stop gnashing your teeth and come at me. Why you scared?”
“Sigh... Fuck. As if I’m scared. We won’t pay damages? Call?”
“Call.”
“Come out, you son of a bitch.”
The sounds of people living filled the gosiwon.
I felt as comfortable as if I’d come home.