Tagbilaran, the capital of Bohol.
Nam Yong-woo opened the door to the suite at the Ocean Boutique Hotel.
He was in luck.
He had booked a standard room, but they said it wasn't ready yet and upgraded him to a suite.
When things are going your way, even little things work out.
A suite.
Everything he'd been doing lately was going well.
The timing was perfect—they were all distracted with the elections.
GoGo Casino's security had gotten lax.
He had wondered what would happen if he got caught, but at worst, they were just guys making a living off tourists in the Philippines.
He didn't know why these guys had started GoGo Casino,
but they were definitely nicer than the guys who'd brought Nam Yong-woo to the Philippines.
If he got caught, he'd probably just take a few hits.
Besides, his boss was a good guy.
Thinking that made him feel a little better.
He just had to wait here, meet those guys in the evening, hand over the USB, and receive five billion won.
He didn't know who the guys trying to buy the source code from him were.
They felt like Chinese guys.
Did he really need to know even that?
He just had to take the money and hand over the source code, right?
He only needed to think about what came after getting the money.
Once he had the money, a rosy path would unfold before him in life.
The sun would finally rise on a life that had been nothing but hardship.
His shitty life ended today.
There was still quite a bit of time until the deal.
He could rest here for a bit and then go out.
He perched on the edge of the bed, but couldn't overcome its softness and ended up lying flat.
It was so soft and comfortable.
It was his first time at this Ocean Boutique Hotel, but it seemed nice.
Should he stay here for a while after getting the five billion won?
The location was good, and the facilities weren't bad.
He happily imagined what he would do with the five billion won.
Should he go back to Korea?
Go buy a building and live as a landlord?
Buy an apartment with a view of the Han River?
Or should he settle down right here in the Philippines?
He'd heard Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia weren't bad either.
One thought led to another, each chasing the last.
As he thought, everything that had happened since arriving in the Philippines flashed through his mind like a film reel.
But he forced them away.
They weren't good memories.
To pay off gambling debts,
what good memories could a guy who'd come to the Philippines to flip his life with one big score possibly have?
The more he thought about them, the more humiliating they were.
So he decided to neatly fold those thoughts away.
On a day like today, he wanted to raise a toast.
But the deal came first.
He waited for the deal time to arrive.
He lay on the bed, watched TV, and played with his phone.
While he was idling about, there wasn't much time left until the deal.
Now he just had to get ready and go out.
That was when.
Beep.
The sound of the door unlocking.
Had he heard wrong?
He turned his head and looked at the door.
The door opened.
Strange?
No one should be coming here.
No one even knew he was here.
The deal location was a block away from here.
Who was it?
Had a cleaner come in by mistake?
Thinking this, he watched the door.
Several men in suits entered, and behind them, Sandro walked in triumphantly.
"S-S-Sandro?"
Nam Yong-woo was more surprised than if he'd seen a ghost.
He'd never imagined Sandro would come here.
"Manager Nam, long time no see."
"How did you—?"
The moment Nam Yong-woo saw Sandro, he began to feel fear.
Could Sandro know something? He was terrified.
His hands shook with tension.
"Why so surprised? Anyone would think you were caught doing something bad. Manager Nam, have you been bad?"
"Ah... no... it's just you surprised me, coming in here all of a sudden."
"Ah~ I stopped by the hotel, and when they said Manager Nam was in the suite, I came by to say hello."
"W-Weren't you in Mindanao because of the elections?"
"Ah~ I was, but something came up so I stopped by, and the hotel staff told me you were here."
"Really? You should've called first. What if I'd been with someone else? You just barged right in."
Relief, for now.
Sandro didn't seem to know.
It seemed he'd literally just stopped by to say hello.
So Nam Yong-woo tried pushing a little harder.
"Haha. Of course I checked that no one else was inside before coming. You think the hotel staff wouldn't check that?"
"What?"
"They pretend not to care, but they're watching everything. Who's entered this room, who's left, who you're with right now—they're keeping track of everything."
"Really? I didn't know. But if you've said hello, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave. I'm exhausted and want to get some sleep."
"I should. But I'm a little disappointed. I came all this way to say hello, and you won't even offer me a glass of water. Were we really that distant? I thought I'd treated you well."
"Sorry. I'm just so tired. I'll buy you a proper drink soon. I'm really sorry."
"I'm not sure I'll get to take you up on that."
"What?"
"Bring them in."
At Sandro's words, the men in suits dragged someone in.
The people they'd brought were already unrecognizable, their faces completely ruined from the beating.
They weren't tied up, but they were beaten to within an inch of their lives, unable to move.
Even so, Nam Yong-woo could recognize them.
They were the ones he was supposed to meet today.
The ones he was supposed to make the deal with today.
They were lying there, beaten to a pulp.
"I came all the way here from Mindanao because of these bastards today. You know who they are, right?"
"I... I... I don't know?"
Nam Yong-woo couldn't hide his violently trembling voice and body.
But his mouth automatically lied.
"Manager Nam, if you're going to lie, at least put some effort into it. Stammering like that makes even people who weren't suspicious start to wonder."
"I... I ree... rea... really don't."
"Manager Nam. Did you know? Bohol is in my hands."
"......"
"Everyone in Bohol is my eyes and ears. So I know when and where you eat, when you fuck, when you take a shit."
"No. I think you're misunderstanding something..."
"Of course, I think it's a misunderstanding too. So to clear it up, I think it would be good if you cooperated openly with our search. Let me check. Hey, search him."
As Sandro spoke, the suited men approached Nam Yong-woo.
Nam Yong-woo instantly realized they were looking for the USB.
If they found this USB, it would be a disaster.
Everything he'd tried to do would be exposed.
He had to do something.
Nam Yong-woo swallowed the USB.
It was finger-sized, but given the situation, he was able to swallow it in one go.
Even so, Sandro showed no sign of tension.
"Manager Nam, that was a bad choice."
"What?"
"You just proved it wasn't a misunderstanding yourself. There are plenty of excuses, you know. 'I picked it up on the way,' 'I took it by mistake,' 'It's not mine.' Things like that."
"....."
"In our line of work, you see plenty of people swallowing things. Guys who swallow keys, USBs, memory cards. You see all sorts of crazy bastards. Last time, one crazy son of a bitch tried to swallow a phone. Hahaha."
"You've seen a lot of people swallow things? Wonder what that means? It means we've pulled those things out a hell of a lot too."
"Boys, we need to get ready to take him with us."
"Yes, boss."
"If it were urgent, we could work on him here, but hotels are tricky. Blood splattering and all that—feels a bit rude. Blood doesn't come out easily. We have a preferred spot; we'll take it out of you there."
"You might be thinking you can hold out, but USBs are surprisingly sturdy. If you think stomach acid can melt a USB, you're wrong. Stomach acid melts proteins and fats, not plastic. So even if I take my time taking it out, there's no worry about damaging the USB. It's not urgent either."
"Since we're already cutting him open anyway, should we take out his organs too? Though Manager Nam's body is so frail, I doubt they'd fetch much."
"But Manager Nam, sorry about this. We're out of anesthetic. We'll have to cut you open as is. When Patrick was around, we never made mistakes like this. Change the person, and things always go wrong."
Hearing Patrick's name, Nam Yong-woo snapped.
He was going to die anyway, so he wanted to scream at least once.
"So fuck, you should've used me instead of Anna. Using Anna makes you screw up even simple shit like this!!"
"Uwahaha. This bastard's funny. What does Anna screwing up have to do with you?"
"Because if I'd taken that position, I would've done better."
Sandro laughed for a good while, as if Manager Nam's words amused him.
"Funny. But Anna didn't screw this up. Anna doesn't do this kind of work. By the way, are you angry that Anna took over Candy Tour?"
"Of course I'm angry. That position is mine."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"That's what I'm asking. Why is that position yours?"
"It's obviously mine. Honestly, I'm the only one here with that kind of educational background. And I built GoGo Casino. I've been here longer than Anna. Of course, when Patrick left that spot, I should take it."
"Our Manager Nam lives with some funny ideas. Is this a supermarket checkout line? First come, first served?"
"It's not like that, but aren't I the most qualified?"
"That's why I'm asking why, you fucking bastard. Because you graduated from university?"
"That's a given. I'm also a founding member, I've lived in the Philippines a long time so I know the local situation inside out, I have a good education—I'm not lacking in any area, I think?"
"Funny as expected. But do you know the biggest reason I don't use you?"
"What is it?"
"The DNA of betrayal you carry."
"What?"
"You know the psychological term 'projection'?"
"Projection?"
"I know I'm a fucked-up bastard. But I don't want to admit it. So I think everyone else is a fucked-up bastard too. Psychology calls that projection. The moment you looked at Anna and said you couldn't trust her, you were already signaling that you could betray us."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Nonsense? You just proved it yourself by betraying us like this."
Sandro pointed at Manager Nam with his hand as he spoke.
"Psychology is amazing. It filters out all the traitors. Anyway, after that, I watched your every move closely. I told you, right? Everyone in Bohol is my eyes and ears. Everywhere you went, everyone you met—they all told me. You met those bastards three times. You've got some fucking nerve. Meeting Chinese guys openly in Bohol."
"I just wanted to get what's mine!! That's all."
"Anyone would think you'd left it with them. Consider yourself lucky. Even if you'd given them the source code, you wouldn't have gotten any money. Those bastards are broke too."
"What?"
"How could I leave Candy Tour to some dimwit who can't even check if his buyers actually have money?"
"No!!! That's not it!!!"
Nam Yong-woo couldn't accept this situation.
Did that mean Sandro had known everything from the beginning?
Had he predicted from the start, using psychology or whatever, that Nam Yong-woo would betray him?
He'd known everything, but since Nam Yong-woo hadn't acted on it, he'd just left him alone.
And when Nam Yong-woo did betray him, since there was decisive evidence, that's when he'd made his move?
Had this been one big picture?
When his thoughts reached that point, he realized he was in real trouble.
If he did nothing here, his stomach would be cut open and his organs harvested.
He had to stop this at all costs.
He got down on his knees and began to beg.
"Sandro, I'm sorry. I must have lost my mind. I'll put everything back the way it was."
"Put what back? Nothing's wrong. We're not weak enough to waver because of one guy like you. We treated you well because of your past contributions... but you were too greedy."
"No. I was just going to pass on some simple technical knowledge. I know it might look strange, but it's true."
"I thought our manager was just sly, but you're cowardly too. If that's the case, what about these people who dreamed of doing business with you? Aren't you sorry to them?"
“Sandro. No, Director. I’ll do better from now on. If you forgive me just this once, I’ll be loyal to you for the rest of my life. Director.”
He pressed his forehead to the ground, but Sandro’s expression did not change.
“What are you doing? Drag him out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sandro’s men knocked Department Head Nam Yongu unconscious in an instant.
Then they loaded him into a cleaning cart and quietly wheeled him away.
Sandro stayed behind and put a cigarette between his lips.
He lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled.
The air filled with cigarette smoke.
‘That bastard Alex is good in every way, but his problem is he doesn’t suspect people.’
If Alex, who never suspected anyone, was left alone, traitors would start popping up all over the place.
Maintaining discipline and taking care of traitors on his own.
Removing obstacles so the organization could run smoothly by itself.
That was what Sandro secretly did for Alex.
Thinking about it, he found his own behavior—cleaning up after Alex—ridiculous, yet he liked that role.
A kind of bodyguard, perhaps?
Or maybe a right-hand man?
At the thought that he had accomplished something for Alex,
a smile crept onto Sandro’s lips for no reason.
He felt proud.
*******
“How’ve you been?”
“Not well.”
Daehun called me for the first time in a while.
It was nice to hear his voice after so long.
“Why? Why would the King of Bohol not be doing well?”
“You crazy bastard. I’ve got too much work. And no money.”
It was true.
I wasn’t doing well.
I had too many things going on here and there,
and I’d spent a lot of money during the election, so I had no money either.
And more than anything, Department Head Nam’s betrayal hit me pretty hard.
I didn’t think I had treated him badly.
If anything, I thought I’d treated him well.
On the Gogo Casino side, Department Head Nam was the top administrator.
He also managed the coin and the exchange.
I trusted him and didn’t interfere.
I tried to accept what he said and the opinions he presented as much as possible.
I paid him a considerable salary, and his position was high.
I thought I had acknowledged and praised him for his contribution to creating Gogo Casino,
and yet Department Head Nam had betrayed me.
I wondered if there had been a problem with how I treated him.
But Sandro said the ones who betray will betray regardless of their treatment.
He went on about the DNA of betrayal and something about psychology.
Sandro said he’d sent Department Head Nam to Korea, but even if I went to Korea, it would probably be hard to meet him.
He was probably sleeping somewhere between Korea and the Philippines.
Sandro was evil, but he was good.
But he was not someone who hesitated when a decision had to be made.
“So what’s going on?”
“Ah! CEO Jang Yunmi’s mother passed away.”
“Really? What happened?”
“I heard she’d been ill for a long time. So I thought I should let you know too.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I should know.”
“Are you coming to the funeral hall?”
“I should. My head’s a mess anyway. I’ll use this chance to go to Korea and rest a bit.”
“Got it. See you at the funeral hall.”
Just like that, I boarded a plane to Korea.