Incheon International Airport, first-floor arrivals hall.
The gazes of countless people converged on one spot.
In the direction they were staring, over a hundred people in suits were exiting the arrivals hall.
And in their midst was Sandro, wearing a relaxed expression.
Meanwhile.
As the Sandro Group’s people entered the airport, the expressions of those stationed at the airport crumpled in disbelief.
“He really came.”
“So it wasn’t a lie.”
“The Godfather of the Philippines is really looking for a partner?”
“We need to report this immediately.”
Not just the police, but informants from major Seoul-based organizations confirmed that the Godfather of the Philippines had arrived and began contacting people here and there.
They made calls, sent texts, and took photos to send.
In the meantime, the Sandro Group’s people got into prepared cars and left for somewhere.
The moment the unbelievable rumor of the Philippine Godfather became reality.
******
“Hello. My name is Seo Daehun.”
A quiet hanjeongsik restaurant in Gangnam.
A low building in hanok style that didn’t match a place called Gangnam, and a well-kept garden.
And the private layout immediately made it obvious that this was a place frequented by high-ranking officials.
At Seo Daehun’s respectful greeting, the police official made a satisfied expression.
A nationwide gangster organization that had unified the Jeolla region.
And he was the boss.
That boss behaving so respectfully toward them felt more than pretty good.
But hiding such inner thoughts, he maintained as haughty a posture as possible.
“Pleasure.”
“It is an honor that you’ve agreed to meet me.”
The person that Moon Gangsu, a police academy graduate, had eagerly brought for his Seoul expansion was none other than the chief of the investigation division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
He was the highest-ranking person among those Moon’s connections could reach.
He was a senior with whom Moon had been quite close during school.
Though the senior had refused several times,
Moon had pleaded and begged until he barely managed to arrange the meeting.
“By the way, what’s the reason you wanted to see me?”
“The food here is quite good. Let’s talk while we eat.”
“I’d like to hear it before I eat. If it’s an uncomfortable story, the food won’t go down, will it?”
“It is a story that will also help you, Chief.”
“Whether it helps me or not, I’ll have to hear it first. What is it?”
“We are planning to advance into Seoul.”
“Seoul? Why Seoul? Surely not because of the partner selection on the Philippine side?”
“That’s correct. We have to take a shot at this opportunity too.”
“It won’t be easy. Many organizations are eyeing it from all over.”
“I know. But it’s not like we’re small enough to just sit here sucking our thumbs, is it?”
“If that’s what this is about, it doesn’t seem like you’d need my help or permission. It doesn’t help me either.”
“What I wish to request comes after that.”
“After that?”
“Soon, a storm of blood will sweep through Seoul.”
“We’re preparing for that too.”
“That’s why. Please don’t do anything and just wait.”
“What?”
“If you stop those rushing in to fight, they’ll just fight again later. On a larger scale. So if you just leave them be, we’ll sort it out among ourselves quietly and clean it up well.”
“Kehah. Ambitious plan. But will that work?”
“We have to make it work. I don’t know if you heard from Team Leader Moon Gangsu, but the areas we manage are rather quiet. An organization should play in the shadows; it shouldn’t step out into the light. We’ll handle it quietly so it doesn’t trouble you.”
“That’s music to my ears, but this isn’t some backwater in Jeolla-do. This is Seoul. Can you manage Seoul?”
“We have to make it so. We’ll handle it where it can’t be seen as much as possible. Wouldn’t it be easier for you too if it’s fought quickly and finished quickly?”
“That’s certainly true.”
“And once it’s settled, we’ll wrap up the ones you need to arrest all nicely. You just have to take them away as they are.”
“Hahahaha. You want me to believe this? Does the Daehoon Faction have that kind of ability?”
“We’ve prepared a great deal as well. When the Daehoon Faction enters Seoul and grows, we won’t forget your kindness, Chief.”
The investigation chief organized his thoughts for a moment.
From the chief’s standpoint, there was nothing to lose.
After all, gangster fights were something that couldn’t be stopped anyway.
There was no organization that could refuse a matter worth 50 billion won falling into their laps each year.
The fight was as obvious as daylight.
The problem was how to control it.
And Seo Daehun was offering to take care of that instead.
Let those who want to fight, fight; stop those who need to be stopped.
In exchange, he would make sure it wasn’t loud or messy.
On top of that, he said he would even nicely package the ones to be arrested.
“This seems like poison, but I can’t not drink it.”
“It’s not poison; it’s a tonic. I’ll turn it into a tonic for you.”
“You said Seo Daehun?”
“Yes. Thank you for remembering.”
“For now, I’ll watch. You’d better clean it up well.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Now I can finally eat comfortably.”
“The servers haven’t arrived yet. I’ll take my leave, so please enjoy your meal together. I’ve arranged for the ladies until the second round as well. Please take your time and enjoy.”
Seo Daehun, who had subtly signaled to Moon Gangsu sitting beside him,
respectfully bowed once more and carefully exited the room.
When he stepped out into the grass-covered yard, his body, which had been trembling with tension, finally calmed a bit.
He pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth.
Chik.
Someone beside him lit it.
It was Geunsu.
“Did the conversation go well?”
“For now.”
The reason Daehun had asked the police investigation chief to delay police intervention was singular.
He needed to grow the fight.
By growing the fight, making them bleed profusely, and creating feelings of resentment, it would be easier for Daehun to occupy Seoul.
On top of that, he needed to plant the image that even if they fought, the police wouldn’t intervene.
No matter how much you fight, the police won’t come.
So fight with ease.
Fight to the finish.
He had to plant that feeling.
Only then would the fight intensify.
When the fight intensified, the damage would grow.
Now that the outreach was done, he just had to spread rumors.
The rumor of the Philippine Godfather’s arrival had already spread completely.
It had become fact, not rumor.
‘Several organizations are negotiating to become partners.’
‘Some organization is thinking of going at it alone.’
‘Some organizations are said to have formed an alliance.’
‘Organization A is going to hit B.’
He just had to spread such rumors.
Already, organization members were wandering bars, spreading these stories like trivial jokes among themselves.
The ladies working there, the waiters, would hear these stories and spread them here and there.
Stories passed from mouth to mouth would become exaggerated and grow larger,
and perhaps anxiety would arise that someone might strike one’s own organization.
50 billion won a year.
With 50 billion won, one could do anything.
When unexplained silence grew long, fear swelled,
and swollen fear drove people to irrational actions.
Rather than sitting still and waiting, they might launch an attack first.
We wait for that time.
Now we only have to wait.
********
Special Exhibition.
Perhaps because publicity had been strengthened, the basement of Emerald Hotel, where the special exhibition’s opening ceremony was being held, was packed with people as well.
Key political and business figures from Bohol attended, and even the Governor of Bohol was present.
For a merchandise exhibition held at a mere hotel, the attendees were tremendous.
“Governor, thank you for attending.”
“Of course I had to come. Thanks to Alex, my prestige has risen greatly. Thank you.”
“Not at all. That’s all because you’ve done so well, Governor.”
“What have I done well? It’s because there are people like you who help, President.”
“You flatter me.”
“Ah. And thank you for the last election. I meant to thank you in person, but it’s only happening now.”
“Why mention such a thing? You must remain in office for a long time. Only then can our Bohol develop, can’t it?”
“Hahahahaha. Is that so?”
“That is what I think.”
“By the way, the works being made into merchandise are truly excellent. I saw the samples, and they were superb.”
“Thank you. We took great care with them.”
“I hope the goods industry does well. Only if that does well can the goods business in Bohol flourish more, isn’t that right?”
“That is correct. That is why we are trying to make the goods using items produced in Bohol as much as possible.”
“That is truly a good idea. By the way, I didn’t know there was such a space down here.”
“It was originally supposed to be for a casino, apparently. Since we don’t run a casino, we left it empty.”
“But I’m curious, why doesn’t Emerald Resort enter the casino business?”
“Do you think I don’t do it because I don’t want to? We have to get a license from PAGCOR, but they flat-out said they have no plans to issue one. And our hotel rating and requirements are too borderline as well. So for now, we’ve half-given up on it.”
“Is that so? Hmm… I think I might be able to help with that part.”
“Pardon? Is that true?”
“It would be too much of a waste to let such a magnificent place rot, wouldn’t it? Hahaha.”
.
.
.
“Nice to meet you. I am Patrick, the mayor of Zamboanga.”
Patrick had come to the exhibition as well.
It was the first time I’d seen Patrick carrying out his mayoral duties in Zamboanga.
I had returned to Bohol after only confirming his election win.
Patrick, seen after three or four months, was quite politician-like.
With two or three aides behind him, he looked all the more like a politician.
“Mayor. Thank you for attending.”
“Thank you for inviting me. It seems like an exhibition from which Zamboanga has much to learn.”
What invitation.
When did I ever invite you.
I just left you alone so you could do your best in your role as mayor.
I have never invited you.
“Hahaha. I’m glad it was helpful. If you need anything, we will actively participate in the work being done in Zamboanga as well.”
“That is welcome news. Then might we speak for a moment?”
Patrick spoke while looking at me, seemingly bothered by the aides behind him.
In fact, except for key related parties, no one knew that I had poured in a lot of money to help with the election.
To the aides, I must look like just some hotel president.
Patrick seemed bothered by those aides.
Then I had to play along.
“There is a conference room over there; would that be all right?”
“Yes. As long as we can talk quietly, that is sufficient.”
We moved to the conference room.
When the aides tried to follow in, Patrick firmly refused.
“Wait outside. I’ll speak with the President first, and once a general outline comes out, we can discuss the details then.”
“Yes….”
Once the conference room door closed and the room was completely cut off from the outside, only then did Patrick politely greet me.
“President. I apologize for my rudeness.”
“What rudeness. Sit.”
“These guys tagging along as aides keep interfering in this and that; I’m going crazy from annoyance. They can’t do a damn thing.”
“Patrick, you’re just too competent. If you look at the world with your standards, the world seems like a hard place.”
“The guys working here are better than them.”
“Why not just replace them?”
“I’ve already replaced them several times. But they’re all the same. How did you build such a kingdom with these kinds of people, President? No matter how many times I think about it, it is astonishing.”
“You did it all. I did nothing.”
“That is not true. I only did as you ordered, President.”
“No. It’s because you did well. By the way, was there a reason you wanted to see me separately?”
“Of course there is.”
“What is it?”
“Start a construction company.”
“A construction company? Ugh, no thanks.”
“If you start a construction company…”
“No. Not now. Right now there’s no money, there are many things requiring money here and there, and above all, there’s no one to take charge of it.”
“If that is the concern, you need not worry about it.”
“What?”
“I’ll take care of all the trivial details. You just need to buy a decent construction company.”
“I told you there’s no money.”
“The city will act as guarantor, and you can take out a loan. A bank director is practically in the palm of our hand; what is there to worry about? You just need to add one more construction company.”
“But why a construction company all of a sudden?”
“Ha ha. Am I not the representative of Akbayan ng Katarungan, the party created for this election? Last time, the major governors and mayors gathered to discuss development projects in the Mindanao region. From infrastructure projects to housing reconstruction and tourism, there was so much to do. These are projects where money won’t just flow—it’ll overflow. But should we really hand projects like that over to other people? And if you own a construction company, Boss, you’ll have plenty of uses for it in all sorts of ways.”
“Still, a construction company is too big…”
“I’ll handle everything. So, Boss, you can simply think of it as having acquired a construction company. For the details, I can contact Anna, right?”
“Yeah. Right now, Anna’s the only one who can handle that.”
“And couldn’t we put Manager Kang Jaeho in as the president?”
“Manager Kang Jaeho is highly capable, but I don’t know if he’ll be able to adapt to the environment in the Philippines.”
“When I saw him during the interior construction at Emerald Resort last time, his charisma was no joke. If you give him the job, he’ll do well.”
“Is it really okay to just sit here and decide to buy a construction company in a snap like this?”
“That’s the position you’re in now, Boss. A position where anything can be done with a single click.”
.
.
.
“Boss, you really must be a totem. Hee hee hee, I’m so happy.”
“What? What are you so happy about?”
At the news that we might be able to proceed with both the casino and the construction company at the same time, Anna looked positively excited.
It meant more work for her, so I didn’t understand why she was happy.
“Both of them. The casino and the construction company. They’re both businesses optimized for money laundering and creating slush funds. Other people can’t get their hands on these even if they want to, but people are just coming to you and handing them over, Boss.”
We were suddenly getting two huge businesses at once, and she wasn’t worried?
I was worried as hell.
“But are those two really that good?”
“Of course. They’re the absolute best. Shall I use the casino as an example?”
“The casino?”
“If you have a casino, raking in money is a given, and it also raises the hotel’s grade, but more than anything, money laundering becomes so, so easy. You can solve everything with the casino’s trump card: ‘gaming revenue.’”
“Gaming revenue?”
“Now. Let’s say you played at the casino and won money. About four million pesos, a hundred million won. Would the casino give you that in cash?”
“Wouldn’t they give it in cash?”
“What if the amount were bigger?”
“Huh?”
“What if it were forty million pesos, a billion won? Would they give that in cash too?”
“That would be a bit difficult. The casino needs to keep cash on hand, and they’d have to consider the safety of a customer carrying that much money around.”
“That’s why casinos cash out customers’ winnings in various ways. They give checks, make cards for them, or issue certificates that can be converted to cash at the casino anytime. And the best among them is a bank transfer.”
“A bank transfer?”
“Yes. Let’s apply a different situation. Boss, you have forty million pesos—one billion won—in illegal funds. At a time like that, you come to the casino.”
“And then?”
“You convert all of it into chips, play a bit, and then simply ask them to deposit it back into your account. Then that becomes money you received from the casino. Whether you lost money or won money isn’t what matters. What matters is that the money now has a source.”
“Ah—since it was deposited under the casino’s name, the source is clear.”
“Yes. It’s easy to prove the source. You won it at a casino. What’s the problem?”
“That really is good.”
“Of course, it’s an easy method, so the AMLC—the Anti-Money Laundering Council of the Philippines—and the BSP—the Central Bank of the Philippines—will be watching with their eyes wide open, but I can get around that much easily enough. So you absolutely have to do it. If this works, not only will the scale of our funds grow, but small amounts of money can be handled directly through the casino itself.”
“I see.”
“Should I tell you about the construction company too?”
“No. It’s fine. But is that one creative too?”
“It’s no joke. You’ve seen that kind of thing before, right?”
“What?”
“Design changes.”
“Design changes?”
“For example, let’s say Bohol City builds a road. The construction cost is about four hundred million pesos, ten billion won. They start construction. But then they find bedrock in the ground, or the ground is too soft to build a road on. Then they have to change the design. And as they do, the construction cost rises exponentially. Two times, three times. Management and supervision? You think that bastard doesn’t take bribes? You just go around him a little, and inflate the construction cost several times over. Extend the construction period and skim labor costs too.”
“Wow~~ That’s really innovative.”
“You brought in not one but two honey pots like this, Boss. So would I be happy? Or would I not be happy?”
“But I don’t need a slush fund…”
“It’s not that you need one, Boss. It’s just necessary. When you run a business, you end up needing an enormous amount of money that can’t be recorded in the books. Until now, you’ve been covering all of that with your own money. Don’t do that anymore. I’ll prepare the money for you. Use that.”
“No, I—”
“Just take what you’re given.”
As if she had gotten a toy she liked.
As if she had gotten a brand-new bag she had wanted.
That was how happy she looked.
But the degree of that happiness was a bit extreme.
Her eyes were gleaming madly.
For the first time, Anna scared me.
They were eyes that looked like she would kill me if I said we couldn’t do the casino and construction company.
Even if Anna was terrifying, it seemed I had no choice but to do the casino and the construction company.
And just like that, the number of business sites increased again.