When I returned to the Philippines, Edward, CEO Gang Jaeho, and Simon had gathered and were waiting for me.
To hold a meeting about expanding the factory.
“But we’re expanding the factory already?”
Edward asked as soon as I walked in.
He seemed to have a hard time understanding the situation.
“I know. I guess you made the medicine too well, Edward. The response is hot. We need to prepare in advance.”
“No, but still. How long has it even been since we built the factory, and we’re already expanding it? The current factory was built pretty big, too.”
“What can we do? Production can’t keep up.”
“How much? How much do we need to expand?”
“I think it needs to be ten times what it is now.”
“T-Ten times?”
“To be honest, I feel like even that might be a little short, but there’s no helping it. If we expand by ten times, there won’t be any problems with production, right?”
Edward seemed slightly shocked by the words “ten times.”
Ascend was made by mixing a bit of medicine into the raw ingredients used to make candy.
The candy was produced automatically, but the core ingredient—the medicine—was handmade by Edward.
In other words, the amount Edward had to make every day would increase tenfold.
“We’ll have to automate part of it. That seems like the only way we can make that much. It’ll be hard with the kind of manual work we’re doing now.”
“Can it be automated?”
“We’ll have to try. Looking at the principle behind how the candy is made, I think it might be possible.”
“That’s good.”
I called CEO Gang, who was right beside me.
“CEO Gang.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can you put up the factory right away? I heard you’ve been incredibly busy these days.”
“We have to. Isn’t putting up the factory our top priority? I’ll deploy equipment immediately.”
“Is that all right? I don’t want to mess up your schedule because of me.”
“Mayor Patrick has been pushing a huge amount of work our way, so we do have a lot piled up, but that’s something I have to handle. For now, prioritizing the factory is the right thing to do.”
“Really? How much work do you have piled up?”
“About three years’ worth? Mayor Patrick says he’ll give us even more, but we can’t take on any more.”
“Hmm… Why can’t you take more?”
“We’re short on specialists to carry out the projects. We don’t have enough design and construction managers, on-site technicians, and we’re also very short on equipment.”
“If you had those, it’d be possible?”
“Of course. There’s plenty of work, and plenty of people willing to work.”
“Really? Hold on.”
I took out my phone and made a call.
When something comes to mind, I have to call right away.
Otherwise, I sometimes forget.
If I forget, Scott is supposed to take care of it, but Scott forgets right along with me.
“Daehoon. That construction company you mentioned last time. Let’s buy it.”
“I think even if we buy it and put it only into construction here in the Philippines, it wouldn’t be bad.”
“You said they have a lot of veteran technicians there, right? And a lot of equipment.”
“Would they come all the way to the Philippines? If we pay them, wouldn’t they come? I feel like some people might actually like it.”
“There’s work everywhere here. If we need to, we can create more.”
“Unit price? We can work that out.”
“There are plenty of ways to make money even if it’s not through construction fees.”
“Yeah. Check it out and call me back.”
“I’ve talked to Daehoon about it. If Daehoon buys the construction company, how about joining up with them and knocking out more projects?”
“That’s an excellent idea. I’ll prepare for it.”
“Then that side is settled… And Simon.”
“What?”
“I think I need to tell you something I’m sorry about.”
“Something you’re sorry about? Building the factory? Why would that make you sorry?”
“It might be very different from what you have in mind, Simon. If the factory becomes ten times larger, things will change a lot compared to now. Starting with the vehicles coming in to build the factory, then once it’s built, the vehicles bringing in materials, the trucks carrying out finished products, the people coming to work. Countless people you don’t know will be coming in and out of Darapanan. It means this place won’t have the same fortress-like feeling it has now. If that makes you uncomfortable, I’m willing to move the factory somewhere else.”
“Hahahahaha. Is our boss worrying about me?”
“You’re the king of Darapanan, Simon.”
“Wahahaha. That feels nice. But didn’t you hear from Patrick?”
“Patrick? No, I’ve been busy lately, so I haven’t seen him.”
“He said he’d report to you directly, but I guess he hasn’t told you yet. You can hear the details from Patrick, and I’ll just say it simply. Apparently, the population of Mindanao as a whole is increasing a lot right now.”
“Really? Why is the population increasing?”
“You know the things we did after taking control of Mindanao. Starting with the mines, we created jobs on farms and brought them into the open. Thanks to that, a huge number of jobs were created.”
“We did.”
“I guess after hearing those rumors, people started flooding in from all over. The employment rate in the Philippines is very bad right now. Even this much becomes a very good job. It seems there aren’t many places that provide insurance and pay regular salaries.”
“Is that so?”
“With people gathering here, a lot of things have already changed. First of all, people need places to live, right? Since they need to eat, there are restaurants, bars, pharmacies, convenience stores, marts, beauty salons, banks, phone dealerships, billiard halls, and so on. So many things have appeared. And since so many people have to live here, the roads and infrastructure need to change, too. That’s the kind of thing Patrick is doing right now… Anyway, what I wanted to say is that change has already begun. I’m saying neither I nor we can keep hiding here in Darapanan forever.”
“Ah…”
“What’s with that reaction? You’re the one who created this change.”
“Did I? You and Patrick did it, Simon.”
“What did I do? I just did everything our boss told me to do.”
“No. You did it. Anyone can come up with ideas, but carrying them out is a different matter. If you hadn’t been ambitious and hadn’t taken care of the people, this result wouldn’t have happened.”
“I don’t know about that. If I hadn’t done what you told me, you would’ve killed me.”
“Pfft. That’s a misunderstanding, Simon. No. I wouldn’t have killed you.”
“You wouldn’t have killed me. You would’ve thrown me into suffering worse than death. Because that’s the kind of guy you are. I don’t understand why people like such a cruel bastard. Of course, I like you too.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’ve never done that. There’s only one rule: ‘Take care of our people, and don’t care about the other side.’ That’s all. The problem is they keep messing with us.”
“That’s true. No one who’s messed with us has ended up well, so I don’t know why they keep doing it. And contact Patrick more often.”
“Why? Is something going on?”
“What do you mean, why? He wants to give you a report on municipal affairs.”
“He’s the mayor. He can handle it himself. Why would he report to me?”
“That’s Patrick’s joy. Getting praised by you.”
“Crazy bastard…”
*****
The meeting about the factory expansion ended.
Now we just had to put up the factory and bring in the machines.
When we first built the factory, no one knew how to make it, so they gathered every day, changed the blueprints, arranged the machines, and checked the workflow. This time, perhaps because it was their second time, they seemed much more relaxed.
I figured I could leave this place to them.
I was about to return to Bohol when I saw someone I didn’t recognize.
With a relaxed expression, he was strolling around Darapanan as if he owned the place.
He swaggered about as though he were something special.
The sight was extremely unpleasant.
I asked Simon.
“Who is that?”
“Ah, you’ve never seen him. The man we rescued from the New People’s Army last time. Sin Junggi, was it? That guy.”
“Then why is he still here?”
“Because Korea won’t take him back. They asked us where the data was, and when we said we didn’t know, they haven’t contacted us since.”
“Seriously? Those crazy bastards. They abandoned him?”
“Seems that way.”
“Then what are you going to do with that bastard?”
“Whatever you tell me to do?”
“Hmm. I need to talk to him for a moment.”
A little while later.
In a small office, Sin Junggi and I sat facing each other.
“Hello? This is our first time meeting, right?”
“…”
Sin Junggi glared at me without saying a word.
“Relax your eyes. Ugh, you’re so scary I can’t even talk.”
“I still won’t give you the data.”
Sin Junggi brought up the data first.
He had lost the data, but he couldn’t obediently say here that he didn’t have it.
If he did, even the modest life he had been enjoying here would vanish.
His life would become hardcore in an instant.
No matter what happened, Sin Junggi had to make the man in front of him believe that he had the data.
He had to make him grovel before him in order to obtain it.
That was what he thought.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re doing this because you want the data, aren’t you? Did you think I wouldn’t notice that much?”
“Ah, you mean that data you stole.”
“What do you mean, stole? I made it. So of course it’s mine.”
“Bullshit. You’re just insisting that something several people worked on together was done by you.”
“Think whatever you want. I still won’t give you the data.”
“This is why I hate talking to psychopaths. Fuck, the whole damn world revolves around them.”
“What? Psychopath?”
“Do you think I’m sitting here knowing nothing? Sin Junggi. After killing a Chinese agent in Korea, you stole data from Project Mangwol at the ADD and tried to sell it to China, got caught, got beaten, and are now lying low. Isn’t that right?”
“You son of a bitch!”
“Even if you’re a psychopath, shouldn’t you have some shame? We brought you in when you were about to die, saved you, treated you, put you up, fed you, and even protected you. You should be bowing morning and night, thanking us, and it still wouldn’t be enough. But you eat the food we bring you, sleep, wander around, play on your phone, then eat again. Fuck, are you on vacation? Did you come for a hotel staycation?”
“Don’t worry. When I sell the data later, I’ll pay it all back. So don’t worry, you bastard.”
“Really? That’s a relief, at least. Our lodging fees are a bit expensive, you see. Then I’d like to settle part of the bill now.”
“Settle part of it?”
“What do I have to trust you enough to let you stay long-term? Who knows when you’ll sell the data? Even the Korean government has given up on you, so if you disappear, there’ll be no one for me to collect the money from.”
“What? The Korean government gave up on me?”
“Yeah. I contacted them and told them to come get you, but they said they wouldn’t. Haven’t been able to reach them since.”
“Those sons of… Don’t worry. I have the data. Once I sell that, I’ll give you more than enough to cover the hotel bill.”
“I don’t care whether you sell data or sell your organs. I just want to get paid right here, right now. Isn’t that simple?”
“What if I can’t pay?”
“Then you’ll have to check out.”
“You don’t want the data? It’s data from Project Mangwol.”
Sin Junggi was trying to use the data as his final card until the very end.
But that didn’t seem to work at all on the man in front of him.
“Whether it’s Mangwol, Mangwolsa, or Mangbuseok, I don’t need it. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t want to know.”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“Pay up or get out. The choice is yours. Normally checkout is at eleven, but I’ll apply late checkout for you and let you leave by eighteen hundred.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. How am I supposed to come up with money now? Then you should’ve told me in advance.”
“I thought you were staying quietly cooped up somewhere. I didn’t know you were strutting around like you were something important.”
“Huh?”
“I did say to treat you well because it wouldn’t be good if your condition was bad when I handed you over to Korea, but I didn’t say to worship you like a king. I guess there was a slight communication error. Now that I know, I have to correct it. So get the hell out already, you bastard.”
“I told you, I have the data.”
“I said handle that yourself. How many times do I have to say it? If you sell the data for a high price later, send me some Hanwoo beef or something. You should at least have that much decency, right?”
“…”
“If you don’t move your things out by tonight, your body might leave in pieces. I’ve had a lot of tiring things going on lately, so I absolutely hate repeating myself. Especially wasting time on bastards like you who don’t listen. So go while you can still walk out on your own two feet. This is my last act of goodwill.”
Sin Junggi organized the situation in his head.
This man truly had no interest in the data.
He had no interest whatsoever in what the data was or where it was hidden.
He had to abandon the idea of holding out somehow by using the data as bait.
Erase the data from the equation.
Then did he have to leave this place?
If he left this place now, what could Sin Junggi do? He thought about it.
If he left, he would truly be at a loss.
He had no money, and he couldn’t use his passport.
Sin Junggi was wanted for murder and industrial espionage.
Interpol had issued a red notice for him.
The moment he used his passport, card, or withdrew cash, they would have him by the tail.
If he was caught, he’d be dragged off to the NIS, interrogated relentlessly, and then locked up in prison.
Murder, plus industrial espionage.
Would he get life without parole or something?
He really did not want to go to prison.
This was the worst.
A routine was forming in a direction Sin Junggi did not want.
That, at least, he wanted to stop.
Then what about this place?
The facilities were poor, but it was livable enough.
At first, it had seemed like a complete mess, but once he actually stayed here, it had its own order and rules.
To Sin Junggi, who was obsessed with routine, this life felt ambiguous.
Rules that seemed to exist and not exist at the same time made him both uncomfortable and at ease.
Could he stay here?
Sin Junggi was a high-level talent who received scouting offers from all over the place.
If he said he would stay here, wouldn’t they be so grateful they’d bow to him?
Having made up his mind, Sin Junggi spoke.
“Fine. Then I’ll stay here and work. That’s enough, right? I’ll take just a hundred million for my annual salary. Okay? I’m really being considerate here.”
“What the hell are you talking about? What did you think I’ve been saying all this time? Get lost. Leave. Go out there and pursue your dreams. Go kill people and steal more data and live in luxury. Seriously, you have to hand it to these psychopath bastards for never listening.”
The man turned around and shouted.
“Scott. Throw this bastard out.”
“Yes, sir.”
******
Zhou Qiming, Minister of State Security of the MSS, was looking at the Ascend in his hand.
A candy in colorful wrapping.
So this is it?
What is this, that Chairman Li Guocheng would pay so much attention to it?
Zhou Qiming still vividly remembered what had happened in the chairman’s office that day.
Chairman Li Guocheng had handed him a packet of candy.
“Look into this.”
“May I ask what this is?”
“I don’t know very well myself. But I have a feeling that it may be something our China absolutely needs, so I’m asking you to investigate.”
“Understood. Then I’ll begin the investigation immediately.”
“As quickly as possible, please.”
“Yes, understood. Once we investigate and identify those involved, we’ll arrest and interrogate them at once.”
“What? No. You mustn’t do that. Leave them be.”
“Pardon?”
“It is not yet time to crack down on them. First, find out where this is made, how it is distributed, and what its ingredients are.”
“Yes, understood.”
And so Zhou Qiming had left the chairman’s office.
By deploying MSS agents, he had been able to obtain a few of the candies.
At fifty yuan apiece.
After fiddling with the wrapper for a long while, Zhou Qiming grew terribly curious about the candy.
What is this? Is it really something China absolutely needs?
He smelled it through the wrapper.
There did seem to be some kind of scent, but he couldn’t really sense anything.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Zhou Qiming tore open the candy’s wrapper.
He had no intention of eating it.
Zhou Qiming was not so reckless a man.
Just the smell.
He only meant to smell what kind of scent it had.
Sniff. Sniff. He took a light whiff.
A sweet fragrance mixed with a faint fruity scent arose.
It was the smell of an utterly ordinary candy.
This was something China absolutely needed?
He could not understand.
And yet, sniff, sniff, sniff.
He kept smelling it.
There was a strange pull to it.
Before he knew it, as if bewitched, Zhou Qiming had put the candy into his mouth.
As the sweet taste lingered on the tip of his tongue, an electrifying sensation pierced through his entire body.