Candy Tour

Bohol, Philippines. I was currently at the Bahala Na office.

"Here are the bags you asked for," Sandro said, pushing four bags toward me.

"Thanks. Here." I pulled ten thousand dollars out of my pocket and handed it to him.

"Come on, you don't have to keep giving me this. It's really nothing, but to do this every single time... Man, I appreciate it. I'll put it to good use."

"By the way, Sandro."

"Yeah?"

"What's the tourism industry like around here?"

The interrogation I had undergone at Incheon International Airport was still weighing heavily on my mind. If I didn't come up with a solid countermeasure, they would keep a close eye on me. If I couldn't justify my travel purposes and source of funds, I could be investigated again at any moment or even slapped with a travel ban. I needed a way out. A foolproof method to travel back and forth without raising suspicion.

During the interrogation, in my haste, I had blurted out that I was planning to start a travel agency. I had suddenly recalled a YouTube video I watched once about a solo travel agency. The creator kept complaining about how they were always in the red and how difficult it was, warning viewers never to start a travel agency just because they liked traveling. I had no idea why that of all things had popped into my head, but at the time, a travel agency seemed like the perfect excuse.

It was a profession that would allow me to travel abroad freely without raising eyebrows. Even if I ventured into remote, dangerous areas, I could easily write it off as "product development." A travel YouTuber was another option, but I figured they might ask to see my channel or raw footage. So, I settled on a travel agency.

But as I mulled it over on the flight back, a travel agency actually didn't sound like a bad idea. The Philippines was already a booming tourist destination, and there was genuinely a lot to see. Labor was cheap, and the infrastructure wasn't terrible. If I packaged things right, I could create some decent tour programs.

In other words, I was now seriously considering starting a travel agency. I needed to look around for good products to offer.

"Tourism? Tourism is great. The number of visitors to Bohol increases every year. Resorts and hotels are guaranteed goldmines, and restaurants, cafes, bars, or clubs do incredibly well too. Honestly, you can't go wrong with whatever you choose."

"What about the tour routes?"

"The routes are nothing special. They're all set in stone. It's the same for everyone. The only difference is how many spots you decide to skip."

"Are there no other decent spots outside of those?"

"Of course there are. Too many, in fact."

"Then why haven't they been developed?"

"What other reason could there be? They're hard to get to. Either cars can't access them, they're too far, or the destination itself is too underwhelming compared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the effort it takes to get there."

"In that case, Sandro, have your guys find those places and take photos and videos. And if the land is up for sale, find out how much it costs."

"You can just walk in for free. Why do you want to buy the land?"

"If there's a truly spectacular spot, we buy it and monopolize it. If we have a destination that only our agency can access, wouldn't our tour package be much more attractive? Or we could lease it to other travel agencies for a fee."

"Huh, that actually makes sense."

"So, send your boys out to scout for places like that. Have them check how long it takes to get there, if it's accessible by car, what there is to see, and take photos."

I handed him another ten thousand dollars.

"For the boys' gas and meals. You know how it is, right?"

"Of course I do. Man, ever since I met you, everything's been coming up roses. Hahaha!" Sandro laughed slyly.

"If this goes well, things will get even better."

"Really? But is there actually money in this? Seems like small change to me. Are you seriously going into tourism?"

"We won't know until we try. Think long-term. Look at the big picture."

"Alright, I'll start looking."

"And don't go spreading weird rumors."

"Got it."

"See you next time, then."

I grabbed the four bags and headed straight to the airport. This time, I didn't use my real passport. I used a forged Philippine passport instead. The name written on it was Alex.

Thump, thump. My heart hammered against my ribs as I approached immigration. Fear clawed at me, whispering that I might get caught. My palms grew slick with sweat, making the passport in my hand feel damp.

If a forged passport was detected, it meant immediate prison time. Instant arrest, criminal prosecution, serving a sentence, and then deportation back to South Korea. After that, I would be blacklisted, barred from entering countless countries, making any future international travel nearly impossible.

But I couldn't keep using my real passport either. South Korean authorities were already monitoring my travel history closely. I had told them I was going to the Philippines but wouldn't visit Hong Kong or Macau. I couldn't risk showing up on their radar with trips to Hong Kong and Macau again. Sandro had assured me it was a top-tier forgery and not to worry, but the anxiety was unavoidable.

I waited in line, and soon, my turn arrived. I handed the crisp passport along with my ticket to the immigration officer.

The officer glanced up at me briefly before examining the passport. The brief moments he spent checking it felt like an eternity. Is this why they say you shouldn't live a life of crime? I maintained a relaxed, nonchalant expression, but my heart was beating so loudly I was convinced he could hear it. Thump, thump, thump.

But then, the officer handed the passport back to me with a polite smile. I took it with a light nod and offered a brief word of thanks.

"Thank you."

I returned to the Philippines. The passport had worked flawlessly. But why? It's not like anyone looking at my face would mistake me for a local Filipino. Strange.

I had stayed in Hong Kong for two days. Since I had delivered the packages immediately upon arrival, I had nothing else to do. I spent my time walking along the Avenue of Stars and riding tour buses around the city. And then, it was back to the Philippines.

Sandro, meanwhile, had been busy. He had prepared quite a lot in that short window.

"I asked the local kids if they knew any good spots, and they came up with a ton of them," Sandro said, showing me a few photos. Even at a glance, the locations were breathtaking. The photos were terribly shot, yet the raw beauty of the landscapes still managed to shine through. If they look this good in terrible photos, how stunning must they be in person? I wondered.

"Sandro, the more I think about it, the more I realize we need to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠establish a company. Do you know anyone who's good with legal stuff and paperwork?"

"I'm sure there's someone. It won't take long to find one."

"Great. Find someone like that for me."

"Will do."

"Alright, I'll head back to Korea, get things ready on my end, and come back."

"Sure."

Back in Korea, I went looking for an office space. I was going to start a travel agency. To get a travel agency license, having a physical office was mandatory. A lease agreement was an absolute requirement. Even for a one-man agency, an office was necessary.

Besides, I had no intention of running a solo operation. I was going to hire staff. Although the primary reason for starting the agency was to cover up my frequent overseas trips, I couldn't just set up a paper company and do absolutely nothing. That would look even more suspicious.

I needed actual tour packages and real customers. I had to run a legitimate business. What if I lost a little money? I could easily make it back through my smuggling deliveries. I would run a proper office, design tour programs, and recruit travelers. I was going to operate a real travel agency. I was going to be a CEO.

I found an office near my goshiwon. I leased the second floor of a three-story building. It was about a thousand square feet. The price was twenty million won for the deposit and one million won a month for rent. The realtor told me prices had dropped recently due to a high vacancy rate.

When I first visited the office with the realtor, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the building's shabby exterior, the interior was beautifully decorated. As it turned out, the previous tenant had been an interior design firm that had recently gone out of business.

Since interior design firms frequently hosted clients for meetings, a high-end interior was a necessity for them. After all, how could you convince a client you'd do a great job on their place if your own office looked like a disaster?

And that gorgeous interior became mine for a mere five million won. Desks and chairs included.

Interior design costs a fortune to install, but it's worth absolutely nothing when you leave. You can't tear it down and take it with you. In fact, dismantling it costs even more money. If it were a restaurant or a cafe, you could pass the facilities and equipment to the next tenant of the same trade and charge a premium. But for offices, that was rarely the case.

If the landlord demanded the space be restored to its original state, the tenant would have to swallow their tears, spend their own money to tear down the beautiful interior they had paid to build, and restore the place to a bare concrete shell before leaving.

The owner of the design firm had told me with a bitter smile to just use it as is, but I couldn't bring myself to do that. I told him I couldn't offer much, but I'd give him five million won. In exchange, I asked to keep the desks and chairs. He told me he had planned to sell them to a secondhand dealer anyway, but had been upset because the dealer tried to lowball him despite the furniture being high-quality. He squeezed my hand tightly, saying he was glad he could sell them to me instead.

The office featured a luxurious wood-toned interior, complete with a private CEO office, a conference room, a pantry, and even a private restroom. The layout was perfect. Now, all I needed to do was hire staff.

"Ms. Jang Yun-mi?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for coming in for the interview."

"Not at all. Your office is very beautiful," Jang Yun-mi said, looking around the room.

"Ahem... Thank you. I see you have a lot of experience working in travel agencies."

"Yes, I've worked in the travel industry for fourteen years."

"That's a long time."

"Yes. I genuinely enjoyed the work."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"May I ask why you left your last job?"

"I took maternity leave, but around the time I was supposed to return, my baby kept getting sick and needed frequent hospital visits. I couldn't make it back, so I ended up resigning."

"Is your child doing better now?"

"Yes, she's perfectly healthy and doing great now."

"That's a relief. What were your primary responsibilities during your time at the travel agencies?"

"Over my fourteen years across three different agencies, I've handled almost every aspect of the business. From product planning, marketing, and customer recruitment to operations, management, and customer service. Whatever you need me to do, I can handle it."

"To be completely honest with you, I have zero experience in this industry. I'm starting this business solely because I have a solid tour product in mind. Will you be able to help me?"

"In that case, I think I can be of great help to you."

"You might have to work alone for the time being. Will that be alright?"

"That actually sounds much more comfortable for me."

"We need to get the official travel agency license first. Is that something you can handle?"

"Of course. It's well within my capabilities."

The registration certificate was officially issued. I had definitely hit the jackpot with my first hire. Jang Yun-mi really did handle everything on her own. Her claim of having done it all wasn't an exaggeration. Armed with nothing but the rough, bare-bones plan I had given her, she drafted the paperwork and secured the registration certificate in the blink of an eye. I had heard the process was notoriously difficult, but she pulled it off on her very first try.

Not only that, but she had also established a fully functioning system in our otherwise empty office. She told me that once I went to the Philippines and finalized the tour packages, she could immediately register them and start recruiting customers. Everything was ready.

Bohol, Philippines.

"Look at this. We've scouted this many places while you were gone," Sandro said, handing me a tablet. It wasn't just a collection of raw photos. They had been neatly arranged into a PowerPoint presentation. Sandro put this together? Unbelievable.

"Oh? How did you manage to make this?"

"Well... we hired a new guy. You told me to find someone who's good with paperwork, remember? I brought in a decent fellow, and he put this whole thing together."

"Really? Bring him in."

A moment later, a slight, short man who looked to be in his early thirties walked into the room.

"Hello, sir. My name is Patrick."

"Nice to meet you, Patrick. You made this?"

"Yes, sir. I formatted it to make it easier for you to review."

"Thank you. It looks great. So, Patrick, in your opinion, are there any spots in here that stand out?"

"Yes, sir. A few caught my eye."

"Care to share?"

"These two waterfalls are quite promising, and this valley is spacious and beautiful. The access road is also in good condition."

"Anything else?"

"This area requires a bit of a hike, but it's teeming with fireflies. It will be absolutely magical at night."

"Hmm..." I listened quietly to Patrick's suggestions. They weren't bad, but they weren't unique either. Most tours around here followed this exact formula. There was no hook, nothing to set them apart. These were the kinds of attractions that practically every tourist spot in Bohol already offered. I needed something distinct.

"Are there no other places?"

"There are, but they're too far from Alona Beach. I excluded them because the travel time back and forth would be too exhausting for a day trip."

"What's over there?"

"There's actually a lot more to see. There are caves, a place called Emerald Canyon where water flows between steep cliffs, and Lumina Lake, which literally glows at night."

Perfect. It sounded amazing, but visiting all of that in a single day was impossible. Bohol was much larger than people realized. Just then, a sudden spark of inspiration flashed through my mind.

"Is it possible to camp out there?"

"Camping, sir?"

"Yeah. Pitching tents, cooking meals, and sleeping under the stars."

"I'm not sure why anyone would want to go through the discomfort of camping, but there's no reason we couldn't."

"Then let's design an itinerary around that."

"A camping tour?"

"Yes. The only reason we can't visit those amazing spots is because we're trying to force a same-day return to Alona Beach. Camping solves that problem instantly. And camping right next to Lumina Lake? That sounds incredible."

"Do you think people would like that?"

"Of course they would. Let's go. We're going to buy that land."

Of course, we couldn't buy it immediately. I wanted to purchase the land under a corporate name rather than my own. But we didn't have a local company yet. Establishing the business had to come first. With Patrick's assistance, we incorporated. I named the local branch Candy Tour as well. Now that the preparations were complete, it was time to go buy some land.