A Special Tour

After finishing the call with Manager Jang Yun-mi in Seoul, I turned to Sandro, who was standing beside me.

"Sandro, you heard that, right? Don't take any tour reservations for that day."

"What's this about? Business is booming right now, and you're canceling tours for a whole day?"

"I have some people to invite."

Late at night.

Five of Candy Tour's luxury vans pulled up to the entrance of Bohol Panglao International Airport.

I stood in front of the arrivals gate, holding up a sign.

When a familiar face finally came into view, I waved warmly.

"Sister-in-law, over here!"

Though it had been a while, she greeted me with a bright smile.

"In-bae, it's been so long."

"Thank you for coming, sister-in-law. Welcome, Hojin. Mother, Father, thank you so much for making the long trip. It must have been exhausting."

"Exhausting? Not at all. You sent us business class tickets, so we traveled in absolute comfort. I've never had such a relaxing trip in my life, haha."

"Still, it's a long flight. Shall we head out? I've already booked the hotel."

We boarded the vans and headed toward the Amalaya Resort, widely known as the finest resort in Bohol.

It took about fifteen minutes to get there from the airport. Feeling the unique, humid warmth of Bohol, we arrived in no time.

"Here are your room keys. I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning. Please get some rest until then."

I had invited the families.

The families of our 2nd Company, the Okapi Sting.

Sergeant First Class Lee Won-jun's wife and his son, Hojin.

Captain Song Gyu-tae's wife.

Sergeant Oh Jae-beom's father and mother.

Sergeant First Class Kang Dong-cheol's father and mother.

Sergeant First Class Kwon Jong-o's mother, father, and older sister.

And Sergeant First Class Im Deok-su's wife and child.

Every single one of them had come.

Just seeing them all together made my chest swell with emotion.

To be honest, they were the very first people I had wanted to invite.

So I had told them. I'm working here now. I'd love for you to visit.

I had asked them multiple times, but they kept declining.

Don't worry about the expenses. I will prepare everything. Just bring yourselves, I insisted, but they still refused.

In the end, I had to resort to a bit of emotional blackmail: I started a business in the Philippines, and you won't even come to congratulate me? You said you thought of me as a son—was that all a lie?

Only then did they finally agree to come.

After a long period of coordination, we had finally managed to align everyone's schedules.

I was going to make this the greatest trip of their lives.

I had prepared the absolute best of everything—the food, the sights, and the activities.

We spent our days to the fullest.

We boarded a luxury yacht, headed out to sea, snorkeled, and went freediving.

We shopped along Alona Beach and dined on local Filipino cuisine.

We strolled through the gardens of the six-star Amalaya Resort and enjoyed the pristine beaches.

And then, we visited Emerald Canyon.

"Wow... Does a place like this actually exist in the real world?"

"Honey, this is absolutely breathtaking."

"In-bae, how on earth did you find a place like this?"

"This land belongs to you? How much did you pay for it?"

Passing through Emerald Canyon, we arrived at Lumina Lake.

"This place is truly mystical. It feels like we've stepped into a fantasy world."

"Right? It feels like a fairy might pop out at any moment."

"Exactly, exactly."

As we enjoyed a barbecue feast of meats and seafood, sipping on cold beer, the sky filled with a canopy of stars, and everyone's hearts began to open up.

"In-bae. Thank you. Thank you so much for inviting us."

"No, please don't say that. It's the least I could do. Whenever you want to visit, I'll have everything ready. Please come by anytime."

"Hahaha. In that case, maybe I should just move here?"

"I would love that. Shall I prepare a condo for you?"

"Oh my? Really?"

"In-bae, you've really grown quite smooth-tongued. When I first met you, I thought you were as stiff as a wooden board."

"That's true. I still remember when you first came to our house during your military leave. Back then, you had the stiff air of a raw recruit."

Those words seemed to trigger memories of that leave when I had visited their home.

And the person who had been there with us.

Even though he was no longer by our side, the memory of the one they couldn't bear to let go brought tears to their eyes.

It was then.

"In-bae. You were the one who left that money back then, weren't you?"

"Excuse me? Money? What money?"

"We know. We're asking because we already know."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I just wanted to say thank you. I don't know where that money came from, but I wanted to express my gratitude. We were in such a state of shock back then that we couldn't say it, but I'm glad I can finally tell you now. Thank you, In-bae."

"It was team funds. We just divided it up, so please don't lose any sleep over it."

"Didn't you just say you had no idea what money we were talking about?"

"Pardon? ...Ah... Right."

As the atmosphere grew mellow, Dong-cheol's father, who was slightly tipsy, spoke up.

"In-bae. I'm sorry to say this... but to be honest, I used to resent you. My son was dead, but seeing you doing so well... it made me so incredibly angry. I kept thinking that if my son were still alive, he would be living like that too, and it drove me mad. My wife told me not to be like that, reminding me how hard it must be for you too, but my heart just wouldn't listen."

"I never said it out loud, but I felt the same way," another parent confessed. "I wanted someone to blame. Even though I knew it wasn't your fault, I think I just wanted a scapegoat to vent my anger on. It was all due to my own weakness and shortcomings. I've wanted to apologize to you for a long time, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm so sorry, In-bae. I'm truly sorry."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't resent you either," said another. "Even though I knew you weren't even at the scene, that you were away on a dispatch mission... I still found myself looking for someone to blame. And that person was you. As an elder, I am deeply sorry."

"We're sorry. That's just how our hearts were. Our heads understood, but our hearts couldn't follow. It's shameful, but I'm glad we can finally apologize."

"What on earth are you people doing?!" Jae-beom's mother suddenly interjected, her voice rising. "He brings us all the way to the Philippines, feeds us, buys us drinks, and shows us all these wonderful sights, and you're telling him you hated him? Is that something a decent human being says? Have you no shame?!"

"No, we're just trying to apologize..."

"Then apologize properly when you're sober! What's the point of slurring out an apology over drinks? You're just saying it to make yourselves feel better! If you're only apologizing now out of shame because the boy you unfairly resented turned out so successful, then don't bother! And yet, you had no problem taking his money and spending it, did you?"

"Ugh..."

"I think Jae-beom's mother is right," Im Deok-su's wife spoke softly. "We all lost one family member, but from In-bae's perspective, he lost eleven. He cherished his company members like his own family. It's true that we've been far too harsh on him."

"We lost our children too!"

"And I lost my husband! My entire world vanished! But I don't blame In-bae. What did In-bae do wrong?"

Voices began to clash among the adults.

Over the quiet, mystical waters of Lumina Lake, arguments broke out.

There were sharp, bitter cries and the sound of weeping.

The raw, agonizing grief of those who had lost their loved ones filled the air.

I couldn't tell whose tears they were.

Were they mine, or were they theirs?

How much time passed like that?

How long did we weep?

Had they finally poured out all the pain locked deep inside their chests?

Eventually, silence returned to Lumina Lake.

The shouting stopped, and they began to speak quietly once more.

This time, they didn't talk about me. They talked about their lost sons and husbands.

They shared ordinary, trivial, and small stories of their lives—growing up, going to school, and serving in the military.

Stories of them getting into trouble, of being scolded for playing video games all through summer vacation.

Stories of them crying for days after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠being dumped by a girlfriend.

Stories of them getting beaten up by their fathers for wanting to ride a motorcycle.

They spoke gently, as if carefully turning ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the pages of an old photo album.

They told me stories of my comrades that I had never known.

And so, we spent the entire night remembering and longing for those who had left us, until the dawn began to break.

It was a dawn that comes three hundred and sixty-five times a year, but today's dawn felt entirely different.

The trip came to an end.

After escorting them safely to the airport and hugging each of them tightly, the long, lingering farewell finally concluded.

I returned to my empty house.

"I packed some side dishes in case the local food didn't suit you, but we never got a chance to eat them. It's too much trouble to carry them back, so you eat them."

The fridge was now packed with side dishes they had left behind.

Packed them for themselves, my foot.

It was painfully obvious they had prepared them specifically for me.

The way they were neatly packed in individual containers made it clear they were meant for my table.

Even while harboring resentment toward me, they had lovingly prepared these side dishes. Fearing that I might not be eating well in a foreign land, they had carried them all this way. The thought of their warmth brought a sudden lump to my throat.

I heated up a bowl of instant rice and sat down to eat.

I wasn't particularly hungry, but I felt like I had to eat.

Tears kept blurring my vision, and I couldn't even taste the food, but I kept shoving spoonfuls into my mouth.

I felt like I had to eat every single bite of these side dishes without leaving a single scrap behind.

So, I placed the rest into my Inventory.

To keep them from spoiling.

To keep them from changing.

Whether it was the side dishes or the warmth of their hearts, I wanted to preserve them forever.

I forced the food down, but all I felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a deep, enveloping warmth.

For some reason, I felt safe.

"Boss, one bowl of jajangmyeon, a small sweet and sour pork, and a bottle of soju, please."

"Sure thing, just a moment."

Dae-hoon, his cap pulled down low, naturally pulled out his phone, placed it on the table, started a YouTube video, and popped his Bluetooth earbuds into his ears.

But what came through the earbuds was entirely different from the video playing on his screen.

It was the sound of a conversation.

He was using a short-range wiretap device he had recently purchased. It was cheap, which meant its range was extremely limited.

Because of that, he had no choice.

He had to disguise himself as a regular customer, sitting in the main dining area while eavesdropping on the targets dining in a private room.

Dae-hoon focused entirely on the men's voices.

Sitting perfectly still would only arouse suspicion.

While his ears hung on every word of the conversation, his eyes remained fixed on his phone as if he were thoroughly engrossed in a YouTube video.

He ate naturally.

He slurped his jajangmyeon, chewed on the sweet and sour pork, and took a shot of soju.

To anyone else, he looked exactly like a weary laborer who had stopped by for dinner on his way home from a grueling shift.

"You crazy bastard. Cut the crap."

That was what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠In-bae had told him when Dae-hoon asked for help with his revenge.

He had been cursed at, but instead of feeling hurt, he felt a strange sense of relief.

Was that what he had wanted to hear?

What had he really wanted from In-bae?

His father had died.

It was a highly suspicious accident.

I mean, what were the odds of a twenty-five-ton dump truck crushing a sedan on a quiet country road?

Yet, the police ruled it as driver fatigue and negligence, closing the case just like that.

It made no sense.

He petitioned multiple times, begging them to reinvestigate the case from the beginning, but his pleas were ignored.

Ultimately, he was sent to an orphanage.

When he tried to file complaints or launch an investigation himself, they told him he needed a legal guardian.

But his guardian was dead—that was the whole reason he was trying to investigate in the first place.

Even at the orphanage, he continued to raise issues, but the result was always the same.

Instead, his persistence only brought torment.

Dae-hoon had screamed and fought back, but to those high schoolers, a middle school boy like him was nothing more than easy prey.

"Haha, look at this little punk. He actually knows how to squeal. From now on, we're going to teach you the laws of this orphanage. Pay close attention. Hey, trash him."

Fists and boots rained down on him.

No matter how much he tried to dodge and block, he couldn't fend off multiple attackers at once.

Give up some flesh to take their bones.

He lunged at them with the mindset of landing at least one solid punch even if he took ten in return, but that strategy failed miserably.

Under the relentless onslaught, he was eventually beaten to the ground. All he could do was wrap his arms around his head and curl up.

Unable to do anything else, he curled his body like a shrimp and tucked his head to minimize the impact.

After a brutal storm of violence passed, tears welled in his eyes.

It wasn't because of the physical pain.

It was tears of sheer despair over his suddenly ruined life.

If his father were still alive...

Those bastards wouldn't have even dared to look him in the eye.

In fact, he would have been the one beating them to a pulp.

To stop the tears, there was only one thing he had to do: reclaim everything he had lost.

He swore that no matter what it took, he would avenge his father and take back what belonged to him.

He made that vow every single night, weeping in the dark.

But before he could even finish his nightly vow, he would be dragged out and beaten again the next day.

For some reason, the people at the orphanage never let him be.

They beat him daily like it was a routine chore, slapping the back of his head whenever they passed by.

Even when he complained to the director, the man barely paid him any attention.

Instead, the director spouted some nonsense about how learning to handle these things on his own was how one became a real man.

Realizing he couldn't go on like this, he tried to build up his body.

But whenever those bastards caught him alone, they would immediately assault him.

There was nowhere to run.

At the orphanage, those thugs tormented him.

At school, the iljin bullies made his life a living hell.

So, he started avoiding the orphanage, staying out as late as possible.

But then the director warned him about his "poor attitude."

He was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Every day, he endured the beatings, waiting only for high school graduation.

Dreaming of revenge, he counted down the days until he could leave the orphanage.

And the moment he graduated, he submitted his application to the Special Forces.

There, he could finally sleep in peace and eat enough to keep his hunger at bay.

Now, it was time to prepare for his revenge.

He built his body and learned combat techniques.

This was exactly what he needed.

While there were plenty of martial arts academies in the civilian world, they only taught sports.

They didn't teach you how to kill a man.

But the military was different.

It taught the most efficient and fastest ways to end a life.

That was why he had enlisted. And in the Special Forces, no less.

"Today, we will practice marksmanship."

"Today is airborne training."

"Tactical movement is key."

"Assess the situation. You cannot move alone."

But he had been mistaken.

These days, they didn't focus that much on hand-to-hand combat.

They spent far more time on tactical maneuvers and shooting drills than one-on-one brawling.

They told him to use his gun instead of rushing in with his fists. Close combat was a last resort.

Left with no choice, he practiced on his own.

He built his physique by eating chicken breasts and trained relentlessly in his spare time.

Whether at the Special Warfare School or after being deployed to his unit, his routine never wavered.

With revenge burning in his mind, he kept training.

But as he spent more time in the military, his eyes began to open to the realities of the world.

Looking back at his father's case from a distance, he realized it wasn't a simple accident.

It was a web of corruption involving the police, gangsters, and perhaps even politicians and local power players.

He realized his naive plan—to kidnap the truck driver, beat the truth out of him, follow the trail, and kill the bastards to set everything right—was completely wrong.

Even so, he couldn't abandon his revenge.

Revenge was his entire existence.

But he couldn't just charge in blindly with a knife. That would be a dog's death.

As he agonized over his next move, In-bae had given him a piece of advice.

"Gather information. Investigate everything they do down to the last detail. Then, draw up a plan. That's the only way you'll succeed."

For a whole year, he did nothing but gather intelligence.

Slowly, the outline of the enemy began to take shape.

He figured out how their organization was structured.

He saw where their money came from and where it flowed.

Along the way, he began to build his own circle.

They hung out together, taking on various jobs.

They helped those who asked for aid and took care of things that needed to be done.

And before they knew it, people began to call them the Daehoon-pa.