A Gift from Santa
He activated a burner phone. He also set up a voice changer to mask his voice.
"Chairman Yoon Gi-hwan?"
—Who is this?
"Santa?"
—I don't have time for prank calls. I'm hanging up.
"Hold on... Impatient, aren't we? I'm the guy who gives you what you need, so 'Santa' fits, doesn't it?"
—And what makes you think you know what I need?
"You need product."
—Product?
"It's not Christmas yet, but I've left a little present for you. I left it at the hotel lobby, so go pick it up. We can talk business after that."
Yoon Gi-hwan immediately sent one of his men to retrieve the package from the lobby.
"How is it?"
"It's top-tier, boss. You rarely see this kind of quality in Korea. If we can secure a steady supply of this, expanding nationwide won't just be a dream."
Top-grade methamphetamine. To Yoon Gi-hwan, who was desperate to break out of Gunsan and establish a national presence, this was a golden lifeline. He had to seize this opportunity at all costs.
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—I've verified it. Let's meet in person to discuss the details.
"I'm a bit of a shut-in. I don't really leave the house."
—Then I'll come to you.
"I was trying to politely tell you I don't want to meet, but I guess I was too subtle. You're not catching on at all, are you?"
—Ahem. How did you even find out I was looking for product?
"How did I find out? You've been practically advertising it. You've been poking around everywhere, so of course word got out."
—So, how do you want to handle the transaction?
"How much do you want to buy?"
—Let's start with one kilogram.
"Playing it safe, I see. Well, it's our first deal, so I'll let it slide. Once the payment clears, I'll leave it at the hotel."
—I can't do that.
"Why not?"
—How do I know you won't just take the money and run? I don't know a single thing about you.
"Ah, I suppose that's fair. I'm a man of deep faith, so I don't usually doubt others, but I can see why a man in your position would be paranoid. I understand. Let's just call the whole thing off, then."
—Wait! We can just meet up and trade. Why are you making this so difficult?
"Who's making it difficult? Aren't you the one overcomplicating things, old man? We could just do a clean trade, but you're insisting on seeing my face. I give you the product, you give me the cash. How much simpler could it get?"
—I can't do that. It's against my principles to pay upfront.
"I already showed you my goodwill, but you're just full of suspicion. Fine, fine. I suppose the customer is always right, and I'm a generous soul. Let's meet. But I'll be sending an agent in my place. That should be fine, right? Like I said, I'm a shut-in."
—I don't care who shows up, as long as I can verify the product on-site.
"Great. I'll send you the time and place."
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I chose Seo Dae-hun as my agent. Frankly, he was the only one I could trust to handle this, and his territory was the only clean zone untouched by Geumho-pa.
Even so, I had no intention of revealing to Dae-hun that I was smuggling. That was a secret I wanted to keep from everyone. It was the very reason I lived as Candy Boy and Alex. It was why I avoided face-to-face contact during transactions, opting for hotels or unmanned lockers instead.
But there was another reason I chose Dae-hun to act as my proxy for this drug deal.
I needed to gauge his capabilities. I had to see if he had the competence to execute a task flawlessly, adapt to unexpected crises, and complete an operation without letting his emotions get the better of him.
If he succeeded, he would grow into a true partner. If he failed, our relationship would end with him merely managing the online gambling site. Dae-hun had no idea, but for me, this was an indispensable test.
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Dae-hun received a small box from a courier on a motorcycle. Inside was one kilogram of methamphetamine. All he had to do was hand it over and collect 90 million won in cash. Simple. But there were always variables.
He tucked a knife into the small of his back. The stab wound from before had mostly healed, but he could still feel a dull ache. It was uncomfortable and made him anxious. Fortunately, he wasn't alone this time. Geun-su was right by his side.
They drove to a small cafe in downtown Gunsan. Stepping inside, Dae-hun immediately spotted a face he never wanted to see again. Sitting there was Jo Dong-jin, the bastard who had beaten and tormented him daily back at the orphanage. Dae-hun knew Jo Dong-jin had joined Geumho-pa, but this was the first time they had met face-to-face.
A murderous rage flared within him, but the sudden rush of memories of those brutal beatings also brought a trace of primal fear. No, this is strictly business. He reminded himself. Just hand over the goods and take the money. He suppressed his anxiety. It's an easy job. It's nothing. Just act natural. It's fine. Repeating this mantra in his head, he walked over and sat down at Jo Dong-jin's table.
Jo Dong-jin sat alone at the table, but several men who clearly looked like Geumho-pa thugs were loitering nearby. There were likely more waiting outside.
"Oh, look who it is! If it isn't Seo Dae-hun? Well, fuck me, it's good to see you."
"Cut the crap. Let's get down to business," Dae-hun replied, his tone sharp and dismissive.
"Why so stiff after all this time? And look at you—you see your hyung, and you don't even greet me?"
"I don't think we're on friendly enough terms to be smiling and exchanging pleasantries, are we?"
"Haha. You little shit. Are you still throwing a tantrum over a few bruises from when we were kids? Your body grew, so your brain should've grown too. What kind of man is this petty?"
"I'll worry about myself, so let's just do the deal. Geumho-pa must have great benefits if they pay you to sit around and slack off in cafes. We need to grow as fast as Geumho-pa so I can pay my boys to do nothing too."
"Bwahaha! You think I came here to slack off? I'm here to work."
"Then shut your fucking mouth and let's do it."
Jo Dong-jin's smirk vanished. He was still picturing the helpless Seo Dae-hun from high school, but he could feel that something had fundamentally changed.
"You arrogant little bastard. I'll deal with you later."
"Ah, for fuck's sake, you talk too much. Are we doing this or not? Are you planning to move in here?"
"Fine, let's do it. Show me the goods first."
"Don't play dumb. Money first."
Jo Dong-jin scoffed in annoyance and glanced over his shoulder. "Bring the bag."
One of his subordinates sitting behind him brought over a small duffel bag and handed it to Jo. Jo slid the bag directly in front of Dae-hun. "Count it."
"I'm sure it's all there. I doubt you're too stupid to count," Dae-hun said, not even bothering to open it. But Geun-su, sitting beside him, had other ideas. He unzipped the bag and quickly verified the cash. Geun-su gave a firm nod.
"You've developed quite a smart mouth since I last saw you."
"I learned from a real piece of shit back at the orphanage. He was an expert at talking out of his ass."
"Hahaha. You're really begging for a beating today, aren't you? Hand over the product."
Dae-hun pulled out the small box he had received earlier. "Check it."
Jo Dong-jin produced a drug testing kit. "Let's see, let's see..." He opened the packaging and tested the powder. Once the kit confirmed it was high-purity meth, Jo grinned widely. "Damn, the stuff is legit."
"Well, we don't pay our people to sit around and slack off. We actually have to deliver results." Dae-hun stood up to leave.
"Leaving so soon? Since we ran into each other, why don't we grab a drink? Hyung will buy. Let's get some sashimi."
"I'm busy. Stuff your face with sashimi all you want. Buy some for your lackeys while you're at it."
"Still a prick to the very end."
"I'm leaving. Let's make sure we never cross paths again."
"Hey!" Jo Dong-jin called out. "Know your place and keep your head down. We aren't leaving you guys alone because we can't crush you. We're leaving you alone because you're still useful to us. But if you keep pushing your luck, you're dead. Mark my words."
"Yeah, yeah. Keep living like a humble dog under Yoon Gi-hwan. I hope he throws you a nice bone every now and then. Heh."
Dae-hun turned and walked out of the cafe. Jo Dong-jin glared at his retreating back. He wanted nothing more than to drag him back and beat him to a pulp, but the Chairman's orders had been absolute: make sure the deal goes through. Beating Dae-hun would be easy, and taking back the money would be even easier, but doing so would destroy their hard-won connection to a supplier. That was the only reason Jo had swallowed his pride and tolerated Dae-hun's insults. He could always deal with the bastard later.
"Let's go," Jo muttered.
"Yes, hyung-nim."
"Grab the package."
One of the subordinates behind him picked up the box containing the drugs.
The moment they stepped out of the cafe, a motorcycle came tearing down the street at a breakneck speed. Startled by the sudden roar, the thugs froze in place. In a flash of motion, the rider snatched the box of drugs right out of the subordinate's hands and sped away.
"Hey! Get that bastard! Catch him!" Jo Dong-jin roared. Only then did his men snap out of it, scrambling into their cars and cranking the engines. But the motorcycle was already long gone.
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Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Jo Dong-jin lay flat on the floor, taking a brutal beating from Yoon Gi-hwan with a golf club. Despite the heavy, sickening thuds, Jo didn't let out a single groan. He clenched his teeth, enduring the pain with everything he had.
Exhausted from the exertion, Yoon Gi-hwan tossed the golf club aside, sank into his sofa, and placed a cigarette between his lips. He flicked open a worn Zippo lighter, the flame illuminating his furious face.
"I asked you to bring back a single package of product, and you couldn't even manage that? You let someone just snatch it from you?"
"I'm sorry, Chairman," Jo Dong-jin muttered, quickly shifting to his knees.
"So we lost the money, and we lost the product?"
"I think that bastard Seo Dae-hun set us up. The motorcycle came out of nowhere the exact second we stepped outside, like it was waiting for us."
"Which means you're a brainless idiot who couldn't even anticipate that."
"I'm sorry, Chairman."
"The ninety million won you handed over to Seo Dae-hun, plus the ninety million won worth of product you lost. That's a total of a hundred and eighty million won. How are you going to make this right?"
The math seemed a bit off, but Jo Dong-jin was in no position to argue.
"I'm sorry. I'll pay it back somehow."
"How the hell are you going to pay it back? Did you forget about interest? Has our dear Manager Jo never worked in our loan shark division? Do you think you can just talk your way out of life's problems?"
"I'll sell my organs if I have to."
"Your organs aren't even worth that much... How the hell am I going to recover this money..."
Just then, Yoon Gi-hwan's phone rang. "Yeah, Chief Kim. What about the CCTV? Did you check it?"
—We confirmed that the motorcycle plunged into the waters off Gunsan Port.
"Forget the bike! What about the bastard riding it? Did he go down with it?"
—Yes, the rider went into the water along with the motorcycle.
"Make sure you catch him."
—We've deployed divers to search the area, but visibility is terrible down there. It's going to take some time.
"Chief Kim, find him by any means necessary. Understood?"
—Understood.
Yoon hung up. As he was trying to figure out how to squeeze the money out of Jo Dong-jin, his phone rang again.
—Payment received. Thank you for your business, valued customer.
"Well, we're not feeling very thankful on our end."
—Pardon? What do you mean by that? I checked with my agent, and he said that while your boy had a filthy mouth, the transaction itself went perfectly.
"We got mugged the second we stepped out of the cafe."
—Oh my. Goodness. How dreadful. Gunsan sounds like a dangerous place. People say Korea has great public safety, but I guess that doesn't apply to Gunsan. You really need to clean up your streets, Chairman.
"This was your doing, wasn't it?"
—Why on earth would I do that? I'd much prefer having a reliable, long-term client.
"You're the only one who set the location and knew about it. And you expect me not to suspect you?"
—Why do you assume I was the only one who knew? You knew about it, Chairman. The people you sent to the deal knew about it too. If anything, wouldn't it have been much easier for your side to orchestrate the whole thing?
"What?"
—Think about it. Who in Gunsan would dare pull a snatch-and-grab without Geumho-pa's permission? What kind of lunatic would pull a stunt like that? If you look at it logically, it sounds like Geumho-pa staged the whole thing. Aren't you just hiding the product somewhere so you can pull this bullshit scenario of 'we never got it, give us our money back'?
"What did you say, you little shit?"
—And while we're on the subject, the transaction was completed successfully. Why are you blaming us for losing your own property? If we had lost the cash on our way back and asked you to pay us again, would you have given it to us?
"That... that's..."
—So let's not waste our breath on arguments that won't hold water. Just chalk it up to a valuable life lesson. Don't you agree?
"Even so..."
—Instead of breathing down my neck, you should tighten up your internal security. You need to figure out where the leak came from.
"I suppose that's true."
—So, do you want to trade again?
"Do you have more product?"
—You were just being cautious because it was our first deal, Chairman. I can supply as much as you want.
"Can you do three kilograms?"
—As much as you need.
"I'll be coming in person this time, so you show up in person too."
—Why are you doing this again? I told you, I'm a shut-in. I have severe social anxiety, so I can't leave my house.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"
—Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter to me. So, are we doing this deal or what?
"We're doing it. And I'm going out there myself this time."
—Excellent. Since you're coming in person, and since you lost your last batch, I'll give you a small discount. It should be 270 million won, but let's call it 250 million. I'll take the payment in Bitcoin.
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Determined not to make any mistakes, Yoon Gi-hwan set out in person. He headed to Yamido Port with a large contingent of his men. Being back in the field after so long made his blood pump with excitement.
As darkness fell and the clock struck exactly 7:00 PM, a fishing boat glided into the harbor as if on cue. Painted on its side was the name Daepung-ho. His men stepped forward to meet the vessel. The man steering the boat didn't utter a single word; he simply unloaded the cargo and vanished back into the dark waters.
"Check it," Yoon ordered. His men immediately inspected the cargo. Inside were three kilograms of methamphetamine and two handguns. A satisfied smirk spread across Yoon's face. The bastard has a smart mouth, but his business is clean.
"Let's head back." They maintained a tight, ironclad perimeter. Paranoid about another snatch-and-grab, Yoon exercised extreme caution.
As their vehicles sped back toward Gunsan, a large van suddenly veered across the road, blocking their path.
"What the fuck is that?" Yoon barked, panic rising in his chest. "Turn the car around! Make a U-turn!"
"Yes, Chairman!"
But another vehicle blocked them from behind. They were completely boxed in. They had to escape, but it was impossible.
Yamido, where the port was located, was technically an island, but it was connected to the mainland by the Saemangeum Seawall. The seawall was essentially a massive dyke built to protect reclaimed land—practically a long, straight bridge. With the open sea stretching out on both sides, there was nowhere to run.
Detectives poured out of the vehicles blocking the front.
"Police! Hands where we can see them and step out of the vehicle!"
It was a perfect trap. This was a level of crisis Yoon Gi-hwan had never faced before. He was caught red-handed with a massive stash of drugs. To make matters worse, there were unregistered handguns. If he got arrested here, there would be no easy way out. Even with the most expensive lawyers money could buy, he was looking at a lengthy prison sentence.
"Fuck! Do something! Do something!" Yoon shrieked. "Go block them! Stop them!" "Where are the guns we just got? Shoot them!" "Throw the drugs! Throw them into the sea!"
Yoon screamed at the top of his lungs, but his men were just as panicked. Having enjoyed the protection of corrupt local authorities in Gunsan for so long, most of the Geumho-pa thugs had never been in a real, high-stakes fight. Usually, all they had to do was show up, look intimidating, throw a few chairs, and everything would be resolved. But not today.
The police shattered the car windows with telescopic batons. The thugs knew they had to fight back, but fear paralyzed them. They cowered inside the vehicles, utterly helpless.
"Get out and fight, you useless shits!" Yoon threatened his own men from behind, brandishing a gun. Terrified of the weapon pointed at them, a few thugs scrambled out of the car and lunged at the detectives. A chaotic brawl erupted on the seawall.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Yoon Gi-hwan slipped out of the car and plunged into the sea. Since it was a seawall and not a high bridge, the drop wasn't too steep. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice his escape. Submerged in the freezing water, he kept perfectly still, using his eyes and ears to track the situation.
With his entire body submerged in the icy water, he kept only his head above the surface. The cold was agonizing, but he had no choice. He had to survive.
He lost track of how long he had been in the water. Eventually, the police managed to subdue and arrest every single member of Geumho-pa. Silence settled over the area.
Once he was absolutely sure the police had departed, Yoon Gi-hwan carefully dragged himself out of the water and onto the shore. His body shook violently from hypothermia; he had been in the freezing water for far too long. As he scrambled back onto the asphalt and felt solid ground beneath his feet, a wave of relief washed over him.
Just then, a deafening roar echoed through the night. In the distance, a massive dump truck appeared. It was hurtling down the road, accelerating straight toward Yoon Gi-hwan. He knew he had to run, but his frozen, exhausted body refused to move.
Ah, fuck.