Wholesome Gamblers and Happy Delusions

"You shouldn't do it that way. It'll leave a paper trail immediately. The company where the money circulated needs to be shut down."

With Ana joining the team, the sluggish online gambling project suddenly gained massive momentum. It was like clearing a blocked artery; everything began to move at a breakneck pace.

To be fair, Manager Nam Yong-woo was a man optimized solely for building and maintaining gambling sites. Asking him to create a cryptocurrency, build an exchange, and handle money laundering on top of that was a bit too much from the start. Even with lawyers on retainer, there were limits. Lawyers, after all, are creatures who defend themselves first. They act as if they'd pluck out their own liver and gallbladder for their clients, but they won't touch anything that carries even a hint of personal risk.

For instance, if you consult them on tax issues, they will help you like mad with tax avoidance. But the moment you cross into the territory of tax evasion, they do nothing but drop subtle, ambiguous hints. They don't want to get dragged into trouble, so they merely give you a whiff of the possibilities without ever explaining the details. They are always preparing their own defense in advance, just in case things go south.

But for Ana, who had spent years working at Cayley International Advisory, this was child's play. Money laundering was her daily routine, the easiest thing in the world. And after the advent of cryptocurrency, it had become even easier.

"A coin that can be used like points? And as a stablecoin? That's basically just points. Do we really need to go that far?"

"Compared to the sheer amount of labor required, the return on investment seems far too negligible."

"Ah, South Korea? Well, that explains it. They're incredibly uptight over there. Especially sensitive to small change."

"Establish a crypto exchange in a tax haven? Brilliant idea. The Cayman Islands would be perfect. Their regulations are still so lax that they don't have any restrictions on crypto exchanges under these conditions. The timing is perfect."

"Can Manager Nam Yong-woo build a crypto exchange? If not, we'll have to look for someone. Do you know anyone who might fit the bill?"

The moment Ana was put on the job, she grasped the situation instantly and began pouring out ideas. As expected of someone who had spent her entire career dealing with money, she was incredibly sharp in her field. Her ideas were immediately materialized and put into action.

With Ana's integration, the gambling team's project accelerated rapidly. However, there were those who watched this development with a sense of discomfort. Manager Nam Yong-woo was one of them.

To Nam Yong-woo, it didn't matter whether Ana was highly skilled or not. The issue was that he hadn't decided if she was trustworthy yet. Having survived in this dark underworld for so long, it was only natural for him to view newcomers with deep suspicion. He conveyed these concerns to me without any filter.

"Boss. I'm not sure if it's right to open up everything to Ana like this. I'm still not convinced she's trustworthy."

"You're worried about betrayal?"

"I'd like to have at least a minimum safety net."

"A safety net... Manager, what kind of limits do you want to place on her?"

"Shouldn't we at least restrict her access to certain information, or keep the more sensitive details hidden?"

"Why?"

"As I just said, in case of betrayal..."

"Manager."

"Yes."

"Did we have any secrets to hide in the first place?"

Nam Yong-woo was startled. Secrets to hide? Everything they were doing was a secret that needed to be buried. First of all, the very existence of the site was illegal, so what on earth was the boss talking about?

"I consider our site to be perfectly legal. Don't you?"

"It's legal within the Philippines, yes, but if South Koreans use it..."

"It's illegal in Korea?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are we the ones breaking the law? Or is it the Koreans?"

"..."

"If Koreans use our site, they are the ones committing an illegal act, not us. Take Thailand, for example. Cannabis is legal there. If a Korean goes to Thailand, smokes weed, and comes back, they are the ones who broke Korean law. It was legal when they did it in Thailand, but it becomes illegal the moment they step back onto Korean soil. Does Thailand get punished for that?"

"Well, no, but..."

"We are no different. Playing the games is entirely legal. Of course, I am aware there might be some friction during the withdrawal process. That's exactly why we're stepping in to help them with the coin and the exchange, isn't it? We have to lay everything out on the table so we can identify the flaws and engineer the right solutions."

"What if that woman is someone's mole? Or an undercover agent?"

"Hahaha. You don't need to worry about that. I've already thoroughly vetted her."

"Really?"

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

Of course I had. I had literally dragged her back from the brink of death.

That night, after returning to the hotel, we had talked for a very long time. Ana was incredibly sharp. She realized in an instant who held the reins and how she needed to behave. She knew exactly who could offer her protection in her current predicament. What the distant future held was anyone's guess, but for now, she would remain fiercely loyal. While there was always a baseline risk of betrayal, there was absolutely zero chance of her being anyone's mole. And that was good enough.

"Of course. You don't have to worry about that. So please, take Ana and build us a magnificent site."

"Understood. I'll make it the greatest gambling site on the web."

"And feel free to bring up concerns like this anytime, without holding back."

"If anything, I apologize for causing you unnecessary worry with my shallow perspective. Thank you for hearing me out, Boss."

Once Nam Yong-woo left and I was alone, a wave of sheer exhaustion washed over me. Did I make a mistake by agreeing to build this? Should I pull the plug right now?

Honestly, I didn't even need to make some stupid coin or exchange. It was nothing but a hassle and didn't bring in any profit. If anything, it was a massive money sink. The cost of minting the coin, building the exchange, development, maintenance, server hosting, administrative overhead, and employee salaries—money bled out constantly even if we did absolutely nothing.

So why build the exchange anyway? It was to ensure there were no victims of an unfair system. To prevent people from being branded as criminals just because they played a few harmless rounds of cards. A criminal just for enjoying a few innocent games? Caught red-handed just for squeezing a virtual card with a mouse click?

They say no one who loves gambling is truly a bad person. This was merely a public service to save those pitiful souls.

Playing poker or badugi online carried absolutely no legal issues in itself. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If that were a crime, every single gaming portal in South Korea would be illegal. The game itself is legal. It's easiest to think of it this way: it only becomes illegal when you bet money, play, and then cash out that money.

Spending your own money to buy points and play a game is legal. But spending your own money to buy points, playing, and then converting those points back into cold, hard cash is illegal. Even exchanging them for gift certificates, physical goods, or securities is considered illegal.

That was why I wanted to make the process of converting points to cash as seamless as possible. To ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠make it look ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as legitimate as humanly possible. Users could buy coins with their points, and those coins could be traded and exchanged normally on a proper exchange. Of course, a massive volume of capital would move during that process, which Ana would expertly launder into squeaky-clean money. In the end, it would keep the funds in a state where they could be withdrawn at any given moment.

If you play a game and win some money, shouldn't you at least be able to order a box of fried chicken with your winnings? That was the exact system I was building. From my perspective, it was a non-profit venture that only drained my wallet, but it was all to support the wholesome gamblers of the world.

Patrick placed the merchandise samples in front of me.

"The merchandise you requested. These are the samples."

"They're out already? Thanks."

Are Filipinos slow? That is a massive misconception. If the situation demands it, they can work with incredible speed. If you give them money, or point a gun at them, things get processed in the blink of an eye. We happened to do both. We paid them handsomely, but the moment they hesitated, we drew our weapons. Perhaps that was why the samples were delivered in record time.

The only problem was that I absolutely hated them. I had been certain that turning those paintings into merchandise would look beautiful, but the reality fell miserably short of my expectations.

As I stood there contemplating what to do, Manager Kang Jae-ho, who was passing by, caught sight of me. He had recently joined our company as the manager of the interior design team.

"Is this the merchandise you mentioned last time, Boss?"

"Yes. The samples just arrived."

"Oh, they're quite pretty..."

"Really? Do you want to buy one, then?"

"Uh..."

"Be honest with me."

"To be perfectly honest, they look completely disjointed. The paintings and the products don't match at all."

"How about you touch them up a bit, Manager?"

"I don't have any talent for this kind of design. Besides, the original artist might find it highly offensive if I meddled with her work. Instead of doing that, why don't you ask the artist herself for help?"

"I'm a bit hesitant to call. I don't want to be a nuisance."

"If it were me, I'd much rather fly over and check it myself than watch my own artwork turn into a complete disaster."

Im Yu-na sat in a cozy cafe, drawing on her tablet.

The payment for the paintings she sold in the Philippines last time had been deposited immediately. Ten pieces at two million won each, totaling twenty million won. It was a substantial sum. She had proudly bragged to her parents and bought them nice gifts.

Her ambition to make a living solely through her art had been slowly fading away, but selling those pieces had sparked a sudden surge of courage, making her feel as though she could actually succeed. That was why she spent her afternoons sitting in cafes like this, sketching away. It had a completely different vibe compared to working at home.

As she drew while listening to music, her phone began to vibrate with an incoming call from an unknown number. It was an international call. Normally, she would have swiped decline without a second thought, but a strange gut feeling prompted her to answer.

Im Yu-na secretly hoped. Could that man be regretting? Did he realize my value only after I left? Did he contact me to convey the feelings he couldn't express back then? 'Please accept my heart even now. Now that you're gone, I can't do anything.' What if he confesses like this? Then what do I do? Do I have to go to the Philippines? What if he says he's coming to Korea? First, I need to get a house...

Without even properly processing the details of what he was saying, the only words that registered in Im Yu-na's mind were "come to the Philippines." Blocking out everything else, she immediately packed her bags and headed straight for the airport.

"Ah... so this is how they turned out?"

Seeing the merchandise in person was a massive disappointment. It was the disastrous result of printing the artwork recklessly, without any consideration for the size, shape, or color of the products. It looked as though they had simply slapped her paintings onto generic, pre-existing items without any actual design work. Naturally, it failed to capture any of the original charm—especially for merchandise representing Emerald Canyon, where the vibrant colors were absolutely crucial.

"I'll try to modify this myself. It looks like it needs a major overhaul across the board."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"I wish I could finish it right away, but designing, printing new samples, and reviewing them is going to take some time."

"Hmm... In that case, will you be working here in the Philippines? If so, we'll go ahead and prepare accommodations for you."

Wait, what? Is he trying to keep me here? Does he want me to stay? Come to think of it, is he the type who can't express his feelings directly and has to drop hints instead? Like he wants to keep me close by his side? Well, I suppose it can't be helped. There are people like that. I should be the understanding one. After all, who knows what the future holds for us?

In Im Yu-na's mind, a blissful future with Alex was already unfolding in vivid detail. She was running her delusion engine at maximum capacity.

"Manager. The crypto exchange permit has been approved in the Cayman Islands."

"Excellent. Coin team."

"Yes, sir."

"The coin development is finished, right?"

"Yes, it's complete. We've successfully integrated the wallet into GoGo Casino."

"What about the exchange team?"

"The exchange is fully prepared as well."

"Then link it to the gambling site immediately and run a diagnostic check for any anomalies."

"Yes."

"And monitor the exchange to ensure transactions are processing normally."

"Yes, sir."

"No anomalies detected with the coin."

"The exchange is fully functional and trading normally."

It was the official launch day of Candy Coin and TrustBit.