GoGo Casino

Choi Seong-won, logging onto the gambling site as he did every day, glanced at the notice and immediately skipped it. Such gimmicks were common in the online gambling world. To skirt the law, these sites paid out in points, then in items, then in gift certificates—and now, cryptocurrency.

He scoffed. What difference does any of that make? It's only real money once it's in my hands.

The chances of those points actually making it into his bank account were slim to none. The reason was simple. First, winning was incredibly difficult. Once you started playing, you lost. You might win pocket change, but you'd lose big. So you'd top up again, only to find that beating the house was practically impossible.

Second, even if you miraculously managed to win, they would fight tooth and nail to avoid paying you out. They would claim it was "system maintenance time," or that there was a "designated withdrawal window." They'd blame "bank integration errors" or put the transaction on hold, claiming it was flagged as a "suspicious transaction." After dragging their feet with all sorts of pathetic excuses, the site would suddenly vanish overnight.

He knew this. He knew it all too well. He knew, of course, that he shouldn't be doing this. Yet, he couldn't quit. The urge kept creeping back, pulling him in. So instead of trying to quit cold turkey, he was trying his best to play with only small amounts.

Then, he came across a post on the internet.

He chuckled. He saw dozens of posts like this every single day. Still, since they claimed to offer free sign-up points, he decided to click the link, figuring he had nothing to lose.

Huh? What is this place?

Usually, when you entered these sites, they were incredibly flashy, gaudy, and plastered with pop-ups. But this place was remarkably clean. Other sites felt like a water park in the dead of summer—explosive, chaotic, and constantly screaming for attention. This site, however, felt like a high-end traditional Korean restaurant, or perhaps a quiet temple. It was neat and orderly. It almost made him want to take a bite.

Upon signing up, he was credited with 100,000 points. Just for fun, he clicked the withdrawal button. A message popped up stating that promotional points could not be withdrawn directly. Of course, he thought. No surprises there.

He started with a familiar game of Badugi. One game. Two games. Three games...

How many hours had passed? Normally, a free 100,000 points would have vanished in the blink of an eye, forcing him to top up with his own money. Yet, he was still playing with that very same starting balance.

In fact, he had actually won. The 100,000 points he started with had grown to 310,000.

Well, this is fun. A smile crept onto his face.

While he wasn't a high roller, Choi Seong-won had frequented his fair share of gambling sites. But he had never seen or heard of a site like this. He had been on it for over three hours, and he was still playing on his initial free balance. On top of that, he was actually up.

He let out a dry laugh. He wanted to keep playing, but it was time to sleep for tomorrow. Knowing it would almost certainly fail, he decided to click the withdrawal button anyway.

He laughed in sheer disbelief. Did I just get scammed? Is this how they operate these days? Man, they're getting creative.

He didn't feel particularly upset. It wasn't like he had played with his own money anyway. Still, driven by a sliver of hope, he downloaded the TrustBit app and logged in. To his surprise, there was exactly 310,000 won worth of cryptocurrency sitting in his wallet.

Well, at least they went this far.

But anyone could build a system like this. It was just a number on a screen. A mere display telling him, "You have this much coin." Nothing more, nothing less. The real crux of the matter was whether he could actually convert this coin into cold, hard cash.

Seeing a transfer button, he tapped it. He entered his bank account details and hit submit.

A moment later, his phone buzzed with a text notification.

[Deposit: 310,000 KRW]

Wait, what?

This isn't how it's supposed to go. Weren't these guys supposed to be exit-scamming bastards?

He had just made 310,000 won without depositing a single cent of his own money. He had simply messed around with the free sign-up points, grown it to 310,000 won, and successfully withdrawn it. They hadn't even deducted a withdrawal fee.

The 310,000 won was clearly stamped in his bank account.

All traces of sleepiness instantly vanished. What on earth was this? He mentally retraced everything that had just happened.

They actually pay out? For real?

Holy shit. Now is not the time to sleep.

Let's ride this wave! To the moon!

Im Yu-na brought over the merchandise samples. Looking at them, Alex finally felt a wave of relief wash over him. Yes, this is it. The exact feeling he had felt when he first saw her paintings was perfectly preserved. This was precisely the kind of merchandise he had envisioned.

"I really like them. They're great."

As soon as he spoke, Im Yu-na's face flushed bright red. Is she sick? Come to think of it, had she been overworking herself lately? She didn't look to be in the best condition. He had told her he wanted them made quickly, but he hadn't meant for her to push herself to the brink of exhaustion. He felt a sudden pang of guilt.

"I think these are more than good enough. Let's send them to production, and you should take some time to rest, Yu-na."

Im Yu-na's face turned even redder. Why is she acting like this? Just how sick is she?

. . .

A merchandise shop was opened on the first floor of the hotel. Since they had prepared the space while the goods were still in production, they were able to display and sell them the moment the shipment arrived.

And finally, the merchandise was here. The round, adorable items took up a cozy corner of the hotel lobby. Postcards, magnets, keyrings, stickers, and eco-bags proudly showed off their cuteness. Just looking at them lifted his spirits.

But the good mood didn't last long.

- SOLD OUT -

It had only been four hours since the items were put on display.

. . .

He hurriedly placed an emergency restock order. He had assumed the initial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠batch would be more than enough for the first day, but the demand had completely overwhelmed their supply.

At the same time, he felt a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slight sense of limitation. While Im Yu-na's creations were beautiful, having only one style made the shop feel less like a diverse merchandise store and more like a solo art exhibition or a temporary pop-up store. He realized he needed to diversify the product lineup.

After some thought, he called Patrick.

"Patrick, I'm thinking of hosting some sort of art competition. Do you know anyone who could help organize it?"

"Of course, Boss. Graduates of the University of the Philippines are everywhere."

. . .

The Bohol Provincial Government Building. The Governor's Office.

Sigh. Why am I sitting here again?

What am I going to do with this guy, Patrick? What on earth did he say to get me an audience with the Governor?

Alex had simply wanted a partner to take charge of running the competition—someone who could send out official notices to more places and handle the promotion. But the Governor? Honestly, if Patrick had the kind of connections to casually set up a meeting with the Governor, shouldn't he be doing something grander instead of working under him?

"Thank you so much for coming all this way," the Governor said warmly.

"Not at all. It's my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me, Governor."

"I've heard that your business has been thriving lately. Congratulations. Thanks to you, Bohol is developing day by day."

"You flatter me. It's only possible because you govern Bohol so well. Bohol is truly an excellent place to do business."

"I've lived in Bohol for a long time, but I have never seen anyone who employs so many of our citizens and treats them as well as you do. As Governor, I want to express my deepest gratitude."

"Please, it's only natural. Our employees are incredibly positive and hardworking, which has boosted our sales significantly. If anything, I should be the one thanking them."

"If you ever encounter any inconveniences while running your business in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will do my absolute best to assist you."

"Hahaha. Then I shall take you up on that offer without hesitation."

"Hahaha, I will be waiting. By the way, I heard you are hosting an art festival?"

An art festival? When did a simple design competition morph into an "art festival"? He was seriously going to have a word with Patrick...

"Ah, it's not quite a grand festival. I'm just planning to host a small design competition for Bohol citizens and tourists."

"A competition?"

"I think showing you would be faster than explaining."

Alex pulled out his tablet and showed the Governor Im Yu-na's illustrations and the newly manufactured merchandise. While Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake looked mystical, the Governor's eyes widened when he saw familiar sights like the Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, and whale sharks rendered in her unique style.

"Oh, this is incredibly fresh! I've seen these sights countless times, but I've never thought of them this way. They're so round and charming."

"Exactly. That is precisely what I am aiming for."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the landscape as seen and drawn by a single tourist. Looking at this, doesn't it make you want to visit these places, Governor?"

"It certainly does. I'm very curious to see them now."

"Precisely. Now, what if more people drew more places from a wider variety of perspectives?"

"It would provide a fresh new perspective."

"Exactly. It will kick off Phase 2 of Bohol's tourism industry. Tourists who buy these souvenirs will not only keep them as fond memories, but they will also act as walking billboards, drawing in even more visitors."

"Ah, a virtuous cycle."

"Furthermore, we can discover entirely new tourist resources in Bohol, or find hidden charms in existing destinations."

"There is truly a reason why your business is so successful, Mr. Alex. I don't know how you came up with such an idea. Truly remarkable."

"You overpraise me. I simply acted on an idea anyone could have had."

"Then, how can I be of assistance?"

"Would you be willing to take charge of hosting the competition?"

"Pardon?"

"We lack experience in organizing such events, so I would like to ask for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your help, Governor. We will provide all the prize money and operational expenses. We just want you to handle the administration. In return, all we ask for is the right to select the winning pieces to be manufactured into official merchandise later on."

At his words, a shift occurred in the Governor's eyes.

He had likely agreed to this meeting thinking there might be some crumbs to pick up from a provincial-linked project. If it went well, he'd get a piece of the pie; if not, at least he'd build a connection.

But if the host was the provincial government itself, that changed everything. Planning and executing an event that directly engaged the local citizens? That would be a massive boost to the Governor's political career and public image.

Looking at those eyes now gleaming with ambition, Alex pressed on.

"We expect to select about twenty winners. One grand prize, three runners-up, six third-place winners, and ten honorable mentions."

"And what is the estimated total prize pool?"

"We are thinking of a total prize pool of one million pesos."

"Ah! That is truly magnificent! It will be an immense help to the Bohol arts community."

"Separate from the main prizes, any artwork selected to be made into merchandise will receive an additional fifty thousand pesos. We will also pay a two percent royalty on net profits."

"Wow, that is quite generous. I might have to submit an entry myself!"

"You are more than welcome to. There are no restrictions on medium—photos, paintings, illustrations, anything goes. You should definitely participate, Governor."

"Hahaha! Excellent. I will make sure to submit something."

"Thank you."

"I will personally oversee the competition. As Governor, I thank you deeply for planning and sponsoring such an event."

"I am glad to be of help to Bohol. I hope we can continue to host events like this in the future."

"You are welcome anytime!"

The conversation concluded successfully, but Alex's instincts told him that his work here wasn't quite finished.

As he packed up the shopping bag containing the merchandise samples, he secretly pulled cash from his Inventory and slipped it inside. He put in about ten thousand dollars.

"These are some of the merchandise samples we've made. They might be useful as reference while you prepare for the competition, so I'll leave ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them here with you."

Alex conveyed his true meaning with a look, and the Governor caught on instantly.

"Of course, of course. This will be of immense help to us. Hahaha!"

The Governor grinned, revealing a row of yellowed teeth. He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.

. . .

A few days later.

Posters and advertisements announcing the event began appearing all over the island.

The competition had officially begun.