Threat (19): The初心
There is a saying called 初心. The heart you first ate. If I break down the meaning, it seems I've lost that heart. I must have lost the caution from back when I used to pack and deliver in 1g plastic bags, growing careless and complacent. They say internal complacency is more powerful than any external threat, and that was exactly me.
Our uncle Gonzales started bombarding me with nagging, as if trying to reawaken my 初心. "Do you even have your wits about you? Want to spend a few years locked up in the Nevada desert in America?" Things like that.
Thirty minutes later, the second bombardment hit.
Another pocket? I stayed quiet, figuring I'd get yelled at more if I chimed in.
Was she a woman? Her tone was half gangster, half macho man.
I watch domestic news fine, but I guess I need to start watching CNN too. I called Secretary Ko and told him to start clipping and reporting international news related to our industry every day. He said he understood and left.
I changed the subject to stop the third bombardment from starting.
So I'm on my own.
Yes, thank you.
He's shaking me down again.
Buy low, sell high? I should listen to uncle. I realized today how important 初心 is. After that storm-like lecture ended, I returned to my daily routine. 160 million dollars. The moment I started wondering where to spend 200 billion won, it got taken away, so I had a brief moment of clarity, but I endured it because there was a bigger future ahead.
"Chairman, I'm back."
Our Cheol-min returned after finishing training. He must have trained well. His eyes were sharp, like he could take down a tiger. "Good work." "Want some tea?" "Yes, anything is fine."
I called Madame Lee and asked for two cups of tea, then introduced them. "This is Secretary Go Youngwoo. You've met before, right?" "Yes." "Use the empty room on the second floor, unpack, and come back down." "Yes."
His speech had gotten shorter, which felt a bit awkward, but he'd get used to it again. Cheol-min came back down soon after and immediately started telling me about the results of his training. "Chairman, I think some improvements are needed." "The CCTV and movement routes need redesigning, and the infiltration routes to the second and third floors are too easy."
I was momentarily flustered but told him to handle it as he saw fit and to coordinate with Secretary Ko and Madame Lee. I also mentioned I had a schedule in the Philippines next week. When he said he'd come along, I told him I was going with Miju. He said he'd learned how to do that without getting caught too. I didn't know, but apparently one of our security team members used to work at the presidential security service. Quite diverse.
What did he mean?
Couldn't you do that yourself?
I asked for the list first. He sent it right away, and it was full of luxury items. Watches, liquor, jewelry, things like that.
"Hyung, you can just report it as fake and bring it in."
I couldn't do it myself, so I gathered our Ocean World team. If these guys said no, I'd have to scrap the idea. I didn't have time for that anyway. In fact, I didn't even know how. Using the existing organization would cost too much money too. They were already swamped, but our team leader seemed to have already developed a taste for illegal work and came up with an idea as soon as I mentioned it.
"What are you talking about? So you're saying buy the real thing, send it, but make a fake customs declaration?"
"Yes. When leaving Korea, we can declare it as general merchandise and it shouldn't be a big problem. If we get caught in China... we can just ask them to dispose of it."
"It's the 'we didn't know' strategy."
"This has over 50% margin, doesn't it? Sorry, but I made that... I must have set the price too low."
"Can you do it?" Yunjeong started to speak but stopped. "Our break just started, so we can focus on it... but we don't have money."
Ah... no purchasing funds.
"I didn't mention it, but I already received a down payment. I'll deposit it into the corporate account."
Suddenly the kid's face lit up. "Yes, then there's no problem. It suddenly turns into a flea market." "Rolex is hard to get. Let's try to source it." "Let's order clothes online. Make sure to keep the tags."
I told Secretary Ko to make the deposit. About 2 billion won should do, right?
"All passengers have completed boarding. The plane will soon move for takeoff, so please fasten your seatbelts."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are preparing for take off~"
The pleasant announcement played, and Miju and I looked at each other and smiled. I had wanted to fly business class, but when she said that with that money we could eat delicious food in the Philippines, I had no choice but to take economy. Cheol-min was sitting in the very back seat; if I hadn't known his face, I might not have recognized him. We made eye contact in greeting.
The plane reached the main runway, the engine noise grew louder, and we lifted into the sky. Miju must have been tired from preparing for the trip because she leaned against me and fell asleep right away. She slept well. I was uncomfortable in my seat and struggled. I must have gotten used to business class already. Two years ago I flew 14 hours too. 初心, 初心.
After about four hours, an announcement came on. "Our plane is now entering Philippine airspace." "We will be landing shortly, so please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, and return your seatbacks and tray tables to their upright positions. Thank you."
That's the travel habit of Koreans. As soon as the announcement starts, they already know what to do and prepare. I heard Korea is the only country like that. The only nation where people stand up and pull out their suitcases the moment the plane touches the runway?
As soon as the plane landed on the runway, I contacted my brother on my phone. I told him I'd arrived at the airport. He said he'd send someone like last time, but I refused. I told him I was just a regular university student. Then he said one thing. "You can at least have a car sent from the hotel, can't you?"
That was true. I went through immigration, picked up my suitcase, and came out to the meeting spot. There was a van with "Hotel Saint Maria" written on it. I looked back. I told Cheol-min to get in with me, but he quickly shook his head. Ah, right. I've been getting a bit stupid lately. "Oppa, aren't you getting in?" "No."
When I approached the van, someone got out and greeted me. It was Baccara Park. "Are you by any chance Choi Eunsu-nim?" He was good at acting. I was the problem. "Yes, that's me." "Welcome. My name is Park Myungjin, and I'll be taking you to the hotel. Please get in."
He took my suitcase, and we got into the van and headed to the hotel. "Your wife is very pretty?" That guy was out too. Calling a girl in her early twenties "wife"?