Brother's Call
I received my brother's message and immediately booked a flight to Clark. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights from Zurich. After checking, I found an Emirates flight that routed through Qatar. Along the way, I spent a few days in transit catching up on things I had neglected and clearing my head. Eunkyung's words had struck a chord. If there's even one person who wants to see you, you shouldn't leave so easily. My brother, who raised me, said he missed me. I had to go.
After landing at Hamad International Airport from Zurich, I caught a connecting flight back to Clark. Perhaps because the airline was renowned for its service, the business-class treatment was excellent. "Brother, I've arrived." The moment the plane touched down on the runway, I sent the message. I had mentioned which flight I was taking before boarding, but I sent it anyway—just in case. I was also eager to see him.
After collecting my luggage and stepping out of the gate, Baccarat Park was waiting for me, the same man who had picked me up last time. He was dressed casually this time, no need for the act, looking like a neighborhood thug. "Chairman, you've arrived."
"Yes, good to see you. Have you been well?"
"Yes, thanks to you, we're eating well and living well. My friends too. We're always grateful."
"Good. That's a relief. Let's go."
"Yes. Give me your bags."
He took the luggage, and as we exited the airport, a van was waiting. But what was this? Five bodyguards stood ready. "Chairman, the security situation in the Philippines has deteriorated lately."
"Still, five seems excessive."
"Not at all. These days, three is standard for VIPs."
Good grief… When I urged them to move, one drove my car while the other four piled into the vehicle ahead. Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the hotel. As I stepped out, hotel staff were waiting. And so was my brother.
The moment I got out of the car, I ran over and hugged him. "I missed you, brother."
He patted my back and said, "Welcome back."
"Let's go up."
When we reached the office together, my sister-in-law was there. My nephew had grown a lot. "Say hello." The child, still shy, only nodded. Cute.
"Talk with the child's father. If you have time later, let's have dinner together."
"Yes. Thank you, sister-in-law."
"What's going on? You came all this way just for a casual greeting?"
"Just give me a drink."
My brother gave me an odd look, then pulled a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and poured me a glass. I told him everything that had happened—the Interpol warrant, my life on the run in Europe, the deal with France, and finally, Gonzales and Johnny's deaths.
"After the senior I met on Skylight left like that, it was hard. And now another one is gone."
"Hmm… You have to become detached now."
"I thought I'd grown stronger after years in this life, but I still have a long way to go."
"They say you shouldn't get used to death. You just have to endure it."
"Thank you for listening. It feels better now that I've said it out loud."
"What are you thanking me for? I'll listen anytime."
"How's business going?"
"I thought only the Chinese loved gambling, but Koreans love it just as much."
He said the four main businesses in the Philippines had made tourism, once the flagship, nothing more than a literal signboard. The other three were far more profitable. One was the online gambling operation he'd shown me before. He'd worried about trust issues, but word spread, and with Deputy General Manager Seong joining, security improved and business boomed. Then there was the crypto business. What started as a vehicle for foreign currency and money laundering was now generating strong returns as the investment scale grew.
"How much are you making?"
"I don't know. Last time I checked, it seemed like over a billion won a month was coming in."
"I only handle tourism. Gambling and crypto are managed from headquarters."
The last was the product cultivation business. Even after the boom ended, steady demand from existing customers kept the profits flowing. "We clear about two billion a month, but over there… I hear a good day can bring in tens of billions."
"I don't know what 'turn' means, but they had a company dinner that day."
"Good that it's going well. Buy the nephew something nice. We grew up without much, so at least do right by the kid."
"Have a child first, then talk."
We chatted about the nephew for a while before Team Leader Lee came to mind. "How's Team Leader Lee doing with the security team these days? The guards who came to escort me earlier looked well-trained."
"Go see him this afternoon or tomorrow. Headquarters contacted us about building a training site last time."
"I got the land through some VIPs, but I don't know how it turned out."
"Brother, what do you even know? Everything's 'headquarters' to you."
"Haha, right? They told me to just do my part and live comfortably. No greed."
Seeing my usually stern brother grin playfully made me feel lighter too. The ones who left were gone. Those who remained had to live enjoyably. That night, I went to my brother's house and drank until I was thoroughly drunk. I hadn't visited the Philippines often, but it felt like coming home. Maybe because my brother was there.
The next morning, I had a bit of a hangover, but both body and mind felt light. I headed to the Philippines security team. The drive from the hotel took about an hour, and the last ten minutes the road was overgrown with trees and grass, so the bodyguards had to hack through with machetes. The site that appeared was a typical rebel village. Was it really okay to have checkpoints and barbed wire in the middle of the Philippines? When the two cars reached the village entrance, a guard on watch peeked out to check us. Firearms were legal in the Philippines, apparently—an AR-style rifle in hand. Baccarat Park's face served as ID; they opened the gate after seeing him. Five minutes inside, we reached what looked like the main building, a two-story structure resembling the community halls I'd seen in Cancun. Team Leader Lee and the security team from Korea stood out front. He looked content, his face bright.
"Welcome."
"Team Leader, have you been well?"
We shook hands. Team Leader Lee smiled, flashing white teeth against his tanned face. He looked healthy. "Let's go inside."
"Yes."
Following him into the office, I saw a simple space with a few desks and phones. We sat at a table with a sofa, and he asked, "When did you arrive?"
"Yesterday. I came to check on the Philippines operations while I was here and to see you and your wife."
"Bad timing. My wife's in a Manila hospital right now. She's pregnant."
"Congratulations."
When I asked if it was a boy or girl, he said a boy. "Mr. Lee Sangmu will be pleased."
"Yes, when I told him, he was happy. Then he cursed me to have a child like mine."
"Haha, if it's a son like you, he'd be very reliable."
"Could you brief me on the current situation? They say security is bad—I'm worried it might be dangerous."
"It's better than boring Korea."
"How many people are here? It seems like you're not short on staff."
"About fifty at the training site, ten at the hotel, twenty at the villa, and twenty at the farm."
"Whoa. That's a big operation. Recruiting must be tough."
"There are plenty of people. The problem is finding capable ones."
"That's fortunate, at least. Treat them well. They're risking their lives."
"Understood."
"I brought some hotel food. Why not treat the team here to a company dinner?"
"You took care of us in Korea too. You're still the same."
"It's the least I can do."
"And where's Deputy General Manager Seong? I asked the hotel president, but he said headquarters manages it, so he doesn't know."
"That president only does exactly what's his and nothing more. He didn't even mention your name once."
"He's in the next building. I don't think there's anywhere safer in the Philippines than here."
"Could you call him for me?"
"Yes, I'll contact him."
He made a call somewhere and summoned Deputy General Manager Seong. While waiting, I asked what they did here and how the business was going. "We run basic and refresher training. New recruits get basic training, then we rotate them with field personnel for refresher courses before sending them out."
"And if there's an incident, we deploy. After the last operation, things were quiet, but deployments have picked up lately."
"The situation must be pretty bad."
"It's not like local skirmishes or shooting matches."
"With the hotel president's capabilities, we're handling government work in their place. We get hazard pay."
A PMC—Private Military Company. "So we get paid without looking over our shoulders."
"What kind of work, mostly?" I asked, concerned it might be dangerous.
"Mostly security details. We get a lot of orders to catch wanted criminals, especially Koreans."
"We hand over the ones we catch, and for bigger cases, the president seems to negotiate releases through intermediaries."
"You should get some training yourself. You look like you've been resting a lot."
Huh? Was he suggesting I reenlist?