VIP Protection Drill
"Mr. Chairman, snap out of it." I came to with the sensation of someone shaking me awake. I must have blacked out. "I'm fine, really." Once I regained my senses and looked up, Chief Kim was standing right in front of me.
"Whew... You could've just given up." I didn't need to hear the rest. It was probably something like, why the hell did you push yourself so hard? After drinking the water and eating the energy bar she handed me, my head started to clear. Looking around, I realized we were near the spot where I'd been hiding the beacon.
"How did the training go?" I asked. Chief Kim gave me an incredulous look.
"Mr. Chairman, if we hadn't found you, this could've ended badly."
"Sorry about that. If it's over, let's head down." I descended the mountain supported by the Korean security team. As we walked, Chief Kim gave her report.
"After we were deployed, we found almost everyone. Three people slipped through."
So they caught me too. It felt a little disappointing. I'd wanted to take first place.
"We'll keep searching for one more day and complete the mission." Ah, so our missions were different. One side hides, the other searches.
Down at the site, one of our squad members was missing. Nipper. Turned out Nipper was the sole survivor. I spent the day catching up on the sleep I'd missed and replenishing my nutrition. If they'd just tossed us into the jungle and told us to live, we would've managed. But with enemies around, it was a different story.
The next morning, everyone had returned. When they announced the rankings, Nipper came in second. First place had hidden so well that headquarters had to use GPS to find them.
The final week-three exercise was a group drill. Twenty-nine versus fifteen. I couldn't tell if Team Leader Lee was just that ruthless or if he was doing it on purpose, but he made us fight against double the numbers. Philippines versus Korea. Since we had the numbers, the Korean security team got wiped out. What was the objective? Flag capture. As long as no one died, it was fine. How were two grown men supposed to mark one person on flat ground and win? The Filipino guys had apparently learned a thing or two from the instructors—they were no pushovers either. I even took down a few of the security team members myself. It felt good to blow off some steam. The fact that it seemed like they were just trying to build the Korean team's fighting spirit sent a chill down my spine. What kind of training would we do next week?
On my day off, I greeted the team leaders who had come to the Korean security team. The atmosphere was awkward with bruises on everyone's faces, but I had to say hello anyway.
"How have you all been, team leaders?"
"We've been well, Mr. Chairman. How about you?"
"I'm good. It's been a while since I did jungle training—it feels fresh."
"You've done it before?"
Ah, these guys didn't know about Cancun.
"I had the chance once before, but that was basic training. This is my first time with this level of specialized instruction."
"Makes sense. Oh, you haven't met him yet—this is Team Leader Oh Jaewon."
"Pleasure to meet you. It's an honor to work with you. I look forward to it."
"Thank you. I'm Oh Jaewon. I'll do my best to be of help to the organization."
"Team Leader Oh used to work with me. He's an explosives specialist."
Why would our organization need an explosives expert? I didn't really get it, but since the security team had recruited him, I trusted their judgment. While we were on the topic, I asked about the current state of the security team.
"As you approved last time, we've filled out the personnel. The support team and two squads stayed in Korea, and three squads are here."
"Glad to hear the recruitment went smoothly."
"How's the training? I just followed Team Leader Lee's plan, but what do the professionals think?"
"I looked over the curriculum myself. The content seems solid. Team Leader Lee must've put in a lot of work. Brings back old memories."
Team Leader Hwang suddenly launched into a "back in my day" military story. He started talking about fighting American soldiers during RIMPAC training, trading stories with Team Leader Oh before glancing at me. Sorry, but I got exempted from service.
"Please continue your conversation, team leaders. I still haven't fully recovered, so I think I need to rest a bit."
The next day, we moved to a training ground with two nearby buildings. They even drove us there—maybe they were done with the physical conditioning. One building was for four-person infiltration drills, the other for eight-person infiltration. The Korean security team performed noticeably better, probably due to experience. You could say they were a cut above.
The morning was tactical training, and there was a lot to learn: breaking through blind spots, securing lines of sight, hand signals, and so on. It was good to see the Filipino guys absorbing so much—it made the training feel worthwhile. In the afternoon, we did live drills. I got chewed out badly. The instructors rained down criticism, saying if the opposing side had been properly trained, we'd all be dead.
The next day, we moved sites again. They'd set up a survival field. I was starting to wonder how much the security team's budget was eating up. There were three sites total. One felt familiar—a container training ground with A, B, and C courses between two guard towers, built to international standards. Another was similar but made of sandwich panels like a warehouse. The last was a five-story building for anti-infiltration and hostage rescue drills.
We paired one Korean security team with one Filipino squad to form units and began training. While one group ran the set, the other received tactical instruction. Since we rotated, there was some downtime. But of course, Team Leader Lee wasn't about to let anyone slack. During breaks, we did tactical drills. I kept dozing off during the lessons, but the Filipino guys stayed sharp—they must've noticed the instructors checking from behind. Money really is terrifying. The Korean security team didn't doze either because they had to teach. Only I fell asleep.
The final hostage rescue operation went smoothly, aside from Dollar accidentally hitting the hostage and losing points.
The next day, we did a march. Looking at the starting personnel, it seemed like about half the Korean security team was missing. Maybe they'd gone somewhere else or were doing different training? An hour later, we found out—they were the ambush team. Even with a mask on, Chief Kim, the only woman on the Korean security team, stood out. After getting ambushed once, my mind sharpened. The Korean security team's instructions suddenly made perfect sense too. If you didn't follow them exactly, you got hit. At one point, I spotted the ambush team myself and took one down first. The Typhoon squad leader was pleased—apparently, taking out instructors first earned bonus points. Of course, I felt bad about the rest of the story.
The remaining training was a march to a destination point within twelve hours. The distance was about forty kilometers. We had to defend against ambushes, pick up any stragglers, and maintain our stamina. We also received marching tactics instruction while walking. How did Team Leader Hwang move so well even while carrying the straggler rifle? The Filipino guys burned with determination to complete the mission, and that energy seemed to rub off—the Korean security team pitched in with enthusiasm. We arrived with twenty minutes to spare. Then we collapsed.
The next day, sirens blared and the instructors told us to return our gear. Training was finally over. Camio and Dollar turned in their rifles and equipment, and we were told to gather at the training ground at exactly seven. After breakfast, we assembled and were loaded into vehicles. We drove for about an hour before arriving at a familiar location—the farm we'd operated in the Philippines before. It looked very different now. The fields had expanded four or five times over. In the back, I could see what looked like cannabis growing. This must've been the farm my brother mentioned acquiring.
We got out of the vehicles and gathered in the open area. There was a platform up front where Team Leader Lee and the assistant instructor stood.
"You've all worked hard during training."
"Today's the final exercise."
"After training, there'll be a dinner, awards for the best squad, and rewards for outstanding trainees."
"The final exercise still counts toward your scores, so don't let your guard down. Give it your all until the end."
"Mr. Chairman, please come up."
They suddenly called me. I climbed onto the platform awkwardly, and Team Leader Lee introduced me.
"This is the man who leads our organization. I ask for your continued loyalty."
The Filipino guys started murmuring.
"Quiet. Today's exercise is VIP protection. Team leaders and squad leaders, receive the roster, divide into A and B teams, and move out. Execute."
"Execute!"
The Korean security team scrambled, calling out names and leading teams away. Team Leader Lee pulled me aside.
"Mr. Chairman, you can rest and handle paperwork today."
So I was the VIP? I sat in the farm office trying to work, but an hour later I gave up. How was I supposed to focus with gunshots, smoke grenades, and flashbangs going off? I decided to just watch Chief Kim command instead. She was good at it. I'd seen it during the Busan operation too, but she was tough as nails. Swearing came naturally, and she barked orders to stay sharp. From the side, her tactical commands were clear and decisive.
When the morning exercise ended, they brought me lunch and explained the afternoon plan. Usually, VIP training favored the defenders. Made sense—most scenarios involved a small infiltration team trying to take out the VIP. "In the afternoon, we'll switch roles. So, Mr. Chairman, why don't you try an escape drill too?"
That afternoon, I got shot. About an hour into the exercise, Chief Kim told me it was time to escape. As we moved toward a car parked outside the building, I took a hit.