Golden Crescent Connection
"Hyung, Hyeseon noona is amazing!"
Out of nowhere? I was eating with the team at the school cafeteria, chatting about this and that, when Myeongjae suddenly brought up Hyeseon.
Since when is she your noona? Well, the age gap isn't that big, I suppose.
"Why?"
"It's just… when we first talked, I felt like I knew more than her. But the next day, she was a completely different person."
"Now I can't even keep up with the conversation. She uses words I don't understand. These days she scolds me, asking if I really don't know something."
That's the difference between a genius and an ordinary person. Still, this guy's pretty smart himself. I only got in through social consideration, but Myeongjae earned his spot through studying.
"How's the preparation going?"
Since the topic came up, I checked on the team's progress.
"It's going well. The shipment is scheduled from Busan Port in two weeks. The route goes from Busan to Japan, then to Long Beach in LA, through the Panama Canal, and finally arrives at Cancun Port."
One sentence and the cargo circles half the globe.
"All the documents are ready too. I don't think the professor can give us anything less than an A+."
No other team this semester is putting in this kind of effort. Heh, praise me more.
"Can I ask for one favor?"
"Of course, go ahead."
"It's a bit greedy, but if possible, could the three of us go to Busan Port to cover the loading process? We might not be allowed in, but if we say it's for a school assignment, they seem willing to let us through."
"It's our first export. It feels like a waste to just let it pass by."
Truthfully, I needed an alibi. Money has to have a source. While I was at it, I handed them a million won, saying it was from an acquaintance as business expenses. Their hard work really was endearing.
After playing the role of the hidden sponsor and sitting through class, I headed home. A welcome message arrived.
Oh… our lovely Ali. I heard business wasn't great, yet he was smiling while handling our volume. Between BS, the Sleeping Series, and the OEM products from last time, the settlement amount last quarter exceeded five hundred million won.
Ah, this guy is going off on a tangent again.
Skylight sometimes did this. I didn't understand, so I asked again what he wanted me to buy. There was no reply for a while. Five minutes later, a long message arrived.
Reading through it, I realized he was talking about a Central Asian order. Me, receiving orders from Central Asia. Time really flies.
The ~stan countries share Islam and are known for active distribution of opium and cannabis. I looked into why. It all traces back to the British Empire in world history. Remember the Opium War I mentioned before? The opium came from here. Its high addictiveness creates steady demand, and the people of this region, stripped of their livelihoods by exploitation from what are now called developed European nations, continue to cultivate it. Agriculture doesn't do well in the climate, but poppies grow exceptionally well. In Afghanistan's case, the Taliban government encourages it due to the political situation. They sell opium to buy weapons.
Ali hyung said they would bring the goods in and wanted me to buy them. Since we were short on supply anyway, I figured it was perfect and asked for samples. The next day, two kinds arrived. Sorry, but I don't handle opium… Ali hyung seemed to know our organization's style and brought premium-grade cannabis samples instead. They looked a bit different from what we have here, but the effects were similar. Different strain, apparently. So I said we could purchase the cannabis in full, by the kilogram, and told him to wait on the opium. We were developing something, after all.
Price negotiations went smoothly. The unit price was good, and they wanted payment in yuan. When I asked why, he said he didn't know either. Fine by me. We coolly agreed on 100,000 yuan per kilogram. That day, I secured 20 kilograms of inventory. They delivered it to Bongdam. The hideout hadn't been used since the last Chinese prisoner camp, so I decided to use it as a transaction site.
Over the weekend, Miju and I went on a nationwide drive. I figured I'd check on the business sites while we were at it. After her grandmother passed, she seemed a bit down, so I coaxed her into going for a change of scenery. She agreed. She even said it was fine and told me not to worry, comforting me instead. Both of us happened to have no classes on Friday, so we left Friday morning. A three-day, two-night trip: first day from Sinchon down the west coast to Shinan, second day stopping by Yeosu to visit the fourth farm, then Haman to hear the consulting proposal from Minhee and her brother regarding the Busan organization, and on the way back stopping by Yeongcheon to check the farm situation. My grand nationwide tour plan. And as cover, a date with Miju. That was the real purpose, but since we were heading down anyway, I wanted to take a look. I lightly edited the story for Miju, framing it as a school assignment and visiting acquaintances. I even told her Shinan was my uncle's place.
On the way down, we stopped at Haengdamdo Outlet and I bought her a fall outfit. A couple's T-shirt set. It was 29,900 won per set. I could buy her a 29,900-dollar version if I wanted. I wonder if Miju knew what was on my mind.
We arrived in Mokpo that afternoon. Wow… it took six hours. After seeing her drive once on the way to Donghaksa, I hadn't had the courage to let her drive again, so I did all the driving myself. I told her to rest at the lodging while I went out to handle business. She understood. She even said she felt a bit burdened anyway and would just stay at the lodging.
And so I met Yangcho hyung in person for the first time in two years. He looked a little plumper than when I'd seen him at Dongdaegu Station last time, but his eyes had softened. That relaxed gaze, mixed with his characteristic anxious expression.
"Hello?"
"Boss?"
Our internal closeness was far beyond a typical boss-employee relationship, so the hierarchy snapped into place the moment we met. In other words, he looked extremely uncomfortable. I had worried he might look down on me for being young, but that wasn't the case.
When I asked how long the drive would be, he said about thirty minutes. In the old days you had to take a boat from the harbor, but now most of the larger islands are connected by bridges. We crossed two big ones—the Cheonsa Bridge and the Apae Bridge—before arriving at a small harbor. He parked in the harbor lot and started guiding me. Then he pointed at what looked like a small fishing boat and told me to get on. It was a motorized boat; he said if we rode it for about twenty minutes, we'd reach the island. Suddenly remembering what I'd learned in Mexico, I offered to drive it myself as a refresher.
"Do you have a license?"
Of course I didn't. I was unlicensed.
"Watch."
Five minutes later, I left him speechless. Once I got a feel for it, the skill came right back. It had been a while since I'd seen Yangcho hyung clenching his fists.
Nearby was a decent docking facility, two containers, and a house with a plate roof and a small yard where three meals a day were served.
"Only one house?"
"Ah, I tore down the rest and rebuilt. I'll handle the docking."
After waving him off and parking perfectly, I stepped onto the island. Yangcho hyung stuck close, acting as guide. He said the two containers held fishing gear, emergency fuel, and various odds and ends. The farm was about a ten-minute walk from here. Since the farm was the goal, we went, and I immediately understood why we'd been exposed. They were growing outdoor plants right along the path up. If there was a boat at the docking facility and no one at the house, of course anyone would follow the walking trail. It was obviously connected. And there was so much of it that it couldn't have been natural. They even brought pots to grow them… I could only sigh. It was a miracle we hadn't been caught.
"You mentioned the police last time. Have you increased security?"
?? This hyung really did speak with his face.
"There's only one docking facility, right?"
"Yes."
"Install a motion-sensing CCTV that points at the docking facility. And set up a speaker at the house that automatically plays a voice message when someone enters—something like 'I'll be right down after my workout' or 'I'm out at the moment.'"
I must not have been paying enough attention. I had to think of things like this too. Uncle, you don't need a memo pad.
The farm was quite large. It even had a dryer—the kind used for drying peppers.
"You've worked hard. I was actually considering pulling out, but team up with the deputy and do your best."
"I'm sorry."
"If the police or anyone else comes to arrest you, just get caught and apologize. Don't resist and get beaten for no reason."
"Understood!"
I took the boat back, gave him an envelope of cash as facility expenses and consolation money, and returned to Mokpo. On the way back, I thought to myself—he had brought me a lot of profit, yet he seemed very anxious. Was there no way around it?