Expansion (7)

Miju’s KakaoTalk profile picture had changed to a gold ring. I considered my surprise a success. If she was willing to change her profile for me, things had to be going well. It felt as though my relationship with Miju had expanded.

Smiling to myself while chatting with Miju, I was interrupted by a message arriving through Skylight. Someone was disturbing my hobby time. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The sender was Park, first name Baccara.

This was the first contact since I helped launder money for his gambling site. Maybe something had gone wrong? Everything had been fine until now. What could it be? The last time the U.S. Army guy reached out, it was for after-sales service. Was this another request for cleanup?

??

I asked how much we were talking about. The scale was surprisingly large—around two hundred rooms plus a sizable plot of land. The most profitable part was the attached casino. The plan sounded decent, but why should I trust them? As a potential buyer, I naturally asked for more information.

My afternoon suddenly had a task. The file arrived immediately. After reviewing the professionally prepared report, Baccara’s version felt sloppy by comparison. It was just a list of facts. No desire to invest. No sense of expertise. A proper investment proposal should make you want to put money in; a purchase proposal should make you want to buy.

Still, the location was about an hour from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Clark International Airport, two hundred rooms, restaurant, pool, and casino included. The expected acquisition price was one hundred million dollars. This guy was handling much larger sums now. Last time he was shaking over a hundred-million-won deal. The key question was how much I would have to put in. The investment amount was “to be discussed.” No real plan.

I looked up the address online. It didn’t look bad. The exterior was decent, and visitor reviews were positive. Most of all, the swimming pool was beautiful. I wanted to visit sometime. Because of the scale, I contacted Director Ha and asked him to review it, along with my concerns.

For a moment I pictured our security team shooting rifles in the Philippines and shuddered. Surely not.

A few days later I received an in-person report from Director Jo. It was about the Philippines deal. Since the story was long, he suggested we grab a cup of tea for the first time in a while.

“Have you been well?”

Usually only Director Ha and Director Jo attended executive meetings, but today there was one more person.

“Who’s this?”

A man sitting in a wheelchair suddenly greeted me loudly.

“Hello, sir! I’m Seong Yunhyeong from the IT team.”

Ah, the guy who sent his résumé last time.

“Nice to meet you.”

While I was still figuring out what to say, Director Ha took charge of the meeting.

“It’s about that Philippines matter.”

Yes, that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was why I came. The reason Seong was present soon became clear. Director Jo had started investigating on my orders and discovered the hotel was a troubled asset. The Philippines had started its war on drugs earlier than us. Because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠public safety was worse, their crackdown was harsher—shootouts, terrorism, assassinations, the works. The reason it was a troubled asset was that the hotel was owned and operated by a drug cartel boss the government had targeted. The boss had been caught, and the Philippine government had handed the hotel over as bail. ??

When I looked confused, Director Jo added that it was simply how things worked in that country. Don’t try to understand it. The government wanted to auction it off, but because of the cartel boss’s influence, no one was bidding. Baccara’s group had spotted the opportunity. They were foreigners, after all.

This didn’t sound like a normal hotel business to me. Seong added more details.

“Sir, the thing is…”

Because the Philippines currently had poor security and low international credibility, foreign investors received many preferential treatments. Clark’s vicinity was relatively safe because U.S. troops were stationed there, lowering the risk of terrorism.

“So you’re saying we should go for it?”

I asked directly. Director Ha nodded.

“It looks promising. If we can offload the operational risks, there aren’t many investment or laundering opportunities this good.”

Director Jo agreed as well. I asked for further explanation. The proposal listed one hundred million dollars, but since the buyer was the government, a little bribery could bring the price down significantly. If we targeted Korean tourists, the organization that approached us could run it, and even if we only took half the profits it would still be a solid revenue stream. Supplying goods through it could also create a decent export channel.

“Who’s going to handle it?”

“Team Leader Lee from the security team would be good. He’s mobile, and the deputy can cover the security team in his absence.”

Deputy team leader? When had we hired one? I had approved the position, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

“Yes, proceed. Is the deputy here?”

“Yes, let’s meet him before you go.”

As we climbed the hill behind the property, I could hear spirited shouts from a distance. Strong lungs. Up close, the number of people had increased—about a platoon’s worth. Two teams, maybe? The manpower expansion was reassuring. I had been worried.

The training facilities on the hill had been expanded further. At this rate we might have to register it as a survival training ground. When I joked about it, Director Ha replied that if we actually got caught, that was exactly what we would claim. We’d just pay the fine and be done—as long as the shooting range wasn’t discovered.

“It’s the boss.”

Director Ha waved someone over and introduced me. I had naturally assumed the deputy was male. The deputy team leader was a woman. About 165 cm tall, lean build, sharp eyes that inspired confidence. I couldn’t figure out why she looked so competitive.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, I’m Kim Mi-hyeon. I look forward to working with you.”

After the introductions, we entered a container and shared the executive meeting details with Team Leader Lee and Deputy Kim. She said she was still adjusting but would work hard. I handed her the beef I had brought and offered words of encouragement. Then I called Team Leader Lee aside, briefly explained the Philippines matter, and asked him to report any difficulties as they arose.

“Yes, sir!”

I had told him not to salute, but he seemed inspired and gave me a full military salute anyway.

Baccara kept messaging, clearly impatient. I ignored him. It felt good to be the one in demand.

He must be desperate. He started rambling about things he didn’t need to say.

He was dancing naked on his own. When the economy gets tough, that’s when the rich appear—and right now that was me.

After sending our local informant and Team Leader Lee for an on-site inspection in the Philippines, the full picture gradually emerged. Baccara had left out some details. During the back-and-forth, more information came to light. The person he served was mixed-race—a Korean-Filipino. Rejected by both Koreans and Filipinos, he had struggled growing up until he luckily met the cartel boss and received operating rights to one hotel—the troubled asset. He had run it well. In the process he had recruited people like Baccara to handle Korean tourism. Unfortunately, he had died in prison. They carved “nation-seller” into his corpse. So I made my demand.

I wanted an organizational absorption. You will become my subordinate.