Chapter 188: Update (3) |
As we headed to the villa where Cocari Sweat's publicity chief was for the final advertising meeting, Ricky asked one question with a stern expression.
"Boss, who hired this guy named Chris?"
"Chris? He's a security guard employed by our advertisers. But why do you ask?" I responded.
After much hesitation, Ricky leaned closer and whispered, "That guy seems to be affiliated with a gang."
At that moment, my steps halted abruptly without realizing it.
Yoo-Jin noticed my sudden stop and called out to me with a confused expression, "Yoon-Ho oppa?"
"Go ahead, I'll catch up in a minute," I reassured her quickly.
Then I turned to Lee Yung-Jin and said, "Yung-Jin, take Yoo-Jin and Miso to the meeting. I need to discuss something with Ricky."
"Is there a problem?" Lee Yung-Jin asked.
"Okay! Make sure it’s the best!" he replied cheerfully.
"Sure, it's Yoo-Jin paying after all!" I replied playfully.
Yoo-Jin smiled. "Alright, oppa! I'm happy to treat whatever!"
Yoo-Jin showed generosity unlike usual, perhaps because she was excited to be abroad.
When Ricky signaled Michael with a glance, he led the others away and headed to Villa No.1 for the final meeting for the advertisement.
As soon as they were out of earshot, I pressed Ricky for more details.
"Are you sure he's in a gang or is this just speculation?"
"When Chris was handling the luggage, I saw a snake tail tattoo peeking out from under his T-shirt. That's a symbol used by members of the Ahas organization, a derivative of the BNG gang."
The BNG gang, derived from the Tagalog phrase 'Bahala Na,' meaning 'let it be,' had splintered and led to the creation of the 'Ahas gang on Bohol Island. And 'Ahas' means 'snake' in Tagalog.
As Ricky continued, I felt my blood chilling more and more.
"But I might be overreacting and considering the worst-case scenario. It’s not unusual for gang members to hold jobs in security or driving," Ricky added.
Ricky continued to explain that Ahas gang members were involved in a range of criminal activities from drug trafficking and kidnapping to extortion and petty theft.
Fortunately, they couldn't carry firearms on the premises because the resort had security guards.
"But how can someone affiliated with a gang work at the resort?" I asked.
"Gang affiliation or not, they are residents of this island, that fact doesn't change."
Ricky noted it wasn't uncommon for lower-ranking gang members to work in local resorts. He added that he usually wouldn’t report such a thing as the odds of an incident were low since nothing happened 99% of the time. But given Yoo-Jin’s high profile, he felt compelled to report it.
"Then what should we do now?" I asked.
Ricky cautiously suggested after contemplating for a moment, "Nothing may happen, but in my opinion, I think we should inform Mr. Jason to set up a backup plan. But the decision is yours to make, Boss."
The mention of a backup plan likely involved additional costs. But that wasn't an issue because I would have spent the money anyway had the new schedule not appeared. My decisions were usually simple whenever I saw a schedule involving a visit to the police station.
"Should we exclude Chris then?" I asked.
"No, that could make him hold a grudge and potentially disrupt tomorrow's shoot," Ricky replied.
I frowned. "...So hoping nothing happens is our best bet."
"Either that or we prevent it," Ricky added.
"Understood. Then please report this situation to Mr. Jason immediately and handle it," I instructed Ricky.
"Yes, Boss."
Ensuring the safety of my group, especially Yoo-Jin and Miso, was paramount. I waited for Ricky's call with Jason to conclude and looked up at the night sky, hoping for a peaceful resolution.
The stars were shining brightly in a way that Seoul could never compare.
'Stay on your toes, Yoon-Ho,' I reminded myself.
I took a deep breath and checked my planner again. However, the schedule remained the same. Eventually, I began to assume the worst scenario.
Accompanying celebrities on overseas schedules could lead to all kinds of situations. I had experienced something similar before in my past life when I went to South Africa for a shoot, where a seemingly ordinary local assistant had suddenly turned into an armed robber.
I remembered surviving by offering no resistance at all.
At that moment, a brilliant idea came to mind.
'What if I put valuables into a temporary safe in the villa right in front of Chris and then have him guard that safe?'
I thought I could let them just take the money without harming anyone since a mere theft is much better than robbery. And it wasn't like I brought anything expensive anyway.
It might seem like I'm wearing luxury brands and expensive jewelry to others, but everything was from the Cheonho-dong market in reality.
The luxury jewelry borrowed from Cocari Sweat was expensive, but I could get compensation even if it were lost, since it was insured.
In the meantime, Ricky's phone call had just ended.
"Boss, Mr. Jason wants to talk to you."
When I took the phone Ricky handed to me, Jason's calm voice came through.
-Mr. Jung. I'm going to triple the security personnel from now on. But since no one can enter the resort except for Ricky and Michael who will be nearby, I will be guarding from a distance outside the resort.
"Thank you. Then what should I do?" I asked.
-Just act like you don't know anything. But don't let the resort staff know that we've increased the security personnel. It gets harder to guard if the information leaks.
I responded with an understanding and hung up the phone.
Then I asked Ricky again, "Ricky. Please take good care of Yoo-Jin and Miso."
"Don't worry, Boss. I have never failed in my tasks before," Ricky assured me.
"I hope I will be included in those cases."
"You will be."
Ricky's eyes shone distinctly unlike before. Seeing his confident face, I took a deep breath of the cold air which momentarily cleared my mind.
I thought about stopping the shoot altogether and returning to Korea. Although the possibility of an incident was uncertain, it still involved a gang.
However, that uncertainty was the problem.
If I canceled the advertisement without any excuse, I would have to face everything from penalties to various rumors that could destroy what Yoo-Jin had built up so far.
I couldn't let that happen.
Yoo-Jin's life in the entertainment industry had just begun to shine, and it should only be paved with roses.
***
Chris was a low-ranking gang member in the Ahas organization, who also occasionally worked as a bodyguard for tourists to live day by day on the money he earned.
During a brief evening break, he headed to the Blues Snorkeling rental shop in front of the resort.
At the Blues Snorkeling shop was a man repairing equipment with his shirt off.A snake tattoo similar to that of Chris' was also marked on the left shoulder of the man.
Chris waved with a smile. "Hey Mickey, some rich folks from Korea are here. Thinking of making a score?"
"Koreans are all rich. But the Japanese carry more cash, so pick the Japanese."
"Oh, no. This time it's different. Apparently, it's a pretty famous celebrity," Chris explained.
Mickey stopped arranging the snorkeling gear. "A celebrity?"
"Yeah. What was her name... Yoo-Jin Jung? Know her?" Chris questioned.
"I do. My friends have been watching that drama she's in. What was it called again? Blue Sky? Yeah, that was it." Mickey replied.
"What is it?" Chris asked.
"They say it's the most popular drama in Korea these days and it's really good."
Chris tilted his head as he didn't watch Korean dramas.
"Anyway, you're gonna join me, right? Their clothes and accessories looked incredibly expensive."
When Chris suggested robbing the famous celebrity of her wallet and valuables, Mickey paused to ponder.
"If it's something that big, we should inform the others ahead of time…"
"Come on, then we'd have to give half to the boss. Let's just gather a few guys and do it ourselves."
Mickey scratched his head. "But I can't get into the resort. Are you planning to get me a security card or something?"
"Leave the inside job to me. I've teamed up with someone I work with. So just bring a car to the southwest palm tree side by dawn tomorrow," Chris instructed Mickey.
"Okay. You need me for transportation, right? What time?" Mickey asked.
Chris smiled broadly. "After midnight. I'll call you. Make sure you're waiting outside, okay?"
"Okay."
As Chris headed back to the resort, the corners of his mouth twitched.
His main target was Jung Yoo-Jin's accessories and credit card. With the credit card, he could quickly have a technician he knew clone it and withdraw up to the limit.
Chris planned to score big this time and leave Bohol Island. After all, a low-ranking gang member like himself would never improve his life by staying put, a reason he planned to pull off a big heist without informing his boss.
***
At 8 p.m., the storyboard check meeting for tomorrow's shooting at Virgin Island was wrapping up in the living room of Villa No. 1 which was used as the meeting center by Cocari Sweat's publicity team.
After explaining the key points for each scene, Park Bull-Chool asked for one last check.
"Miss Yoo-Jin, could you show us how you hold a drink and take a sip?"
Yoo-Jin grabbed a can of Cocari Sweat nearby. She gripped it like a baseball bat, which made Park Bull-Chool shake his head.
Park Bull-Chool gave detailed instructions. "No, you've held it too much like a sports player. You need to express coolness and freshness, so lift your last finger slightly and hold the can gently with just three fingers like you're holding soft cotton candy."
I wondered if this was the same director who once asked Yoo-Jin to act like bears, chickens, and monkeys.
'As expected of the advertising genius Park Bull-Chool,' I silently commended him.
Despite shooting a completely different genre of commercials than before, he was nothing but a professional.
Yoo-Jin immediately changed how she held the can. "Like this?"
"Exactly, Miss Yoo-Jin. I love how you don't need a second take. That's great. Let's wrap up the meeting here," said Park Bull-Chool with a nod.
When the meeting ended, a buffet-style meal was spread out on the table. Suckling pig roasted over charcoal, huge lobsters with a savory butter sauce, and dishes reminiscent of sweet and salty squid sundae[1] were served.
Additionally, a series of exotic seafood dishes in red, blue, and various other colors began to appear on the table given the subtropical coastal resort setting.
Although the famous local beer San Miguel was also served, the staff was allowed no more than one bottle due to the next day's shoot.
However, I only drank juice just in case something might happen later.
Meanwhile, Yoo-Jin and Miso were too busy eyeing the food. Yoo-Jin couldn't eat much due to the shoot scheduled for tomorrow, so she was making mental notes of what she had to eat after the shoot.
Miso, on the other hand, ate as if there were no tomorrow.
"Mom, look at that giant shrimp! I want it!" Miso cried out.
"Okay. I'll peel it for you. Here, open your mouth. Say ah~," said Yoo-Jin as she held the peeled shrimp in front of Miso.
Miso opened her mouth. "Ah~!"
After peeling a grilled tiger shrimp for Miso, Yoo-Jin just sucked her fingers.
"But why aren't you eating, Mom?" Miso asked.
"Huh? Oh, because I don't like shrimp," Yoo-Jin replied nonchalantly.
That was a lie. There wasn't any food in this world that Yoo-Jin disliked. She was just holding back because of tomorrow's shoot.
With that, everyone else enjoyed a pleasant meal except for Yoo-Jin and me.
It wasn't until 10 p.m. that we could return to the villa.
***
Upon arriving at the villa, Chris and Anita greeted us.
Anita finished setting up the bed for us and bowed. "Then I'll get going now. See you tomorrow morning."
"Alright, Anita. Have a good rest and see you tomorrow."
Once Anita left, only Chris remained in the villa.
At that moment, I began to unfold the strategy I had discussed with Ricky.
"Chris, do you know where the safe is within the villa?" I asked.
As I saw the twinkle in Chris's eyes the moment he answered, I instinctively knew my suspicions were correct.
"It's in the second room on the first floor," Chris replied.
I turned to my companions. "Everyone, please take out your valuables and put them in the safe on the first floor."
Yoo-Jin tilted her head in confusion. "Oppa, should I also put in the jewelry Cocaris Sweat gave us?"
I nodded. "Yes, put everything in there from jewelry to wallet."
"Oh, okay.."
From Yoo-Jin to the staff, everyone took out their valuables and wallets and placed them in the small safe about 30 cm in size.
The small temporary safe allowed guests to briefly hold the valuables inside.
However, any resort staff with a master key could open it because they had to unlock the safe after the guest checked out.
I asked Chris to take on a specific role with a calm expression. "Chris, while Ricky and Michael will ensure the safety of our party, I'd like you to guard the safe."
"Leave it to me, Boss!" Chris replied enthusiastically.
'Yes, just take the money and leave my people alone,' I thought to myself.
Having set the 'leaving the fish to the cat' plan in motion, I instructed the group to rest.
After everyone had gone to their rooms, I spoke to Ricky. "Ricky, the priority is no one gets hurt. Catching Chris comes second."
Ricky and Michael explained that the plan was for the guards outside to catch Chris if he attempted to rob the safe.
"Don't worry, Boss. Mr. Jason is closely monitoring any possible escape routes," Ricky replied.
The trap was set with backup plans in place.
Hoping that no one would get hurt, I headed to my room.
Tick, tick.
Two hours passed, and then it was finally midnight.
[Everyday V10.1]
-09:30 a.m. <Deleted Schedule>
(Deleted Schedule: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Meeting with the Chief of Police in Bohol Island, Philippines.)
I heaved a sigh of relief. "Phew. There we go."
It seemed Chris would get caught by Ricky while trying to rob the safe.
Only then was I able to relax and sit up in bed. But at that moment, another alarm rang on my phone.
[Notification: June 25, 2020. A new schedule has been added for Miss Jung Yoo-Jin.]
'What's this now?' I wondered.
[Everyday V10.1]
[Date: June 25, 2020]
-00:15 a.m. [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Visit to Bohol Hospital for a blood transfusion.
My eyes widened. 'Yoo-Jin is going to the hospital for a blood transfusion in just 15 minutes from now?'
Without a second thought, I started running toward Yoo-Jin's room.
1. A type of Korean blood sausage ☜
Ristretto's Thoughts
Omg what the heck is happening 😭Is Yoo-Jin getting stabbed or something???
Comments 1