That ghost appeared in Kamman's room that night, haunting him into the pits of hell. It brought back every nightmare, every fear, every sadness, every pain, and every anger he had worked so hard to suppress in the past seven years.
He tossed and turned in bed all night; his head began to throb, and his heart refused to settle down. This, compounded by his heavy drug intake, made him a complete mess. He was eventually saved by Rei, who came looking for him at three a.m. The plans had changed; they were to leave immediately.
"Why did they suddenly change the time and venue?"
He asked, his head throbbing and still unable to focus completely as they walked to the car. Rei opened the door for him, answering at the same time:
"INTERPOL is onto us, Sir; we have intel of a possible raid."
"A traitor?" Kamman asked, raising his brows.
The car was already driving out of the driveway, with a fleet of seven more cars and over a dozen men accompanying them.
"Most likely."
That, however, was not Kamman's primary concern. It wasn't his team, he wasn't the organizer, so it wasn't his business.
One thing was for sure, though: they hadn't come to South Korea for a back-and-forth with Ms. Kang, but for something every drug cartel, black market businessman, organization, and even government had their eyes on, a sensational drug that had been making whispers in the market for months.
Bronze Orchid, just like any other mafia regime, was deeply rooted in the drug market. But the Bronze Orchid's presence in that sector had been declining ever since Kamman took over, drawing critics from all sides.
This was simply because Kamman valued the safety of his customers more than profit. The patriarchs of the other four families once lectured him:
"There is no safety in this business. You are a leader of an organization that has taken countless lives. It is too late to act like a saint, Kamman."
Kamman, however, had responded:
"One cannot also make a profit from the dead. It is only when they are alive and productive, just enough to bring in the money, can one call it good business."
His aim was not to kill, but to exploit. Thus, he replaced most of the Bronze Orchid's previous suppliers and embarked on a journey not only to find but also to invent a new kind of drug that would be a hit. His trip to South Korea at that time was purely to research and learn, as he was still new to the business.
A private chopper was waiting when they got out of the car. They were to fly to Jeju Island, the new location for the Dancing Pearls, an event that brought together the world's richest and most influential drug dealers for trade.
It was still dark when they arrived, but arrangements had already been made. The families of the Bronze Orchid had numerous vacation homes in various parts of the world. Jeju Island housed one of them; the particular one where Chen Kamman's chopper landed was under his family's name. The event was set to begin in the evening.
This was one of those rare moments when he had almost seven hours of free time; he rarely even got two, often struggling to find time to sleep or even eat. He should have used this chance to rest, but food turned to ash in his mouth, and sleep was a far-fetched dream.
He reviewed documents, discussed business plans with Rei and Jeff, and went for a walk at noon, but he still couldn't shake that image from his head. It was as if the ghost was clinging to his back, adding unnecessary weight to his body. By the time the event approached, he was too tired to focus on anything.
Rei and Jeff eyed him worriedly.
"Do we really have to go? We can easily obtain information on what went down without attending in person."
"No, I need to be there in person. Some things you have to see with your own eyes.
Even replying was a struggle. His voice was croaky, fatigue evident in it. They, however, couldn't argue further; his word was final. They got him ready, and at exactly ten, they left for the venue.
The venue was nothing short of elegant.
The ceiling was simply a work of art, filled with rich, vivid frescoes depicting mythological or classical scenes, and the interior architecture was more Westernized, resembling a grand chapel. The lighting was warm, casting a golden glow on everything it touched.
Multiple levels were connected by escalators and sweeping staircases. On each level, people sat at their tables, chatting and laughing in the language of money and luxury. Almost every woman held her own, each beauty hardly comparable to the other, each visually in her own league. It was almost suffocating for the eye if one wasn't used to it.
As if one had walked into a living painting.
If a painting existed, then its most attractive feature had to exist too. It wasn't present until Chen Kamman descended from the escalator, his men behind him in a protective stance. Referring to him as the most attractive feature was hardly an exaggeration. Tables fell quiet, heads turned, whispers rippled through the crowd.
Women squealed and men looked on, the insecure ones fighting jealousy, and the secure ones holding admiration for such breathtaking visuals. He barely noticed the attention; his head felt as heavy as a brick. Several staff members lined the base of the stairs, at his service.
"Who is he?!" Those slightly new to their world asked, fascination evident in their voices.
"You don't know Chen Kamman?! He's the Phoenix of the Bronze Orchid!" Those who had been there for only a few months already knew this and answered eagerly.
"Oh! He's the Chen Kamman?!" They exclaimed each time.
Everybody had heard of him; his name had been mentioned in global newsrooms, in local market discussions, at workplaces, in schools, in motivational talks, and all over the internet. But people rarely ever met him in person. He never showed up anywhere unless he truly needed to.
His men guided him to his seat on the third floor, the highest level. From above, one could see the podium and the happenings below. He was hoping for a quiet night, but he was too famous to be left alone. As soon as he sat, the owner of Martyr Motors and Comb Electronics, both foreign entities, approached his table. Hellenica's Moon Hotel owner followed minutes later. The Director of Haenul Elite Hospital was next. Mrs. Choi, the owner of the largest department stores in South Korea, also joined. In thirty minutes, his table was already full.
"It's been a long time since your father passed. We used to be very close," one claimed.
"You've grown up. The last time I saw you, you were still so young and timid," another joked, then laughed at his own jest. The others agreed.
Kamman didn't remember meeting any of them in his childhood, but they often made up stories for the sake of conversation. So, he let them, smiling occasionally at their remarks, casually agreeing to others, and pretending to listen when his mind was miles away.
Drinks were served, followed by food from the hotel's menu, which he didn't dare to touch. Festivities and small talk lasted for exactly an hour before a bell rang; the main segment was about to begin.
Managers were assigned to each table, a team pulling a silver food cart along behind them. Normally, these carts would carry various delicacies, but instead, they held an array of drug samples. It was time to play.
Chen Kamman was not an angel; he dealt drugs, but he was one of those recreational users who only indulged on occasion. He had no problem withdrawing or controlling himself, something most people found impressive. Various silver glistening trays were placed before them, all with drugs in different forms and sizes, including tablets, powders, syrups, injections, and other substances.
A man stood at the podium below, explaining in detail the constituents of each drug and its effects. Kamman tested some and left the rest to his men, all the while mentally taking notes.
He looked towards his front, across to a different section of the third floor, and thought that the ghost that had been haunting him for a whole day and night was back once again to harass him.
At that very moment, he could see him standing behind a business mogul, most likely a South Korean, on the other side of the floor.
He laughed at himself, wondering if he had finally descended into madness. Rei, who was closest to him, noticed and asked,
"Young Master, what is it?"
"It's nothing," Kamman said, brushing it off. However, after giving it a second thought, he decided to indulge him.
"I keep seeing Dian after that picture. Fatigue must be getting to me."
Rei's eyes softened, worry replacing the sternness of a bodyguard.
"It's probably because you're tired, Young Master. Should we leave now?"
Kamman didn't answer. His eyes were fixed forward, and the ghost still didn't disappear even after he had blinked a couple of times. He was completely distracted and didn't hear anything Rei said.
Rei looked back at him after not receiving an answer, searching his face. He followed the direction of Kamman's eyes, and he saw him too. Dian Aoki, a man who should have been dead.
"Young Master...How come I can see him too?" he said in a fearful voice.
"What...?!" Kamman's head snapped toward Rei, bewildered. "You can see him too?!" All this time, he had been thinking it was his own mind playing tricks on him.
"Not only us, look to your left. There's another in our rear and the ones far north. That group at the far end is watching them as well." Rei said, immediately sensing something strange. Kamman caught on fast.
"Wait...isn't that one of Uncle's men?" Kamman pointed out after noticing a man amid a group. Realization dawned on him. Both of them, the ghost and he, were being watched.
******
The moment Asia Song walked into the building, his sharp senses had already picked it out. They were being watched. He leaned in and told the man next to his boss,
"Be careful, don't let your eyes leave your boss at any moment."
The man instantly reacted to the order, bowing his head in respect. Geumgang Pa was one of the many gangs rooted in South Korea. A little bird had told its leader of the existence of a literal genius named Asia Song. They said that anything he touched turned to gold, and any business his name was attached to grew to unbelievable heights. The Geumgang Pa boss had spent a fortune, almost driving his entire gang bankrupt, just to get Asia Song on his side.
Asia Song was not easily obtained. Many had offered more than what Geumgang Pa had, and he still flatly declined their offers. Geumgang Pa, however, had something Asia was looking for, and that was the only reason he agreed to accompany their boss to this event today.
A different segment began, launching another set of drugs, but Asia was already starting to feel very skeptical about staying here. First, Geumgang Pa was always at odds with someone, and today, various gangs were clearly out to get them.
Just a short distance from their table, a group had already started making a move. When the others saw it, they began moving too. Every group except the one at the opposite end, with the handsome leader of the Bronze Orchid.
Asia wondered why even the Bronze Orchid was involved, but that was a question for another time; they needed to leave.
"Cover me," he instructed the men, telling them to create cover as he dragged the boss of Geumgang Pa off his seat.
"What is going on?" The clueless fat man asked.
"We're leaving, Sir." It did not sound like a request when the words left his lips.
"What?! But the best part is yet to begin. We can't miss that!" He resisted.
"You'll hear stories about it tomorrow, Sir. Blame yourself for offending so many people. But if you're so eager to die here, then we can stay."
The other gang members stared at him with their mouths wide open. Nobody would survive speaking to Park Jangseok in such a manner, but not only did their boss not blink, he immediately stood up straight to do as Asia demanded. They shut their mouths tight, holding back every word they had for Asia, and followed their Boss out.
"Young Master, they're leaving. How would you like to proceed?"
Rei said after noting their movements. He also saw the other groups begin to follow very closely.
"Let a group stay behind. The rest of us will follow them."
In a blink, orders had been relayed by Rei as he quickly picked out the units, and they got up to leave as well. With a lot of groups leaving at the same time, including the Bronze Orchid, people couldn't help but notice the commotion. They all started to look around, asking what was going on. This, however, was a gathering of people who held their own; nobody could stop anyone from leaving.
Asia and Geumgang Pa picked up the pace when they were finally outside. Asia's strategy came in handy at that particular moment: split the groups into various cars to confuse the pursuers, put the boss in a car that attracted less attention to make it easy for him to get away first, and ask others to create a decoy with the boss's car so that the other gangs might think he was in there when he wasn't.
All cars left the parking lot almost at the same time, screeching and accelerating at incredible speed. A car chase past midnight brought the streets to life. Kamman didn't trust anyone else but himself to drive. Rei was at the passenger seat; the rest of his men followed in different cars. Liang was left behind with the other unit.
Asia's maneuvering was working quite well; the gangs that had beef with the boss didn't know which car to follow, and they chased aimlessly. At a point where a fork in the road met, the groups split up on his instructions. Some went straight, others took the left, while others took the right turn.
Park Jangseok was a flashy man, and he showed this even in his cars, so most gangs picked the flashiest cars among all and turned right to chase after it, while a few that suspected foul play went straight, since most cars went that way. People hardly noticed two cars making a sharp left turn, disappearing into the darkness at lightning speed. One car had the boss and two other gang members; the other had Asia, following closely behind.
Asia checked his mirrors and confirmed they hadn't been noticed, then he leaned back to relax. He celebrated too soon. Just as they passed a section, a car emerged from their side, joining the main road right behind them.
Even the most subtle character traits noticeable to humans were discernible to Kamman when it came to Dian. From a young age, he had been able to tell that Dian was behind the steering wheel based on how the person was driving.
First of all, he was the most reckless driver Kamman knew, yet he was never careless. He made the smoothest and sharpest turns, slicing through lanes as if the world slowed down for him. It was as if his eyes could already see the furthest end of the road, bold, with no hesitation. He spoke a language only Kamman could understand, and Kamman could see it the moment those two cars made the left turn.
Instinct told him to follow, and he turned without a second thought.
"Young Master, are we not going straight?"
"No, he's not in any of those cars."
"Huh? How would you know that?"
Kamman didn't respond, but he could sense it, and the possibility of him being right filled him with an unimaginable dread.