Goblin Library - Chapter 160

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 160

Wang Ju-myung, regarding Lee Gang-hun with a puzzled expression, asked a question.
“Isn’t it enough to simply sell the product? Why are you thinking that far ahead?”
Lee Gang-hun answered in response.
“If I make the people of this country understand that there are no problems with buying my product, I can sell even more. And I can’t allow my customers who purchased from me to face difficulties because of it.”
Only then did Wang Ju-myung, now understanding what Lee Gang-hun was thinking, nod his head.
“As long as the construction proceeds properly, it doesn’t matter to me whether we use Chinese products or those from other countries. But you said you’d let me choose my rice bowl as compensation… how does a rice bowl help me?”
At Wang Ju-myung’s words, Lee Gang-hun pulled out a ballpoint pen and placed it on his notebook. When he looked at Wang Ju-myung, Wang Ju-myung tilted his head in confusion.
Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, Lee Gang-hun spoke.
“When I sell the items written in this notebook, companies selling the same types of products will request that people like you pressure the companies that bought my products to switch back.”
At the word “request,” Wang Ju-myung’s eyes sparkled. Then he looked at the names of the items written in the notebook.
“A request, you say…”
“They’ll request that you either apply financial pressure to make them buy their products again, or have them removed from the site. And when making such requests, surely no one does it empty-handed like I do.”
“That’s… true.”
“So just inform me when such requests come in. Then I’ll immediately stop selling my products.”
“But if you do that, you’ll lose your sales channel. What’s your plan?”
“By the time they notice their sales declining, we’ll have already sold what we needed to sell. And… in that notebook, write down the names of companies you’re dissatisfied with—for instance, those making large profits with the nation’s support but showing no sincerity.”
“Sincerity?”
“To be blunt, write down the names of companies that earn well but are unwilling to share, or companies that displease you. Then I’ll bring and sell the main products those companies offer from Korea. And to those companies…”
Lee Gang-hun smiled meaningfully, and Wang Ju-myung returned the smile.
“They’ll receive requests?”
“Exactly.”
Lee Gang-hun nodded and continued speaking.
“From my investigation, most Chinese products sold in this country have higher margins than those sold in mainland China.”
Lee Gang-hun’s words were accurate. There was a price difference between products sold in mainland China and those sold here.
If a product called A sells for one hundred won in the mainland, it sells for about two hundred won here. The reason is simple: since similar foreign products cost two hundred won, the price was adjusted accordingly.
“That’s right. After all, in this country, we have to use our own products.”
“So they’ll show considerable sincerity. Moreover, the better my products sell, the more sincerity they’ll show. And if I stop selling products based on their sincerity…”
“They’ll think sincerity is effective.”
“And when I sell other products, they’ll show sincerity to you again.”
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Wang Ju-myung nodded repeatedly.
“Excellent, excellent.”
“How is it? Do you like the meal I’ve prepared?”
“Good, good. There’s plenty to sink your teeth into.”
Somewhere along the way, Wang Ju-myung’s speech had shifted to a more casual, comfortable tone. It showed just how pleased and at ease he had become with this transaction.
“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
“No, there isn’t.”
『Hmm….』
Wang Ju-myung, who had been observing Lee Gang-hun for a moment, spoke.
『It’s awkward for me to say it myself, but there are quite a few organized crime groups from the homeland operating in this country. Since they’re deeply invested in these interests, they won’t take kindly to someone like you cutting into their profits.』
『I’m aware of that.』
『You could face terrorist attacks—are you prepared for that?』
『Can you prevent them?』
『Not all of them, but I know people who can stop the ones I’m familiar with.』
Lee Gang-hun shook his head at Wang Ju-myung’s words.
『Just inform me if someone is planning to attack me. Please don’t actually prevent it.』
『Why?』
『If it becomes known that you’re protecting me, won’t it reveal that you’re doing business with me? If that happens, the items listed in this notebook will lose their effectiveness.』
『Ah….』
Wang Ju-myung looked at Lee Gang-hun and spoke.
『Then… all I can do is pass along information… is that acceptable? Our country’s organized crime groups… they don’t find it particularly difficult to kill people.』
Lee Gang-hun laughed at Wang Ju-myung’s words.
『I’ve conducted considerable trade with China. Among those dealings, it’s rare to find any that didn’t involve entanglement with Chinese Organized Crime.』
『Are you fearless? Or are you confident?』
At Wang Ju-myung’s question, Lee Gang-hun smiled and raised his glass.
『I prefer to worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. Come, let’s drink.』
Seeing Lee Gang-hun’s refusal to answer directly, Wang Ju-myung nodded.
『True. There’s no worry more pointless than fretting over something that hasn’t happened yet.』
With that, he raised his glass and clinked it against Lee Gang-hun’s before drinking.

Lee Gang-hun, thoroughly intoxicated, was being driven to the Hotel.
*Phew!*
Lee Gang-hun exhaled deeply and rolled down the window. Breathing in the cool air, he muttered softly to himself.
“I’ve been drinking way too much hard liquor lately.”
At Lee Gang-hun’s murmur, Mahmoud, who was driving, spoke up.
“The Company you worked at before was better.”
“The old Company? Why’s that?”
“Back then, you ate Korean food regularly. After drinking, you need to eat budae jjigae, don’t you?”
At Mahmoud’s words, Lee Gang-hun chuckled.
“Back then, I had a corporate card and decent living expenses. But at the current Company, that’s difficult.”
“That’s why the previous Company was better.”
At Mahmoud’s murmur, Lee Gang-hun smiled and opened the glove box.
*Click!*
Being an old car, the glove box dropped down with a thud as if it might fall apart entirely.
Mahmoud squinted as Lee Gang-hun rummaged through the glove box.
“What are you looking for?”
“A weapon.”
“A weapon?”
“Wang Ju-myung was worried. He said the Chinese Organized Crime members who came here are dangerous.”
While speaking, Lee Gang-hun pulled out a wrench, tested it with a slight shake, then tossed it back in.
“Should I carry a gun?”
“You said confidently it would be fine, so I thought you had some plan, but it seems you don’t.”
“The Chinese Organized Crime guys are a bit…”
Lee Gang-hun smacked his lips as he spoke.
“I’ve clashed with them a few times in China, and they carry blades.”
“Blades… that’s cute.”
“Cute? Blades are cute?”
“Here, there are people who carry guns.”
Mahmoud said with a laugh.
“How about I get you a gun?”
“You can get one?”
“If you have the money… how much are they going for these days? The ammunition capacity is a bit lacking, but a revolver would be better if you want to leave no trace.”
At Mahmoud’s words, as if he really meant to get one, Lee Gang-hun sighed and spoke.
“But don’t you have a gun?”
“I used to, but when you carry a gun, you have to deal with people who carry guns. So I don’t use guns anymore.”
“What if someone with a gun comes at you?”
“I don’t have any vendetta with them, and there’s no real reason to kill them, so I won’t shoot. It’s just for intimidation. But if I had a gun, I’d shoot. That’s why it’s actually safer not to carry one.”
Mahmoud looked at Lee Gang-hun as he spoke.
“Of course, in your case… they’re coming to kill you, so if you had a gun, you wouldn’t hesitate.”
“This is scary.”
“Still, don’t worry too much. Once I break a limb or two, I’ll put a bullet in them.”
Breaking limbs was certainly concerning, but Mahmoud spoke as though it were nothing.
And truthfully, Lee Gang-hun thought the same way.
First, as a threat, a limb or two would have to be broken before pulling out a gun.
Even for Chinese Organized Crime, if the target was a foreign businessman rather than one of their own kind, they would refrain from killing.
Not because they couldn’t kill, but because it would create troublesome complications. So they would threaten first, and only attempt to kill if that didn’t work.
Lee Gang-hun chuckled softly.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re talking about it like it’s someone else’s problem.”
“Even though we’re close, isn’t it someone else’s problem?”
At Mahmoud’s response, Lee Gang-hun chuckled again.
“Yeah, think of it that way.”
Only then did Mahmoud seem to sense something unsettling and looked at Lee Gang-hun.
“What do you mean?”
“I told you—our Company is small, so we don’t have much operational budget.”
“That’s right.”
“Which means I can unload my inventory here and negotiate a contract for additional earnings—ideally a good amount, but nothing too risky—and then leave.”
“That’s right.”
Seeing Mahmoud’s expression as if to ask why he was stating the obvious, Lee Gang-hun continued.
“But you’re staying here.”
“What?”
“Mahmoud, you have to negotiate product contracts here in my place. So who do you think the Chinese will target?”
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Mahmoud’s face went rigid.
“Me!”
Lee Gang-hun tapped Mahmoud’s shoulder as he cried out.
“From the profit our Company receives on contracts you bring in while I’m away…”
Lee Gang-hun paused in thought for a moment, then nodded.
“I’ll give you 5%!”
“5%! Really?”
“Of course. You’re working hard for it. But don’t get too excited—if products don’t sell and contracts are few, it could be less than your regular allowance.”
“Still, if I do well, I earn more, right? And our country is consuming a lot of product right now. If goods come in steadily, we can sell a lot.”
Seeing Mahmoud looking quite pleased, Lee Gang-hun asked him a question.
“By the way, Mahmoud—are things difficult for you lately?”
“My children are going to university soon.”
“Is tuition expensive?”
“Tuition is expensive, living expenses are expensive… everything’s expensive. So I need to earn more.”
Then Mahmoud sighed and added.
“My children should do work that’s less risky and more comfortable than what I do.”
Thinking that a father’s heart for his children is the same whether in Korea or abroad, Lee Gang-hun spoke.
“Though being an informant is certainly risky.”
Mahmoud made his living selling local information people needed, introducing them to contacts, and finding routes for them.
At first glance, it seemed neither particularly difficult nor dangerous, but that was far from the truth.
Moreover, this country’s public safety wasn’t exactly stellar, and since money and interests were involved, he often found himself entangled with various unsavory characters, leading to problems.
That’s why Mahmoud used to carry a gun back in the day.
Lee Gang-hun, observing Mahmoud, spoke.
“Let’s make this deal happen. Then you won’t have to do dangerous work anymore—you can just sit and review documents while earning money.”
Mahmoud sighed.
“First, I need to avoid the Chinese Organized Crime’s blade.”
At Mahmoud’s words, Lee Gang-hun chuckled and replied.
“Is it more dangerous than when we retrieved our goods from Rebel Territory back then?”
Mahmoud then set aside his troubled expression and smiled as he answered.
“That time, Lee kicked a grenade with his foot, and that’s how I survived.”
“If you hadn’t rammed the truck into the rebels, I would’ve died back then too.”
The two of them laughed absurdly for a moment, exchanging glances before looking ahead.
“No matter how dangerous the Chinese Organized Crime is, it should be less dangerous than the rebels.”
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Mahmoud nodded.
“It should be less dangerous.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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