I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 1

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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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001-Inventory
1. Inventory
A sprawling food mart, vast and bustling.
Countless patrons filled the aisles, each seeking their necessities.
I stood lingering before the meat section, my school uniform drawing attention like a beacon.
Sharp eyes tracked my every movement.
I understood perfectly.
They wanted to confirm whether I was stealing.
But hands move faster than eyes.
One package beneath for the creditor.
One package beneath for Manager Kim.
One for myself.
No, wait—not that one.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Two packages of premium beef brisket vanished in an instant.
In the blink of an eye.
So swift, so precise, that even the man watching me failed to notice.
He probably wondered if something had happened.
Mission accomplished, I casually drifted away from the meat section, preparing to leave—
“Excuse me, student. Hold on a moment.”
A middle-aged man with a protruding belly—the one who’d been watching me—called out.
“What is it?”
“Don’t you know better than anyone?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Sigh… must I spell it out myself?”
“Go ahead. I’m curious too.”
“How about we discuss this somewhere quieter?”
“I’d rather not. And I have nothing to discuss with you.”
“I’d like to take a look inside your bag.”
“My bag? Why?”
“I suspect our store merchandise is in there.”
“It isn’t.”
“We’ll have to verify that ourselves. I can’t just take your word for it.”
“There’s nothing in it!!!”
“That’s exactly why I need to check!!”
The man forcibly reached for my bag, and I blocked him with my entire body.
“Why resist? If you haven’t stolen anything, show me your bag confidently. Why hide it like this?”
“It’s my bag. Who are you to look through it? This is a violation of privacy. I’m uncomfortable now—I’m not shopping here anymore. I’m leaving.”
As I tried to push past the middle-aged man, he blocked my path and suddenly grabbed my arm.
I glanced between his grip and his face, preparing to speak.
“Put that down. If you don’t put it back, I’m calling the police.”
“Go ahead and call. Hey, Manager Kim, call 112 and report a shoplifter.”
Manager Kim made the call to 112.
The heavyset man dragged me forcefully toward the meat section.
Despite being a high school student, my slight frame was no match for his strength, and I had no choice but to be hauled along.
“You might try to run, so I have no choice. Manager Kim, keep watch behind me so this punk doesn’t escape. And just so you know, I don’t do settlements. Punks like you need to eat prison food. Rotten to the core. If you had no money, you should work for it. But no, you learned to steal first. Damn bastard. I’ve seen you more than once or twice. Every time you show up, something goes missing. When I catch you, I’m going to nail you for everything you’ve stolen so far and throw you in the slammer. Thieving scum.”
The heavyset man was hurling abuse at me,
and the other customers in the mart were craning their necks to see what was happening.
As the shoppers’ attention turned toward us, the heavyset man’s expression grew uncomfortable.
But he didn’t release his grip on my arm.
His face looked conflicted.
He wanted to catch me as a suspected shoplifter, but he clearly didn’t want to make a scene.
He probably intended to call me quietly to the office, open my bag, confirm the stolen goods, and press charges.
Publicly suspecting and interrogating me as a thief in front of all these customers would look terrible to any observer.
Even if I actually were a shoplifter.
To prevent such a situation, he likely would have suggested talking quietly in the office, but the damage was already done.
The heavyset man was rationalizing his actions—he had no choice but to grab me when I tried to run.
The police arrived.
Two officers entered the mart—one male and one female.
“We received a report and came immediately.”
“Ah, yes, this way please.”
The heavyset man called the officers over.
“This punk stole from our store.”
“What did he steal?”
When the officer asked, the heavyset owner hesitated, looking flustered.
“Well… if you just open that punk’s bag, you’ll see, won’t you?”
“You’re accusing him of theft without even knowing what he allegedly stole?”
The heavyset man looked taken aback by the officer’s words.
But he answered quickly enough.
“Beef. He must have stolen beef. He was standing in front of the meat section for quite a while.”
At the heavyset man’s words, the officer approached me.
“I need to search your bag.”
“Show me a warrant.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you want to open my bag, bring a warrant. And isn’t it improper to demand I open my bag without even identifying yourself and your department first?”
The officer looked somewhat taken aback.
“Ah, I apologize. I’m Sergeant Kim Chul-min from Songsan Police Station. May I examine your bag?”
“No, you may not. I’m being very clear about this. I refuse to have my bag searched.”
“If you didn’t steal anything, opening your bag would settle this quickly. Why complicate things?”
“I’m deeply humiliated and insulted right now. That man called me a thief in front of all these people, shoved me forcefully, and used violence against me—a minor. I clearly said I didn’t steal anything, but he refused to believe me and treated me like a criminal, humiliating me in front of everyone. I don’t just want to prove my innocence. I intend to press charges against that man for defamation, insult, assault, and child abuse.”
At my words, the rotund man only raised his voice even louder.
“A thief’s spawn has no shame! What? Defamation? Where’s your honor? Now hurry up and search this bastard’s bag, arrest him!”
The rotund man barked at the police officer like he was giving orders.
But Kim Chul-min simply glared at the rotund man once.
Only then did the rotund man fall silent.
I brought the backpack I’d been carrying on my back around to my chest.
“Since you’re so curious, I’ll open it for you.”
I opened my backpack and turned it upside down, shaking it vigorously.
Thud, thud-thud-thud.
Clatter-clatter-clatter, clatter-clatter-clatter.
Textbooks and reference books tumbled out of the bag,
and ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, and highlighters scattered across the floor.
And among them, a single plastic bag fell out.
The officer examined the bag.
Inside were leftover scraps of food.
“I’m a basic livelihood recipient. So sometimes the school nutritionist secretly gives me leftover food to take home and eat. I didn’t want to open my bag because I was ashamed of that… sniff sniff… and now I’m being mistaken for a thief… sniff sniff…”
Tears like chicken droppings fell from my eyes, one after another.
“What exactly did I steal? Huh? I was just lingering around because I wanted to eat meat, hoping there might be samples. Is that such a grave crime?”
The officer thoroughly checked my bag and my body to see if there was anything hidden, while the Female Officer gathered the items that had fallen from my bag.
But nothing appeared.
“No, this can’t be right.”
The rotund man tried to examine the bag himself after the officer finished, but the officer shook his head and stopped him.
The customers watching in the mart began to look at the rotund man like he was garbage.
“Did he really push a kid this hard over suspicion of something she didn’t even steal?”
“He’s complete trash.”
“This mart is no good.”
“If I shop here, I could become a thief anytime too.”
“Damn it, am I a potential thief now?”
“I’m never coming to this mart again.”
“That poor kid, what do I do? She’s still crying.”
“I want to buy that kid meat myself. Ah, but I can’t buy it here, right?”
“Just because she looked at meat, he calls her a thief? So just looking at something makes you a thief here?”
“I’ll have to shop here with my eyes closed.”
I could hear all the murmuring of the onlookers.
Flustered, the rotund man spoke loudly in protest.
“No, that bitch stole it, I saw her stealing!”
“What? You say I stole? Then where is the item I stole? What did I steal? I’d like to know what you claim I stole.”
“I’m the one who’s been wronged here.”
“I’m the one who’s really been wronged. I won’t let this go. I’m going to sue you. Officer, I’m requesting the CCTV footage as formal evidence.”
I pointed to the CCTV camera hanging from the ceiling as I spoke.
Kim Chul-min checked the CCTV footage.
“Female Officer, secure that CCTV. Whether it’s theft or assault, we’ll need it. Get cooperation from the manager and bring it with you.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Female Officer moved to retrieve the CCTV, but countless onlookers continued to watch us intently.
“And you two—let’s not do this here. Everyone’s watching. Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?”
“Ah, yes… this way, please.”
The portly man led us to the Office.
A small conference table occupied the center, while cabinets, documents, and various supplies lay haphazardly along the walls.
It seemed to be where employees worked and occasionally took their coffee breaks.
“Please, sit.”
The portly man pulled out a chair for Kim Chul-min and sat beside him.
He said nothing to me, standing beside them.
So I simply remained standing.
“You should sit too, student.”
“Yes.”
It was Kim Chul-min, not the portly man, who invited me to sit, and I took an empty chair.
Once everyone was seated, Kim Chul-min spoke.
“Let me clarify the situation. The manager reported this student for allegedly stealing something, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“And you used force against this student.”
“Force? I simply asked to check the backpack because it seemed like something might have been stolen. That’s all.”
“You realize that’s illegal, don’t you?”
“I absolutely didn’t force anything. I only asked. But when he tried to run away, I had to stop him. That’s all there is to it. I’m telling the truth.”
“Is that so?”
“No. That’s all lies. He forcibly tried to open my backpack, dragged me away by force, and used violence in the process. Look at this. My wrist is still red.”
The portly man had gripped my wrist so hard that his fingerprints remained clearly visible.
“Hmm, that was an accident. When you suddenly tried to run, I had no choice but to grab you to stop you…”
“Enough. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. You said your name was Kim Chul-min from Songsan Police Station, right? I’m going to file an official complaint. What do I need to do?”
I looked at Kim Chul-min and spoke.
I asked him to explain the procedure for filing a complaint.
“Officer, I’ve brought the CCTV.”
The Female Officer who had gone to retrieve the CCTV returned.
“Can we view it here?”
“Yes. I’ve also saved it to my phone. Let me show you.”
The footage the Female Officer brought showed me very clearly.
I had lingered around the Meat Section, picking up and putting down meat several times, but there was no sign of me placing it in my bag or hiding it anywhere.
That was crystal clear on the CCTV.
Moments later, the portly man appeared, spoke to me, attempted to forcibly take my backpack, and when that failed, forcibly dragged me away—all captured in vivid detail.
After reviewing the CCTV, Kim Chul-min saw there was nothing more to investigate.
The manager had claimed this student stole something, but that was mere suspicion—there was no stolen item, and no such act was visible on the footage.
And even if the student had stolen something, acting this way was absolutely unacceptable.
On the contrary, it was an undeniable fact that the owner had forcibly dragged this student away and called them a thief in front of many people.
That’s why the student decided to press charges as well.
Kim Chul-min stood up, drew out his handcuffs, and snapped them onto the wrists of the portly Food Mart owner sitting beside him.
“You are under arrest as a current offender for violations of laws regarding assault, insult, and defamation. You have the right to remain silent, and all statements may be used against you in court later. Furthermore, you have the right to retain legal counsel…”
The portly owner was startled when the handcuffs clicked around his wrists and began making excuses.
“No, no. Why are you putting handcuffs on me? That bastard stole the merchandise. Every time that bastard loiters around in front of the Meat Section, several packs of beef go missing.”
“Then where is the beef this student allegedly stole?”
“Well? That’s… there might be an accomplice who already took it somewhere.”
“Sigh. You can file a report once you secure evidence for that later. For now, you’ll need to come to the station with us regarding the assault charges.”
“Officer. You forgot to mention child abuse among the charges you mentioned earlier.”
“What? You little punk.”
When I suggested adding another charge to the officer, the portly man shouted even louder.
“If you continue like this, we’ll add obstruction of official duties as well. Let’s go to the station now. You come along too, student. We need to question you as well.”
“Yes.”
.
.
.
After the questioning, the portly man emerged.
Min Bae-ho, the owner of the Food Mart, felt nothing but injustice and frustration.
It was definitely that bastard.
Whenever that bastard loiters around the mart, merchandise disappears.
I checked the inventory multiple times, wondering if I’d miscounted, but items were definitely being stolen.
So whenever that student came in, I watched even more carefully.
I stopped working and followed the student around.
Yet I never actually saw the student stealing anything.
I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but I rewound the CCTV footage multiple times hoping to catch the theft, but there was no trace of any theft on the cameras either.
Could the thief be someone other than that bastard? But all the circumstances point to them.
It has to be them.
I even considered just turning a blind eye.
I could overlook a few bags of snacks or instant noodles.
But beef that costs tens of thousands of won per pack? I couldn’t let that slide.
That expensive beef keeps disappearing, several packs every single day.
It definitely started happening after that bastard began hanging around the Meat Section all the time.
I’m 100% certain that bastard is the culprit.
But there’s no evidence.
No matter how much I think about it, it seems like they’ve rigged some kind of device, but I can’t figure out what.
I need to search that backpack.
So today I asked very politely.
I said I needed to check the backpack, but the student tried to run away, so I grabbed them.
Instead, Min Bae-ho found himself facing charges of assault, defamation, and child abuse.
“If you can’t reach a settlement, you could end up serving actual prison time. At minimum, you’re looking at a fine, and since the victim claims to have experienced fear and humiliation, we can add insult charges as well. It’s all captured on CCTV, so the evidence is irrefutable. And here’s the critical part—the other party is a minor. Assault against a minor carries serious weight. That student has already hired a lawyer and is threatening to pursue every charge possible. You absolutely must reach a settlement if you have any hope of avoiding prison time.”
I recalled the words the police officer had spoken while drafting the report at the station.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips.
I took a deep breath and dialed the student’s number.
“It’s me. From the Food Mart.”
“What is it?”
“I… well… I think we need to work out a settlement.”
“I believe I already told you there’s no settlement to be made. Didn’t you hear me?”
“Come on, let’s just settle this. Neither of us handled things perfectly, right? Let’s just chalk it up to bad luck and move on.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Who was the one who threw filth on an innocent person? You want them to just accept it and move on?”
“I’ll give you a 100,000 won coupon redeemable at our mart. Isn’t that more than fair?”
“This is unbelievable. I’m hanging up.”
Click.
The student simply ended the call.
Then I placed beef on a well-heated pan and began to grill it.

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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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