I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 106

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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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106 – Efficiency
106.
“I suspect this place might be quite different from what you’re imagining.”
“Is that so?”
“We did some construction work in that area as well, and the ground conditions were far softer than expected—we had quite a time with it. We barely managed to resolve it by driving in piles, but even now, thinking back on it gives me chills.”
“Is that so? According to the documents here, there don’t seem to be any issues.”
“Don’t trust the documents from City Hall. I have no idea when they were measured, who did the measuring, or whether it was done properly. City Hall probably just gave us whatever data they had on hand to be helpful, but if you rely on that and proceed with construction, you’ll find yourself sweating bullets later.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. One hundred percent. It’ll take time and money upfront, but doing your own survey will be worth it for your peace of mind.”
Kang Jae-ho, who had been occupied with business in Bohol, made his way to Mindanao to meet with the Dae Yeon Development task force team.
The task force team felt as though they’d gained a thousand allies upon meeting Kang Jae-ho.
Elsewhere in the Philippines might be different, but Koreans were rare in Mindanao.
There was nowhere to obtain information.
Then a Korean appeared.
And as a partner they’d be collaborating with going forward.
Being in the same industry, communication flowed naturally.
He provided an enormous amount of practical tips that would aid their work.
As a task force team, they were able to obtain information that money alone couldn’t buy.
It was invaluable.
For Kang Jae-ho, meanwhile, this collaboration was a tremendous opportunity.
Kang Jae-ho wasn’t a construction specialist—he was an interior design contractor.
Though he was managing construction operations because Alex had assigned it to him, he still lacked much expertise.
Particularly, he knew little about construction and infrastructure work.
Most of the projects Patrick had handed over were infrastructure projects.
While he was overseeing the work, Kang Jae-ho wasn’t satisfied with it.
The methods employed by Philippine technicians were remarkably inefficient and improvisational.
It felt like they worked without established rules, simply adapting to circumstances as they arose.
Though this displeased Kang Jae-ho, he had no alternative.
He lacked the technical knowledge and expertise to override the local technicians.
He often had no choice but to defer to their opinions.
But then, a fortuitous opportunity presented itself.
Collaboration with Dae Yeon Development.
Kang Jae-ho seized this chance eagerly, determined to learn as much as possible from the collaboration.
He’d already requested permission to follow along and absorb whatever knowledge he could.
Dae Yeon Development not only agreed readily but also offered to provide relevant materials.
“Then I should request additional survey personnel from headquarters?”
“I think that would be wise. You’ll need surveying done before you can produce blueprints.”
“Understood. I’ll submit the request to headquarters. Thank you so much for your help today.”
“Not at all. I’ll be following along and pestering you with countless questions going forward.”
“We’d welcome that anytime. And rest assured—what you’ve told us today stays between us.”
“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you could do that. I’ll be heading out now.”
“Of course. Take care, and I’ll see you next week.”
“Yes.”
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After Kang Jae-ho left, the task force team compiled the meeting notes.
There were several matters to address, but the most urgent was the survey.
According to Kang Jae-ho, the credibility of the data provided by City Hall was quite poor.
I had actually conducted a survey before, and it differed from the City Hall data, which had left me with doubts—doubts that were now completely resolved.
The City Hall data was wrong.
Direct surveying was the only answer.
With the current personnel, I could manage the survey through sheer effort, but it would take too long and be inefficient.
It was better to have professionals handle it.
I immediately requested the headquarters dispatch a survey team.
And during my conversation with Kang Jae-ho, I learned an important fact I hadn’t known before.
There’s a major figure in the Philippines.
A figure capable of influencing Philippine politics and economics to a considerable degree.
Particularly in Mindanao, this figure with absolute power is close friends with Dae Yeon Development’s new CEO.
As long as their relationship doesn’t deteriorate, there’s no reason why construction projects couldn’t proceed or bids wouldn’t be awarded in the Philippines.
So I should assume that there will continue to be construction projects in the Philippines.
The reason for acquiring Dae Yeon Development was precisely to undertake these projects.
The hotel I’m currently occupying can be thought of as belonging to that figure.
Even if he doesn’t technically own it, if he wants something done, it gets done.
At first, I thought it was absurd bragging,
but upon reflection, it seems to hold some truth.
Otherwise, there’s no way to explain this situation.
The mayor himself came out to welcome us and arranged for us to choose which projects we wanted to undertake.
I was incredibly curious about who this figure was.
I asked Kang Jae-ho who this figure was, but he only smiled and gave me a vague answer—that I’d meet him someday when the opportunity arose.
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The humid breeze blowing from the seaside carries the scent of salt.
The survey team began their work early in the morning.
Despite the early hour, it was incredibly hot.
The requested survey team arrived quickly.
Dae Yeon Development’s own survey team was insufficient, so external personnel were brought in as well.
Thanks to this, the survey work progressed rapidly.
“You’ve established the reference points, right?”
“Yes, we’ve got it locked in.”
Kim Tae-young, the Manager, confirmed the reference point after checking the total station.
“Now check the distance to the opposite side.”
A man holding a prism pole stands on the opposite side.
“Laser receiver confirmed. Reading: 223.96 meters. Margin of error within 2 millimeters.”
Manager Kim Tae-young records the measurement.
From early morning, we conducted surveys at multiple locations in this manner.
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Zamboanga City Hall.
“Will you be able to complete all of this construction?”
“Yes. We’ve run the simulation multiple times, and it’s entirely feasible.”
“That’s a relief. However, there is one issue.”
“An issue?”
“These construction projects are indeed necessary for Zamboanga right now. However, executing all of them simultaneously would strain our budget considerably. Since these were originally scheduled to be carried out over several years, completing everything this year leaves us short on funds. Even if we draw from our contingency reserves, we’re still coming up short.”
At Patrick’s candid response, Han Jae-won, the Executive Director, actually smiled.
“Thank you for being so straightforward with us. We were already considering adjusting costs on our end. When multiple construction projects run simultaneously, the savings are substantial. We can’t simply pocket all of that profit ourselves. It should benefit Zamboanga as well, shouldn’t it?”
“Has this been discussed with headquarters?”
“These are directives that came down from headquarters. The CEO personally ordered this.”
“I see. Then let’s proceed with simultaneous construction, execute this year’s budget first, and contract to immediately allocate next year’s budget as well.”
“Thank you.”
“No thanks necessary. Just execute it cleanly.”
“Construction is our strongest area. We’ll prioritize safety to ensure Filipino workers don’t get injured during the project.”
After discussing with the operational team, they were able to draft the contract without much delay.
Dae Yeon Development would realize substantial cost savings by executing multiple projects simultaneously.
For example, when excavating land for road construction, rather than stopping there, they could lay water pipes, electrical lines, and communication cables all at once, completing everything in a single operation.
The underground infrastructure map becomes neatly organized.
But if these projects were done separately, the land would be dug up, filled in, and paved repeatedly each time.
The road would become a patchwork, and if water pipes or power lines were accidentally damaged during construction, it could result in water shutdowns or blackouts.
Dae Yeon Development was proposing to handle everything in one coordinated effort.
Of course, this wasn’t something just anyone could do.
To achieve extreme efficiency, thorough preparation and simulations must be conducted beforehand.
And the ability to respond to unforeseen circumstances is essential.
But Dae Yeon Development, with its extensive experience and technical expertise, was prepared for this project.
Zamboanga welcomed it as well.
The construction period shortened, and with multiple projects running concurrently, costs were reduced.
The expenses dropped by over 40% compared to executing the projects separately.
Zamboanga didn’t even request this.
Dae Yeon Development voluntarily reduced their own profit margin and brought this proposal forward.
He said he wanted to become a long-term partner going forward.
They clasped hands before a contract that was mutually beneficial for both sides.
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A Korean Restaurant near the Hotel.
“Alright! The contract has been finalized today.”
“Woohoo~~~~~”
“You’ve all worked hard up until now. Tonight, I’ve specially prepared kimchi stew. It may be modest, but since it’s been so long since we’ve had Korean food, please enjoy it.”
“Woohoo~~”
Due to security concerns, they had only eaten within the Hotel.
The Task Force team had worked tirelessly surveying, designing blueprints, and creating construction simulation models, but their meals had always been lacking.
More than lacking, the food simply didn’t suit their palates.
This was a minimum gesture of consideration for the Task Force team.
I had reserved a kimchi stew restaurant near the Hotel.
The fiery red broth stimulated the salivary glands.
The pork, present in abundance like the kimchi itself, looked appetizing.
The tofu, saturated with broth, appeared remarkably tender.
One spoonful revealed a spicy yet tangy flavor that was exquisite.
The broth had a deep, rich taste—surely made with bone stock.
This was top-tier kimchi stew, the kind rarely seen even in South Korea.
The side dishes—rolled egg omelet, stir-fried fish cake, grilled fish, and roasted seaweed—made the kimchi stew shine even brighter.
The complimentary braised beef made appetites surge even more.
The white rice stuck perfectly to the palate.
Such side dishes couldn’t simply be passed over.
“Auntie, could we get some soju, please?”
Those who insisted that soju was essential with such a rare taste of kimchi stew ordered bottle after bottle.
Everyone enjoyed their meal thoroughly.
In particular, the contract team that had joined late as the survey crew had far more soju bottles stacked on their table than the other tables.
They weren’t affiliated with Dae Yeon Development; they were personnel hastily recruited because surveyors were needed.
People who came for the money rather than any sense of belonging.
Though the Philippines presented unique circumstances this time, they had joined for higher pay than other projects.
After the meal, everyone returned to the Hotel by bus.
The contract team came to the Hotel as well but didn’t head up to their rooms from the lobby.
“Manager, why aren’t you coming up?”
“Don’t you feel like having a beer?”
“Couldn’t we just drink at the Hotel bar?”
“The Hotel bar is inconvenient. Besides, we’re already here—shouldn’t we grab a beer locally? Look over there. That beer place. Let’s go have just one beer and come back. When we drink here at the Hotel, there are other teams nearby, so the drinks don’t go down smoothly. We feel self-conscious, too aware, too cautious. We feel like outsiders here.”
“Didn’t they tell us not to go out because it’s dangerous?”
“It’s right next to the Hotel. What’s the harm? Look, you can see it from here. The beer place. Let’s just go grab one beer and come back. Here at the Hotel, we feel like we’re the only foreigners standing out.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Let’s just grab a drink.”
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“Ahhh~~~ now this is it.”
At the Local Pub in front of the Hotel, Lee Sung-hun downed a beer in one gulp.
Cho Hyun-min, not to be outdone, finished his own beer just as quickly.
The other security teams had headed straight to their rooms, but these two, who were close friends outside of work, had slipped away for a drink together.
Neon lights scattered throughout the dim atmosphere illuminated the darkness.
The alien ambiance and exotic music.
Combined with prices that couldn’t compare to South Korea.
Back at the Hotel, I had to be mindful of others’ gazes,
but here, I felt liberated.
All the constraints that had been suffocating me seemed to vanish.
It truly felt like I was on vacation.
Coming to this pub was definitely the right call.
As Lee Sung-hun sipped his beer, he felt it wasn’t quite enough and casually threw out a suggestion.
“Should we get a bottle of liquor? It’s cheap here?”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we just had this and headed back?”
“Come on, Hyun-min. Let’s breathe a little. We’re stuck here playing along, barely able to breathe, so at least we should relax while we’re here.”
“That’s true.”
They ordered a bottle of liquor.
When they said bottles weren’t available, they just asked for whatever they had.
Lee Sung-hun’s mood improved.
All the stress from before seemed to evaporate.
Some unknown song, whose title I couldn’t even guess, made Lee Sung-hun feel cheerful.
Before long, they had emptied the bottle.
Their eyes grew hazy and their tongues began to slur, but they didn’t stop.
“Hyun-min, should we go to a karaoke?”
“Karaoke?”
“Let’s go. Karaoke.”
“Is there even a karaoke here?”
“Your hyung is from the Philippines. Just trust me and follow.”
Though it was Lee Sung-hun’s first time here, he began walking as if he knew the way.
Lee Sung-hun had spent several months studying English in Manila back in the day.
Because he had experience living in the Philippines, he was more desensitized to danger.
Lee Sung-hun believed that talk of danger was exaggerated and things weren’t actually that risky.
“After all, life is the same everywhere. If there’s a Hotel and a bar in front of it, there are naturally bars right behind it too.”
He was right.
As I entered the alley, bars with gaudy neon signs lined both sides, and women emerged to solicit customers.
Handsome oppa.
Where are you from?
I’ll treat you well. Come have fun.
Tempting words were exchanged back and forth, and Lee Sung-hun and Cho Hyun-min walked through them.
“Hyung, let’s just go into any place and have fun.”
“Wait a moment. There should definitely be one around here···.”
“There it is. Let’s check that one out.”
“What kind of place is that?”
“Somewhere that allows second rounds.”
Lee Sung-hun, who had enjoyed this kind of entertainment culture back in South Korea and frequented such places often, could sense the atmosphere.
There’s a feeling you can pick up on.
We’re a respectable establishment.
We’re a place where you can bend the rules a bit.
I had even come to the Philippines for language studies as a child,
and having visited Manila, Cebu, and Bohol multiple times already, I could tell the difference.
Having played golf during the day and enjoyed nightlife in the evenings, I could sense it.
That place ahead was a bar.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
Passing through dimly lit stairs and descending underground, a spacious area opened up.
Dozens of women were inside.
Lee Sung-hun took a seat in a private room.
Drinks were set up, and the hostesses came in.
But Lee Sung-hun kept rejecting them, unsatisfied with the women who entered.
“No. No.”
“No.”
As Lee Sung-hun continued to refuse, Cho Hyun-min asked.
“Hyung, why do you keep rejecting them? Aren’t they decent enough?”
“Don’t worry and just trust me. If you keep refusing, they’ll bring out younger girls.”
“Younger girls?”
“Yeah. Don’t you prefer younger girls to worn-out ones?”
Lee Sung-hun continued to send away the hostesses, but remained unsatisfied.
“No.”
“No.”
“More. More.”
“Younger. Younger.”
He was asking to see younger women.
The madam came out and explained well that there were no younger girls than these, but the intoxicated Lee Sung-hun was obstinate.
The madam had no choice but to tell him to wait a moment and left.
After a considerable time had passed, a knock sounded at the door, and it swung open.
Lee Sung-hun had expected a young woman, but instead, several men who appeared to be Filipino gangsters stood in the doorway.
Among them, a man who looked like their leader turned to the madam with a question.
“Is this the bastard? The trash looking for young girls?”
“That’s right.”
Smack.
The Filipino gangster strode toward Lee Sung-hun and suddenly delivered a vicious slap across his face.
Lee Sung-hun, reeling from the blow, stared at the man with bewildered eyes.
But the man gently caressed Lee Sung-hun’s cheek with a somewhat harsh touch.
*****
Dalapaanan.
Edward Institute.
Inside, Edward and Shin Jung-gi were bickering with each other.
“Why are you being so stingy? Pour it in generously without hesitation.”
“If you don’t know, just shut up. Why are you meddling so much?”
Edward gained some insight from Shin Jung-gi’s opinion.
Wondering if having him nearby might help with the development, I asked him to help with the work beside me instead of running errands.
But it seemed that was a mistake.
This psychopath kept insisting I increase the dosage of the drug.
He wanted me to make it so addictive that no one could ever escape from here.
“You’re being so frustrating about this. You’re unnecessarily hoarding materials. I told you, no restaurant ever fails by giving too much. Dump fentanyl in there generously. Then it’ll instantly become a hotspot. All the hotspots are drowning in MSG anyway.”
“Be quiet. Did we open a restaurant? And the boss said nothing should happen to his body.”
“If he eats this, he’ll actually become healthier. I thought it was some kind of health supplement. Stop putting so many things that are good for the body. Why are you putting vitamins in here? Remove that and add fentanyl.”
“What do you know?”
“I’m a PhD graduate and a former chief researcher at ADD. I know everything.”
“A guy who doesn’t even know basic chemistry is talking big. If you’re from ADD, go out and make missiles or something if you want to create something.”
“Give me just the materials and I’ll make a thousand missiles. But is there any need for missiles here?”
“Go talk to Dennis. He’ll absolutely love it.”
“Dennis? Who’s Dennis?”
“You don’t know Dennis? He’s the guy under the boss who deals in illegal weapons.”
“What? The boss deals in illegal weapons too?”
Shin Jung-gi asked back, sounding flustered.
The person Shin Jung-gi feared most was the boss—Alex.
Someone on whom neither stubbornness nor obstinacy nor insane behavior had any effect.
Standing before Alex, psychopathic tendencies simply vanished.
Anger management disorder transformed into excellent anger management.
I never knew the boss dealt in illegal weapons too.
I always saw him wearing Hawaiian shirts and dragging around in slippers, so I thought he was just a carefree drifter, but he seems to be far more impressive than I realized.
If the boss deals in illegal weapons, then he’s far more terrifying than I thought.
There’s not a single person in that world who isn’t brutal.
“Probably. He doesn’t deal on a large scale—just small-time stuff like guns and such. Since he operates honestly, the profit margins are thin. But he has his regular customers, so he keeps it going as a service.”
“That’s insane···”
“Besides, he’s basically left almost everything to Dennis and doesn’t pay much attention to it.”
“Really?”
“But if you developed weapons and that side of the business thrived, wouldn’t he be absolutely delighted?”
Hearing Edward’s words, Shin Jung-gi finally understood what his role was supposed to be here.
There was a specific task waiting for Shin Jung-gi.
The thing Shin Jung-gi did best.
All he had to do was that.
Shin Jung-gi set out to find Dennis.

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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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