I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 145

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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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145 – Jung Geun-su
145.
The private jet touched down gently on the Gimpo Airport runway.
As the cabin door opened, a gust of cold winter air swept inside.
The tip of my nose stung from Seoul’s frigid air.
It was bitterly cold.
A climate I had never experienced in the Philippines.
Only now did it truly sink in that I had returned to Seoul.
How long had it been?
I used to visit South Korea regularly, but as my affairs in the Philippines multiplied, my trips back home had dwindled.
There had been far too many incidents in the Philippines.
From Assand to La Camara.
The fortunate part was that things were finally settling into place.
Assand had established a large-scale automated production system.
Edward had always been competent, but now that we merely supplied the concentrate, our workload had decreased significantly.
The Chinese side manufactured the candy to their own specifications, so it was mutually beneficial.
La Camara operated smoothly without my constant direction.
It seemed wise that I had absorbed La Camara rather than destroyed it.
Sergio had created a documentary that brought the nearly unknown Patrick into the spotlight,
and made a tremendous contribution to crafting his image.
Daniel, my intelligence chief, gathered information and compiled detailed reports.
His reports laid out not only the current situation but also the movements of potential presidential candidates in clear, organized fashion.
Armando, a prominent figure in religious circles, had begun subtly promoting Patrick among Catholic believers.
He showed them shorts or spoke about him.
He preached the gospel, speaking of how there were people working so diligently in the shadows.
I, in turn, rewarded their efforts immediately.
I placed several advertisements on Sergio’s broadcast,
and provided Daniel with special activity funds.
I also made donations to Armando.
As I took action, their loyalty only deepened.
Indeed, the saying about keeping your mouth shut and opening your wallet seemed to be the ultimate truth.
After passing through a simple immigration check and exiting the airport, Dae-hun was waiting for me.
“Welcome back. Good to see you.”
Dae-hun greeted me with a bright smile.
I was genuinely glad to see him.
Yet I spoke in a deliberately gruff manner.
“Why did you come out? You could’ve just had me take a taxi.”
“I wanted to see you soon, so I came. Hehe.”
Despite my blunt response, Dae-hun’s expression remained cheerful.
“Good to see you again after so long.”
Scott greeted Dae-hun as well.
“Scott, good to see you. Looks like you’ve been bulking up. You’re in great shape.”
“You’re looking well too, sir.”
As Scott and Dae-hun exchanged pleasantries, I noticed Geun-su was nowhere to be seen.
He wasn’t the type to miss something like this.
“By the way, where’s Geun-su? Didn’t he come?”
“No. I didn’t let him come.”
“Why?”
“Not that he couldn’t come here. I gave him the whole week off starting this week. I told him to rest until after the wedding. He needs to prepare for it, after all. It seemed like he hadn’t prepared anything because he was always following me around.”
“I see.”
“Come this way. I’ve got cars waiting.”
When we stepped outside, about twenty large sedans were lined up in a row.
“We only need one car for you and Scott. Why did you come with such a spectacle?”
“Why not? It’s fun when things are lively. Makes me look like someone important. Hehehehe.”
I decided to play along with Dae-hun’s joke.
I got into the car he had prepared.
The Obsidian Unit had arrived first and arranged the vehicles, but it was hard to ignore Dae-hun’s thoughtfulness.
I simply got into his car.
“Where should we go first? Want to grab some food? Or drinks? Just say the word. I’ve arranged everything.”
Dae-hun spoke with excitement about having fun.
“Let’s go to the National Cemetery first. There are people I want to see.”
.
.
.
A cold wind blew.
Patches of unmelted snow still lay scattered throughout the National Cemetery.
Thinking that my brothers were in this cold place made my heart ache.
When I think of the brothers sleeping here, my heart still stings.
Perhaps I haven’t fully let them go yet.
I still can’t believe my brothers are gone from this world.
It feels like they could call out to me at any moment.
Psychology calls this mourning.
The process of recovering emotional peace after losing someone or something.
They say that’s necessary for a complete farewell.
But I don’t think that’s the case for me.
I’m still sad.
I laugh well, eat well, and live well, but I haven’t fully recovered.
Whenever I think of my brothers, it hurts, so I’ve just pushed it aside.
I simply buried it.
I ran away from the sadness.
I wanted to escape from reality.
I wanted to deny the fact that my brothers were gone.
Yet I missed them desperately.
I wanted to be with them.
If I could be with my brothers, even that backward environment of Uvira, the grueling training,
even facing those damned Congo Rebel Forces would feel like happiness.
I would gladly give up everything I have if it meant I could be with them.
No—I desperately wish for it.
Please, I want that so badly.
But I know all too well that it’s impossible.
So I simply continue to live.
Honestly, I believe my true self died with my brothers back then.
I consider my current life a bonus.
Is that why?
I’ve grown accustomed to death.
I have no attachment to life.
It feels like I could die at any moment without regret.
That’s also why I do such reckless things.
Why I have no attachment to money, power, or titles.
I believe I could die anytime.
My only wish is to see my brothers after I die.
I hope that wish comes true.
“It’s getting cold. We should get up now.”
Scott spoke to me carefully from beside me.
I had been lying between my brothers’ tombstones, and at Scott’s words, I slowly rose.
This place, lying here among my brothers, felt so good and comfortable to me.
It was cold, yet warm.
It felt like my brothers were protecting me.
I wanted to stay lying there.
As I straightened my back at Scott’s words, the surroundings finally came into view.
Dae-hun and everyone else were trembling in the cold, yet silently waiting without disturbing me.
I had only meant to pay my respects,
I had stopped by since I was in South Korea,
but my heart had drifted away somewhere, and it seems I stayed longer than I realized.
Part of me wanted to stay longer, but I couldn’t keep the others shivering in the cold like this.
I tried to get up carefully, and Scott extended his hand.
I took his hand and slowly rose.
“Yes. It’s time to go.”
I gently touched the tombstone where my brothers lay, reluctant to leave.
The stone seemed to speak to me.
I nodded in understanding.
“Take care. I’ll visit again.”
There was so much more I wanted to say, but I stopped there.
I left my brothers behind and went to Dae-hun, who had been waiting.
“Did you greet them properly?”
“Yeah. Did well. They sure talk a lot though.”
“Heh. Yeah? What did they say?”
“To go out and have more fun.”
As I said those words, my throat tightened without warning.
It felt as though I could hear those words when I touched the tombstone.
‘Not yet. Go out and have more fun. Enjoy yourself, live it up.’
I don’t know about other things, but I’m good at following orders.
I should do as my brothers tell me.
“Alright. Let’s go now.”
“Where to?”
“We’re in South Korea now, so we need to eat something delicious. Let’s go get some food.”
“Yeah. Let’s go!”
Everyone who had been waiting moved out.
Scott seemed to be the most excited among them.
I’m pretty sure this bastard didn’t call me because he was worried I’d catch a cold in this weather,
but rather because he wanted to eat.
No. I’m almost certain.
This bastard definitely called me just to eat.
Scott. You’re not getting any food.
Go on a diet.
******
Geun-su, the romantic gangster, felt conflicted as his wedding approached.
He wondered if this was really the right thing.
It felt like a grave sin to marry before his older brothers, and his heart felt nothing but uneasy.
Especially since his brothers hadn’t even married yet.
That made him deeply uncomfortable.
If he could cancel it now, he wanted to call off the wedding.
But marriage is also a promise.
It is loyalty to the woman who would become his wife.
And so he could not break it.
For Geun-su, marriage was an uncomfortable and difficult matter.
In truth, he had never thought marriage would be part of his life.
He had resolved to live his entire life supporting Dae-hun by his side, never marrying.
He had never asked Dae-hun for permission, nor had he spoken of this resolve, but Geun-su had made this vow.
Once Geun-su decided on something, he pushed forward with absolute conviction.
Geun-su was not someone who changed easily.
Even if his head cracked open, he kept his word and never broke a promise.
Once he decided on something, Geun-su pushed forward with stubborn determination.
And then an accident happened to him.
“You’re Geun-su, right?”
A few months ago, my schedule had fallen apart, and I’d been moving around without even eating.
Dae-hun suggested we stop by a bakery to grab some bread, so we just dropped in.
She was there.
Geun-su’s first love.
Until middle school.
Geun-su had been severely bullied by the other children.
They pointed fingers at him and ostracized him because he came from an orphanage, because he had no parents.
Before I became corrupted.
Before I went astray, my heart was tender and timid.
Every pointed finger, every careless word wounded me, and I suffered through each day.
Gradually, I lost my voice and sought out the corners of the world.
I found a place where no one would come, and I lived in a world of my own.
“Are you Geun-su?”
“Huh? ···Yeah.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Eun-seo.”
“Um··· Yeah.”
“Let’s be good friends from now on.”
Eun-seo’s face, radiant with a bright smile as she extended her hand, seemed strangely dazzling.
Before I knew it, I was grasping the hand Eun-seo had offered.
Eun-seo smiled and shook that hand.
“We shook hands, so now we’re friends.”
That’s what Eun-seo said.
It was the first time I had a friend.
It was the first time someone approached me and called my name first,
the first time someone extended their hand without any conditions.
That’s why it was precious.
I wanted to protect it.
I decided I had to protect my first friend.
After that, my life changed.
I emerged from my solitary world.
I fought.
To protect Eun-seo.
There were guys who made vulgar remarks about Eun-seo.
There were guys who flaunted their ugly imaginations about her.
It was disgusting.
I couldn’t hold back.
I threw a punch.
I was angry, but I didn’t know what else to do, so I just threw a punch.
I wasn’t even good at fighting.
For every blow I landed, I took three in return.
I’d get dragged away, beaten down, and punished again.
But I never stopped.
Because I had every reason to take the hits.
If I could protect Eun-seo, a few punches meant nothing to me.
If I could just erase her name from those bastards’ filthy mouths, I could take a beating all day long.
I got beaten, but I was happy.
Eun-seo and I weren’t in any special relationship.
Geun-su was just one of many people Eun-seo was close to.
That was enough for me.
But my feelings for Eun-seo only grew stronger with time.
Whenever I thought of Eun-seo, my heart would race, and my mind would go blank.
Whenever I stood in front of her, I’d stammer and fumble.
But it felt good.
Yet my happiness didn’t last long.
Not long after, Eun-seo transferred back to Seoul.
That’s how Eun-seo left, and I stayed behind.
And now, that Eun-seo who had left was standing in front of me.
Just like back then, Eun-seo called my name first, greeted me, and extended her hand.
Eun-seo still had that same radiant smile she’d always had.
I took her small hand and nodded.
“Good to see you. It’s been a while.”
“Who is this? Do you know each other?”
Dae-hun, who had been selecting bread in the back, asked.
“Oh! We’re friends from middle school.”
“I see. Then chat for a bit and come in slowly. I’ll head in first.”
“No, I should···”
“Just take your time and talk. I’ll go on ahead.”
Before Geun-su could protest, Dae-hun had already disappeared.
“Who was that?”
Eun-seo asked.
I panicked.
I couldn’t say he was a gangster, my boss.
Being a gangster wasn’t exactly a respectable profession, but I had my own pride in it.
Yet somehow, saying it in front of her bright, innocent smile felt wrong.
I was at a loss for words.
After much deliberation, I finally concocted an excuse.
“Your boss?”
“I see.”
She smiled and believed my lie without question.
“Well then, I should go. See you next time.”
Geun-su wanted to leave that place as quickly as possible.
I couldn’t quite explain it, but something felt uncomfortable and shameful.
I felt inexplicably sorry.
Standing before her, I felt diminished, as though I myself had become worthless.
Everything I had accomplished until now suddenly seemed embarrassing.
If Eun-seo was nearly transparent white, then I was darkness painted over with dull, murky colors.
I feared that if I stayed beside her, she would be tainted by my dark hue.
So it seemed we shouldn’t be together.
I just wanted to leave that place.
Yet at the same time, I wanted to see Eun-seo.
I was curious.
How she had lived.
“Bread. Didn’t you come to buy bread?”
“Huh?”
“I said, didn’t you come to buy bread?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Then you should eat some~ I’ll pick out the most delicious ones for you.”
She began placing bread into a bag.
“All the bread here—I make it myself. It’s all delicious, but I’ll choose the especially tasty ones for you.”
“… No…”
“Try them and give me your honest opinion.”
She held out a bag overflowing with bread.
“Thank you.”
Geun-su pulled out his card from his wallet.
“Between friends, there’s no need to settle accounts. Just come by often. Try them and let me know how they taste.”
That was when it happened.
She glanced out the window, said “Just a moment,” and stepped outside the bakery.
Geun-su watched Eun-seo through the window.
A yellow kindergarten bus had stopped outside, and a cute-looking child stepped out.
The moment the child saw Eun-seo, they rushed into her arms.
“Mom~~”
“Did you have a good time at kindergarten?”
The young child called Eun-seo “mom” and embraced her.
Eun-seo held the child in her arms and smiled radiantly.
Eun-seo took the child’s hand and entered the bakery.
“She’s my daughter. Isn’t she pretty?”
“She’s absolutely adorable.”
I was taken aback.
I never imagined Eun-seo would have gotten married.
“Ha-yul should say hello to mommy’s friend.”
The child, embarrassed, clutched her mother’s skirt and hid behind her instead of greeting me.
“It’s nice to meet you. You’re so beautiful. Here’s some pocket money from me.”
Geun-su pulled out his wallet and handed over the money.
I had no idea what possessed him to do that.
He hadn’t thought it through—his body simply moved of its own accord.
The child stared blankly at the money, and Eun-seo stopped him.
“Don’t give money to a child. Just go. Go eat the bread and tell me how it tastes. Promise~”
“Y-yes…”
Geun-su pressed the money into the child’s hand and fled the bakery with the bag of bread.
Even Geun-su couldn’t explain it to himself.
Why he’d acted so foolishly.
Why he’d lied.
He’d stupidly brought back all the bread she’d asked for.
He should have just said it was on the house and left it at that.
He had plenty of money anyway.
Berating himself, he headed home.
.
.
.
“You brought back quite a lot. Did the owner give you a discount because it’s a friend’s place?”
“That’s not it…”
Before Geun-su could even make an excuse, Dae-hun had already grabbed a piece of bread and taken a bite.
“Wow, this bread is delicious.”
“Actually, a friend gave it to me.”
“What? That friend from earlier? You just took it without paying?”
“Yeah, I don’t understand why I did that either.”
Geun-su gave a bitter smile.
“Well, the bread tastes good anyway, so it’s fine. You eat some too. Next time you can sell more for her.”
But Geun-su found it difficult to eat the bread.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like bread? You love bread. Eat it. It’s delicious.”
“Yes…”
Dae-hun regarded Geun-su with a peculiar gaze.
His behavior was clearly that of someone whose mind was elsewhere.
The two of them spent nearly every moment together.
There was no way he wouldn’t notice such a subtle change.
“Are you worried about her?”
“Pardon?”
“You liked her, didn’t you?”
“···..”
“You did like her.”
“That’s not quite it···”
“Go.”
“Sir?”
“Your heart’s already there anyway. Just go.”
“No, sir.”
“I’m telling you to go. You’re making me uncomfortable, whimpering like a puppy.”
“No, sir.”
“Will you take me there?”
“Absolutely not, sir.”
“Fine, do as you please. If you’re not going to eat the bread, then leave. I’ll eat it all myself.”
“Yes. Rest well, sir.”
Dae-hun issued an order of dismissal to Geun-su.
Without doing this, Geun-su would undoubtedly remain by Dae-hun’s side.
So he had to send him away.
It was Dae-hun’s way of showing consideration.
The descent toward home.
Geun-su’s apartment was directly below Dae-hun’s.
Just one flight of stairs separated them, yet it felt endless.
He stood before his door but couldn’t bring himself to enter.
After lingering there for a while, he finally pressed the elevator button.
He headed toward the shop where Eun-seo was.
Through the Inventory, he had become a magnate of the black market.
145 – Jung Geun-su
E-book Publication
/ December 15, 2025
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/ Black Card
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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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