I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 147

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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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147 – Jung Geun-su (Part 3)
147.
I had been seeing Eun-seo more frequently these days.
What used to be once a week had become almost daily meals together.
Eun-seo’s daughter Ha-yul joined us as well.
Ha-yul had taken a liking to me.
I was happy.
I had even grown accustomed to the pungent smell of fermented skate.
I couldn’t say it tasted good, but at least I could eat it now.
It felt like I had a family.
We shared meals together and took a photo booth picture.
To strangers, we looked like a harmonious family.
I was glad about it, yet I felt guilty.
It nagged at me constantly—as if I were using Eun-seo for my own happiness.
I felt like a liar.
I was happy, but I couldn’t continue like this forever.
I knew better than anyone that this wouldn’t end well.
This double life couldn’t last.
I couldn’t keep deceiving everyone indefinitely.
I felt sorry toward Dae-hun.
Meeting Eun-seo would feel like a betrayal to him.
Eun-seo would be disappointed if she knew I was a gangster.
When she discovered I’d hidden that truth all this time, she would feel betrayed.
I hated that prospect.
I wanted to be honest.
But I was terrified of losing this happiness.
Truthfully, I didn’t want to lose it.
I wanted to savor it a little longer.
As my happiness grew, so did my anxiety.
“Why does your face look like it’s rotting away?”
“What? No, it’s not.”
“Is it because of the bakery?”
“How did you—”
“Hey, you’re being so obvious about it. How could I not notice?”
“I apologize. I’ll sort it out.”
I answered with a resolute expression.
“Why would you sort it out? Keep seeing her. See where it goes, and if you like her, marry her.”
“I hadn’t thought that far—”
I was taken aback by Dae-hun’s words.
Honestly, I’d never even considered marriage.
Geun-su’s ambitions didn’t stretch that far.
The present happiness alone was more than enough.
Meeting Eun-seo, sharing meals, and having conversations—
Ha-yul holding my hand was already more than sufficient.
No, it was overflowing.
But Dae-hun brought up what came next.
He spoke of marriage.
Fear gripped me, yet I felt drawn to it.
I was curious what it would feel like to truly become a family with Eun-seo.
“We’re not forbidding romance. If you like someone, date them, marry them.”
“I said I’d serve you for the rest of my life, hyung…”
I spoke with deep remorse.
“You crazy bastard, what are you talking about staying by my side forever and ruining my life? No way! I’m going to date and get married. I’m going to meet a damn beautiful woman. If you’re thinking of blocking my path, just give it up.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Dae-hun spoke playfully.
“I know what’s in your heart. So don’t apologize.
“I’m sorry, hyung.”
Dae-hun soothed me with a warm voice.
“You crazy bastard. I told you not to apologize, and you’re apologizing anyway.”
“I’m sorry, hyung.”
“That’s not an apology—it’s gratitude you should be expressing.”
“Thank you, hyung.”
“Just to be sure, I’m saying this…”
“Please, go ahead.”
“If your job bothers you while you’re seeing the bakery girl, you can quit anytime.”
“What?”
I was genuinely shocked by Dae-hun’s radical words.
Leaving the organization was never easy, then or now.
The unwritten rule was to lose a finger or sacrifice an ankle before you could walk away.
“We’re not some organization with a long, storied history anyway. We didn’t set out to create an organization from the start. We just kept hanging around together, and somehow we ended up here.
“Hyung…”
“If you want to quit, quit whenever. I’ll be bored without you, but… I’ll adapt.”
Dae-hun smiled with a hint of bitterness.
“These days, cafes do well, right? If you ran a cafe with the bakery girl, wouldn’t it do well? We’d go once a day and buy bread and coffee—it wouldn’t fail, right? Hehehehe.”
Dae-hun spoke playfully to lighten the mood.
“It would fail.”
I replied with a slight smile.
“Really? Should we buy two each? Would that keep it from failing?”
“Then it would fail even faster. How could I charge you and the guys? I’d have to give it all away.”
“Ah, that’s true. Ahahaha.”
The two of them began laughing at a story that wasn’t particularly amusing.
Geun-su felt a weight lift from his chest.
After telling Dae-hun everything, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
Through our conversation, I could feel Dae-hun’s heart—his true feelings toward me.
Dae-hun genuinely cared for me, loved me.
If it was a path where I could thrive, if it was something that could make me happy, Dae-hun seemed willing to do anything for me.
After laughing for a while, Dae-hun spoke gently.
“Find your own happiness. Your happiness is what matters most. ‘We’ is hollow. Don’t live for ‘us.’ Live for ‘you.’ I’ve always been grateful to you.”
“Brother…”
Dae-hun pulled me into a tight embrace.
Standing there, I let tears stream down my face.
It seemed Dae-hun already knew everything I had been struggling with all this time.
I was grateful to him for that.
Dae-hun was telling me to leave.
He was pushing me away so I could pursue happiness.
But I had no intention of leaving Dae-hun.
For me, Dae-hun had always been and would always be my first priority in life.
I couldn’t leave him.
To me, Dae-hun wasn’t simply a senior or junior in the organization, a boss at work—nothing like that.
He was family, my guardian, my brother, my friend.
No matter how much Dae-hun tried to push me away, I would remain by his side.
If I had to choose between Eun-seo and Dae-hun, choosing Dae-hun was the right decision.
I had been happy enough all this time.
I don’t know when I’ll die, but this much happiness is enough to last until that day.
Now it was time to tell Eun-seo goodbye.
It was time to reveal the truth and sincerely ask for her forgiveness.
I made a sincere confession to Eun-seo, accompanied by an apology.
“I’m actually a gangster. I’m sorry for hiding it all this time.”
I told Eun-seo honestly.
I told her the story of my life.
The story of growing up in an orphanage.
The story of living as a street thug in back alleys.
Meeting Brother Dae-hun and reaching my current position.
I laid bare that entire story to Eun-seo.
I hadn’t intended to, but somehow I ended up telling her everything.
Perhaps I needed someone to tell all this to.
“I was happy meeting you. I was happy, but I felt sorry for it too. It felt like I was burdening you with unhappiness while asking for my own happiness… I’m sorry and grateful. Sorry for hiding it. And I was happy.”
I slowly spoke of our parting.
I didn’t want to, but that was how I lived my life.
“Who said anything about unhappiness!!!”
“Huh?”
Eun-seo suddenly burst out.
“You’re my happiness too.”
Eun-seo was saying something completely different from what Geun-su was thinking.
“You’re not someone who transfers misfortune to me. You yourself are my happiness. I like being with you. I feel more protected, and there’s a sense of relief knowing I’m not alone in this world. If anything, I was afraid my sadness would transfer to you. Thank you. For being honest with me.”
Eun-seo smiled faintly.
Yet I couldn’t bring myself to smile comfortably.
“I did suspect you were a gangster. Do you know how many people in black suits came and went from the bakery after you left? There wasn’t a single loaf of bread left in the shop. They bought them all.”
“That… really?”
“I picked up on it from that. I was hoping it wasn’t true, though.”
“I’m sorry…”
Eun-seo asked carefully.
“Can you quit being a gangster?”
“No. I can’t. I’ve sworn to serve Dae-hun hyung for life. That’s something I can never break. Not even in death.”
Geun-su answered firmly.
Eun-seo was precious to me.
But I couldn’t betray Dae-hun hyung.
Dae-hun hyung had said I could leave whenever I wanted, that he’d even set up a bakery for me, but that was something that would never happen in my life.
Even if I died, I would die by Dae-hun hyung’s side.
If I died by the blade, it would be by Dae-hun hyung’s side.
If I was truly fortunate enough to die of old age, I wanted to die beside Eun-seo.
Then Eun-seo asked me something completely out of the blue.
“Then what about living as a gangster’s girlfriend? Is it hard?”
“What?”
“What’s it like living as a gangster’s girlfriend? You must know, having seen plenty of them.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never dated a woman before.”
Geun-su blurted out the truth without thinking.
A smile crossed Eun-seo’s face.
“Hehe. You know what?”
“What?”
“You’re surprisingly good at saying things I like.”
“I’ve never done that. I just said what I meant.”
Geun-su answered bluntly once more.
“That’s exactly why I like it. It’s not decorated or flashy, but to me it sounds sweeter than any other words.”
“Eun-seo…”
“Maybe it’s not a confession to you, but I’m going to take it as one. And my answer is ‘I like you too’.”
“Eun-seo…”
“So I guess I have no choice. Should I try living as a gangster’s girlfriend?”
“Thank you… I’ll do my best.”
“You’re already enough. Don’t change.”
“That’s what I do best. Never changing, never betraying. Once I decide on something, I don’t go back on it.”
“Yeah… that’s enough. That’s all I need.”
And so their love began.
Geun-su’s honesty allowed him to have both Dae-hun and Eun-seo.
And Ha-yul on top of that.
And finally.
“Eun-seo. Will you marry me? I’m not good at much. Actually, I’m not good at anything. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s not changing. I’ll live as your husband and Ha-yul’s father without ever changing. Will you marry me?”
Geun-su dropped to one knee and offered the ring.
Eun-seo accepted it through tears, nodding her head.
Dae-hun watched the scene with a satisfied expression.
The day Geun-su got married.
******
A pojangmacha in Incheon.
I came here with Dae-hun, overlooking the Incheon Waterfront.
This time Scott and Geun-su came along as well.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Geun-su.”
“Thank you so much, sir.”
I offered my congratulations, and Geun-su stood up and bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“I’m not the type to just offer words of congratulation. Is there anything you need? I’ll buy it for you.”
“Your words alone are more than enough, thank you.”
“No, I mean it. I’ll buy it for you. Should I get you a house? You’re not setting up your newlywed home in your current place, right? It’s right below Dae-hun’s apartment. If that’s your newlywed home, it’d be a disaster. Dae-hun would probably visit every day.”
“I wouldn’t mind him visiting every day, but since Dae-hun said it would be inconvenient for him, he bought us a house.”
“Oh? Seo Dae-hun actually spent some money?”
“That’s the kind of person I am.”
Dae-hun puffed out his chest proudly.
“Then should I at least buy you a car?”
“We already have a car we’ve been using…”
“You haven’t bought appliances yet, right?”
“My wife already ordered everything…”
What is this?
Why are they so thoroughly prepared?
Come to think of it, they’re Korean people.
Not laid-back Filipinos like me.
“What? You’re going to keep disappointing me like this?”
“I apologize.”
“Ah! Your honeymoon. You haven’t decided yet, right? Come to the Philippines for your honeymoon? I’ll arrange the full package for you.”
“Hahahaha.”
Geun-su declined with an awkward laugh.
I felt a bit disappointed inside.
I wanted to do something for him, but everything was already taken care of.
But honestly, if you came to the Philippines, I’m confident I could treat you well.
I could set you up like a vice president, if not the president himself. I’m disappointed you won’t come.
Feeling let down, I make one more plea.
“Why not? Come to the Philippines. I have my own jet. I’ll fly you there myself.”
“Your offer is incredibly kind, but my wife said there’s somewhere she wants to go, so we’re heading there instead.”
“Where? Where are you going?”
“My wife’s been obsessed with malatang lately, so we’re going to China to try some authentic malatang there.”
China?
Huh?
Hahahaha.
That’s completely my territory.
I’ve even got a tsundere pushover hyung there.
“China? Really? That works out perfectly.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know a hyung in China. I’ll tell him about you, so have a great time and eat plenty of malatang.”
“Haha. That’s really not necessary. I’ve already made all the reservations.”
Geun-su declines with a smile.
“Geun-su.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“If you don’t accept my goodwill, I’ll make you my lifelong enemy.”
I said it jokingly, but I meant it.
I wanted to do something for Geun-su.
I had no intention of just brushing off his wedding with a congratulatory gift.
“Cancel your reservations. I’ll send my jet, so take that instead. You won’t regret it.”
Geun-su looks at me once, then responds.
“Understood. Thank you. And thank you again, truly, for coming all this way.”
“Between us, there’s no need for thanks. When I get married, you’re not coming?”
“I’ll be there. Even if it’s in hell, I’ll be there. Haha.”
“Did you just say I’m going to hell? Scott, grab this bastard. This won’t do. I need to teach him a lesson.”
At my serious expression, Geun-su’s face changes.
This is too fun.
It’s nothing special, but teasing Geun-su is entertaining.
“By the way, would Incheon Waterfront work? Or should we go to Gunsan? We should recreate that old feeling exactly.”
While Geun-su and I are talking, Dae-hun chimes in, looking bored.
The original destination wasn’t Incheon but Gunsan.
I was sitting around with Dae-hun, and he mentioned that back when he controlled Gunsan,
the soju they drank at Gunsan’s waterfront was genuinely delicious.
“Let’s go. Right now. I have my own jet,” I said.
But apparently the jet can’t land at Gunsan Airport.
Something about military training exercises.
That’s why I came to Incheon, the closest place with the sea.
“The location doesn’t matter when we’re together.”
“That’s true. Hehe.”
Dae-hun laughed as he replied.
We downed another shot of soju.
Scott devoured some raw fish.
.
.
.
We drank and wandered around Wolmi Island.
We played baseball, shot BB guns, and visited the arcade.
We rode the Viking and Disco Pang Pang, the island’s famous attractions.
Grown adults doing things that only seventeen-year-olds should be doing.
We moved around in a group, laughing and chattering about how great it all was.
A bit embarrassing, but genuinely fun.
After playing for a while, I grew hungry.
“I’m starving. Should we grab something to eat?”
“Me too, I’m hungry.”
“I’m hungry as well.”
Scott joined in on the hunger complaint.
Didn’t he just devour a massive amount of raw fish earlier? And he’s already hungry?
Besides, don’t they not eat raw fish in the Philippines?
Scott was eating it with gusto, dipping it in gochujang.
His mouth corners smeared with the red chili paste.
“Should we grab some kalguksu or something?”
“No, let’s go to Chinatown instead. It’s close from here.”
I was thinking of grabbing something light nearby, but Dae-hun suggested Chinatown.
Chinatown?
I’d never been there before. This would be a good chance to see it.
We headed toward Chinatown.
As we entered Chinatown, buildings with a completely different atmosphere came into view.
It really felt like we weren’t in South Korea anymore, but in China.
Chinese culture and aesthetics were fully integrated here.
Chinese characters and hanzi were visible everywhere.
It was fascinating.
China existing within South Korea.
We went to a nearby restaurant and ordered Chinese food.
Along with baijiu.
This was delightful.
Should we stay here a bit longer?
Being in the Philippines wasn’t bad, but it never quite offered this kind of comfort.
I found myself thinking I wouldn’t mind staying here for a while longer.
We spent a good stretch laughing and chattering away over food and drinks.
I was moving to head to the restroom when
I spotted a familiar package in the hands of one of the staff members.
Huh?
Isn’t that Assand?
No, it can’t be.
I looked more carefully.
It was definitely Assand.
We’d distributed so much Assand—there’s no way I could mistake it.
In an instant, my intoxication evaporated.
Assand is circulating here in South Korea?
That’s impossible.
China guards Assand exports so strictly.
This is shocking.
I need to find out what’s going on.
I forgot all about the restroom and returned to my seat immediately.
I became a magnate of the black market through my inventory.
147-Jung Geun-su3
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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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