I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 162

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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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162 – Moving
162.
Kwon Sang-yeol, Kwon Ju-ah’s father, arrived at the Office early in the morning.
It wasn’t that he had pressing matters to handle.
He was simply anxious.
When he stayed at Home, his mind spiraled with thoughts, and when his mind spiraled, his chest grew tight.
Sitting in the Office, at least he could deceive himself into believing he was accomplishing something.
In the empty Office, I exhaled a deep sigh.
Sigh…
I never imagined things would turn out like this.
I thought that if I just started a company and handed out business cards, people would line up to work with me.
Everyone around me said the same thing.
“Director, if you start a consulting firm, you’ll be incredibly successful. I’ll definitely entrust my business to your company.”
“Director, your ideas are truly remarkable. It’s such a waste to use them only here.”
But reality was entirely different.
No consulting requests came my way.
I had worked as the CEO of one of the nation’s most prestigious conglomerates.
I had resigned as the director of the Strategic Planning Division—the core of the core.
The group had called me the “problem solver.”
Whenever an issue arose, my name came up first.
Everything that passed through my hands was resolved.
I loved the nickname “problem solver.”
It seemed to clearly demonstrate my value. I loved it very much.
The losses I had prevented exceeded hundreds of billions.
I had overcome crises that were difficult to quantify in monetary terms multiple times.
At least, that’s what I believed.
But at some point, I began to feel a sense of regret toward the company.
Despite my remarkable accomplishments, the compensation I received was woefully inadequate.
That shook my loyalty to the company.
I loved the company and cared for it, but I didn’t want to be neglected.
I wanted fair compensation for what I had done.
Unknown consulting firms proposed consulting services that didn’t even suit the group, yet they walked away with tens of billions,
while I, who provided customized consulting tailored precisely to the company’s needs, received only a few hundred million or a few billion in bonuses.
A pat on the shoulder and “good work” was all there was.
That was deeply frustrating.
What if I had started my own company and solved problems?
Wouldn’t I earn tens or hundreds of billions in no time?
Once that thought entered my mind, it was difficult to shake off.
In the end, I chose to resign.
I chose independence to better realize my potential.
But reality was merciless.
Contrary to expectations that people would flock to the opening, they didn’t.
Unlike the promises from acquaintances who swore they’d commission his services.
Kwon Sang-yeol’s company remained silent.
No commissions came. Contracts were even more scarce.
His former workplace, which he’d thought indispensable without him, continued to operate smoothly.
I’d anticipated as much, but confirming the reality left only a bitter taste.
I wished my former company had faltered without me.
Strategy, risk management, crisis response.
I had so much to offer, yet no one commissioned my services.
Truth be told, I did receive a few commissions after opening.
But those consulting projects yielded poor results.
First, the information was far too limited.
It was nothing like my former workplace.
There, a single word from me would have industry trends and the latest technical data prepared instantly.
Materials I could once access with a single click were now difficult to obtain even with money.
I’d braced myself to some degree, but the disparity was severe.
The consulting proposal I’d labored over was rejected by the client company.
They claimed it required too much capital to implement.
Some said it was too difficult to execute in practice.
My former workplace could have proceeded without any such issues.
Only then did Kwon Sang-yeol confront the truth.
I hadn’t been exceptional.
It was my former workplace’s system that was exceptional.
Brilliant talent processed information, had the capability to execute at my word, and possessed the capital to implement.
I had overlooked that.
I’d mistaken it for my own ability.
After failing the first commission, I lost much—but the greatest loss was confidence.
The certainty that independence would bring success shattered upon facing reality.
Fear took hold.
Yet I couldn’t give up.
I met with people everywhere, conducting business development.
I offered minor advice, attempting to nurture it into contracts.
Then one proposal came in.
A major conglomerate’s financial subsidiary.
Ostensibly investment consulting, but internal disputes and succession issues were entangled within.
This was my strongest field.
The conditions were explicit.
Not short-term consulting, but sustained partnership.
And they required solid assurance that I would honor that partnership.
Though the other party had spoken in roundabout terms, Kwon Sang-yeol grasped the meaning instantly.
“Marriage.”
The other party was a scion of a chaebol family entrenched in succession politics,
and that household desired an image that was “stable and professional.”
A physician, prestigious university, an unblemished family background.
Kwon Ju-ah fit their criteria perfectly.
Kwon Sang-yeol calculated the proposal.
A contract term of five years.
Consultation fees, advisory fees, performance bonuses.
It was a contract that could resurrect his faltering company in one fell swoop.
Kwon Sang-yeol regarded it as a transaction, a contract.
Certainly not selling his daughter.
‘Marriage is always conditional, after all.’
‘No one marries for love alone.’
‘It’s not a poor choice for Ju-ah’s future either.’
‘If she becomes the successor, excellent. Even if she fails, she’ll still be part of a chaebol family.’
With such thoughts, his mind grew at ease.
The prospect of having a chaebol family as in-laws filled him with confidence.
That night.
“Ju-ah, wouldn’t you like to meet someone?”
Kwon Sang-yeol thus urged his daughter toward a contract masquerading as a formal introduction.
He was consulting on his daughter’s life.
******
“You said you had this weekend off, right?”
“Yeah. I can’t remember the last time I had both Saturday and Sunday off together. Or maybe this is the first time?”
Kwon Ju-ah spoke with a smile, delighted at the mere thought of a weekend free.
It was morning, after her night shift had ended.
We sat together on the street, eating toast and conversing.
The aroma of freshly baked bread and coffee felt like the beginning of a new morning.
“So… would you like to go somewhere with me this weekend?”
Kwon Ju-ah asked tentatively.
“This weekend?”
“Yeah. Somewhere nearby would be nice, or what about Jeju Island?”
Hmm…
I paused to consider.
Going wasn’t really a problem, but I had to move this weekend.
The construction on the Townhouse Complex I’d purchased previously had finished, and I’d scheduled the move-in for this week.
Honestly, my absence wouldn’t matter much, but I wanted to be present for the move if possible.
Moreover, Ana and Tian Zihao were also coming back from the Philippines.
Ana was coming to execute the 10 trillion won allocation for Dae Yeon Development.
I needed Tian Zihao to transform the Triad Society into an intelligence organization, so I invited him to join us.
They agreed to stay at the Townhouse Complex as well.
Since I’d invited them, it felt wrong for me not to be there.
By my standards, it would be poor form.
But I also wanted to take a trip with Kwon Ju-ah.
When I hesitated slightly, Kwon Ju-ah quickly changed her tune.
“No, I’m not saying we have to go. We can do it another time.”
“It’s not that… well, I’m moving this weekend.”
Kwon Ju-ah’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Moving?”
“Yeah.”
Kwon Ju-ah looked at me with curiosity brimming in her gaze.
“Then I’ll help you move.”
“Really? There won’t be much to do.”
“Still, having an extra pair of hands during a move is always helpful. I’m surprisingly good at cleaning, you know.”
Kwon Ju-ah lifted her slender wrist confidently as she spoke.
The sight of her was utterly endearing.
I couldn’t refuse.
“Alright, I got it. Please help me. I appreciate it.”
“Sure. Leave it to me.”
.
.
.
Kwon Ju-ah’s heart was conflicted.
The more time she spent with In-bae, the more she found herself relying on him.
The only moment in her day when she could truly breathe was when she was with In-bae, talking with him.
She wanted to spend more time with him.
She wanted to share more stories, to laugh together.
So she had gathered her courage.
To suggest a trip.
A journey that might last just one night.
She wanted a chance to grow closer to In-bae.
But In-bae had refused, albeit gently.
A move, of all things.
Now that she thought about it, she didn’t even know where In-bae lived.
He had always picked her up and dropped her off.
Kwon Ju-ah realized something.
She knew nothing about In-bae.
He seemed reluctant to speak about himself, so she hadn’t asked.
She had told him to share when he was ready.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel curious.
I was curious about In-bae.
I felt the need to learn more about him.
That’s why I offered to help with the move.
I’d never done a move before, and I’d never cleaned either, but that didn’t matter.
Wouldn’t it just work out if I tried?
What mattered was seeing In-bae’s space.
Stepping into that space.
I declined the car he offered and took a taxi instead.
“You’ve got a nice place.”
“Pardon?”
When I gave the address, the taxi driver spoke with unmistakable envy in his voice.
“That area is really something.”
“Ah… yes.”
I gave a vague acknowledgment to the driver’s words and gazed out the window.
We left the congested city behind, drove along the Han River for a while, then the taxi turned and descended toward the slopes of Maebong Mountain.
“We’ve arrived.”
The taxi driver stopped at the security gate.
Security personnel stopped the vehicle.
They said we couldn’t enter the complex itself.
As I stepped out of the taxi, I heard security guards’ radio chatter in succession.
“Code Pink has arrived.”
After getting out of the taxi, I took in the view of the Townhouse Complex.
The Townhouse Complex was far quieter than I expected, and far more spacious.
Within grounds surrounded by forest, neat and restrained buildings were arranged in an elliptical pattern.
There was no sense of ostentation.
Instead, it was a space that made you want to breathe deeply.
In this space, I felt In-bae’s presence.
A security guard approached.
“I’ll escort you.”
I climbed into a cart that looked like something you’d see at a golf course.
From atop the slowly moving cart, I surveyed the surroundings.
A well-maintained garden.
A quiet atmosphere.
A tranquility with almost no people.
It felt like a world separated from everyday life.
Then suddenly, I noticed something odd.
It was so natural I hadn’t realized it, but I hadn’t told this man where I was going.
I hadn’t told him my destination,
yet he was naturally leading me there.
“I didn’t mention a unit number.”
“This entire space is for the Young Boss’s use. That’s why we don’t need unit numbers.”
“Pardon?”
“The Young Boss uses the entire Townhouse Complex.”
Hearing this, I was taken aback.
Even a single house here was impressive, but to use the entire complex?
It was hard to believe.
Passing through a meticulously landscaped garden, as we approached the central residence, a familiar face came into view.
The man who always stood behind In-bae.
Was his name Scott?
“Welcome.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”
“The Young Boss is waiting. Please come this way.”
I followed the man into the building.
As the door opened, In-bae stood there, looking exactly as he always did.
“You made it?”
Whether in a luxurious townhouse,
or in a shabby, unlicensed building,
In-bae always looked the same.
That familiar face and expression I knew so well.
“Yeah…”
I responded.
Stepping inside, the house was even larger than it appeared from outside.
No—it was massive.
Beyond the hallway lay a spacious living room with a view of the Han River.
The Han River view from the living room was breathtaking.
“Wow…”
Gazing at the picturesque landscape unfolding beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, I let out a small gasp of admiration without thinking.
The living room was furnished with appliances and furniture that appeared to have just been installed.
Everything harmonized perfectly with the space.
The design and color palette.
Even the decorative objects scattered throughout were flawless.
Whoever selected these pieces clearly had exceptional taste.
“The sofa is beautiful. The table too. Who chose them?”
“Who was it? I’m not sure. They said it was some famous stylist. What was their name? I can’t remember.”
“Is that so?”
Relieved that it wasn’t another woman, I felt oddly reassured.
I appreciated how attentive he was to me while remaining indifferent to other details.
I explored the house a bit more.
My own home was comfortable enough.
It was a large apartment, but it couldn’t compare to this place.
It was on an entirely different level.
Anyone would want to show off a home like this.
But In-bae didn’t seem to have that sentiment at all.
“The big stuff is all done anyway. Can you help me clean a bit?”
“Sure… okay.”
In-bae handed me a pair of rubber gloves and a mop.
“Just wipe down here.”
As In-bae spoke, he started mopping.
Beside him, I mopped along with him.
I found myself enjoying it.
I couldn’t help but smile.
It felt like we were newlyweds.
Setting up our new home together thrilled me.
After a few passes with the mop, the cleaning was done.
“All finished now.”
“Already? I haven’t even started yet?”
Now that I thought about it, the place had been spotlessly organized from the moment we arrived.
It felt as though he’d deliberately left a little work for me.
“This is enough. Now we should eat.”
“Eat?”
“You said Chinese food on moving day, right? Is jjajangmyeon okay?”
“Yeah. I’d love that.”
Shortly after, the jjajangmyeon arrived.
There was a large wooden dining table, but In-bae spread out newspaper and ate on the floor.
He said this was his first move.
Before this, he had no home.
He’d just lived in hotels.
The more he said things like that, the more curious I became about his life.
What kind of life was he living, really?
“You done eating?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go. A trip.”
“A trip?”
“Yeah. You said you wanted to go to Jeju Island.”
In-bae looked at me with a mischievous expression.
That look was nothing but endearing.
“Right now?”
I was taken aback, but I desperately wanted to go.
“Will there even be tickets available?”
Kwon Ju-ah hurriedly grabbed her phone to check the ticket.
“I have it. Let’s go.”
Kwon Ju-ah rode in the Maybach with In-bae, heading toward Gimpo.
“Isn’t Gimpo Airport over there?”
Kwon Ju-ah shouted at In-bae as he passed by Gimpo Airport.
But moments later, upon arriving at Gimpo Business Aviation Center, the moment Kwon Ju-ah laid eyes on the private jet before her, her jaw dropped.
Riding around in a Maybach.
Having bodyguards.
Occupying an entire Townhouse Complex.
Flying in a private jet.
Yet the man himself paid no attention to any of it.
A man who lived as though nothing mattered much at all.
I had tried not to ask, but I couldn’t help myself.
“What exactly do you do?”
Through an inventory, I became a magnate of the black market.
162 – Director
E-book Publication
/ January 2, 2026
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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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