I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 166

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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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166 – Rumors
166.
“So you want me to take down Taerim Group?”
Hwang On-yu narrowed his eyes as he asked.
“You’re twisting my words. Who said anything about taking them down? I’m just asking you to bring them in for a light investigation. That’s all.”
“That’s taking them down.”
“Our Team Leader Hwang has a tendency to overinterpret things, doesn’t he? I never said to take them down. There appear to be problems in several areas, so shouldn’t we call them in for an investigation? I’m filing a complaint.”
At my words, Team Leader Hwang On-yu of the National Intelligence Service gave me a sidelong glance.
“Fine, let’s call it a complaint. But the National Intelligence Service can’t get involved in domestic cases. You didn’t know that?”
“What nonsense is that? Then why did you mark and surveil me as if I were a foreigner?”
Team Leader Hwang On-yu was left speechless at my words.
Even with ten mouths, he’d have nothing to say.
This is why people should treat others well in their daily lives.
With Team Leader Hwang keeping his mouth firmly shut, I brought up the real purpose of my visit.
“Fine. I understand. If it can’t be done, then it can’t be done. But you must have information compiled, right?”
I knew better than anyone that the National Intelligence Service couldn’t get involved in domestic cases.
It’s not like the prosecution holding press conferences with cameras rolling.
There’s no point in the National Intelligence Service making a move.
What I needed was information on Taerim.
The National Intelligence Service probably had at least that much.
Since it seemed like they wouldn’t give it if I just asked directly,
I decided to throw out a test balloon.
“We don’t have any.”
“Really?”
I spoke while looking into Hwang On-yu’s eyes, and he subtly averted his gaze as he answered.
“We really don’t.”
“Come on, you must at least have basic corporate files compiled. Taerim isn’t some hole-in-the-wall shop in a neighborhood.”
“······”
“I get it. You made team leader, and Bae Jung-hun got released, right? So now there’s nothing left to squeeze out of me? That means you can just toss me aside now?”
I turned my head away, pretending to be slightly offended.
“It’s not that. The information is just sensitive.”
“I understand, Team Leader. Since I’m someone who only deals with insensitive information, I’ll take my leave now. Thank you for everything.”
I stood up and made a gesture of farewell.
“Don’t joke around.”
“Does this look like a joke to you?”
I lowered my voice and let out a low growl.
At that, Hwang On-yu’s shoulders flinched slightly.
“Do you have any idea how much money I’m pouring into the Triad Society right now to keep my promise with you? All because of that one word—not to destroy the Triad Society. I thought we made a proper deal back then, but it seems we didn’t.”
“···..”
Hwang On-yu couldn’t say anything.
“Others can break the law, fall apart—I don’t care. As long as I stay clean, that’s what matters. What’s wrong with that?”
“That’s not what I’m saying…”
“I thought I was making a deal with a capable National Intelligence Service Team Leader. Turns out I’m dealing with some noble scholar.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s dangerous. Really dangerous.”
“What is?”
“These Taerim bastards. They’re dangerous.”
“Speak clearly, damn it.”
“I’ve only heard rumors. There’s talk that digging into Taerim brings bad things.”
“Hahaha. That’s it? That’s obvious, isn’t it? Of course they get upset when you dig into their past. Why are you getting scared over something so obvious? You look like a gorilla but you’re a coward. Forget it. If you’re doing the deal, bring the documents by tomorrow. If you don’t, our deal is off.”
.
.
.
Two hours later.
Hwang On-yu handed over the document envelope.
And he gave me a warning.
“Really be careful.”
“Our scholar is quite the worrier. Thanks. I’ll put this to good use.”
As I reached to examine the documents, he stopped me and spoke as if making excuses.
“Just so you don’t misunderstand after seeing the documents, what I’m giving you now was collected before the National Intelligence Service Act was revised. It’s not illegal material. Even though it’s old data, the shareholding structure shouldn’t have changed much. And this.”
Hwang On-yu handed over another document envelope.
“This is a profile of people currently in the succession structure. I brought it in case it might be helpful.”
“Hehe. Thanks. You really do good work. I have a good eye for people.”
Team Leader Hwang simply handed over the documents and left.
I slowly reviewed the documents he’d given me.
Ana was examining them with me.
After looking for a while, Ana let out a snort of laughter.
“Wow. This company is just like Yun Tae-gyeom.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re bastards.”
“Hahaha. What do you mean?”
“These guys are playing games with customer money.”
“Really?”
“Insurance funds, pension funds, institutional funds—they’ve been funneling customer money into high-risk products indirectly. If there are losses, customers take the hit. If there are profits, Taerim takes the fees.”
I couldn’t help but admire Ana’s analysis.
Such an ingenious method existed.
I had no idea.
I reproached myself for remaining confined within the boundaries of law.
But some things need to be addressed before moving forward.
“Isn’t that breaking the law?”
“It’s ambiguous. The terms and conditions are written to make it possible. In simple terms, they’re walking the line between legal and illegal.”
Meticulous bastards.
“Walking the line?”
“Yes. You could say they’re straddling the boundary.”
The more I listened to Ana’s explanation, the more impressive Taerim Group seemed.
They’d created a structure with no liability and all profit.
They used customer money for investments that bordered on gambling.
It didn’t matter to them whether customers went bankrupt or not.
They lured customers with final returns on investment.
In the process, there was no compensation whatsoever for the many people who lost their fortunes.
If anyone tried to sue or post about it online, they immediately countersued for defamation.
The trial outcome didn’t matter to them.
Dragging out the trial as long as possible was Taerim’s strategy.
Taerim with its Legal Team versus an individual—it was never a fair fight.
No matter how good a lawyer you hired, there was no profit in prolonged litigation.
Everyone ended up settling midway or giving up.
It was truly a garbage company.
I probably wouldn’t need the files on Yun Tae-gyeom’s rivals that Team Leader Hwang had prepared.
If Taerim were a decent company worth saving, I’d use competitors to target Yun Tae-gyeom, but there was no need for that.
Taerim as a company itself seemed unnecessary.
I just needed to destroy Taerim.
*******
Hong Kong Triad.
Du Man-sik, who had received orders from CEO Alex,
discreetly relayed the command to Huk-hyang and the branch manager.
“Keep spreading rumors that Taerim is going to collapse.”
The people who heard the order asked back.
“Taerim? Where is Taerim?”
“I’ve never heard of Taerim before.”
The Triad members didn’t even know about Taerim.
It was a natural phenomenon.
Taerim wasn’t a company familiar to consumers.
It was a company that operated only in the financial sector.
It was primarily connected to government agencies, corporations, pension funds, and private equity funds.
Street gangsters had no way of knowing about it.
“Doesn’t matter. Just spread the information that Taerim is going to collapse. I heard from someone involved that they’re having trouble raising funds. Legal action seems imminent. Someone went to prison for embezzlement. Spread rumors like that. Especially focus on the securities industry.”
The order was simple.
And the Triad was very good at this kind of work.
No need to pick up guns, no need to shed blood.
All it took was opening my mouth.
Instead of guns, they wore black suits and carried briefcases as they descended upon Central, Hong Kong’s financial district.
They ate and drank where finance professionals gathered during the evening rush.
“You know about Taerim?”
“Yeah. A fund? Some company that moves money around?”
Before saying the next part, I glanced around and lowered my voice.
“There’s a rumor they’re going under. Cash flow is completely frozen, and they’re bleeding money internally, but apparently even that’s reaching its limit soon.”
“Really? So what happens then?”
“What happens? A liquidity crisis.”
“What about the people who invested in the fund?”
“If they can’t exit, their money just gets locked up. No one knows when they’ll get it back.”
“Then people need to withdraw their money fast.”
“Obviously.”
These conversations were flowing out from every corner of Central.
They naturally drifted to the next table, the next shop.
The rumors spread, grew, and ballooned.
“Taerim? I heard their funding situation is completely tangled up these days?”
“They’re undergoing internal audits, and the atmosphere doesn’t seem right.”
“They’re apparently covering up accidents with insurance money.”
Within days, the stories from Hong Kong began circulating in Singapore as well.
Private bankers, hedge fund managers, and asset management firms—everyone was talking about Taerim.
The rumors spread to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.
The same whispers began circulating among sovereign wealth funds and pension fund managers.
“Taerim’s payments seem to be getting delayed lately, don’t they?”
“No? They seem to be on schedule from what I’ve seen?”
“Really? Well, we’ve added them to our risk list just in case. There’s a lot of talk about them. No harm in being cautious, right?”
“Is that so? Should we prepare as well?”
“If we put them on the risk list, we can always claim we were monitoring them if problems emerge later.”
“That’s true. We should take action immediately.”
The rumors became increasingly concrete.
Taerim’s executives were under investigation overseas.
Several staff members had been fired for embezzlement.
After juggling funds around, they were now in a position where they couldn’t make a move.
The vague rumors transformed into specific allegations.
Some even began naming particular individuals.
The fund managers who heard the rumors began reviewing their investments in Taerim once more.
Whether exit was possible.
What the penalties would be.
Most importantly.
The notion that Taerim had problems had now become fact.
The asset managers were already preparing their next steps based on the premise that Taerim Group had problems.
Taerim Group, belatedly aware of the situation, sent official notices to each asset manager stating that it was merely baseless rumor,
that their financial structure was extremely sound, and that all funds were operating normally.
They even attached supporting documentation.
But no one took it at face value.
Taerim Group felt wronged too.
They couldn’t trace where or how this rumor had originated.
No articles had been published,
no investigation had been launched,
no official sanctions had been imposed.
Though it was said to have started from Hong Kong and Singapore, no one could determine who had spread such rumors or for what reason.
So Taerim Group had nothing they could do.
They needed to vent their frustration, but there was no target to direct it at.
If they protested their innocence, they were accused of overreacting.
If they stayed silent, it became accepted as truth.
Taerim Group, unable to do either,
was gradually withering away.
.
.
.
Back to Hong Kong.
The Triad Society headquarters.
Du Man-sik listened to the report with a satisfied expression.
The rumor had spread faster than expected, and its impact was tremendous.
There was no need to do any further work now.
The rumor had become an independent living entity.
It moved on its own.
Though it had no substance, it grew larger and larger, consuming Taerim Group.
Word came from all quarters that redemptions were being made.
Even the fund the Triad Society held under a borrowed name was redeemed.
Not technically Taerim’s fund, but redeemed because it was affiliated with Taerim.
Having confirmed all of this, Du Man-sik once again marveled at Alex’s foresight and offered a prayer.
He offered his prayer in the embrace of the one who orchestrated all of this.
Beside Du Man-sik as he prayed, there were far more bald-headed men than before.
*******
Taerim Holdings weekly meeting.
The air inside the conference room was stale and heavy.
Every Friday afternoon.
A time to review the week’s achievements and check the following week’s plans.
A time when people boasted about their accomplishments, as if competing to show who had performed best.
But today was different.
Each report was met with criticism.
Some bowed their heads.
Others merely watched the atmosphere.
It was the worst hour imaginable.
“The ‘Taerim Global Opportunity Fund’ that was terminated in the Philippines has already been terminated in several countries, and inquiries about termination are coming in from others.”
“The Taerim Global Opportunity Fund will likely need to be dropped.”
“Beyond that, inquiries about terminating the ‘Taerim Asia Strategic Income Fund’, ‘Taerim Emerging Value Select Fund’, and ‘Taerim Global Multi-Asset Termination Fund’ are rapidly increasing.”
The report was filled with numbers and graphs as always,
but the content within told a completely different story.
‘Inquiries’ meant
the decision had already been made.
Vice President Yun Tae-gyeom, who heard the report, clutched his face in his hands.
This situation couldn’t be explained by any words.
There was no risk, yet one had emerged.
Risk management had been conducted so meticulously, yet one had still emerged.
The problem was that I couldn’t grasp where this risk came from, how it spread, or what measures needed to be taken.
I felt helpless.
I was worried about how to report this to the Chairman.
It felt like I was falling further away from the succession plan.
Whenever such anxiety swept over me, his words came to mind.
When something goes wrong, remember that moment, he’d said.
Was this the disaster he’d warned me about?
If he were here, I’d want to tell him.
Things have gotten bad enough—stop now.
But this doesn’t feel like the end.
An ominous feeling kept nagging at me that something more was coming.
Then, an employee opened the conference room door and entered.
His face was already drained of color.
“What are you doing? Do you know where you are, barging in like this?”
One executive snapped at him harshly.
“I apologize. It’s just extremely urgent.”
“What is it? It better be urgent.”
The employee swallowed once before speaking.
“We’ve just received a request from China to terminate all funds operated by Taerim immediately.”
“What?”
The conference room froze in an instant.
The executives’ faces went pale.
China was Taerim’s largest client and held the most funds with us.
If China withdrew, the damage would be catastrophic.
This had to be stopped.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“They’re saying they’ll indefinitely extend all new contracts and renewals that were under negotiation.”
“What? These bastards···.”
One executive wanted to rage, but the shock was so severe that he couldn’t even curse properly.
“And..”
The employee hesitated.
“What is it? Spit it out.”
“The Chinese financial authorities have notified us that there are potential legal violations in all aspects of fund management, and they will conduct a comprehensive investigation.”
“If violations are found, they mentioned not only fines but also the possibility of freezing assets within China and restricting future transactions.”
Not a single breath could be heard in the conference room.
Perfect silence fell.
No one could speak.
This wasn’t a simple loss.
It was nearly a declaration that trust had vanished.
And China’s exit meant there was a high probability that other nations would follow suit and withdraw.
Yun Tae-gyeom lifted his eyes and looked at the people around him.
For the first time, he saw them not as objects, but as they truly were.
Despair and terror inhabited their faces.
Yun Tae-gyeom’s face was likely no different.
Yet in this moment, what came to mind wasn’t worry about the future.
It was the face of that man who had boasted while holding 100 trillion won.
The face of that man who said he would give 100 trillion won if Kwon Ju-ah would just back down.
I cannot forget that expression, as if he knew everything all along.
Through the Inventory, he became a magnate of the black market.
166 – Rumors
E-book Publication
/ January 8, 2026
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/ Black Card
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/ Son Je-ho
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© Black Card, 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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