I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 190

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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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190 – Cheongwadae
190.
Cheongwadae, South Korea.
“Stop gawking around like that. It’s embarrassing.”
Team Leader Hwang On-yu nudges me.
Acting like he’s so impressive just because he’s been here a few times.
It’s my first time, so I’m allowed to look around a bit.
What a show-off.
“It’s fascinating because it’s my first time.”
This is my first visit to Cheongwadae.
I’ve been to Zhongnanhai in China,
and I’ve visited Malacañan Palace in the Philippines, but I’ve never been to Cheongwadae before.
Towering blue-tiled roofs, ornaments carved with phoenix patterns.
Standing here, I feel strangely small.
It’s a different feeling from Zhongnanhai.
So this is what power feels like—
a space where you can feel the weight of authority itself.
Before meeting the President, we waited briefly in the reception room.
Hwang On-yu glances at me and asks,
“By the way, why do you look so exhausted? What did you do after we parted yesterday?”
“I studied. Just studied.”
“Studied? What kind of studying?”
“To prepare for this, you know… various things.”
“Please come this way.”
I was in the middle of answering when we received the signal to enter.
We stopped talking and headed toward the President’s Office.
.
.
.
The President’s Office.
A man sitting behind a large desk stood up from his seat.
President Kim Min-su.
A former lawyer by profession.
A pragmatist who prioritized practical interests over ideology.
He was a president who communicated well with people, yet possessed a sharp, analytical eye for assessing situations with cold clarity.
“Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”
The President greeted us with a smile.
“Team Leader Hwang On-yu, National Intelligence Service Overseas Division.”
“Gong In-bae.”
“Please, have a seat. Let’s talk.”
We moved to our seats and sat down.
The moment we settled, the main topic emerged.
“You have a way to resolve this situation?”
The President asked, looking at me.
“That’s correct.”
After hearing my response, the President paused briefly before asking another question.
“Before I hear the solution, let me ask one thing. How did you come to know this fact?”
“Are you curious about how I obtained the information?”
President Kim Min-su asked, looking at me.
“Yes. I’d like to hear it. This is information we’re handling with the utmost secrecy on our end, so I can’t help but be curious about how you obtained it and even came up with a solution.”
At the President’s words, Team Leader Hwang On-yu’s face went pale.
If I answered honestly, Team Leader Hwang On-yu would face disciplinary action regardless of my solution.
Even if not disciplinary action, at least a favorable performance review would be difficult.
I’d only just gotten him promoted to the Director level—I couldn’t let him collapse here.
My solution would also come under suspicion.
Honestly, I’d anticipated this much.
“If I’m being frank, I’d have to admit that I engaged in illegal activities. Will there be any repercussions for that?”
As I turned the question back on him, the President’s expression subtly wavered.
He hadn’t expected me to counter like this.
But soon he regained his composure and answered.
“No. I’m not curious about what crimes Gong In-bae committed. I’m only curious about where you obtained this information.”
I paused for a moment before answering.
“I received it from the Japanese Yakuza.”
“The Japanese Yakuza?”
President Kim Min-su’s expression showed surprise.
“I happened to work with the Japanese Yakuza on occasion. Seeing the elderly yakuza struggling, I set up a small business for them. In return, I asked them to share any interesting stories they came across, and they did.”
At my answer, the President wore an expression of surprise,
while Hwang On-yu nodded with apparent relief.
After Team Leader Hwang On-yu left yesterday, I re-examined the incident.
I needed to understand the details more thoroughly to perfect my countermeasures.
I reviewed the information collected from the Yakuza and the Triad Society.
My daily intelligence network contained quite a lot of information.
Tian Zihao and I spent the entire night breaking down and reassembling the information.
Only then could I roughly piece together the full picture of the incident.
The information collected from the Yakuza was particularly valuable.
The reason I’m so exhausted today is because I barely slept last night.
I had to at least understand the details before coming here.
“Mr. President, do you know why Japan is blocking reinsurance right now?”
The President couldn’t answer my question.
He kept his mouth firmly shut.
Hwang On-yu was in the same boat.
He had no idea.
He couldn’t even begin to guess at the details.
So I enlightened him.
“It’s simple. The Cheongwha Society.”
“Pardon?”
An deflated sound escaped at my unexpected words.
“Wasn’t the Cheongwha Society annihilated not long ago? This is a rather trivial act of revenge for that.”
The President’s expression showed he knew nothing.
Hwang On-yu beside him was equally shocked.
I smiled faintly and continued.
“You didn’t think I’d possess an intelligence network of this caliber, did you? But this information is solid.”
I’m laughing now, but I’d poured an astronomical amount of money into building this network.
Opening restaurants, bars, trading companies—I’d scraped together so much intelligence in the process.
Money can always be earned again.
So I simply gathered information.
I assigned missions and threw money at them.
I didn’t just set up shops for the Triad Society—I did the same for the Yakuza.
The funny part was that these places were already turning a profit.
I figured more customers meant more stories to hear, so I made the restaurants affordable.
The bars I positioned as ultra-premium VIP establishments, and people flocked to them.
Payments started flowing in.
Of course, such pittance meant nothing to me.
So I returned it all through other channels.
It was simply amusing that this had become a profitable venture.
I asked the two stunned men before me.
“Do you happen to know what comes after the reinsurance stage?”
“There’s another stage?”
Hwang On-yu asked.
“There is. An accident will occur. At Busan Port, or perhaps Incheon Port. A pilot will make a mistake while handing over a container ship, or a crane will topple a container while moving it. Then, using that incident as justification, rumors will spread that Seiryū Reinsurance’s decision to hold back on Korean insurance was correct. That concludes stage two.”
“Surely there isn’t another?”
Hwang On-yu asked, his voice trembling with dread.
“The most terrifying stage remains. Seiryū Reinsurance will publicize this heavily. ‘South Korea has no systems,’ ‘The workforce is aging.’ Once this spreads, Korean logistics will deteriorate further, and companies will face bankruptcy. Won volatility will spike, and foreign investors will flee. If we don’t stop it now, it will escalate into a national crisis.”
The President pressed his forehead with his hand.
The mere thought of it felt like standing at the edge of a cliff.
But it wasn’t a baseless plan.
In fact, if logistics continued to halt like this, it was entirely feasible.
I added one more thing.
“Japan is delighted. If South Korea collapses, they can absorb the cargo volume that Busan Port was handling. But we can do nothing. This isn’t a national issue—it’s a private enterprise decision.”
The President’s hands trembled.
It seemed the shock had been greater than expected.
The meticulous person who had been demanding the source of the story was gone.
I had also gotten heated yesterday.
Japan had orchestrated their operation with far more precision than I’d anticipated.
They’d put a private corporation front and center while disavowing responsibility.
Infuriating bastards.
I spoke while watching the President sit there as if broken.
“But honestly, while it seems like a major problem, it’s really not that serious.”
“Pardon?”
Hope flickered in President Kim Min-su’s voice.
“It’s just an insurance issue. The insurance companies have doubts, so they won’t issue coverage. That’s all it is. We just need to solve that part.”
“We’re aware of that, but no matter how much we clarify the doubts, it doesn’t help. We’ve tried making contact, but it’s not working.”
“Those doubts can’t be eliminated.”
“What?”
“Those doubts didn’t arise from an actual problem. That’s why they can’t be eliminated.”
“Then what do we do? We can’t eliminate the doubts.”
“Mr. President, have you ever been in a relationship?”
“What kind of question is that in a situation like this?”
“When you’re dating, there are times you want to break up with someone. That’s when you start nitpicking. You use vague statements like ‘you’re too selfish’ or ‘you don’t understand me.'”
The President seemed to recall his past romantic history, but he soon shook his head and refocused.
“It’s not that they dislike a specific aspect—they’re looking for reasons because they’ve already decided to break up. So no matter how much I promise to fix or change things, it’s meaningless. Their heart has already left. That’s exactly our situation now. No matter how much we try to resolve their doubts, they won’t listen. They have no intention of changing their mind.”
“···.”
“So what do you do then? You find someone else. If they want to break up, you break up. What’s the problem?”
“It’s not as simple as you make it sound.”
“It is simple. It’s not difficult. First, I have two insurance companies—Taerim Insurance and Del Rosario Insurance from the Philippines. And I’m also willing to tap into my personal reserves. I’ll create reinsurance with those.”
The President looked at me with slightly suspicious eyes.
“I appreciate the offer, but it seems difficult to secure reinsurance with just those two insurance companies and personal reserves.”
I nodded.
“That’s right. So I’ve requested reinforcements. The Philippine Insurance and Reinsurance Association has agreed to participate.”
For a moment, President Kim Min-su’s eyes lit up.
But they dimmed just as quickly.
He realized that even that wouldn’t be enough.
“Even that···.”
Then my phone rang.
“Excuse me for just a moment? I need to take this call.”
President Kim Min-su was taken aback.
He’d never seen a man take a call so casually in front of a president.
“Yes, hyung.”
“I’m with the South Korean President right now.”
“Oh! Hyung, you know the South Korean President, right? I saw the news the other day—they were shaking hands and everything.”
“Shall I switch it over?”
“Is that okay? You’re quite shy too, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Let’s share a drink next time.”
“So what did you decide to do?”
“Ah, so you’re going to do it together?”
“You’re excited about screwing over Japan? You want to do it together? Fine.”
“Let’s give them a good screwing.”
“Thank you. I’ll head over to China soon.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Understood. See you then.”
The two men standing right beside me heard the entire conversation.
But they had no idea who the other person was.
Someone who shook hands with the South Korean President?
Someone who appears on the news?
Someone capable of participating in this matter?
Unable to contain his curiosity, Hwang On-yu asked.
“May I ask who you were talking to?”
“Wei Zhonglin, the Chinese Chairman.”
“Gasp.”
“Hic.”
The President and Team Leader Hwang On-yu were utterly shocked.
Wei Zhonglin, the Chinese Chairman.
Hiccups burst forth from their astonishment.
In diplomacy, there is no such thing as equality.
Instead, the word used is balance.
That word means whatever the stronger party says is truth and what is right.
If you listen to what the stronger party says, it means they’ll at least let you keep your current position.
From that perspective, China had always been the truth to South Korea.
If China says it’s not theirs, then it’s not.
Even if fine dust blows over like that, if China says it’s not ours, then it’s not China’s.
That’s what diplomacy is.
That’s why a hotline with China isn’t easy.
When China calls, we answer immediately, but when we call China, they only answer when they’re in a good mood.
And yet China.
No, the Chinese Chairman Wei Zhonglin directly calls.
Not calling and pleading and asking to be transferred, but Wei Zhonglin calling directly.
The fact that such a person exists in South Korea left President Kim Min-su so astonished his jaw dropped.
Honestly, President Kim Min-su himself had no confidence he could call Wei Zhonglin.
Hwang On-yu felt the same way.
I knew In-bae was an unpredictable man, but I never dreamed he was on direct calling terms with Chairman Wei Zhonglin.
Setting aside their shock, I continued speaking.
“The Insurance Association of China (IAC) has agreed to join us. They’ll provide reinsurance from China.”
“Our country, the Philippines, and China will combine to create a single reinsurance POOL.”
“Hong Kong and Singapore may very well join as well.”
“Then Europe will naturally follow suit.”
“We no longer need Japan.”
President Kim Min-su clenched his fist tightly.
‘This is it.’
A solution that could perfectly resolve the current crisis.
With South Korea, China, and the Philippines united, they could establish reinsurance.
If Hong Kong and Singapore joined as well, it would be certain.
Once this happened, Europe would have no choice but to follow.
The President felt both relief and emptiness simultaneously.
For days, I had racked my brain in worry.
Government officials had gathered for meeting after meeting.
Even mobilizing all of the government’s resources couldn’t solve the problem.
Yet a civilian I’d never seen before in my life resolved everything with a single phone call.
What the man said next was even more shocking.
“Mr. President, do nothing.”
“Pardon?”
“This is a private sector fight. If the government gets involved, it’ll only cause unnecessary talk.”
“Private sector disputes are best settled by private citizens beating each other down.”
“My specialty is dirty fighting.”
“I’m specialized in fighting that’s messy and sordid.”
“I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“If you don’t want the government caught up in this dogfight, do nothing.”
“You and I are strangers, Mr. President.”
The man spoke with absolute conviction.
President Kim Min-su simply nodded.
Hwang On-yu and I left Cheongwadae.
My meeting record had been deleted.
It was changed so that only Hwang On-yu had met with the President.
Upon leaving Cheongwadae, I headed straight to Taerim Insurance.
I had much to do.
I had become a black market powerhouse through my inventory.
190 – Cheongwadae
E-book Publication
/ February 5, 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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