I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 200

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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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200 – Housewarming
200.
Seoul Yongsan Police Station was on high alert.
An urgent call had come through from the Presidential Security Service.
“The President is coming?”
“And VIPs of comparable importance on top of that.”
Radio chatter never ceased.
Police vehicles poured onto the roads,
and traffic control began in an instant.
.
.
.
Wei Zhonglin had arrived in Seoul, but
could not go to Cheongwadae.
This meeting was unofficial.
An unofficial meeting could not be held at Cheongwadae.
Wei Zhonglin was a towering figure.
The very fact that Wei Zhonglin was visiting South Korea unofficially was a major incident.
Countless rumors would be generated from the mere fact that Wei Zhonglin had come to South Korea.
It had to be kept as secret as possible.
The Chinese side had requested the same.
They said no official schedule or protocol was necessary.
They simply asked that he be thought of as one person visiting a close younger brother.
So instead of Cheongwadae, another location was sought.
Cheongwadae had far too many watching eyes.
There were journalists,
and the conditions were demanding.
– The movement route must be completely invisible from outside.
– Access control must be perfect.
– Surrounding roads must be immediately blockable.
– The structure must be capable of countering sniper and drone threats.
– Communications security must be ensured.
– Medical response must be possible within 10 minutes in case of emergency.
– It must not be too far from Cheongwadae.
Yet such places were surprisingly few.
Adequate locations had weak security,
places with perfect security were awkward for the President to use,
and decent options were too far away.
When everything was good, someone was already using it.
Struggling with venue selection, I casually threw out a suggestion.
“How do you like our home? It’s quite nice, isn’t it?”
The Security Team reviewed the blueprints,
verifying the terrain, elevation, access routes, CCTV systems, and building structure.
Everything matched the conditions the Security Team required.
“Let’s go check it out in person.”
.
.
.
Before Wei Zhonglin arrived.
The Security Team reached Unity Village first.
The Presidential Security Service, Police Special Security Unit, and Communications Security Team all assembled.
Under normal circumstances, they would have been bustling with activity.
“… There’s nothing for us to do?”
The head of the Presidential Security Service, hearing those words, stopped mid-inspection of the grounds.
“The security facilities here seem even more comprehensive than Cheongwadae itself.”
The perimeter was surrounded by Maebong Mountain,
with only two access routes.
Lockdown could be achieved in five minutes.
Moreover, there was no reason for anyone to use that road unless they were going to Unity Village.
This meant that controlling the road would inconvenience no one,
while simultaneously ensuring absolute control was possible.
“What about escape routes?”
“Routes A, B, and C are secured. There’s even an underground connecting passage. Security is flawless.”
“Communications are clear.”
“No sniper threats.”
The head of the Presidential Security Service fell silent for a moment.
A private residence with this level of sophistication.
The head of the Presidential Security Service looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Don’t look at me like that.
I didn’t do this. Allen did.
Every condition aligned perfectly.
So our home was chosen as the meeting place.
We decided to have a housewarming celebration with President Kim Min-su and Wei Zhonglin.
President Kim Min-su and Chairman Xi arrived.
The moment they stepped out of the car, fresh mountain air greeted them both.
The two men gazed in admiration at Maebong Mountain’s slopes.
“The mountain’s energy is magnificent.”
“Is this what they call a place of fortune?”
Kim Min-su nodded in agreement.
“I’m not sure how you found this place, but it’s absolutely wonderful.”
“Please visit whenever you like. I’m always available.”
I lit the charcoal.
Acrid smoke drifted past briefly, and the flames stabilized.
I picked up the tongs.
“You two just sit back. I’ll grill the meat today.”
The Chef stood beside me, fidgeting nervously as he watched.
“Didn’t I come from a guide background? I’ve grilled countless cuts of meat. I’ll prepare it exquisitely for you.”
At my words, President Kim Min-su nodded.
The Chef stepped away.
The security detail retreated further still.
It felt as though only the three of us existed in Unity Village.
I grilled the meat with meticulous care.
These were guests in my home.
It was only natural that I should be the one to serve them.
The pork belly released its fat, browning to a perfect golden hue.
I retrieved soju and sliced the kimchi into generous chunks.
I added mushrooms alongside it.
I prepared a special dipping sauce by mixing sesame oil, minced garlic, and a touch of gochujang into the base.
“This is my signature sauce. It should be quite exceptional.”
I placed the perfectly cooked meat onto a plate as I spoke.
“Dip the meat in it, and you’ll find it absolutely sublime.”
At my words, President Kim Min-su and Chairman Xi Wei Zhonglin regarded me with amusement.
Kim Min-su dipped the meat into the sauce with practiced ease.
Before eating, he inhaled the aroma first.
“The smell is absolutely divine.”
“The taste will be even more so.”
The President’s eyes widened as he tasted the pork belly.
His brow furrowed momentarily before he gave a thumbs up.
“Wow, this is truly delicious. It’s the finest pork belly I’ve ever had.”
President Kim Min-su spoke with a radiant smile.
However, Chairman Wei Zhonglin seemed somewhat hesitant.
“Go ahead. It’s K-ORIGIN.”
I placed another perfectly cooked piece of meat onto his plate.
Wei Zhonglin hesitated briefly before dipping it in the sauce and placing it in his mouth.
After chewing for a while, Wei Zhonglin tilted his head quizzically.
“There’s nothing particularly special about it, so why is it so delicious? Isn’t this cheating? I watched you prepare it right beside you.”
Whether he failed to understand the situation or couldn’t comprehend the taste itself remained unclear.
Wei Zhonglin continued eating the pork belly, his head tilted in perpetual bewilderment.
The soju began to circulate among us.
The conversation grew lighter.
The cautious conversation gradually transformed into something more human and personal.
We set aside matters of state, diplomacy, and competing interests.
Stories we hadn’t had the chance to share when we first met.
We began dredging up embarrassing moments from our pasts.
Laughter erupted.
It should have felt awkward.
Yet strangely, my heart felt at ease.
Here, we were neither President, nor Chairman Xi, nor a guide.
Just three men.
Night had grown deep.
We built a campfire, leaned back in our chairs, and gazed up at the night sky.
Though it was Seoul’s sky, the stars shone remarkably clear from this vantage point.
“I can’t remember the last time I looked at stars like this,” Kim Min-su murmured.
Kim Min-su muttered softly.
“Position confines a person, doesn’t it,” Wei Zhonglin answered quietly.
Wei Zhonglin replied in silence.
No one responded to those words.
Yet we all felt comforted.
Evening passed, night gave way to dawn, and still we remained together.
Laughing, talking loudly, joking around.
I felt as though I’d returned to my twenties.
The weight that had pressed upon my shoulders,
The burden that came with the name of nation—all of it seemed to lift, if only for a moment.
Here, I felt I could lay everything bare.
This night would never appear in any official record,
Yet for the three of us, it was a night we could never forget.
.
.
.
The next day.
An emergency briefing was announced through the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Major domestic and international media outlets were connected simultaneously.
Moments later,
Chairman Xi, bearing faint traces of a hangover, took the podium.
His expression was composed, but his tone was unmistakable.
“The People’s Republic of China hereby declares its commitment to deepening and expanding our strategic cooperative relationship with South Korea.
South Korea is an important neighbor to China, a trustworthy partner, and an eternal friend with whom we shall walk forward together.
Any disrespect toward South Korea is no different from disrespect toward China itself.
Under the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit, we will comprehensively strengthen our cooperation with South Korea.”
The statement was brief, yet its impact was profound.
The international community responded immediately.
Washington stated it was “monitoring the situation,”
and Japan, backed into a corner, mobilized diplomatic channels to grasp what was happening.
Major European media outlets released analyses suggesting this was a signal that the Northeast Asian order would be restructured.
But the greatest shock came from the north.
Pyongyang.
An emergency meeting was convened.
On the surface, it was downplayed as “routine diplomatic inquiry,” but the internal atmosphere was entirely different.
China’s use of the phrase “eternal friend” toward South Korea in an official setting was extraordinarily unprecedented.
Moreover, the statement “to disregard South Korea is to disregard China” was essentially a declaration that China would serve as South Korea’s shield.
North Korea’s Chairman of the State Affairs Commission was heaving deep sighs.
.
.
.
Wei Zhonglin descending after finishing his address.
He wished this were the slopes of Maebong Mountain instead of China.
That serene air.
The aroma of meat roasting over charcoal.
The conversations shared beneath the stars.
A time when titles and dignity were set aside, if only briefly.
Wei Zhonglin did not regard that night as a mere meeting.
In an encounter where so many schedules and agendas had to be compressed into a short span,
he had glimpsed something unseen before—the genuine sincerity and trust a person could hold.
Wei Zhonglin wanted to express honestly the emotion he had felt.
******
Tokyo Port Explosion Investigation Headquarters.
Or rather, the office now renamed the “Japanese Port Explosion Investigation Headquarters.”
Only the name had changed; the space remained the same.
Yet the personnel had doubled.
Investigation was required not only at Tokyo Port but also at Nagoya and Yokohama, so more manpower was necessary.
Police, Prosecution, Public Security Bureau, Japan Coast Guard, Japan Self-Defense Forces intelligence division, and the Cabinet Intelligence Bureau had all joined.
Though spacious, the room was crammed with desks.
Scene photographs, port diagrams, shipping routes, and container movement records covered the walls.
On another section hung enlarged photos of the blast site, fragment analysis results, and communication log printouts.
Red string connected various points,
yet nowhere did they converge into a single thread.
The atmosphere was heavy and sharp.
It seemed as though the slightest touch would shatter it.
.
.
.
Investigation Headquarters briefing meeting.
“Have you identified the explosive composition?”
The head of the Investigation Headquarters overseeing the case asked.
“It’s not military-grade. There are signs of modification. It appears to be C4 with ammonium nitrate added.”
The forensic investigation team answered.
“What about the source of the bomb? Can it be traced?”
“Impossible. It wasn’t manufactured in Japan. To trace it, we’d need to expand our search globally… it’s impossible.”
The Investigation Headquarters director turned his head.
“What about CCTV?”
“Nothing at all. It appears they only used blind spots. We’d have to suspect an inside accomplice.”
“What about the container vehicle entry and exit logs and crane usage records?”
“We conducted a complete investigation of both records and physical evidence, but found nothing unusual. It’s clean.”
Silence fell at the negative responses.
The Investigation Headquarters director asked with a hint of irritation.
“We’ve been investigating for nearly a month now. How is it possible that we haven’t uncovered a single piece of evidence?”
No one answered, only lowering their heads.
“What if those materials came from overseas? Shouldn’t we focus our investigation in that direction?”
A Japan Self-Defense Forces representative cautiously suggested.
“The direction is possible, but we lack evidence to present in court. And… formalizing an overseas connection theory would become a diplomatic issue. It could actually create even bigger problems.”
The Cabinet Intelligence Bureau representative answered.
As the fruitless meeting continued, the Investigation Headquarters director ended it.
“Understood for now. Please reorganize and report on the sections currently under investigation. And Prosecution and Cabinet Intelligence Bureau—please remain.”
The representatives nodded,
and only the Prosecution and Cabinet Intelligence Bureau officials remained in the Conference Room.
The Conference Room door closed.
The atmosphere changed.
After confirming the door was shut, the Investigation Headquarters director spoke in a low voice.
“Can we leave this case unsolved?”
“No.”
“Absolutely not.”
This case could never remain unsolved.
Explosions occurred at three critical ports, yet we failed to apprehend the perpetrator?
Over two hundred investigators were deployed, yet we’ve uncovered no evidence whatsoever?
If this ends as an unsolved case, the consequences would be severe.
It would inevitably cast serious doubt on Japan’s investigative capabilities.
“Public anxiety has already reached its limit. Explosions occurred at three critical ports. We must apprehend the perpetrator, yet we’ve found no evidence. Isn’t that correct?”
“… Yes, that’s correct.”
The two men answered with evident shame.
“Nevertheless, we must apprehend the perpetrator. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The head of the investigation headquarters’ words caused the prosecutor and the Cabinet Intelligence Bureau official to stare at him intently.
There was something subtly off about the way he’d ended his statement.
“We can’t let this investigation drag on forever. We need to catch the perpetrator. So what can we do?”
The prosecutor and Cabinet Intelligence Bureau official’s eyes widened.
“Surely you’re not suggesting…”
The head of the investigation headquarters raised one finger to his lips.
It was a signal to stay quiet.
Their mouth closed, but the tension in their mind refused to ease.
I could sense what he was implying.
He was suggesting they fabricate a perpetrator.
Even if not the real culprit, they could simply designate someone as the perpetrator and close the case.
It was an extraordinarily dangerous and reckless proposal.
But now,
the situation was dire enough that even such recklessness seemed appealing.
Honestly, the idea was tempting.
The head of the investigation headquarters continued.
“I’ve given this considerable thought… What about the Yakuza?”
The head of the investigation headquarters spoke with extreme caution, gauging their reactions carefully.
“The Yakuza? Aren’t they a group with no real power anymore?”
The prosecutor countered.
“Exactly why it’s perfect. Since they’ve lost their power, their influence has already diminished, hasn’t it?”
“It’s a solid idea. The Yakuza’s funding sources have dried up, their members are aging, and many organizations are struggling financially. We’ve already received reports of increased smuggling operations among their ranks.”
The prosecutor, who had been contemplating, agreed with the investigation headquarters chief’s reasoning.
“What do you think?”
The head of the investigation headquarters looked at the Cabinet Intelligence Bureau official and asked.
“An explosion caused by improper handling of explosives during a smuggling operation. It’s entirely plausible. And there’s no social resistance. If we say the Yakuza did it, everyone will nod in agreement.”
“In fact, we’d be welcomed for it. We eliminate the Yakuza and solve the case simultaneously.”
“We can also send a signal that the government is committed to eliminating crime.”
It was unexpected, but once the Yakuza became the answer, everything fit perfectly into place.
Unable to sustain their former way of life, the Yakuza turned to smuggling.
While recklessly conducting smuggling operations, explosives detonated.
Using this as grounds, they would arrest the Yakuza.
With this, they could eliminate the troublesome Yakuza once and for all.
The government’s approval ratings would rise, and their investigative competence would be recognized.
Two birds with one stone.
“Will there be any political or diplomatic complications?”
The investigation official asked as a final confirmation.
“No. None whatsoever. The Yakuza of today are not the Yakuza of yesterday.”
Though no one explicitly agreed, the Yakuza unanimously became the perpetrators.
The atmosphere in the conference room shifted subtly.
In place of helplessness came calculation.
If I sacrificed the weakened Yakuza as a scapegoat, the case would be resolved.
The government would appear strong, the people would find peace of mind, and face would be preserved.
That day, the Japanese Port Explosion Investigation Headquarters changed its investigative direction.
Through Inventory, I had become a major player in the black market.
200 – Housewarming
E-book Publication
/ February 13, 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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