I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 32

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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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034-Security Training
34. Security Training
Breaking news: Rising star Kang Ye-eun has been urgently arrested at Incheon Airport on suspicion of drug possession. Kang Ye-eun was taken into emergency custody upon arrival from Macau on drug possession charges, and was found to be carrying a substantial quantity of narcotics.
Click.
Next story: Actress Kang Ye-eun, who has garnered widespread affection for her outstanding acting and appearance in the recent weekend drama “My Man’s Wife,” has been urgently arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling. For more details, we’re connecting with reporter Shim Jin-ha at Incheon Airport.
Click.
Kang Ye-eun is also under investigation for overseas gambling in Macau. The Police are reportedly conducting intensive investigations not only into drug use and possession, but also into violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act in connection with overseas gambling and fund procurement processes.
Click.
The production team of the weekend drama “My Man’s Wife” has issued a removal notice to Kang Ye-eun, who was urgently arrested due to drug use. The responsible producer stated, “We cannot use an actress who has used and smuggled drugs. Reshooting will be unavoidable, but we will discuss this thoroughly with the writer.” Additionally, advertisers who had used Kang Ye-eun as a model announced their position to claim breach of contract damages, citing that Kang Ye-eun has damaged the brand’s value.
Click.
Actress Kang Ye-eun, facing charges of drug use, drug smuggling, and overseas gambling, appears to be facing permanent expulsion from the entertainment industry. According to sources, dramas and films that were under discussion for her appearance have all withdrawn their casting offers upon hearing the drug news. Her agency as well…
The television was plastered with news about Kang Ye-eun all day long.
No matter which channel I switched to, only reports about Kang Ye-eun continued to air.
Kang Ye-eun admitted to the drug use allegations,
and said she would take a period of self-reflection.
A man sitting on the sofa, quietly watching the TV,
pressed the remote and turned it off.
Click.
As the television went dark, silence descended in an instant.
The man stood up and walked forward with heavy steps,
then swung his arm with all his might.
Crack!!
With the sound, Han Min-su’s face, who had been standing in one corner, snapped to the side.
Han Min-su, experiencing pain for the first time in his life, panicked and didn’t know what to do,
and the man who had struck Han Min-su’s cheek—
Han Chang-gi, Han Min-su’s father, also couldn’t contain his rage and stood helpless.
“Did I tell you to study? Did I tell you to run the business well? I only told you not to cause trouble. Just don’t cause trouble!!!!!”
Unable to contain his fury any longer, Han Chang-gi struck Han Min-su’s cheek once more.
Crack!!
His mouth had split open, and red blood seeped from his lips.
But Han Min-su couldn’t even say it hurt,
and could only swallow blood-tinged saliva over and over.
“At such a sensitive time, you go to Macau and use drugs? And you brought drugs back with you? Do you have your mind or not? No matter how reckless and foolish you are, you should at least be able to distinguish between what you should and shouldn’t do.”
“Father, there’s been some misunderstanding.”
“It ended up in your bag without you knowing? You call that an excuse? Did you think that would work? Then there’s something wrong with your intelligence.”
“That’s… the truth.”
“What? The truth? So you’re not guilty? Then let me try making some money too. I’ll bring in a container full of drugs and say I didn’t know drugs were in it. Someone must have put them there. Then the Police and Customs would say, ‘Oh, is that so?’ and let me through. I’m innocent. Huh?? Tell me?? You bastard.”
“…”
“The company stake I was going to give you is off the table. There’s no point giving you shares in the group if you’re just going to sell them to buy drugs. I can’t destroy my own son with my own hands.”
“You’re also dismissed from your position as division head.”
“All assets under your name are frozen.”
“Do you know how much money I spent to get you out? Do you know how much money Kang Ye-eun spent covering up news about what she was doing?!”
“You were caught at the airport. On the scene. I paid off the airport police, the prosecutors, the police, customs, airport security, broadcast stations, media outlets, even internet news.”
“Why were there so many witnesses? Damn it, seriously.”
“Honestly, I don’t care if you die doing drugs or whatever, but if you die, LK Group gets dragged through the mud. That’s why I’m keeping you alive. Go to the hospital and just live for three years.”
“Father!!”
“I’ve given you chances. I watched over you while you caused trouble, thinking that someday you’d come to your senses. But you’re beyond redemption. So just live as if you’re dead. When you leave the hospital, don’t do anything else. Eat the three meals prepared for you, use the bathroom, and sleep. That’s all you need to do. Don’t do anything else, don’t think about anything else, and don’t move.”
“Father!!”
“As a father, I’ve done everything I could for you. You haven’t fulfilled your duty as a son, but I believe I’ve done enough in my role.”
At Han Chang-gi’s words,
Han Min-su’s expression, which had always been bright and carefree, changed.
Worry appeared, anxiety appeared, fear appeared, and terror appeared.
The thought of being cut off from everything he had enjoyed until now terrified him.
He didn’t even want to be hospitalized.
And three years at that.
But who exactly put the drugs in his bag?
Did Kang Ye-eun put them there?
Still unable to grasp the situation,
Han Min-su was only interested in finding out who had put the drugs in his bag.
He believed that if he found the culprit, his name would be cleared.
********
After returning from Macau,
I was preparing to head to the Training Center in Paju after two days of rest.
The next project hadn’t been decided yet,
but I was told to go to the Training Center instead of the main office to review what was lacking in this project
and to practice new security tactics.
The assembly time was 10 a.m.
Getting to Paju by 10 a.m. seemed too far.
I considered going the night before, but decided to leave early in the morning instead.
I left the company dormitory at 7 a.m., had a bowl of hangover soup at a 24-hour soup restaurant,
took the subway for a while, got off, and caught a taxi.
I tried to go by public transportation,
but I gave up because I would have to change buses several times.
I just took the subway to a reasonable point and then caught a taxi.
That wasn’t a good solution either,
because the Training Center was far from the subway even in Pocheon,
located near Unnak Mountain, so I had to take a taxi for quite a while even after getting off the subway.
If I had known this, I would have just taken a taxi from the dormitory,
but I made a mistake.
Before that, the company had always provided transportation by car,
I never imagined public transportation could be this inconvenient.
Still, having rushed out early in the morning,
I arrived without being late for the 10 o’clock appointment.
In fact, I arrived a full thirty minutes early.
After briefly considering what to do,
I walked to a nearby café to grab a coffee.
During training, I’d eaten and drunk coffee around here enough times to know the restaurants and cafés well.
On my way to the café, I spotted a familiar car.
It was the Team Leader.
I waved at him.
“Team Leader.”
“Deputy Team Leader. What are you doing down here?”
He seemed to have encountered me on his way into the Training Center.
“I was just grabbing a coffee. Would you like one too? You usually have a hot latte, right?”
“Never mind that. Come with me. Get in.”
“Really?”
I climbed into the Team Leader’s car.
“But where are your team members? Why did you come down here alone for coffee?”
“My team members? There are none. It’s just me.”
“What? Alone?”
The Team Leader seemed somewhat surprised.
“Then how did you get here? You don’t have a car, do you?”
“I took a taxi.”
“A taxi?”
“Yes.”
The café wasn’t far away.
I ordered a hot Americano, and the Team Leader ordered a latte.
I considered ordering coffee for the team members,
but they were the type who wouldn’t even eat the chocolate I’d offered before.
They probably wouldn’t drink coffee either, so I simply didn’t order any.
It would be wasteful to throw it away.
The Team Leader didn’t order coffee for the team members either.
When we returned to the Training Center and were drinking our coffee, an SUV pulled in.
It was Jung Dong-hyun’s car.
I’d seen it a few times during my commutes.
Memorizing vehicles and license plates had become a long-standing habit.
The car stopped, and Jung Dong-hyun got out from the driver’s seat while Ahn Ji-bin got out from the passenger seat.
Hwang Jung-jin and Park Moon-yong got out from the back seat.
They were laughing and giggling all the way down, as if they were having the time of their lives.
They each held a cup of coffee in their hands.
I would have regretted buying coffee if I’d known.
Our team has six members,
the Team Leader came separately,
I took a taxi,
and the other four came in one vehicle.
The moment we stepped out of the car, they saw us but greeted only the Team Leader.
“Good morning, Team Leader.”
“Good morning.”
“Did you rest well?”
The Team Leader spoke with a rigid expression.
“Keep to the schedule. It’s already past ten.”
The Team Leader’s mind appeared turbulent as he spoke.
********
Bae Hyun-seok’s mind was in turmoil.
The petty, childish behavior displayed by team members who had worked together without incident for so long.
Bae Hyun-seok felt ashamed instead.
I know.
Why it’s happening, what they’re thinking.
How could I not notice when they’ve been showing it so obviously since the first meeting where I introduced Gong In-bae as Vice Team Leader?
Glaring at the Vice Team Leader as he greets them,
rushing out the moment the meeting ends,
deliberately creating overlapping routes during training to provoke mistakes,
even sending him on unnecessary errands.
I know it all.
Yet I pretend not to notice because this too is part of Vice Team Leader Gong In-bae’s test.
Getting along well with team members is also one of the abilities a Team Leader must possess.
However, Vice Team Leader Gong In-bae seemed focused on the operation rather than blending in with the team.
When I told him to step out briefly in Macau and look around,
I thought he would refuse and wait with the team,
but he left before I even finished speaking.
It was just a polite offer.
Was it really that difficult?
Did he want to be alone?
I felt sorry.
Especially today, feeling sorry that he came all this way alone by taxi.
Conversely, my sympathy for Ahn Ji-bin grew.
Ahn Ji-bin must hate this situation.
She probably thought that empty Vice Team Leader position in Alpha Team was hers.
But then a twenty-four-year-old kid came as Vice Team Leader.
Of course, from Ahn Ji-bin’s perspective, it couldn’t help but be uncomfortable.
I have to swallow it anyway.
I have to swallow it without showing it.
Even if Jung Dong-hyun, Hwang Jung-jin, and Park Moon-yong below me insist it doesn’t make sense,
Even if Ahn Ji-bin pushes to become the deputy team leader,
Ahn Ji-bin should step forward first and soothe the team members,
And instead support Gong In-bae as the deputy team leader.
That’s what a team is.
Foolish bastards.
If you all stick together like that, will the deputy team leader come begging to hang around with you?
Or will the deputy team leader title be yielded to Ahn Ji-bin?
If you yield like that, will the company say, “Oh, you switched it among yourselves. Got it, we’ll process it”?
If Gong In-bae resigns because he can’t bear the ostracism,
Will the deputy team leader position go to Ahn Ji-bin?
This incident has decided it.
Ahn Ji-bin cannot become deputy team leader even if Gong In-bae leaves.
The deputy team leader acts as team leader in the team leader’s absence.
They must check the parts the team leader is too overwhelmed to notice.
But Ahn Ji-bin lacks the qualifications.
If Ahn Ji-bin wanted to become deputy team leader,
She shouldn’t have rejected Gong In-bae; instead, she should have embraced him.
Even if there were minor issues, she should have kept the team together.
But Ahn Ji-bin treated team members like subordinates,
And ostracized Gong In-bae, whom she didn’t like.
She clearly knew he lived in the dormitory,
And knew he had no car, yet she never once asked him to come along.
While she and the others met up and had coffee together.
One team, but you take those you like and leave out those you don’t?
You promote someone like that to deputy team leader?
That could never happen in Alpha Team under Bae Hyun-seok as team leader.
It’s like a seven-year-old refusing to eat because he doesn’t like the side dishes.
As time passes, it’s the child who will be hungry.
Bae Hyun-seok had no intention of making new side dishes for a child who complained.
He would clear the table instead.
“Today we’ll conduct security training after a long time. Today will focus on individual training rather than tactical training. Especially combat training focused on subduing opponents. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Ahn Ji-bin’s eyes sparkled unusually at the mention of combat training.

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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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