I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 36

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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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036-Resignation
35.
“I apologize for having to say this. You gave me such a good opportunity.”
“To be honest, I’m disappointed. I heard you were adapting well.”
AllDayGuard Executive Office
I was discussing my resignation with Hwang Byung-il, the company representative.
Four months into my tenure at Alpha Team.
According to the original plan, I should have left Alpha Team by now and taken over a different team.
But after working at Alpha Team,
I realized I wasn’t yet qualified to lead a team.
I was lacking far too much.
Security work threw unexpected variables at me constantly,
and I didn’t possess the capability to handle all of them.
My experience was severely insufficient.
The brief time I’d spent working at Alpha Team couldn’t fill that gap.
Before I accepted a team leader title I couldn’t handle,
before a team was assembled for me,
I thought it was right to speak up.
I thought it was right to convey to Hwang Byung-il that he didn’t need to create my own team.
That I would be resigning. That was what I needed to communicate.
That was how I showed consideration for Hwang Byung-il and AllDayGuard.
“Couldn’t you build that experience while serving as a team leader?”
“Isn’t a team leader position one of responsibility, not learning?”
“Depending on the situation, you could do both.”
“I appreciate your consideration, but I believe a team leader should be someone fully prepared for the role.”
To be honest, could I lead a team?
Yes, I could.
Assemble a team with experienced members,
and take on lighter projects—there’s nothing I couldn’t do.
To be frank, it wasn’t that difficult once I tried it.
But security work just doesn’t seem to suit me.
When I first received AllDayGuard’s offer,
I imagined meeting diverse people and gaining new experiences in various places.
Building rapport with clients,
traveling around the world—that kind of fantasy.
But the reality was no conversation with clients.
I did travel to various places, but it was only shuttling between hotels and event venues.
No downtime either.
Well, there was downtime, but rotating shifts meant I never truly rested—that feeling?
I felt constantly rushed by time, growing increasingly anxious.
I disliked the blurred boundary between secretary and bodyguard.
What I experienced as a bodyguard was somewhere between a secretary and a logistics coordinator.
Honestly, in four months of work, I’d never felt threatened by terrorism or personal danger.
I’d never subdued an enemy or attempted emergency evacuation with a client.
I was just running drug errands,
and I didn’t want to do this job just to clear a path for idols through crowds of fans.
It was true that I felt a deep sense of doubt about whether I really needed to do this work.
The Team Leader’s lack of competence might have been an excuse.
But right now, it seemed accurate.
“Wouldn’t you reconsider for a bit longer?”
“I’ve made my decision.”
“I understand. I had hoped the Battalion Commander and AllDayGuard would work together for a long time, but that’s unfortunate.”
“I apologize. You gave me a great opportunity, but I wasn’t able to make the most of it.”
.
.
.
I informed the team of my resignation.
The Team Leader wore an unreadable expression,
while Ahn Ji-bin wore the expression of someone who’d won.
Would someone make that face if a troublesome tooth fell out?
Should I pull out another one while I’m at it?
I skipped team training
and gathered the belongings I’d left in my locker.
As I stepped out of the Office, a familiar face appeared.
Colonel Son Tae-jin.
He was the former commander of the Guardian Unit.
Why was he at AllDayGuard?
I gave Colonel Son Tae-jin a casual salute.
“Unity!”
“Unity.”
Colonel Son Tae-jin returned the salute casually.
Colonel Son Tae-jin glanced at the box in my hand.
“If you have time, how about a cup of tea?”
“I’d be happy to.”
I readily accepted Colonel Son Tae-jin’s invitation for tea.
He was one of the people I didn’t dislike.
Colonel Son Tae-jin led me deeper into the building as we walked.
Why?
Shouldn’t we be heading outside?
The place where Colonel Son Tae-jin stopped was an interrogation room.
Son Tae-jin opened the door with practiced ease and stepped inside.
“Come in.”
“Yes? Yes, sir.”
“I’ve been serving as an advisor for quite some time now, but I haven’t been coming to the office much. My retirement got delayed far longer than expected.”
As Son Tae-jin spoke, I settled uncomfortably onto the sofa,
and Son Tae-jin began preparing tea.
“Allow me to do that.”
“Don’t rob me of one of my few remaining pleasures.”
Though I offered several times,
Son Tae-jin firmly refused.
Now that I thought about it, he’d mentioned someone had recommended me,
and I found myself wondering if it could possibly be Son Tae-jin himself.
Son Tae-jin took his seat with a tea service on a tray.
He poured green tea from the teapot into a cup and handed it to me.
“I’ve been absolutely obsessed with this tea lately. Give it a try—I’m sure you’ll find it pleasant.”
“Yes.”
The properly warmed cup released the distinctive bitter-sweet notes of green tea, subtle and refined.
I could taste the grassy aroma as well.
“What do you think?”
“It’s excellent.”
“I brewed it myself, and it seems to have turned out well. Ha ha.”
“You’ve brewed it beautifully.”
Was Son Tae-jin always this lighthearted?
When he was Battalion Commander, I found him somewhat intimidating.
“So you’ve decided to leave?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know I recommended you?”
“I suspected as much when I saw you here.”
“Actually, I didn’t recommend you—Song Gyu-tae asked me to.”
“You mean Team Leader Song Gyu-tae?”
My heart suddenly sank at the unexpected name.
But how could Team Leader Song Gyu-tae have recommended me?
He’s the one at the National Cemetery now.
“Yes. We were having dinner together one day, and he said something like this: ‘Battalion Commander, please take good care of In-bae. He may seem easygoing, but he’s starved for affection.’ So I told him, ‘Then you take care of him.’ He said his own team was already looking after you well. Ha ha ha, we laughed about it… but after the Second Company situation and hearing that you were being discharged, I just couldn’t let it go. So I made the request—to bring In-bae along with you.”
“…”
“Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Your skills and performance were excellent too, so the company didn’t hesitate to scout you. I wish we could have worked together longer—it’s a shame.”
“I apologize. I was insufficient.”
“I should have paid more attention. I’m sorry.”
“No, sir. I’m already deeply grateful just for the recommendation.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. If I recommended you, I should have looked after you better, but my retirement got delayed because I’ve been under investigation here and there.”
Colonel Son Tae-jin appeared to have undergone investigation and been discharged from the military after that incident.
Well, it was an incident where eleven people died simultaneously—it would be difficult for a commanding officer to continue military service.
Still, I was grateful.
He seemed to be doing well.
We exchanged pleasantries.
What he wanted to do going forward, whether he had plans, if there was anything I could help with—that sort of thing.
I told him I had no plans either and wanted to rest for a while.
The conversation was as bland as the green tea we were drinking,
yet it carried the thoughtfulness of a tea ceremony—consideration for the other person woven throughout.
“Contact me if you need anything.”
“I will, sir. Solidarity.”
“Solidarity.”
After finishing our conversation, I bowed properly and left the office.
When I was in Congo, I didn’t even bow properly before leaving, and Team Leader Song Gyu-tae scolded me for it.
Now that there’s no one to scold me, I have to conduct myself properly.
*****
The Golden Lotus had been expanding its power at a terrifying pace recently.
The handful of pistols their opponents possessed were no match for rifles.
With overwhelming firepower as their foundation,
they had seized control of most major enterprises in Macau.
They concentrated especially on controlling the distribution lines.
As a result, it was now nearly impossible to conduct distribution in Macau without going through the Golden Lotus.
Whether it was alcohol, food ingredients, or anything else, the Golden Lotus had its fingers in the middle of every transaction.
It seemed Macau had fallen into the hands of the Golden Lotus.
Being a small city, their control came swiftly.
But as the business expanded rapidly, so did the problems.
“Boss, we’re critically short on product right now.”
“How much do we have left?”
“At this rate, we won’t make it past two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
“Yes, sir.”
Nothing from the Hong Kong faction or the mainland faction either?”
“That figure includes their supply. The consumption rate is far faster than we anticipated.”
“What about our own routes?”
“We’re running them at maximum capacity, but it’s still nowhere near enough. Our routes were never designed to move large volumes.”
“What about the routes the Hong Kong people used?”
“They destroyed them themselves when we took over their operations.”
“The mainland line too?”
“Yes.”
Lafei had a headache.
Now is the time to row with all my might.
Now is the time to establish my position.
Macau is the world’s largest casino city.
It surpassed the glittering Las Vegas nearly twenty years ago.
Macau is undoubtedly the world’s premier casino city, overwhelmingly dominant.
Golden Lotus had become the largest organization in Macau.
However, the rapid growth meant the necessary infrastructure hadn’t been properly established.
I’d need to create new smuggling routes,
but first I had to extinguish the immediate fire.
In Lafei’s mind, there was only one person who came to mind.
Candy Boy
******
I quit my job abruptly.
After quitting, I couldn’t stay in the company dormitory.
I packed what little belongings I had
or rather, stored them in my inventory, and left the company.
I had nowhere to go.
Should I take a trip somewhere?
Or maybe go to the Congo?
Go see Poapi’s face?
Or Southeast Asia?
Jeju Island perhaps?
That’s when it happened.
Ding ding ding.
My messenger app chimed.
– Candy Boy, how have you been?
[Getting by. What’s up?]
– There’s something I’d like help with, and I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.
[What is it?]
– Our organization has grown a lot thanks to your help. But we haven’t been able to bring in enough supply to match that growth. Could you help us with that?
[What kind of goods?]
– Pharmaceuticals. The source is the Philippines.
[Give me the contact info for the person in charge over there.]
– Thank you, Candy Boy. I won’t forget this favor.
[I heard gratitude is best expressed in money?]
– I’ll prepare the money for you.
[Prepare it in cryptocurrency.]
I headed straight to Incheon Airport.
.
.
.
Bohol, Philippines.
As the plane touched down at Bohol Panglao International Airport,
countless travelers who had come to visit Bohol
—families, friends, lovers—streamed off the aircraft,
and I slipped through the crowd and descended with them.
A South Korean passport carries considerable weight.
It grants passage through Southeast Asia without much scrutiny.
I myself cleared the Bohol airport without a single question.
From a payphone at the airport, I contacted the man.
– Candy Boy?
“How did you know?”
– Lafei told me. She said you’d be calling.
“It could’ve been someone else, though.”
– This number is known only to Lafei.
“Your customer service is excellent.”
– Haha. That’s the bare minimum. So where are you now?
“Bohol Panglao International Airport.”
– Then I’ll book you a hotel. Get some rest, and let’s meet tomorrow.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve already booked J La Hotel. They gave me a discount coupon.
– Haha. You’re an interesting one. Alright then, let’s meet at Bohol Island City Mall tomorrow at 2 PM. We could grab lunch together.
“I’m a bit shy. Could I just receive the merchandise?”
– Ha. Sure, that works too. We’ll leave the goods there and contact you.
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
After ending the call, I hailed a taxi toward Alona Beach.
Alona Beach, just ten minutes from the airport,
is known as the traveler’s district—a gathering place for all tourists.
Restaurants, shops, convenience stores, diving shops, money changers, bars, McDonald’s, ATMs.
It was also where hotels and resorts clustered together.
All manner of people converged here.
With so many tourists, it was the perfect place for someone like me to blend in and disappear.
The moment I arrived,
I bought shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt emblazoned with “I♥BOHOL” and put them on immediately.
I also purchased sunglasses and a straw hat.
Looking in the mirror, I appeared to be just another tourist visiting Bohol.
Dressed as such, I walked along Alona Beach with a beer in hand.
Was it the clothes?
Or perhaps the sunset looked different from this vantage point?
I felt like a genuine tourist.
The exotic landscape and unfamiliar scents thrilled me all the more.
Now that I thought about it, this was my first country besides the Congo and Macau.
I’d come for work, but still.
It felt more like a vacation.
The work itself wasn’t difficult—I just needed to pick up one item.
Tomorrow I’d go to where the item was and retrieve it.
That’s all there was to it.
But I wasn’t going to leave Bohol immediately.
I’d stay in Bohol for at least three more days.
Come all the way to Bohol and leave after just one day?
And as someone from South Korea, no less?
Wouldn’t that look suspicious to anyone?
So I’d decided to stay in Bohol for at least three days.
With that thought, my mind seemed to settle into a more relaxed state.
Like a young tourist, I’d booked a cheap hotel at Alona Beach.
Then I went to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
I ordered sisig, a meat dish.
It’s a traditional Filipino dish made with pork, chicken, liver, and seasoned with calamansi and chili peppers.
Pizza and steak are available anywhere, so
I wanted to try authentic Filipino cuisine if possible.
The seasoning was a bit strong,
but eaten with rice, it was quite good.
While I was eating dinner alone, someone spoke to me.
“Did you come alone?”
I looked up to see a woman in a long-haired style wearing a one-piece dress looking at me.

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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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