I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 39

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

039-Partnership
39.
“Sandro. How about we become partners?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“You don’t know what partnership means?”
“I know what it means. But I have no reason to partner with you.”
“Honestly, there’s a limit to how much money you can make just selling women here, right? I’ll make this place into a real Bahala Na.”
“What are you talking about? Selling women is quite profitable, and we handle plenty of other merchandise besides that.”
“I’ll handle all of it. Everything. Just help me out, and I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”
“What would I need to do?”
“First, I need to see your skills. Whether you’re actually capable of being a partner.”
“My skills?”
“I need to know how competent you are before I can trust you with serious work.”
“Kid, you sure talk big. We’re the best in the Philippines.”
“Everyone claims they’re the best. The problem is proving it.”
“Untie this rope for me.”
Sandro, who seemed to have calmed down somewhat, asked me to loosen the rope binding him.
I approached Sandro and untied the rope that had been restraining him.
It was possible because I could subdue someone like Sandro without much difficulty.
Once Sandro sat up properly, he began speaking in earnest.
“So what exactly do you want?”
“Forged identification, shell accounts, and Marian.”
“Marian doesn’t seem to be part of the skills test.”
“I’ll purchase Marian separately.”
“You’re completely shameless. The ID will take at least a week. But I can provide the account right away.”
“Really?”
“It’s an account we created before for money laundering, but we’ve never used it. It’s completely clean. You can use this one.”
“Really?”
Sandro handed me a slip of paper with the account information written on it.
“Perfect. Then I should show my sincerity too.”
I pulled out a pouch from my inventory and opened it.
“Fifty thousand for Marian is too expensive. Let’s say thirty thousand. The rest covers the initial payment and medical expenses for the kids. That should be enough, right?”
“I’m not entirely satisfied, but since this is our first deal, I’ll accept this much.”
I handed over one hundred thousand dollars for Marian’s price and the costs of the account and identification.
“Then let’s meet again in a week. Come on, Marian. Grab your passport.”
Marian and I gathered our passports and headed straight for Macau.
It wasn’t until much later that Sandro realized the money was gone and let out a scream,
but there was nothing he could do about it.
*******
– Lafei. The merchandise has arrived in Macau.
“Really? You’re faster than I expected. I’ll come pick it up if you leave it.”
– Could I send it through someone instead?
“Someone? That’s fine. Why?”
– I want to ask a favor regarding employment.
“Employment?”
– The friend I’m sending now. Could you help them develop their skills?
“I don’t have the talent to develop people.”
– If you have them work alongside you, won’t they naturally develop?
“That much should be possible. Send them over.”
– Thank you. I won’t charge for this delivery in return.
“Don’t do that. We’ll be doing business together going forward, right? I’ve already left the money at the London Hotel under the name Candy Boy.”
– I asked you to prepare it in cryptocurrency though?
“Just in case—I prepared both cryptocurrency and dollars.”
– Thank you.
After finishing my call with Lafei, I looked at Marian.
Marian still seemed unable to comprehend the situation.
It had been a long day for her.
This morning, I’d said goodbye, telling her I was leaving.
At lunch, I’d gone into the Criminal Organization’s headquarters and retrieved my passport.
Then I’d boarded a plane to Macau.
And through it all, she’d said she was now a free person.
Marian seemed unable to keep pace with the rapidly shifting circumstances.
We had dinner at a restaurant in Macau.
It was a Steakhouse.
“This place is supposed to be quite good, even by Macau standards.”
“It’s delicious. Incomparable to the Philippines.”
Marian offered a bright smile.
“Do you regret leaving the Philippines?”
“No. I had no family there anyway, and if I’m going to wander, I’d rather be by your side.”
“I… I can’t be with you, Marian.”
“What do you mean?”
Marian set down her fork.
“Exactly what I said. I bought you and pulled you from hell, as you asked. My role ends here.”
“But I came all this way trusting only you?”
“I’ve arranged a place for you to stay and someone to protect you. For now, learn from that person. If it doesn’t suit you, you can learn something else or go live somewhere different. You’re free now.”
“I don’t want that… I want to be with you…”
“We’re different. I live my life, and you live yours.”
“But I have a debt to repay.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I will! I’ll earn money and repay it, so let me stay by your side. I’ll work hard and do everything you ask. Don’t abandon me.”
“I’m not abandoning you. We’ll simply live different lives. I can’t drag you into mine.”
“You’re not dragging me into anything. I want to be with you.”
We argued back and forth for a long time after that.
Me insisting we couldn’t be together, and Marian insisting she wanted to be.
We were at an impasse, like two parallel lines that would never meet.
But I would not stay with Marian.
My role ended the moment I pulled her out of that hell.
Everyone must live their own life.
You cannot live your own life by relying on or depending on someone else.
That applies to me and Marian alike.
I wasn’t pushing her away.
I was helping her stand on her own two feet.
Marian couldn’t even touch the steak she loved so much.
Tears just kept streaming down her face.
I worried whether I should offer her a tissue,
but fortunately, there were thick napkins in front of her as well.
High-end restaurants really do think of everything.
We sat in silence for a long while.
Neither of us eating, just watching the steak grow cold on our plates.
.
.
.
I hailed a taxi in front of The Golden Lotus and watched Marian disappear inside.
When I handed her the black business card Lafei had given me, she walked straight through the entrance with a VIP pass.
Along with the bag in her hand.
[Got the goods. And the person. Interesting. So that’s your type?]
– It’s not what you think. Don’t misunderstand.
[I wasn’t thinking anything?]
– Anyway, I’m counting on you.
[Can I ask you for more goods later?]
– Anytime you need.
I went to the London Hotel and retrieved the money bag,
and spent one night there.
The next day, I took the ferry to Hong Kong and delivered the drugs the Philippines contact had requested.
Here too, I just had to leave the package at the hotel.
It wasn’t difficult.
[Got the goods. Thanks. You’re really skilled.]
– It’s nothing. I sent you the account number.
[Sent it right away. Check it.]
– It came through fine. Thanks.
“Can I ask you again next time? Is it possible to handle larger quantities?”
“As much as you need.”
A short while later, 50,000 dollars arrived in the shell account I received from Sandro.
He mentioned it was expedited, so he seemed to have given me a good price.
Yesterday, I received 30,000 dollars from Lafei.
In just two days, I’d earned 80,000 dollars—over 100 million won.
If I include the Philippines schedule, wasn’t it just two days?
Or was it a week?
I found myself reconsidering what money truly meant.
There were times I couldn’t eat because I had no money.
I starved every single day.
I couldn’t use electricity or water.
Even as a soldier, earning 200,000 won a month was difficult.
AllDayGuard had set my annual salary at 7 million won as Team Leader.
Yet here I was, delivering medicine through the inventory system and earning 100 million won a week.
And that price wasn’t even something I negotiated.
It was simply the price they set.
And they kept asking again and again.
“Can I ask you again next time?”
That question meant demand was absolutely enormous.
It meant there would be more work like this in the future, and they were asking for my help.
Perhaps they’d even been somewhat generous with the pricing because of that.
I found myself contemplating this seriously.
What should I do with my life?
Should I return to South Korea and find a job?
Should I submit applications, write cover letters, and prepare for interviews?
Or should I learn a trade instead,
or prepare to fry chicken?
Or should I just wander overseas like this, delivering drugs and surviving?
It’s illegal.
It’s dangerous.
If I get caught, it’s straight to twenty years in prison.
Various thoughts swirled through my mind, complicating everything.
Nothing was decided,
but one thing was certain.
No matter what I did, finding a job that paid 100 million won a week would be nearly impossible.
Money isn’t everything, but it’s hard to find anything as important as money.
Dreams? Hope? A future? Vision?
If I’d had any of those, I wouldn’t have enlisted.
I would have pursued that dream instead.
I don’t know.
Let’s just drink today.
We’ll think about it tomorrow.
I drank strong whiskey in the Soho District of Hong Kong.
.
.
.
I stopped by the Philippines to verify my newly created identification documents.
One was a Philippine passport, the other an Indonesian one.
Both were crafted with remarkable precision.
This quality would pass any inspection.
“By the way, did you happen to take our money?”
“What? What are you talking about? Money?”
Sandro suspected me because of the missing funds.
Understandably so.
I had been rummaging through the cabinet that day.
The reason he couldn’t pin it on me was simple:
rolled bills would immediately show if stuffed somewhere,
and my clothing that day wasn’t suited for concealing anything like that.
I hadn’t even brought a bag.
Besides, I had sat there for quite a while before leaving.
Something impossible to do if I’d stolen the money.
“The money disappeared after you left that day.”
“What was I holding in my hands that day? I only took Marian with me. And if I’d stolen the money, would I come back here?”
“That’s… true, I suppose.”
“Here. This.”
I quickly pulled out money to change the subject.
Twenty thousand dollars.
A substantial sum.
“What’s this?”
“The balance for the identification documents. And you said you lost money, right? Use this for operating expenses. We’re partners, after all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Sandro was moved, even though I was returning the money I’d stolen from him.
So this is what they mean by having hearts in your eyes.
By returning to Sandro the money I’d taken from him,
I’d acquired Marian, obtained forged identification and shell accounts,
and earned Sandro’s affection.
Money truly fulfills its purpose only when it circulates.
“How are those guys doing? The ones who got shot?”
“As long as we disinfect it properly, it should be fine.”
“Sandro, you take good care of him. When he’s in pain, that’s when he’ll start to trust you.”
“Got it. Don’t worry.”
“Then I’m leaving now.”
“Heading straight back to South Korea?”
“No. I’m staying here for another couple of days before I go.”
“Want me to send a woman with you?”
“No thanks. I’d rather be alone.”
I booked a luxury resort at Alona Beach and spent those two days nowhere else but within its grounds.
I had time to contemplate what I should do next,
got massages, went swimming.
I never left the resort.
I didn’t want to risk someone approaching me like Marian had done.
******
I found a goshiwon.
Why?
Because I had no home.
The house I used to live in had been redeveloped,
and until now I’d been living in the Military Base and its dormitory,
but I’d already discharged from the Military Base and resigned from the company.
I couldn’t stay there anymore.
So I found a goshiwon.
A goshiwon had all the ideal conditions for an unemployed man in his twenties without a job.
I could register my residence there, and it was cheap and affordable.
They provided rice, kimchi, and instant noodles too.
There were no windows, but it was a sufficiently luxurious environment.
Actually, I had initially tried to find a jeonse apartment.
I’d saved every penny of the salary I’d earned during my military service,
and the money I had in my inventory from before was quite substantial too.
That would have been more than enough to secure a jeonse apartment.
Yet the reason I didn’t get one was
that I was away from home far too often.
When I first returned from the Philippines, I slept in motels.
I had nowhere else to go anyway.
But motels were terribly inconvenient.
A single night was manageable, but staying for several days,
I found myself bothered by the constant foot traffic and various other discomforts.
While I was dealing with that, Kevin contacted me.
He asked me for one more favor.
The destination was Hong Kong.
Just to be safe, I reached out to Lafei as well.
I asked if she needed any medicine since I’d be passing through the area.
Lafei was delighted and repeatedly insisted I bring it to her.
And so I found myself making another trip to the Philippines.
When I returned, more than ten days had passed.
I was leaving my home empty this frequently—was a jeonse lease really the right choice?
The place wouldn’t be maintained properly either.
I wondered if I should keep paying utilities.
Most critically, I had no idea when or how I’d change jobs or relocate,
so committing to two-year contracts felt burdensome.
Motels were inconvenient, and one-room apartments were expensive.
That’s when I discovered a goshiwon.
One bed, one desk. That was it.
The bathroom, kitchen, and shower were all shared.
My body alone filled the entire space.
It was cramped.
Yet this space felt comfortable.
When I lay down, it felt like the entire room belonged to me.
It felt like my own space, undisturbed by anything.
That’s why I liked it.
Even though the smell of grilled ribs wafted up from the steakhouse on the first floor,
even though doors opened and closed every three minutes,
even though rustling sounds echoed at all hours,
even though complaints about noise rang out constantly,
I still liked it.
I could hear the sounds of people living.
“What? Damn it? You done talking?”
“Damn it, can’t you walk without making a fuss? Complaining about keyboard noise, complaining about breathing—if you’re that sensitive, go live in the mountains.”
“Did you just speak informally to me?”
“What, can’t I speak now? Now you won’t even let me talk?”
“Look at this bastard.”
“Damn it, when did I see you? Stop grinding your teeth and fight me. Why are you scared?”
“Sigh… Damn it. Scared? So we’re not paying for damages, right? Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Me and this asshole.”
The sounds of people living echoed through the goshiwon.
It felt like coming home.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————