I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 42

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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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042-Land Purchase
42.
I sat in the Office, studying the tourist attractions displayed on the PowerPoint presentation.
If I could have my way, I would have purchased every decent attraction shown on that slide.
But that wasn’t possible.
I didn’t have enough capital to buy them all,
and I questioned whether I even needed every single one.
More importantly, I was using this venture as a cover for my real mission,
and I worried that I was expanding my operations far too ambitiously.
So I settled on just two locations.
Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake—those would be my acquisitions.
Not the entirety of either, just portions of them.
I believed that would be sufficient to construct a compelling travel itinerary.
I’d visited both places myself, and they were breathtakingly beautiful.
I couldn’t fathom how such magnificent locations remained relatively unknown.
I was confident that even partial ownership would prove profitable—at minimum, I wouldn’t lose money.
Not now, perhaps, but these places would inevitably become famous someday.
Once they gained prominence, wealth would flow in effortlessly.
Sandro, Patrick, and I pored over maps, discussing which locations would be optimal to purchase.
I believed locals who had grown up here would possess superior knowledge than I could offer.
We worked to identify the best positions within our predetermined budget.
I possessed slightly over one million dollars.
Though I’d spent some funds previously, the delivery fees I’d received had been tremendously helpful.
I allocated three hundred thousand dollars of that sum.
I was prepared to spend up to five hundred thousand dollars maximum on land acquisition.
I wished I could invest more, but substantial expenses awaited beyond this purchase.
After days of deliberation, we finally determined which land we would acquire.
Now it was my turn to take charge.
I would go negotiate brilliantly and bring back the deed.
“You’ll wait here, right, ma’am?”
“Why? I should go. I’m still the representative here. Director.”
Sandro, who had become the Chief Director, insisted on going himself.
“Foreigners can’t be involved in this. The moment they see you, land prices skyrocket.”
“I’m a Filipino. Want to see my passport? My Philippine passport? It says Alex right here.”
“An old woman living in the mountains won’t trust that passport. Forget it—wait here.”
“I want to go too.”
“We’ll get a better price if we go. Don’t worry. We’ll be back soon. Let’s go, Patrick.”
Sandro grabbed Patrick beside him and departed with his crew.
Five SUVs and pickup trucks formed a procession as they moved out.
Old habits from the Bahala Na days die hard, it seems.
.
.
.
Sandro returned with the contracts before sunset.
“Here are the contracts.”
But the numbers looked strange to me.
“What? Why are the numbers like this? I’m still not used to pesos.”
Twenty pesos, a hundred pesos—those were manageable, but once the numbers got larger, I couldn’t do the math in my head.
There were two contracts,
one for 5 million pesos and one for 10 million pesos.
“I bought Lumina Lake for 5 million pesos (120 million won) and Emerald Canyon for 10 million pesos (240 million won).”
That wasn’t bad at all.
He’d managed to stay within exactly 300,000 dollars.
He’d operated within budget.
I was impressed.
I needed to praise Sandro.
“Sandro, you did great. You’ve solved a major problem for me. Thank you.”
“Huh? That’s all?”
“That’s all? What do you mean by that?”
“I brought you such an amazing deal, and that’s all I get?”
An amazing deal?
Only then did I look at the contracts again.
The numbers were what I’d seen.
But the size of the land was different.
“Huh…huh…whoa…”
Seeing my shock, Sandro beamed with pride.
“How about that? Pretty amazing, right?”
“Wow—Sandro, how did you pull off a deal like this?”
Sandro had purchased not just a portion of the land we’d planned to buy, but the entire property.
We’d only intended to acquire about half,
and we’d been anxious the whole time, unsure whether the landowners would even agree to a partial sale.
But Sandro had bought it all.
The land was now twice as large as we’d originally planned.
Excellent. Absolutely excellent.
“The landowners recognized me. I’m the boss of Bahala Na, after all. They gave me a discount without me even asking.”
“Really?”
“Don’t believe me? Ask Patrick.”
I turned my gaze toward Patrick.
Patrick couldn’t even lift his head.
It seemed there had been many other things that happened at the site, but I decided to let it pass without asking.
This was because the headquarters director possessed exceptional abilities.
I was more than satisfied with the incredibly impressive contract I had obtained.
“Patrick, give Sandro a special performance bonus.”
.
.
.
I began preparing the tour.
Tour preparation involved countless tasks.
I had to create an itinerary and prepare everything needed to match that schedule.
Some things required purchasing; others needed to be created.
Some required permits.
It was no simple undertaking.
That’s why we decided to prioritize and focus our efforts.
As a result, we excluded marine tours.
This was a significant blow.
Many people who come to Bohol choose it because they want to see the sea.
They come wanting to see whales, sea turtles, and experience snorkeling or freediving.
Yet we were forgoing all of that.
We could force ourselves to offer marine tours if we insisted,
but I believed now was the time to develop the attractions we were creating.
We decided to go all-in on the tourist destinations we would build.
So we boldly abandoned marine tours.
With marine tours eliminated, only land-based tours remained.
The land tour routes are identical across all travel agencies.
Morning visits to Butterfly Garden and lunch at Loboc River Restaurant,
Mahogany Forest tour, Tarsier Sanctuary, and Chocolate Hills.
Some travel agencies vary the order slightly,
but they never deviate from this framework.
That’s why multiple travel agencies often move as a single group.
It saves on guide costs that way.
But our Candy Tour is different.
We added Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake to the itinerary afterward.
It’s a one-night package.
We focused our efforts on that itinerary.
At Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake, I intended to create unforgettable memories for our guests.
First, Emerald Canyon features a gorge with a river flowing through it.
We made it so visitors could experience it, not merely observe it with their eyes.
By boat through the gorge, guests could feel the spectacle through sight, touch, and smell.
For those interested, we even prepared a swimming spot along the way.
It sounds simple, but we needed to position dozens of boats in the gorge.
Not only that. I had to prepare life jackets, helmets, and safety ropes,
and I needed to build a separate dock for people to board and disembark.
I also had to set up a place where wet guests could change clothes or shower.
Lumina Lake was no different.
Lumina Lake sits halfway up a mountain, and strangely, the water glows whenever night falls.
Apparently some kind of plankton produces bioluminescence, though I don’t know the details.
But the sight is absolutely breathtaking.
It feels like stepping into a fantasy world.
We planned to pitch tents there and let people sleep under the stars.
Of course, that meant preparing everything needed for camping.
We had to stock tents and all the necessary camping gear,
and we needed to build restrooms, shower facilities, and drinking water stations.
We also had to prepare fire safety equipment and first aid supplies.
There was so much to prepare.
But here’s the thing.
Sandro.
Were you always this type of person?
Once Patrick laid out the plan, Sandro executed it flawlessly.
He knew plenty of people and had a talent for managing them.
Everything moved along briskly.
Thanks to him, the tour preparations were completed in record time.
*******
Shin Seung-heon was at Incheon Airport.
Today was the day he and his friends were leaving for Bohol.
He’d arrived, but he hadn’t prepared anything for the trip.
The whole thing had happened so fast it felt like a dream.
In fact, he still wasn’t entirely sure they were actually going.
“What? Bohol?”
“A special deal popped up—round trip for less than 200,000 won.”
“Bohol out of nowhere? Where even is that?”
“You don’t know Bohol? It’s in the Philippines. There are beaches, ocean, sea turtles…”
“Bohol wasn’t on our list. Can we just go somewhere like this on a whim?”
“Southeast Asia’s all the same anyway. If it’s cheap, we should just go.”
“Is that actually a deal? Isn’t that price pretty common?”
“Damn it. If you’re so smart, you look it up. Why do you always have to nitpick everything I say?”
“I’m not nitpicking—it’s just that you called it a special deal, but I’ve seen that price before too.”
“Then why don’t you show me all the cheap prices you see regularly? You don’t do anything but run your mouth and complain.”
“Nam-seon, that’s not what I meant…”
“Forget it. Damn it, just don’t go on the trip. We’re supposed to have fun, but if you’re going to pick apart everything, let’s just go separately. That’d be better. We’d just end up clashing anyway.”
Park Nam-seon, who had suggested the trip, was nitpicking at every turn, and Hong Kyung-gu’s constant objections were getting on his nerves.
Park Nam-seon, who had proposed the trip, made every effort to make it happen, but the response remained lukewarm.
The destination had already changed several times.
Bangkok, then Kota Kinabalu, then Chiang Mai, then Da Nang.
Each time he asked, “What about here?”
“Isn’t that place too expensive?”
“I heard it’s not that great.”
“Isn’t three nights and four days too tight?”
“Isn’t there much to see there?”
“The flight time is too long, and long flights are uncomfortable.”
“The cost of living is more expensive than expected.”
“The safety situation there…”
Park Nam-seon grew frustrated with Hong Kyung-gu, who kept listing drawbacks without offering alternatives.
Yet because he himself had suggested the trip, he continued trying to make it work somehow.
Then he spotted a discounted flight.
He brought it up to his friends, but Hong Kyung-gu’s reaction was predictably negative.
He questioned whether it was truly a bargain.
Shin Seung-heon said nothing.
It was supposed to be a group trip, but it felt like only he was putting in effort, so he wanted to give up.
It wasn’t as if his enthusiasm would reduce the trip fees anyway.
So he decided to just drop it.
It didn’t seem like it would be fun even if they went.
“Fine. Let’s just cancel this trip.”
Park Nam-seon spoke up.
Only then did Hong Kyung-gu respond.
“No, I’m sorry. Let’s go. Bohol.”
Hong Kyung-gu changed his stance.
The problem was that the discounted flight departed the day after tomorrow.
Departing after work on Friday, arriving early Tuesday morning—that was the ticket.
.
.
.
Shin Seung-heon, who learned of Park Nam-seon and Hong Kyung-gu’s conversation after returning from a meeting, was equally flustered.
He’d gone to a meeting and came back to find things in this state.
Bohol is nice, Cebu is nice, Boracay is nice, but—
Not the day after tomorrow.
Shin Seung-heon wanted at least a month or more to prepare for a trip.
He wanted to work on his physique before traveling,
watch several YouTube videos to gather information,
search for decent restaurants and cafes,
and plan an itinerary with plenty of breathing room.
The departure is the day after tomorrow, though.
We’re leaving right after work on Friday, no less.
That means I have to carry my suitcase on the way to work Friday morning.
Part of me wanted to say no,
but watching the conversation between Park Nam-seon and Hong Kyung-gu, I realized that the moment I mention the schedule conflict, this entire trip falls apart.
Our fragile friendship might shatter along with it.
So I had no choice but to pack my suitcase.
.
.
.
Shin Seung-heon was waiting at the airport when Park Nam-seon and Hong Kyung-gu arrived.
Shin Seung-heon spoke first.
“By the way, we haven’t made any reservations. Do you think we’ll be okay? Should we book accommodations right now?”
“Since we’re arriving late anyway, let’s just book somewhere to sleep for tonight first. We can’t exactly sleep on the streets.”
“What about after that?”
“We’ll figure it out when we get there. Surely Bohol has decent places to stay, right?”
“What about tours?”
“We’ll book them when we get there.”
“Do you speak English? Can you actually negotiate with them?”
“Don’t worry. They speak Korean better than we do.”
We arrived at Bohol Panglao International Airport.
After about ten minutes in a taxi, we reached Alona Beach.
The exotic landscape and unfamiliar scents set my heart racing with anticipation.
The unfamiliar heat lifted my spirits.
As if we hadn’t just been arguing, we laughed together.
This is what international travel is all about.
.
.
“What the hell. Say that again.”
“Did I say something wrong? I just said let’s take it easy on the first day since we don’t have any plans anyway. I came straight here after work yesterday. I just got off work and came directly. I want to sleep a bit more—what’s the problem with that?”
“Did I just sit around at home? Didn’t I work? Why are you acting like you’re the only one who worked? We all got off work and came here. But if we’re on a trip, shouldn’t we do something? If you want to sleep, sleep at home—why come all the way here just to lie around?”
“Are you done? If there’s a schedule, we move. But there is no schedule right now. I’m tired and want to rest a bit more—why do you keep telling me to get up?”
“We need to go out and figure out what to do today.”
“Exactly—it would’ve been great if you’d researched this in South Korea before we came. If you’d planned an itinerary and compared prices beforehand. Who rushes into a trip like this?”
“Because of you, damn it. Because of you. You nitpick about everything—no matter what place I mention or what accommodation I suggest, you just keep nitpicking. You act like you’ve done nothing wrong. Everything you do is right, and I’m the only one who screws up.”
Park Nam-seon, eager to get moving from the morning.
Hong Kyung-gu, wanting to drag things out endlessly.
They bickered back and forth until curses started flying.
And caught in the middle, Shin Seung-heon didn’t know what to do.
“Why are you two like this on a trip? Calm down. It’s only eight o’clock. Let’s rest a bit and head out at nine. We can look into tours once we’re out there.”
The two of them paid no attention to Shin Seung-heon’s words, simply lying on the bed scrolling through their phones.
But Shin Seung-heon knew better.
By nine o’clock, those two would be ready to head out.
.
.
.
“We have tours. Reef tours available.”
“Balikasag available. Tours. Fifteen thousand pesos.”
“Hopping tour. We take Korean won.”
“Whale watching available. Balikasag. Reef tours. Okay?”
As we walked toward Alona Beach, the solicitation was relentless from every direction.
Clearly Filipino, yet they spoke Korean better than we did.
But the three of us offered no response,
simply walking forward in silence.
Without even a destination in mind.
Then my gaze stopped on one particular shop.
This shop had an interior completely different from the others.
The other shops plastered their walls with underwater photographs,
images of people freediving in the water,
aggressively soliciting customers,
but this place featured wood-toned design that seemed out of place in Southeast Asia,
with elegant sofas arranged throughout.
At first glance, it looked like a hotel lobby.
The sign read [CANDY TOUR].
The three of us stood there staring blankly at the shop.
A tall man approached us.
“Three people?”
“Yes.”
Perfect Korean.
One hundred percent Korean pronunciation.
“Are you looking into tours?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of tour are you interested in?”
“We’re not sure. We just came without a plan.”
When Park Nam-seon spoke, the other two shot him a look.
Were we really giving away that much information to a complete stranger?
Revealing your entire hand in a negotiation like this was something only complete amateurs did.
I believed that thoroughly concealing my situation would allow me to secure better terms.
Especially with a Korean.
“Ha ha ha. Don’t worry. I won’t rip you off. I’m not making money off this anyway. To put it simply, our tours here are divided into two main categories. Marine tours and land tours. Marine tours include whale watching, sea turtle viewing, and things like that, while land tours let you see the tarsiers and Chocolate Hills. Usually, first-timers start with a marine tour.”
“What’s the price range?”
“We don’t offer sea tours, so it’s difficult for me to quote you a price for those.”
“What about the tours you do offer here?”
“Our route is completely different from anywhere else. We have an exclusive route that only Candy Tour offers. Plus, we include romantic camping. The event costs 200,000 won per person, including one night’s accommodation.”
The group was slightly taken aback by the higher-than-expected price.
The flight had cost 200,000 won, and now the tour cost the same amount.
But hearing “one night” made them recalculate.
They hadn’t booked accommodation yet.
If they did the tour today, they could find lodging tomorrow.
That meant saving one night’s accommodation costs.
At that rate, the tour seemed worth doing.
“Where’s the accommodation?”
The man who had been soliciting asked.
“We still need to find accommodation.”
“You came without making a reservation?”
“Yes.”
“Then do our tour today. And tomorrow morning, I’ll introduce you to the Balikasag tour. I’ll also recommend accommodations, and if you have a specific place in mind, just tell me. I’ll negotiate the best possible deal for you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Contact me if anything comes up.”
The man handed over his business card.
The card read “Alex.”
.
.
.
“Is this really a different kind of tour?”
“Looks like we got scammed.”
“They say you have to be careful of Koreans when traveling abroad. Why do our own countrymen pull this stuff?”
“Damn it, is the accommodation a lie too? Are we supposed to sleep on the streets tonight?”
“Who cares about sleeping rough? Aren’t we about to get robbed?”
The tour started immediately after payment.
But it was no different from the other tours where people had paid half the price.
As people recruited by dozens of agencies were divided onto buses and moved around,
they saw the same sights, ate the same food, and took photos at the same locations.
“No matter how I think about it, this feels too sketchy. I searched online and it’s twice as expensive as other places.”
“Damn it, stop worrying. The tour isn’t over yet. Let’s wait and see.”
As the three of them oscillated between anxiety and sightseeing, they arrived at Chocolate Hills, the final stop on the itinerary.
The sight of roughly a thousand Hershey’s Kiss-shaped hills stretching across the landscape was breathtaking.
After taking photos there, the itinerary was complete.
The three felt nothing but disappointment.
They had been duped.
They said it was special, so I booked the tour,
paid double the usual price for it,
but it was no different from anyone else’s experience.
Trudging back to the parking lot where cars sat haphazardly,
there was a pristine vehicle I’d never seen anywhere in Bohol.
“What’s that car?”
“Must be an Arab prince visiting. Heh.”
“You find that funny?”
“Damn, this is what travel’s supposed to be like. Does crying change anything about the situation?”
The other tourists finishing their tours were also curious about the luxurious car they’d never seen before, so they drifted over to get a closer look.
Both the Filipino locals and the tourists stole glances as they passed.
“Wait, isn’t that the same guy we saw this morning?”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.”
Now that I looked, the car had “CANDY TOUR” written on its side.
Alex emerged from beside the vehicle holding a megaphone.
“Those who booked with Candy Tour, please board over here.”
“Those who signed up for Candy Tour, this way..”
“What? We’re supposed to take that car?”
“Looks like it.”
The three of us headed toward the van.
Alex greeted us with a broad smile.
I climbed aboard the van, almost too honored to set foot in it.
Finally, it felt like I was receiving proper treatment.
My shoulders rose to the heavens.

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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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