I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 56

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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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056-Merchandise
56.
Our customer asked if they could purchase just a single handgun.
Of course, sir. That’s absolutely possible.
It’s 1.5 million won.
Magazines and ammunition are sold separately.
Sales tax is included.
Payment is cash only.
Thank you. Have a good day.
Please visit us again.
Done.
That’s all it should take.
Clean and simple.
But that’s not how it works.
What is this? I’m curious.
Why do they want to buy a gun?
And why just one? The question is driving me insane.
According to Dennis, the arms dealer’s main customers are gangs and Rebel Forces.
They don’t buy guns one at a time.
If they were the type to sell guns one at a time, they wouldn’t have an arsenal like this.
So I’m even more curious.
I’m dying to know the story behind someone buying just a single gun.
I understand how Jerico felt.
Jerico was so curious about why we wanted to buy 20,000 rounds of ammunition that he even kidnapped us.
He could have just handed over the guns and taken the money, but he couldn’t help himself.
Jerico couldn’t resist his curiosity and ended up kidnapping Scott, only to get shot down in one exchange.
Curiosity brings death.
Yet it cannot be stopped.
Just like the gamblers who come to our casino every day can’t quit gambling.
For large transactions, I’d need to go through Dennis,
but for a single handgun, I can handle it myself without any issues.
I already have plenty of guns in inventory.
[Do you have a specific model in mind? We have quite a good selection. If you want something particular, I’ll do my best to accommodate.”]
– Nothing special. Any gun that’s easy to use will do.
[Okay.]
I should have stopped there, but I add more anyway.
So I’m the type whose reason can’t overcome instinct either.
Crawling toward my own grave, it seems.
[I’d recommend a Glock 19 or Smith & Wesson Shield. Which one appeals to you?]
– Either one is fine, whichever is good.
[The Glock 19 is the global standard, and the Smith & Wesson Shield is compact—easy to conceal and carry.]
– Then I’ll go with the Smith & Wesson Shield.
[Will two magazines and about a hundred rounds be enough?]
– That’s sufficient.
[Once you send payment in crypto, I’ll leave it at Vicente Palace. Come pick it up. What’s your name?]
– Do I really need to give a name just to buy a gun?
[I need a name to hold it under.]
– John Doe
[Got it. I’ll hold it under that name. Come get it.]
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A few days later.
I finished my business and sat in the Hotel lobby, nursing a cup of coffee.
Upgrading to a suite had subtly transformed my life.
For one, I spent far less time on the streets.
The suite had two bedrooms and a living room,
and I could conduct informal meetings in the living area—which was invaluable.
I could step out of the living room and immediately hold a meeting.
Whenever I needed someone, I could summon them and issue orders on the spot.
I’d seen Mexican mafia in movies always wandering around in shower robes, meeting people, conducting business. Now I finally understand why.
Not that I go around in a shower robe myself.
Just saying.
Switching the resort to all-inclusive had been a tremendous help as well.
I could eat whenever I wanted.
Of course, I use room service.
And it’s not free.
I charge everything.
I charge more than what I actually consume.
Accommodation, room service, facility fees—I bill it all.
Full price, no discounts.
I even add swimming pool charges.
Why should I pay when I own the place?
Why should I pay for the pool when other hotel guests use it free?
Of course, I don’t actually pay.
After that, it enters the realm of taxation.
Simply put, it’s a clever workaround to classify everything as operational expenses.
Everything I sleep on, eat, and use can be written off as business expenses.
When classified as expenses, it becomes a cost—proof that we spent money.
In short,
‘We made money, but we spent so much that we’re broke. So cut our taxes.’ That’s the angle.
Cash I casually toss to my subordinates leaves no paper trail.
So when I have the chance to spend money on legitimate expenses like this, I need to spend aggressively.
I find myself grateful to Sandro all over again.
Despite his appearance, he’s remarkably shrewd about tax evasion.
Or should I call it tax optimization?
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Having a cup of coffee in the lobby before heading up to the suite became my small pleasure.
I have no particular taste for coffee itself.
But I genuinely enjoy eavesdropping on the conversations people have there.
There’s a saying about people who can’t help but brag about their children—is that what they call it?
Then I’m guilty as charged.
I keep my ears wide open, delighting in listening to people discuss the Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake.
I found happiness in hearing people speak of how enchanting the tour was, how incredible it had been.
The Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake aren’t my children, but
whenever people praised them, my mood inexplicably lifted.
I also made careful note of any complaints or inconveniences that arose during the tours.
It sparked ideas and proved to be remarkably useful time.
That’s why I enjoyed sitting in the hotel lobby, eavesdropping on people’s conversations.
As I sat there sipping coffee and stealing snippets of dialogue, I glanced at the table in front of me,
and a young woman was intently drawing something.
Swish, swish, swish.
With each stroke of her pencil, new lines appeared and disappeared in succession.
I found it so fascinating that I couldn’t stop watching.
People like me with a dull aesthetic sense find even the simple act of drawing mesmerizing.
Every person who draws looks like Bob Ross to me.
The way meaningless lines converge to create an image is nothing short of miraculous.
It feels like a new world being born.
I gazed in wonder as this new world came into existence.
When her hand finally stopped, the Emerald Canyon had been reborn on the page.
It was an odd sensation.
The Emerald Canyon is mysterious, majestic, the kind of place that seems to belong in a fantasy world,
but this version was round and cute.
It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.
As I stared at it in a daze, the woman noticed me and spoke.
“Is there a problem?”
“I’m sorry, the painting is so beautiful, I couldn’t stop looking.”
“Ah… are you Korean?”
“Yes.”
“Thank goodness. My English is limited, so I wasn’t sure what to say.”
“The artwork is so beautiful that I was simply admiring it. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”
“No, not at all. It’s wonderful when someone appreciates my work.”
“I’m sorry to ask, but would it be alright if I examined it more closely?”
The Woman in Cheongsam hesitated slightly before handing me the tablet.
From this angle, the artwork revealed even more charm.
It was adorable.
I wanted to touch it.
I wanted to possess it.
“It seems you studied art, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I did major in it, but…”
She trailed off.
There seemed to be some story behind it, but I didn’t ask.
That was her business, not mine.
Everyone has their own circumstances.
“Do you happen to have any other artwork besides this?”
“Nothing polished, but I do have some rough sketches.”
“I’d like to see those if possible. Would that be alright?”
As she manipulated the tablet, several more pieces appeared.
Beyond the Emerald Canyon, there were turtles, whale sharks, Lumina Lake, Chocolate Hills, and spectacled monkeys—all rendered in an endearingly round style.
It seemed she had captured memorable scenes from the Candy Tour in these sketches.
The art style was incredibly cute.
I wanted to keep it nearby.
I wanted to keep it beside me, constantly touching and admiring it.
“Have you considered selling these pieces?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you’d consider selling them. I’d like to turn these into merchandise. Would that be possible?”
*******
For Lim Yu-na, this trip had been quite the adventure.
It was almost like a rebellion against her usual life.
Lim Yu-na was a good person.
She had never caused her parents a moment of worry.
She was kind to her friends as well.
Having loved drawing since childhood, Lim Yu-na had pursued art at a prestigious university with her parents’ support.
A renowned institution, no less.
She had believed that admission would solve everything, but her struggles had only begun then.
Though she majored in fine arts, the more she studied, the more she felt fine arts alone was insufficient.
The disconnect between her aspirations and reality was profound.
So she had pursued a double major in visual design.
I thought that level of achievement would be enough to graduate and find employment.
But that was Lim Yu-na’s misconception.
Despite majoring in fine arts and visual design, the barrier to employment was far too high.
Day after day, standing before that employment barrier, Lim Yu-na grew smaller.
My parents offered comfort, saying it was fine and that talent scouts simply hadn’t recognized me yet, but their words held no strength.
While searching for job information online, I came across a certain post.
【If you want to go to Emerald Canyon, read this.】
By sheer luck, I went twice.
Once I booked through Candy Tour and departed from Seoul,
and another time I succeeded in on-site ticketing in Bohol, Philippines and went right then and there.
I’ll compare the two for you, so listen carefully.
For busy people, the summary is simple: always depart from Seoul.
That’s where you save money.
What? You say booking is difficult?
Do you think it’s easy at the local site in Bohol?
It’s even harder there.
I’ll call the departure from Seoul the Seoul Tour.
Anyway, the Seoul Tour is only booked by South Korean citizens,
but on-site ticketing in Bohol is booked by people from all over the world.
Booking is truly nightmarish.
I barely managed to get a cancellation ticket myself.
So don’t make the insane mistake of departing with the false hope that you’ll somehow be able to go once you’re in Bohol.
It absolutely won’t work.
Anyway.
I know booking the Seoul Tour is also nightmarish.
I don’t even understand charging 2 million won per person for Southeast Asia.
But if I’m to explain why you should book the Seoul Tour,
first, you’re not flying budget airlines.
Plus, you can stay at the 6-star Vicente Palace Hotel.
Vicente Palace is all-inclusive, so once you check in, you get three meals a day plus unlimited alcohol and beverages.
Right there, meal costs disappear.
Sure, you can go out and eat if you feel like it, but nothing will ever match Vicente Palace’s quality.
Bohol’s finest restaurant is Vicente Palace.
I guarantee it.
And all tours are included in the price.
Not just the Emerald Canyon Tour, but whale watching and sea turtle tours are all included.
In Bohol, just going to Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake tours costs 400,000 won,
but this price includes all marine tours, so the value for money is out of this world.
When you add it all up later, it’s far cheaper.
And precisely because of the marine tours, you should book the Seoul Tour.
When you go on a marine tour, there are rows of sturdy little boats lined up, and standing out like a crane among chickens is a single yacht—the exclusive vessel reserved for Candy Tour guests.
While everyone else takes photos from those ordinary boats, only those who booked the Seoul Tour can photograph themselves from the yacht.
When you look at the pictures later, the quality is completely different.
I rode a yacht for the first time too.
One massage session is included as standard during the tour.
You receive it at the Hotel.
And most importantly, there’s shopping.
This part is a bit ambiguous.
The package is listed as no shopping.
Yet shopping is still included.
If you’re worried about feeling pressured to buy, don’t be—you don’t have to.
The guide doesn’t even care.
They don’t even enter the shop.
The problem is the quality is far too good for the price.
It’s a shop they used exclusively for themselves, but since customers kept requesting it, they included it as a service.
It’s not like the shopping shops you know.
Cheaper than the Mart, more variety, plenty of souvenirs, and excellent quality.
I was so satisfied with the trip that I bought one latex sheet as a way of supporting them.
I regret it.
I should have bought five sheets, but I was stingy and only bought one.
This is how weak-willed I am.
Honestly, even if they took me shopping and nothing else, I’d be willing to spend 2 million won.
I’m serious.
So if you’re going to Bohol and planning to see Emerald Canyon, absolutely go with the Seoul Tour.
That seems to be the right choice.
The Seoul Tour is labeled as a luxury package, and it truly is luxurious.
It’s not just the name—your heart genuinely swells with grandeur.
When everyone else is on those ordinary boats and you appear on a yacht, you really feel like something special.
Not just the yacht, but the vehicles, accommodations, and food too.
You truly feel treated like royalty.
And the guides’ care is exceptional.
They fussed over me so much, I thought I was eight years old.
Spending 2 million won at once might seem burdensome, but if you book tours locally, eat out, and do various things, you could easily spend over 2 million.
So wait a bit if you have to, but absolutely go with the Seoul Tour.
I’m speaking from the heart.
– I said exactly what I wanted to say. It was a truly satisfying trip. A trip that cost nearly 2 million won.
– I also cursed at first when I heard 2 million for the Philippines, but after going and coming back, 2 million is actually really cheap.
– I want to go too. I want to spend 2 million and go, but I can’t get a reservation.
When I asked Gosen about it, they said they won’t take a booking unless the tour schedule works out perfectly. So I told them we’re fine skipping a tour or two—we just need to go to Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake. The accommodation can be a bit rough too. But even with that, they said it’s not possible.
– As someone who’s been there, just go. Absolutely go. You won’t regret it at all.
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After carefully reading through the reviews, Lim Yu-na made her decision.
She would book the Emerald Canyon tour.
It was notoriously difficult to reserve, but Lim Yu-na was fortunate enough to secure a booking.
A cancellation had opened up, and since she was traveling solo, that helped immensely.
A single traveler always has the easiest time booking.
As the travel date drew near, anticipation bloomed within her.
Bohol had everything she loved.
Sea turtles, whale sharks, tarsiers. Snorkeling.
She wanted to see Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake, but she felt a twinge of worry.
Everyone praised them so effusively that she deliberately tempered her expectations, fearing that excessive anticipation might poison the experience.
She held herself back.
But when Emerald Canyon and Lumina Lake finally appeared before her eyes, they shattered every preconception I had carried until that moment.
Now I understood why everyone spoke of them with such unified reverence.
I was certain I would become one of those people who praised them unconditionally.
Even after the tour ended, the lingering enchantment refused to fade, so I sat in the hotel lobby, exhaling the afterimage that clung to my mind.
Even sitting still, the staff would ask if I wanted beer or a beverage.
I ordered a glass of juice.
It was nothing special, but I was genuinely grateful for it.
As I sat there sketching, an odd sensation made me glance over my shoulder—a handsome man was looking at me.
Huh? Does he like me?
Am I his type here in the Philippines?
Is a spark that never ignited back in South Korea finally catching fire here?
I wondered.
“Would you consider selling this drawing? I’d like to turn it into merchandise—would that be possible?”

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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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