I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 62

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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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062-Funeral
62.
Clunk.
The door of the corpse storage freezer swung open, and a man draped in white cloth slid out with a metallic screech.
The attendant pulled back the white cloth.
“Please verify the identity.”
On the cold steel table lay a stranger.
It was certainly Father in my memory.
The demonic Father.
The one who would swing his fists the moment he saw me,
the one who’d threatened to gouge out my eyes with a knife—I was certain it was him.
Yet something felt wrong.
The Father lying in the mortuary
was neither as large, nor as terrifying, nor as vicious as the Father in my memories.
Only a frail old man lay there.
A small, gaunt man with countless wrinkles lay there.
My heart felt turbulent.
Indescribable emotions welled up inside me.
“If this is indeed your father, please sign here.”
The attendant extended the documents, and I signed.
The attendant, having received my signature, asked again.
“Have you already made a reservation at a funeral home?”
“No. I’ve been living overseas and only just returned, so I haven’t looked into funeral homes yet.”
“Would you like me to recommend a few places?”
“I’d prefer to keep things as simple as possible. Is there a suitable location for that?”
“As simple as possible?”
“Yes. Ideally, somewhere that requires minimal arrangements.”
“But surely you’ll have mourners attending?”
“No. There won’t be any mourners. I just need a simple space to hold the funeral rites.”
“In that case, we have a temporary incense hall here. We occasionally hold public funerals there. If you’d like to take a look and find it acceptable…”
“That’s fine. I’ll use that place.”
The attendant looked bewildered that I’d agreed without even seeing the space, but quickly composed himself and said he’d prepare it for immediate use.
“What about food? Would you like contact information for catering services?”
“No. We won’t be having food either.”
The attendant tilted his head in confusion but accepted my decision as stated.
I felt grateful toward the attendant and wanted to show some gesture of appreciation,
“Oh, please don’t do that here. I’m honored by your sentiment alone. I’ll prepare what’s needed, so just let me know if you require anything.”
The attendant said this and left to begin preparations.
I remained alone with Father in the quiet mortuary.
This was the first time the two of us had ever been together in such silence.
.
.
.
A temporary mortuary had been set up.
There was no photograph.
Just a single package of snacks and a bottle of soju placed on the altar.
“I could bring much nicer things, but what’s the point of offering plenty when you’ll just cause trouble there anyway? So just eat a little.”
“Even this is too much. I’ll eat half of it.”
I poured the soju into a paper cup and drank it down in large gulps.
Drinking soju on an empty stomach made me nauseous in an instant.
Forcing down the rising bile, I continued drinking the soju with difficulty.
Then I simply sat there in a daze.
No one came to visit.
I didn’t even take out my smartphone.
Only a suffocating silence and stillness existed.
It was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.
It seemed like my heart was the only thing beating in this place.
Listening to my own heartbeat, I simply sat still without doing anything.
.
.
.
.
A warmth spread through me.
It was comforting.
Where was this place again?
Was it the Philippines?
No? Congo?
Or was it the military base?
But where were my brothers?
Ah. That’s right.
Father’s funeral.
I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.
Or am I still asleep?
But what is this warmth?
Opening my eyes to check, I found myself covered with a plush blanket.
A heater was running softly beneath me.
Did the staff member bring this?
Thinking I should definitely give him something when I leave, I sat up and saw a familiar face.
“Dae-hun~”
“Sleep a bit more. You look absolutely exhausted.”
Dae-hun sat beside me, watching me sleep.
He must have brought the blanket and heater as well.
“No, I should wake up. But how did you find this place?”
“Nam Yong-woo contacted me.”
“Director Nam Yong-woo?”
“Yeah. Who was it again? Sandro?”
“Right. Sandro, the headquarters director.”
“Sandro contacted Director Nam. He said you rushed into South Korea suddenly, and something seemed off. You left Scott behind too. Since Director Nam is the only connection between us and the organization, Sandro asked him to check where you were and what you were doing. So we traced your phone’s location and had our organization members search the entire area. We barely managed to find you.”
Only then did I notice the organization members standing behind Dae-hun.
They filled the small funeral parlor completely, with people even spilling into the hallway.
I felt apologetic for no reason.
“Then let me wake up.”
“You were sleeping so soundly.”
Just then, Geun-su approached Dae-hun and bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle.
“It’s been a long time, hyung. My deepest condolences to the deceased.”
“Thank you.”
“Please don’t move the funeral parlor elsewhere. We’ve already made all the preparations.”
“It’s fine. I had my reasons for holding the funeral quietly here.”
Dae-hun spoke up.
“No, let’s move it. We should send him off properly.”
“I don’t have the heart for that.”
“Come on…”
“This suits him better. The end should be humble.”
“That’s not right either.”
“Dae-hun. You know what kind of life I’ve lived. Sending a man like that off properly? It’s impossible for me. Even that single bottle of soju over there is too much for him. I’m already summoning great courage just to hold this funeral.”
“You’ll regret it later. You will regret it. I’m asking you to move it for your own sake, not for your father’s.”
“What?”
“If you send him off like this, you’ll regret it later. Or you’ll be left with lingering regret. It’s not that difficult. Just stay still and let me handle it.”
“I…”
“See those kids standing in the back? How will they pay their respects here, how will they send your father off? I’m asking you once, for my sake.”
Looking at the men in formal suits filling the narrow space, I felt apologetic again.
“I’m causing trouble.”
“Trouble is what you lean on when something like this happens. And at times like this, instead of saying you’re causing trouble, you say thank you. You punk.”
.
.
.
The funeral parlor had changed.
The small, bare altar
where only a single bottle of soju and a pack of snacks had been placed.
The largest, most spacious, and finest one in Mokpo,
Chrysanthemums decorated the space around Father’s photograph, and beneath it lay offerings of food arranged on elegant ceremonial vessels. This was a funeral hall.
Condolence wreaths lined the corridor, and people in black suits offered their respects in turn, beginning to serve food to the guests.
In the photograph, Father’s face was expressionless, as if devoid of all emotion.
Dae-hun had somehow obtained a photograph of my father—one I didn’t even have.
“Where did you get that photo? I don’t even have one.”
“We’ve already taken over Mokpo, haven’t we? I sent the guys out with his name and a rough description, and the photo came right up.”
“Where did you find it? A gambling den?”
“Uh? Well… that’s how it turned out.”
When Dae-hun arrived,
and the funeral hall transformed,
the funeral suddenly came alive with energy.
It was said to be the largest funeral hall in Mokpo.
I’d wondered how we’d fill such a massive space,
but men in black suits already packed the funeral hall completely.
When we took over Gunsan last time, Dae-hun introduced me as the practical boss.
The problem was that some of these guys actually believed it.
A joke should pass as a joke—why are they taking it seriously?
Especially you, Geun-su, Dae-hun’s right hand. You shouldn’t believe such things.
You’re the one who needs to manage the situation from the middle.
I’m just Dae-hun’s friend.
A passing acquaintance.
I need to clarify this much and tell the younger guys.
If you’re the most respectful to me, what will happen?
Thanks to that, rumors spread that the Dae-hoon Faction boss’s father had passed away,
and countless people connected to the Dae-hoon Faction—which already controlled all of Jeolla Province and parts of South Chungcheong Province centered around Gunsan—sent condolence wreaths and began paying their respects.
Dae-hun stood beside me, and together we greeted the mourners.
People I’d never seen before—people my father had never seen—lined up to bid farewell to my father’s final moment.
I wasn’t pleased with this situation.
My father’s end should have been humble, but it was far too grand.
Perhaps sensing my discomfort,
“It’s not for your father. It’s for us. Look over there.”
In the direction Dae-hun pointed, I saw familiar faces.
Sandro led the group, followed by Patrick, Scott, Nam Yong-woo, Ana, Kang Jae-ho, and Lim Yu-na.
The organization members Sandro had been leading all stood behind them as well.
The funeral hall, already packed with people, became even more crowded.
Sandro’s group bowed.
Behind them, Nam Yong-woo was explaining how to do it properly, teaching them about Korean funeral customs.
It was absurd.
Filipinos were bowing to my father.
I wasn’t sure if my father deserved such luxurious treatment,
Still, I was grateful to Sandro and the others who had come all this way.
Sandro, who had bowed, looked at me.
“If something like this happens, you should tell me before leaving. What am I supposed to do if you just disappear like that?”
“I’m sorry. My head was a mess.”
“I understand. Don’t think about anything right now—just focus on seeing Father off properly. We’ll handle the rest.”
“No, Dae-hun will take care of it. Sandro, thank you for coming all this way. I’m not sure if the food will suit your taste, but eat something, or go out and buy whatever you like. There are some decent restaurants nearby…”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure that out ourselves. Nam Yong-woo said he’d take care of everything. And Dae-hun reserved the entire hotel next door for us to rest. So don’t worry about us—just focus on seeing Father off.”
“Thank you.”
I found out later.
Sandro had chartered a private jet just to come here.
So many people wanted to come, and it was too difficult to book tickets, so he simply chartered a plane.
That’s how an amusing situation unfolded.
Korean gangsters and Philippine gangsters were sitting together amicably, drinking soju.
Dae-hun and Sandro drank soju with spicy beef soup together,
while Scott and Geun-su poured drinks beside them.
It wasn’t just them.
All the organization members were drinking.
From the Boss down to the lowest members, everyone had scattered into small groups, sitting and chatting.
Even though they couldn’t understand each other’s language,
they communicated using hand gestures and body language.
Whatever they found so amusing, laughter echoed from all corners.
It looked less like a funeral and more like a company retreat or a social gathering.
“Young Boss, are you going to keep doing this?”
I turned toward the voice and saw Jang Yun-mi and the Seoul Office staff standing there.
“If something like this happens, you should contact me. You should. I’ve been feeling neglected lately. It seems like you’re completely abandoning the Seoul Office and only looking after the Bohol Office.”
“That’s not it. The Seoul Office is being run well by our CEO.”
“Whatever. We’ll talk about it later. I’m quite upset right now.”
“Understood. Let it all out to me later.”
Jang Yun-mi bowed with an adorable pout and moved to eat.
But why was she heading to Sandro’s table?
Right.
The last time Jang Yun-mi came for her first survey, didn’t those two get along really well?
The moment they saw each other, they started giggling and laughing.
More people arrived.
Even though they said it was the largest funeral parlor in Mokpo, it wasn’t enough.
So they decided to use the funeral parlor right next door as well.
Dae-hun’s claim that he had taken control of Mokpo didn’t seem to be a lie.
Everything proceeded smoothly with just one word from Dae-hun.
In truth, from a funeral perspective, it was a mess,
and the atmosphere of drinking, laughing, and making noise didn’t suit a funeral at all,
Actually, I was glad.
I was simply grateful for the fact that so many people had come for me.
I abandoned the thought of living as humbly as possible.
Now let me try to spend this time as joyfully as I can.
Come to think of it, it’s not easy to gather everyone like this.
I wonder if this might be the last gift Father left me.
Even if Father hadn’t intended it, I’ll choose to see it that way.
Father can at least give me one gift, can’t he?
He can at least leave behind one good memory, can’t he?
I will accept that gift as today’s memory.
That memory won’t solve everything, but at least it will give me the strength to walk forward anew.
Father gave me violence and abuse,
but I will carry today’s landscape with me as I leave him.
Dae-hun’s words about moving the funeral hall for my sake suddenly feel different.
That’s right. It was a funeral for me.
If we hadn’t moved the funeral hall, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity at all.
I was grateful.
I want to live grateful to these people rather than dwelling on the fact that I’m a burden.
I want to live rubbing shoulders with these people.

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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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