I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 70

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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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070-Betrayal
70.
Tagbilaran, the capital of Bohol.
Nam Yong-woo pushed open the door to the suite room at the Ocean Boutique Hotel.
Lucky break.
I’d booked a standard room, but they said it wasn’t ready and upgraded me to a suite instead.
When things are going well, even the small details fall into place.
A suite room, no less.
Everything I’m doing these days is working out perfectly.
The timing couldn’t be better—those guys are so preoccupied with elections that they’re not paying attention.
Security at GoGo Casino has become lax.
I did worry about what would happen if I got caught, but these are just guys making a living off tourists in the Philippines.
I have no idea why they even built GoGo Casino in the first place,
but they’re definitely kinder than the ones who brought me to the Philippines.
Even if I get caught, I’d just take a few hits and be done with it.
Besides, my CEO is a good guy too.
Thinking that way put my mind at ease a little.
I just need to wait here, meet those guys this evening, hand over the USB, and collect 5 billion won.
I don’t know who’s trying to buy the source code from me.
They feel like Chinese guys, though.
Why do I need to know that much anyway?
Isn’t it just about receiving money and handing over the source code?
I only need to think about what comes after I get the money.
Once I get the money, my life becomes a bed of roses.
The sun finally rises on a life of nothing but hardship.
My pathetic life ends today.
There’s still plenty of time before the transaction.
I can rest here for a bit and then head out.
I sat on the edge of the bed, but the plushness was irresistible, and I collapsed onto it completely.
So soft and comfortable.
This is my first time at the Ocean Boutique Hotel, and it seems nice.
Should I stay here for a while after getting the 5 billion won?
The location is good, and the facilities aren’t bad.
I indulge in happy fantasies about what I’ll do with 5 billion won.
Should I go back to South Korea?
Maybe buy a building there and live as a landlord?
Should I get an apartment with a view of the Han River?
Or should I settle down here in the Philippines instead?
Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia are supposed to be nice too, I’ve heard.
One thought leads to another in an endless chain.
As I reflected, memories of everything that had happened since arriving in the Philippines flowed past like a fleeting montage.
But I deliberately pushed them away.
They weren’t good memories.
To pay off gambling debts,
to transform my life in one grand gamble—what good memories could possibly exist for someone who came to the Philippines for such reasons?
The more I thought about it, the more shameful it felt.
So I decided to simply fold away those thoughts.
On a day like today, I wanted to raise a glass in celebration.
But the transaction came first.
I had been waiting for the transaction time to arrive.
I lay on the bed, watched television, scrolled through my phone.
While I fidgeted restlessly, the transaction time drew near.
Now I just needed to prepare and head out.
That was when it happened.
Beep.
The sound of the door opening.
Did I mishear?
I turned my head to look at the door.
The door opens.
Strange.
There shouldn’t be anyone coming here.
No one even knows I’m here.
The transaction location is a block away from this place.
Who could it be?
Did the cleaning staff accidentally enter?
While thinking, I watched the door.
Several men in formal suits entered, and behind them came Sandro, striding in with unmistakable pride.
“San…San…Sandro?”
Nam Yong-woo was startled far more than if he’d seen a ghost.
He had never imagined Sandro would walk through that door.
“Manager Nam, it’s been a while.”
“How did you find this place?”
The moment Nam Yong-woo saw Sandro, fear began to grip him.
Had he somehow found out? The dread was overwhelming.
His hands trembled with tension.
“Why are you so startled? Anyone watching would think you’ve been caught doing something wrong. Have you been up to no good, Manager Nam?”
“Ah… no… it’s just that you came in so suddenly that it startled me.”
“Ah~ I stopped by the hotel, and the staff mentioned you were in the suite, so I came to pay my respects.”
“Weren’t you supposed to be in Mindanao because of the election?”
“Ah~ I was, but something came up so I stopped by briefly, and the hotel staff told me you were here.”
“Is that so? You should’ve called first. What if I was with someone else? Why did you just barge in?”
At least I could breathe easy.
Sandro didn’t seem to know.
It really did look like he’d just stopped by to say hello.
So I decided to push a little harder.
“Ha. Of course I checked that no one was inside first. Don’t the people working at the Hotel check those kinds of things?”
“What?”
“While pretending not to care, they notice everything. Who enters this room, who leaves, who you’re with right now—they notice it all.”
“Is that so? I didn’t know. But if you’ve said your hello, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave me be. I’m exhausted and want to get some sleep.”
“Fair enough. But I’m a bit disappointed, you know? I came all this way to greet you, and you didn’t even offer me a glass of water. Were we really on such strained terms? I thought I’d been good to you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just so tired. I’ll treat you properly soon. I’m really sorry.”
“I’m not sure I’ll live to see that.”
“What?”
“Bring them.”
At Sandro’s command, the men in suits dragged someone forward.
The people they brought had been beaten so badly that their faces were already ruined.
Though their bodies weren’t bound, they were beaten so severely they couldn’t move.
Yet Nam Yong-woo could recognize them.
They were the people he was supposed to meet today.
The people he was supposed to do business with today.
And there they lay, reduced to pulp.
“I came all the way here from Mindanao because of those bastards today. You know who they are, right?”
“I… I… I don’t know?”
Nam Yong-woo couldn’t hide his severely trembling voice and body.
But his mouth automatically spat out lies.
“Nam Yong-woo, if you’re going to lie, at least do it convincingly. When you stammer like that, it makes even someone who wasn’t suspicious start to doubt you.”
“I… I d-don’t… kn-know… th-them…”
“Nam Yong-woo. Do you know? Bohol is in the palm of my hand?”
“…”
“Everyone in Bohol becomes my eyes and ears. So I know exactly when and where you eat, when you defecate, everything.”
“No. I think there’s been some misunderstanding…”
“Of course I think it’s a misunderstanding too. So it would be nice if you’d cooperate with our search in good faith to clear up this misunderstanding. Let me check. Hey, search him.”
At Sandro’s words, the men in suits approached Nam Yong-woo.
Nam Yong-woo instantly realized these men were looking for the USB.
If they found this USB, it would be catastrophic.
Everything Nam Yong-woo had planned would be exposed.
I had to do something.
Nam Yong-woo swallowed the USB.
Though it was the size of a finger, given the circumstances, he managed to swallow it in one gulp.
Yet Sandro showed no signs of tension.
“Nam Yong-woo, you made a poor choice.”
“What?”
“You’ve shown me directly that this isn’t a misunderstanding. You’ve got plenty of excuses ready. ‘I found it on the road,’ ‘I accidentally took it by mistake,’ ‘It’s not mine.’ That sort of thing.”
“…”
“In our line of work, I’ve seen countless people swallow objects. Keys, USB drives, memory cards. You name it, we’ve dealt with it. One lunatic even tried to swallow a phone. Haha.”
“You’ve seen people swallow things? You know what that means? It means we’ve extracted them just as many times. Countless times.”
“We should prepare to take them somewhere.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If it’s urgent, we could do it here at the hotel, but… well, blood splatters everywhere. It’s a hassle to clean. Blood doesn’t wash out easily. We have a preferred location. We’ll extract it there.”
“You might think you could hold out if you endure long enough, but USB drives are tougher than you’d think. If you’re banking on stomach acid dissolving it, you’re mistaken. Stomach acid breaks down proteins and fats, not plastic. So even if I extract it slowly, the USB won’t be damaged. There’s no rush.”
“While I’ve got the knife out anyway, should I harvest some organs too? Your body’s so run-down, I’m not sure they’d fetch much.”
“By the way, Nam Yong-woo, I’m sorry to say our anesthetic ran out. I’ll have to cut without it. This wouldn’t have happened when Patrick was around. People change, and these mistakes follow.”
Hearing Patrick’s name, Nam Yong-woo’s mind snapped.
Since he was going to die anyway, he wanted to shout something, anything.
“Then why didn’t you just use me instead of that bitch Ana? You put Ana on it and she screwed up something so simple!!”
“Hahaha. This bastard’s entertaining. What does Ana’s mistake have to do with you?”
“I would’ve done it better if I’d been in her position.”
Sandro laughed for a long time at Nam Yong-woo’s words.
“That’s amusing. But Ana didn’t screw this up. Ana doesn’t do this kind of work. Anyway, are you upset because Ana took over the Candy Tour operations?”
“Of course I’m upset. That position is mine.”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking why that position is yours. That’s what I’m asking.”
“It’s obviously mine. Honestly, there’s nobody else here with my level of education. And I built GoGo Casino. I’ve been here longer than Ana, so naturally when Patrick steps down, that position should be mine.”
“Our Nam Yong-woo has an interesting way of thinking. Is this like a checkout line at a Mart? You stand in line and get served in order?”
“That’s not it, but aren’t I the most qualified?”
“That’s why I’m asking why, you bastard. Did you go to university?”
“Of course I did. I’m also an original member, I’ve lived in the Philippines for years so I know the local situation inside and out, I have good education, I lack nothing.”
“Still amusing. But do you know the biggest reason I’m not putting you in charge?”
“What is it?”
“That DNA of betrayal you carry.”
“What?”
“Do you know the psychological term ‘projection’?”
“Projection?”
“I know myself that I’m a piece of shit. But I don’t want to admit it. So I think everyone else must be pieces of shit too. That’s what psychology calls projection. The moment you saw Ana and said you couldn’t trust her, you were already signaling that you’re capable of betrayal.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It doesn’t? Well, you’ve proven it yourself by actually betraying us.”
Sandro pointed at Nam Yong-woo with his hand as he spoke.
“Psychology is fascinating. It filters out all the traitors. Anyway, after that, I’ve been watching your movements carefully. I told you, didn’t I? Everyone in Bohol is my eyes and ears. Everywhere you go, everyone you meet, they report back to me. You’ve met those Chinese bastards three times. You have no fear. Meeting Chinese openly in Bohol.”
“I just wanted to find what’s mine!! That’s all!”
“Anyone seeing this would think I left it in your care. I’m actually relieved. Even if you handed that source code to those bastards, you wouldn’t get paid anyway. Those assholes are broke.”
“What?”
“How could I entrust Candy Tour to such a dimwitted fool who can’t even verify whether his business partners are solvent?”
“No!!! That’s not it!!!”
Nam Yong-woo couldn’t make sense of this situation.
Did that mean Sandro had known everything from the start?
Had he predicted through psychology or something that Nam Yong-woo would betray him from the beginning?
He’d known everything but let it slide because Nam Yong-woo hadn’t acted on it yet,
and only stepped in once Nam Yong-woo actually betrayed him, armed with decisive evidence?
Was this all part of a larger scheme?
The moment that realization struck him, Nam Yong-woo felt true dread wash over him.
If he did nothing here, his organs would be harvested.
He had to stop this at all costs.
He dropped to his knees and began pleading.
“Sandro, I’m sorry. I must have lost my mind. I’ll fix everything.”
“Fix what? There’s nothing broken. We’re not so fragile that one person can shake us. We treated you well because of your past contributions… but you got too greedy.”
“No. I was only trying to share some basic technical knowledge. I know how this might look suspicious, but it’s the truth.”
“I thought our department head was just cunning, but he’s a coward too. What about all these people who dreamed of doing business with Director Nam? Aren’t you sorry?”
“Sandro. No, Headquarters Director. I will do better from now on. Please forgive me just this once, and I will serve you with absolute loyalty for the rest of my life. Director.”
His forehead pressed against the ground, but Sandro’s expression remained unchanged.
“What are you doing? Take him out.”
“Yes.”
Sandro’s organization members instantly knocked out Director Nam Yong-woo.
They placed him in a cleaning cart and quietly wheeled him away.
Sandro remained behind, placing a cigarette between his lips.
He lit it and took a deep drag, then exhaled slowly.
Cigarette smoke filled the empty air.
‘That Alex is great in every way, but his fatal flaw is that he doesn’t suspect people.’
If I left Alex alone without his suspicion of others, traitors would emerge from every corner.
Maintaining discipline and handling traitors myself.
Removing obstacles so the organization runs smoothly on its own.
That’s what I do secretly for Alex.
Thinking about it, my role of cleaning up after Alex seemed almost amusing, yet I found satisfaction in it.
A kind of bodyguard, perhaps?
Or maybe his right hand?
Sandro felt a sense of accomplishment at having done something for Alex,
and a smile naturally formed at the corners of his mouth.
Satisfied.
*******
“How have you been?”
“No, things aren’t going well.”
Dae-hun called me after a long time.
Hearing his voice again felt refreshing.
“Why? Why isn’t the King of Bohol doing well?”
“You bastard. I have too much on my plate. No money either.”
It was true.
I wasn’t doing well at all.
I had too many projects scattered here and there,
and I’d spent a fortune during the election, so my coffers were empty.
And most of all, Nam Yong-woo’s betrayal hit me harder than I expected.
I never thought I’d treated Nam Yong-woo poorly.
I actually believed I’d treated him well.
At GoGo Casino, Nam Yong-woo was the top administrator.
He managed the coins and the exchange as well.
I trusted him and didn’t interfere.
I tried to accommodate his words and opinions as much as possible.
I paid him a substantial salary, and his position was high.
I acknowledged and praised his contributions to building GoGo Casino,
yet Nam Yong-woo still betrayed me.
I wondered if there was something wrong with how I treated him.
Sandro said that regardless of treatment, some people betray—it’s just who they are.
He went on about betrayal DNA and psychology and all that,
but though Sandro said he sent Nam Yong-woo to South Korea, I doubt Nam Yong-woo will ever arrive there.
He’s probably sleeping somewhere between South Korea and the Philippines.
Sandro is evil, but he’s also good.
However, he’s not someone who hesitates when a decision needs to be made.
“So what’s going on?”
“Ah! That CEO Jang Yun-mi’s mother passed away.”
“Really? What happened?”
“She’d been ill for a long time, apparently. So I thought I should let you know too.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I should know about it.”
“Will you come to the funeral?”
“I have to. My head’s been a mess anyway. I think I need to go to South Korea and get some rest while I’m at it.”
“Got it. See you at the funeral.”
I boarded the flight to South Korea right away.

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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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