I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 72

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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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072-Hangover
72.
My head throbbed and my throat burned.
I must have drunk far too much with Dae-hun last night.
My memory of how I’d made it back to the hotel was hazy at best.
After draining a bottle of water from the minibar, I still felt parched, so
I ventured outside and had a bowl of hangover soup.
Bone broth hangover soup, to be precise.
In Seoul, you can eat this kind of soup any time of day, any day of the year.
The people of Seoul are truly blessed.
To have access to such comfort food whenever they please.
I returned to the hotel with a coffee in hand.
I was back, but I had nothing to do.
No one to meet.
I could have made plans if I’d wanted to, but I didn’t.
I simply wanted some peace and quiet.
And the hangover still clung to my body.
Those damned bomb shots.
I wanted to lie down and rest.
I slipped into bed, which rustled beneath my weight.
It had been a long time since I’d lain in bed like this, doing nothing.
It was a life I couldn’t have imagined in the Philippines.
By this hour, several people would already be coming and going from my suite.
They’d have been pounding on the door since morning.
So many reports to review, so many documents to sign.
They never left me alone.
Sometimes I wondered if moving my residence to the suite had truly been the right decision.
Being in this silent space seemed to ease my mind.
Everything that happened in the Philippines felt like a distant memory.
I found it amusing how I’d stressed and agonized over that Nam executive’s affairs.
I’d spent a lot of money. I could earn it back.
The tranquility I felt was welcome at first,
but the prolonged silence began to unsettle me instead.
So I turned on the television.
I needed noise.
I’d watch the news.
[Singer A was taken into emergency custody this morning on suspicion of drug use. Singer A, who has recently gained explosive popularity, is…]
[A six-vehicle pileup occurred in Uijeongbu last night. A vehicle driven by a man in his twenties struck a car waiting at a traffic light, causing a chain-reaction collision with vehicles ahead… The driver tested positive for drugs.]
[Police arrested a man in his twenties who was wielding a weapon while naked and causing a disturbance, then fled naked. Police are investigating him on suspicion of drug use.]
[A Vietnamese national suspected of drug smuggling fled while handcuffed. Police tracked the suspect through CCTV footage and apprehended him in Incheon within a day.]
[A gangster who caused an accident while driving a Rolls-Royce under the influence of drugs has been arrested. The man in his twenties, identified as Lee,…]
I turned on the news, and it was filled with drug-related stories.
Remarkable.
It’s not just about last night’s Ten Pro ace.
It’s not just stories about celebrities, artists, and gangsters.
These are stories about ordinary people.
It seems ordinary people are easily exposed to drugs.
I didn’t realize drugs had penetrated so deeply into our lives.
Still, I shouldn’t view this entirely negatively.
The abundance of drug news means this is still a “remarkable story.”
It’s still an unfamiliar narrative.
If drugs truly became widespread and prevalent, such incidents wouldn’t make the news.
Just as it wouldn’t be newsworthy if Cheol-su from next door vomited in the apartment entrance while drunk and blacked out.
If drugs truly became normalized, accidents caused by drug use wouldn’t make the news.
They would become that common.
People’s perception of drugs would change as well.
So South Korea isn’t yet saturated with drugs—rather, as drugs enter the country, people are going “Oh my, how shocking!” in response.
We’re in a state of panic, screaming from all corners at a situation we’re experiencing for the first time.
The solution is simple.
Cut off the routes through which drugs enter.
Since it’s difficult to manufacture drugs in our country, we just need to prevent them from coming in.
If drugs simply didn’t enter,
there would be no problem.
But China keeps pushing drugs into our country.
Cowardly bastards.
If they’re so desperate to make money, they should sell to their own country,
with a population of 1.4 billion, they’d make a fortune,
so I don’t understand why they sell to our small nation.
Is execution really that terrifying?
Everyone dies anyway, so might as well do what you want and go out satisfied.
.
.
.
In the afternoon, feeling sluggish, I ran along the Han River.
This is truly the best.
The Han River stretching out beside the walking path.
The wide-open sky, the skyline of buildings—the scenery is breathtaking.
And the well-paved, well-maintained path.
Flat terrain perfect for running, with convenience stores, restrooms, and benches scattered throughout.
The river breeze seems to make the air feel fresher too.
The best part is that if I get tired while running, I can always turn back immediately.
I can call a taxi, take the subway, or catch a bus.
I can walk into the city center.
There’s truly no other place like this.
It’s the perfect running course.
While running, I stopped by a Convenience Store in the middle and tried something called Han River ramen.
I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I just wanted to taste it.
It’s a trend, after all.
Sitting on a bench by the Han River, eating ramen while gazing at the water, I finally understood why Han River ramen had become such a signature experience.
It’s ninety percent about the atmosphere, really.
While eating, I noticed all sorts of people scattered throughout the Han River park.
Couples on dates eating ramen together.
Groups of friends spreading out mats and enjoying chicken and beer.
People cycling.
People exercising casually.
Everyone was enjoying the Han River in their own way.
Watching them, I recalled the news I’d seen this morning.
Stories tainted by drugs.
A signal that narcotics were seeping into everyday life.
As someone who’d worked even tangentially in the drug industry, I knew exactly what came next.
Those who’d been using in dark basements would only multiply, becoming addicts.
As addiction spread, those shameless ones would abandon the shadows and use openly in broad daylight.
These clean streets and parks would become overrun with drug addicts.
People lying here in the Han River park, needles in their arms instead of chicken and beer.
Just like San Francisco.
Just like Philadelphia and Seattle.
Seoul too would face drug-related problems as a major social crisis.
I don’t live in Seoul, but I could return anytime.
Actually, I want to return.
To be honest, I’ve grown fond of Seoul.
Perhaps it’s because I was born here,
but even after living in other countries and cities, nowhere compares to Seoul.
It’s clean and safe.
Public service infrastructure is world-class, and public transportation is excellent.
Delivery services are reliable, and access to convenient amenities like hospitals and department stores is outstanding.
You can eat hangover soup twenty-four hours a day.
If nothing is done, this Seoul will be consumed by drugs.
Thinking of such a city crumbling left me feeling oddly unsettled.
I wanted to stop it, but this wasn’t something within my power to handle.
I cleared away my finished ramen and began walking slowly along the Han River.
I even took photos of it.
I wanted to keep it in my memory for a long time.
The pristine Han River.
The Han River before it could be ruined.
.
.
.
The Violent Crimes Unit 3 Team of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency staked out in their car until dawn before eventually withdrawing.
No matter how long we waited, Seo Dae-hun and Gong In-bae never came out.
No one stays at a hostess bar for six hours straight.
They must have left through the back exit.
We completely lost them.
I had no way to predict where they might be.
But I couldn’t just give up and return empty-handed.
Grasping at straws, I made calls around to various contacts, searching for Seo Dae-hun’s location.
It would take some time for information to come in, so I went to a sauna to wash up in the meantime.
After cleaning up, I felt considerably better.
I stopped by a nearby bean sprout soup restaurant to grab breakfast.
Since it was early morning, the restaurant was completely empty.
Before long, a steaming bowl of clear bean sprout rice soup arrived.
“Ah, this is nice. So clean and simple. How about yours?”
“It’s delicious, sir.”
“But these bastards haven’t replied since I contacted them. When are they going to get back to me?”
“Will we keep following them once they contact us?”
“Of course. We need to come away with something, don’t we? We’ve come all this way.”
“Yes… I suppose so.”
Lee Gyeong-uk reluctantly agreed with the Team Leader, but honestly, he didn’t like this situation at all.
There was plenty of work back at the office, but the Team Leader insisted he come along, so here he was.
He’d driven from Gwangju to Incheon to Seoul.
Both the driving and the stakeout had fallen entirely on Lee Gyeong-uk’s shoulders.
All the Team Leader did was sleep in the passenger seat and complain.
Stubborn old fool.
I just wanted to get back and focus on actual work.
If Gong In-bae were truly a major player with clear criminal activity, I’d be willing to participate wholeheartedly.
I’d stake him out for days without sleep.
But that’s not the situation here, is it?
The Team Leader’s suspicions seem excessive.
Gong In-bae and Seo Dae-hun’s behavior is perfectly reasonable and understandable.
I already knew that Seo Dae-hun and Gong In-bae were classmates from the Special Forces School.
And since Gong In-bae’s father passed away, Seo Dae-hun was simply keeping vigil with him.
People came looking to make themselves appear better.
That’s all there is to it.
What else could there be besides that?
Ah~ Many people came from the Philippines?
Since they work in the Philippines, they come to pay their respects from the Philippines.
People who work in the United States come to pay their respects from the United States,
and people who work in Japan will come to pay their respects from Japan.
The Team Leader seems to be treating this obvious fact as if it weren’t obvious.
No matter how suspicious a profession the police find it, this seems to be heading in the wrong direction.
Yesterday’s chief mourner, Jang Yun-mi, was also someone who attended Gong In-bae’s funeral.
She operates a travel agency.
She has a business relationship with Gong In-bae.
Of course Gong In-bae had to come.
But then he heard some rumor from somewhere and keeps spouting nonsense about how Gong In-bae is the real power behind the Dae-hoon Faction, how he’s a faceless boss, and all that.
If he were just spouting nonsense, it wouldn’t matter, but he keeps dragging me along with it.
Not wanting to argue back, I just lowered my head and kept eating my bean sprout soup and rice.
I wanted to leave quickly.
Then I heard an unfamiliar voice.
“Is the food here decent?”
When I turned my head, Seo Dae-hun was standing alone.
Both the Team Leader and I were startled.
Seo Dae-hun naturally sat down at the table with us.
“If the bean sprout soup and rice is good, I’ll order one too, and if it’s not, I’ll go somewhere else to eat. Seoul has everything, but there are many places where the food doesn’t suit my taste. Food from Jeolla Province is the best.”
“The broth is quite clean. You should be fine ordering one.”
Unlike Lee Gyeong-uk, who tensed up at Seo Dae-hun’s arrival, the Team Leader responded to his words.
I knew the Team Leader had greeted Seo Dae-hun a few times before.
“Boss, one bean sprout soup and rice, please.”
Seo Dae-hun, who had ordered the bean sprout soup and rice, looked at the Team Leader and asked.
“But Team Leader, is there something I did wrong to you?”
“Huh? Something wrong?”
“Yeah. Because you keep following me around, I thought I’d committed some grave sin, and I was so scared last night I couldn’t sleep. See these dark circles? My skin is all ruined from not sleeping.”
“Hmm.”
“If I’m guilty of something, get a warrant and arrest me. If not, let’s stop here. I’ve never done anything to upset you, have I?”
“Haha. Look at this bastard talking. Pretty soon he’ll be giving me orders too?”
“Team Leader, your comprehension seems to be getting worse. I’m giving you an opportunity right now. You’re currently surveilling a civilian, aren’t you? Civilian surveillance is illegal, right? So before I report it, I’m giving you the chance to correct your mistake on your own. We’re going to see each other’s faces for the next one or two years anyway. Let’s keep it reasonable and move on.”
“What? This fucking bastard has no shame speaking like that in front of a police officer.”
The Team Leader, angered by Seo Dae-hun’s words, stood up abruptly and shouted.
As the Team Leader stood, his chair fell backward, but fortunately there were no other customers in the restaurant.
Only the owner, who appeared to be the proprietor, watched us with an anxious expression.
But Seo Dae-hun alone seemed composed.
“Isn’t this something I can say? I’m telling you not to break the law, and that’s worth getting angry about? Don’t you think so, Lee Gyeong-uk?”
Seo Dae-hun suddenly turned to Lee Gyeong-uk standing beside him with a question.
Lee Gyeong-uk was already shocked that Seo Dae-hun knew who he was, but when he posed a question, he was even more taken aback.
“Uh…”
As the flustered Lee Gyeong-uk stammered, Seo Dae-hun provided the answer himself.
“Don’t answer. No matter what you say, the result won’t be good.”
“So you’re stopping here? Or are you going to continue?”
“Hahaha. This is entertaining.”
The Team Leader righted the fallen chair and sat down on it.
“Seo Dae-hun. Now that the Dae-hun Faction is doing well, you think there’s nothing to fear in this world? Arresting a punk like you is nothing. How about it—want to try on some silver bracelets right now? You’ve never worn them before, have you? We just got new ones in stock. Want me to put a pair on you?”
“I’d appreciate that. How did you even know I like new things? Did you find that out through surveillance too? Anyway, surveillance… But Team Leader, when I report this, I’m not going to the police. Why would I go to the police for your benefit? I’m going straight to the prosecutor’s office.”
“What? The prosecutor’s office?”
“Team Leader, you know the prosecutors are freaking out right now because of the police getting investigative authority, right? But then a report comes in about illegal police surveillance? An ordinary citizen with no criminal record being treated like a criminal? They’ll launch an investigation immediately. You know what prosecutors are good at? Leaking information. They leak everything to the media. The media eats it up and reports it. Then what does the police do? They hate the noise, so they cut off the tail right away. ‘It was an individual’s independent action. It has nothing to do with police command.’ Then they’ll fire or suspend someone. Why would they take that risk just to catch someone like me? If they just leave it alone, we’ll handle it ourselves.”
“You bastard. Your mouth is getting more and more disrespectful. I’m barely holding back right now. If I snap, it’s your fault.”
“What bullshit. You commit the crime, and then it’s my fault? Try saying that in front of a judge. ‘Your Honor, I’m not guilty. Everything happened because Seo Dae-hun spoke so badly.’ What do you think the judge would say?”
“He’d say you did well and ask why he didn’t beat you to death.”
“Wow, you’re overflowing with confidence. I like it. Okay. I’ve heard your opinion loud and clear, Team Leader. So we need to change our approach too.”
“What could you possibly do?”
“Well, think about it. The fact that you came all the way here to surveil us means the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency Violent Crimes Unit isn’t that busy—they’re following us all the way here. Why is the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency Violent Crimes Unit eating bean sprout soup in Gangnam, Seoul? Because they have nothing to do, right? I was thinking of giving them some work to do. Now that I think about it, we’ve been too gentle for gangsters. I’ve been trying to avoid trouble, but all that effort turned out to be meaningless. Whether I’m careful or act like an asshole, you treat me the same either way. So why should I be careful?”
“You… if you keep this up, I really will arrest you.”
“Go ahead and arrest me if you’re going to. Can I even live in fear like this? Threatening me with arrest, intimidating me like this? But Moon Gang-su, if you’re going to arrest me, make up your mind and do it.”
“What? Moon Gang-su? Am I your friend? You bastard?”
“If you were my friend, I wouldn’t let you do something this stupid. I would’ve made you into a decent person first. Anyway, I’m done talking to you. If you want to take me in, bring a warrant. You know where I am, right? You’ve surveilled me so much, you should know. Come find me.”
Dae-hun stood up from his seat.
He turned toward the exit to leave, then turned back as if he’d forgotten something.
“Moon Gang-su. From now on, everything that happens is your fault. Got it? You bastard.”
Dae-hun left a 100,000 won check on the counter as he walked out.
“Boss, that table’s bill is on me. Sorry for the noise. Keep the change. I’ll come back and eat the bean sprout soup next time.”
Once Seo Dae-hun left the shop, Lee Gyeong-uk could finally breathe.
Looking at the Team Leader, he seemed completely mentally shattered, staring blankly ahead.
His eyes had lost focus.
By logic and circumstance, the Team Leader had made a clear mistake.
This was definitely illegal surveillance under the guise of monitoring.
Yet Lee Gyeong-uk found Seo Dae-hun’s behavior strange.
The Seo Dae-hun that Lee Gyeong-uk knew wasn’t this kind of character.
He was more like a chivalrous person, but today he suddenly became a thug.
Lee Gyeong-uk was curious about the reason.
.
.
.
Seo Dae-hun walked out of the bean sprout soup restaurant.
Only after leaving the restaurant did reality crash down on me again—what had I just done?
‘Insane.’
Part of me wondered if I’d just recklessly thrown myself at him, but it had been necessary.
It wasn’t something the usual Dae-hun would have done, but I acted boldly anyway.
It was the only way to divert Gong In-bae’s attention.

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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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