Episode 11: The First Order
However, a person’s life doesn’t always go as planned.
The problem started the next day.
When Lee Chang-jin arrived at the company, the factory was strangely empty.
Only one person had shown up for work. The other two were nowhere to be seen.
Lee Chang-jin could not hide his bewilderment at the unexpected situation.
“What are the others doing, and why are you the only one here?”
“They didn’t show up because they submitted their resignations.”
“Resignations?”
“Yes… I placed the resignation letters on top of the milling machine. I brought them for you.”
Resigning on the first day. Lee Chang-jin was inwardly astonished.
“Huh… They quit without even showing up for work?”
“Don’t you remember? Yesterday, you clearly said that anyone who didn’t want to stay could leave. It just so happened that Mido Machinery had some subcontracting positions available, so they all went there.”
Lee Chang-jin recalled the memory that had abruptly vanished. He remembered the bold words he had spoken while heavily intoxicated the previous night.
“Our company will surpass 10 billion won in sales within 3 years, 100 billion won within 10 years, and we plan to reach a sales scale of 10 trillion won within 20 years.”
He had indeed made such bold claims during the company dinner.
He had told anyone who doubted to leave immediately. But he hadn’t expected those bold words to come back as a boomerang.
“Haha… Did it really sound like an empty boast?”
Lee Chang-jin chuckled dryly. The embarrassment made his face flush.
Had he been too arrogant, considering he was renting a salt warehouse and calling it a factory?
With the president being in his late twenties and the company looking like it had no prospects, they must have fled, doubting they’d even get their daily wages.
Although Lee Chang-jin was initially upset, he soon collected himself.
“Hmm, well, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to hire new people.”
It didn’t matter since they hadn’t even started yet. It was better to recruit new people from the beginning than to keep those who would quit before even starting. Lee Chang-jin decided to think positively.
However, one question remained.
“But why did you stay? I’m curious why you stayed when everyone else quit.”
It was a genuine question from Lee Chang-jin. Usually, if all your colleagues quit, wouldn’t you also feel swayed? The man responded nonchalantly.
“A person should have integrity. If you leave just because there’s a slightly better opportunity, that’s not a person; that’s an animal. Besides, it’s not even hiring season right now. Even if I go somewhere else, I’d have to work hard for a few months and then probably take a few weeks off. I’d rather work steadily for a bit less money. And I was also curious about what kind of person you are, Mr. President.”
“What do you mean?”
“If things go well, as you said, wouldn’t I be one of the founding members? I thought I might get some benefits from it. From what I saw, these machines, although second-hand, are quite expensive, aren’t they? Each one costs at least several million won. If someone as young as you can handle such equipment, you must have some minimum level of competence.”
Lee Chang-jin chuckled at the man’s candid response. This guy, despite looking quite rough, seemed to be quite clever. Lee Chang-jin decided to test him a bit.
“How can you be so sure? Have you not considered the possibility of failure?”
“If it fails, it’s not me who fails; it’s you, Mr. President. All I have is my body, so I have nothing to lose. Well, if we sell those machines, wouldn’t that cover my wages?”
The man shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
Despite his rugged appearance, Lee Chang-jin found himself liking him.
Moved by this, Lee Chang-jin offered a handshake.
“What’s your name? Let’s introduce ourselves properly. I think I heard your name during the dinner last night… Was it Goo Chang-mo?”
“It’s Goo Chang-dong. Just call me Chang-dong.”
The hand Goo Chang-dong extended was rough. The callouses on his hand revealed his strength.
“Haha, I drank too much last night and forgot. So, how old are you?”
“I’m twenty-four.”
Lee Chang-jin was surprised by the man’s shy response.
“Twenty-four? Really just twenty-four?”
“Yes. Twenty-two by Western age. I look a bit older, don’t I?”
Goo Chang-dong emphasized it twice, as if being older-looking was a complex for him.
Judging by his face, he could pass for someone in his forties.
However, despite his rough appearance, his eyes were clear and pure.
The innocence in his eyes reassured Lee Chang-jin.
“Then I look forward to working with you. Let’s see, I’m about six years older. I’ll be respectful during work, but can I speak informally in private?”
“Of course, you’re the president. I’ll treat you like an older brother.”
“Haha, good. So, Chang-dong, how much experience do you have? Can you handle the machines?”
“I graduated from a technical high school. I can handle basic lathe work and most welding tasks.”
Goo Chang-dong smiled confidently.
“Then I’ll treat you as a section chief from today. As one of the founding members, you deserve special treatment.”
Goo Chang-dong responded to Lee Chang-jin’s seemingly generous offer with a hint of disbelief.
“Huh, section chief? What’s the point of a section chief when there are no employees?”
“We’ll hire more over time. But for now, having a higher title is good for appearances, isn’t it?”
Goo Chang-dong muttered in disbelief.
“Shouldn’t you increase my salary first before saying that? This feels like I’m getting the short end of the stick.”
“Haha, I’ll gradually increase your pay based on our results. But first, we need to secure some orders.”
“What? You mean we don’t have any orders yet?”
Goo Chang-dong was shocked by Lee Chang-jin’s brazen response.
“What does it matter what comes first? We’re just starting, so we’ll gradually make it.”
Goo Chang-dong clicked his tongue in disbelief at Lee Chang-jin’s carefree attitude.
“Huh, you’re really laid-back. I thought you had something up your sleeve, but I guess I was wrong. Can I quit now?”
“Come on, don’t be so hasty. Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
Lee Chang-jin, dressed in a suit, headed to the Cheongwoo Automobile factory near the Incheon Bupyeong Industrial Complex. Cheongwoo Group, originally started in textiles, was a conglomerate that had maintained the second rank in the South Korean business world from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
From the late 1970s until the IMF crisis, the group had rapidly grown, diversifying into textiles, trade, construction, shipbuilding, automobiles, electronics, telecommunications, and tourism, earning a reputation as a top-tier group in Korea.
Upon arriving at the parking lot, Lee Chang-jin unbuckled his seatbelt and gave instructions.
“Wait here while I go inside.”
“Yes, sir. Have a good meeting, President.”
As he entered the factory, the acrid smell of oil wafted from the entrance where smoke was billowing. Just as he was about to enter the factory, a security guard appeared and blocked his path.
“No unauthorized personnel allowed.”
“I’m here to see Executive Director Kim. Do you know where he is? Ah, I’m this person.”
Lee Chang-jin handed over a business card he had used at Mannheim. The security guard scrutinized the card and then looked him up and down.
“Please wait a moment.”
After a short while, the security guard returned with a middle-aged man in a blue work uniform.
The man, looking as if he had just woken up, scratched the back of his neck irritably.
“Who’s here without an appointment at this hour?”
The man, who appeared as if he hadn’t washed in days, looked fatigued. Lee Chang-jin bowed politely.
“It’s me, hyung-nim. I haven’t been able to visit because I was not doing well. How have you been?”
“Oh? Chang-jin, is it really you? How long has it been?”
Kim Jung-oh, upon seeing Lee Chang-jin, brightened up as if he had just woken up from sleep.
The two had once been senior and junior members of the same mountaineering club.
Kim Jung-oh warmly greeted him.
“It’s been three years. How have you been?”
“As you can see, working like a dog. Busy, busy. What about you? Why haven’t you been in touch?”
“I’ve been busy trying to make ends meet, so I couldn’t reach out. I apologize.”
“Yeah, we’re all just trying to get by, but still. Anyway, you’ve grown a lot. You look more worldly now.”
“Haha, you’re as unchanging as ever, hyung-nim.”
Kim Jung-oh squinted and asked,
“What? Is that a compliment or an insult? Do I look like this now?”
“Haha, it’s a compliment. You look young.”
Kim Jung-oh was the younger brother of Kim Jung-yeon, the founder of Cheongwoo. Within the Cheongwoo Group, he was the firm second-in-command.
While Kim Jung-yeon had a reckless style of starting projects without plans, Kim Jung-oh was always the one cleaning up the mess. Even after Kim Jung-yeon dismantled the group during the IMF crisis and fled overseas, Kim Jung-oh stayed in Korea and served time in prison.
“Unlike his brother, he has a deep sense of responsibility.”
Because of this, Lee Chang-jin held Kim Jung-oh in higher regard than Kim Jung-yeon.
Kim Jung-oh had struggled to keep the failing company together until the very end.
Perhaps because their lives were similar, Lee Chang-jin felt a sense of kinship with him.
After chatting for a while, Kim Jung-oh asked,
“So, how’s your company life?”
“I actually quit recently.”
Kim Jung-oh, delighted by the news, exclaimed,
“Really? Then how about joining us? There’s an opening for an engineering team leader. I’ll make you a department head. If you join us, I’ll make sure you get promoted to director.”
Knowing Lee Chang-jin’s abilities well, Kim Jung-oh tried to recruit him.
Lee Chang-jin, smiling, replied,
“Thank you for the offer, but I can’t accept it. I recently started my own business.”
“You started a business? What kind?”
“Precision machinery.”
Kim Jung-oh, surprised, asked,
“You? Where did you get the startup capital?”
“Haha, I was lucky.”
Lee Chang-jin explained his situation with a smile.
After hearing the story, Kim Jung-oh rubbed his forehead.
“Oh my… You really went all out. Taking out a private loan? Well, congratulations. So, there must be a reason you came all the way here. What do you need?”
“I heard Cheongwoo Automobile has a lot of work orders. Although you have connections with several machine shops, you can’t handle all the work alone, can you? Please give me a chance. I’d appreciate it if you could give me some shaft and gear orders at a lower price.”
A gear is another term for a cogwheel, a device that uses meshing teeth to transmit power. Gears are used in industrial products because they can transmit large amounts of power with a short distance between shafts at a consistent speed ratio. At Lee Chang-jin’s audacious request, Kim Jung-oh muttered in disbelief.
“Honestly, why should I trust you and give you orders? You just started your business…”
“Hyung-nim, you know me. I’m thorough in my preparations. I poured all my money into this company. Think of it as saving a life.”
However, it was a difficult request for Kim Jung-oh to accept. The machinery industry, unlike general equipment manufacturing, required highly accumulated know-how. Without skilled technicians, even the most advanced machines would be challenging to operate.
“No. I’m also responsible for a company. If there’s a loss, will you take responsibility?”
As the argument went on, Kim Jung-oh checked his watch and tried to leave.
“I have a meeting. Let’s talk about this later.”
Turning his back, trying to avoid the conversation, Kim Jung-oh heard Lee Chang-jin speak softly.
“Hyung-nim, I didn’t want to bring this up. But don’t you remember what you promised me back then? You said you would help me once.”
Kim Jung-oh, who was about to get up, froze. The event from ten years ago suddenly came to mind. In truth, Kim Jung-oh’s successful rise in the business world was partly due to his marriage to the daughter of a Samsung general, a feat achieved with Lee Chang-jin’s help, which was reminiscent of a spy operation.
Having a personality that couldn’t live with debts, Kim Jung-oh felt his resolve weaken. After hesitating, he sat back down.
“Alright. So, what do you want?”
- To be continued in Episode 12 -
