Episode 13: Securing Supplies
Inside the factory, which had been converted from a warehouse, machines were lined up, ready to start.
Lee Chang-jin, having taken off his outerwear, immediately changed into work clothes. Gu Chang-dong, who was assisting him, eagerly stepped forward.
“Leave the lathe work to me, boss.”
“No, thank you, but I need to do the first job myself. It’s my duty as the boss.”
Lathe processing involves using a single-edged tool to create cylindrical and rounded shapes. It’s a primary processing task essential for precision work.
After securing the workpiece tightly in the chuck, Lee Chang-jin aligned the dial gauge with the center of the workpiece. He installed the cutting tool and, gripping the control wheel, took a deep breath, focusing all his nerves on his fingertips.
Although he had practiced a few times before the real operation, he was still nervous since this was his first order in his current life. When he turned on the machine, a buzzing sound was heard, and thin, long metal chips were shaved off from the cylindrical metal body.
After turning down the metal bar, Lee Chang-jin began the milling process to create the gear teeth. Measuring the root length of the teeth to ensure the processing was correct, he installed the internal diameter drill.
“Manager Gu, please hold the center of the internal diameter steady.”
“Understood.”
Following Lee Chang-jin’s instructions, Gu Chang-dong provided support.
Gear processing requires the internal diameter to be centered, so it was necessary to align the concentric circles properly.
With Gu Chang-dong watching from the side, Lee Chang-jin carefully proceeded with the operation, being cautious of the chucking pressure to avoid damaging the gear surface. After completing the tapping and spline cutting and grinding the sharp edges, a fairly decent output was produced.
“Wow, it’s exactly the same! Just like a carbon copy.”
Gu Chang-dong, comparing the sample and the newly made item, was impressed. He had been worried since Lee Chang-jin seemed like someone who had only held a pen all his life. However, seeing him handle the machine, he realized Lee Chang-jin was better than himself. Gu Chang-dong suddenly had a question.
“Where did you learn this? It’s not something you learn at university, right?”
With his smooth face, he didn’t look like someone who had done rough work.
Curious, Gu Chang-dong asked to test the waters.
“Excuse me, but did you attend our school? You seem to have learned this thoroughly.”
“No way. I graduated from a humanities high school.”
“What? You didn’t even attend a technical high school, so when did you learn this?”
While drawing blueprints is understandable, the skill to handle milling is entirely different.
There is no way someone who attended college would have learned such a skill.
In response to a curious Gu Chang-dong, Lee Chang-jin calmly replied.
“Well, I prepared various things before starting the business. Would I start without any preparation?”
In reality, Lee Chang-jin learned this work in his past life. After being falsely accused and his company dissolved, he had to take on any job to pay off his debts.
Back then, it was all about survival, regardless of pride or anything else.
‘My body doesn’t remember, but my brain does.’
Lee Chang-jin recalled his past life.
After being released from prison, he hid in an industrial workshop in Cheonggyecheon and learned gear cutting.
He was taught the skills by Kang Chang-geun, who was a machine manufacturer in Cheonggyecheon at the time.
Despite his terrible personality, his gear-cutting skills were top-notch.
Who would have thought the skills learned back then would become so useful now?
Shrugging off bitter memories, Lee Chang-jin spoke in a bright voice.
“This isn’t the end. The real precision work starts now with grinding.”
After shaping, the real precision work begins. Tempering followed by additional grinding was necessary.
After completing the secondary heat treatment of the material, Lee Chang-jin precisely processed the gear teeth using a grinding machine. Heat treatment of the gear surface increases the strength nearly four times but reduces the precision by about one grade, so an additional grinding process was necessary.
He smoothed the gear surface through shaving and honing. After reducing the tolerance and finishing the coloring process while being cautious of any cracks on the surface, the final processed product was finally completed.
“Now it’s done. Thank you for your hard work, Manager Gu.”
“Oh… Finally… You worked hard, boss.”
Having stayed up several nights, Lee Chang-jin noticeably looked gaunt. Gu Chang-dong, who had voluntarily stayed up with him, was in the same state. After the work was finished, they looked at each other and both let out a faint laugh.
Covered in sweat, unshaven, and with faces smeared with oil, they looked like people who had lived in a coal mine for days.
“Haha. No offense, but we look like homeless people.”
“Haha, we look so bad. If we go to Cheong-u like this, they’ll stop us at the entrance. Let’s stop by a bathhouse first.”
“Yes, understood.”
After thoroughly scrubbing off the grime at a public bathhouse, Lee Chang-jin dressed in a freshly ironed suit.
After grooming himself, he headed to Cheong-u with the completed gear.
When Lee Chang-jin arrived before the due date, Kim Jung-oh greeted him with a teasing smile.
“Did you give up already, Lee Chang-jin?”
It was a mocking remark. Lee Chang-jin, smiling confidently, placed the item he brought on the table.
“Of course not. Here, take it.”
When Lee Chang-jin revealed the completed gear, Kim Jung-oh’s eyes widened.
“What’s this? Did you really make this?”
“Who else would have? Did you think I would buy it from somewhere and present it to you?”
“No, I can’t believe it… Is this real?”
“Yes, look here. Doesn’t it have the initials DHI (Daese Heavy Industry Co.) engraved on the gear surface?”
Inspecting the gear closely, Kim Jung-oh had a bewildered expression.
On one side of the gear surface, there were tiny initials engraved.
In reality, he didn’t expect Lee Chang-jin to produce the gear.
How could he find a discontinued gear?
He thought if Lee Chang-jin gave up, he would generously reissue the order with a standard gear.
However, faced with an unexpected result, Kim Jung-oh was at a loss for words.
“Aren’t you going to measure it, hyung? My hand is getting tired.”
Regaining his composure, Kim Jung-oh hastily called for Manager Kim.
“Hey, Manager Kim Young-il!”
“Yes, Executive Director, did you call me?”
“Bring the measuring device from the warehouse. We need to check if this is defective.”
Even if it looked fine, it might be different when tested.
After securing the gear in a fixture to prevent it from rotating, they checked the runout and backlash.
Kim Jung-oh, wearing magnifying glasses, carefully observed the gauge’s dial.
After examining the numbers, he couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Wow, you even considered the backlash properly.”
Backlash refers to the intentional gap in gear teeth to allow free rotation without getting stuck. When creating gears for automotive products with high torque variations, minimizing backlash is essential to reduce noise and impact during gear engagement.
After confirming that the product was not defective, Kim Jung-oh meticulously checked the maximum gear outer diameter and minimum pitch diameter within the calibration. Seeing that the dimensions matched the JIS standard with an allowable tolerance of 1/100mm, he was amazed.
“This guy is a complete monster. Did he really make this in five days?”
“Haha. Did you think I was all talk? By the way, you haven’t forgotten our bet, right? If it passes the test, you’ll give us regular orders.”
“Alright. Geez… I shouldn’t bet with you. You’ll strip me down to my underwear… What should I assign you next?”
Although he grumbled, Kim Jung-oh kept his promise. He signed the order form that day and placed a huge order for 1,000 each of vehicle transmission helical gears, pinions, and shafts.
However, with the order in hand, manpower became an issue.
“It’s great that we got a large order, but with the current situation, it’s tight on time. How are we going to meet the deadline for 1,000 units in a month? It took so long to make just one… And there are only the two of us working here, boss.”
To Gu Chang-dong’s concern, Lee Chang-jin responded nonchalantly.
“What’s there to worry about? First, contact the labor office in the Guro Industrial Complex to find people. For tasks that are hard to handle due to volume, we can use temporary workers or subcontract.”
“Oh, that’s a way. But if we subcontract, won’t the defect rate be high? People in this industry are known for shoddy work.”
Although Gu Chang-dong was worried about the defect rate, it was within the expected range.
“That’s fine. The rough initial work can be a bit coarse. We’ll subcontract the lathe work and handle the gear processing and grinding ourselves. That alone will cut the time in half. Can you bring in some reliable lathe and welding workers who can avoid cracks during cutting? Offer them an extra 1,000 won per day and find trustworthy colleagues. But only recruit those who work well.”
“With such generous pay, anyone would want to come. I’ll take responsibility and find them.”
As Gu Chang-dong was about to head out enthusiastically, Lee Chang-jin called him back.
“Wait a moment, Manager Gu! Come here for a second.”
Lee Chang-jin took an envelope from his pocket and handed it to him.
“Huh? What’s this, boss?”
“It’s a bonus. Take it without worry; it’s separate from your salary. You worked hard, so have some meat with your family after work.”
It was a reward for staying up late without complaints.
Opening the envelope, Gu Chang-dong couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Is this… all for me?”
Inside were crisp banknotes totaling 30,000 won. Gu Chang-dong was stunned. A bonus? He had worked hard, earning a monthly salary of 50,000 won, and his daily wage as a welder in the complex was only 1,300 won.
With slightly reddened eyes, Gu Chang-dong looked at Lee Chang-jin. Despite working hard and suffering in various companies, the bosses had always settled matters with mere words. No one had given such direct compensation. Amused by his tearful smile, Lee Chang-jin grinned.
“Why are you staring like that, Manager Gu? Disappointed with the amount?”
“No, it’s just too much… I’m not sure if I deserve this.”
Gu Chang-dong felt guilty. In reality, he hadn’t contributed much to this task.
Lee Chang-jin had handled the gear making alone, and he had only assisted. Unsure of what to say, the hesitant Gu Chang-dong was patted on the shoulder by Lee Chang-jin.
“Haha. It’s not too much. It’s just what you earned. It includes night allowance based on the manager’s salary. Don’t feel burdened; you earned it. Starting today, your salary will be 150,000 won. Is that satisfactory?”
Overwhelmed, Gu Chang-dong couldn’t speak. The tip of his nose tingled. 150,000 won. A salary higher than a national university assistant professor. For a high school graduate like him, such exceptional treatment was unheard of. Feeling grateful for his choice to stay, Gu Chang-dong bowed his head.
“Of course, boss. I will work very hard, even if my bones break.”
People are loyal to those who recognize them.
Grateful, Gu Chang-dong repeatedly expressed thanks, making Lee Chang-jin smile.
“Haha, if your bones break, you can’t work. Don’t worry, Manager Gu. I’ll make sure you work hard enough. Once the word spreads about supplying to Cheong-u, we’ll be much busier.”
- To be continued in Episode 14 -
