Episode 18: Material Purchase
“Hello. Is Manager Jeong Pil-ju there?”
“Manager Jeong, oh, you mean Deputy Manager Jeong? Ah, yes, please hold on.”
After a brief moment, the sound of the internal line changing could be heard, and someone answered the phone.
“Hello, this is Jeong Pil-ju.”
“Hey, Deputy Manager Jeong, have you been well?”
“Changjin?”
“Yeah, that’s right. How have you been? Looks like you’re doing well since you’ve been promoted.”
“Hey, how could you not contact me at all during that time?”
“Haha, sorry about that. By the way, do you have some time? I’d like to see you this afternoon.”
“Sure, I’m free after 6. Let’s meet after work.”
Lee Chang-jin made a reservation at a traditional Korean restaurant near Bukchon Hanok Village in Gye-dong, Seoul.
The place he reserved was a restaurant famous for its king crab dishes and had a very good reputation.
While waiting with the course meal set, he saw Jeong Pil-ju coming in.
Though only a few months had passed, Jeong Pil-ju looked quite neat in his new suit.
Lee Chang-jin smiled and greeted him.
“How have you been? You look like you’re doing well.”
“Yeah, Lee Chang-jin, how could you quit without a word?”
“Haha. Sorry about that. It was awkward to say anything as I was leaving. How’s the company these days?”
“Don’t even mention it. After you left, the company was turned upside down because of an embezzlement case.”
“What case?”
Lee Chang-jin asked, feigning ignorance.
“It was in the newspaper. Didn’t you see it? That guy Kim Kyung-gu got caught embezzling, and it caused a huge uproar. He embezzled a whopping 1 billion won. All the guys involved with him got fired in a row.”
Even though he had heard the story before, Lee Chang-jin pretended to listen as if it were new to him.
“Wow… I had no idea. By the way, when did you get promoted to deputy manager? You’re really capable.”
“Capable, my foot. It was just luck. After you left, Kim Kyung-gu got fired, and the higher-ups were completely replaced, so I got promoted by default. But what are you doing these days? Your girlfriend contacted me twice….”
“My girlfriend?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I’m talking about Seon-ah. She even came to the company lobby once, asking persistently where you went. How could you not tell the woman who is going to be your wife? Wait, did you break up?”
“No… It’s not that. There were some circumstances.”
“Did you have a fight or something? You won’t find another woman like her. Long love quarrels are not good. I tried to smooth things over, but you should contact her soon. She seems to be waiting for your call….”
“Haha, I got it, I got it. You nagging guy, let’s drink.”
Lee Chang-jin shared the stories he hadn’t been able to talk about while eating king crab.
After hearing about the recent developments, Jeong Pil-ju raised his thumb in admiration.
“I heard some news, but it’s really impressive. You’re already the president of a mid-sized company. You’re really something.”
“Mid-sized, my foot. It’s still at the level of a small shop. Stop flattering me, it’s embarrassing.”
“Haha. Your face doesn’t say that though.”
As the atmosphere warmed up, Lee Chang-jin brought up the main topic.
“Actually, I called you because I need a favor.”
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
“Can you get me a drawing for a crane? An overhead crane with a 15-ton capacity will do. It’s for the Changwon auto plant, and I’m urgently looking for one because there’s no stock available.”
“Hmm… a crane, huh….”
After thinking for a moment, Jeong Pil-ju clapped his hands.
“Ah, I remembered. There’s a guy named Woo Seong-chan at Mido Machinery, a junior I’m close with. I’ll swing by the factory on my way home the day after tomorrow and ask him to send over a drawing. He’s a guy who likes drinks, so a bottle of whiskey should do the trick.”
“Wow, thanks a lot. I’ll definitely repay you for this.”
“Thanks? This isn’t free. When you get successful, prepare a spot for me, alright?”
“Haha, got it. I’ll definitely call you once the company grows.”
After a warm farewell with Jeong Pil-ju, Lee Chang-jin fell into thought.
While pondering, he looked for a public phone on his way home.
He tried to contact Daeheung Trading, but unfortunately, the call didn’t go through.
“I’m sorry, but Chief Jin is currently on a business trip.”
“When will he be back?”
“Well, his exact schedule is not set, so I can’t say for sure. It will take over a week.”
“I see….”
“If you need urgent funds, should I connect you with another head? Since you are a valued customer, we can offer good conditions.”
“No, that’s fine. Just leave a message that I called. I’ll contact again later.”
After hanging up, Lee Chang-jin felt a bit disappointed but soon shook off the uneasy feeling and decided to focus on his work again.
Using the drawings obtained from Mido as a base, and referring to additional drawings he acquired, Lee Chang-jin redrew the bridge length and width according to the specifications requested by Cheongwoo.
Three days later, Yohan Seo, who saw the completed shop drawings, expressed his admiration.
“You’re really good at drawing. I think we can manufacture and assemble just with these shop drawings.”
“Haha, it’s something you get used to. By the way, Chief Seo, how’s the material procurement I instructed?”
“Ah, we managed to get all other aggregates and parts, but structural H-beams, angles, and steel plates for the boom are the problem. After the oil crisis, production seems to have decreased, and they are nowhere to be found. Securing raw materials is not easy.”
Other materials and parts could be procured through President Kim Cheol-ho or Shikshin Industries, but the 10mm thick steel plates were a different story. The 10mm steel plates were essential for making crane parts like guide rails, girders, and end trucks.
However, such high-strength steel plates were treated as strategic materials, making it difficult for a small company like Daese Industries to secure the required quantities. But Lee Chang-jin had an idea.
“Don’t worry. I’m already arranging a suitable supplier.”
If it wasn’t possible to procure materials through normal channels, why not use government-provided public works materials? Public works materials are not purchased directly by the contractor but are provided by the public institution that ordered the project. Since the ordering party is the government, they often purchase with surplus, leaving extra materials.
Lee Chang-jin was targeting that surplus. Thus, he looked through the directory of companies handling public works. As he carefully turned the pages, his hand stopped at a certain point.
‘Found it! Here it is.’
Manager Seo Ju-myeong. It was a very familiar name to him.
Lee Chang-jin vividly remembered.
The partner he used to work with on construction sites in his past life.
On the road from Bangbae to Gwacheon,
The thick forest surrounded the area since it was far from the city.
Driving along the seemingly endless mountain road, Gu Chang-dong had a worried expression.
“Wow, what kind of factory is in such a remote place? It’s so far. Mirae Construction is a large company, so why did they build a factory in a place like this? It’s so eerie, no one would know if someone got buried here secretly.”
“Though it doesn’t look like much, it’s perfect for a logistics warehouse. It’s directly connected to southern Seoul, Suwon, and Anyang. Plus, it has another function.”
Gu Chang-dong showed interest in Lee Chang-jin’s words.
“What function?”
“It’s what you call a place of exile. It’s the final stop for employees who caused trouble. In short, it’s a gathering place for troublesome people.”
“Exile? What kind of crimes did they commit?”
“Sometimes people who seemed fine when hired end up causing problems like embezzlement or fraud, or they get unlucky and get caught up in factional fights. It doesn’t look good to just fire them, and keeping them could cause more problems, so they are placed in a place like this. Once you go there, you’ll understand. There are even some thugs and gangsters hired through subcontractors to keep order.”
Gu Chang-dong looked appalled at Lee Chang-jin’s words.
“Are you saying we’re here to do business with those people?”
“Hey, they’re still human. Can’t we communicate? In fact, those guys are better at business. Stay sharp before we enter the factory. If you’re underestimated, you’ll be taken for a fool. Well, actually, you don’t need to act tough, just be careful with your words.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Tensed up, Gu Chang-dong was silent for a while. After some time, the vehicle stopped in front of the heavy machinery factory’s parking lot. As they entered the factory site located deep in the mountains, there was an inventory warehouse protruding outside, and in the yard, a mountain of raw construction materials was piled up.
Entering the factory, the smell of rust-proof paint and thinner filled the air.
Looking around, they saw rough-looking workers focused on welding tasks.
Lee Chang-jin, as if he had been there many times, shouted naturally.
“Hello? Manager Seo!”
At Lee Chang-jin’s voice, everyone’s eyes turned to him.
Soon, an old man driving a loader like Rambo appeared in front of him.
With white hair and a muscular build, his appearance was quite striking.
He was Manager Seo Ju-myeong, known as the boss of this place.
“What? Without any notice? Are you from the head office?”
At the gruff question, Lee Chang-jin politely handed over his business card.
Glancing at the business card, Manager Seo gave a peculiar look.
“Daese Industries? Where is that located? I’ve never heard of that company.”
His reaction seemed to say, ‘What kind of nonsense is this?’ but Lee Chang-jin greeted him without any concern.
“This is my first time greeting you. I am Lee Chang-jin, an operator of mechanical facilities in Mapo. I came to get some steel materials for business purposes.”
“Steel materials? What kind of steel materials?”
“Yes. I heard this factory makes gates for the Andong Dam. From what I know, you handle scrap steel materials here. I’m looking to buy some scrap steel materials like 10mm or thicker plates, angles, and pipes. Please sell me some. I’ll pay a good price.”
At those words, Manager Seo chuckled. He responded condescendingly.
“You’ve come to the wrong place. If you’re looking for construction materials, you’d better go to Guro. Do you think this is some kind of general store?”
“But isn’t it true that you handle steel materials here?”
“Nonsense, what kind of factory sells its own steel materials? We only receive materials, we don’t trade them. Leave now.”
Feigning ignorance, it seemed he had no intention of doing business.
Lee Chang-jin had no intention of leaving just like that. He responded nonchalantly.
“That can’t be true. Daewoong Construction’s Manager Lee Yoo-heon told me….”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Though Manager Seo tried to look calm, his eyes were shaking.
“I’ve heard many stories about your feats, Manager Seo. Setting a fire with gasoline on intact wires to sell copper cables… Your legendary feats of embezzlement, and many other interesting stories….”
“You little punk, where did you hear such nonsense! Are you picking a fight with me?”
As Manager Seo exploded in anger, Lee Chang-jin responded nonchalantly.
“If you’re innocent, you could just laugh it off, why get so worked up? I also heard you made quite a bit here? Should I ask my friend at Mirae Construction’s planning team to look into it?”
At those words, Manager Seo glared at Lee Chang-jin as if to kill him.
The sound of tools whirring had long stopped.
The atmosphere in the workshop instantly turned cold as if doused with cold water.
- To be continued in Episode 19 -
