Episode 2: Return to 1973
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The grating sound of a clock’s second hand.
A man groaning as if crushed by a rock.
A man thrashing his arms as if in sleep paralysis suddenly sat up with a scream.
“Huh!”
Lee Chang-jin, covered in cold sweat, opened his eyes.
It was still the middle of the night, with no lights on, and the surroundings were dim.
“Could it be, I’m still not dead?”
With the relief of being alive, Lee Chang-jin let out a bitter smile.
He thought he had let go of all attachments, but it seemed he still had the will to live.
What a long life span.
As he consoled himself, Lee Chang-jin suddenly paused.
“But where is this place…?”
In front of him was not the hospital room 203 where he had been staying, but a small room about 5 pyeong in size.
There were LP records popular in the 70s, a desk, and a reading stand.
A lamp with an on-off switch and pentagon-shaped commemorative pendants hung on the wall like rags.
There were only a few suits hanging on the clothes hanger.
A poster of Farrah Fawcett in a swimsuit, who was famous as a pin-up girl model in the 70s, caught his eye.
Lee Chang-jin felt a sense of déjà vu from the memories that surfaced.
If his memory was correct, this was definitely the boarding house room he stayed in decades ago.
The unfamiliarity of revisiting a place from his memories left Lee Chang-jin bewildered.
Suddenly, a flood of memories surged into his head accompanied by a headache.
With the pain as if his skull was splitting, Lee Chang-jin groaned.
“Ugh!!”
Fragments of memories popped up like popcorn.
The experiences he had so far spread out like a photo album from the past.
Scenes flashed by like a panorama.
Once the headache subsided, Lee Chang-jin barely regained his composure.
‘What the… happened?’
He unconsciously stared at the white wall.
There was a red line drawn on the wall calendar.
“July 26, 1973?”
Startled, Lee Chang-jin reached for the calendar.
And then he suddenly realized something peculiar.
The old, wrinkled skin like tree bark had disappeared…
Blinking his eyes at his now youthful, taut palms, Lee Chang-jin looked at the mirror beside the desk.
There, a young man in his prime was staring back at him.
A portrait from his younger days, which he had seen when he was near death.
As he touched his rejuvenated face, he heard the chirping of birds.
Following the tickling sound, Lee Chang-jin instinctively opened the curtains.
Outside the double-pane window, sparrows were sitting in a cluster on the electric wire.
“Oh my god…”
Under the murky sky of Seoul, gathered gray buildings.
It was a typical Seoul landscape from the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Western-style houses built in the ‘60s and Japanese-style buildings.
Behind the alleys where cars on the verge of breaking down were sputtering by,
There were clusters of shabby shantytowns where commoners lived.
Lee Chang-jin, entranced, stared at the scene.
As a cold wind blew into the room, he suddenly came to his senses.
Closing the window, Lee Chang-jin fixed his gaze on the old navy desk.
There was a yellowed newspaper neatly placed on it.
[Completion of P Steel Mill Imminent, Opening the Era of Iron and Steel Patriotism… ]
Iron and Steel Patriotism? Confirming the newspaper date, he checked the calendar again.
25th, so this must be yesterday’s newspaper?
The current situation didn’t feel real to Lee Chang-jin.
It felt as if the clock had turned backward, like a scene from a movie.
Sitting on the bed, Lee Chang-jin began to organize his thoughts calmly.
If all of this was real, had he traveled back 47 years?
“Haha, this is so absurd.”
Unconsciously shivering, Lee Chang-jin trembled.
They say people with many regrets dream of the happiest times before they die.
He suddenly pinched his cheek.
“Ouch!”
The vivid pain proved that this wasn’t a dream.
So, had he really come back?
Not the time when he failed in business and aged pathetically, but his younger days.
Back to the time when he was still youthful.
Suddenly, a hot surge welled up inside him.
This might be a reward from heaven.
For all the hardships and adversities he had faced.
But the time he spent immersed in sentiment was very brief.
Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door.
Startled, a familiar voice reached Lee Chang-jin’s ears.
“Chang-jin, are you listening?”
Startled by the voice of the boarding house lady he hadn’t heard in decades, Lee Chang-jin immediately responded.
“Yes, ma’am! I’m listening.”
“Ah, sorry, I thought you might be asleep. But aren’t you going to work? It’s already past 7.”
Looking at the cuckoo clock on the wall, it was already 7:20.
For a typical office worker, it was time to have finished getting ready for work.
Regaining his composure, Lee Chang-jin slapped his face hard.
‘Oh well, I’ll think about the details later, let’s focus on getting to work first.’
Quickly tidying his messy hair, Lee Chang-jin washed his face briefly.
After putting on the suit he had ironed in advance, he left the room, smelling the bubbling kimchi stew from downstairs.
The boarding house lady, with her permed hair and a friendly impression, was wearing an apron with a ladle in her hand.
“Chang-jin, aren’t you going to eat breakfast? No matter how busy you are, you should eat breakfast.”
“Ah, sorry, I’m running late, so I think I have to go quickly.”
By the time he finished changing his clothes, it was almost 8 o’clock.
Just as the bus was about to depart, Lee Chang-jin arrived at the bus stop, panting.
Fortunately, the bus wasn’t full, so Lee Chang-jin hurriedly found a seat.
The bus conductor, after confirming all the passengers were seated, cheerfully hit the side of the bus.
“All right! We’re departing.”
Rattle-rattle~!
The old bus started running, spewing black exhaust.
Through the rattling vehicle, picturesque sceneries unfolded outside.
Buildings emitting smoke as if burning coal.
Passing through the familiar landscapes of old memories, the vehicle soon entered the forest of buildings.
The place he arrived at was the Samilro Building, Mannheim headquarters.
Getting off the bus, Lee Chang-jin stood still, looking up at the building.
Why did he feel so emotional?
In fact, this was the workplace he stayed at until he started his own business.
A so-called ‘god-tier job’ at a foreign company, Mannheim.
Hesitating for a moment, someone tapped his shoulder.
“Oh, Manager Lee. You’re early. You managed not to be late.”
“Ah… Kim Manager…”
Greeting him warmly was his direct supervisor, Manager Kim Yeon-sik.
The person who was his direct superior and team leader when he worked at Mannheim?
Kim Yeon-sik, receiving Lee Chang-jin’s greeting, slightly lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Still diligent. Even though you must be hungover from the heavy drinking, you came early. Youth sure is great.”
“Ah… It’s not that…”
Clearly filled with goodwill. With nothing more to say, Lee Chang-jin awkwardly scratched his head.
Had he drunk last night? In fact, he couldn’t remember that part.
Kim Manager, perhaps mistaking Lee Chang-jin’s behavior for humility, patted him on the shoulder as if he was proud.
“The meeting will start soon, so get ready.”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Alright, see you in a bit.”
At Kim Manager’s words, Lee Chang-jin nodded his head.
Standing in front of the building, Lee Chang-jin took a deep breath.
As he stepped inside, a sleek lobby welcomed him.
A high ceiling and smooth marble, unusual for an old building.
The corridor lined with red carpet felt familiar.
It felt like stepping into an old memory.
The receptionist who was at the information desk greeted Lee Chang-jin with a fresh smile as he entered.
“Good morning, Manager Lee!”
The receptionist with her hair up looked quite cute.
The subtle smile reminded Lee Chang-jin of the past.
Was she a staff member he was close to before?
He remembered she had a fondness for him.
“Yes. Good morning to you too, Na-yeon.”
Remembering her name, Lee Chang-jin responded in a refreshing voice.
Unbeknownst to him, his slightly higher tone was more attractive than usual.
Feeling that something about him had matured, the receptionist tilted her head curiously.
“You seem in a better mood than usual today. Did something good happen?”
“Ah, yes. Something very special did happen…”
Adjusting his tie, Lee Chang-jin looked around the lobby.
Even if he tried to explain, no one would understand.
Because something logically impossible had happened.
A chance obtained like a miracle.
A second life.
Lee Chang-jin resolved to live properly this time.
Right after arriving at work, Lee Chang-jin headed to the meeting room.
At Mannheim, an engineering company, Lee Chang-jin was an engineer in the Industrial Plant Division.
Due to the nature of foreign companies where teams are organized by each field, the freedom was high, but the work level was quite tough.
They were in the final stages of checking the facilities at the Anyang Steel Plant, which was about to be completed, and preparing for the blast furnace operation.
Before the strategic meeting, Manager Kim Yeon-sik began coordinating the team.
“Manager Jeong Pil-joo, how’s the industrial water supply system report coming along?”
“Ah, that part, the technical specs were revised, so we are re-evaluating it.”
“What? What are you talking about now!”
“Well… the cooling water system was revised, but Anyang Steel accidentally omitted the report. So we are checking the revised specs now.”
“So, what are the revised parts?”
“Ah, we haven’t confirmed that yet… We are still reviewing it.”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Jeong Pil-joo floundered, not knowing what to do. The process report was all in English, so the review was not yet complete.
Sensing the situation like a ghost, Manager Kim lost his temper.
“Hey, you bird-brain. As an engineer, you still can’t read a report properly! What’s wrong with you?”
“Sorry. If you give me a bit more time…”
“Forget it. What about the others? Has anyone reviewed this part?”
Employees started making excuses one after another.
“I don’t know. That’s not my part.”
“I was too busy to review the additional parts. Sorry.”
As Manager Kim looked around, everyone avoided his gaze and was busy making excuses.
Clicking his tongue in discontent, Manager Kim’s gaze suddenly stopped at Lee Chang-jin.
“Then Manager Lee, what’s your take on this?”
“Yes?”
“You’re in charge of the preceding part, aren’t you? You must have a rough idea of what’s going on.”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Lee Chang-jin was slightly flustered.
In fact, he had only skimmed through the documents in the morning.
But surprisingly, the answer popped up in his mind like a popup window.
Having identified the issue instantaneously, Lee Chang-jin responded calmly.
“Ah, this is a system configuration issue due to a change in the technical specs. Originally, there were two pumps with a capacity of 100 tons per hour, but the revised specs changed to three pumps with a capacity of 50 tons per hour each. So, one line is missing.”
Manager Kim made an interesting expression at Lee Chang-jin’s answer.
“Oh… Then do you know the solution?”
“It’s just a matter of the system configuration not matching the comprehensive equipment layout. We need to check the purchase specs of the industrial water pump supplier and adjust the line size.”
Everyone made an impressed expression at the clear answer.
Satisfied with the answer, Manager Kim nodded.
“Good. Manager Jeong, you heard him? Everyone, learn from this attitude. Proceed as Manager Lee said.”
As the meeting ended, Manager Jeong Pil-joo patted Lee Chang-jin on the shoulder and whispered.
“Thanks, you saved me. I haven’t finished reading it yet.”
“Haha, it’s alright. This world goes around by helping each other.”
“Thanks. But when did you review all that? Impressive, Manager Lee.”
“I just got lucky.”
Returning to his desk, Lee Chang-jin reviewed the remaining tasks. Surprisingly, after his regression, the technical terms that had been so difficult flowed smoothly.
Finishing the review of the contract and technical parts in just a few hours, Lee Chang-jin was amazed at himself.
‘It’s fascinating, the books I read and experiences I had in the future are all coming back to me like it was just yesterday.’
Though he didn’t know the reason, it seemed his brain had become sharper.
Perhaps that’s why the evaluation of Lee Chang-jin within the company improved dramatically.
Thanks to the experience from the future, he became more seasoned, gaining composure and confidence.
However, the more he was recognized within the company, the more determined Lee Chang-jin became.
‘Indeed, I should quit the company and go independent as soon as possible.’
In fact, for Lee Chang-jin, who had memories of the future, working at a company was like operating a taxi with the skills to pilot a jet.
Of course, it wasn’t that he lacked confidence in succeeding if he continued working.
Unlike the variables in personal business, being in management just required doing the given tasks.
Graduating from Kyunggi High School, being the top student in his department at Korea University.
And his fluent foreign language skills.
Even just following the given track, there would be no problem in achieving success for Lee Chang-jin.
But Lee Chang-jin was inherently someone who liked challenges.
Moreover, his mind was filled with numerous ideas.
Bus terminals, department stores, OEM models, cosmetics, etc.
Knowing the memories of the future was a significant advantage and weapon.
Unless something extraordinary happened, the main course of history would remain unchanged.
If so, making money was just like scooping up a gold mine.
So, whenever he had time, Lee Chang-jin organized important events one by one.
- Jubail Port Construction, Juaymah Natural Gas Liquefaction Plant Construction, Tripoli Housing Project, Taiwan High Speed Rail Project, Karun Dam Construction in Iran, Libya Great Man-Made River Project, Plaza Rakyat in Malaysia, Kathmandu International Airport Expansion in Nepal, Jang Yeong-ja Incident, Plaza Accord, Gangnam Development, Bubble Burst, IMF, etc…
Lee Chang-jin rolled his pen, jotting down keywords that came to mind in his notebook.
He had to find the links between all these events from now on.
Then, what business should he start with?
As he was pondering, he saw Manager Kim reading the newspaper.
On the horizontally spread front page of the newspaper, an editorial by the Kyunghyang Ilbo’s chief editor caught his eye.
An editorial titled ‘A Discourse on the Promotion of Heavy and Chemical Industries.’
‘Yes, that’s it.’
As something popped into his mind, Lee Chang-jin snapped his fingers.
That’s right. There was no need to hesitate.
The business he chose as his first venture was none other than the precision machinery industry.
- To be continued in Episode 3 -
