Episode 49: Farming Cooperative
Lee Chang-jin handed over an envelope and said,
“This is the amount including this month’s salary and relocation expenses for the residents here. I’ve put in enough so that it won’t be lacking.”
Old Man Go’s eyes widened as he checked the money envelope. The amount inside was 400,000 won.
Moved by Lee Chang-jin’s genuine gesture, Old Man Go asked with a slightly tearful voice,
“But we haven’t done anything yet, are you really giving this to us? What if we take this and run?”
“Haha, would you really do that? Think of this as a kind of down payment. Of course, it’s not free. Please help us dismantle the barbed wire and fences before the main construction starts.”
“Of course, just leave it to us!”
After signing the land sale contract, Lee Chang-jin immediately began the groundwork. The first step was to demolish the collapsed greenhouse complex and clear out dead bonsai and waste materials.
Before the full-scale construction, Lee Chang-jin called Section Chief Koo separately.
“Section Chief Koo, please contact Sikshin Industrial and find out about their container house manufacturing company.”
“Container houses?”
“Yes… Do you remember the two-story container building we saw during our last visit? The office made by stacking two containers in a staggered manner. It was clearly done by a professional. You know why I’m sending you, right? It might be a hassle, but please do a good job.”
In fact, Section Chief Koo was still dating the female secretary he met at Sikshin Industrial last time.
Appreciative of Lee Chang-jin’s subtle consideration, Koo Chang-dong smiled broadly.
“Understood. I’ll find out right away.”
Excited, Koo Chang-dong rushed to Paju.
Upon hearing the request, President Go Sang-don nodded.
“Ah, that? It was made by Hong from Seongjin Construction. He’s very efficient. I’ll contact him right away, so just tell him you came through my introduction.”
Seongjin Construction was a mid-sized construction company founded about 10 years ago, and its CEO, Hong In-young, had a rather unique background. He attended an art college but changed his path to become an architect for his dream. He worked as a manager at Mirae Construction, gaining nearly 30 years of experience as a civil engineering expert.
Afterwards, he used his severance pay to realize his self-fulfillment by starting his own company and running a construction firm.
After reviewing Hong’s career and project performance, Lee Chang-jin found him quite trustworthy.
Lee Chang-jin took the basic layout he received from Mannheim’s Section Chief Jung Pil-joo and visited CEO Hong In-young. Upon seeing the blueprint, CEO Hong showed immediate interest.
“This is a temporary accommodation design for Anyang Steel. Are you saying you want to stack containers in this structure to create a communal housing?”
“Yes. To be precise, it’s a dormitory and communal housing. We need two buildings: one container house that can accommodate 10 households and one dormitory. The total construction budget is around 6 million won. We want the building to be in a U-shape, with a wide lower part and a narrow upper part, to maximize stability.”
As Lee Chang-jin sketched a rough plan, CEO Hong nodded.
“This is a communal house with a net area of about 16 pyeong per unit.”
“Bingo, that’s exactly what I want. The site area for the temporary building is 100 pyeong, with wall thickness of at least 18cm for thermal insulation and soundproofing. Additionally, I’d like a separate dormitory and office for the staff. The first floor of the 24-pyeong building will be the office, and the upper floor will be the dormitory, with a distance of 50 meters or more from the residential houses.”
“So, what’s the expected construction period?”
“I’m thinking about two months, including permits. Oh, in addition to the costs mentioned earlier, I’ll provide separate funds for landscaping, septic tank installation, and communal shower facilities.”
After listening to the project requirements, CEO Hong reviewed the layout in detail.
After mentally calculating the construction period and costs, he was enthusiastic.
“I’ll do it. The layout itself is not an issue, so it seems like only a minor revision is needed to fit the current conditions. Since it’s a house for people, not a factory, we’ll just need to change the orientation to face south.”
“Great. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
After finishing the discussion with CEO Hong, Lee Chang-jin called Ye Jin-joo and instructed her.
“Ms. Ye, organize the specified taxes and fees by category and have them reviewed by the tax accountant. As soon as the design drawings for the houses and offices are completed, please apply for building permits and excavation permits from the district office. The permit documents need to be ready a week before the start of construction.”
“Understood.”
While the permits were being processed, the container manufacturing started first. Since the container houses were pre-fabricated at the factory up to about 90% and then transported to the desired installation site for fixing, it was fine to start the work in advance.
While the foundation work for the housing was underway on one side, the reconstruction of the livestock shed was in full swing on the other.
The livestock shed was designed to separate the rearing area from the laying area. Lee Chang-jin was in charge of the construction design and supervision, while Dong-geun and three cooperative members were directly involved in the construction work.
A month later, the pre-fabricated containers were delivered and stacked like Tetris pieces. The housing installation was carried out using two cranes and one payloader.
As the boxes were stacked like Lego blocks, a decent structure was soon completed.
After assembling the houses, offices, and dormitories, the work on the walls, plumbing, wiring, and connecting the on-site water supply and drainage took less than two weeks in total. The residents were amazed at the completed houses.
“Wow, is this really the house we’re going to live in?”
“It’s so luxurious. Are we really allowed to live in a place like this?”
The U-shaped houses looked impressive from the outside. The rainwater drainage was already completed to ensure proper water flow around the yard and the house during rain. A walking path was also created in the front yard. The interiors, equipped with sinks and built-in closets, utilized drawers to maximize space efficiency.
As an art major, CEO Hong had an excellent sense of aesthetics.
The exterior was finished with warm materials like wood and painted brown.
The houses, each with two rooms and the latest bathroom facilities, were aesthetically pleasing works of art.
After the construction, CEO Hong explained,
“Each unit has a dedicated area of about 16 pyeong. Although it may seem small, the interior layout is based on the latest apartments, so it shouldn’t be inconvenient for living. Using containers for maritime transport, the level of insulation and noise reduction is not much different from regular buildings.”
“Thank you for your hard work, CEO Hong. The budget must have been tight, but you did an excellent job.”
“No, I should be thanking you, Mr. Lee, for giving me this opportunity. I hope the residents will be satisfied. It’s been a while since I could work with such passion.”
At around the same time, the poultry farm was also nearing completion. Since chickens are animals that emit a lot of heat per unit weight, the rearing area was designed to be completely open for heat management, and during winter, curtains were used for wind protection and heat preservation.
The roof was replaced with slate material, and the insulation was done with glass wool, which has high insulation levels and is less susceptible to rodent damage, applied to the underside of the roof.
Moreover, in the poultry farm where the indoor temperature was set to 23 degrees, the ventilation and spray systems operated 24/7, continuously expelling hot air and drawing in fresh air. Dong-geun, who inspected the completed poultry farm, expressed his admiration.
“Wow, it’s so spacious and incredibly comfortable.”
Checking the ceiling, Dong-geun was once again impressed by Lee Chang-jin’s meticulous design. The ventilation inlets for drawing in external air were created at the upper part of the barn walls and under the eaves, while the ridge line had exhaust vents for expelling air from inside the barn, ensuring good hygiene and heat preservation.
“It’s currently scaled to accommodate up to 10,000 chickens, but we’ll expand it as the scale grows. Since livestock facilities with dense breeding are particularly vulnerable to heat, make sure to ventilate properly during heatwaves and occasionally spray cold water to lower the temperature. Oh, we’ve also installed an emergency generator to prepare for unexpected situations like lightning strikes, so don’t forget to conduct regular inspections.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“From now on, think of yourself as the president of the farming cooperative, Mr. Lee Dong-geun. The full practical authority for managing the poultry farm belongs to you.”
“It’s a heavy responsibility. I’ll do my best.”
“One more thing. Regarding the amount related to the distributed shares, a certain amount will be deducted from the monthly salary, and there will be no profit distribution for five years until the poultry business is normalized. Of course, selling shares is also impossible for five years. Everyone else is okay with this, right?”
“Of course.”
“I have no complaints.”
Nodding their heads, Deok-gu, Bok-soon, and Gwang-deok were each allocated about 0.7% of the shares.
They are employees and shareholders of the company. Lee Chang-jin emphasized one last time.
“Everyone, please work hard as if it’s your own company. We’ll receive performance reports quarterly and financial statements semi-annually through the cooperative president. Oh, and be sure to attach photos as supporting materials for the reports. The expenses will be handled by Ms. Ye from now on, so get familiar with her.”
The farming cooperative members, including Dong-geun, replied in unison.
“Yes!! Understood!”
“I’m glad to hear your enthusiastic voices. Please take care of things from now on.”
With the completion of the construction at Maljukgeori, Lee Chang-jin was relieved. Having overcome a major hurdle, he could now focus on his main duties.
Time passed, and it was the peak of summer. A few months after moving the company to the Yeongcheon factory, Daese Industries’ monthly sales exceeded 300 million won, and operating profit surpassed 100 million won. With 10 full-time employees and about 30 part-time workers, they decided to separate the precision machinery and crane assembly divisions.
In the now well-established factory, strategic meetings were held every morning like a ritual. Section Chief Koo Chang-dong and the team handling the machinery part reported one by one. Section Chief Koo spoke first.
“First, the vacuum dryer part. The product for drying electrical wires requested by Anyang Steel is almost complete. The installation work is scheduled to proceed next week.”
“Any particular issues with the development of the household model?”
“There don’t seem to be any major issues. The progress is quite fast. The top line models have already entered full-scale production.”
“That’s a relief. Keep up the good work. Foreman Seo, did you properly check the order quantities from Cheongwoo?”
Foreman Lee Yong-sik reported the details.
“Yes, it includes ball screws and linear guides for braking and deceleration devices, 500 each. The deadline is in two weeks.”
“The order quantity is larger than expected. Can you handle it?”
“Although it’s tight in terms of operation schedule, we should be able to meet it.”
“Don’t rush too much, and pay attention to the defect rate. Conduct thorough safety inspections before starting work. Adjust the work equipment and carefully check the hydraulic pressure. What about the cooling system installation I mentioned last time?”
“Sorry, but it hasn’t been installed yet. It’s scheduled to arrive in three days.”
“When was the order placed, and they’re still dragging their feet? Tell them to hurry up.”
“Yes, understood.”
With the increasing workload and rising temperatures, machine overheating became more frequent.
Therefore, Lee Chang-jin paid special attention to cooling. Precision machinery products, like humans, require delicate work and are prone to damage due to overload or fatigue.
Moreover, since the factory handled hazardous equipment such as welders and lathes, a single slip could lead to a major accident. Hence, Lee Chang-jin was more attentive to safety and quality than anyone else.
After reviewing the documents, Lee Chang-jin gave specific instructions to Ye Jin-joo and Lee Yong-sik.
“Foreman Lee, frequently check the workers’ conditions, and Deputy Ye, prepare clean drinking water and simple beds in the staff lounge. Oh, make sure the air conditioner is running cool in the lounge.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Yes, boss.”
Foreman Lee Yong-sik and secretary Ye Jin-joo responded together. Deputy Ye was recently promoted to deputy manager in recognition of her recent performance. As Lee Chang-jin left the meeting room, he asked,
“It’s unusual to see Deputy Ye wearing glasses. Did your eyesight get worse recently?”
“Oh, no. I saw a celebrity on TV wearing glasses, and they looked more intellectual. So, I got a pair without lenses. How do I look?”
Her pose of lifting the horn-rimmed glasses looked quite fitting. Lee Chang-jin nodded.
“It suits you well. Certainly more scholarly than before.”
“Really?”
Ye Jin-joo, smiling at the compliment, looked a bit shy.
Just then, a telex sound buzzed, and an official document was printed out.
“Wait a moment, boss.”
Carefully examining the printed content, Ye Jin-joo exclaimed in surprise,
“Look at this, boss!! Finally, a joint cooperation letter of intent from Clark has arrived!”
- To be continued in Episode 50 -
