We distributed a new price list to start collecting discarded circuit boards, and Team Leader Park Jong-bum departed for Japan.
As soon as the prices were announced, we were flooded with inquiries from discarded computer businesses, junkyards, wholesalers, middlemen, and even, surprisingly, incineration companies, all eager to get rid of their troublesome circuit boards.
I instructed my employees to buy any and all boards, regardless of condition, and dispatched them to various companies.
I was satisfied with the overwhelming response from day one and headed back to the dormitory after work as usual.
My room was located at the end of the second floor, one of the two dormitory floors above the office.
After showering, I grabbed a bottle of soju and knocked on Maru's door.
"Maru, let's hang out!"
A moment later, Maru, fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around him, opened the door, steam rising from his body.
"Drinking again?"
"Of course, a drink after work is a must."
I pushed past Maru and entered his room.
"A toast to my hard work."
I took a swig while Maru tidied up.
"Ah, the sharp taste of the first drink is the best."
"Wait a minute, let's drink together."
Maru sat down, and we started emptying the soju bottle, one glass at a time.
"By the way, hyung, aren't you going to buy a house?"
"What are you talking about? The dormitory is fine. Why would I buy a house? It's convenient for commuting."
Maru seemed to contemplate for a moment before saying,
"I'm planning to look for a house soon."
His words were like a bolt from the blue. The soju I was drinking spilled from my mouth.
"What! Why! You're my closest confidant! You should be sticking to me like glue!"
"You know how much I've always wanted my own house."
Having grown up in an orphanage and lived in tiny, shared rooms while working construction to save money, Maru was deeply attached to the idea of owning a house.
"But still, this is too sudden."
"It's not like I'm quitting. I'll be commuting. Anyway, thanks to you, I've saved a lot of money. Combined with what I had before, I think I can afford a small apartment and a used car."
Being a CEO was a lonely job. All the decisions and responsibilities of the company rested on my shoulders.
Employees could gather and gossip about their superiors, they could rely on each other, but they couldn't truly connect with the CEO.
Maru had always filled that void for me.
From trivial chatter to discussing business strategies and plans, I always consulted with Maru.
He was like a mother-in-law, keeping my reckless impulses in check. He was an indispensable friend.
And who would be my drinking buddy if he left?
"No, I can't allow it. You're not ready for independence."
"Are you my parent or something? Why are you overreacting? It's not like I'm moving far away. I'll obviously find a place near the company for easy commuting. We can still drink together at a bar like before."
"You're still young!"
"You're only three years older than me."
"You should be saving money! If you spend it recklessly, you'll end up a beggar!"
Maru looked at me as if I was crazy.
"Are you drunk? After just a few drinks?"
"I'm perfectly sober! Come on, stay in the dormitory a little longer. What's the point of having a house if you're all alone?"
"That's one of the reasons. I want to get married and start a family. But who would marry an orphan like me if I don't even have a house?"
His words silenced me.
"I want to get married as soon as possible, have kids, and live a normal life. What if I miss the opportunity when it comes? I need to start preparing now."
Just as much as he yearned for a house, Maru also longed for a family.
Having grown up as an orphan, he had never experienced the warmth of a family and had always envied me. Now that he was starting to feel settled, his suppressed desires seemed to be surfacing one by one.
I felt a pang of guilt. Had I been too self-centered?
"I can't argue with that. Alright, I'll let you go. But our friendship will last forever!"
I extended my hand for a high five.
"This is so cheesy. What's gotten into you today? Take it easy."
Maru ignored my outstretched hand and took a sip of soju, leaving me hanging. I awkwardly lowered my hand.
"How much have you saved?"
"About 80 million won."
"Can you buy an apartment with that? You said you want to buy a car too."
"Ansan is cheaper than Seoul. I can afford a small apartment on the outskirts."
80 million won… I had over 4 billion won in cash alone, and considering the value of the junkyard, the discarded computer assembly factory, the secondhand goods warehouse, the branch warehouses, and the over 20 trucks, my total assets exceeded 5 billion won.
I wasn't mistreating Maru. He was earning a 10 million won salary, I gave him allowance whenever I could, and I even gave him 5% of Chunha Trading's shares.
Although Chunha Trading's official monthly sales were only 200-300 million won, the actual sales exceeded 5 billion won.
Most of the revenue came from the secondhand goods business, so the net profit wasn't as high. But it was still a solid company with annual sales of 60 billion won, and 5% of its shares were worth hundreds of millions of won.
But shares were just numbers on paper. They lacked a sense of reality.
Even if they were worth hundreds of millions of won, he couldn't sell them, and there were no dividends.
It was time to show my gratitude to Maru, who had been my right-hand man, taking care of all the dirty work.
"You said you're buying a house to get married. Would a small apartment be enough? You're an orphan, you need to have some pride. Look for something over 40 pyeong in the city."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm the CEO, you can't be driving a better car than me, right? Get a Grandeur. I'll lend you the money."
"Hyung…"
"My brother is trying to get married, the least I can do is lend him some money. And since you're looking for a house anyway, can you also look for a place for my parents and Hwa-young?"
I knew Maru would feel burdened if I just gave him the money, so I decided to lend it to him and deduct a fixed amount from his salary every month, which I would then secretly return to him as allowance.
I expected Maru to be deeply moved. I imagined him praising me for being a great brother. But he just looked at me with a blank expression.
"What's wrong? Aren't you touched?"
"Touched by what? You're lending me money and acting like you're doing me a favor? Anyway, I'll take it."
I was annoyed by his words and lunged at him.
"You little… I'm showing you my generosity, and that's all you have to say? Should I cancel the offer?"
"Do whatever you want!"
We wrestled playfully for a while.
We were so rough that we both ended up lying on the floor, panting.
"Huff, huff, huff. You're so strong. Would it kill you to lose to your brother once in a while?"
"…Hyung."
"What?"
"Thank you. I'll work hard."
I chuckled and replied,
"Good. Work hard."
Two weeks passed, and August arrived. The sun became even more scorching, and the employees started to wilt.
"Did you all finalize your vacation plans?"
"Yes, we're taking turns going on vacation for a week each, in three shifts."
The work was still hectic, and I had to keep the company running to maintain our hard-earned dominance.
So we divided the employees into three groups by department and scheduled their vacations separately to minimize disruption.
"I'm a good boss, right? I even take care of my employees' vacation plans."
Maru, who was reading a book next to me, scoffed.
"Good, my ass. You were the one who wanted to replace their vacation with a weekend hiking trip."
I honestly didn't want to give them vacations. So I had subtly suggested to Maru that we go on a hiking trip instead, but he vehemently opposed it, so I gave up.
"Come on, it's not fair. The employees get to go on vacation during the summer, and I, the CEO, have to work at the company. Isn't that unfair?"
I pouted, and Maru growled,
"Are you comparing yourself to the employees? They're just getting paid to work, and you're the owner! They have their own lives and families. And you think they would be thrilled to go hiking with you?"
"We can just give them money instead of vacation! And hiking can be fun. What makes you so sure they would hate it?"
"I guarantee it. They would absolutely hate it."
"Yes, yes, you're so wise. You must have worked at other companies and have a lot of experience in the real world."
Maru ignored my sarcasm and continued reading his book.
"What are you reading?"
"A book about electronics."
"You can read that? I can't understand a single thing in those books."
"That's why I'm studying. Don't talk to me, I need to focus."
He was getting more and more disrespectful. He was worse than a nagging mother-in-law.
"You little… I'll get my revenge someday."
"Whatever."
Maru stopped responding to me altogether.
"I'm bored, entertain me."
"…"
"Hey!"
Just then, my cell phone rang. I glared at Maru and answered the call.
"Hello, this is Park Sol from Chunha Trading."
—Sir! Sir! It's Team Leader Park Jong-bum!
Park Jong-bum's voice sounded urgent.
"Yes, Team Leader Park, what's going on?"
—Come to Japan right now! We can do the circuit board thing! But I don't have the authority to proceed any further! Bring your business registration, your seal, everything you can, and come to Japan as soon as possible!