Chapter 2: The First Step to Wealth
Chapter 2: The First Step to Wealth
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Seoul, 1990
The faint hum of the city filled the air as Jin Hoshino stared at the glowing system screen in front of him. ₩1,000,000 in 30 days. That was his first task.
It wasn't an impossible amount. But for someone like him, with no capital and no connections, it wasn't easy either.
There was no time to hesitate. He had to act now.
He didn't want to waste time on part-time jobs that paid pennies. He needed something fast, scalable, and legal.
His eyes landed on the old radio sitting on the shelf—a model from the early 80s that barely worked. His father had been fixing broken electronics for years.
A plan clicked into place.
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Fixing & Flipping Old Electronics
The next morning, Jin walked to his father's repair shop in a small alleyway near Namdaemun Market. The shop was tiny, cluttered with old TVs, radios, cassette players, and spare parts. His father was hunched over a broken television, muttering as he adjusted the wiring inside.
"Dad," Jin said, stepping inside. "Can I borrow some tools? And maybe a few of these broken radios?"
His father raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"I want to try fixing and reselling them."
His father let out a tired chuckle. "You've never repaired anything in your life."
"I've been watching you for years," Jin said. "I'll figure it out."
His father studied him for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. But don't break anything more than it already is."
With that, Jin grabbed three broken radios, a soldering iron, and a bag of spare parts.
He spent the entire day disassembling and repairing them. Thanks to the system's knowledge transfer, everything felt natural—like he had done it a hundred times before.
By evening, he had two fully repaired radios.
He took them to Dongdaemun Market the next morning and set them up at a street stall.
An older man stopped, examining one of the radios. "How much?"
"₩50,000," Jin said confidently.
The man frowned. "For a second-hand radio?"
"It's not just second-hand," Jin said. "I repaired it myself. Better sound quality, longer battery life. Try it."
The man tested it, nodding in approval. "Fine. I'll take one."
₩50,000 earned.
By the end of the day, Jin had sold both radios for a total of ₩100,000.
It was working.
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Scaling the Business
For the next three weeks, Jin focused on scaling up.
He went around local junk shops, second-hand markets, and even old apartments, collecting broken radios, cassette players, and walkmans that people no longer wanted.
Every night, he stayed up repairing them.
Every morning, he sold them in markets, electronic stores, and even to students at school.
By the end of Week 3, his total earnings had reached ₩850,000.
But he was running out of time. He needed a final push to cross the ₩1,000,000 mark.
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The Final Play: Arcade Machine Repairs
On his way home one evening, Jin passed by an arcade parlor near Hongdae. The place was packed, but he noticed something—one of the arcade machines was out of order.
He walked inside and approached the owner. "Excuse me, your machine's broken?"
The owner sighed. "Yeah. The repair guy charges too much, so I haven't fixed it yet."
"What if I fix it for ₩150,000?" Jin asked.
The man eyed him skeptically. "Kid, you're not a technician."
"I'm good with electronics. Let me try. If I don't fix it, you don't have to pay."
The owner hesitated, then waved him over. "Fine. If you screw it up more, I'm kicking you out."
Jin crouched in front of the arcade cabinet, pried it open, and got to work. The system had already uploaded knowledge of arcade circuit boards into his brain. Within thirty minutes, he had the wiring fixed and the machine booting up again.
The owner's eyes widened. "Damn. It actually works."
"You can pay me after you see if it lasts," Jin said.
The owner smirked. "Fine. Come back tomorrow."
The next day, the machine was still running perfectly. The owner handed him ₩150,000 in cash.
Total earnings: ₩1,000,000.
Task complete.
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[Beginner Task Completed!]
Total Earnings: ₩1,000,000
Reward: Stock Market Predictions Unlocked!
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A wave of new knowledge flooded his brain.
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✔ The Korean stock market is about to enter a major growth phase.
✔ Companies like Rainforest (Amazon), MicroWorks (Microsoft), and GigaSearch (Google) will explode in the coming years.
✔ Investing early in the right industries will create generational wealth.
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A shiver ran down Jin's spine.
He did it.
And this was just the beginning.
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End of Chapter 2