Chapter 7

"Where did this order come from?" Gwangsu asked, suspicious but intrigued. "Don't tell me you forged something for me. That's a crime, you know."

"I got you a real order, Dad. From Wang Kangsu, the guy who runs the local video hall and rents out game cartridges. His brother-in-law just got promoted at the county police department—nobody's going to mess with him. He's ordering a thousand game cartridges; twenty-five thousand won per piece. After expenses, the factory should profit at least ten thousand won. And if it sells, he'll put in more orders, at the same price. The factory's sitting idle anyway. Half a month's real work could net us twenty million won to use for more projects, or just bonus it out. Everyone wins—even you!"

Jang Young had mapped this out. His dad wouldn't even need to sweat the details: just keep an eye on production, assign the right people, and let things run.

"In less than a month, you think we could make tens of millions?" Gwangsu's eyes widened. The factory hadn't seen numbers like that in years.

Once, Yongcheon Electronics had a staff of fifty, bringing in hundreds of millions a year. But most employees had transferred out, searching for more stable posts. There were only twenty left, and half of those were close to retirement—plus, no one wanted to go a year without their pension.

Back in the day, profits paid out wages, bonuses, and benefits. But as orders dried up, even paying salaries became a struggle.

If Young's plan worked… "I'll do it!" Gwangsu said at last, heart pounding.

"You'll see, Dad. I guarantee we'll sell at least that much, maybe much more. The factory could ride this business for another six months, maybe a year. Don't worry about the technical part—just coordinate production and buying materials. I can handle the rest."

"Wait, if I leave tech out… who takes care of it?" Gwangsu asked.

"Sun Kyung, of course—he's already been helping out. He sticks around the factory anyway, and he actually likes working. Trust him, Dad, I'll show you later."

"Sun Kyung? He's honest, practical, but hardly a tech genius. Never mind, you clearly don't get the details. Who's this Wang Kangsu, anyway? Show me the order. You're brave, cutting deals in my name."

"Dad, that's beside the point. Wang looked for me because he couldn't reach you. He knows I'm your son. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for someone to order plastic cases from the next county. If there's any problem with the supply, we can offer a down payment, or pay a premium if needed—either way, we'll get the shells."

"Nonsense!" snapped Soonran. "You want to hand out company money up front? People will say your father's embezzling! All purchasing should go through the proper accounts."

"Right—listen to your mother. Leave the money to me. So this video hall boss really wants a thousand cassettes? Did you at least get a deposit from him?"

Jang Young scratched his head. That, I did overlook… The electronics factory wasn't family property—they had to handle business by the book.

"The deal is, we send Wang Kangsu a few completed cassettes as samples first. Once he's happy, he'll put down a deposit and pay the rest on delivery. He stands to double or triple his money—he's not about to bail."

"That's not good enough. I'm going to see him tomorrow. We'll sign a formal contract so everything is clear and legal," Gwangsu said, resolute.

"Dad, no—you shouldn't be the one to go! You're the factory head now, you need to focus on production, organizing the team, and meeting with county officials to settle the workers' back pay. Everyone's waiting to get their New Year's bonus."

Truth was, Young didn't want his dad anywhere near Kangsu—there was a twenty-five-thousand-won margin in every sale, and the biggest cut was his.

I thought of the deal, I lined up the salesman, I'm handling logistics. It's only fair I make more.

"You'd better not mess this up," Gwangsu warned, but there was no anger in his words.

Young grinned. "No risk for us, Dad—if Kangsu doesn't pay, I keep the cassettes. Besides, the original sample cassettes were his anyway, they're worth over a million alone. If he's worried, he'll show up himself."

"I'll try it your way," Gwangsu said, finally relenting. "Sixteen years old and making deals… Maybe it runs in the family. Just update me on anything big, and if Kangsu gets tricky, I'll step in."

"Understood, Dad!" Young beamed.

"Now, get my soju. This calls for celebration!" Gwangsu laughed.

"You're celebrating too soon—I haven't closed the deal yet! Mom, let me help warm up the stew and cut you both some salted duck eggs." Soonran was already at the stove, grumbling but secretly pleased.

The next morning, Jang Young cycled over to the factory, grabbed handfuls of the newly-made cartridges, then pedaled down the street toward the video hall.

He also gave instructions for Sun Kyung to keep burning more cassettes—Super Mario was up next. As soon as his father stepped into the lab, Young hurried away before he could be called back.

"Chief Engineer!" Sun Kyung saluted nervously.

"What are you working on?"

"Burning game cartridges, Chief. Jang Young said it was on your orders… right?"

Gwangsu cleared his throat. "That's right. Keep at it—if this order works out, everyone will get their New Year's bonus. When you're done with this run, gather the others for a meeting."

Can one person really produce enough in a day? he wondered. Maybe it's simple… but if it was so easy, why wasn't everyone doing it already? Maybe this was already happening down south, and they were just late to the party…

Meanwhile, Jang Young biked through the chilly morning, stopping at the battered door of Kangsu's video hall. He thumped on the door, breath puffing in the cold, until Kangsu's bleary face peeked out.

"What's all the noise? Oh—Jang Young, it's you?"

"I've got the sample cassettes. Want to see if they work on your console? If they do, we can start mass production immediately."

His words came out in a cloud of steam. Kangs

u's eyes widened in surprise. "That fast? Come on—let's test them inside!"