CH108 | VOC

“What is it? Is today a collection day?” a Brio Metals employee asked.

The junkyard owner forced a smile. “It’s supposed to be the day after tomorrow, but I’m busy that day, so I thought I’d come early. Is that a problem?”

“Not really, but…” The employee glanced at me, standing behind the junkyard owner. “I thought you always came alone? Who’s this?”

The junkyard owner stammered, sweating, “He’s my, uh, nephew… he’s learning the ropes…”

I stepped forward. “Hello, I’m his nephew. I’m learning the business from my uncle. Nice to meet you.”

The employee clicked his tongue. “You’re too young for this line of work. You should be looking for a proper job.”

I wanted to retort, “You call this a proper job?”, but I forced a smile. “Haha, I’m just trying to make a living. Please be kind.”

“You should think about your future. Why choose this kind of work…?”

‘This guy talks too much.’

And he was insulting the junkyard business right in front of the junkyard owner.

‘I’ll remember your face.’

The employee finally stopped talking and said, “Well, it’s all good advice. Anyway, you’re here to collect today? Come in.”

“It’s not a disposal day, so there’s not much. I’ll wait here, so please hurry.”

The employee led us to the waste disposal area and sat down under a tree, watching us work.

I whispered to the junkyard owner, “Does he always watch us like this?”

“Yeah, it’s ridiculous. They’re treating us like criminals over some waste paper.”

I had never seen a company this size monitor the junkyard workers so closely.

‘Something’s definitely fishy.’

Brio Metals was surprisingly small for a company with such high sales.

There was no office building in sight, just a single warehouse. It could hardly be called a company.

‘And the windows are covered with blackout curtains…’

I closed my eyes and listened.

‘There’s no sound of machinery.’

A metal processing company should have at least some noise, but there was nothing except the occasional forklift.

‘I’m sure they’re just storing gold they bought overseas. It would be best to go inside and confirm, but that’s not easy.’

I smiled and said to the employee,

“Have you been working here long?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Not long. The company was established just a month ago.”

“I see. Can you tell me what kind of company this is?”

He looked at me suspiciously. “What does that have to do with you collecting trash?”

I forced a smile. “Like I said, I’m learning the junkyard business, but I’m open to other opportunities, so I’m curious. Sorry if I offended you.”

“Just focus on your work.”

My approach had failed.

I thought about his personality. He was talkative and liked giving advice.

Those types usually had big egos, so I decided to try flattery.

“I envy you.”

“What?”

“I also wanted to work at a company, but it’s difficult to find a job these days. I ended up here. Haha. A stable job with a steady paycheck is the best these days. That’s why I envy you.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Well, I don’t know about that.”

“You managed to get a job in these difficult times. That’s impressive.”

“Hmm.”

“Ah, I’m so envious. I wish I had a job.”

He said with a slightly arrogant expression, “Just work hard.”

“Can you share some tips?”

He cleared his throat. “Young people these days are too ambitious. They only want to work for large corporations. There are plenty of jobs available if they just lower their standards. They should be working instead of complaining…”

I said, ignoring his lecture, “Yes, yes, you’re right.”

“It’s not entirely your fault. You’ve lowered your standards too much. You could find a better job if you just tried harder.”

He thumped his chest. “I’m 40 years old, and I found a job at a new company. You can do it too. Don’t lose hope and work hard.”

“You’re amazing! A true Korean spirit! I admire you.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll take your advice and try harder. By the way, what’s the salary like at a company this size?”

He said in a lecturing tone, “I just told you to lower your standards. You shouldn’t be so focused on money. Think of it as a learning experience, and you’ll be rewarded later. Why are you worried about the salary before you even start working?”

I said with a pleading expression, “I know, but I need to earn enough to live. Can you give me a rough estimate? I’ll use it as a benchmark and work hard.”

He hesitated and then said, “Our company offers good compensation for its size. Most small businesses pay less than 1 million won.”

“Good compensation? Wow, what kind of company is this? I’d like to work at a similar company…”

“Hmm…”

He thought for a moment and then said, “It’s an accessory distributor.”

“An accessory distributor? I thought it was a metal processing or refining company. The name is Brio Metals.”

“I don’t know about that. We buy and sell used accessories from overseas.”

Used accessories? I was the king of secondhand goods.

And accessories were the least valuable and hardest to sell among secondhand goods.

A company this size couldn’t possibly generate 200 billion won in sales, let alone 2 trillion won, by dealing with used accessories.

I had learned two things from our conversation:

• This was definitely a shell company.
  

• Even the employees didn’t know the truth.
  

I wondered why they didn’t know, as anyone in the gold business could tell if it was real gold just by biting it. But I couldn’t pry any further without arousing suspicion.

“Thank you for the information.”

* * *

“It’s definitely a shell company.”

Park Jong-bum said with a slightly puzzled expression,

“It’s more certain now, but it’s a shame we couldn’t look inside.”

“I tried to get in by asking to use the restroom, but it didn’t work. I would have aroused suspicion if I had pushed it any further. Anyway, Maru…”

“Yes, hyung.”

“How’s the search for the shell company’s CEO going?”

Maru said with an embarrassed expression,

“It’s not easy. There are many people with the same name, and we don’t have enough information.”

“I knew it.”

I hadn’t expected much from the beginning, so I wasn’t disappointed.

“We found the shell company, but what’s our next move? The only option is to expose them to the media.”

I said with a frustrated expression,

“That’s the problem. There aren’t many openings.”

We had plenty of options now that we knew about their illegal activities, but their effectiveness was questionable.

Even if the government found out, they would probably try to cover it up rather than jeopardize the gold collection campaign. And the media would do the same.

I licked my lips.

“If this were the secondhand goods market, I could manipulate the prices…”

The price list I had created was still the most effective weapon for eliminating competitors.

If someone was hoarding a specific item, I could just crash the price. It was that simple.

The same applied to gold.

If I had a dominant position in the gold market, I would have crashed the price.

This triangular scheme only worked if the gold price remained stable.

They were pocketing the 10% VAT refunds by circulating the same gold. If the gold price plummeted by more than 10%, the companies receiving the gold would refuse to participate, and the scheme would collapse.

The problem was that I didn’t have that kind of power in the gold market.

“There must be a way to profit from this, but I can’t see it.”

“Do you have a target in mind?” Park Jong-bum asked.

“A target? What do you mean?”

“Like, how much damage do you want to inflict, and how much profit are you aiming for?”

“I haven’t thought about that. I just wanted to get a cut of their profits.”

I had initially planned to act as an intermediary and make a profit from the price difference.

“The more, the better. But why do you ask? Do you have an idea?”

Park Jong-bum smiled slyly.

“No, I was just thinking. We know about the trading companies’ weakness, even if we don’t know the full extent of their scheme. How about we make a deal with them and join their little game?”

Maru said in surprise,

“Are you suggesting we collude with them?”

“That’s why I asked about the CEO’s target. The trading companies haven’t harmed us yet. Are you still holding a grudge over the 1 million won, Managing Director Kim?”

Maru avoided his gaze. “Th-that’s not it.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem. We’ve never been concerned about others’ circumstances. I think we can work together.”

Joining forces with the trading companies…

“Hmm… I’m not sure if they would accept us.”

Park Jong-bum shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to try. It doesn’t cost anything to make an offer.”

“That’s true.”

He was right.

The estimated amount involved was trillions of won, so even a small cut would be worth billions. If we could earn that much just by being a part of their scheme, it would be a great deal.

Park Jong-bum, seeing my interest, said excitedly,

“We can offer to handle the shell company for them. It might be easier to persuade them if we volunteer for the dirty work.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Of course, we wouldn’t use Chunha Trading.”

Park Jong-bum said in alarm,

“Of course not! I don’t want to taint Chunha Trading’s reputation after all our hard work cleaning it up.”

“Hmm.”

Park Jong-bum’s idea was the most realistic so far.

But I didn’t like it.

“I’m not keen on this.”

“What? I think it’s the best option.”

I nodded.

“I agree. But I don’t like the idea of playing in someone else’s game.”

I had always controlled the game, even when I was being challenged by latecomers. That’s how Chunha Trading had grown.

And now, he was suggesting I join a game created by chaebol subsidiaries?

“And handling the shell company… we could become the scapegoat.”

“That’s… true.”

“How about…”

“How about…”

“We flip the table.”