WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
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◈ The Economics of an Alchemist ◈
Chapter 20
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After finishing all his business in Guro, Jaeha headed to a nearby Korean buffet.
The price was 4,500 won per meal.
It was an unbelievably modest lunch for someone who had spent tens of millions of won in half a day.
He piled spicy stir-fried pork high on white rice, mixed it all together, and ate every last bite. Then he refilled his iced plum tea three times.
Patting his stomach in satisfaction as he left the restaurant, Jaeha headed for the parking lot. Once inside his car, he took out his A-phone.
There was a text from Choi Gwangsu.
[Jeil Container, 010-XXXX-XXXX. Mr. Kim, mention my name and ask for a quote. If it feels like they're trying to rip you off, call me right away.]
Before calling, Jaeha went online and searched for used containers.
He needed to know the rough market price. He had seen countless people try to overcharge someone just because they had been introduced by an acquaintance.
His plan was to bring in one or two spacious oversized containers.
‘One with a flush toilet and plumbing installed costs around five million won. A regular oversized storage container must be about a million cheaper...’
Once he factored in the cost of a long-wheelbase freight truck and a large forklift to unload two oversized containers, another ten million won would disappear easily.
After checking the prices, Jaeha made the call.
“Yes, this is Jeil Container.”
“Hello. I was referred by President Choi Gwangsu of Seil Precision Mold. I'd like to ask for a container quote.”
“What? Oh, Gwangsu hyung referred you? You should've said so sooner!”
The businesslike voice changed as soon as Choi's name came up. Jaeha explained the specifications he wanted.
“Two oversized units? Where will we be unloading them?”
When Jaeha gave the address, the other person fell silent for a moment. Then they asked him a question.
“Sir, about the access road into that vacant lot. Is it properly paved? Is there enough room for a long-wheelbase truck to turn in?”
“The access road? Ah...”
Jaeha trailed off as he recalled the narrow, bumpy dirt road.
“The road is narrow, and it's unpaved. I think it'll be difficult.”
“If it's a dirt road, a long-wheelbase truck carrying oversized containers has no chance. The wheels could get stuck, or it could get trapped at a corner without being able to move.”
Jaeha realized his mistake at the sharp observation.
He had even come up with the clever scheme of splitting the courier work among several delivery companies to handle the trucks that would be coming and going constantly, yet he had not considered whether a massive container truck could enter at all.
He had been too focused on the expected delivery volume and the floor space the machinery would require.
Simulations run from behind a desk differed from reality. No matter how thoroughly he prepared, unexpected problems always arose in the field.
That was why experience mattered.
“Instead, we can bring in several standard units and connect them together. They're smaller, so we can maneuver them down a dirt road, and they'll give you much more storage space later.”
Fortunately, Jeil Container offered a suitable solution first.
“Oh, there's a way to do that.”
“One office unit with a complete toilet, plus three standard units for storage. We'll connect all four in a neat U-shape. I'll cover all transport and forklift unloading costs. I can do it all for exactly twelve million won!”
It was a heavily discounted price.
It cost more than Jaeha's original budget, but four standard units would provide nearly one and a half times as much space as two oversized units. It would also perfectly solve the troublesome transport and installation issue on the dirt road.
He thought of President Choi's kind face, with half his hair gone. Jaeha decided he should stay close to him in the future.
“Since they're used, I'd like to visit in person, inspect the flooring and toilet plumbing, and then proceed with the contract.”
“Of course! We have dozens of standard containers stacked in the storage yard. You can come pick out the four sturdiest and cleanest ones yourself!”
“All right. I'll come by tomorrow morning.”
Ending the call in a good mood, Jaeha stepped on the accelerator, thinking of the younger brother eagerly waiting for him.
On the way to the factory, he stopped at a drive-through and bought three Burger Queen sets, Jaeseong's favorite.
He had not bought him food like that often while he was still growing, but now that he was fully grown, it should be fine.
‘If he'd grown just one more centimeter, he would've hit 180. Well, 179 is enough.’
Memories of working himself to the bone day and night to take care of his siblings passed through his mind. A faint smile spread across Jaeha's lips.
“Hyung, you're back? I'm hungr... Ah! Burger Queen!”
When Jaeha arrived at the factory, his brother, who had been watching over the machine, brightened.
“I'll keep an eye on things, so hurry up and eat before it gets cold.”
Jaeseong took the bag, opened a hamburger wrapper, and asked, “Yes! Thanks for the food! Did everything go well?”
“Yeah. I ordered the equipment, and I finished the real estate contract today too. Before long, four more containers will be coming into the vacant lot next door.”
“Really? Four of them? Then we won't have to use that bathroom that looks haunted anymore, right?”
“Yeah. I'll pick out a clean one with a flush toilet, so look forward to it.”
“Hahaha, you're the best, hyung!”
Jaeseong happily stuffed his mouth full of hamburger. After eating, he rushed to the bathroom, then returned to the machine.
“You can take a break.”
“No. I'll handle this. You must have a ton of work piled up.”
After ruffling his brother's hair once, Jaeha sat in front of the computer and opened Excel. The first thing he did was pull up the accounting ledger.
He entered what he had spent that day and the upcoming expenses, then calculated the cash flow until the Aegis Case sales actually reached the bank account.
‘...This is risky.’
Jaeha's brow furrowed.
The scenes from movies and dramas where small-business owners visited bank managers, bowing and pleading for help, no longer felt like somebody else's problem.
‘Getting a loan won't be easy.’
No bank would lend money to a new company whose sales proceeds had not yet reached its bank account.
If they truly ran out of cash, there was one option.
As an accountant, Seo-yun could secure a substantial unsecured loan in no time. But Jaeha firmly shook his head.
There was a vast difference between his sister investing money she had saved herself and borrowing money because he asked her to.
‘I’d rather use loan sharks... Ah!’
Someone suddenly came to mind.
G-Mall's merchandising manager.
G-Mall wanted exclusivity. He felt he could secure early-settlement terms, at least.
With a backup plan in place for the possibility of a cash-flow crisis, Jaeha finished organizing the ledger and closed Excel.
Now it was time for the backlog of office work.
As always, he handled only urgent matters quickly and ignored everything else.
It was not a volume of work he could physically manage unless he stayed in front of the computer all day.
After putting out the urgent fires, Jaeha stared at the monitor, his eyes gleaming.
‘How many people applied...?’
It was time to check the job listing he had posted the previous night. His fingers trembled with anticipation as he clicked the mouse.
[Applicants: 3]
There were two applicants for field work and one for office work.
With a pounding heart, Jaeha first checked the resumes of the field-work applicants.
[Han Sangho / 28 / Vocational College]
There was nothing particularly noteworthy, but they had experience working at a small factory, and their resume seemed perfectly ordinary.
He moved on.
[Lee Minho / 29 / Myeongjin University, Department of Korean Language and Literature]
The work-experience section was completely blank, and there was a three-year gap after graduation. Jaeha nodded slightly.
‘I can see what happened.’
There was a ninety percent chance he had prepared for something like the civil-service exam, eventually given up, and entered the job market.
Finally, he opened the documents of the sole office-work applicant.
‘...A housewife.’
[Park Mijeong / 43 / High School Graduate]
She had considerable office-work experience in her twenties, but she had been away from work for over ten years, one of the women returning to the workforce after raising children.
‘Can she handle computers well...? She'll need to work with Excel ledgers and handle customer service for the online store.’
Even in an age when smartphones put computers in the palm of one's hand, many small businesses still kept their records manually. It must have been even more so when she had worked.
Still, it was too early to judge. Jaeha decided to call all three applicants first.
He needed to schedule interviews, but even the tone of voice and attitude someone showed during a call could provide quite a lot of information.
He called the factory-experienced applicant who seemed the safest choice first.
Ring, ring. Voicemail...
‘Not picking up.’
Click.
Jaeha ended the call, left a brief text offering an interview, and immediately called the second applicant.
Ring, ring... Click!
Just as the ringing stopped and the call was about to go to voicemail, the other person answered.
“...Hellooo.”
It was a sleepy, cracked voice with a metallic rasp.
For a moment, Jaeha thought he had called the wrong number. He checked the time. It was already past two in the afternoon.
‘He was asleep at this hour?’
One strike against him.
Still, Jaeha did not show it.
“This is Valence. I'm calling about your application.”
“Ah, yes!”
The other person's voice suddenly grew louder. But it was still hoarse and cracked. He definitely sounded like someone who had just woken up.
“I'd like to schedule an interview.”
“Oh, today too, cough! I can make it!”
“Then please come to the address listed in the posting at five this afternoon.”
“Yes, understood!”
After hanging up, Jaeha clicked his tongue quietly.
‘What a terrible first impression... I'll interview him first and decide afterward.’
He did urgently need people, but he had no intention of keeping an employee with poor attendance beneath him.
The last applicant was the forty-three-year-old housewife. Jaeha entered her phone number and pressed the call button.
Ring. Click!
Before it had time to ring even once, a bright voice hit his ear. It was completely different from the voice he had just heard, one gloomy enough to make anyone listening feel depressed.
“Hello, this is Valence. I'm calling because I saw your application for our job posting.”
“Oh my! Really?”
Her pleased excitement came through the phone clearly.
“Oh, thank you so much for contacting me. Honestly, I didn't think I'd hear back because of my age. These days, everyone only hires young people!”
“Ah, yes.”
“Oh, what a relief. I couldn't bring myself to put it on my resume, but I've settled membership-fee accounts at parent meetings and served as a residents' representative treasurer. So I'm good with Excel too. Oh, and I make excellent PowerPoint presentations. I got really good at it while helping my eldest prepare materials for school assessments.”
She talked a lot.
A great deal.
Without Jaeha even asking, she told him everything he had wanted to know.
“To be honest, I'm still a little weak with functions, but I'll learn quickly!”
Oddly enough, it did not sound like empty boasting.
“Then would you be available for an interview around lunchtime tomorrow?”
“Of course. I'd make time even if I didn't have any.”
After coordinating the exact time and location, Jaeha ended the call and leaned back in his chair. Feeling strangely drained, he closed his eyes for a moment.
‘She'd probably be good at dealing with customers, at least.’
Just as he got up to take a can of cola from the refrigerator.
Ding-dong!
An alert popped up saying that a new application had arrived.
Jaeha sat back down and clicked the mouse to open the job seeker's resume. His eyes quickly widened.
‘Gowon University?’
The academic background that caught his eye first was Gowon University, ranked just below Korea University and on par with Yeonhui University. Jaeha carefully scanned the resume with sharp eyes.
[Jang Myeonghwan / 53 / Gowon University, Business Administration]
[Former] Oh-seong Trading, Sales Planning and Human Resources/General Affairs Team
[Former] Shin-seong Distribution, B2B Sales Headquarters and Supply Chain Management (SCM) Team Leader
[Former] G-Mall, Head of Digital/Electronics Categories
His employment history ended six months ago.
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