The Youngest Son of the Chicken Farm Family
Late at night.
The smell of chicken manure hung thick in the air as Yi Yeon trudged along the road, grumbling under his breath. His smartphone suddenly vibrated in his pocket with a sharp zzzing.
Out of habit, he pulled out the phone and tilted his head in confusion.
It was an unknown number starting with "+1."
"Who could this be?"
He had friends from his study-abroad days in America, but they had long since lost touch. Even if appearances didn't matter, differences in language, culture, food, and lifestyle meant they only exchanged the occasional greeting on social media.
"Not spam, I hope?"
Ironically, as the world grew more connected through the information age, scams and deceptions via communication devices had exploded across borders. That was why he usually ignored unknown calls.
But today felt different. After his girlfriend had dumped him, his mood was sour enough that he wanted to talk to anyone.
"Hello?"
A familiar voice came through the line.
"Hey, Kite. It's me!"
"Stephen?"
"You remember."
"Of course. That voice is hard to forget. How'd you get my number?"
"Found it on MetaBook."
"Figures. Anyway, good to hear from you."
"Same here."
"What's up?"
"I need a favor."
"What kind of favor?"
"You know what a slamfire shotgun is?"
"You mean the one made from two steel pipes that Filipino guerrillas used in World War II?"
"Knew you'd recognize it. So, I need your help."
Stephen's abrupt request made Yi Yeon let out a dry laugh.
"Seriously? What could I possibly help with? Did your channel get demonetized?"
"Not that. I want to change the content because of some issues."
"To what?"
"I'm thinking of introducing gunpowder weapons."
"Gunpowder weapons? Your channel is set in the medieval era. Will that even fit?"
"If I want to be a conqueror, I don't have much choice."
Stephen ran a YouTube channel called Medieval Conqueror. With a background in mining engineering, he had taken to forging massive swords like those used by medieval knights whenever he had free time. After hearing Yi Yeon's advice, he began uploading videos documenting the process. Luck struck, and his channel quickly surpassed a million subscribers.
It made sense. A burly young man built like a Viking, shirtless and hammering away in front of a blazing forge, appealed to both men and women alike. Thanks to the unexpected windfall, Stephen threw himself into producing more content for the platform.
He built houses from wood and earth while wearing nothing but a leather loincloth like Tarzan, smelted iron ore into a massive steel sword, and even crafted a full suit of plate armor. Every step was shown in vivid detail, pushing his subscriber count past five million in no time.
That was when the problems began.
He had made bows, crossbows, and even a carriage, but the viewers' demands never stopped.
Stephen bought ten thousand acres in Texas and went hunting with his handmade bow and crossbow to satisfy the requests. He showed how to skin the deer and boar for leather clothing and even built a Native American-style leather tent.
Yet before long, new demands poured in.
He had never claimed to be a Viking descendant. He had never pretended to be a barbarian either. But the viewers, craving stronger stimulation, kept pushing him.
Ignoring them would have been easy. Every video he uploaded racked up millions of views without fail. Yet Stephen couldn't let it go. His pride was wounded, so he gave in.
Armed with his own 150-centimeter-long steel sword, he went after deer. It was a string of failures. The animals were far too alert, and he missed every time. Even riding a horse across his private land—where no state permit was required—didn't help. The deer refused to wait around.
So he switched targets to wild boar. That proved to be a grave mistake. Even with his nearly two-meter frame, facing a 150-kilogram boar was too much. The creature was shockingly fast and immensely strong. He nearly died.
"Good thing you were wearing plate armor. Without it, we would've heard you were dead."
"So you're going to make a slamfire shotgun?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna wipe them out with it."
"Does that mean you're giving up on the medieval theme?"
"No choice. I've run out of content anyway. I'm changing the name and direction to Modern Conqueror."
"Being a YouTuber isn't easy, huh."
"Tell me about it. Should've just stuck to raising chickens."
Stephen's family ran a chicken farm in Texas. Yi Yeon's family did the same, which was how the two had grown close. Chickens, eggs, and the smell of manure had been their common ground.
Stephen had always loved hunting for strange rocks as a kid. Following him around, Yi Yeon had learned to identify all sorts of minerals.
"I'm counting on you. Help me make gunpowder."
"It's not that hard. Why not do it yourself?"
"Black powder is easy enough. The real problems are a substitute for black powder and percussion caps. Plus, for mass production, using chicken manure like you mentioned before seems ideal. That's why I called. Anything eco-friendly flies here."
"Do you really need to go that far?"
"If I want more subscribers, I don't have a choice. Plenty of people still love black powder and old-fashioned firearms."
Growing up in Texas where gun ownership was unrestricted, Stephen planned to use this opportunity to found a company making guns and gunpowder. After nearly dying, he had decided YouTubing wasn't sustainable long-term. That was why he was pulling in Yi Yeon, the chemistry major, to start a real business.
"So you're saying you'll make a black powder substitute and sell it through the channel."
"Exactly. Black powder is classified as an explosive here, so you can't distribute it freely."
Black powder, which belched thick smoke with every shot, stirred nostalgia among gun enthusiasts. But its explosive risk meant strict regulations on manufacturing, sales, and storage even in the United States. Safer substitutes like Pyrodex sold well instead. The market was larger than expected because historical reenactments required that signature billowing smoke.
"Got it. I'll get back to you once I sort things out."
"Thanks, bro."
After ending the call with his former roommate and best friend, Yi Yeon gripped his smartphone tightly.
"Well, that's something. Damn it."
* * *
Yi Yeon spent the weekend with his family and went straight to his direct superior, Park Bu-jang, upon returning to work. Park, who had been buried in reports since morning, glanced up at him before flipping through papers.
"Sorry. I couldn't do more for you..."
"It's fine."
"Thanks. For understanding."
Park stopped mid-page and looked at Yi Yeon. His expression hardened when he spotted the white envelope in Yi Yeon's hand.
"What's that?"
"My resignation letter."
"Haa..."
With a long sigh, Park stood up and walked past Yi Yeon, giving his shoulder a light pat.
"Come with me. Let's talk."
On the rooftop, Park lit a cigarette in silence and exhaled a long stream of smoke. After finishing one, he lit another, sighed again, and spoke.
"You must feel wronged. I'd have quit too. But if you leave, you won't be able to work anywhere else in the industry, right? So how about thinking it over one more time?"
Park was referring to the non-compete clause. The confidentiality agreement Yi Yeon had signed upon joining prohibited him from working at any similar company for three years after leaving, using or leaking any trade secrets he had learned.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm planning to do something else."
"What?!"
Park was so shocked that the cigarette fell from his mouth unnoticed.
"Something else? Isn't that a waste of your degree?"
"Turns out a PhD isn't as useful as I thought."
Park sighed and nodded.
"You're not wrong. So what are you going to do? Don't tell me you're going to raise chickens."
Yi Yeon shook his head and chuckled. He had expected that remark.
"Not that. I'm going to America to help a friend."
"The one who does YouTube?"
"Yes."
Park was also a subscriber to Medieval Conqueror, so he knew the two were close after seeing photos of them together.
"So you're going to appear on that channel too?"
"No. He contacted me about starting a business together."
"What kind of business?"
"He wants to make and sell gunpowder and guns through the channel."
"Gunpowder and guns?"
"Yes. You know about the trouble Stephen's been in lately, right?"
"Saw he nearly died trying to hunt a boar."
"That's why he wants to change the channel's direction."
Yi Yeon explained everything from his conversation with Stephen to Park, who had been like an older brother to him. He knew Park would be the one most inconvenienced by his departure.
"Hmm... I understand. Good for you. I was already annoyed seeing that Song guy—well, Song Cha-jang now—every day. Go give him a proper kick in the teeth on your way out."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep in touch even after you leave."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
News of Yi Yeon's resignation spread through the entire research institute in an instant.
"Is it true? Team Leader Yi is quitting?"
"Seems so. You can hear shouting from the director's office."
"Then Song Cha-jang is finished."
"Why?"
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"All the process improvement research was done by Team Leader Yi."
"So?"
"Song Cha-jang can't run it."
"Why not? Just follow the report."
"You idiot. Applying research results to the production line isn't that simple."
"Well... no, it's not. Ah..."
The two senior researchers mercilessly tore into Song Cha-jang, who had stolen Yi Yeon's results and gotten promoted thanks to his father's connections. They had already disliked how he threw his weight around using the director's influence, and now this.
"Speaking of which, didn't Song Cha-jang also steal Team Leader Yi's girlfriend?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know Deputy Kim Yun-gyeong?"
"Of course! She's the prettiest girl in the company. She dated Team Leader Yi?"
"Yeah. The fox went after him as soon as she heard he came back with a PhD from America. But the moment Song Cha-jang made a move, she switched sides."
"She chose the money, huh?"
"Right? Damn it, how are us bottom-feeders supposed to live?"
"How else? We just keep eating dirt."
* * *
Despite the whispers everywhere, Yi Yeon remained indifferent. Quitting was revenge enough, he thought.
As if on cue, Song Cha-jang came looking for him.
"Yi Yeon!"
Yi Yeon didn't even turn at the urgent call. Instead, he tossed a USB drive onto the stack of organized documents.
"That's everything. Good luck."
"Hey!"
"What?"
"You're quitting while we're in the middle of overhauling the production line? Does that make sense?"
"It's not like I'm leading it. What's the problem?"
"That's..."
"I'm leaving now, so do your best. Take good care of Yun-gyeong too."
"Damn it!"
"Why are you saying what I should be saying?"
"You bastard! You think you'll be fine after this?"
"And if I'm not?"
"You know who my father is, right? I'll bury you completely."
"Do what you want. Also, aren't you a bit old to still be saying 'my dad'?"
"You son of a—!"
At the sound of the curse, Yi Yeon shot to his feet. Song Cha-jang flinched and backed away in fear. Yi Yeon lightly patted his shoulder, then raised his middle finger right in front of Song's face.
"Eat this, you pathetic bastard."
* * *
Note: In the 16th century—often called the early modern period—I plan to show what a 21st-century chemist can accomplish upon becoming the king of Joseon. I will also carefully verify and include useful scientific and historical knowledge. Thank you. ^^
Below is the simplest slamfire shotgun in the world.
Load a shotgun shell into the upper pipe, insert it into the lower pipe, and pull the upper pipe back to fire.