Programming (1)
That night.
I hadn't told my parents about the call from Director Baek yet.
Unaware of the news, my father was in high spirits as we all sat down for dinner, eagerly recounting the day's events.
"It was absolutely incredible! The moment our son suggested doing a live test right then and there, that prickly Director Tae was completely thrown off...!"
"I get it, so eat your dinner first. The meat is getting cold."
"Ah, right."
But even the delicious meat couldn't stop my father's excitement. Shoveling a piece of meat and a spoonful of rice into his mouth, he kept going.
"Man! That guy, his title is only manager, but his influence in the company is practically on par with a director. I didn't realize it back then...!"
"In the end, even the president was completely won over by Hyunwoo! He agreed to sign the contract right then and there!"
It was a heroic tale where I was the main character. Although slightly exaggerated, it was close to the truth since my father had witnessed everything firsthand.
However, there was one detail that deviated too much from reality, so I had to correct him.
"But Father, they didn't say they would sign the contract right on the spot. They said they would hold a meeting first and let us know the results later."
"Well, yes, but isn't it basically the same thing? The president practically begged to shake your hand."
That was also quite an exaggeration, but it seemed to pique my mother's interest.
"Really? He actually asked to shake his hand?"
"I'm telling you, he did! And he kept saying how grateful he was for such a proposal..."
"Then the chances must be really high."
"It's a hundred percent! They said they'd hold a meeting, but the mood had already shifted completely. All we have to do now is wait for their call!"
Well... he wasn't entirely wrong.
"So when did they say they would contact us?"
"Uh, that... I'm not sure yet. Won't they call after the meeting?"
"If it's a meeting, would it be tomorrow morning?"
"W-well, I suppose?"
My father looked a bit embarrassed. Seeing this, my mother turned her head toward me.
"Hyunwoo, do you happen to know?"
Only then did I explain the situation.
"Yes. Actually, I already received a call."
Both of them gasped in surprise. They leaned forward, their eyes filled with anticipation.
"Oh? Really?"
"Already? What did they say? What did they say?"
I paused for a moment before answering.
"They decided to sign the contract."
"Oh!"
"See! I told you! A hundred percent!"
Their faces lit up. It was the brightest expression I had seen on them in a long time.
"Yes!"
"Bwahahaha!"
Then, my mother suddenly asked.
"Wait, why are you only telling us now?!"
"I wanted to surprise you."
"What? You really startled me!"
"Then mission accomplished, haha."
"Whew, anyway, this is great! Now we just have to sign the contract!"
That was true, but there was something else they needed to know.
"However, it's not for the entire facility. We agreed to install it in just one of the four lines first."
"Really? Still, that's a start."
"Exactly. You can't get full on the first spoonful. Yes, indeed."
Both of them were still ecstatic.
"This feels so good. So, how much will you make from this?"
"Roughly speaking, the revenue from Father's factory is projected to be around 360 million won. After deducting various expenses... I expect the net profit to be around 50 million won. I'll have to look into the exact details tomorrow, though."
"Oh!"
"Fifty million won?"
In truth, I had intentionally set the profit margin low. Since the production cost was naturally lower than other systems, I could have priced it much higher and still remained competitive.
But since this was my first sale, and it was for my father's company, I kept it modest. Once this led to more orders, it wouldn't be too late to raise the price then.
"So, what are the next steps?"
"First, we'll sign the contract tomorrow. Once I receive the down payment of 100 million won, I'll place the order with the fabrication workshop."
After that, we'll have to install it and run a trial to make sure it functions properly, but that's for later. The immediate tasks are as I described.
"Hmm? But won't the manufacturing cost alone exceed 100 million won? How will you cover the rest? You have to pay the workshop in advance."
"That's correct. So, Father's company agreed to pay the remaining balance in installments at each stage of the process. They accommodated our financial situation."
Normally, the standard procedure in this industry is to pay the balance only after receiving the goods and verifying that there are no issues. However, my father's company had taken our lack of capital into consideration.
Though, in reality, it's structured as a loan.
They were lending the funds and would charge interest close to the base rate. They also included a clause stating that if any defects were found in the equipment from the start, they would reclaim the funds entirely. But there was no need to worry my parents with these details.
"Ah, that's a relief. What about taxes?"
"I'll have to pay them, of course. But to minimize the tax burden as much as possible, I plan to register a business. For now, just as a sole proprietorship."
In truth, incorporating would be better for tax purposes, but it wouldn't make a significant difference within this year. Besides, the procedure was complicated, and I didn't want to scale up too quickly.
I can always do that later.
My father spoke up again, his excitement returning.
"Haha! Our Hyunwoo has really grown up. Earning money on his own, worrying about taxes... Haha!"
However, my mother let out a sigh.
"Sigh... I'm still worried. I feel like my son, who isn't even an adult yet, is taking on too much..."
"Oh, you're worrying over nothing! Seeing him in front of those people this afternoon, he did better than I ever could. And that machine... what was it? Anyway, we both saw it working perfectly. There won't be any problems."
My father comforted her. I also chimed in, telling her she didn't need to worry.
"But you never know what might happen. If he makes a mistake... I won't have any way to help him."
"Geez, you can worry about that if it actually happens. What a useless worry."
"He's right. You don't have to worry, Mom."
"...Alright."
My mother nodded, but her face showed she hadn't completely let go of her anxiety.
She was just like this in my past life.
She had kept her illness a secret, fearing she would disrupt my studies. She didn't have to do that.
Because of her silence, I hadn't known the truth until the very end.
And by the time I finally found out, there was nothing I could do.
My father had already passed away. My mother was in the terminal stage of cancer, her death practically set in stone. At that moment, I was utterly powerless.
But...
Don't worry, Mom. I won't let anything like that happen this time.
The next morning.
I stopped by the local tax office with my father and quickly completed the business registration. Since I was a minor, doing it this way was the fastest route.
"It's done. Let's head to the company now."
"Alright."
I headed to my father's company as if I were commuting to work. I didn't have to worry about school, as my mother had promised to make a suitable excuse for me.
Vroom—
We arrived at the company and parked the car.
"I'll head to work now. Do a good job."
"Yes, Father."
As I walked toward the headquarters building, Director Baek came out to the entrance to greet me.
"Good to see you again, Hyunwoo."
"Likewise. Shall we head to the wastewater treatment plant first? I need to make an accurate estimate."
"Let's do that."
Although I had rough estimates based on the information from my father and the German company, we were now at the stage of actually manufacturing the equipment. The numbers had to be precise.
This was because the required output and size of the purification system varied depending on the daily volume of wastewater discharged by the factory and the scale of the treatment plant.
"Let's see... Yes, this isn't much different from what I expected."
I wrote down the exact measurements on the floor plan I had prepared beforehand, revising it to draw the final blueprint. Excluding the bioreactor, the rest wasn't overly complex technology, so it wasn't very difficult.
Based on the completed blueprints, I calculated the necessary costs and presented the quote. It was almost identical to my initial estimate.
"It really doesn't differ much from the amount proposed in the business plan. Let's proceed with this."
"Yes."
Soon, the contract tailored to the quote was prepared. After confirming there were no issues with the terms, I signed my name.
Press.
"As for the down payment..."
"We will transfer it immediately."
Moments later, a notification popped up on my phone.
"We look forward to the rest of the project."
"Yes, don't worry."
After finishing my conversation with Director Baek, I left the building.
Whew, that's my work here done for now.
I hailed a taxi for my next task.
"Please take me here."
Before long, I arrived at my destination.
Screech.
Jangin Steel
This was the workshop where the prototype had been built. Now, I was going to commission them to manufacture the complete Actiflo bioreactor system.
I walked inside.
The scene was the same as before: a few workers were hard at work, sparks flying.
If there was one difference...
"Oh! You actually came! Hyunwoo! Or should I call you CEO Ji now?!"
It was that Park Jang, the owner of the workshop, came running out to greet me first this time.
Part of it was because I had contacted him in advance, but the real reason was that the situation had completely changed.
I was bringing him an order worth hundreds of millions of won.
"Did that company really decide to adopt your system, CEO Ji?"
"Yes."
"Wow! I knew it! I had faith in you! Ah, I shouldn't speak so casually anymore. You're a proper CEO and a major client now, haha!"
Despite saying he had faith, Park Jang looked quite shocked. It certainly wasn't everyday news for a mere high school student to land a contract worth hundreds of millions of won.
"More importantly, here, take this."
I handed him the completed blueprints for the Actiflo bioreactor system.
"Oh! Is this the final version... I mean, the final blueprint?"
"Yes, it is. Though a few components are missing."
I planned to order several parts separately from other metal fabrication companies. If I outsourced the entire assembly to a single workshop, it would make it too easy for them to copy the product entirely.
I'm quite sensitive when it comes to technology leaks.
Park Jang's expression soured slightly at this, but he didn't press further.
"Hmm... You don't have to worry about technology leaks with me. I'm very strict about that kind of thing."
"It's just a precaution. A thief could always break into your office, after all."
"Well, fair enough."
He nodded coolly, letting it go. In that regard, his personality wasn't bad.
"How long will it take to complete?"
"Well... since it's our first time, I won't know for sure until we actually start building it. We also have other orders to finish first."
"I'll give you plenty of time, so please make sure it's built without any errors."
"Ah, of course. Mistakes are out of the question. Don't worry about that."
Since we had time, there was no need to rush.
The most important thing right now is to avoid failure.
There was one more issue, so I made a request.
"Also, once it's finished, could you handle the installation yourself?"
I didn't have any employees, and hiring short-term workers who knew nothing about the system was risky. Fortunately, Park Jang agreed to do it without much hesitation.
"Hmm... I can do it, but it'll cost you a fair bit extra."
"I'll pay whatever it costs, of course. I'll leave it in your hands."
"No, thank you. We look forward to working with you."
After that, I left the workshop.
Next...
It was time to visit the other manufacturers for the remaining parts. I took a taxi and visited two more places.
Vroom—
One was a shop to order the specific components for the bioreactor, and the other was a contractor to commission the construction work for the rest of the facility.
Installing an eco-friendly purification system like this wasn't just about setting up the equipment; it required a fairly large-scale construction project to create new water retention basins and drainage pathways.
Since the contract amounts were quite substantial, securing the deals wasn't as difficult as before.
"I look forward to working with you."
"Yes, leave it to us."
"Please make sure there are no errors."
"Of course."
With that, I had completed all the preparations for installing the eco-friendly purification system.
Now, all I have to do is wait.
That evening.
Sitting at my desk, I checked the amount of Karma in the system.
Total Karma: 3,012
I've gathered over 3,000.
It seemed like it was about time to acquire another technology.
So, what technology should I learn next?
The Actiflo bioreactor technology I had learned previously was a mix of biotechnology, chemistry, and hardware. This time, I wanted to learn a different kind of technology.
Software would probably be best.
My plan was to drive scientific advancement using the capital I earned and build businesses around it. In that regard, software was much more advantageous than hardware.
For one, the initial costs were low, and development was fast. This made innovation relatively easy, and if done right, it allowed for rapid business growth.
And the foundation of that is programming.
To do that, I needed to know the necessary programming languages. There were many different kinds, each with different functions and scopes of application. What I could achieve would vary greatly depending on which language I used.
But if I can learn a transcendent programming language or obtain such code through the Divine Library...
I might be able to create an ideal program that couldn't be implemented with current languages. If that aligned with people's needs, commercial success would surely follow.
So, let's start by searching.