The Invisible Hand

As a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I've found myself paying more attention to government policies lately. When you're running a business, every piece of news can sometimes feel directly connected to you. The prime example is the war on drugs. It's eased up a bit now, but things were rough in the beginning. Still, public perception has shifted. People no longer believe this is a drug-free country. The scary part is that demand has only grown. You can see it clearly just by looking at the Skylight boards. The recent trends show rising prices, excess demand, and a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠market that's approaching supply monopoly. This is when old Adam Smith steps in and tells us the invisible hand will move. In other words, cheaper goods from other countries will be produced and supplied.

Today, I'm having tea time with Madame Lee and Secretary Ko while listening to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's announcement, which the current administration is heavily promoting as a key initiative.

"Good afternoon. This is Lee Hyung-jong, Director of the Regional Balanced Development Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."

"To address the concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area and population decline in non-metropolitan regions, our government plans to pursue regional development along two axes: east-west and north-south."

"First, Busan will receive investment to develop a large-scale new port and solidify its role as a logistics hub. The Gyeongnam region will see investment in future growth industries such as defense and aviation."

The words sound familiar. Weren't these the campaign slogans from two years ago? Or are they finally delivering on the promises they made back then? The director is giving the first nationwide briefing, and each local government is explaining its own special industrial zones. One region stood out.

It was a female official. Her distinctive regional accent made it a bit awkward, but it caught my ear.

"Good afternoon. This is Lee Eunkyung, Director from Daegu Metropolitan City. Medicity Daegu, Korea's premier medical special city~"

"Through collaboration among regional medical institutions, we aim to create synergy and establish ourselves as the nation's top medical city, representing Korea to the world with the highest quality of care and service."

"That civil servant looks quite sharp," Madame Lee remarked.

"She does," I agreed.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing, but I've been talking to myself less lately. With the two of them always here, and Cheol-min arriving next week, maybe I've changed more than I realize.

"Daegu Metropolitan City plans to designate a medical tourism special zone in Jung-gu and Suseong-gu to transform into a medical tourism city."

"Through the promotion of medical tourism and the service industry, Daegu aims to strengthen its foundation for attracting foreign patients, maximize the expertise and promotional impact of Daegu medical tourism."

"We plan to push for the designation of the Medicity Daegu K-Medical Special Zone, centered around Dongseong-ro in Jung-gu and Beomeo-dong in Suseong-gu."

"With excellent transportation infrastructure including KTX and air travel, patients can easily access medical services from both domestic and international locations."

"The medical tourism industry, centered on 57 leading institutions offering health checkups, cosmetic procedures, plastic surgery, and dental care, will elevate the brand value of Medicity Daegu and establish its status as a world-class medical hub city, both domestically and internationally. That concludes my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠report."

"Secretary Ko, doesn't that sound profitable?"

"Yes, Chairman. I overheard a report that Sales Division 1 is already preparing the setup."

They're already moving on it.

"The Sleeping Series has high margins with domestic clients, but overseas customers will pay whatever we ask."

That makes sense. With our product, the market price stabilizes after a few transactions, but foreign goods fluctuate every time they arrive.

"I'm not sure if a report on this has come up yet, but Sales Division 3 submitted a proposal for a travel package business."

"Sounds decent, but travel packages would lengthen the distribution chain and make it easier to get traced."

"Yes. I believe Executive Director Ha rejected it on risk grounds."

"Secretary Ko, I like that you're sharing your opinions, but don't mix in personal bias. And since you told me, report it to both Executive Director Ha and Director Jo so there's no misunderstanding."

"Understood. I'll be careful."

The fresh green leaves of the tree outside seemed to boast that it was their time to grow, reflecting the sunlight.

Having finished my final exams, I'm now a legally unemployed person working from home. Calling it unemployment while working from home doesn't quite match, but I see it this way: if you're not making money, you're unemployed, and if you're working from home, it's remote work. In other words, I'm working without earning.

The opium issue that had been our organization's pressing concern was covered by Flag and Ali's sales efforts. Starting with 5 kg in the first transaction, I received 10 kg within a week, then 20 kg the following week. Flag said the background check was complete and he wouldn't need to send things down cautiously anymore. He did say to contact him if needed. Ali also mentioned opening a new channel in Myanmar and brought 1 kg, claiming he was short on cash after construction or something. I had tried to buy from surviving organizations in Pakistan too, but they said Russian interference had dried up local supply. This guy is surprisingly global. The Myanmar stuff was low quality, so I told him to use it for manufacturing and knocked the price down by half. He'd either supply at that price or improve the quality next time. He also asked if we took heroin. There had been some recent demand, but without product, we couldn't sell. I told him crack was off the table, but if he had pure stuff, to open the channel. He said he'd look into it.

Miju got vacation in July and decided to visit the Philippines. When I told my brother, he said to bring her over quickly. It had been a while since I'd seen my niece and paid respects to my sister-in-law. I asked the security team leader if there was any good news, and he said they were already living together. When I asked about the wedding, he said what wedding at his level, and that he'd take good care of her so not to worry. No, his sister had dedicated herself to the country and worked tirelessly day and night for our organization—I was asking because I wanted to do something for her. Well, Executive Director Ha is a local figure there, so I'm sure he handled it well.

The biosimilar joint venture I ordered last month was progressing smoothly. The professor and the factory had been contacted about the acquisition, and the response was positive. The issue was legitimizing the funds. Instead of investing, we decided to go the acquisition route, but because the amount was large, the accountant Kim was discussing the methodology. Since we had the money, I instructed to proceed with the realization stage, and Executive Director Ha said it was already underway. He seemed to have done some studying, saying it would be different from running a lab, and that we'd need FDA or related certifications for exports alongside Pfizer and our regulatory authorities. He reassured me. I must have looked impatient. No, it's just that seeing the SkyBank balance exceed 100 billion won makes me anxious. Who was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the one who used to panic when it went over 1 billion last time?

ding~

Of course we have product.

"How much do you need?" —GB(38.4)

Just living diligently. It went up after dealing with you, though?

"I wouldn't know either." —GB(38.4)

What is WhiteSox talking about? That quantity could burn nearly ten million people, and they moved it all in a month?

"Your demand channels must be impressive." —GB(38.4)

I tried probing gently for information, but only got cursed at. Still, we're short on opium.

"How much time do you have? We have everything else, but we're a bit short on opium." —GB(38.4)

The moment I heard that, I contacted Flag. When I ordered 100 kg, he was shocked. Then he told me to wait. He said he'd send it down within the week. Long live the Korean people.

"Within this week." —GB(38.4)

Ah... this is bad. Gonzales told me to report large transactions.

"Sir, WhiteSox asked for 100 kg last time, and they've agreed to send it." —GB(38.4)

No reply for about five minutes.

"Is that okay?" —GB(38.4)

The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious I became. It felt like I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠caused an accident.

That afternoon, I got a barrage of scolding from Gonzales.