All-Around Workshop

"Whoa…"

There was far more money in the envelope than I had expected. Expensive medical instruments could run over a million won apiece, true — but even knowing that, I had never imagined he would pay this much.

Is it because he's a doctor? The man doesn't do anything small.

For a moment I wondered whether I ought to give it back. Then I thought it over. This was the price of having my worth recognized. There was no reason to refuse.

It's not as if I took twenty million won from someone who couldn't spare it.

I stopped second-guessing myself and tucked the envelope deep into my bag.

"Anyway."

I had twenty million won in seed money now. It was time to do something I had been turning over in my mind for a while. Skipping even a meal, I headed straight for a place I had already looked into.

Three subway stops from home.

This street had once been something like the heart of Korean industry — a place where countless workshops and tool shops had thrived. In its heyday, people used to say that if you paid enough, they could even build you a rocket. But time had worn on, industry had faded, and now it was a stretch of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠road drained of life, inhabited mostly by the elderly.

A loss of vitality, put another way, meant deposits and monthly rents were cheap. And I had come here for one reason only: to find a workshop of my own.

When another commission like Professor Park's came in, I couldn't keep leaning on the company forever.

Besides, there are plenty of things I'd like to make on my own.

The street was so thoroughly dead that even real estate offices were hard to spot. Then I noticed one — a realtor's office hanging a faded sign that looked at least thirty years old.

Might as well try here.

I quietly opened the door and stepped inside. A middle-aged woman who had been watching television switched it off and turned to greet me.

"Welcome. Looking for a studio?"

A studio?

I was puzzled for a second, then understood. Most men my age who walked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through that door were probably here to rent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a one-room apartment.

"No. I'd like to look at a commercial space."

At the word shop, the realtor's expression turned slightly puzzled.

"A commercial space? You look young, though — what are you planning to do with it? Open a delivery place or something?"

"I want to open a workshop. Is there anywhere decent with a deposit under twenty million won? I don't mind if there are things left inside."

She looked briefly surprised at the word workshop, then started flipping through her notebook.

"Under twenty million… hmm… With that kind of money, you'd only be able to get somewhere old. Is that all right?"

"That's fine."

"Really? Give me a moment."

She pulled a phone from her pocket and started making calls.

Apparently she had found something workable, because she stood up from her seat.

"Sir, there's a spot that would work well for a workshop, and they'll match a twenty-million-won deposit. Want to take a look? It's not far from here. I should mention, though — it's a bit run-down."

The deposit wasn't large, so I was prepared to live with a little age.

"Yes, let's go."

Oh… this isn't bad at all.

The building she took me to was more than decent. It was a little old, but the floor space was generous, and being on the ground floor would make moving things in and out easy.

"Aigoo, they could've at least cleaned up."

The realtor shoved aside the trash scattered around the entrance and headed straight inside.

"Aigoo, if we sign, I'll talk to the landlord and have them clean it. Still, the floor space is pretty generous. Hmm? What's all this?"

All sorts of tools had been left behind, uncollected. Welding equipment, an electric saw, even an old lathe. It looked as though the previous tenant had used the place as a workshop of some kind.

It's worn, but it all looks usable.

"Aigoo, they should've cleared this stuff out. No wonder it hasn't rented."

From a realtor's point of view, leftover junk was apparently a mark against the place. She looked at me and hurried to reassure me.

"Sorry about this. If we sign, I'll have it all hauled away."

I shook my head at once.

"No, that won't be necessary. If they were going to throw it out anyway, would it be all right if I used it?"

"Huh? Well, the previous tenant's been gone a long time, so it shouldn't matter… but are you sure? Getting rid of it later would be a headache too."

I nodded, unconcerned.

"I'm sure. More importantly, what's the rent?"

"Twenty million deposit, six hundred thousand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a month. That's about the cheapest you'll find in this neighborhood. For this much space, you won't get anything cheaper."

Ohh… this is actually a steal.

There was no reason to hesitate further.

I can't keep making things at the company every time an order comes in.

"I'll take it."

There hadn't been any other options to begin with. The moment I said I would sign, the realtor's face lit up.

"Aigoo, smart choice. There's nothing else this good at that deposit. Let me call and see if I can knock even fifty thousand off the monthly rent."

She hurriedly dialed someone, wrangled for a minute or two, then hung up and flashed me an OK sign.

That was the price of what would become my first workshop in Korea.

Hwang Dae-gyun. A major general in the Republic of Korea Army, currently serving as commander of the 38th Infantry Division.

He held a respectable position in society, and his wife had a gift for investing, so they had built up a fortune that needed no apology. Their children had grown up well and gotten into universities anyone would envy. By the standards of Korean society, his was a life that could fairly be called a success.

Lately, though, he had one serious problem.

"Nngh…"

He sat down at the table for breakfast, and the pain came flooding in.

This again…

The backache had returned. He couldn't say for certain whether it was a herniated disc or something else, but the pain that had started a few months ago had been tormenting him without rest. It was bearable enough most of the time — until he sat down in a chair, at which point it multiplied several times over.

A division commander's work was, by nature, mostly done sitting down, which made the suffering that much worse. He had already replaced the chair twice. It had done nothing. The chair in his office now was a two-million-won model he had bought with his own money, and the pain showed no interest in fading.

"This is driving me insane…"

The backache had grown so severe that even daily life was becoming difficult, and his work efficiency had naturally begun to slip. Major General Hwang was not a man who snapped at his subordinates as a rule — but lately, the frequency of his irritation had been climbing.

At this rate, I'll have to hang up the uniform before I even make it to retirement age…

"Haa…"

He let out a long breath, and his wife, sitting beside him, looked over with worried eyes. She knew perfectly well why he was like this.

"Honey, are you sure you're all right? Shouldn't you go to a bigger hospital?"

"Would a bigger hospital change anything? I've already had X-rays, CT scans, the works."

He had been to the hospital more than once. The answer was always the same.

It's the same speech every time. What's the point of going back…

Major General Hwang picked at his food, then stood up from the table.

"I'm heading out. No appetite today."

"Honey, at least eat a little more before you go…"

"I'm fine. I'm leaving."

From the small things to the large, the backache was slowly eating away at every corner of Major General Hwang's life.

"Nngh…"

The pain hit the instant he sat down at his desk. It was worse than usual today. Standing was at least a little better, so he ended up getting up and trying to work on his feet. That, too, had its limits. After standing for so long, his legs began to ache.

Haa. This is enough to drive a man mad. Can't sit, can't stand.

In the end he leaned against the window, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it, hoping to forget the pain even a little.

"Haa…"

He blew out a stream of smoke and glared at the damned chair.

Should I try changing it again?

He had already replaced it twice. He doubted a third chair would make any difference.

He took a few more drags and was about to put the cigarette out when a familiar private passed by outside the window.

Who was that again?

Even at division headquarters, it was unusual for a division commander to remember a private by sight.

Ah…

He remembered. It was the young man he had transferred to headquarters not long ago, as a favor to his older brother.

"What was the name… ah. Kang… Kang Jeonghwan."

The friend his brother, Professor Hwang, had asked him to move to division headquarters.

I wonder if he's settling in all right.

It wasn't just anyone's request — it was his brother's. He found himself suddenly curious. Major General Hwang called out the window.

"Private Kang Jeonghwan!"

Jeonghwan startled and fumbled for a moment, then located the source of the voice and snapped a salute toward the general.

"L-Loyalty! Private Kang Jeonghwan!"

"Come to the division commander's office for a moment."

"Yes, sir!"

Jeonghwan entered the office a little stiffly and saluted again.

"Private Kang Jeonghwan! You called for me, sir!"

"Yes. How's army life treating you?"

"Well, sir! The senior enlisted have been good to me. No problems at all!"

"Is that so?"

Military service was never easy, but looking at Jeonghwan's face, it didn't seem as though he was having an especially hard time of it.

That's a relief.

"All right. Dismissed."

"Loyalty!"

Jeonghwan saluted and was turning to leave when a conversation from a few days ago flickered through Major General Hwang's mind — a call with his older brother.

His older brother was not a bad man, but he was not a man generous with praise, either. For him to talk like that meant the young man's skill truly was out of the ordinary. And that last remark lingered.

Wait a second…

It was a slim hope, but a hope all the same. Major General Hwang caught Jeonghwan before he could leave.

"Private Kang. Hold on a moment."

"Private Kang Jeonghwan!"

"Sorry, but would you be able to get in touch with your older brother?"

Jeonghwan was startled, but the man in front of him was the division commander. There was only one answer.

"Yes, sir!"

A few days later, that Sunday.

Major General Hwang skipped even the church service he never missed, and found his way to a small workshop in Andan-si.

The building itself was old, but the sign, at least, looked newly hung — clean and bright.

This must be the place.

From inside the workshop came the loud, ringing sound of metal being worked.

— Clang! Thud!

A man was inside, hammering away at something with fierce concentration. Major General Hwang called out to him carefully.

"Excuse me…"

The man working the metal stopped his hands, rose from his seat, and came forward, bowing his head in greeting.

"Welcome. You must be Major General Hwang Dae-gyun."

"Ah, yes… Then you would be—"

"Kang Cheolwoo. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He's much younger than I expected…

He had known, from the moment he heard the word student, that the man would be young. Seeing him in person, though, he found it hard to believe this was a master craftsman.

And yet the young man guided him to a seat with a composure that did not match his age.

"Why don't we talk over a cup of coffee first."

"Ah, yes…"

"Please, have a seat. I'll be right with you."

Major General Hwang glanced around and spotted two chairs and a table off to the side.

I have to sit down again…

He let out a breath and went over to sit.

"…Nngh!"

A groan escaped him before he could stop it, and he clutched at his lower back. The same hideous pain as always came climbing up his spine.

This is going to be the death of me…

He was still hissing through the pain when Cheolwoo returned with two cups of instant coffee and held one out to him. Then he sat in the chair across the table and offered a greeting.

"First, allow me to thank you. Thanks to you, General, my younger brother has been settling into the army well. I'm truly, sincerely grateful."

"Not at all. That's all because Private Kang is doing well on his own."

The moment the thanks were done, Cheolwoo went straight to the commission.

"I've heard the situation. You have something you'd like me to make?"

"Ah, yes. Lately I've been—"

But before Major General Hwang could even begin, Cheolwoo got there first.

"General. The item you'd like to commission — would that be a chair, by any chance?"

Major General Hwang stared at him, startled.

"I— how did you know?"

"When you sat down just now, you were being extremely careful with your lower back. And as you sat, I could see your pelvis twist — the pain must have been severe."

"……"

He couldn't believe it. This man had watched him sit down once — just once — and from that alone had pinpointed exactly what was wrong. The next thing Cheolwoo said, however, was even more staggering.

"!?"

Just what kind of person IS this guy…!

Major General Hwang's expression shifted from surprise to outright shock.