Kidult?
Yoon-gi stood up abruptly, gripping the newspaper firmly. Even in this moment, his eyes remained fixed on one spot in the paper. To anyone with a basic understanding of [Famicom] consoles, it was a familiar item, but to put it simply, it was a "game console" released in the early 80s. While it had the official name Famicom, for parents who had zero interest in games, calling it a "game console" was about as much as they could grasp. Just as someone uninterested in cars might struggle to distinguish a Ferrari from a Porsche, the parents of this era were no different. In truth, even Yoon-gi, while excited to see the photo of the Famicom in the advertisement, didn't know much about the machine itself. He was simply filled with joy at the sight of "the item he had wanted so badly."
"Man... I really carried my friend's backpack like a mule just to try playing this thing for a bit..."
In reality, it was a stretch to even call him a friend. He was just a peer he’d met while working at a construction site during vacation. When the guy bragged about buying a game console, Yoon-gi had bought him meals and bread just to get a few minutes of playtime.
"Hey! Don't press it so hard! You'll break it!"
"Wait, let me play first, then I'll give it to you. Huh? It's already been two hours? Forget it, I told you to wait!"
"Hey, it's time for my parents to get home, so get going. I said I'd let you play next time, didn't I?"
The guy was truly a dirty, petty jerk, but Yoon-gi had endured it all just to touch that console. But that, too, only lasted a short while. Exhausted by his own desperate behavior, Yoon-gi eventually gave up on begging his coworker, and before he knew it, caught up in the grind of reality, he had missed his chance to ever really get into gaming. Choi Deok-bae, who had been watching Yoon-gi from the side, seemed intrigued by his unusual behavior and drifted closer.
"I really wanted this when I was that age. Seeing it in an ad by chance like this is so nostalgic."
"You, Grandfather?"
"For example?"
Choi Deok-bae began to speak, his eyes clouded with melancholy as if lost in the past.
"Well, I suppose..."
Choi Deok-bae’s words were unexpectedly intriguing, so Yoon-gi asked with a look of genuine interest.
"Ugh, as expected of those Joseon scholars—hating money on the outside but loving it on the inside..."
"Did you write love letters on paper, Grandfather?"
Even as he said that, the smile on Choi Deok-bae’s face was proof enough that he had enjoyed a "happy married life." Yoon-gi pondered the words for about three seconds, then grinned and nodded.
"Now, I can buy it."
Yoon-gi stepped onto Japanese soil once again. He was standing in Akihabara, Tokyo. It was a name even the average person might have heard of; while it would become the definitive holy land for Japanese otaku by the 2000s, in the 80s, it was classified as the mecca of electronic goods. He had chosen Akihabara based on the knowledge he’d picked up from his otaku coworkers back when he was a laborer, and luckily, his choice hit the mark.
"Hmm, you can certainly tell that Japan's economy is incredibly active right now."
The flashy buildings in sight. Yoon-gi knew that most of this was a bubble, but he spoke to Cha Pil-gyu beside him in a tone of appropriate admiration for the Japanese economy.
"Indeed. I’ve been to Japan a few times following you, Young Master, but this place is truly worthy of the description 'prosperous'."
Because Yoon-gi had asked to be called "Young Master" unless it was a situation that required otherwise, Cha Pil-gyu addressed him as such.
"Shall we go then?"
"Yes."
Accompanied only by his bodyguard Cha Pil-gyu, Yoon-gi began to walk slowly through Akihabara. He could feel the gazes of the people around him. Before his new life, Yoon-gi had no choice but to be self-conscious of people's stares. A laborer's life, looked down upon by others. Combined with an irregular lifestyle and poor nutrition, his body had been a wreck. Because of that, Yoon-gi had felt mockery in every glance, and he had always walked timidly, trying not to catch anyone's eye.
But now, it was different. Yoon-gi, who had clearly put effort into his appearance, was more than enough to draw the attention of others. Furthermore, because he had someone who clearly looked like a bodyguard by his side, the people's gazes were filled with envy and admiration, causing Yoon-gi’s self-esteem to skyrocket.
"Man, I feel this all the time, but there’s a reason why handsome and pretty people have good personalities. You just walk around and people look at you with dazed expressions—there’s no reason to have a single negative thought."
There might be people with the talent to break through harsh environments, but having lived in a hellish environment that buried even his own talents, a bitter smile escaped him before he knew it.
"Hmm, YK will start diving into the tech industry in earnest in about 10 years, but I can't help but be envious of the present."
Looking at the cameras, radios, and videos displayed in the shop windows on the street, Yoon-gi fell into deep thought. Of course, this wasn't the first time Yoon-gi had seen these products. Given the nature of his family, many of their household appliances were foreign-made.
"I'm not trying to praise Japan, but at least until the 90s, Korean electronics were definitely lagging behind Japan."
Having visited Sewoon Plaza, currently called the mecca of electronics in Korea, Yoon-gi knew there was a clear difference between the domestic products there and the Japanese products he saw before him now.
"Hmm, let's wait 10 years. It's not time to invest in this sector yet. The efficiency is too low."
Having made a strictly rational judgment, Yoon-gi, separate from that decision, stepped into a brightly lit shop.
"Welcome!"
It was a small shop run by a shopkeeper and a female clerk. Since there were no other customers, he received kind service, and Yoon-gi bought a Polaroid camera. Polaroid would eventually become a subsidiary of another company in the 2000s due to various negative factors. However, the Polaroid of the 80s was a powerhouse in the instant camera industry that had been going strong since the late 40s.
"When Merrill comes to visit later, I should take photos with her."
How he had envied the "insiders" who posted photos of themselves enjoying life on social media. Yoon-gi left the shop, listening to the shopkeeper and clerk’s expressions of gratitude.
"How long has it been since I indulged in a personal luxury?"
Come to think of it, since starting his new life, Yoon-gi had rarely indulged in personal luxuries. It was mostly investment and reinvestment. Of course, he had played the lottery games in front of the school a few times due to his inner child, but that was something even children from the poorest families could do once through a well-off friend, so it was far from a luxury. In short, it was the first luxury he had enjoyed in his new life. Yoon-gi began to walk down the street again with a deeply moved expression. And finally, he came upon a fairly large store with a Famicom advertisement posted, and Yoon-gi entered with a smile.
Because the store was large, there were many clerks, and as soon as Yoon-gi entered, a booming greeting echoed through the shop.
"Is there something you are looking for?"
To the kind service of the clerk in his 30s, Yoon-gi nodded and replied in Japanese, which had become quite fluent.
"Please give me a Famicom."
"Ah, yes! You mean a Famicom. Understood."
It was late July 1983. Since it was a time when the Famicom hadn't been out for long and they were in the middle of aggressive advertising, the products were already prepared inside the store.
"Here it is. Do you happen to need any games?"
"Of course I do. But more than that..."
"Yes?"
"I'm not looking to buy just one unit."
"Ah, are you buying them as gifts? How many do you need?"
Yoon-gi replied with a smile.
"Fifty."
It was a large store, but perhaps because of the time, there were few customers, so all the clerks' gazes were fixed on Yoon-gi. Even the other customers turned their heads toward Yoon-gi, looking as if they weren't sure they had heard correctly.
"I apologize, customer. How many did you say?"
"Fifty. And how many games are out right now?"
"Uh... well... since it's a game console that hasn't been out long, there aren't that many games. Maybe about ten?"
"Then, please match that with 50 sets as well."
No sooner had Yoon-gi finished speaking than a man in his 50s, who had been serving customers elsewhere, approached and bowed to Yoon-gi.
"Hello. I am the owner of this shop. I will serve you from now on."
The clerk moved quickly to the owner's previous spot with great sense, and from then on, with the owner's very kind service and the help of other clerks, Famicoms and games began to pile up beside Yoon-gi. It was an operation that mobilized every clerk in the store.
"Owner, we're out of stock!"
"Go to the distributor quickly and get more! Whatever it takes!"
At the owner's prodding, two employees ran outside, and the owner looked at Yoon-gi with a pitiful expression.
"I apologize, but could you wait just a moment?"
"That’s not difficult. But you know I'm buying a lot right now, right?"
"Ah, yes! Of course, a separate discount..."
Yoon-gi shook his head.
"No, I'm not looking for a discount."
"Yes, yes!"
"It would be quite difficult to carry all that, wouldn't it?"
"Of course. No matter where you live in Japan, we will take responsibility and deliver it to you."
"That's better than a discount. I'm going straight to my destination after purchasing here, is real-time delivery possible?"
"Oh, of course!"
The owner nodded unconditionally, fearing he might lose such a big customer, and soon spoke with a cautious expression.
"But, how would you like to handle the payment...?"
"Ah."
Yoon-gi looked at Cha Pil-gyu, and Cha Pil-gyu pulled a stack of cash from his briefcase.
"How much is it?"
As a result of the owner's calculation, the amount Yoon-gi had to pay was 4.3 million yen. Based on the 2010s Korean standard, it was about 50 million won. But Yoon-gi nodded to Cha Pil-gyu without any hesitation and had him pay.
"Don't forget to give me a personal receipt."
"Understood!"
Once the money was received, there was nothing for the owner to worry about. Before long, the clerks who had gone outside brought the goods from the distributor, and they were loaded onto a trailer truck the owner had secured.
"Do you happen to need any other game consoles? There are many besides the Famicom... I'll give them to you cheaply."
At the owner's words, Yoon-gi thought for a moment and nodded.
"Five sets of those. Please include only the popular titles for the games."
"Understood!"
"However!"
At Yoon-gi's words, the owner’s body froze for a moment.
"If you give me games that aren't popular, I won't ever come to this store again."
"Oh, of course!"
There might have been owners who would try to clear out their inventory in a situation like this, but the owner here was a person with a long-term perspective, so other game consoles, which truly only included popular titles, were also loaded onto the trailer, five sets each. Despite it being a fairly large trailer, it was packed to the brim.
"The destination is Japan Commodity, follow behind the car."
Yoon-gi finished his hot-blooded shopping and, with the capabilities of Japan Commodity, succeeded in sending all the goods to Korea.
"Yoon-gi, are you thinking of going into the game console business?"
Choi Cheol-gyu, who had confirmed the countless game consoles on the shipping list, asked as if it were fascinating, but Yoon-gi's answer was clear.
"No."
"Wow... anyway, it's a rare sight."
Game consoles being moved one by one onto YK-owned trucks at the port. Just as Yoon-gi was enjoying a pleasant life for once, a welcome person came to visit from the United States.