How to Make Money with Power (2)
“You mean there’s absolutely no rent involved?”
There is hardly anyone in this world who isn’t interested in ways to make money. Watching JSD take the bait, Choi Cheol-gyu continued his explanation in a serious, hushed tone.
“Basically, the products sold at the main department store will be high-end, but we plan to build single-story shops around the perimeter of the department store.”
“And what will be sold in those shops…?”
“They will be mass-market items. In other words, those shops will cater to the common people who come after hearing the rumors about the department store.”
“Ho-ho…”
Currently, Yoon-gi’s department store project was a matter of great interest to those in the know, including JSD, so JSD also found the idea plausible.
“Of course, we won’t grant this privilege to everyone. No matter how vast the land is, there are limits.”
“That’s true. Indeed.”
JSD nodded, waiting for the next part. He assumed there would be more fruit to bear.
“Among those who operate the mini department stores, we will supply high-end goods to a very select few recommended by Colonel JSD.”
“Oh…”
“If there are people who want to get close to Colonel JSD and his inner circle, would they be able to resist buying the goods? As for the quality, since the items will be imported directly from the United States, there’s no need to even mention it.”
JSD nodded at the business plan that sounded quite extraordinary and opened his mouth.
“Then, how many mini shops do you expect there to be?”
“I am currently seeking advice from Harvard graduate students.”
“Ha, Harvard…!”
It was common for people all over the world to be obsessed with the name Harvard, and the trust that name carried was immense.
“Yes. Harvard. Once we receive the estimates from them, we plan to allocate a portion to Colonel JSD. If you give me the list then, I will push forward with the contracts for those individuals.”
“If you do that for me, I would be truly honored. Even though there isn’t much I can do for you, you treat me so well…”
Choi Cheol-gyu shook his head.
“I dislike diversified investment. As a man, and as someone who has served in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, shouldn’t one look only at one path? I consider Colonel JSD the best, which is why I am investing only in Colonel JSD.”
Following the advice of Yoon-gi, who knew JSD’s tendencies well, Choi Cheol-gyu poured out the absolute best remarks, and their effect was excellent.
“If I am promoted later, I will never forget the words and actions you have shown me today, President Choi.”
“I would be very satisfied if you just treat me as you do now. I am someone who has been moved by Colonel JSD’s character and conduct.”
Smiles spread across the faces of the two men at the table.
“Oh, come to think of it, what do you mean by no rent? Even so, you should be making some profit…”
At JSD’s timely question, Choi Cheol-gyu finally brought up the real point.
“Ah, that’s simpler than you think. It’s a method where rent is waived on the condition of operating a ‘mini department store’.”
“That seems like a reasonable method.”
“Instead, for the interior and exterior design of the mini department store, you must deal with this construction company. I intend to make not just the department store, but the atmosphere of the surrounding area into a kind of ‘theme park’.”
“That doesn’t sound bad either.”
JSD had developed quite a bit of trust in Choi Cheol-gyu, so he did not question the construction company.
“I’ve also hired a lead interior designer who worked at a very promising firm in the U.S., so you will like it. And since it’s a mini department store, naturally, all supplies will be shipped from the main department store.”
“That makes sense, too.”
“Because the entire sales inventory comes from the main department store, the main store will take 40 percent of the profits, excluding royalties.”
“40 percent… that’s a bit high.”
“We can’t treat your inner circle the same way. With your inner circle, we will sign a 30 percent contract.”
After the light whip, the carrot was immediately offered, and JSD smiled as if he were in a good mood. Being treated specially is something to brag about even among slaves.
“I don’t know if it’s alright to receive such special treatment.”
Watching JSD, who was grinning despite his words, Choi Cheol-gyu cheered inwardly.
“What’s difficult about this? Actually, I’d like to give you more, but considering the costs of buying goods from the U.S. and various taxes, it’s not easy to lower it further, so I’m just sorry.”
“Regarding those matters, I will talk to my superiors. To see if there is any way I can help.”
“If you do that, what more could I ask for? I look forward to working with you.”
As Choi Cheol-gyu bowed his head, JSD reached out his hand to offer a handshake.
“Yes, let’s do well together.”
JSD, shaking hands with Choi Cheol-gyu, thought he would need to talk to JD later, and imagined a bright future.
“Before I got a job, I wanted to go to a company, but to think I’d want to leave the company after getting hired…”
Aaron burst into laughter as he watched Pike, who was drawing blueprints like a madman.
“Hey, still, it’s good to be working. I quit without thinking and couldn’t find a job for two years. Later on, I couldn’t even buy beer in packs and could only buy one bottle at a time.”
Aaron, who was 170cm tall and looked physically frail, got along well with Pike, who was much larger than him. Although Aaron was about 9 years older, they were able to become friends in a faraway foreign land because the U.S. didn’t care about age.
“You couldn’t find a job for two years?”
“That’s right. Well, it would have been better than living in Mexico and becoming a mafia member, though. Bringing me back to my homeland was the best choice my mom ever made. Ah, I wouldn’t have been able to become a mafia member anyway, right?”
“Why? Can’t you become a mafia member in Mexico?”
“Hey, do you have the right to say that? You, who didn’t even become a gangster.”
“Are you discriminating against me now?”
“What’s the point of a Latino discriminating against a Black person?”
A scene like Black people teasing each other as ‘Nigger’ appeared between the Black American and the Latino American, and their conversation continued.
“In South America, if a man doesn’t have muscles, he just dies. But look at my body. I look frailer than a woman, right? So I suffered a lot when I was young. My mom saw me getting beaten up every day and decided it was no longer possible, so we moved to the U.S.”
“It’s a good thing it wasn’t illegal immigration.”
“I was lucky. But why didn’t you become a gangster?”
“You want to die? Not all Black people become gangsters, you know?”
While the two were giggling and chatting, the construction office personnel brought by Kim Jeong-seon were also busy working overtime. Among them, the number of people brought from their hometowns had increased; this was because Kim Jeong-seon, who had confirmed the scale of Yoon-gi’s business, which was flourishing more and more unlike the beginning, had staked not only his own fate but also the company’s fate on it. Including the newly hired personnel, nearly 50 people were working frantically on construction tasks, including blueprints, next to the heater.
The exterior and interior work of the main department store, plus the mini department stores to be built nearby. Because Yoon-gi wanted to turn all the important parts into prime contracts, the construction company employees were working overtime as a daily routine with bloodshot eyes.
“Haa, I have no idea how long we have to work overtime like this.”
When Yoo Jin-hee sighed while wiping the sweat flowing down his smooth head with a handkerchief, Kim Jeong-seon shook his head.
“Still, we have to do all of this. It’s one thing if the number of essential employees increases, but the moment subcontracts increase, our share decreases later.”
Currently, their overtime was absolutely not free. Of course, since the budget operation was tight, it was being put on credit, but it meant that at least it wasn’t meaningless overtime.
“That’s true. I’m looking forward to when we get settled later.”
“Is settlement the problem? I went to my nephew’s lodging, and I was surprised.”
“Nephew, you mean Geun-tae?”
“Yeah. The Chairman provided lodging for Geun-tae, but where else would they provide a family home as lodging for an employee living alone?”
Currently, the title they used for Yoon-gi had solidified as ‘Chairman’. Originally, they tried to call him ‘Little President’, but they stopped using it because it felt like calling him lower than Ryu Geun-tae, and calling him ‘Big President’ wasn’t appropriate since he was a minor. That was the compromise they reached: Chairman. Since there was no direct connection to the Samwoo Group from the start, there was no confusion in calling Yoon-gi Chairman.
“I’m in a single room…”
When one of Kim Jeong-seon’s subordinates muttered, Kim Jeong-seon immediately said as if scolding him.
“You idiot, Geun-tae is the department store president and the Chairman’s secretary, and you’re just a construction company employee. You have to compare things that are comparable. And where else can you find a single room that doesn’t smell like mold and gets sunlight? Haven’t you seen the lodging at other companies’ construction sites? If you want to stay in good lodging, keep working hard.”
The employee who didn’t even get his principal back started working silently, and Yoo Jin-hee, who had started the conversation, spoke to Aaron.
“Aaron, I heard there’s no overtime in the U.S., is that true?”
“There’s no overtime, but there is overtime.”
Pike and Aaron had been in Korea for a few months, but they learned Korean very quickly. Of course, they hadn’t learned formal language, but they learned it to play with other people because they were bored in a place far away from their homeland.
“What does that mean?”
“There’s just less overtime set by regulations, but you have to work a lot at home to get promoted. Logically, as you go up, the positions decrease, so would you get promoted automatically just by arriving and leaving on time?”
“So that’s how it is…”
“It’s true that there are more people who are satisfied without being promoted than in Korea, but it’s a world of animals if you want to get promoted there too.”
“If there are guys who say they work comfortably in the U.S. in the future, I’ll have to flatten their noses.”
After some small talk, they started focusing on their work again, and after a while, Fernandez entered the office with a lot of food.
“Ah, is it chicken again?”
Unlike Pike, who was screaming, everyone else rushed to the chicken excitedly.
“What can I do? Everyone else likes chicken. And what can I do when that’s the only place open at this hour?”
In the end, Pike grumbled but reached for the chicken himself. Anyway, he had to fill his stomach to work until dawn.
“By the way, aren’t you tired, Team Leader?”
Currently, Fernandez nominally held the title of Team Leader at the construction company operated by Kim Jeong-seon.
“Not tired at all.”
In reality, Fernandez was very energetic. In the past, he had dark circles because of the evil spirits and was always exhausted, but now that such harassment had disappeared, his physical strength had conversely become very good. Is it a charm similar to a bowl baked in fire becoming harder?
“Ah, that’s right. I met the Chairman on my way here.”
At the word Chairman, everyone stopped eating chicken and turned their heads toward Fernandez.
“He gave us a bonus to work a little harder.”
At Fernandez’s action of taking out dozens of thick envelopes and distributing them, everyone started cheering and receiving the envelopes.
“This much…!”
The amount in the envelope was 250,000 won per person. It was equivalent to a month’s salary for a new employee at the current No. 1 company in Korea.
“He said to cheer up because he’ll take care of us more surely later. He said that if we just work hard, he’ll let us live a life that doesn’t end as just employees.”
With the bonus that came at the right timing, the employees finished their late-night snack time quickly without anyone saying who would go first and entered their work again. The whip called work and the carrot called bonus. While the construction company employees were working without a moment to spare, Yoon-gi began to prepare for the main department store’s work in earnest. And that work was to become a leader of trends.