I ended up buying a cell phone. Due to the nature of my work, I often had to be out for sales, collecting computers, or on the move, and I needed a mobile phone to receive calls.
I had occasionally seen those brick-like phones before, but this one actually felt like a "mobile" phone.
"Heh."
And since very few people carried cell phones at the time, I could feel people's gazes. It felt like a fashion statement.
On crowded streets, I would deliberately answer calls in a loud, exaggerated voice.
Combined with my new Grandeur, I could feel women's envious glances, which was a great stress reliever.
When I drove a truck, I was often treated like just another junkyard owner, even when visiting the same places. When I talked about buying computers, they wouldn't pay much attention, and it took a lot of effort to convince them. But just driving a Grandeur changed people's perceptions, making sales much smoother.
This is why people value luxury cars, I thought.
"Anyway, about the school…"
Just the day before, I received a call from a junkyard owner in Seoul. He said a nearby high school had contacted him about disposing of their old computers. They were upgrading to newer models and had about 70 computers, 30 of which were broken and would be discarded.
The junkyard owner asked if I could offer a higher price since the quantity was large.
"Hmm… let's see."
My dealings with CEO Wu had evolved from simply buying used computer main units at a fixed price to a more detailed system where we traded based on specifications.
The school computers were undoubtedly 286 models, at least five years old. We were currently buying 286s for 250,000 won each.
TL/n - 286: 80286 is a 16-bit microprocessor
"They implemented the educational PC program in 1989, so they must be 286s."
Thanks to my continuous study since starting the used computer business, I had become somewhat of an expert.
I even knew about a computer-related program from 1989. I had come a long way.
Anyway, any working computer, regardless of model, was profitable.
The profit margin was in the tens of thousands of percent, so it was easy to offer a higher price.
"But how many schools are there in the country?"
I smelled money. The program was implemented nationwide in 1989. Would only this school be upgrading their computers? Most schools would be due for an upgrade. I felt greedy.
"I need to get my hands on all of this."
But it would take too long. Visiting each school, finding the administrative office, explaining my purpose, persuading the head of the office, negotiating prices… I needed a better strategy.
As I was pondering, Maru entered the office.
"Hyung, the testing is done. 100 units are ready for delivery."
"What are the models?"
"70 units of 286, 30 units of 386, and 70 monitors."
"386s go for 400,000 won, so that's about 34.4 million won. Alright."
Maru tilted his head and asked,
"What's wrong? You usually get excited about deliveries."
"Well, it's just…"
I explained the situation about the school. Maru listened and then said, as if it wasn't a big deal,
"Can't you just get acquainted with the head of the administrative office at one school, slip him some money, and ask for introductions to other schools? They must know each other, their contact information, and stuff."
"Even then, how can I reach all the schools in the country… Hmm? Wait a minute…"
I sat down and started tapping on the calculator. Asking for introductions and bribing them…
I tapped my fingers rhythmically on the desk, lost in thought.
Maru stood there blankly and asked,
"Hyung, should I handle the delivery?"
"Yeah, you do it today. It's 34.4 million won, keep 400,000 won for yourself."
"Yay! Thanks, hyung."
I patted Maru's shoulder and said,
"Maru, be patient with 400,000 won for now. You see how fast we're growing, right? You might be a general manager in title, but you're the vice president of this company. I'll take care of you, so just wait a little longer."
Maru laughed, saying he was already happy with his allowance being higher than his salary. He started loading the computers onto the truck, preparing for departure.
"You lucky bastard."
I immediately called the junkyard owner.
"Ah, CEO Park, it's Park Sol from Chunha Resources. Yes, yes, regarding the price you mentioned yesterday… It's tough, you know, after all the processing and labor costs, there's not much profit left. But I understand you're in a difficult situation, so I'll adjust the price. So here's the thing…"
I smirked and said,
"I think we need to discuss the price with the school as well. Can you connect me with the head of the administrative office?"
The school refused to meet with me. Perhaps they considered themselves to be educators with a high moral standing, or they simply didn't see the need to meet when they could just tell me the price and have me collect the computers.
Moreover, the employee who initially contacted the junkyard was just a low-level staff member. I needed to meet with the head of the administrative office.
I had failed to meet him through the junkyard, but I could just go to the school and meet him directly. I dressed up neatly, got in my Grandeur, and headed to the high school.
"Seongwon High School, huh."
It was a high school in Seoul with thousands of students.
The head of the administrative office, who managed everything from student life to school activities in such a large school, must have received a considerable amount of bribes. It would take a significant amount of money to sway him.
"Then I'll shower him with cash."
I put on the sunglasses I had prepared and entered the school. It was late January, the middle of winter.
I asked students for directions and found the administrative office. There was a sign on the door that said "Please knock," but I slid the door open and entered confidently.
There were about five employees inside, and a middle-aged man with a completely bald head was leaning back in the most spacious chair, snoring away.
As I stepped in, one of the employees cautiously approached me and asked,
"Can I help you?"
In a suit and sunglasses, I didn't look like a junkyard owner. I probably looked more like a gangster. Again, I was 180 cm tall and weighed 90 kg. I was not a small guy.
I smiled as kindly as I could and said,
"I'm here to see the head of the administrative office. I have something to discuss with him."
"Well, if you tell me your business, I can ask him… Wait, you can't go in there!"
I ignored the employee and walked towards the head of the office. The commotion woke him up, and he frowned and said,
"What's going on? What's all the noise?"
He looked at me approaching him and said in surprise,
"Hey, you! Who are you? What are you doing? This is a school!"
I walked up to him, bowed, and said,
"Nice to meet you."
"I said, who are you!"
I positioned myself between him and the other employees, leaned down, and placed a piece of paper with my contact information and a wad of 1 million won on his lap. I whispered,
"This is just the beginning. 1 million won. Give me a call tonight. I'll take you somewhere nice."
I made sure he saw me place the money and then left, greeting the other employees as I headed back to my car.
After work hours, I received a call from the head of the office. I picked him up and drove to a room salon I had booked in advance.
"Welcome, CEO Park. Shall I guide you to room number 1?"
"Yes, please."
I followed the waiter to room number 1 with the head of the office and said,
"Just the basic setup for now. We'll call for the hostesses later."
"Alright."
The waiters left, and I looked at the head of the office. He seemed quite familiar with this kind of place. His salary as a public official wouldn't allow for this kind of extravagance.
'This is perfect.'
"Nice to meet you. I'm Park Sol from Chunha Trading."
"I'm Kim Young-bum, head of the administrative office at Seongwon High School."
We shook hands, poured each other drinks, and I said,
"Do you know why I asked to meet with you?"
"Well, I handle so many things that…"
"It's about the computers."
"Computers? The bidding for that is already over. Oh, this is such a shame. If only you had come a little earlier. You missed it."
He clicked his tongue, seemingly disappointed. He must have thought I was there to sell them new computers.
Judging by his reaction, the company that won the bid must have offered a lower price than me.
"That 1 million won is just the beginning. Consider it a consultation fee. And I'm not here because of the computer bidding."
"You're quite generous. Hahaha. Here, have another drink."
We exchanged another drink, and I took out another 1 million won from my pocket and placed it on the table.
"This is for you if the deal goes through."
"1 million won consultation fee plus another 1 million won. I'm starting to get worried about what you want."
"What I want are the computers that are being discarded."
The head of the office blinked, as if he had misheard me.
"I think I misheard you. Are you saying you want to take the old computers that are being discarded?"
"That's correct."
His eyes started darting around. He must have been confused. 2 million won just for some discarded computers?
Even considering his seniority, his monthly salary would be around 700,000 won. He must have been wondering if those discarded computers were really worth 2 million won.
"Of course, even if I take all 40 computers from your school, I wouldn't make much profit after giving you 2 million won. Who would buy five-year-old computers? Especially broken ones."
"That's true."
"But it's different when the scale is larger."
I started taking out more wads of 1 million won from my pocket and placing them on the table. The head of the office's eyes widened with each stack.
I even took out more from my briefcase, placing a total of 20 million won in front of him. Beads of sweat started forming on his forehead. He was used to receiving small bribes, but seeing three years' worth of his salary in cash must have been overwhelming.
"Headmaster Kim."
"Y-yes? Yes, yes, yes."
I smirked and said,
"Are you interested… in making a lot of money?"