Park Jong-bum initially arrived at the address I gave him, fuming with indignation.
However, upon seeing the sheer scale of Chunha Trading's new 16,500 square meter warehouse, the number of employees, and the mountains of secondhand goods filling the space, his bravado gradually dwindled.
Entering the office, the professional atmosphere further humbled him. As he was led to the CEO's office by a female employee and saw two imposing figures standing there, his back was already bent at a 90-degree angle.
"Greetings. I am Park Jong-bum from Korea Resources Recycling."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Park Sol."
I shook hands with Park Jong-bum and walked over to the main seat on the sofa.
"Please, have a seat here."
I gestured towards the sofa beside me, and Park Jong-bum hesitantly followed my hand and sat down.
He kept glancing at Maru, who was standing beside me like a bodyguard.
"Kim, why don't you take a seat too?"
I had promoted Maru to director with the recent transition from a sole proprietorship to a corporation.
I also transferred 5% of Chunha Trading's shares to him. He was effectively the only executive and shareholder of my essentially one-man company.
"No, sir, I'm comfortable here."
"Don't be silly. You're making Director Park uncomfortable. Have a seat."
At my words, Maru sat down on the sofa opposite Park Jong-bum.
"Now that I think about it, your last name is Park too. What clan are you from?"
"Ah, yes, I'm from the Suncheon Park clan."
I chuckled and said,
"Wow, what a coincidence. I'm from the Suncheon Park clan too. Besides my family, you're the first person I've met from the Suncheon Park clan. Most people are from the Miryang Park clan. And Park Jong-bum… is your generational name 'Jong'?"
"Yes, that's right."
"My brother's name is Park Jong-chan, so we must be from the same generation. It's nice to meet you."
Seeing me being so friendly, he seemed to relax a little, even letting out a small laugh.
"It's nice to meet you too."
"Anyway, I've been wanting to meet you. Who came up with such a brilliant idea like the used clothing donation box?"
Park Jong-bum's eyes widened.
"So you admit that I was the first to come up with it?"
"Of course. We should share good ideas."
My words reminded him of the purpose of his visit, and he said with a slightly annoyed tone,
"Who said anything about not sharing? I knew from the beginning that others would copy me. It's not a difficult idea. But still, isn't it too much for someone running a large business like you to push out a small, struggling business owner like me, even mobilizing people with disabilities?"
His voice grew louder as he became more and more indignant. Maru stared at him intently and said,
"Are you picking a fight? That's bold, I like it."
Maru's words instantly humbled Park Jong-bum.
"No, I wouldn't dare pick a fight. I'm just asking you to leave the areas where I started first. Honestly, it's not like I'm making a fortune. I'm just trying to make a living. Please, have mercy on a struggling soul and withdraw your donation boxes and those people with disabilities. I promise I won't expand any further."
He rubbed his palms together so hard I thought he would wear off his fingerprints. I felt a surge of sympathy. I leaned back, tapping my fingers on the armrest of the sofa.
"Hmm, that's going to be difficult."
"You could just leave me alone… Isn't there any way?"
"First of all, I'm a greedy person, and I don't like it when someone touches my rice bowl."
Park Jong-bum almost cursed.
'That was my rice bowl! You son of a…'
"And it's too late. It'll be in the news tomorrow."
"News? What news?"
"That there are unscrupulous businesses copying the used clothing donation campaign run by the Korea Association of Persons with Disabilities. And that only the donation boxes with the official association logo are genuine."
"Uh… uh…"
Park Jong-bum's face turned red with anger. I smiled and said,
"So, I have a conscience, you know. I thought I should at least compensate you for your losses. How much did you spend?"
"…Not much. I just bought the boxes and made them myself."
I was surprised by his honesty. He knew I had already produced and distributed countless boxes, so there was no point in lying about it.
"But I should at least compensate you for using your idea, right?"
I walked over to the safe in my office and opened it. Park Jong-bum's eyes widened. It was understandable. The large safe I had ordered was filled with cash. About 1 billion won. And there were three of them.
"Let's see, how much should I give you…"
I pretended to think for a moment and took out a bundle of 5 million won, which consisted of five stacks of 1 million won each, secured with a rubber band.
"5 million won?"
Park Jong-bum gulped. I took out another bundle when he remained silent.
"Would 10 million won be enough?"
He couldn't speak. He must have been busy calculating in his head. Was I really giving him this much? Was I trying to trick him?
"I'm feeling generous, another 10 million."
I took out a total of 20 million won and returned to the sofa. I placed 10 million won in front of Park Jong-bum.
"Here, take this."
"…Are you telling me to leave and never come back?"
I smiled and said,
"If you don't take it, I'm happy. I save money. The game is already over, but I was going to offer you a consolation prize. If you don't want it, then don't take it."
Park Jong-bum sighed and took the 10 million won.
"Alright, I'll give up."
I placed another 10 million won in front of him.
"What's this for?"
"I have a problem I'm trying to solve, and I'd like to ask for your advice since you have such brilliant ideas. It's a reward if I like your idea."
"Go ahead."
And so began my explanation. I told him about setting up branches, distributing the price list, buying secondhand goods from all over the country with almost no profit margin, discovering the used clothing donation boxes, and how I ended up in the current situation.
Park Jong-bum was dumbfounded.
"You're the one who distributed that price list? But why are you telling me all this?"
"You didn't know it was me? My company name is clearly written on the price list."
"I mainly deal with households, not junkyards, so I didn't know. I just heard rumors."
"Households? What do you mean?"
"I used to drive around in a truck, playing announcements."
"Ah, that? Isn't it usually for home appliances?"
"I mainly focused on used clothes. I would drive around playing announcements, collect clothes, hand out business cards, and visit those who called."
"Is that profitable? The amount of clothes from a single household is limited."
"That's why I came up with the donation box idea. It's useless now, though. Anyway, what's your problem? You seem to have everything under control with the price list and the donation boxes."
"Right, that's what I was getting to. The problem is management. If I collected and sold everything myself like you, it wouldn't be an issue. But if I have employees collect them, they're bound to steal from me. I was wondering if you, as the creator of the donation box, had any ideas."
Park Jong-bum said with a sullen expression,
"You're worried about employees stealing the clothes?"
"Yes."
"You'll just have to accept it. How can you prevent it unless you attach cameras to their bodies?"
"I thought you might have some ideas. No one runs a business with just one idea in mind. You must have thought about the future if you were planning to expand this business. Tell me."
Park Jong-bum remained silent with a sullen expression. What was he thinking? Did he not have any ideas, or did he have them but didn't want to share?
Was the donation box just a lucky fluke?
"…Why don't you spend a little more money? Thanks to you, I'm struggling to make a living. I need some capital to start something new."
"I'm willing to pay if the idea is good."
I went back to the safe and brought another 10 million won.
"20 million won. That should be more than enough for an idea you just thought of."
"Why manage it yourself?"
"What do you mean?"
Park Jong-bum continued,
"A company of your size doesn't need to handle everything directly. It's just more work. Just lease the donation boxes to junkyards and secondhand traders like real estate. A security deposit and monthly rent. Charge more for boxes in affluent areas with higher-quality clothes."
My eyes sparkled.
"Go on."
"Treat it like a real estate transaction. Sign a contract for a year or two and collect rent based on location. When the contract expires, renew it with the junkyard that offers the best terms. If there are no takers, lower the rent."
"Would junkyards and secondhand traders rent them?"
"Add conditions. No more donation boxes within a certain radius, and if someone installs one, offer to protect their territory by mobilizing people with disabilities like you did to me."
I loved it. I wouldn't have to micromanage, and I could adjust the contract details as we went along.
Currently, Chunha Trading was the undisputed top player in the secondhand goods market. I would be collecting rent from the donation boxes and then buying the collected clothes from the junkyards. It was a rational and efficient system.
"I like it very much. All we need is a few more management staff."
"Is it worth the money?"
"Absolutely. Here you go."
I handed him the 20 million won and said to Park Jong-bum, who was pocketing the money,
"If you don't mind me asking, what are your plans now?"
"Oh, I haven't thought about it yet. And even if I had, I wouldn't tell you even if you beat me to death."
"Then let me rephrase the question. How much were you earning as a secondhand trader?"
"I was making about 2 million won a month. I would have earned more if the donation box business had taken off."
Park Jong-bum clicked his tongue, still sounding regretful.
"Then I'll offer you a salary of 2 million won. Join our company as the sales team leader. You won't be disappointed."
Park Jong-bum was surprised by the sudden offer and replied,
"2 million won? You're really good at playing hard to get. No, thanks. I'm going to start my own business and become a CEO someday."
"Then how about this? I'll create a separate subsidiary for the donation box business. You can be the CEO. I'll give you a 10% stake. We're planning to install over 5,000 boxes, so even at 10,000 won per box, it'll be a decent income."
I extended my hand to him and said,
"Let's work together. I like you, Park Jong-bum. I think we'll get along well."