I bought a pair of matching watches for my parents and a watch for my sister at the department store. They were luxury brand watches, costing a whopping 3 million won each, but I splurged.
I also got caught up in the shopping spree and bought myself a high-end suit, shoes, and a watch, spending a total of 20 million won. I even bought a premium beef set from the department store.
"This is why I make money."
As I was driving home with the trunk full of gifts, I saw Hwa-young walking in the direction of our house with two of her friends.
"This feels like déjà vu. But it's different this time. I'll show them my authority."
I smoothly pulled up next to Hwa-young and her friends, opened the car door, and said,
"Hey, it's been a while, right?"
Behold, the expensive suit and watch I bought from the department store today. The synergy with the Grandeur was perfect. And the cell phone I casually held in my hand completed the look.
"Eek!"
But Hwa-young's friends gasped and looked at me with fear in their eyes. I was taken aback by their reaction, and Hwa-young sighed and said,
"Guys, it's my second brother. Don't be scared. Oppa! Why are you scaring them?"
"W-what did I do? I saw them on my way home and thought I'd give them a ride."
"We're sorry, we thought you were a gangster…"
"Sigh, no, it's my fault."
I drove with a heavy heart, listening to Hwa-young's friends apologize.
"You're tall and built, and you have a scary face. Anyone would think you're a gangster if you wear a black suit. Be careful."
"Okay…"
They said they thought I was a gangster because I was a big guy in a black suit driving a black Grandeur.
I had spent a fortune on this suit, and now I felt hurt. Kids these days had no sense of style.
"You were driving a truck last time, and now it's a Grandeur? Isn't this expensive?"
Hwa-young's words brightened my mood.
"Isn't it cool? My business is doing well, so I bought one."
"You must be swimming in money. You should save your money instead of buying a car on a whim. Are you my older brother?"
"Hey, don't compare me to that guy. I bought it because I can afford it. I'm doing well these days."
"Okay, okay, let's drop off your friends and go home. I'm hungry."
I felt dejected again after being scolded by Hwa-young.
I dropped off her friends and arrived home. My family welcomed me warmly. I gave them their gifts and offered them some allowance, which they refused, but I forced them to take it. We settled down and started eating.
"As expected, beef is the best. You picked a good one, it's delicious."
"Right? It's so good."
We sat around the sizzling grill and enjoyed the meal. I poured my father a glass of soju and received one in return.
"Cheers, bottoms up."
The burning sensation of alcohol going down my throat felt great.
"By the way, Dad, oppa's car is a Grandeur? Isn't that expensive?"
My father was surprised by Hwa-young's words.
"A Grandeur? Isn't that at least 18 million won? Sol, how did you buy it?"
I said nonchalantly,
"How did I buy it? I worked hard and earned the money. I told you I'm running a business. It's doing pretty well, and I noticed that Koreans tend to look down on people who don't drive nice cars, so I bought one."
"Well, you must have bought it because you can afford it. Unlike Jong-chan. I'm proud of you, son."
My father's words encouraged me.
"By the way, son, what exactly do you do?"
My mother asked curiously. My father was also curious and looked at me expectantly. How should I explain this?
"Well, to be honest, I run a secondhand goods trading business and a junkyard."
"A junkyard?"
My father exclaimed in surprise.
"You're running a junkyard? Not the ones with carts, but your own junkyard?"
"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"I see. Is it going well?"
Unlike my father, who seemed to accept it calmly, my mother's face was filled with worry.
"Why are you doing such a tough job? It would be so much better if you just worked at a company, got married, and lived a normal life. Why don't you get a job at a company? It's more stable."
"Honey, stop it. He's working hard running his own business, you should be supporting him."
"But still, a junkyard… they're the ones who clean up trash. How will he ever get married?"
My mother quieted down when my father glared at her. I laughed and said,
"I don't just run a junkyard. I started with a junkyard, but now I also run a secondhand goods trading business."
"You're working hard. You even bought a car and have your own junkyard. It seems like you're settled now."
"Of course, I'm doing well."
I flexed my biceps, but my mother still couldn't get over the fact that her son was running a junkyard.
"But secondhand goods trading… you mean collecting and selling used clothes and stuff?"
"Something like that. How did you know?"
"I read about it in the newspaper a while ago. Some association for people with disabilities was collecting used clothes for donations, and some bad businesses were copying them and secretly selling the clothes. Are you doing that too? You shouldn't be making those poor people cry."
I almost burst out laughing. The fact that even my father knew about it meant the newspaper article had been effective. I was very satisfied.
"No, I don't secretly sell them."
Well, I did sell them openly, but I swallowed the rest of my sentence. I saw my father's relieved expression and felt satisfied with the impact of the newspaper article. But my mother spoke again,
"Why did you start such a difficult job? Why don't you just get a job at a company? I'm worried about you."
"Honey, I told you to stop it! It doesn't matter what he does as long as he's working hard."
Despite my father's words, my mother's worry didn't subside.
"Okay, Dad, Mom. Should I get a job at a company then?"
My mother smiled brightly and said,
"Yes, yes, that's a good idea. A stable job at a company is the best."
I put on a disappointed expression and said,
"That's a shame. I was going to give you 2 million won in allowance every month."
I had been hesitant to give them anything because I was worried the money would go to my brother. But Maru had given me a reality check, saying I would never be able to fulfill my filial duty if I kept worrying about that. So we discussed it and decided on an amount that wouldn't burden my parents too much, which was 2 million won.
My mother's smile froze.
"I was going to give you that because my monthly income is over 10 million won. But I won't be able to if I work at a company. Is the salary at a company around 1 million won?"
My mother's expression gradually hardened. My father and Hwa-young also looked stunned.
"That's just from the junkyard. If you include the secondhand goods business, my monthly income is over 20 million won. But if that's what you want, Mom, I can't do anything about it."
My mother was flustered, and my father started glaring at her.
"Ah, what can I do? I would do anything for my mother."
I shook my head, and my mother said, flustered,
"Your father's salary just barely surpassed 1 million won this year. You're lying, aren't you?"
"Why would I lie? It's true."
Silence fell over the room. My mother stammered, and my father chuckled, watching her.
"So, should I quit?"
"Stop teasing your mother, you're making her nervous."
I smirked at my father's words, but my mother was still flustered.
"Seriously, though, is that how much you earn? I've heard that junkyards are profitable, but this is beyond my imagination."
"I'm doing quite well."
"Anyway, I'm proud of you. I haven't done anything for you, but you're doing so well on your own. Thank you."
My father smiled and patted my shoulder, and I smiled back.
I continued drinking with my father, and when my mother asked if I was really going to give them 2 million won every month, I just said, "Well…" and enjoyed the time with my family.
Hwa-young even acted cute and asked for allowance. It was the first time I had ever seen her do that, so I unconsciously reached for my wallet, amused.
I spent the rest of the weekend with my family, feeling refreshed and recharged. I went back to work on Monday.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, sir."
I greeted the employees and entered the office, where I saw Maru coming out.
"Hey, Director Kim, did you have a good weekend?"
"I just stayed at the company. Did you have fun with your family?"
"Yeah, it was fun."
As I was about to pass him, I sensed hesitation in his demeanor. He seemed to have something to say.
"What is it? Is something wrong? Tell me."
Maru hesitated for a moment before saying,
"Well, it's not confirmed, but… those guys, the gangster junkyard."
I recalled our conversation from last week before we started discussing gifts. He had mentioned that the new junkyard seemed to be run by gangsters.
"I remember. You said three thugs were going around threatening people. What about it? Are the other junkyard owners just letting them do whatever they want? Aren't they calling the police?"
"No, it's not that. More and more companies are switching to them. I was trying to find out if it's just a coincidence."
"What? They're getting clients? Are those companies stupid? Why would they do business with thugs who are threatening them? They could just report them to the police. It's only three people."
"That's what I don't understand. Why would those companies do business with those thugs?"
"It must be a coincidence. Let's just wait and see."
Two weeks later, the gangster junkyard started gaining momentum.
Maru told me that they were offering slightly lower prices than other junkyards, but companies were still flocking to them.
Chunha Resources' sales were also affected.
It wasn't a big deal to me because Chunha Resources was just a side business at this point, but I was curious.
"I wonder how they're doing it."
Team Leader Park Jong-bum, who was sitting next to me, said,
"Maybe they're threatening their families?"
I shook my head.
"No way. The profit from a single company wouldn't be more than a few tens of millions of won per month. They wouldn't take such a risk. Threatening someone personally is different from threatening their family. If they were threatening everyone indiscriminately, at least one of the dozens of company owners they're dealing with would have reported them to the police."
Maru thought for a moment and said,
"I have no idea. Junkyards, companies, gangsters… It's such an unlikely combination."
"This is interesting. Should we meet them? Let's ask them how they're doing business. It doesn't seem like it's just threats."
Maru said worriedly,
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"They're only three people, right? We're just going to talk. And you're here with me. Just in case, though, call the labor agency and tell them to send 20 big guys tomorrow. Tell them the job is to be a human shield."