Chapter 51

Kang Jin watched Choi Donghae eat his rice topped with ramen without any broth and asked:

“Did your overtime end already? Or was it your team gathering?”

At Kang Jin’s question, Choi Donghae paused eating momentarily before looking up at him.

“Both.”

“What happened?”

Choi Donghae hesitated briefly before responding:

“They…said I won’t become a full-time employee.”

Kang Jin looked at him curiously and asked:

“Who said that?”

“At today’s team gathering, someone mentioned my situation.”

“And then?”

“They laughed at me.”

“They actually laughed?”

“I learned that in Export Management Team 2, there’s a different treatment for those who will or won’t become full-time employees.”

“He said if someone seemed likely to become a full-time employee, they would be taught the ropes first. But for those who didn’t seem like it, they’d start with practical work right away. Since I was thrown straight into actual tasks today…it means I’m not considered cut out for this job.”

“But you didn’t hear that directly from Manager An… Why take what other interns say so seriously?”

“It just felt…like he might be telling the truth.” Choi Donghae shrugged and continued eating his ramen bowl.

Slosh! Slurp!

Kang Jin glanced at the clock as he watched Choi Donghae eat.

There’s only thirty minutes left… He’ll finish soon.

Even though Choi Donghae had come to vent about their shared predicament, Kang Jin wasn’t obligated to listen.

Since Kang Jin had already cooked ramen for him outside of business hours, she felt that was enough courtesy as his colleague. With that thought, she got up and headed to the kitchen to continue preparing ingredients.

Chop-chop-chop! Chop-chop!

Kang Jin swiftly chopped the ingredients with her knife before adding some oil to a frying pan and starting to sauté them.

Sizzle! Sssstt!

As she stir-fried the ingredients and set them aside separately, Kang Jin glanced at the dining area. Choi Donghae remained seated there.

Why hasn’t he left yet?

Mentally muttering, Kang Jin checked the time. There were about ten minutes left before the ghosts arrived. She wiped her hands and emerged from the kitchen.

“Finished eating?”

Upon Kang Jin’s words, Choi Donghae nodded and took out 5,000 won.

“Is five thousand won enough?”

“You can put it in that acrylic box.”

Choi Donghae stood up with his bag while Kang Jin started gathering dishes. After depositing 5,000 won into the acrylic donation box, Choi Donghae glanced at Kang Jin before leaving the store.

Kang Jin watched him go, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

“What was he thinking by coming here?” He couldn’t understand why Choi Donghae would visit him despite not liking him, just because he felt depressed.

Suddenly, Kang Jin noticed the bowl. It was completely empty, without even a single noodle left behind.

“How does someone eat ramen like this…?”

Kang Jin shook his head as he recalled Choi Donghae eating noodle soup like it was stir-fried noodles with black bean sauce.

Kang Jin was reviewing some documents with Park Chungman by his side.

“Could you please take another look at the Africa car export project?”

Following Park Chungman’s request, Kang Jin searched through the papers and pulled out the documentation for exporting used cars to Africa, spreading it beside him on the table. When Park Chungman gave a signal, Kang Jin handed over the files.

“I see this is a joint venture involving five junkyards.”

“Yes, sir.” Kang Jin nodded, already aware of this fact. The used-car export plan involved collaboration among the owners of five small junkyards. They aimed to select vehicles with good exterior conditions from their yards, perform initial repairs, and sell around thirty units initially.

This venture was already common practice among larger junkyards, but these five were just starting out.

Park Chungman continued reviewing documents before speaking up again.

“In my opinion, it would be better to sell car parts instead of whole cars.”

Kang Jin glanced at Park Chungman skeptically and then turned to Lee Sangsub with the used-car paperwork in hand.

“I’ll be right back; I need to use the restroom.”

“Go ahead.”

Once Kang Jin confirmed no one else was in the restroom, he inserted his wireless earpiece and looked toward Park Chungman.

“What did you mean by that?”

“All these junkyards here seem quite small.”

“That’s why they’re considered mid-sized.”

“I planned to gather thirty cars and sell them…but honestly, this is probably it for me here.”

“You’ll gather more and sell them again, right?” Park Chungman laughed and shook his head at Kang Jin’s words.

“Selling used cars in Africa might seem easy, but there are many factors to consider. First, price-wise, no one will buy vehicles that won’t run smoothly in African conditions. In other words, they need to be affordable yet reliable enough for use in Africa. Additionally, there are various constraints and requirements to meet.”

“I see.”

“Besides those complexities, there are several other issues…let’s set those aside for now. Instead of selling finished vehicles here, focusing on selling parts would be more beneficial.”

Park Chungman then explained the benefits of selling parts. After considering this information, Kang Jin nodded in agreement.

A short while later, Kang Jin was discussing matters with Lee Sangsub.

“You want to sell spare parts?”

“Yes.”

“Are you aware that selling spare parts isn’t groundbreaking or unique?”

“I know it involves extracting parts from non-operational vehicles.”

“Then why focus on selling spare parts specifically?”

“Our export team not only aims for profit but also seeks to open up markets for small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Lee Sangsub looked at Kang Jin intently. “Remember, we’re not running a charity here.”

“Of course, I know that. Our business is connecting foreign markets with products from small and medium-sized enterprises for a commission.”

“But?”

“In this case, it seems they’ve been gathering cars in good condition despite their age, which likely took some time.”

“That makes sense.”

The paperwork only listed the car models and prices, not how long it had taken to collect them.

“However, if you’re just extracting parts, there’s no need to store entire vehicles. Plus, maintenance costs would be eliminated.”

“Maintenance costs?”

“If cars are parked at one side of the junkyard, rust can set in over time. But by removing specific parts, there’s no need to keep the whole vehicle intact.”

“Hmm… Then what kind of parts do you plan to sell?”

Lee Sangsub’s question made Kang Jin laugh.

“As long as it doesn’t get damaged, you can sell everything except the body.”

“Everything except the body?”

“In our country, parts for older cars aren’t readily available. So people often turn to junkyards… In places like Africa, they drive even older vehicles than we do here. When those cars break down, where would they find replacement parts?”

“Hmm…”

Lee Sangsub nodded, realizing what Kang Jin was implying.

“People usually salvage or improvise with similar parts locally. But if they could obtain genuine parts, wouldn’t they prefer that?”

“Absolutely.”

“That’s why many junkyards extract used parts from cars and sell them to places like Africa or the Philippines. Instead of doing this just once, I think it would be beneficial for both parties if we continuously supply spare parts.”

Lee Sangsub pondered Kang Jin’s words briefly before pulling out some documents. He nodded after reviewing them.

“Mr. Choi Donghae.”

At Lee Sangsub’s call, Choi Donghae approached from his seat nearby.

“Yes, sir.”

“Please contact these companies and confirm whether they have the technology to remove car parts.”

With that, Choi Donghae glanced at Kang Jin, returned to his seat, and started making calls.

“This is Choi Donghae from Taekwang Trading Company Export Team Two.”

Lee Sangsub watched Choi Donghae make phone calls and turned to Kang Jin.

“Are you disappointed that you’re not doing this yourself?”

“I’m not someone who enjoys taking on more work than necessary.”

Kang Jin’s response made Lee Sangsub chuckle.

“You still don’t want to be a full-time employee?”

“Can I even say yes to that?”

“Well, considering your abilities, it might be worth cultivating yo—

“Yes?”

“In business, when one party gains, another loses… It’s hard to achieve a win-win situation. Anyway, you’ve thought this through well. As you said, if we continuously handle exporting parts, it benefits us too by reducing our workload.”

Once they established a market, the export agent would only need to worry about shipping and delivering goods.

It would certainly be more convenient not having to worry about inspecting items and strategizing where to sell them each time.

Kang Jin nodded at Lee Sangsub’s explanation.

“I learned a lot from the incident with the vegetable knife.”

“Did you really?”

Kang Jin looked puzzled, wondering how one could learn anything from killing an item without even attempting to sell it.

“What I meant was, what would happen to that company if we didn’t sell their products?”

“Oh…”

“If we’re going to sell for them once, why not multiple times?” Kang Jin suggested optimistically.

Lee Sangsub smiled at Kang Jin’s response.

“You’ve learned well.”

“If I hadn’t opened my own restaurant…I might have gone to great lengths just to become a full-time employee there. It’s that good of a company.”

“I agree.”

“But why did you make this offer? If you have no intention of becoming a full-time employee, there’s no need to worry about such things, right?”

“If I do well, it could open up opportunities for my juniors too.”

“Huh? Are there more people from your psychology department after Lee Kang-jin?”

“I’ve heard that might be possible if I perform well.”

“So you must excel for their sake as well.”

Lee Sangsub’s words left a bitter taste in Kang Jin’s mouth.

“Despite not wanting to, I’m now labeled as a troublemaking intern with no plans to become permanent… How can I possibly impress anyone like this?”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing. Even if you don’t become a full-time employee, you’ll still be remembered as a great restaurant owner.”

“Thank you.”

Smiling, Kang Jin returned to his seat and continued reviewing documents. Lee Sangsub glanced at Choi Donghae while holding up some papers. Choi Donghae then covered the receiver with his hand and whispered:

“It seems possible.”

“Put him through.” Choi Donghae handed the phone back to Lee Sangsub, who began speaking with the junkyard president.

As Choi Donghae watched this exchange unfold, he turned towards Kang Jin.

“What’s wrong?”

“If you come across any similar items, could you let me know next time?”

Kang Jin eyed Choi Donghae suspiciously. “Why should I?”

“I still have a chance, don’t I?”

Kang Jin studied Choi Donghae’s gaze before responding, “Didn’t you say earlier that my internship might be taking away someone else’s opportunity?”

“Why? Why suddenly?”

“I’m concerned that if I serve you food, someone else’s bowl might go empty.”

In other words, Kang Jin meant that giving Choi Donghae an opportunity could potentially deprive another intern of theirs.

Choi Donghae’s eyes narrowed at Kang Jin’s remark before he bowed his head and shifted his attention to some documents.

Just because we’re seated across from each other doesn’t mean I have to help him.

Kang Jin silently muttered this thought to himself and returned to his paperwork. His tasks involved proofreading for typos or familiarizing himself with various documents. When team members requested specific files, his primary duty was to retrieve them or make copies as needed.

While Kang Jin was engrossed in reviewing papers, Lim Ho-jin entered the office.

“Sangsub.”

Lee Sangsub stood at Lim Ho-jin’s call, and Lim Ho-jin spoke with a smile.

“You heard about Woomin Industries?”

“The cucumber slicer incident?”

“Yes, the cucumber slicer incident at Woomin Industries.”

“I haven’t heard anything.”

“Their president is hospitalized now.”

Kang Jin was already puzzled by the mention of a cucumber slicer, but this news further intrigued him.

“Hospitalized?”

“Oh, Lee Kang-jin can join us as well.” Smiling, Lim Ho-jin glanced at Kang Jin’s desk, prompting Kang Jin to clear some space for his colleague. Lim Ho-jin leaned against the desk as he continued.

“It seems their president had debts not just from banks but also loan sharks.”

“Despite high financial liabilities, resorting to loan sharks wasn’t necessary, right?” Lee Sangsub murmured skeptically.

Lim Ho-jin chuckled and began explaining.