I only sold the man one VCR, the one he had bought back from the other customer. I told him to come to the company if he wanted to discuss the rest.
I immediately drove back to the company and called Maru.
"Mobilize all the employees and polish those VCRs, the ones with the unknown model that we were going to discard! Make them shine!"
What are you talking about?
"These VCRs are definitely not ordinary. There's something we don't know. Do as I say and display them nicely, as if we're selling them as products. I'll be there soon. We'll talk more at the company."
[Uh… alright. I'll give the instructions.]
I hung up and drove back to the company, but my mind was racing.
"What are they? Why were they so flustered?"
I looked at the VCRs piled up on the passenger seat and started putting the pieces together.
"MG factory, VCRs, unknown model."
My tangled thoughts began to unravel, and I finally reached a conclusion.
"These are new products! Unreleased new products!"
I had finally solved the mystery.
VCRs with no model number piled up in the finished goods warehouse. If they weren't meant to be sold as products, there was only one explanation.
"Prototypes! They were prototypes! Test models made before the official release of a new product! That's why there was no model name and no one recognized them."
My voice rose with excitement.
"Of course, if they were leaked before the release, competitors could analyze their performance and prepare countermeasures."
The success or failure of an electronic product was often decided within the first few months of its release.
That's why companies went to great lengths to prevent leaks before the official launch, implementing strict security measures.
But a series of unexpected events and coincidences had led to a large number of new products falling into my hands.
I felt like I had drawn a joker card, but at the same time, a sense of unease crept in.
"I hope this won't end up like the Siho Condenser incident. But I bought them legally through an auction. What could be the problem? And unlike before, I'm running a legitimate business, paying taxes and everything. But could there be other legal issues? It's a new product developed by MG, so could I get in trouble for trademark infringement or something?"
My worries deepened, and then I noticed a lawyer's office by the roadside.
I smirked.
"When in doubt, ask an expert."
The next day, I received a call from the man and went to meet him in front of the company. He was with a middle-aged man I had never seen before.
I approached them with a smile and extended my hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Park Sol, the CEO of Chunha Trading."
But the middle-aged man ignored my hand and frowned. The man behind him spoke instead.
"I'm Jo Yong-seop, a researcher from MG's research lab. This is Kim Soo-chan, our senior researcher."
"That was awkward. Anyway, welcome. What brings you here?"
The senior researcher, Kim Soo-chan, said bluntly,
"Where are the VCRs?"
I was annoyed by his rude behavior, especially since we were meeting for the first time. Maru, who was standing next to me, was about to retort when I stopped him.
"Let me handle this today."
I smiled politely and said,
"Follow me."
I led them to a corner of the warehouse where the VCRs were displayed.
We had already arranged the clean units at the front and hidden the burnt ones in cardboard boxes at the back.
"Here they are. I counted them, and there are about 3,500 units, not quite 5,000."
Kim Soo-chan and Jo Yong-seop looked at the VCRs with grave expressions.
"Senior Researcher, it's them."
"Damn it, those idiots at the Osan factory didn't even bother checking and just sent them to the insurance company? They're insane."
"What do we do? This is a huge number. The VCR I took yesterday was definitely working."
"We have to take care of this somehow."
They continued discussing, showing no signs of stopping, so I said,
"Why don't we talk in the office? It's hot out here."
"We did some research. You bought them through an insurance auction, right?"
"Yes, I thought I could sell them secondhand, so I sorted them out."
Kim Soo-chan took a sip of his coffee and said,
"Let's get straight to the point. We'll buy them back from you. How much did you pay?"
"How much was it again, Managing Director Kim?"
"213.51 million won, excluding VAT."
"Including VAT, it would be around 240 million won."
"Alright, we'll reimburse you for that amount. Sell them back to us."
I chuckled at Kim Soo-chan's offer.
"I'm a businessman. I don't do business at cost."
"Then how much do you want?"
"How much are you willing to pay?"
Kim Soo-chan thought for a moment and said,
"300 million won. You must have made a good profit already, right?"
"300 million won… That's a far cry from what I had in mind. I'm afraid that's not possible."
"How much do you want?"
"500 million won. You have to offer at least 500 million won. It's 3,500 units. They're worth at least 150,000 won each. I could make 500 million won just by selling them as is. You're asking me to give them to you for a measly 300 million won? That's too much. I think 500 million won is a reasonable and fair price."
The atmosphere in the office turned cold, and silence fell. The two MG researchers glared at me.
After a long stare, Kim Soo-chan said,
"Isn't 500 million won too much?"
"No, it's a bargain for retrieving unreleased new products."
Kim Soo-chan and Jo Yong-seop's faces turned pale.
"H-how did you…"
"Do you think I'm stupid? I wouldn't have missed the fact that MG is desperately trying to retrieve these items after they were sent to the insurance company. In that sense, 500 million won is a steal. I'm offering you a discount considering our relationship with MG."
I genuinely thought this was an opportunity to build a good relationship with MG.
Retrieving a new product that probably cost hundreds of millions of won to develop for a mere 500 million won was a bargain.
But I wasn't going to give away something I paid for at a dirt-cheap price, so I settled on 500 million won, which I thought was a very reasonable price.
Then Kim Soo-chan's words struck me like a bolt of lightning.
"Listen here."
"Listen here?"
"You think you can threaten us just because you stumbled upon a little leverage? 500 million won? Are you kidding me? Do you think MG is a pushover?"
"Excuse me? Are you talking down to me?"
Kim Soo-chan said in a furious voice,
"You junkyard scum! I know your kind. You're trash who would do anything for money. You're parasites who leech off companies, feeding on their scraps."
His sudden insults made my smile disappear.
"So you think you can make a quick buck because you got lucky? Do you think MG is that easy to exploit? We found out that you're collecting waste from several MG factories. Do you want all those contracts to be terminated?"
My face turned cold, and Kim Soo-chan scoffed.
"You have some pride, don't you? Sell them to us for 300 million won while you still can. Do you even know what trademark law is, you illiterate fool? You want to be sued and end up eating prison food?"
His insults and threats, dismissing my goodwill, only made me colder.
As his tirade continued, and Maru was about to reach his limit, I said,
"Well, I tried to be nice, but it seems it won't work. Managing Director Kim…"
"A small company like yours, calling yourselves managing director, director, CEO… Do you think you're something special? You've gotten too big for your britches."
I ignored Kim Soo-chan's words and said to Maru,
"Release them."
"What?"
"Release all the goods. Cheonggyecheon, anywhere, sell them all."
"Yes, sir."
Maru answered with enthusiasm and left the office. Kim Soo-chan, flustered, said,
"What are you doing? Do you want to be sued?"
"Do it."
"What?"
"Sue me."
"This bastard."
"Then I'll sue the insurance company for selling me unsellable goods."
"You really want to do this? Why don't you just stop? Do you really want to take this to the end?"
Kim Soo-chan yelled at Maru to stop me, but I looked at him coldly and said,
"Senior Researcher."
Kim Soo-chan glared at me, and I continued,
"I did my research. The ownership was transferred from the insurance company to me, so there's no issue there. And trademark law?"
I took out the document I had received from the lawyer yesterday and said,
"It hasn't even been registered yet. Trademark law? I can just remove the MG logo and sell them."
"Do you want to be blacklisted and never work with our company again?"
"Go ahead. Then I'll take these to Sasung and Daehoo and tell them, 'This is MG's new product. I acquired it with great difficulty, so take it and collect your scraps.' Don't you think Sasung and Daehoo would love that? I think I can make a decent living just by handling Sasung and Daehoo's waste instead of MG's."
Kim Soo-chan's face turned pale.
"You… You do that, and you think our company will just sit back and watch?"
"Sue me. We haven't done anything illegal."
"This bastard."
"And stop talking down to me. I'm about to lose it."
I crossed my legs and looked at him with disdain.
"You didn't even do your research. Listen here, Mr. Senior Researcher, do you even know how much our company's annual sales are?"
"How would I know?"
"50 billion won in the first and second quarters alone. That's half a year. 100 billion won for the entire year."
Kim Soo-chan and Jo Yong-seop were shocked.
They had assumed Chunha Trading was just a large junkyard, but 100 billion won was beyond their imagination.
"500 million won? After deducting the 240 million won cost, that's 260 million won profit. You think I'm threatening you for a measly sum like that? I'm showing you consideration as a company that does business with MG, and you're giving me a hard time. Oh, I'm sorry for cursing. But I can't help it. Damn it."
Kim Soo-chan was speechless. I wanted to punch him in the face, he was so infuriating.
"Why don't people appreciate consideration? This is so frustrating."
"Well…"
As Kim Soo-chan was about to speak, I said,
"Two days."
"What?"
He was talking down to me again. I frowned and said,
"I'm speaking clearly, and you're still being disrespectful. Two days. One day to remove the MG logo, one day for maintenance. If you exceed that, I'm really going to sell them. Tell your boss to come here."
Kim Soo-chan jumped up in alarm.
"Why should I talk to my boss?"
"Because I don't want to deal with you. You're so… Ugh, sorry for cursing again. My mouth is the problem. Damn it. Anyway, I don't want to talk to you, so tell your boss to come here. And bring 1 billion won."
"1 billion won? You said 500 million won earlier."
"Oh, come on!"
I roared, my voice echoing through the office.
"I said I don't want to talk to you! How many times do I have to say it? Listen here, Mr. Kim Soo-chan."
I walked towards him with a frown.
"Tell your boss to come here. It's 1 billion won now. And you seem to be confused about the situation."
I placed my hand on his shoulder and said,
"Don't you think I have the upper hand here? Your esteemed superior is displeased and wants to talk to your boss. Go and get him."