CH81
The media's reaction was swift.
The same media outlets that had been demanding I be punished for illegal gambling suddenly turned me into a role model for self-made success.
The story of Chunha Trading and me, rising from the bottom of society to become a mid-sized enterprise, was a convenient narrative for the establishment to push on the public.
"See? Even a high school dropout can achieve this level of success. What's your excuse?"
"The economy might be tough, but there are still people who succeed."
"Don't you feel anything, seeing a young man succeed in a despised industry?"
The media didn't explicitly say these things, but the underlying message was clear.
I was praised and admired.
"Ah, I see. Yes, yes. I'm still considering how to donate the money, so I'll contact you later."
After the media coverage, I was flooded with calls from acquaintances and various organizations, asking for donations.
The last call was from the National Christian Youth Association.
"Is my phone going to explode? There are so many organizations."
Maru also said wearily,
"I know, right? I don't even know that many people, but I'm getting so many requests."
Many people struggling with unemployment were asking for jobs, inspired by my promise to create jobs and support the marginalized.
Park Jong-bum, his voice slightly excited, shrugged and said,
"But it feels good. My wife, who used to be embarrassed about my job as a junkyard owner despite my high salary, is now bragging about me to everyone after seeing me on the news."
I chuckled.
"I feel good too."
With the media attention, Chunha Trading's image had been transformed from a junkyard to an "eco-friendly recycling business," boosting employee morale.
Of course, the image of the entire junkyard industry wouldn't improve overnight, but Chunha Trading's image had been successfully laundered.
"Now, we need to separate the light and the dark sides of our business. Do you have any ideas?"
Park Jong-bum and Maru were silent.
A company was bound by various laws and regulations, so even the CEO couldn't act freely.
"Let's discuss our main businesses: electronic scrap, secondhand goods, distressed inventory, donation boxes, discarded computers, the Shenzhen factory, and the soon-to-be-completed secondhand electronic components department store. Which of these should be moved to the dark side?"
Park Jong-bum raised his hand.
"Sir, I need to know what you mean by 'separation.' Are we separating the companies legally, or are we creating a secret, off-the-books department within the company?"
"I want a complete separation. Separate companies."
Park Jong-bum said with a troubled expression,
"That's problematic. It's not easy to isolate a single business. For example, acquiring distressed inventory often involves illegal methods like misrepresenting the condition of the goods, but those goods are then sold legally through the secondhand goods business. And even if we establish a new company, there are still problems. We need a CEO, and who would you appoint? We need someone unrelated to Chunha Trading to sever the connection, but can you trust them?"
He sighed.
"The dark side is like a shadow. It can't be separated from the light."
He was right.
Each part of our business had its own function and complemented the others.
Even in the electronic scrap business, we paid taxes and operated legally when delivering to the smelter, but we also engaged in illegal activities when bidding for contracts from large corporations.
You can't remove a part of the heart just because it's damaged. The person will die.
"Hehehe, you're thinking too small."
Park Jong-bum looked puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"Why remove a part when you can transplant the entire body?"
I looked at Maru and Park Jong-bum, who were exchanging confused glances, and said,
"Which of our businesses are completely legal?"
Park Jong-bum thought for a moment.
"The secondhand electronic components department store? And the secondhand goods business, the Shenzhen factory, and the donation boxes are somewhat legal. But the electronic scrap, discarded computers, and distressed inventory businesses are full of illegal activities."
I nodded.
"That's right. So we take the legal businesses and transfer the rest to a new company. We can cover up the illegal acquisitions by manipulating the books."
A layer of separation always increased safety.
All my legal businesses had one thing in common:
They were all distribution businesses.
The department store, the secondhand goods business, the Shenzhen factory, which processed restored IC boards from overseas branches, and the donation box business, which was essentially a rental business.
On the other hand, the electronic scrap business involved direct dealings with large corporations and often involved illegal activities in the bidding process.
The discarded computer business involved collusion with school officials and government agencies, and the distressed inventory business involved direct transactions with bankrupt companies.
My plan was to keep the clean distribution businesses and transfer the rest to a new company.
It was like creating a shield.
Park Jong-bum still looked unconvinced.
"Is it really that easy? Other people aren't fools. They won't fall for such a simple trick. And what about the company shares?"
I smiled slyly.
"I brought a fake ID to Macau, just in case. That gave me an idea. We'll create a fake identity, make it real, and slowly separate the company."
Park Jong-bum was shocked.
"Sir, are you saying you're going to run a new company under a fake identity? That's insane! It's not easy to create a fake identity, and even if you do, it'll be discovered eventually!"
I calmed him down.
"Relax, I'm not doing it right now. We have plenty of time. I'm currently portrayed as a successful young entrepreneur, and many people are eyeing the jackpot money. This is a long-term plan, at least two years, so don't worry."
Park Jong-bum still looked unconvinced.
"Even a long-term plan, this is too risky. Have you ever seen me object to your ideas? I'll manage it meticulously and make sure it's never discovered. But a fake identity…"
"Director Park, what's the point of separating the company? It's to cut our losses if things go wrong. To protect the legitimate businesses. You saw what happened with the casino incident, didn't you? We were worried about being investigated just because of a 50 billion won jackpot. Our foundation is shaky."
Park Jong-bum clenched his jaw and then said,
"Then I'll take the fall and run the new company. I'm prepared to be cut loose. I still think it's a bad idea to operate a company under a fake identity."
His sudden offer touched me.
He was my closest confidant, but I had always considered him second to Maru.
His willingness to take the fall showed his trust in me.
He trusted that I wouldn't abandon him if he took the blame.
And trust should be reciprocated.
"You're an executive at our company, Director Park. You'll be affected too. I appreciate your offer, but…"
I stopped him.
"I'm not taking this fake identity lightly."
I said with a serious expression,
"I'm going to create a person from scratch. You know I've been creating identities for heihaizi and building my Park Sol squad, right?"
I had been restoring the legal status of promising heihaizi, starting with Li Yang.
They considered me their savior and were fiercely loyal to me and the company.
Of course, some disappeared or turned out to be greedy and unreliable, but they were the minority.
My Park Sol squad was comprised of loyal and dedicated heihaizi.
I had recruited dozens of them and was still recruiting more.
"The fake identity will be Korean-Chinese, 20 years old as of 1997. Birthplace? We'll create a fictional village and link it to the heihaizi I'm recruiting. School? We'll forge documents showing that he attended existing elementary, middle, and high schools, creating a new class with the heihaizi. Once the identity is established, we'll create a scenario where he started his business this year and gradually grew it."
I held up two fingers.
"Two years from now, the fake identity will acquire Korean citizenship, take over a part of Chunha Trading in Korea, and begin operating in earnest. Do you think it's impossible? In China, anything is possible with money."
I smiled.
"We'll create a perfect fake identity. And his inner circle will be filled with heihaizi and Korean members of the Park Sol squad trained through the foundation I'll establish with the jackpot money."
"Korean members?"
"Do you think there are no heihaizi in Korea? There are people living miserable lives everywhere, even if they have legal status. We'll recruit those who are motivated but lack the opportunity. They could be disabled, or loyal employees laid off due to restructuring."
My eyes gleamed.
"We'll use them as a shield to protect the fake identity. They'll handle the fieldwork, while the fake identity remains hidden. That way, we can completely sever the connection between us and the new company. Even if the new company is involved in something illegal, we can easily cut them loose."
Park Jong-bum said with a resigned expression,
"You've already made up your mind. But wouldn't having Chinese citizenship be a problem for doing business in Korea?"
I laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, what does it matter? It's all fake anyway. We'll arrange a sham marriage to get him Korean citizenship. A fake CEO, running an illegal business. Isn't it perfect?"