I listened to the child explain about buying the Tamagotchi at a stationery store and went searching for one, but they were harder to find than I expected.
Every store I visited said they were sold out as soon as they arrived due to their popularity. After a long search, I finally managed to find one.
I returned to the company and examined the Tamagotchi.
"Why does this thing cost 15,000 won?"
I turned it on, and after a brief wait, an egg appeared on the screen, wobbling from side to side.
"So it hatches after a while."
I stared at the screen with anticipation.
"It needs memory to store the program. Even a small memory chip should be enough."
I removed the batteries and disassembled the Tamagotchi with a screwdriver.
A small circuit board was crudely connected to the LCD screen, and a single IC chip was attached to the board.
The chip had the Toshiba logo.
Toshiba was a leading Japanese corporation and a top global semiconductor manufacturer.
I smiled.
"This is definitely a memory chip. If the capacity is 256 kilobytes…"
"Yes! Yes! Eureka! Jackpot!"
I had a researcher connect the chip to a board and test it. The capacity was indeed 256 kilobytes.
"Alright! Now we can use the memory chips!"
Maru, seeing me cheering and dancing, asked with a puzzled expression,
"Why are you so happy?"
"Why wouldn't I be happy?"
He picked up the IC chip from the Tamagotchi and said,
"This is Toshiba. You're not actually thinking that the Tamagotchi manufacturer will buy our chips, are you?"
I wagged my finger at him.
"Of course not. Why would a successful company use our chips?"
"Then why are you so happy?"
I smiled slyly.
"China."
"What?"
"Let's go to China. China is famous for counterfeit goods. They'll need IC chips like these, won't they? They only care about whether it works and sells. They'll buy them if we offer a lower price than the genuine ones."
Maru looked at me incredulously.
"What? You're going to sell these to counterfeit factories?"
"Of course."
"Oh my God, are you insane?"
I shrugged.
"Why? The Chinese get cheap chips, and I get to sell discarded components as new. It's a win-win situation. Isn't it perfect?"
"Hyung, counterfeit goods… Never mind. You won't listen anyway."
Maru shook his head and sighed.
"Think about it. 1 kg of RAM cards is worth 10,000 won for gold extraction. But what about the chips? 1 kg of RAM cards is about 25 cards, and each card has four IC chips, so that's 100 memory chips per kg. If we sell them for just 1,000 won each, that's 100,000 won! Ten times the profit!"
"But we don't even know if the counterfeit factories will buy them. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"
I glared at Maru for raining on my parade.
"Stop being so negative! If it doesn't work out, you'll be responsible."
"Why would I be responsible? That's ridiculous. Someone has to keep you in check. Otherwise, you'll just keep charging forward like a runaway train. You should be thanking me."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Oh, really? I'm so grateful. So…"
I put my arm around his shoulder and said,
"Let's go to China together."
***
"Wow, so this is Shenzhen."
After a week of waiting for our visas, Maru and I arrived in Shenzhen, where CEO Wu was based.
I had packed a bag full of memory chips as samples in my suitcase, worried about getting caught at customs, but we passed through without any problems.
"This weather is crazy. It's spring in Korea."
Shenzhen, located right next to Hong Kong, was a hot and humid city in southern China.
Even in winter, the temperature was over 20 degrees Celsius. It was unbearable for us, who were used to the four distinct seasons of Korea.
"Ugh, I'm already drenched in sweat, and we've only been out of the airport for five minutes."
Maru, who was sensitive to heat despite his large build, fanned himself with his hand, his face contorted in a grimace.
I was also sweating, but the excitement of a new place and a new challenge energized me.
"Hey, this is your first time outside of Korea. You're traveling overseas thanks to me, so cheer up."
"I didn't know it would be this hot! I can't breathe. It feels like I'm underwater… Let's go back to the airport. Air conditioning, air conditioning."
CEO Wu was supposed to pick us up, but he was stuck in traffic.
We waited for a while, and then, bored, we stepped outside the airport for some fresh air. But Maru started complaining about the heat, so we went back inside and waited.
After another 20 minutes, we heard someone calling our names in Korean from behind.
"CEO Park! CEO Park!"
CEO Wu and Manager Han were approaching us, waving their hands.
I smiled brightly and waved back.
"CEO Wu! Manager Han! It's been a while!"
We had been in touch since CEO Wu returned to China to expand his business, but it was our first time seeing him in person.
CEO Wu rushed over, shook my hand, and said,
"CEO Park, it's been a while."
I was surprised by his improved Korean.
"Wow, your Korean is amazing!"
CEO Wu chuckled, gave me a thumbs-up, and said,
"I studied hard. Korea is where I started my business, after all."
"You could pass for a Korean now."
I exaggerated a little, but I was genuinely impressed.
He must have been busy running his business, yet he had managed to learn a new language so fluently. How much effort had he put in?
"That's amazing. I can barely finish reading a single book."
"Hahaha, it's nothing. I've been in Korea for years, I had to learn."
We exchanged greetings and followed CEO Wu to the parking lot, where a Lincoln, a rare sight even in Korea, was parked.
Its massive size and angular design were intimidating.
"Nice car. Is this a Lincoln?"
"Isn't it cool? It cost me $500,000."
"$500,000? That's almost 500 million won."
"It's not available in China, so I had to import it from the US. It was expensive. Come on, let's get in. Let's talk in the car, it's too hot out here."
The scenery changed as we drove towards the city.
We passed by dilapidated buildings that looked decades old and then, as we approached the hotel, we saw modern skyscrapers.
The stark contrast between old and new, reminiscent of Korea in the 1980s, was a testament to China's rapid development.
We arrived at the Shangxiao Hotel in the city center.
As we entered the hotel, four well-built men approached us and greeted us. Manager Han led them to the hotel counter.
"Who are they? They don't look like hotel staff."
"Ah, they're our employees. They'll be staying with us tonight."
"Staying with us?"
I didn't understand what he meant and glanced at Maru, who also shook his head, equally confused.
Manager Han returned with six hotel keys.
"Here you go. One for CEO Park, one for Managing Director Kim, one for our boss, and the rest are for us."
I was surprised that CEO Wu was also getting a key.
"You're staying here too, CEO Wu? Why don't you go home? We feel bad imposing on you."
CEO Wu smiled and said,
"You don't understand the situation in China. Let's go upstairs first."
We took the elevator and arrived at our rooms at the end of the hallway.
The two rooms at the very end were for Maru and me. CEO Wu's room was next to mine, and the other rooms were for his employees. It was as if they were surrounding us.
The employees went to their respective rooms, and CEO Wu, Manager Han, Maru, and I gathered in my room.
"CEO Wu, why did you book six rooms? You don't have to go that far for our safety."
CEO Wu said firmly,
"We can't be too careful. Even though this is the city center and relatively safe, we can't let our guard down."
Manager Han added,
"He's right. This arrangement allows us to respond quickly in case something happens."
I said awkwardly,
"As you can see, we're not exactly the type to get pushed around."
Maru was a giant, and I was also not a small guy, so this overprotection was new to us.
"CEO Park, it's not about getting pushed around. You could get killed."
"What? Killed?"
CEO Wu said with a serious expression,
"How much do you think the hotel staff earn?"
I had heard that labor costs were low in China, so I made a rough estimate.
"Hmm… about 200,000 won in Korean currency? Is that too low?"
CEO Wu held up five fingers.
"It's 50,000 won."
"50,000 won?"
Maru and I were shocked.
CEO Wu smiled wryly.
"Factory workers earn a bit more. But it's still only 60,000-70,000 won."
The incredibly low labor costs explained why so many manufacturing companies were rushing to China.
Labor costs accounted for the largest portion of the production cost for manufacturing companies.
If they could reduce labor costs, they could gain a competitive edge in pricing.
"It's that low?"
CEO Wu nodded and asked,
"How much cash did you bring, CEO Park?"
"Uh… not much. I have a local account here. I exchanged 5 million won, so I have 45,000 yuan."
I had exchanged 5 million won in case I needed cash for dealing with counterfeit factories or other unexpected situations.
And then I understood what CEO Wu meant.
"5 million won… that's 100 times 50,000 won. Eight years' worth of their salary."
CEO Wu then instructed Manager Han to interpret for him.
"That's right. To put it in Korean terms, imagine a foreigner who doesn't speak a word of Korean walking around with 100 million won in cash."
Maru and I felt a cold sweat.
"People who migrate from rural areas to cities are called mingong. They have nothing to lose. Technically, under Chinese law, rural residents are supposed to stay in rural areas, and urban residents in urban areas. But with the increasing number of factories and the growing demand for workers, the government turns a blind eye to rural residents migrating to cities for work, even though they're technically breaking the law. So they end up living and working in cities with fake identities. And if those people see a foreigner carrying around eight years' worth of their salary…"
Maru and I gulped, listening intently.
"They could kill you, steal your money, and return to their villages. There's no way to track them down. There are hundreds of thousands of such people in this city alone. You said you were coming here to find counterfeit factories, right?"
"W-well, yes."
"If our boss knew any such factories, he would introduce you. But he's only been here for less than a year. He's been looking, but those factories operate discreetly and are difficult to find. So you'll have to visit various factories, and as you know, industrial areas are located on the outskirts of the city. They're sparsely populated, and there are countless mingong working in those factories. If you two go there alone, you're basically asking to be killed."
After Manager Han's explanation, CEO Wu, who had been serious the entire time, suddenly smiled and said in Korean,
"But don't worry. You have Wu Gonghyeon. Besides these four employees, six more will accompany you during your factory visits. They're not mingong, they're my trusted employees, so you can rest assured."
He thumped his chest and said confidently,
"Anyone who messes with my guests is messing with Wu Gonghyeon. I'll take full responsibility for your safety while you're in Shenzhen."