At the entrance of Sasung Semiconductor, I nervously stared at the clear liquid in the plastic water bottle.
It was aqua regia, a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid in a ratio of 1:3.
It was called "royal water" because it could dissolve gold, the "king of metals." If you submerged gold-plated parts in aqua regia for just one minute, the gold would dissolve completely.
We had developed aqua regia, hoping to extract gold from electronic scrap ourselves. We even tried grinding IC chips into powder and dissolving them in aqua regia, but the efficiency was low due to the numerous impurities.
Fortunately, it was very effective at dissolving gold plating, so we used it to extract the surface gold from electronic scrap and delivered the rest to the smelter.
"I hope we don't get caught."
Park Jong-bum also said nervously,
"Surely they won't open the lid of a water bottle."
Aqua regia looked like ordinary water, but it was a dangerous chemical that could dissolve human skin.
And it had a distinct chemical odor, so we would be in trouble if the security guard opened the bottle.
I put the water bottle in my briefcase and entered the security checkpoint.
I had contacted Kim In-soo beforehand, and we had agreed that I was visiting to inspect the electronic waste before the bidding.
Kim In-soo greeted me with a smile.
"CEO Park, welcome. I've already informed the security, so you just need to go through the metal detector."
I hadn't told him about the aqua regia.
Even I, who had committed countless illegal acts, was nervous. It was too much to expect Kim In-soo, a pen-pusher, to act naturally.
I placed my briefcase on the conveyor belt and went through the body scanner, trying to appear calm.
The security guard checked me thoroughly and then waved me through. Park Jong-bum also passed through without any problems.
Now, all that was left was my briefcase, which was being X-rayed.
"Hmm."
The security guard looked at the monitor and asked,
"Is that water in your bag?"
I said calmly,
"Yes, I brought it in case I get thirsty."
"Hmm…"
I heard Park Jong-bum gulp next to me. After a moment, the guard said,
"You're clear. Take your bag."
We passed through security and headed towards the waste storage area. Park Jong-bum sighed in relief.
"Whew, I was so nervous."
I chuckled.
"Why so nervous? If we get caught, we just say it's a chemical we brought from the company and forgot about."
"You might be used to such things, sir, but I'm not."
Kim In-soo looked at us with a puzzled expression.
"Did something happen?"
I checked to make sure no one was listening and then said to him,
"How much sample material will be given to each company?"
"It's expensive waste, so we can't give them much. About 200 grams per company."
"So about 2 kg in total. Alright, listen carefully and don't be surprised."
I explained my plan to Kim In-soo: we would go to the waste storage area, dissolve the gold plating with aqua regia, and then send those treated samples to the other companies.
Kim In-soo was surprised.
"Is that even possible? And if you had such a plan, you should have told me earlier."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It was a last-minute plan."
I made an excuse and whispered to him,
"Anyway, I need your cooperation. If we win the bid, I'll give you a generous bonus, separate from your monthly allowance."
Kim In-soo gulped.
"A generous bonus?"
"Of course. I'm not that stingy."
"…Alright, what do I have to do?"
"I need about 15 minutes. The chemical has a strong odor, so if anyone comes near, they'll notice it. Can you buy me that much time?"
Kim In-soo thought for a moment and nodded.
"The waste storage area is in a secluded corner, so there's hardly any traffic. And the waste from the production lines is usually transported all at once before the end of the workday, so it should be fine."
I smiled.
"Perfect."
We arrived at the waste storage area. Kim In-soo took out a key, unlocked a container, and opened the door.
The container was filled with the items listed in the bidding information.
Unlike scrap metal or waste paper, which were piled up in open areas, expensive electronic waste like this was stored in containers.
My eyes gleamed as I scooped up a handful of wafers.
Seeing me mesmerized by the wafers, Park Jong-bum said impatiently,
"Sir, let's hurry up. It'll be a problem if someone comes."
I nodded.
"Assistant Manager Kim, where are the CCTV cameras?"
Kim In-soo, understanding my intention, pointed with his eyes without looking directly at the cameras.
"There's one on my right, facing the entrance of the container. If you go further inside, you'll be in a blind spot."
I went to the blind spot, opened my briefcase, took out the contents, spread a plastic sheet inside to prevent leaks, and poured the aqua regia into it.
And then I submerged over 2 kg of wafers in the aqua regia.
Bubbles started forming, and a pungent chemical odor filled the air.
"Ugh…"
Even in the well-ventilated lab, the smell had been nauseating. In the airtight container, it was unbearable.
"Ugh, what's that awful smell?"
Park Jong-bum wrinkled his nose and covered his mouth. Kim In-soo had already retreated outside the container.
"Just bear with it. It'll be done soon."
Ten minutes felt like an hour. I confirmed that the chemical reaction had stopped, lifted the plastic sheet, and said,
"Now we just need to transfer it to the water bottle."
Kim In-soo, looking anxious, checked his watch.
"Can't we just throw it away?"
"We can't just throw away chemicals. The smell will give us away."
I poked a hole in the bottom of the plastic sheet, and as we were transferring the liquid to the water bottle, Kim In-soo's face turned pale.
"We're in trouble. Someone's coming!"
"What?"
Kim In-soo recognized the approaching figure.
"It's Foreman Lee Tae-ho! He often smokes in the corner of the waste storage area because the smoking area is too far. I forgot!"
I glared at him.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"What do we do? We're screwed."
I said to the panicking Kim In-soo,
"Stop him! Buy us five minutes! Five minutes is all we need!"
Kim In-soo ran towards Foreman Lee Tae-ho.
"H-hey, Foreman. Are you smoking? I told you not to smoke here."
Foreman Lee Tae-ho chuckled.
"Come on, Kim. The smoking area is too far."
"But…"
Kim In-soo hesitated and then said,
"How about a drink after work? My treat!"
Foreman Lee Tae-ho looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"You're offering me a drink? Why? We've never had a drink together."
"So let's have one now. What do you say?"
Foreman Lee Tae-ho thought for a moment.
"Sure, why not? I don't have any plans. Wait, let me finish this cigarette. We'll talk after."
Kim In-soo, seeing him turning back towards the waste storage area, suddenly clutched his stomach and groaned.
"Oww, my stomach… Oww!"
Foreman Lee Tae-ho was startled and rushed over to him.
"What's wrong? Are you okay, Kim?"
"My stomach hurts!"
"What? Should I call an ambulance?"
"No, it's not that serious, but… Ugh!"
As they were fussing over him, Park Jong-bum and I finished the transfer, took off our suit jackets to air them out, and came out of the container. We approached Kim In-soo.
"Are you okay, Assistant Manager Kim?"
Foreman Lee Tae-ho looked at us in surprise, and Kim In-soo, looking at me, signaled with his eyes that we were done. I nodded slightly.
"Who…"
Before Foreman Lee Tae-ho could finish his sentence, Kim In-soo, who had been clutching his stomach, suddenly stood up straight.
"I'm fine now. These are our clients for the waste disposal business."
"W-what? Are you okay, Kim?"
"Yes, I'm fine now. And I don't think I'm in the mood for a drink. I'll make it up to you another time."
Ignoring Foreman Lee Tae-ho's bewildered gaze, Kim In-soo asked us,
"Are you done?"
"Yes, we're done."
Kim In-soo hurriedly closed the container door. He sniffed the air and then said to us and Foreman Lee Tae-ho with a satisfied expression,
"What are you all doing here? Let's get back to work."
***
"Kim In-soo is surprisingly sly. I've never seen this side of him before."
Back at the company, I sat down on the sofa, relieved that we hadn't been caught. Park Jong-bum chuckled.
"I know, right? I was surprised."
We laughed for a moment, and then I held up the water bottle with the dissolved gold.
"This contains 30% of the gold from the wafers. The samples they'll give to the other companies will have a lower gold content than the actual waste. Perfect."
Park Jong-bum grinned.
"They'll be calculating their bids based on the sample results, thinking they're offering the highest price, but they won't be able to beat us. What's our target profit margin?"
"Let's aim for 25%. Even if those colluding companies bid at cost, it won't be more than 70%. And even if they're willing to take a loss, they won't go above 75%."
Park Jong-bum nodded.
"That sounds reasonable."
I rubbed my hands together and smiled slyly.
"I can already picture their stunned faces."
A week later, Kim In-soo, the manager, and the section chief were gathered in the meeting room of Sasung Semiconductor's waste management department to review the bids.
"Thirteen companies in total, right?"
Kim In-soo nodded.
"Yes, here they are."
He handed the sealed bid envelopes to the section chief.
"Alright, let's open them."
The section chief opened the envelopes one by one and announced the bid prices. Kim In-soo jotted them down in his notebook.
"Woogyeong Recycle, 700 million won. Dano Tech, 860 million won…"
The section chief opened Hanyang Tech's envelope and said,
"1 billion won. Hmm, that's the highest bid so far. Assistant Manager Kim, what was the average bid from the previous company?"
"It was usually between 700 million and 900 million won."
The section chief smiled with satisfaction.
"The bidding process is definitely effective. Those Chunha Trading bastards must have been making a killing."
Kim In-soo forced a smile.
"W-well…"
The section chief opened Chunha Trading's envelope and said,
"I wonder if their bid is higher this time. Let's see…"
His eyes widened as he saw the bid price.
"1.1 billion won?"
Kim In-soo, his head bowed, smiled faintly. The section chief's face fell.
"1.1 billion won? What the…"
He muttered in disbelief,
"This isn't what I expected…"
TL/n -
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