"Have a seat over here."
Li Yang, who had been working the day shift, entered my office after his shift ended.
The table was set with a bottle of Maotai, one of China's four most famous liquors, and some snacks.
"Do you like alcohol?"
Li Yang replied nervously,
"He says he loves it."
"That's good. Here, have a drink. It's expensive, so don't spill it."
Li Yang accepted the glass with a serious expression, and I poured drinks for myself and the interpreter.
"Let's have a drink."
Maotai had a sharp, burning sensation as it went down, stimulating the throat and stomach.
I felt a pleasant tingling in my stomach and said,
"Ah, that's the stuff."
I munched on a snack and said to Li Yang,
"I initially judged you because you're a heihaizi."
Li Yang's face fell.
"But I was wrong. I've been observing you for the past few days, and you're the most diligent and hardworking employee I have."
Li Yang bowed his head.
"He says he's grateful and will work even harder."
"I wanted to meet with you because I'm interested in you, Li Yang. If you don't mind, can you tell me your story? How did you end up here?"
Li Yang hesitated, perhaps reluctant to reveal his past.
"Just a brief summary is fine. I want to know the real you, Li Yang, not just the words on your application."
Li Yang sighed and began his story.
He was born the second son in a rural village in Anhui Province. The 10,000 yuan fine for having a second child was an unimaginable sum for his farming parents.
Although he wasn't registered in the household registry, he grew up loved by his parents.
But as he grew older, a question started to bother him.
His older brother went to elementary school, while he had to help his parents with farm work.
His parents always avoided his questions, and he was devastated when he finally learned that he was a heihaizi, a non-person in the eyes of the law.
He couldn't own anything under his name, and he couldn't even get married.
He couldn't imagine having children, as they would inherit his undocumented status.
So at the age of 17, he left home and went to the city, working in factories and doing manual labor, doing anything he could to save enough money to pay the fine.
But the world wasn't kind to a heihaizi like him.
Wage cuts were common, and he was lucky if he even got paid on time.
He had nowhere to complain when his wages were withheld, and he had to avoid the police.
He had never committed a crime in his life, but just because he was born the second son in a poor family, the world treated him like a criminal.
Some of his heihaizi friends in the city had suggested he join a gang like the Triads, but he refused.
He wanted to save enough money to pay the fine and become a legal citizen, start a family, and live a normal life.
"He saw Chunha Trading's recruitment ad. Free room and board, double the salary for a travel ban… it was the perfect opportunity for him. He wanted to work hard and save enough money to pay the fine."
"I see."
Li Yang, slightly drunk and overwhelmed by his sad story, started shedding tears.
"He doesn't understand why he's treated like a non-person, an inferior being, just because his name isn't on a piece of paper."
Li Yang's story, far more tragic than mine, filled me with rage.
"This is… this is outrageous. How can they treat such a kind and hardworking person like this, just because of that?"
I slammed my hand on the table.
"This is the world's fault. It's not your fault, Li Yang."
Li Yang flinched, startled by my outburst.
"I was also born the second son, so I understand how you feel. I'm in this position now, but when I was your age, I was also a manual laborer."
Li Yang's eyes widened. The CEO of this large factory, with hundreds of employees, had also been a laborer at his age.
"Isn't it unfair? What did you do wrong? You were just… born this way!"
Li Yang nodded vigorously.
"He agrees."
"Don't you hate the world? The world that pushed you into this corner? The world that gives you nothing and then looks down on you?"
Li Yang said with bloodshot eyes,
"He hates it. But he says he can't do anything about it."
I picked up the empty Maotai bottle and said,
"Do you know how much this bottle costs?"
Li Yang looked at me blankly, and I said,
"It's 2,000 yuan."
Li Yang was shocked. The 10,000 yuan he had been desperately trying to save since he was 17, working tirelessly to remove the "heihaizi" label, was just the price of five bottles of the liquor we had just been drinking.
"While you were struggling because you're a heihaizi, those privileged people up there were probably drinking several bottles of this expensive liquor every day."
Li Yang's anger grew.
"While they were enjoying themselves, drinking expensive liquor with women by their side, you couldn't even afford a single bottle. Is this a just world?"
I said to the trembling, furious Li Yang,
"But don't worry. I consider my employees family. Why do you think I'm drinking this expensive liquor with you? It's to show you that those people drinking expensive liquor up there and you, Li Yang, are all the same."
I took another bottle of Maotai from the refrigerator.
"Li Yang, what's the first thing you want to do if you regain your legal status?"
Li Yang, still consumed by anger, didn't answer.
"Think about it. I'll restore your identity, Li Yang."
Li Yang's eyes widened, and he looked up at the interpreter's words.
"He's asking what you mean."
"Exactly what I said. I'll take responsibility and restore your legal status. You're not someone to be looked down upon just because your name isn't on a piece of paper."
I smiled gently and poured him a drink.
"Just keep working hard like you always do. This is my decision, based solely on your character. You're worth it."
Li Yang couldn't believe that I, a stranger, would fulfill his lifelong dream. Tears streamed down his face.
My words, acknowledging his worth, were the first words of encouragement he had ever heard.
"All the hardship and humiliation you've endured because you're a heihaizi… let it all go with this drink. You're family now."
Li Yang burst into tears at the word "family," and the interpreter also started wiping his eyes.
I smiled slyly.
***
Three days later, I summoned Li Yang to my office again. He was staring blankly at an ID card.
"My… ID card."
It was his lifelong dream.
He had endured all the insults and discrimination, hoping that one day, his dream would come true.
He couldn't get enough of looking at the People's Republic of China emblem and his photo on the ID card.
"How do you feel?" the interpreter asked.
Li Yang looked at me, smiling softly.
He had been hopeful after my promise, but he never imagined it would happen so quickly.
He had thought it was just empty talk, a drunken promise out of pity.
An ID card wasn't something you could just buy with money.
It required investigations, documents, and approvals from officials.
The thought that I, a Korean who didn't even speak Chinese, had gone through all this trouble for him made his heart swell with gratitude.
"Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay your kindness…"
I smiled and said,
"I'm glad you're happy."
"I'll repay you for the expenses. I have some savings…"
He bit his lip.
He had been earning 80 yuan a month at his previous job, barely enough for rent and living expenses. He had managed to save 500 yuan, and he had saved another 300 yuan while working at Chunha Trading.
It was far less than the 10,000 yuan required for the fine.
I winked at him.
"Just keep working hard for Chunha Trading like you always do."
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He bowed deeply and said,
"I will. I'll work hard."
Overwhelmed by gratitude for the man who had saved him, even though his own country had abandoned him, he said with a fervent heart,
"I would give my life for Chunha Trading."
After that day, I took Li Yang out of the production line and had him accompany me everywhere with the interpreter.
I tried to communicate with him directly in Chinese to improve my language skills, minimizing the interpreter's involvement.
"Zhe shi shenme (What is this)?"
"Na shi IC. Shi kasete li de moxing (That's an IC chip. The model used in cassette players)."
"Dui (Correct)."
I had initially helped him as an experiment, to see the potential of heihaizi. But I was increasingly impressed by his intelligence.
Many heihaizi were illiterate, having never received a proper education, but Li Yang had been studying Chinese diligently, hoping for a better future.
I thought he had the potential to be a trusted confidant, not just a middle manager.
"Tell him he's doing a good job. If he keeps learning like this, good things will happen."
Li Yang bowed his head at the interpreter's words.
"He says he'll just keep working hard."
I smiled.
Unlike Maru, who was like a friend, Li Yang felt like a loyal subordinate.
"We're going to visit those buildings we saw yesterday again, so get ready."
With the restored IC chip business taking off, I was planning to open a store as a stepping stone to enter the distribution market.
I headed to downtown Shenzhen with the interpreter, Li Yang, and a few of CEO Wu's employees.
It wasn't just a store I had in mind, but a large-scale operation that could handle hundreds of thousands of manufacturers and junkyards. I was even considering building a department store-sized wholesale market for secondhand electronic components.
"This location is perfect."
If we bought all the buildings in this area, demolished them, and built a new one, it would fit my vision perfectly.
"What's the estimated cost of acquiring all the buildings from here to there?"
The interpreter checked the documents.
"About 30 buildings, and the total cost would be around 400 million yuan."
"That's not a small amount."
"It's the prime location in Shenzhen."
China's real estate prices were skyrocketing due to the country's rapid economic growth.
Acquiring 30 buildings in the heart of Shenzhen, a city with a population of 10 million, for 400 million yuan (40 billion won) wasn't a bad investment.
I nodded.
"Alright, start the acquisition process. Offer up to 20% above the asking price, but try to negotiate the best possible deal."
"Yes, sir."
I walked along the street, examining the buildings and envisioning the future Chunha Trading secondhand electronic components wholesale market.
And then it happened.
A man in shabby clothes emerged from a narrow alley, looking around nervously.
He saw me and started running towards me.
A shiver ran down my spine.
I felt a sense of dread.
"Stop him!"
The interpreter asked, puzzled,
"What?"
"Stop that man!"
The interpreter relayed my urgent command, and CEO Wu's employees stepped forward, blocking the man's path.
The man, his face determined, pulled out a knife and lunged at us.
CEO Wu's employees hesitated to approach him as he swung the knife wildly, but they eventually subdued him, picking up wooden planks and other makeshift weapons from nearby.
The interpreter and Li Yang sighed in relief, but I was still uneasy.
"What is this? I still have a bad feeling."
Li Yang suddenly shouted,
"Behind you!"
I turned around and saw another man in similar attire running towards me with a knife.
CEO Wu's employees were busy subduing the first man and didn't notice him. Before I could react, the man lunged at me, swinging his knife.
'Damn it! Too late!'
TL/n -
Heihaizi (黑孩子) is a Chinese term that translates to "black child" or "hidden child." It refers to children who were born in violation of China's former one-child policy and were therefore not officially registered in the hukou (household registration) system.
Because they lacked legal documentation, heihaizi were often denied access to public services like education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Some parents hid these children to avoid fines, while others struggled to obtain legal recognition for them later.
Since China abolished the one-child policy in 2016 and later introduced a three-child policy, the situation for heihaizi has improved, but many still face challenges in gaining legal status.
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