Chapter 3. A person in a difficult situation wants a problem solver.

Dad quietly drank his coffee.

Although the conversation was over, what I said was ultimately nothing more than an ideal.

Just because you know the destination doesn't mean everyone can find the way.

"Seonwoo, I understand what you're saying, but it's hard to make it work the way we want."

As if understanding Dad's feelings,

Uncle Manho quietly consoled me.

"I can't say now, but I have a way."

To the two of them, it might look like a child stubbornly insisting.

It's frustrating, but I can't talk about magic.

If I did, I might end up in a different white hospital on a hill, not the one I was discharged from.

"…Do you really have a way?"

"Brother, it's because Seonwoo doesn't know yet—"

"I do."

In such a situation, it's better not to hesitate.

I understand their feelings, but now it's best to cause even a small ripple.

It's my job to turn that ripple into a wave.

"You understand. But that's a second-best option, right?"

"I know. The best is to sign a new supply contract with Alpha Tech."

"If they guarantee at least the cost, I'll definitely sign the contract."

On that point, I agreed.

The time and effort spent on making the new design of the heat sink is a pity, but now isn't the time to be greedy.

"Then let's go in together. But don't act rashly."

"I know. No, I understand, Mr. President."

At that, Dad smiled slightly and got up from his seat.

"Are you coming in too, Uncle?"

"Ah, no. I'm not good at this kind of thing… and I have to go to the factory now. We don't just make Seonggwang Industry's products."

"Right. See you at the factory."

"Yes, Brother. Good luck! I'll wait for your call."

***

I was a little worried that we might be turned away since we came without an appointment.

Fortunately, we were able to enter the company safely.

After being told that they would call the person in charge, we were led to a small meeting room and waited for a while.

"Ah, you're from Yeongil Industrial? We've heard about you. How did things come to this…? Please, have a seat and let's talk."

The person who came in, cracking jokes, quickly handed over a business card after sitting down.

He had a rather warm smile, but...

'He's a different person in front and behind.'

It's not for nothing that they say you should take responsibility for your face once you're over thirty.

Of course, everyone has different perspectives, so not everyone is right, but a person's face inevitably reflects the emotions they've experienced in life.

Especially the eyes.

"I'm Kim Myungha, the sales management manager at Alpha Tech."

"I'm Im Yeongil from Yeongil Industrial."

No further explanation was necessary.

"Then who is this gentleman?"

"I'm just a salesperson. I came because I thought it would be dangerous for the president to drive in his current state. You don't need to worry about me."

"Ah… Yes. President, you must have been quite shocked? We were also very surprised to hear about Seonggwang Industry."

The man knew about Yeongil Industrial as if it were natural.

Alpha Tech, while not a large corporation, is a company with a solid position in the domestic computer production industry.

For a manager of such a company to remember a second-tier subcontractor?

And to know what products they make just by hearing the name.

In such a case, there are two possibilities.

'Either he's extremely meticulous…'

Or they were waiting for us to come.

Of course, my gut feeling is the latter.

"Then why did you come to see me?"

"I heard that the products ordered by Seonggwang Industry are ultimately supplied to Alpha Tech."

"Ah, that's right. The coolers made by Seonggwang were also used in our complete units and were responsible for overseas distribution."

Past tense.

"So if Alpha Tech could take over the products that were supposed to be supplied to Seonggwang Industry—"

"I'm sorry, Mr. President."

"…Yes?"

"We also suffered significant losses due to the Seonggwang Industry issue."

Losses? Ridiculous.

Why are subcontractors called "乙" (subordinate)?

"Of course, that's expected. But since you were going to receive the supplies anyway, we can offer them at a lower price than the original supply cost."

"Ahem. In fact, we had a meeting in advance, anticipating such a situation."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. If the price is right, we might be able to take them over."

Price.

Just how much will they cut?

Honestly, it's making my heart race.

"Given the situation, I won't be greedy. Just cover the cost of the raw materials…"

"Ah, Mr. President, hold on."

"Yes?"

"Cost of raw materials? If we don't take them, we won't even recover half the cost of the materials. Isn't that too greedy?"

Indeed, physiognomy is a science.

The face that was full of sympathy now wore a mocking smile.

Glancing to the side, I saw Dad's expression harden.

"Did you just call that greedy?"

"Isn't it? In this situation, not wanting to take any losses is greedy."

Manager Kim Myungha, now unguarded, spoke arrogantly.

I wanted to shut his sneering mouth.

I had even made a promise with Dad to stay quiet.

'They're just trying to take advantage of us.'

It's not yet clear if this entire situation was orchestrated by Alpha Tech.

But it's evident that they are trying to take advantage of the current situation.

"Then there's nothing more to talk about. Mr. President, let's get up."

"What? You're talking to the president…"

He didn't expect a low-level employee to speak up during the conversation.

Manager Kim Myungha laughed in disbelief.

"…Mr. President?"

But when Dad got up, he finally turned his gaze back to me.

Then he openly mocked me.

"Hah. You're the actual owner, right? Just remember, if you leave now, it will be difficult to come back and make a contract later."

"Is that what you call a contract? It sounds more like theft or robbery."

"What?! Do you know what you're doing?!"

Just as he was about to say something more,

Dad grabbed my arm and pulled me.

"Enough. Let's go."

"…Yes."

We stepped out of the building and looked back once more.

'Let's see who made the mistake.'

***

It was still early to drink.

Sitting across from Dad at a meat restaurant, I poured soju into our glasses.

We've had drinks together occasionally since I turned twenty, but this is the first time I'm drinking in such a downcast mood.

"You came out as you said, but I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do. He seemed a bit petty."

"Don't worry. It will be fine."

Once I started using honorifics, it felt more natural and comfortable.

Dad didn't say much about the sudden change in tone.

"So when are you going to tell me about that method?"

"Wait a little longer, and you'll find out."

"…Alright."

Throughout my life, I haven't shown much reliability.

In fact, I've often acted immaturely for my age.

But to have such trust from him…

'I will definitely make it succeed.'

I never thought it would fail from the beginning.

Now, I have even more reason to make it perfect.

***

A thin aluminum heat sink.

The side of the heat sink, about the size of a long Post-it note, had grooves like a saw blade, and it was less than 0.5 millimeters thick.

"Is this two sheets combined?"

"Yes. Inside, there's a copper wire thinner than a hair, and two sheets are layered. That's why it took more than twice the time to make. But they… well, they're bad guys."

Of course, Uncle Manho was furious when he heard the story from Alpha Tech.

He was even angrier than Dad or me, and it took quite a bit of effort to calm him down.

And now, I can finally tell the story.

"Would it be difficult to separate them again?"

"Since they were pressed together at high temperature, it's practically impossible."

The heat sink had holes at regular intervals.

That's why it's difficult to supply it elsewhere.

"These are the holes for the heat pipes, right?"

"Yes. You've assembled computers before, so you know, right?"

"Yes, I think I do."

While not an expert, a man who graduated from an engineering school has likely assembled a computer a few times.

Of course, I know about CPU coolers, one of the main components of a computer.

'You can't change the shape…'

Even though magic is almost omnipotent, changing the shape of a material is difficult.

It's possible, but for a product that costs less than 100,000 won, it's not worth the effort.

The goal is to achieve the maximum effect with minimal effort.

"Then, can't we just assemble the heat pipes and ship them?"

"We don't have the technology or the equipment, and most importantly, to make a complete product, we need to attach a cooling fan… which is not as easy to make as you might think."

"Hmm… Uncle, what if we didn't need a cooling fan?"

The heat sink absorbs heat from the CPU, and the heat pipes transfer the heat.

Ultimately, the heat is evenly distributed across the heat sink connected to the heat pipes.

But that alone can't handle the heat that exceeds 100 degrees, so a cooling fan is attached to lower the temperature of the heat sink more quickly.

In the past, CPUs didn't consume enough power to reach such high temperatures, so there were cases without cooling fans, but that's different now.

"Huh? Then it would be too inefficient to use."

"What if the performance doesn't drop?"

"That's impossible. …No, it's completely unrealistic. Even if it were possible, as you say, there's no reason not to use a fan. The cooling performance would be better with a fan."

I had to nod at that.

It's a very obvious point.

But the downside of a fan is the noise it produces.

'Some people might not want that.'

What if we gave them a choice?

A picture started to form in my mind.

"Uncle, do you have the heat pipes for this?"

"There aren't separate pipes, but there are a few completed samples from Seonggwang in the warehouse. Brother said you have some plan?"

"It's not that grand. I just think there might be a way to sell them elsewhere."

"Is that so? Well, in the current situation, that's something. You can take them from the warehouse."

The factory atmosphere was chaotic.

Rumors had already spread, and some people were looking at us with anxious eyes.

With only about 20 employees, it's hard to keep things secret.

"Don't worry. Dad and I will find a way to solve this."

My gaze was fixed on Uncle Manho, but I spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

It might seem futile for a man in his thirties to say such things, but people tend to hope for a savior in difficult times.

***

Heat sinks are densely packed around the heat pipes at intervals of about 2 millimeters.

Without the cooling fan, it looks like a city viewed from above.

'Would it work to engrave a cold-related magic circle?'

The first thing that came to mind was a magic to maintain coldness.

But that would create a problem.

If it stays cold even when the computer is not in use, it could cause sensitive CPUs to malfunction.

'If it only activates when the computer is in use…'

The next thing that came to mind was electricity.

Turning on the computer means current is flowing, so converting the computer's electrical energy into mana would work.

At least two magic circles would be needed.

I brought 10 samples from the factory.

I could engrave the magic circles on 10 of them quickly, but what if the number increased to thousands or tens of thousands?

It's not something I can do alone.

I can't spend all day engraving magic circles at the factory.

'I need a better way…'

Then it hit me.

"Ah! Copper wire!"

A magic circle is a method to activate magic through the flow of mana.

So it doesn't have to be engraved.

Instead, I could create a raised magic circle.

"Where did I put it…"

I quickly got up and searched the drawer.

Finding what I needed in a small box of miscellaneous items, I rushed back to the factory.