Chapter 2

The Hyenas of Capitalism - Chapter 2 (2/215)

The boss said, looking at me as if I were crazy.

"So, you want to run a junk shop?"

"Yes!"

"You're going to commute here and ask me to teach you this job?"

"Yes!"

"Why would a young person want to do this? There are so many things you can do nowadays. This isn't an easy job. Plus, people will mock you for dealing with garbage. I can understand an old man like me doing it, but it's not a job for a young person. And if it's because of the dining table, you're mistaken. You're mistaken."

"What do you mean?"

"To be honest, who would buy a dining table from a junk shop? Even if I sold it, I wouldn't use it. Honestly, it's dirty, isn't it?"

"I can clean it and use it."

"You really have a good attitude. Anyway, why would a young person do this? Even if you make some money, it's better to get a good job and work there."

I pounded my chest and said,

"I have a strong feeling about this. I think I can do this with my bare hands! I can earn as much as I work hard! What's the difference in money? There's a saying, 'Earn like a dog, spend like a prime minister!' I have the determination! Just teach me a little. Okay? If it doesn't suit me, I can quit, right? I'll work for free. I'm already tough from manual labor, so just use me! Boss!"

The boss, exasperated by my persistence, put his hand on his forehead and said,

"I don't understand why you would want to run a junk shop when there are so many other jobs out there."

"I have a dream. I want to live in a mansion and drive a luxury car. But no matter how much I work at a regular job, it's impossible to save enough. Then I saw this. I saw a person driving a truck, picking up furniture from the street, and selling it here. You don't need capital; you just need a truck and a strong body. Just give me a chance. Just one month, no more, just one month. Please."

"I don't know what to do."

That's how my life in the junk shop began.

The basics of a junk shop are sorting and disassembly. The most important part is sorting non-ferrous metals like aluminum and copper from scrap iron.

To the average person, they might look the same, but the value difference between scrap iron and non-ferrous metals (aluminum, copper, zinc, etc.) is more than tenfold. Therefore, the top priority in sorting is to separate the high-value non-ferrous metals.

For example, when aluminum cans and iron cans are mixed and brought to the junk shop, they are bought at 60 won per kg as scrap iron. However, if they are sorted and sold to a larger junk shop, aluminum cans are sold at 600 won per kg, and iron cans at 60 won per kg.

A fan brought to the junk shop is bought at 100 won per kg, but if it is disassembled and the plastic is separated, it can be sold at 200 won per kg, while the scrap iron is 70 won per kg. Used wires and copper can be sold as non-ferrous metals for up to 3,000 won per kg.

The more I learned, the more fascinating it became. The recycling market was much larger and more complex than I had imagined.

From the elderly ladies and gentlemen who collect paper, empty bottles, and cans on rickshaws, to the 1-ton truck drivers who are small-scale, the junk shop in my neighborhood is medium-scale, the large-scale facilities that receive and process the sorted materials, and finally, the smelters that melt all the recyclables to create new products.

During the month, I learned a lot from the boss.

"The most important thing in running a junk shop is to be cold, and then even colder."

"Why is that?"

"This business is full of scammers. For example, someone might sell you a ton of aluminum cans for 300 won, but the bottom of the sack is full of iron cans. Or, someone might sell you a motor for a ton, but when you buy it, the copper inside has already been removed."

"Wow... Does this happen often?"

"Not often, but it does happen. On the other hand, there are big wins."

"Big wins?"

"Think the opposite. Someone might sell you iron cans for 60 won, thinking they are iron, but they turn out to be aluminum cans. Then you make several times the profit."

"Five times."

"Exactly. Do you know how I bought this New Grandeur? I bought an old wardrobe for 20 won per kg, and when I opened the bottom drawer, there were bundles of money hidden inside."

"Bundles of money? Did you return them to the owner?"

"Return them? Who knows whose money it is. Was it the 1-ton truck driver who sold me the wardrobe, or the person who threw it away, or the person who sold it to the driver? How can you know? The driver probably doesn't even remember where he found it. Of course, this is a very rare case. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

The boss, perhaps reminiscing, chuckled for a while before becoming serious again.

"Remember this. In a junk shop, you earn as much as you know. Think of the money in your hands as being taken by someone else if you don't know. And we never call junk 'garbage'; we call it 'items.' We create value from what others throw away as garbage. Even if others mock us for dealing with garbage, we shouldn't do that among ourselves."

The boss seemed to have a sense of pride in the recycling business, unlike when he tried to dissuade me at first.

I thought to myself, "It's a garbage business, after all," but I didn't say it out loud.

"Garbage is garbage, and money is money."

"And since you've started, I'll tell you one more thing."

"What is it?"

"To be honest, this business makes money. It's a kind of blind business. Plus, it's all cash transactions. At the higher levels, they issue invoices, but we don't. Hehehe. You're lucky. I was thinking of retiring, and here you are, a young guy, jumping into this dirty business. I feel both proud and sorry for you, so I'm sharing my knowledge with you. You're the first young guy I've met, and only a few people have ever asked me to teach them."

I rubbed my hands together and replied,

"I know, I know. I'm grateful."

Anyway, it's good to hear that it makes money.

The boss left first, and I finished cleaning up, locking the junk shop. As I turned around, I saw Maru. Maru looked at me with a puzzled expression and said,

"Bro, what are you doing here? Did you just come out of the junk shop?"

"Ahaha, it's been a month, hasn't it? Nice to see you, Maru!"

"No, I heard you quit the labor agency, but you didn't tell me, so I was a bit hurt. And today, while I was delivering packages, I saw you hammering at the junk shop. At first, I thought I was seeing things."

I smiled and put my arm around Maru's shoulder.

"Let's go to a makgeolli place and talk. It's a long story."

"Bro, are you still wearing the same clothes you wore to work at the junk shop? Does it smell?"

"Do you want to get hit? I wear a separate work uniform when I work. Let's go!"

"Wait, so you decided to work there just because of that and are now working for free?"

"It's not just because of that, but in the end, that's true."

Maru looked at me in disbelief, and I started to explain.

"To put it simply, I've been doing this for a month. It really makes money. Really."

"How can you know after just one month? Business people do a year of research before starting a business. And what if the junk shop owner is a scammer?"

"Why would he scam me? To make money, you need to do something others don't know about. If everyone knows about it, how can you make money? It's just competition and more competition. Do you know what the most hated item in a noodle shop is? Ramen. They can't sell it at a high price because the cost is obvious."

"Is a noodle shop the same as a junk shop? And honestly, it's embarrassing. Even if we don't care about what others think, it's a bit much to deal with garbage. I don't know if you'll get married, but what will you say when someone asks about your job at a formal meeting? 'I deal with garbage'? It will be a disaster. What about your children? 'My father deals with garbage!'"

I took a sip of makgeolli, thinking about Maru's words. He was right; the perception of the junk shop business is terrible.

"So?"

"Excuse me?"

"So, what's the problem?"

"What's the problem?"

"I love money. No one hates money, but I really, really, really, really love it. Money makes more money, but I don't have any, and this business doesn't require much capital. Plus, if you're lucky, you can hit a big win. And it's not a competitive field because people don't know about it. There's nothing better than this. There's no high and low in money. As long as you earn and spend it well, it's fine. Nothing is perfect. If there's risk, there's also gain."

"The risk is too high! We're in our 20s. We have a bright future and endless opportunities! If we keep working hard, we could be recruited by a construction company and earn 120,000 won a day. There's no need to go to such extremes..."

I held up my palm to Maru, interrupting him.

"I think it's worth taking the risk. And how can you guarantee that there are endless opportunities? Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Why don't you try it with me? Let's sell garbage and live like prime ministers!"

I extended my hand to Maru.