Chapter 4

The Hyenas of Capitalism - Chapter 4 (4/215)

Indeed, it was sheer luck that I happened to circle the shops in the neighboring building at just the right time on my first attempt.

The trash uncle who was supposed to come after me would collect from another area during the time I circled the shops, and then move on to the neighboring building, so I never ran into him.

After a few visits, every second time the trash uncle had already collected, leading to wasted trips. From then on, I only collected once at noon and skipped the second round.

Instead, I searched for areas like these shops that could be filled up.

Places where no one collected during the times I could go. After ten wasted trips, I found a shopping and entertainment district about a 45-minute round trip by car.

While the entertainment district couldn't fill a truck, it could collect a relatively high volume of expensive cans and PET bottles. After that, my routine was set.

I would go to the distant entertainment district early in the morning, return to collect from nearby shops, and then make one more trip to the distant shops. This alone already brought my daily income to over 60,000 won.

Three months passed. I found two more spots, and my daily income surpassed 100,000 won. But I became even greedier.

"Boss, is there a way to make more money?"

"Are you asking about that now? If you want to keep doing scrap, keep practicing and eventually set up your own scrap yard. The timing is perfect."

The boss explained that scrap yards used to operate under a permit system until 1993.

So, even if you wanted to start one, you couldn't without a permit from the government.

As the country developed and industrialized, industrial zones expanded, and waste increased endlessly, but the number of scrap yards remained the same, making waste management increasingly difficult. In the end, the permit system was abolished in December 1993, and it was replaced with a registration system.

Many places that were previously left idle due to the permit system were now suitable for new scrap yards, he said.

"But am I ready to go independent?"

"That's for you to decide. To me, you still seem a bit green. If you want to catch up to me, it's a hundred years away."

I didn't take long to decide.

I immediately put my studio apartment up for rent and started looking for a site to set up my own scrap yard. The most important thing was where to set it up.

Should I set it up in the city like the boss and follow a similar path, or should I forge my own path?

In the end, I chose near an industrial complex.

I thought that while collecting paper and PET bottles from stores and restaurants in the city was stable, it wouldn't bring in big money.

Setting up near an industrial complex with many factories and companies would make it easier to collect scrap metal from factories, and the volume would be much greater.

The boss supported my decision, saying it was a good choice, and we had a farewell drink that evening.

For the next month, I was incredibly busy.

I looked for land near the Ansan Industrial Complex, and with the 16 million won I had, the larger the site, the better, and the closer to the complex, the more expensive it was.

In the end, I compromised and bought a 200-pyeong plot of land a bit away from the complex for 10 million won.

I bought a used truck for 2 million won and installed thick wooden panels on both sides like the boss's truck.

I bought a used 20-foot container for 1 million won and placed it in a corner of the scrap yard to use as a living and office space.

I set up a simple bed, a desk for myself, two small sofas, and a table for visitors, making it look somewhat decent.

Finally, I surrounded the scrap yard with metal panels like a fence.

"Looks like a proper scrap yard. Not bad at all."

I clenched my fist and looked at the empty scrap yard.

"Great, now it's the beginning. My goal this year is to fill the yard!"

After registering my business, I headed to the Ansan Industrial Complex. I felt the fresh business card I had just received in my pocket.

"Cheonha Resources. CEO Park Sol. We handle it cleanly."

I felt a sense of pride and excitement for my new business as I entered the complex, where countless small and medium-sized enterprises lined up.

Since I didn't know what each company produced, I went into the first one I saw.

"Rohan Trading. What kind of company is this?"

After looking at the sign, I entered the company with my business card. It was a small company, but people were bustling about, carrying paper boxes, and a forklift was busy moving things in and out of the warehouse.

After a moment, I looked for the office and a staff member approached me.

"Hello, where are you from?"

"Hello, I'm from here."

I handed him my business card, and he frowned, looking at it several times before asking me.

"Are you here to collect trash?"

"Yes, that's right. I just opened a new scrap yard near the Ansan Industrial Complex..."

"Then you could have just said you came to collect trash. No need for a business card. Anyway, the trash is piled up behind the warehouse, so you can take it."

The staff member, who seemed reluctant to throw away the business card, put it in his pocket.

"Is this a new business?"

"Yes, I just opened a new one near here..."

"We have a lot of boxes, so we probably have a truckload every three days. Can you come regularly? We can gather them neatly. There is a place that collects, but they are so busy they only come once a week, so the trash overflows. Can you help us?"

"Sure, I'll come on Mondays and Thursdays."

It was a bit heartbreaking. They completely ignored me. I collect trash, after all.

I pretended it didn't bother me and drove my truck to the back of the warehouse, where paper boxes were piled up.

As I loaded them onto the truck, I thought to myself.

'Well, I've been through worse. This guy is just a staff member, probably earning less than 1 million won a month. If I get a few factories like this, I'll earn more than his salary. Pathetic.'

I had already prepared myself for this. Thinking about the money I would earn, I felt a bit better.

The paper boxes from the factory were larger and thicker than those from regular shops, so the truck was already full after just a few loads.

I tied them down with rubber bands to prevent them from falling and walked to find the staff member.

'If I come back once more, I'll probably make at least 50,000 won. Can a low-level staff member like you earn 50,000 won in a day? In a few years, you'll still be a staff member, and I'll be a wealthy scrap yard owner.'

I approached the staff member, belittling him in my mind.

"Hello, what should I call you?"

"Call me Kim Daeri."

"Mr. Kim, I've loaded everything, but there's a lot, so I need to make another trip..."

"Sure, go ahead. You don't need to tell me about every trip."

"Okay, I understand."

From then on, things went smoothly.

I visited factories in the complex in order, and most of them had a truckload of waste paper.

While some places were as rude as the first factory, most were new and welcomed me when I said I would come regularly.

It turned out that there was only one licensed scrap yard in the entire complex.

As a result, it was difficult to cover the entire area, and the waste piled up day by day. They even had to use their own trucks to deliver the waste.

"Let's see. If I make a rough schedule..."

If I visit six factories a day and come every three days, that's 18 places. One truckload is about 400 kg, so 18 places would be 7,200 kg. Twice a week, that's 14,400 kg. At 70 won per kg, that's over 1 million won a week.

Today alone, even with some wasted trips, I made agreements with five companies to visit twice a week.

"Wow, this is amazing. The existing scrap yard has been operating here for over five years and must have made a fortune. It's really frustrating. But I'll at least dominate this complex."

The next day, I visited another factory I hadn't been to yet. The name was "Samhwa Metal."

"Metal, huh? Just scrap metal would be great. If I get aluminum or copper, that would be a jackpot..."

A truckload of aluminum would be at least 400,000 won. As I calculated in my head, I saw a company employee and quickly handed him my business card.

"Hello, I'm from Cheonha Resources."

"Cheonha Resources? Where are you from?"

"Cheonha Resources. We collect various waste materials from factories."

"Oh, you're here to collect waste. There's a person in charge in the office. His name is Han Daeri. Talk to him."

"Okay, thank you."

I thought it was the first time I was visiting a company with a waste management person and went to the office.

In the office, there was one male and one female employee. I approached the desk with "Han Daeri" on the nameplate.

"Hello, are you Mr. Han?"

"Yes, I'm Han Daeri. Where are you from?"

"Here's my business card. I'm from Cheonha Resources."

"Are you here to collect scrap?"

"Yes, I just opened a new scrap yard."

"I see. We have an existing partner, but can we get a quote?"

'Quote? What does he mean? Is what they produce expensive? Is it aluminum or copper? Do I have to pay for it?'

"Sure, can I take a look first? I'll give you a quote after checking the condition."

Han Daeri took me to the back of the warehouse, where there were piles of stainless steel rods.

"We're a wire company. After coating and cutting, we collect the leftovers here."

I approached and examined them. The condition was excellent.

There was nothing mixed in, only stainless steel, and the coating wouldn't be a problem since it would go into a furnace.

"Quote... How do you deal with the existing company?"

"They would estimate the cost after loading a truck, something like 'how much for a truckload of waste.'"

"I see. How much per truck... Wait, waste disposal fee?"

"Yes, how much is the disposal fee?"

What is he talking about? They pay a disposal fee?