Chapter 3 - An Encounter At The Fishing Site (2)
After having a chicken leg and wings, Gun-Ho Goo asked Jong-Suk Park.
“Are you actually looking for a job?”
“I’ve been looking for a job online. There are lots of job openings, but it’s not easy to find a good company.”
“Why? Are you worried that you might pick a company that is soon going under?”
“That is one of the things I consider. I also cannot stand management power tripping.”
“Nothing much you can do about it. We are merely a factory worker.”
“You used to work for that kind of manager in a furniture company. And you ended up fighting with the nagging manager, and quit the job.”
“Hmm… that’s right. But it’s my loss. I have no skills for a job; I am just a low ranked college dropout.”
“Hey bro, I registered at the Career Center. I want to learn new work skills.”
“I’ve already done it because once I start working, I won’t have time to learn new skills. But that causes another problem; I won’t be able to make a living if I don’t work while I go to school to learn some skills.”
“The director at the CAD Learning Center told me that if you have the will to learn, then you can do it. Having no time is just an excuse.”
“Damn man! He should put himself in my shoes!”
“Speaking of learning things, you and me, we actually met in an educational institute in Noryangjin. It has been five years already.”
“I was surprised when I saw you there. I didn’t expect to see a bro from the neighborhood I used to live in.”
“I was so surprised as well. I never thought the person next to me having a cupped-rice would be you.”
“Bro, you used to do well in studying, didn’t you?”
“I wish. An investment consulting company, called WinWin Fund Investment Club, sent me a text; I am not sure how they got my number. They said I could recover my loss in no time and get a noticeable return if I invest in the stocks they pick for me.”
“Did you believe that?”
“They sent me their past transaction records. It showed that 20,000,000 was invested and it went up to 60,000,000 won within two months. They charge 2,000,000 won for their service. Once I pay the fee, they said they would give me a list of stocks they picked right away.”
“Your glass is empty. Let me fill it up for you. Go on.”
“So I paid 2,000,000 won and invested the remaining 10,000,000 won in the stock they picked for me. The stock had been up and down on a roller-coaster ride.”
“You got rooked again.”
“Don’t even get me started on that. I was left with 4,000,000 won in hand after I put 10,000,000 won a week earlier.”
“You should have complained to the investment consulting company.”
“I did. When I complained to them, they said I should sell the stock at a loss.”
“How could they say that? They are so irresponsible.”
“When I argued with them, they said it was perfectly normal to sell stocks at a loss sometimes and it happened all the time. They laughed at me saying a person like me shouldn’t do stocks.”
“Jerks!”
“The remaining 4,000,000 won is gone. I used it for living expense since I hadn’t been paid for a while after I moved to another company. I am just left with the debt from the sunshine loan.”
“You learned your lesson,” Jong-Suk Park chuckled.
“It would be really nice if it was just a lesson. Now I have to pay interest on the loan, and I am suffering for it. The two-year life in Hwaseong became nothing, and all I have is debt.”
“Phew. I feel suffocated by listening to your story. That is the money you earned by working your socks off.”
“Do you remember Won-Chul? His mother owned a pharmacy in our neighborhood.”
“I know him. He was accepted to one of the universities in Seoul?”
“I’ve heard that Won-Chul is working for a big company after he graduated college. He invested 20,000,000 won in stocks and made 100,000,000 won. F*ck.”
“Huh, Wun-Chul bro was the richest in the neighborhood. The luck is also on his side. God is on the rich, not us at all. F*ck. Let’s drink.”
The two drank soju in the moonlight making slurping sounds. It looks like they drank every drop of booze.