Episode 9
It was a gold mine, literally. The Jane & Work pile was overflowing with silverware.
Every piece he checked was silver. Sol rolled up his sleeves and started digging through the debris, his face getting progressively blacker with ash, but he couldn’t stop grinning.
“Hyung, this is real silver, right?” Maru asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
“I think so. It better be.”
They sorted through the pile with renewed energy. It wasn’t just cutlery; they even found silver platters. He wasn’t entirely sure about the platters, but his gut feeling was screaming “jackpot!”
After an hour of sorting and cleaning, they weighed their haul. Twenty kilograms of silver.
“Woooohoooo! This is incredible! Should we head to Myeongdong and sell it right now?” Sol exclaimed, practically bouncing with joy.
“How much is silver worth, anyway?”
“I have no idea! Silver necklaces cost tens of thousands of won, right? This much silver has to be worth tens of millions! Right? Right?”
“I’m sure it is! Congratulations, hyung! This is amazing! Buy a car with the money! You’re a CEO now, you can’t be driving around in a beat-up 1-ton truck forever. Get yourself a sleek sedan!”
“Maybe. I’ll think about the car later. First, I need to get some gifts for my family. I haven’t been home in a while. I miss my little sister.”
“It’s still early. Let’s sell the silver in Myeongdong and then you can head home.”
“Good idea.”
The jewelry wholesale market in Myeongdong was bustling, even on a weekday afternoon. Countless shops lined the streets, their glass display cases filled with glittering gold rings and necklaces.
Sol, his backpack heavy with silver, started looking for a shop specializing in silver.
There weren’t many, and he had to venture deeper into the market before finally finding one. He straightened his shoulders and pushed his way through the crowd, stopping in front of the shop.
“Welcome! Looking for something in particular?” a worker asked.
Sol glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Is the owner here? I have something to sell, a large quantity.”
“I’m the owner,” the man replied. “Come on in, let’s take a look.”
Sol followed him behind the display counter and placed his backpack on the floor, unzipping it carefully.
His heart pounded in his chest. Was anyone watching? Would someone follow him after he sold the silver and try to rob him?
“Silverware, huh? That’s quite a collection you have there,” the owner said, examining the contents of the backpack.
“It is, isn’t it? Just to be clear, this is all legitimate. I acquired it through a legal auction. I have the paperwork with me if you need to see it.”
“That won’t be necessary. I trust you. Let me take a closer look.”
The owner selected a few spoons, knives, and platters, examining them under a microscope.
Sol watched with fascination. He had never seen anyone appraise jewelry before. The owner scratched the surface of the items with a small knife, then nodded and retrieved a small dropper bottle from a shelf, placing a drop of liquid on a platter.
The liquid fizzed and hissed, corroding the surface of the silver. After a moment, the owner looked up.
“It’s definitely silver. 925 sterling silver, 92.5% pure. You want to sell it all?”
Sol’s heart leaped with joy, but he kept his voice calm. “Yes, I’d like to sell it all. Give me a good price.”
The owner pulled out a scale, placed a tray on it, and gestured for Sol to empty his backpack.
The silverware clattered onto the tray, and Sol winced. Was he supposed to handle it so roughly? What if someone heard the noise and came looking? His mind raced with paranoid thoughts.
“20.354 kilograms,” the owner announced, pointing at the digital display. “See?”
It was a precision scale, accurate to the gram. Professional equipment indeed.
“At today’s market price…” the owner paused, tapping on his calculator. “I can offer you 3,500,000 won for the lot.”
Sol thought he had misheard. “How much?”
“3.5 million won. You can shop around, but I’m confident this is the best offer you’ll get. Interested?”
Disappointment washed over him. 3.5 million won wasn’t a small amount. He had spent 1 million won on the auction, so he was still making a hefty profit, but it was a far cry from the tens of millions he had envisioned.
“Silver is that cheap?” he muttered, feeling deflated.
He visited a few other shops, hoping for a better offer, but the first shop had been the most generous.
The owner, sensing his disappointment, explained that the markup on silver jewelry was mostly due to the craftsmanship and the perceived value of silver as a precious metal. The actual cost of raw silver was only 180 won per gram. A necklace, even a large one, only used a few tens of grams of silver. The material cost was negligible.
Sol felt his face burning with embarrassment. He had been so cautious, so worried about being mistaken for a thief, even bringing the auction paperwork with him.
“Well, that was a learning experience,” he thought, trying to shake off his disappointment.
It had been an adventure, his first auction, his first encounter with a large quantity of silver. No one in his family had ever handled 20 kilograms of precious metal before.
“Time to move on. What should I get for my family?”
He bought two sets of cosmetics, one for his mother and one for his sister, and a suit for his father. He stopped by a supermarket and bought a generous amount of A+ grade Hanwoo beef and some pork belly.
It was almost 6 p.m. He should be able to get home before his father got off work.
As he approached his neighborhood, he spotted his younger sister walking home with her friends. He almost rolled down the window and called out to her, but then he remembered he was driving a beat-up truck.
“She’s in middle school, a sensitive age. Better to keep a low profile,” he thought, feeling a pang of shame.
He had been telling himself to be confident, to embrace his success, but the thought of his family finding out about his scrapyard business filled him with apprehension. They would probably disapprove, urge him to find a “real” job.
“Well, it’s not exactly a conventional career choice. It’s fine, I’ll keep it a secret for now. Once I’m more successful, once I’m rolling in dough, they’ll come around.”
He parked his truck near his house and waited for his sister. A few minutes later, he saw her walking down the street, alone this time. Her friends must have gone their separate ways.
“Hey! Park Hwa-yeoung!” he called out.
Hwa-yeoung looked up, her face breaking into a wide smile.
“Oppa! It’s been ages!”
She hurried over, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“What are you doing here? You never call! Mom’s going to be so happy to see you!”
“I had some business in the area, thought I’d stop by. Here, help me with these.” He grabbed bags from the passenger seat and handed them to her.
“What’s all this? Beef! Wow! Are you loaded, oppa? What’s with the truck?”
“It’s a company truck.”
“Company? You got a job? That’s awesome!”
“Something like that. I’ll explain later. Let’s go inside.”
They carried the bags up to their second-floor apartment. Hwa-yeoung unlocked the door, and they stepped inside. Their mother, busy preparing dinner, greeted them without turning around.
“Hwa-yeoung, is that you? Welcome home, sweetie.”
“Mom, look who’s here!”
Their mother turned around, her eyes widening in surprise. “Sol! Oh my goodness, it’s been so long! Come here, my son!”
She rushed over, pulling him into a hug.
“It’s good to see you, Mom. Has it really been six months?”
“Feels longer! You need to call more often, visit more often. I’m starting to forget what you look like!”
“Sorry, Mom. Work has been crazy. But look what I brought…”
The door opened, and their father walked in.
“I’m home! Sol? You remembered where you live? It’s so hard to see you these days!”
“Sorry, Dad.”
Their father was about to say something else, but their mother interrupted. “Come on, let’s go to the living room. I’ll get some fruit.”
She brought out a plate of fruit, and Sol handed out his gifts.
“A suit for you, Dad. Cosmetics for you, Mom. And for you, Hwa-yeoung.”
“How did you know my suit was getting worn out? Thank you, son. I’ll wear it with pride.”
“Cosmetics? You’re so thoughtful, Sol. Thank you.”
“Wow! I have my own cosmetics now!”
Sol beamed, his heart warming at their happiness.
“And Mom, here’s some Hanwoo beef and pork belly. Plenty for everyone. Let’s grill the beef tonight.”
“My goodness, Sol, you really went all out! Did you know about the special occasion?”
Sol frowned, trying to remember if there was something special happening today. “What occasion? Is there something going on?”
“Your brother is bringing his girlfriend over for dinner. Your father and I are bursting with curiosity.”
She lowered her voice. “Are you two still not getting along?”
“I haven’t seen him in a while. It’s just normal sibling stuff.”
That wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t just a matter of not getting along. He despised his brother.
His personality, his behavior… there was nothing he liked about him. He was vain, extravagant, always spending money he didn’t have. And where did that money come from? His parents, of course.
He had breezed through college, living off his parents’ generosity, then landed a decent job at a mid-sized company. But he still couldn’t manage his finances, always begging his parents for money.
Sol might be in the business of recycling trash, but his brother was beyond recycling; he was pure waste.
“What time is he coming?”
“7 p.m. About an hour from now.”
“7 p.m.? That means dinner with the family. Should I stay? Or should I just leave? I don’t want to see him. But my parents and sister are so happy to see me… it seems rude to just leave. Maybe it won’t be so bad.”
He chatted with his family, trying to pass the time.
“Are you still working construction?” his father asked.
His mother, listening intently from the kitchen, nodded in agreement.
“No, I quit about six months ago. I’m running my own business now.”
“Your own business? Where did you get the money? You’re not doing anything illegal, are you?”
“Of course not, Dad! I used my savings to start a small business. It’s enough to make a living.”
“What kind of business?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” He dodged the question.
They continued chatting, catching up on each other’s lives. Before they knew it, it was 7 p.m.
“He’s late,” their mother said, glancing at the clock.
Typical. Not a single redeeming quality. If he had made plans to introduce his girlfriend to the family, he should have been on time. Or at least called to let them know he was running late.
Pathetic. Of course, Sol hadn’t exactly been the best son either, disappearing for six months without a word.
As the clock ticked past 8 p.m., their stomachs growling with hunger, the doorbell finally rang. Their mother opened the door, and Sol’s older brother walked in, accompanied by a young woman.
“Mom, Dad, I’m here. This is my girlfriend, Han Go-eun.”
“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Go-eun said, bowing politely. She was quite pretty.
Their parents beamed, and Sol’s brother, basking in their approval, finally noticed him.
“Hey, Park Sol! Long time no see! It’s been almost a year, hasn’t it?”
“…Yeah, something like that.”
He pointed at Sol, addressing his girlfriend. “That’s Park Sol, my younger brother. I told you about him, remember?”
“Oh, right, the… it’s nice to meet you. I’m Han Go-eun.”
Sol could only imagine what his brother had told her. He decided to let it slide.
They settled around the dinner table, and their mother started bringing out the food. As she placed the beef on the grill, Sol’s brother said, “Wow, you even bought beef for my girlfriend’s visit?”
“Sol brought it home for us. Let’s enjoy it,” their mother said, placing slices of beef on the hot grill.
Sol’s brother turned to him, his tone condescending. “Where did you get the money for all this? Don’t overspend, you’re not exactly rolling in dough. Construction work must be paying well these days.”
A vein throbbed in Sol’s forehead.