November 1-3, 2005
Day 16-18 of Ascension
---
November 1 (Tuesday)
07:00 AM, The Laptop Project
Je-hoon woke before dawn, the broken laptop already occupying his thoughts. He'd spent the night analyzing its components through ZEO:
· 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝘾600, 1999 𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚
· 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙧: 𝙋𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙄𝙄𝙄 500𝙈𝙃𝙯
· 𝙍𝘼𝙈: 128𝙈𝘽 (𝙪𝙥𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 512𝙈𝘽)
· 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚: 10𝙂𝘽 (𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙, 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚)
· 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮: 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙
· 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣: 14.1" 𝙓𝙂𝘼 (𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡)
Repair cost estimate: ₩25,000 for replacement hard drive, RAM upgrade, battery. Market value if repaired: ₩120,000-₩150,000.
Profit margin: 380-500%.
But Je-hoon wasn't thinking about selling. He was thinking about using.
A computer would give him digital capabilities. Spreadsheets for business tracking. Document creation. Even basic programming beyond library computer time limits.
He needed parts. Mr. Han's electronics shop had some, but not all.
---
10:30 AM, The Electronics Market Expedition
Je-hoon used his lunch break to visit the electronics market again. This time with purpose.
He found a vendor specializing in vintage laptop parts. The man, Mr. Jung, squinted at the specifications Je-hoon handed him.
"Kid, this is old tech. Why bother?"
"Learning repair," Je-hoon said. "Also, older machines have value for specific uses."
"Like what?"
"Offline systems. Secure environments. Legacy software."
Mr. Jung raised an eyebrow. "You sound like a tech manual."
"I read."
He negotiated prices:
· Replacement 20GB hard drive: ₩15,000 (used, tested)
· 256MB RAM module: ₩8,000
· Compatible battery: ₩7,000 (reconditioned)
· Total: ₩30,000
His capital: ₩16,850. Insufficient.
"Would you consider a trade?" Je-hoon asked.
"What do you have?"
"Repair services. I fix what you can't or won't. For three months, one repair per week free. In exchange for these parts plus access to your scrap bin."
Mr. Jung calculated. "Show me."
Je-hoon pointed to a pile of "unfixable" electronics in the corner. "That DVD player. Laser assembly misaligned, power supply capacitor blown. I fix it in twenty minutes, deal?"
"Go ahead."
Je-hoon worked under the vendor's watchful eye. Disassembled, diagnosed, replaced the capacitor from the shop's bins, realigned laser. Reassembled. Powered on.
The DVD tray opened smoothly. Screen displayed "No Disc."
Mr. Jung inserted a test disc. It played perfectly.
"Huh." The vendor looked impressed. "Alright. Deal. But you also help me with customer repairs when you're here. On commission."
𝘼𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥: 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙧.
Je-hoon left with ₩30,000 worth of parts for zero cash. Only time investment.
---
15:00 PM, The Tutoring Network Expansion
Min-kyu's improvement had attracted attention. Two more high school students approached through Ji-hyun.
Je-hoon calculated: if he tutored all three personally, he'd max out at 6 hours weekly, ₩30,000 income.
But if he trained other tutors...
He identified two candidates among older orphans:
1. Soo-min, 15, strong in literature and history
2. Jae-won, 14, excellent at science
He proposed a partnership: "I train you in tutoring methodology. You get clients through my network. I take 30% of your earnings. You keep 70%."
Soo-min hesitated. "What if we're no good?"
"I'll guarantee your first client satisfaction. If they're unhappy, I tutor free and you keep your fee."
Risk minimal for them.
They agreed.
𝙏𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙.
Projected weekly income from network: ₩15,000 (30% of their ₩50,000 total).
For 2 hours training investment.
---
November 2 (Wednesday)
08:00 AM, The Medical Application
Seung-woo's mother, Mrs. Kang, visited the orphanage gate. She ran "Kang's Pharmacy" three blocks away.
"Seung-woo says you know first aid," she said, eyeing Je-hoon. "We have a free clinic Sunday. Short-staffed. Could you assist?"
"Medical training level?"
"Basic vitals, wound cleaning, bandaging. We have a doctor supervising."
"I can do that."
"Stipend is ₩5,000 for four hours. Plus... pharmacy discount if you need supplies."
Medical supplies. For his healing capabilities, having legitimate access to bandages, antiseptics, even basic medications would provide cover.
"Agreed."
𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠: 𝙋𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙.
---
13:00 PM, The Library Modernization
The ₩500,000 library fund arrived. Director Kim put Je-hoon in charge of selection, with Mrs. Han supervising.
They visited a educational book wholesaler. Je-hoon had prepared a list:
· Science: Updated physics, chemistry, biology texts (university prep level)
· Mathematics: Problem-solving guides, competition math
· Medicine: First aid manuals, anatomy atlases
· Business: Basic economics, entrepreneurship
· Technology: Computer programming, electronics
Mrs. Han watched as Je-hoon negotiated bulk discounts. "You're ten going on forty," she muttered.
"Efficiency matters with limited funds."
He secured 120 books for ₩450,000. Left ₩50,000 for future acquisitions.
Back at the orphanage, he organized the new library section. Created a checkout system. Designed reading schedules for different age groups.
Director Kim observed, pleased. "This looks professional."
"It's an investment in human capital," Je-hoon said without thinking.
The director blinked. "Where do you learn these terms?"
"Books."
Of course.
---
18:00 PM, The Laptop Resurrection
In the electronics shop after hours, Je-hoon assembled the laptop. Mr. Han watched, occasionally handing tools.
The repair took 47 minutes. When Je-hoon pressed power, the Dell logo appeared. Boot sequence initiated.
"Needs an operating system," Mr. Han said.
"I have a Windows 98 CD." From the scrap bin, legitimately discarded.
He installed the OS, drivers, basic software. The machine, while old, functioned smoothly.
"Not bad," Mr. Han admitted. "What will you use it for?"
"Business tracking. Learning programming. Research."
"You're building something, aren't you?"
"Efficiency systems."
Mr. Han nodded. "If you ever need investors... I know people."
𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧: 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙.
---
November 3 (Thursday)
The First Business Plan
Je-hoon spent the morning on his new laptop. Created spreadsheets tracking:
1. Income Streams (7 active, 2 developing)
2. Expenses (minimal)
3. Network Contacts (23 individuals, categorized by value)
4. Skill Acquisition Timeline
5. Capital Projections
ZEO helped optimize the models. The numbers were promising:
𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚: ₩122,000
𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 6-𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝: ₩980,000
𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 1-𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧: ₩2,400,000
But linear growth was too slow. He needed exponential.
The tutoring network could scale to 10 tutors by year-end. The vending machine route could expand to 20 machines. The electronics repair could become a service business.
But all required time. And he had 16 days until Soo-jae.
He wanted to show progress. Not just survival. Advancement.
---
14:00 PM, The Moon Situation
Mr. Moon appeared at the orphanage again. But this time, he wasn't aggressive. He was... polite.
"Je-hoon," he said, smiling without warmth. "A word?"
They walked to the courtyard bench.
"I've been thinking about our conversation," Moon said. "Perhaps we misunderstood each other."
"Perhaps."
"I run a legitimate business. The orphanage is a valued client. I want to ensure... continued partnership."
"What changed?"
Moon's smile tightened. "Let's say I recognize mutual benefit. I have... expansion plans. Need reliable maintenance personnel."
"You're offering me a job?"
"Supervisor of maintenance for my southeast Seoul route. Ten machines. Salary: ₩100,000 monthly. Plus bonus for uptime."
A significant offer. But with strings.
"Responsibilities?"
"Inspect machines weekly. Basic repairs. Report issues. Collect coins with my driver."
Access to cash flow. Inside knowledge of Moon's operations. Opportunity to learn the business from within.
But also entanglement with a potentially criminal enterprise.
"Twenty percent of net profits from my machines instead of salary," Je-hoon countered.
Moon laughed. "Ambitious. Fifteen."
"Eighteen. And I want to see all contracts, purchase orders, supplier lists."
"So you can audit me?"
"So I can optimize. Higher efficiency means higher profits."
Moon studied him. "You're not like other kids."
"No."
"Fine. Eighteen percent. Start Monday. But if profits don't increase within a month, we renegotiate."
"Agreed."
𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨: 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠: 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙍𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝.
---
17:00 PM, The Coffee Consultation
Mr. Jung (the bakery owner) sent a car. Je-hoon, wearing his best clothes, arrived at "Jung's Patisserie" in a moderately affluent neighborhood.
The bakery was clean, modern. Mr. Jung, a man in his fifties with precise movements, shook his hand.
"Cook Lee says you know coffee."
"I understand principles of extraction and service."
"Show me."
Je-hoon examined their setup: automatic espresso machine, pre-ground beans, standardized procedures.
"Your machine is adequate," he said. "But beans are stale—ground more than 24 hours ago. Water temperature inconsistent. Milk steaming technique suboptimal."
Mr. Jung's eyebrows rose. "And?"
"Let me demonstrate."
Je-hoon requested fresh beans, a scale, a thermometer. He adjusted the grinder, calibrated the machine's temperature, demonstrated proper milk texturing.
He made three drinks: espresso, cappuccino, latte.
Mr. Jung tasted each. His expression shifted from skepticism to surprise.
"The difference is... notable."
"Consistency is key. Train your staff in these methods, and you can charge 20% more for premium coffee."
"And you can train them?"
"Four sessions. ₩50,000 total."
"Done. Start tomorrow."
Another contract. Another skill monetized.
---
21:00 PM, The Empire's Foundation
Je-hoon lay in bed, laptop humming quietly beside him. He updated his business plan:
Current Assets:
· Capital: ₩16,850
· Laptop: ₩150,000 value
· Coffee equipment: ₩40,000 value
· Repair tools: ₩15,000 value
· Network: 27 contacts
Active Revenue Streams:
1. Tutoring (direct): ₩8,000/week
2. Tutoring (network): ₩15,000/week (projected)
3. Vending machines: ₩2,100/week
4. Electronics repair: ₩8,000/week
5. Convenience store: ₩5,000/week
6. Coffee service: ₩3,000/week
7. Moon's maintenance: ₩25,000/week (projected)
8. Pharmacy clinic: ₩5,000/week
9. Bakery consultation: ₩12,500/week (one-time, but more likely)
Total weekly: ₩83,600
Monthly projection: ₩334,400
Exponential growth now possible.
But with growth came visibility. Risk.
Moon was both opportunity and threat. The bakery job elevated his profile. The tutoring network created dependencies.
He needed to formalize. Create structure.
An idea: "Blue Bird Services." A cooperative of orphanage youth providing tutoring, repair, maintenance. He'd be manager. Take percentage. Provide training, quality control, client acquisition.
Legitimate. Scalable. Community-positive.
He drafted a proposal on his laptop. Would present to Director Kim tomorrow.
If approved, he'd have a legitimate business entity by Soo-jae's visit.
Not just a clever orphan. A young entrepreneur.
---
Day 18 Summary
𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡:
· 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡: ₩16,850
· 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨: ₩205,000 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚
· 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚: ₩83,600 (𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙)
𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣:
· 𝙏𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙚: 2 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨
· 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙚: 10 𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 (𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣)
· 𝘾𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 1 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩
· 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧: 2 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨
𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮:
· 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙖𝙘𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙
· 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙
· 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙
𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨:
· 𝙈𝙧. 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣: 𝙐𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧
· 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚: 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜
· 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚: 16 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙎𝙤𝙤-𝙟𝙖𝙚
𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨:
· 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮
· 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜
· 𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
Outside, the first November chill touched the air. Winter approaching.
Inside, a ten-year-old with an AI soul built the foundations of an empire from an orphanage bed.
Sixteen days.
He would be ready.
---
𝘿𝙖𝙮 16-18: 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨
9 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨
2 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨
1 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚
𝙉𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢. 𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠. 𝘼𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙮𝙤.
---
End Episode 9