Hearing Eun-woo's comment about a "final word" with Director Joo, Chairman Jeong remained silent. However, his decision was already made.
He would fire Joo Dae-sik.
The reasons were threefold: the man's petty, unprofessional behavior; the fact that he was only a temporary manager, a title given somewhat arbitrarily to the longest-tenured employee; and most importantly, he had nearly cost Myeongbo a significant acquisition and future goodwill. Eun-woo didn't need to know the details of this decision yet.
Chairman Jeong simply followed Eun-woo back downstairs.
On the main floor, they found Joo Dae-sik standing by the window, his back to them, speaking furiously into his phone. From the snippets—"Yes, the parking lot near Insadong!" "A Porsche, completely totaled!"—he was clearly arranging a tow truck. The deed was done.
A faint smile touched Eun-woo's lips. A plan was already forming in his mind.
He walked up behind Joo Dae-sik and tapped him on the shoulder.
The man whirled around, face flushed with anger, ready to snap at whoever dared disturb him. When he saw it was Eun-woo, the fury intensified. But before he could utter a word, Eun-woo tossed the thick envelope of cash at him.
Startled, Joo Dae-sik fumbled but caught it. He looked down at the five neat bundles of 50,000-won notes—5 million won total—and stared in confusion.
"Heh. Consider that payment for your car," Eun-woo said, his tone calm and deliberate. "Smashing it was to teach you a lesson about humility and keeping your word. Paying for it is to show you I'm not as small-minded as you are. Consider this matter settled. Don't worry, I won't mention it to my parents. And I certainly won't be dragging that heap of scrap metal back to our apartment complex."
The patronizing, lecturing tone made Joo Dae-sik's ears burn with humiliation. For a split second, he wanted to hurl the money back in the boy's face. But the second part of the statement—the promise of discretion—made him hesitate. The public spectacle was bad enough; if this got back to the gossip network of his wife and neighbors, his social standing would be obliterated.
He took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing himself to see a silver lining. Think of it as selling the car for 5 million won. You wanted to get rid of that gas-guzzler anyway. And you got to vent some frustration. With that twisted logic, he shoved the cash into his suit jacket pocket. The rigid anger on his face softened slightly into sullen acceptance.
Before he could muster a reply, Eun-woo, having said his piece, turned away. He gave a final, polite nod to Chairman Jeong, then strode out of Myeongbo Antiques and into the bustling Insadong alley.
Eun-woo was not being charitable. His true goal was the smashed car itself. With the Decomposition and Reconstruction System, buying a brand-new car seemed like a waste of money. He'd been wondering where to source a suitable "donor" vehicle. Now, the perfect candidate—a high-end model reduced to a pile of parts—had fallen into his lap.
Five million won for a 'broken' Porsche Cayenne… and after the system works its magic tomorrow, I'll have a brand-new one.
The thought sent a thrill through him. He clenched his fist in quiet excitement.
But first, there were errands. He didn't head straight for the parking lot. Instead, he rode his bicycle to a bank near Insadong. He needed to confirm the 495 million won transfer and, having given away his cash, withdraw some spending money.
Standing at the ATM, the string of digits on the screen made him feel momentarily lightheaded. Financial freedom before twenty… It was a surreal feeling.
He withdrew the maximum daily amount, stuffed the bills into his pocket, and then spent the next hour meandering through the open-air flea market stalls of Insadong, the air filled with the calls of vendors hawking everything from old coins to rusty farming tools.
What Eun-woo didn't witness was the scene unfolding back at Myeongbo after he left.
---
"Chairman! You're firing me?! On what grounds?! I've served this company faithfully for years! This is how you repay loyalty?!"
Joo Dae-sik's voice was a mixture of outrage and panic.
Chairman Jeong regarded him coolly. "The grounds are clear: insulting and attempting to deceive a valued client, demonstrating profound ignorance in your field, and conducting yourself in a manner utterly unbefitting of a Myeongbo representative. We cannot afford to retain such 'talent.' Be grateful your final salary is being processed, considering you nearly cost us a major acquisition. Ms. Shin, please escort him to Accounting for his final settlement."
As Chairman Jeong had stated, if he hadn't intervened, that Joseon treasure—and the promise of more—would have walked right out the door to a competitor. The potential loss was incalculable.
Myeongbo truly could not afford a Joo Dae-sik.
---
Meanwhile, Eun-woo finished his market rounds. Half an hour later, he was hauling two heavy, black plastic bags. They were filled with an assortment of ceramic fragments—discarded pieces of baekja, buncheong, and later dynasty porcelain bought from various stalls for a pittance. The entire haul cost him just over 700,000 won.
He knew the potential return on this "junk" could be exponential.
Balancing the bags on his bike, he made his way to the parking lot. The sight of the utterly demolished Cayenne, now just a sad sculpture of crumpled metal and shattered glass, gave him a practical headache.
How do I move this?
Fortunately, the parking lot attendant, who remembered the earlier spectacle, was helpful. Upon hearing Eun-woo had "purchased" the wreck, he helped call a specialized flatbed tow truck.
It took another thirty minutes of coordinated effort to winch the wreckage onto the truck bed. Meticulous to a fault, Eun-woo even borrowed a broom and dustpan from the attendant to sweep up every last piece of broken glass and debris, depositing it into a box on the truck. The attendant nodded approvingly; this young man was thorough and cleaned up his own mess.
Finally done, Eun-woo loaded his bicycle onto the flatbed as well. Clutching his two bags of ceramic future-profit, he climbed into the passenger seat of the tow truck.
He couldn't possibly take this to his family's apartment complex. Instead, he directed the driver to an industrial area on the city's outskirts and, using some of his new cash, rented a small, secured storage unit with garage access for one week. It was more than enough time.
Now, everything was in place. All that remained was the final step, waiting for the clock to strike midnight.
[To be continued…]