Hong Woosung could not graduate properly from school because of his poor family background. Fleeing from his stepfather’s violence, he left home and lived on the streets, doing everything from begging to shoe shining and selling gum.
Fortunately, he was lucky to get a job at a factory. The owner provided him with food and shelter as a condition for giving him work.
Until he became an adult, he ate and slept at the factory, doing various tasks.
Feeling sorry for being fed for free, the owner hired him as a regular employee and paid him a monthly salary. It was a meager amount, but it was enough to make ends meet.
He operated the machines according to the incoming orders, often sacrificing sleep to meet deadlines.
One night, while working and dozing off, he lost two fingers to the pressing machine. He considered it his own fault for not paying attention.
After receiving rough treatment and bandaging at the hospital, he continued working the machines with his bandaged hand. Luckily, his other fingers were intact, and he could still work without major hindrance.
One day, the owner went bankrupt and fled. Not only did he not receive any severance pay, but he also didn’t get his overdue wages for 8 months. However, he didn’t blame the owner.
If times are tough enough for him to not even pay the salary and run away, who could blame the owner? Employees also have a responsibility for a failed company. It had to be accepted.
While other employees scattered, he stayed and protected the factory because he had nowhere else to go.
When subcontracted factories stopped, people from Eunsung Car came looking for him. Even though the owner ran away, the factory and equipment remained.
Eunsung Car offered to support him financially and suggested acquiring the factory for supplying goods. He was confident in handling machinery better than anyone else.
He agreed to do whatever was asked of him as long as he could continue working, and Eunsung Car stamped the documents he offered.
Due to the long shutdown of the factory, the orders were piling up. He worked tirelessly day and night to meet delivery deadlines.
He never refused any demands. If asked to deliver on a certain date, he did, and if asked to lower the price, he did.
Following the orders of the owner or the subcontractor was his principle.
Thanks to his dedication and perseverance, Eunsung Car continued to push orders, and the once small company grew bigger.
Later, Eunsung Car ventured into self-engine development and entrusted him with producing core components such as piston rings and cylinders in his factory. They also supported him with funds for facility purchases and employee hiring.
“Thus, Woosung Enterprises grew into a medium-sized company.
As the military regime ended and the civilian government took over, labor unions suddenly emerged, clamoring for collective actions and negotiations. They raised issues about overnight work and demanded a switch to a two-shift work system during the day, threatening strikes when their demands were not met.
Unable to tolerate such behavior, a strong response was initiated. This was their own company, which they had built. If they were unhappy with company policies or working conditions, they were free to leave. No one was forcing them to work.
Eventually, the union withdrew the strike and agreed to return to work. However, this was not acceptable to him.
Those who had caused trouble once could always cause trouble again. Therefore, the thought of completely eliminating the union arose during this opportunity.
After all, there were plenty of people in this country eager to work.
He attempted to terminate all union members but was surprised to find out that labor laws restricted him from firing employees without just cause.
The boss couldn’t just fire employees as he pleased? Did that make sense in a capitalist country?
But that doesn’t mean there’s no solution.
If you can’t fire them, make them quit on their own.
The elderly man with a small stature and white hair peered out the window. Outside the factory, makeshift tents were set up, surrounded by messy banners.
Chairman Hong Woosung turned his head and asked, “What’s going on, Mr. President?”
Sitting on the sofa was a man in his late forties.
President Lee Se-yeop of Changju Consulting used to be a labor attorney. As a labor law expert, he counseled workers on their difficulties and represented them in relief applications. Over more than 10 years, he realized an important fact.
Many companies were facing issues in labor relations, and dealing with the employer’s perspective was much more lucrative than working from the employees’ side.
So, he established Changju Consulting. He hired Im Dusik, the leader of the organization Lim Du-sik, as his vice president. Lee Se-yeop handled the intellectual work while Im Dusik took charge of the physical work.
Promoting ‘a reliable partner in HR and labor management,’ they marketed themselves effectively to companies.”
When Changju Consulting was involved, even the rebellious strong union turned gentle like a lamb, and the contracted companies were satisfied.
“They promised to reduce the union members by half within 3 months. Isn’t this a breach of promise? This way, we can’t give them performance bonuses.”
U Song Enterprises entrusted the work to Changju Consulting, promising a 100 million won performance bonus if they reduced the union members by half.
Of course, this was done through a hidden contract due to being clearly illegal.
Chairman Hong Woosung expressed his displeasure, saying, “How long do I have to watch them causing trouble right in front of my own doorstep?”
President Lee Se-yeop bowed his head and said, “Do not worry, Chairman. We will finish it today.”
Knock knock!
A bald man with a scar on his cheek entered.
“Did you call, sir?”
“I’m the Vice President. I will handle it so that the chairman doesn’t have to worry anymore.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Im Du-sik left, President Lee Se-yeop told Chairman Hong Woosung, “It’s better for you not to see from now on. Sit down and have a cup of coffee.”
Chairman Hong Woosung, standing by the window, nodded and sat down. Then he asked his secretary to bring coffee.
“Will there be any issues?”
Confidently, President Lee Se-yeop replied, “Of course not. By the time he finishes the coffee, everything will be neatly sorted out.”
***
There were already over 100 security personnel waiting at the company.
Half of them were employees of Changju Consulting, and the other half were part-time workers hired at 80,000 won a day.
Im Du-sik spoke to them.
“Drive those guys out and tear down all the tents and banners. If anyone resists, beat them up.”
The security personnel shouted in unison.”Yes, sir!”
Im Du-sik added a word to boost morale.
“If you succeed by the end of today, I’ll give you a 100,000 won bonus each, so work hard.”
“We’ll work hard!”
The response was louder than before, perhaps because his words had an effect.Each of them grabbed fire extinguishers and metal pipes.
They were already familiar with this kind of work, having done it several times at various demolition sites and protests.
But one of the part-time workers, who was on-site for the first time today, raised his hand and asked.
“What if later we’re charged with assault?”
“You little punk!”
Im Du-sik approached him and swung his pan-sized palm.
Smack!
The part-timer, slapped in the face, fell to the ground.
“Even if you report it a hundred times, the police won’t do anything. Besides, if you cover your face, no one will know who’s who. Last time, someone got their head smashed and had to be carried away, but nothing happened. So stop worrying about useless things and just sweep them away.”
The security personnel put on hats and masks. A few held fire extinguishers in their hands.
Im Du-sik, holding a metal pipe, led the way.
“Let’s go!”
***
The strike goal aimed at implementing a two-shift system during the day had suddenly turned into a return-to-work mission.
Union members held a protest to go back to work at the company. Suddenly, a group of masked men poured out from the company.
They first sprayed fire extinguishers in their hands.
Whoosh!
Amidst the thick smoke, someone shouted.
“Push them all back!”
“Whoa!”
Upon the command, the contractors rushed forward. They first tore down the makeshift tents with steel pipes.
“Oh, no!”
The contractors indiscriminately attacked the union members blocking their path.
Screams!
Perhaps someone had reported to the police, as a police car approached. The contractors, unfazed, continued their actions.
Despite the visible violence unfolding, the police glanced around before leaving.
The union members fought physically with the contractors to protect the tents and banners.
Next to him, Im Du-sik spoke to a colleague.
“Capture all of them beating our guys on camera. They need a reality check.”
No matter how hard the union members resisted, they couldn’t withstand the contractor thugs. Im Du-sik chuckled, thinking it would be over soon.
However…
Bang!
“Argh!”
Several contractors collapsed simultaneously.
Suddenly, dozens of men in black attire appeared in front of them.
The contractors were bewildered.
“What, who are these guys?”
Im Du-sik was incredulous.
“Could the union jerks have hired them?”
There’s no other explanation for why these guys are here.
The men casually wielded stick-like objects from their waists.
Swish!
The sticks transformed into three-section staffs.
Im Du-sik felt a chill run down his spine.
This is beyond absurd!
I don’t know who these guys are, but we outnumber them by far.
Im Du-sik shouted at the contractors.
“Proceed as planned! Sweep them all away!”
***
Taekgyu muttered with his arms crossed.
“Everyone has a convincing plan. Until they get punched.”
A quote from Mike Tyson.
We silently watched the brawl between the contractors and the X-Cop staff. While the contractors numbered 100, the X-Cop staff was only 30.
Concerned about the small numbers, I questioned why this was sufficient to Manager Lee.
Seeing it unfold, now I understand why he was confident.
Even with more numbers, the contractors were just that—a group lacking in tactical finesse. Unlike the contractors charging in blindly, the X-Cop staff moved strategically in harmony.
Their individual skills were not lacking either; many here are ex-special forces or mercenaries.
It seemed like they had mastered some lethal techniques, striking accurately at vital spots for swift takedowns. Within 20 minutes of the clash beginning, most contractors found themselves sprawled on the ground.
The X-Cop staff corralled the fallen to prevent escape, kneeling in control.
Only one bald man, seemingly the leader of the contractors, remained standing. Brandishing a pipe menacingly, he spoke.
“Do you think you’ll get away with this? This is assault, you bastards!”
Taekgyu responded, seemingly unfazed.
“Oh, now that you’re being called out for your lawless behavior, suddenly you care about the law! The world has really improved.”
The bald man glared as if to kill Taekgyu. Startled, Taekgyu jumped behind me.
“Oh my! Scary!”
The bald man held back, not advancing, for Manager Lee was standing before me.
“We’ve recorded everything you did to assault us. We’ll report this to the police.”
“…”
***
I didn’t know I would hear a threat to report to the police from a thug in the field after living for so long.
“That’s a very good idea.”
I took out my phone and dialed 112.
“Is this the police station? I’m currently in front of Woosung Corporation, where the union members are gathering and assaulting the security guards. Please dispatch officers quickly.”
After hanging up the call, I said, “Let’s wait and see.”
“What are these guys trying to do?” Unable to bear it any longer, the bald man rushed forward. Despite seeing him swinging a steel pipe, Manager Lee Cheol-jin stood still in his place.
Then, he suddenly lowered his body and swung his fist.
Crack!
“Thud!”
His honest punch struck the opponent’s face, causing the bald man to collapse with a cry.
“Wow!”
Surprised, we watched as Manager Lee Cheol-jin smiled and said, “I used to do some boxing when I was younger.”
Wooo-oo!
Soon after, amidst the loud sirens, about ten police cars arrived at the scene, with officers pouring out quickly from the vehicles.
A person who seemed like the commander issued an order, “Arrest every single violent union member!”
However, no one followed that order because the situation had already been resolved.
The subcontractors were kneeling in one spot, surrounded by X-Cop employees.
“What, what’s going on here?”
Manager Lee Cheol-jin said, “I am Manager Lee Cheol-jin of X-Cop.”
“X-Cop?”
“I happened to pass by and saw men brutally assaulting people with lead pipes. I intervened to help. Since I apprehended the culprits in the act, there shouldn’t be any issues, but just in case, I recorded the entire situation with the action cam on my clothes.”
Clap clap clap!
Taek-gyu exclaimed with applause, “Wow! Earlier, when the union reported the subcontractor as a troublemaker, only one police car casually patrolled the area. But when the union reported the subcontractor as a victim, they showed up in full force. If anyone saw that, they would think Woo Sung Corporation had received some money under the table.”
I said to the bewildered commander, “Take a look over there.”
“Huh?”
I pointed to the rooftop of a shopping building where there were cameras and reporters.
“Th-that…?”
“That’s NewsDolpa, a media outlet. They’ve been here for days, covering the story. They’ve recorded all reports and response situations. They will broadcast it all over the internet under the title ‘Connections between the local police station and Woo Sung Corporation.'”
“What, what?”
“More importantly…”
I told the X-Cop employees, “Make these people take off their hats and masks.”
The staff removed the hats and masks of the subcontractors. I took out documents from my pocket.
“Some time ago, there was an incident where a subcontractor threw a fire extinguisher, fracturing a union member’s skull. Instead of investigating, the police asked me to bring the evidence myself. Luckily, we have CarOS’s facial recognition and location-based AI program. By analyzing the video taken at that time, we confirmed the direction the fire extinguisher was thrown, the location of the thrower, and even their face.”
Advanced forensic science investigation is not just for the police. We can say we are the best in this field of technology.
I glanced at the faces of the various subcontractors as we talked. One of them seemed to avoid my gaze with a contemplative expression.
I held up a printed photo next to him.
“It looks like this one.”
He shook his head vehemently.
“W-What are you talking about? It’s not me!”
“If we compare it using facial recognition software, it should match accurately. If it’s not you, then there should be no problem, so don’t worry. By the way, how many years for assault with a deadly weapon?”
“Ah, crap!”
He suddenly jumped up, pushed aside the person next to him, and started running away.
Instead of chasing him myself, I looked at the police and said, “What are you doing? Aren’t the police supposed to arrest criminals?”
