I told Kim Young-soo that I wanted to see the protest and followed him.
The protesters had occupied the main road in front of Hanbo Steel's main gate, chanting slogans. Police officers in riot gear surrounded them, wary of potential violence.
On a makeshift stage, men who appeared to be union leaders, with red headbands tied around their foreheads, were shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Wake up, you executives who ruined the company!"
"Wake up! Wake up!"
"Guarantee the workers' right to survive!"
"Guarantee! Guarantee!"
The protesters, who seemed to number in the thousands, echoed the leaders' chants.
"Is that the union leader?"
Seven men were on the stage, and the one in the center, a man with a large build and an intimidating aura, seemed to be the union leader.
Unions in metal-related industries were often called "metal unions," and their members were usually strong and tough, as the work required physical strength.
In that sense, the man looked every bit the part of a metal union leader.
"Is the man in the middle the union leader?"
I asked Kim Young-soo, who was behind me. He nodded.
"Yes, he's a great man."
"A great man?"
"What company welcomes a union? He started the union with just 18 members, despite all the threats and intimidation, and built it up to this size. It's all thanks to him."
"I see. He's impressive."
"Of course. He's the only one we can trust in this company."
I wanted to ask more about the union leader, but I couldn't risk arousing Kim Young-soo's suspicion.
"I'll give you an answer by tomorrow. Please wait one more day."
Kim Young-soo nodded and rejoined the protesters.
"He's a great man, huh. That's not good news for me."
I needed someone flexible, someone who knew how to take bribes and turn a blind eye when necessary. I was already starting to worry about how to persuade him.
"Well, I'll know when I meet him. But I need to talk to him to see if this will work. How should I approach him?"
I waited, hoping he would eventually go home, but the protest showed no signs of ending. It continued past midnight.
"So this is why they said there's no problem taking the scrap metal at night."
With most of the employees participating in the protest that was still going strong, who would care about the scrap metal yard?
Kim Young-soo's words made sense now.
"But the union leader doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon."
The union leader had been leading the protest on the stage for hours.
Other leaders took breaks, but he refused to step down, despite the pleas of those around him.
How long had I been waiting?
By 3 a.m., the protest started to dwindle.
It wasn't over yet, but many protesters were exhausted and either lying down or sleeping on the ground.
The union leader finally descended from the stage, but he was staggering, clearly exhausted.
"He's a tough one."
I had been watching for 12 hours, and he hadn't left the stage once, except to use the portable toilet or eat.
"Should I give up for today?"
As I was contemplating leaving, I spotted the union leader walking towards the parking lot, away from the protesters.
My eyes gleamed.
"Alright, let's go."
I followed him to the parking lot.
He opened the door of the most dilapidated car in the lot and got in, taking a break.
"That's the union leader's car?"
It was said that you could buy a mid-sized sedan just by being a university student council president, and an apartment by being the president of an apartment residents' association.
In Korea, where manufacturing was dominant, union leaders held immense power and received unimaginable benefits.
And the union leader of a large corporation like this would be rolling in money, with his company salary being just a small part of his income. So why was he driving such a shabby car? It was unsettling.
And Kim Young-soo's words came back to me. This wouldn't be an easy task.
"These types are a pain in the ass."
I hesitated for a moment, but I had nothing to lose.
I would approach him, hinting at the embezzlement plan and see if I could lure him in. If he agreed, great. If not, no harm done.
I needed the backing of a high-ranking official for my plan to work.
If I failed to persuade him, I would completely abandon the scrap metal idea.
I wasn't going to risk jail time for a few billion won, not when I had so much to lose.
I organized my thoughts and approached the union leader's car, tapping on the window.
But he seemed to have fallen asleep in that short time. There was no response. I knocked again, and he finally woke up with a start, opening the door and saying,
"What? What happened?"
He must have mistaken me for a union member in his sleepy state.
I cleared my throat and said,
"Hello, I'm Park Sol from Chunha Trading."
He finally realized I wasn't a union member and said, still half asleep,
"Chunha Trading? Where is that… Anyway, what brings you here at this hour?"
"I have some urgent information to report."
"Information? What kind of information?"
"I received a tip that some employees are planning to steal scrap metal from Hanbo Steel's scrap metal yard."
The union leader's eyes widened, and he shook his head.
"What are you talking about? Steal scrap metal? Tell me more."
I took out the recorder I had used to record my conversations with Kim Young-soo and Lee Kang-soo earlier that day.
"Let's go to your car. It's not safe to talk out here."
After listening to the entire recording, the union leader sat silently in the driver's seat with a complicated expression.
I said from the passenger seat,
"It's Foreman Kim Young-soo and Mr. Lee Kang-soo. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."
The union leader chuckled dryly.
"No, I'm glad you told me. They haven't actually done it yet, have they?"
"No, they haven't."
The union leader said with relief,
"Thank you. I need to take care of this. I would appreciate it if you could keep this confidential. Is that possible?"
"Of course. But Union Leader… Ah, it feels weird calling you that. Can I ask your name?"
"It's Kim Chan-gil."
"Yes, Chairman Kim Chan-gil. What are you going to do about Mr. Kim Young-soo and Mr. Lee Kang-soo?"
Kim Chan-gil said firmly,
"I can't report my own union members to the company, but we'll hold an internal meeting and issue disciplinary actions."
I had expected that.
He wouldn't report his own union members or expose something that could harm the union.
My original plan was to leak the recording to the media and ruin them, but my greed for the scrap metal had made me change my mind.
I needed to handle this quietly.
"Although Mr. Kim Young-soo and Mr. Lee Kang-soo had bad intentions, I understand their situation to some extent. They must have been desperate."
Kim Chan-gil nodded.
"Considering the circumstances, I can understand why they would do such a thing."
"But their plan was well-thought-out. If it wasn't for me, they could have gotten away with it."
Kim Chan-gil's face hardened at my subtle hint.
"What do you mean?"
"The company is in such disarray that there's no security. It's so easy to steal from them that I'm tempted to try it myself."
"…"
"The thief is wrong, but isn't the homeowner also at fault for being careless? It's tempting to steal when there's no security."
Kim Chan-gil narrowed his eyes and said,
"So that's why you came to me."
I shrugged.
"I don't know what you mean. I was just pointing out the lack of security at the company."
Kim Chan-gil said in a firm voice,
"I'll let this slide since you informed me in advance. I don't want to see you again. Please leave."
Despite his dismissal, I smiled and replied,
"Leaving is not a problem. But aren't you worried, Chairman? And aren't you angry? Shouldn't you be furious at the company for creating this situation? Isn't that why you're protesting?"
Kim Chan-gil said angrily,
"Anger? Do you think we're protesting out of anger?"
"Aren't you?"
"Anger is an emotion reserved for those with the luxury of expressing it. Those who can afford to vent their anger without worrying about the consequences. What we're doing is pleading. We're pleading because of Hanbo's bankruptcy, the subcontractors facing bankruptcy, the banks unable to recover their loans. We're pleading for someone to help us! We're roaring in desperation, hoping that society and the company will understand our pain and suffering!"
Kim Chan-gil's words were filled with the frustration he had been suppressing as a leader.
His cry, laced with the uncertainty of the never-ending protest and the bleak future, made me smile and reply,
"Pleading, anger, it's all the same. The motivation might be different, but the result is the same. Chairman, I might not have lived as long as you, but I've experienced more of the world than you, who has spent his entire life in a company."
I looked at the fuming Kim Chan-gil and continued,
"Your car shows how frugal and honest you are. But do you know why I approached you?"
"…"
"Because circumstances make the man."
Kim Chan-gil looked at me with a questioning gaze.
"You said anger and pleading are a matter of having or not having the luxury to express them, right? Let me give you an analogy."
I looked him in the eye and said,
"Honest people are honest because they can afford to be. Do you think dishonest people are dishonest because they want to be? They're dishonest because they have no choice."
I continued,
"They have to do dirty things to survive. They have to do dirty things to put food on the table. You've been a union leader, so you must have earned a good salary and lived comfortably without having to take dirty money."
"…"
"Do you think that will continue? Will your salary stay the same? The situation is too dire to assume you won't be fired just because you're the union leader."
Kim Chan-gil closed his eyes tightly and said,
"I'm telling you again, leave. I don't want to see you ever again."
I bowed and said my final words as I opened the car door and stepped out.
"Think about it carefully. If the future is uncertain, you need money to survive. Who knows? I might be your lifeline. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me. You're always welcome."