In the manager's office of the arcade, after sending Ding Qing on his way, Lee Tae sat alone, quietly reviewing the accounts. Starting a life of luxury and power certainly wasn't easy; he had been running around non-stop for several days. On one hand, he needed to recruit local manpower, and on the other, investments were required for renovating Yellow Ox's gym. He also needed to get multiple businesses up and running. The smuggling boats were the easy part—throwing money at the modifications would take care of it. However, the electronics and circuit board business would require him to rely on Ding Qing's connections for now. Trying to establish his own network would take much longer.
In just five days, Lee Tae had recruited nearly 40 men under his command—young, energetic, and unafraid of a fight. Naturally, these men were sent to the gym for training; taking control of the port would require not only bravery but also skills in both hand-to-hand combat and weapons handling.
In the manager's office, flipping through recent expenses, Lee Tae couldn't help but notice the financial strain. With more people came more issues, and money was being spent as fast as it came in. The revenue from his current businesses wasn't nearly enough to cover the expenses—it was all a net loss.
"Boss," Stone Wu knocked and entered, "the five private speedboats have been modified."
A glimmer of excitement crossed Lee Tae's face—finally, a profitable business avenue. "Bring that kid Ding Qing over here." Over the past few days, Ding Qing had been coming and going mysteriously; it was time for him to start helping make money.
Stone Wu looked a bit uneasy, wondering if his boss truly didn't regard Ding Qing's position as section chief. "Understood, boss."
When Ding Qing arrived, he was as cocky as ever, sporting sunglasses, a white suit, and hotel slippers. "What's up, calling big bro over? Going to the bar? Even if you go, you won't pick up any ladies."
Lee Tae shot him a look of disdain, thinking to himself that he could at least go to a bar and enjoy himself without paying, while Ding Qing would definitely end up spending money.
"I'm genuinely delighted to see you," Ding Qing grumbled, giving Stone Wu a couple of pats on the back of the head before swaggering in.
"The smuggling boats are ready. Time to load up," said Lee Tae.
"Nice," Ding Qing responded, eyeing Ah-Chi, who sat quietly nearby, before taking a seat across from Lee Tae. "I actually have some good news to share with you."
"Just say it; you're not a kid. Stop keeping people in suspense."
Annoyed, Ding Qing sighed and got straight to the point. "The payment from the last batch of clothes we sent over has come in. Forty million won. Not bad, right?"
For context, forty million won wasn't as much as it sounded—barely twenty thousand USD. But Ding Qing emphasized, "Pure profit, all profit."
That caught Lee Tae's attention; the initial capital investment was small, only two containers sent over, yet the profit was solid. "Not bad. You did well."
The compliment left Ding Qing slightly off-balance. Wasn't he supposed to be the older brother here? "Kid, is that how you talk to your big brother?" He couldn't help but add, "Want your cut or reinvest?"
"Reinvest," replied Lee Tae, waving his hand lazily. While the profit was decent, it was still a small amount. Might as well throw it back in to make more.
"I've also got a lead on the electronics," Ding Qing said. "Your family connection—Mr. Lee from the Shui Room Gang—can source them from Japan."
"What's the catch?" Mr. Lee was no pushover, and he wouldn't do this out of the goodness of his heart.
Ding Qing sighed, "Man, you're so sharp it makes me feel the pressure as your big bro. He wants to collaborate. I take 51%, and you two split the rest."
There's no way to make big profits alone; Ding Qing brought the connections, Mr. Lee had the sourcing channels, and with their support, the factory's construction could move faster. Lee Tae calculated everything precisely. "Fine, I'll negotiate it."
With the arcade factory set, the next big venture was smuggling with the speedboats. This was the fastest way to make money: goods went out, cash came back. Nothing more stable.
"Start with cigarettes and liquor," Ding Qing advised. "Once the route's established, we'll move on to gold."
Of all the items they could smuggle, gold was the most profitable. Japan levied an 8% consumption tax on gold, meaning they could sell it there and immediately make an 8% profit. Gold was always in demand, and jewelry stores openly accepted it. With the current price of gold, they could profit four million won per kilogram. It might seem small, but the goods moved fast. A single smuggling boat could carry around 200 pounds, which would net them 400 million won on a single trip. But they couldn't source all this gold in Korea alone; agents would need to procure it in tax-free areas like Macau and Hong Kong.
"We'll mix it up," Ding Qing suggested. Right now, conditions weren't favorable for large-scale gold smuggling, but running a boat every few days wouldn't be a problem.
"Kid, gold isn't easy to come by in Korea," Ding Qing remarked, his eyelids twitching.
"No one's asking you to make shipments every day," retorted Lee Tae. "Just buy from various sources, and send out one shipment a week."
He'd been gathering information, knowing that large-scale gold purchasing in Korea was unrealistic. However, Fukuoka—just over an hour away across the sea—was a smuggling hub. If they wanted, they could sail over to "greet" the Japanese and bring back a batch of gold bars, selling them back for profit. As long as Japan's consumption tax remained, they could keep profiting endlessly.
"Fine," Ding Qing finally agreed, realizing it wouldn't be a constant flow. "I'll make the arrangements."