Empire of the Ring

“Youngho, what do you think about taking the weapons in the basement to Vladivostok?”

At Insoo’s sudden suggestion, Youngho was dumbfounded. He was not sure why he wanted to take those heavy firearms.

“Dude! You’re not going to war. Why do you want to take rocket launchers and AK rifles?”

“I heard something when I was in Vladivostok. People were saying that robbers were as systematic and strong as militia. I don’t think pistols and shotguns will be enough.”

Youngho had only thought about making money from the storage warehouse business, but he had not thought about frantic robbers like bandits in the Far East. They were known to move around in groups and rob food depots from remote towns in an instant. The fact that something like that was still happening in the twenty-first century was unbelievable. It was because the public order could not be maintained since the barren region was too vast.

Because the police force was too weak, the Russian Army of the Far East regions was protecting the land, but the robbers, who appeared briefly and then vanished, were still troublesome. They rode horses in the past to rob people, but now that they were driving trucks, they had gotten much faster and even more troublesome.

The problem was that it was not easy to ship out weapons.

As for AK rifles, they could be disassembled into pieces but nothing could be done to hide the rocket launchers. Besides, the farm also needed to have some weapons at hand in case of danger.

The only way to deal with this was to buy weapons from the local black market, but Youngho was not sure if there was any black market near Vladivostok since it was a rather clean area. Not to mention, it was like goat’s wool if a security company was armed with unauthorized weapons. However, at the same time, it was certain that the warehouse complex needed more weapons for protection.

Right at that moment, Youngho remembered that the Chechen rebels used to buy weapons from the Russian Army. He thought it would be faster if he contacted the army residing in the Far East regions. Although they might not be selling heavy firearms, they could be selling weapons of sizes equal to AK rifles. The security guards should look like they were armed with shotguns only, but they should also be armed with pistols, rifles, and even grenades on the inside.

Youngho ordered a large number of CCTVs and security alarm systems from a Korean security system seller. The security plan for the warehouse complex involved having the peripheral regions guarded through cutting-edge unmanned security systems and having three guards to a team stationed at each guard post.

Youngho was not too worried about the robbers’ raids because they could not be so reckless as to invade the complex where a large number of security guards were at watch. However, it would not be a minus if the complex was prepared for the worst.

If it was another’s business, he would try to raise the service cost, but it was where Youngho also invested in shares. Since the management of the warehouse operation and security service was Youngho’s responsibility, he needed to reduce expenses from his part.

The management of the warehouse operation was not a big deal.

Once good word about the storage warehouse’s facility and security was spread to people, there would be increased customers who would entrust their goods to them. All he needed to do was manage the goods being stored and released, which meant that he could operate the warehouse with several facility engineers and office staffs.

***

Zeynep Security Service Company had become so busy because of the warehouse complex business.

Many of the security guards including Cha Insoo and Kim Ilkwon were sent to Vladivostok. There were still a lot of things to be done such as hiring more local security guards, engineers, technicians, and office staffs. Because the complex had facilities for employees such as lodging, cafeteria, and a resting area, the warehouse system could be operated once there were enough employees for each category.

The warehouse would be operated around the clock by about fifty employees in total.

Vladivostok had become a world-famous city since APEC* in 2012. However, outside of the metropolitan area, the gap between the rich and poor was completely exposed as the city was still full of substandard residential areas and road conditions.

Due to the communistic social security system, people did not have the motivation to work, and the productivity barely reached one-fifth of western societies.

Laborers worked just enough to get paid and businessmen became busy exploiting payments.

The average monthly salary was not enough for people to sustain a decent living since it was only about $150. The social structure had led to widespread corruption. Soldiers pocketed military supplies and laborers stole manufactured goods and spare parts to cover up the scanty cost of living.

However, in those harsh circumstances, there was a uniquely thriving minority group called Koryo Saram or Koryoin. That was why Cha Insoo and Kim Ilkwon tried to hire local security crewmen from the Koryo Saram.

While being pushed around, Koryo Saram reclaimed the barren land from where they settled and converted it into fertile land, and they also took their place in mainstream society with high education rates of their children and their unique vitality.

Because of their independence movement during the Japanese colonial period in Korea, they were forcefully removed from Korea. So they settled down in Russia, even though they were forgotten by the Korean government.

Insoo and Ilkwon did not only hire them out of sympathy, but it was because Koryoins were diligent workers more than any other ethnic groups.

Last spring, when Youngho visited Vladivostok, he saw many Koryoins selling vegetables and side dishes in small stores. Back then, he thought that they were living in a poor environment, but that was a huge misunderstanding.

Koryoins owned small-scale farms and resided in fancy houses in a rich side of the city.

Their persistent vitality had made them survive in this circumstance. What was even more amazing was that the Koryoins living in Volgograd were now third and fourth generations of Korean immigrants and they could speak both Russian and Korean fluently.

Because the Korean security crew did not speak Russian, Koryoins were perfect as local guards.

Some of them had married local people and had different skin colors from Koreans, but they still did not forget the Korean language. Moreover, they still kept Korean traditions that had already died out in Korea.

Hearing about the situations of Volgograd from Insoo, Youngho opened his mouth.

“Insoo, we should raise the pay scale for Koryoin guards since they’re bilinguals.”

“Yeah, I was thinking that too. There are also some Central Asians who can speak minority languages too, so I’m going to hire some of them.”

“We also need to hire local Russians too.”

“Okay. I’ll pick Russians for office staffs.”

Since the clients were mostly Russians, the warehouse needed white Russian employees so that the clients could approach the business without discomfort. Recently, there had been incidents of racial discrimination in Russia, and that was why Youngho was hiring native Russians too. Although Vladivostok, located in the Far East region, had more people of Asian descent than white people and racism was rare, but there was still a group of Russians who were white supremacists.

***

Ever since he made the security company, Youngho had more things to worry about. Although he was not physically tired, he was more exhausted mentally. Protecting the facility and the employees at the same time was not as easy as it sounded.

Once the security service had begun, the whole responsibility was brought to his company. The more the risk factor the higher the security service charge, but that meant that there were more chances of employee injury.

He had to be on the edge of his seat for fear of someone getting hurt.

When he first established the company, he was only glad that his farm was now safer and that he could offer a decent job for his juniors from the Navy Special Forces, who had not been treated well by Korean employers. However, the truth was that he could not treat them as easily as other local employees since they meant more to him in many ways.

Since they were lonely young men living in a foreign country, he had to take care of them individually and help them in getting used to their new lives.

Most of them were doing well, but a few struggled to get accustomed to the new life.

They could endure hard physical training better than psychological loneliness. If they could not get through this, they would not be able to make it far. He even once sent the few who were struggling the most to Korea for a break so that they would not be homesick anymore. Now that he had to forcefully lead them since he was short in staff due to the business in Vladivostok, it weighed like a huge burden in his mind.

“Kim Sangkyung, how do you feel?”

“Boss, I’m feeling better now.”

“Don’t call me boss. Just call me hyung. Hey, you’ve got to stay strong. Big guys don’t get homesick, okay? Didn’t you have a hard time getting used to the Navy training in the beginning?”

“…”

“I also had a hard time and I cried in secret too. No one is perfect in the beginning. If you can’t adapt to the new life here, you won’t be able to adapt to any life in any place in the future. Keep holding on. We’re going to Vladivostok tomorrow and I’m taking you with me.”

“…”

“You can visit Korea again after staying in Vladivostok for a few days. I already told Cha Insoo about you, so you don’t have to feel uneasy about it. You know, I don’t let go of my man so easily. Although you’re struggling now, I know that you’ll be able to make it eventually. Don’t be discouraged.”

“Yes. Thank you, Boss….”

Youngho hurriedly let him go because he was close to tears, and if he talked more, he seemed that he would burst into a rage of tears.

Knowing that his words could change Kim Sangkyung’s life completely, he encouraged him as much as he could. Instead of browbeating him for his inability, he decided to console him so that he would gain strength to get back up again.

When Youngho first came overseas, if there had been somebody who gave him a helping hand, he would not have struggled as much as he had. Now, Youngho was holding out his hand for his juniors from the U.D.T. unit. They were only in their beginning stages now.

He believed that there would be great results for them if they persisted to endure the hardship that they were going through. If they did, they would be able to help other young Koreans struggling to make it in foreign countries.

It is not easy to endure life in a foreign country alone, where everything is foreign, especially when they were not here for a trip but for living. People might say that a man should endure such hardship but they would never know if they had not spent countless nights wetting their pillows with their own tears.

Youngho once even wished that tomorrow would not to come, and that was the reason why he deeply understood what his juniors were going through.

“Mr. Yaniv, are you coming to Vladivostok? Brother Sergey told me you can’t come.”

“I rearranged my schedule. I also want to visit Vladivostok since it’s been a long time. When are you planning to leave?”

“I’m leaving tomorrow with my employees.”

“Great. Then, we shall meet in Vladivostok.”

“Very well. Have a safe trip, Mr. Yaniv.”

“Hahaha, Lee. I’m always happy whenever I talk to you on the phone.”

‘He’s gotten better at paying lip service lately.’

The warehouse complex building completion ceremony would be held in three days in Vladivostok.

Because of Yaniv’s attendance at the event, high officials also signed up to attend the ceremony. Their goal was to impress him so that he might put a good word about them into Putin’s ears. In Russia, Putin still held the sole authority and power, and there were no officials who were bold enough to ignore that fact. They needed to show their loyalty to Putin in order to survive in the political society. That way, they could maintain their power and take advantage of their power and positions.

This meant that Youngho also had to get connected with officials and influential figures in Vladivostok for his advantage. Sadly, this was Russia’s reality.

*APEC – stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a forum held by 21 Pacific Rim member economies.