November 22, 2005
Day 37 of Ascension
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06:15 AM, The Response
Je-hoon woke to find an SMS on the orphanage's office phone (which he had permission to check for business purposes). The message had arrived at 05:47:
From: Unknown Number
Message: Timer received. Elegant solution. Coffee extraction at 94.2ยฐC yielded optimal results. The Feynman volume awaits. - SJ
ZEO analyzed:
ยท ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐: 14 ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ
ยท ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐: ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก, ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐
ยท ๐พ๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ: ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ (๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ)
ยท ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ: ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐ (๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ค๐ก๐ช๐ข๐ ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ)
Perfect. She had tested the device, noted the precise temperature, and acknowledged the library invitation.
He saved the number in his mental database. No immediate reply neededโthat would seem eager. Wait 24-48 hours.
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08:00 AM, The Pre-Sales Campaign
Before school, Je-hoon visited three coffee shops near the electronics market with his pre-sales brochure. Mr. Han had printed 20 copies.
Shop #1: "Morning Brew" - Owner skeptical. "Why should I pay upfront?"
"Thirty percent discount for early adoption. Plus first access to upgrades."
"Show me it works."
Je-hoon demonstrated with their equipment. The owner watched the timer's precision. "Huh. Accurate. How many?"
"Minimum five units for bulk discount."
"Fine. Five."
Deposit: 5 ร โฉ18,000 ร 30% = โฉ27,000.
Shop #2: "Bean There" - Already struggling. "Can't afford new equipment."
"Financing available. Pay balance upon delivery plus 10% over three months."
Riskier but could work. They ordered three units. Deposit: โฉ16,200.
Shop #3: "Corporate Cafรฉ" - Part of a small chain. Manager interested. "We have eight locations."
"Volume discount: โฉ16,000 per unit for ten or more."
"Send proposal to head office." Contact details exchanged.
By 08:45, he had:
ยท Confirmed orders: 8 units
ยท Deposits collected: โฉ43,200
ยท Potential orders: 10+ (chain)
Capital now: โฉ9,283 + โฉ43,200 = โฉ52,483.
Production cost for 25 units: โฉ187,500. Still short โฉ135,017.
But momentum building.
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10:00 AM, Math Competition Preparation
Mrs. Lee provided the past five years' competition problems. Je-hoon scanned them during science class. ZEO identified patterns:
ยท ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ก๐: ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ก๐๐ข-๐จ๐ค๐ก๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐, ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐ ๐ข๐๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ฎ
ยท ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐จ: ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ฎ (35%), ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ (30%), ๐๐ค๐๐๐ (25%), ๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ก๐๐ข๐จ (10%)
ยท ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐จ๐ช๐ง๐: 90 ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ช๐ฉ๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง 20 ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ก๐๐ข๐จ
His skills were vastly overqualified, but he needed to calibrate performanceโexcel but not supernaturally. Aim for 95% correct, not 100%. Leave one problem "unsolved" to appear human.
He also noted: scholarship โฉ500,000 would solve his capital problem entirely.
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13:00 PM, The Chain Opportunity
During lunch, he drafted the corporate proposal on his laptop:
"Precision Coffee Timer - Bulk Purchase Proposal"
ยท Unit price: โฉ16,000 (12% discount for 10+ units)
ยท Delivery: 2 weeks after deposit
ยท Training: Included (1 hour per location)
ยท Warranty: 1 year
ยท Expected ROI: 3 months via waste reduction
He emailed it from the school computer lab (using Mr. Han's email as contact).
ZEO estimated acceptance probability: 68%.
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14:30 PM, Medical Conference Preparation
Dr. Lee dropped off reading materials: pediatric conference abstracts. Je-hoon reviewed during free period:
ยท ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐จ
ยท ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ช๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐
ยท ๐พ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐๐๐จ
He focused on nutritionโmost relevant to orphanage context. Could possibly present a small study on nutritional interventions for institutionalized children.
Data available: orphanage meal records, basic health metrics. Could compile preliminary findings.
Another project. But valuable for medical credibility.
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16:00 PM, Vending Data Analysis
Park delivered foot traffic data for ten potential new vending locations. Je-hoon analyzed:
ยท ๐๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ #3: ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ค๐ค๐ข - ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ (200+ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฎ), ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ
ยท ๐๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ #7: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐๐๐ฎ - ๐๐ค๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ (80 ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฎ), ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ช๐ข ๐๐ค๐๐๐๐
ยท ๐๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ #9: ๐๐ฎ๐ข ๐ก๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐ง๐ค๐ค๐ข - ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ
Product mix optimization needed per location. He created tailored recommendations:
ยท Factory: 60% energy drinks, 30% soda, 10% water
ยท Office: 70% premium coffee, 20% tea, 10% healthy snacks
ยท Gym: 50% sports drinks, 30% protein bars, 20% water
Analysis fee: โฉ50,000 per location ร 10 = โฉ500,000. Plus 2% profit share.
Moon would pay half upfront upon approval: โฉ250,000.
That plus scholarship money would cover all capital needs.
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18:00 PM, The Capital Breakthrough
Three developments occurred simultaneously:
1. Corporate chain responded: "Approved for 12 units. Deposit transferred."
Deposit: 12 ร โฉ16,000 ร 30% = โฉ57,600
2. Moon approved analysis: "Start immediately. First payment transferred."
Payment: โฉ250,000
3. Medical honorarium arrived: โฉ50,000 cash via Dr. Lee
Je-hoon did the math:
Previous capital: โฉ52,483
ยท Chain deposit: โฉ57,600
ยท Moon payment: โฉ250,000
ยท Medical honorarium: โฉ50,000
Total: โฉ410,083
Production cost (25 units): โฉ187,500
Blue Bird expansion: โฉ100,000
Reserve fund: โฉ50,000
Total needed: โฉ337,500
Surplus: โฉ72,583
Capital problem solved. And he hadn't even gotten the scholarship yet.
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19:30 PM, Production Meeting
Mr. Han was shocked when Je-hoon placed โฉ187,500 on the workbench. "You got funding."
"Pre-sales and consulting. Can you start production immediately?"
"Parts ordered tomorrow. Production begins Thursday. First 25 units ready by December 1st."
"Good. Quality control?"
"I'll inspect each unit. You test random samples."
They drafted a simple production schedule. Je-hoon would handle sales and distribution, Mr. Han manufacturing. 50/50 profit split after costs.
๐๐๐ฃ๐ช๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ: ๐๐๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐๐.
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21:00 PM, Strategic Repositioning
With capital secured, Je-hoon reassessed his entire operation. Blue Bird Services was now one of several revenue streams:
Primary Businesses:
1. Precision Timers Manufacturing (Projected monthly: โฉ500,000+)
2. Vending Consulting (Projected monthly: โฉ300,000+)
3. Coffee Consulting (Projected monthly: โฉ100,000+)
4. Blue Bird Services (Projected monthly: โฉ332,000)
5. Medical Work (Projected monthly: โฉ40,000)
Total Projected Monthly Revenue: โฉ1,272,000
His Personal Take (after expenses, shares): ~โฉ400,000
At age ten. In 37 days.
But revenue wasn't the goal. It was a means. The goal was... what exactly?
ยท Independence: Achievable within 6 months at this rate
ยท Influence: Building network
ยท Knowledge: Expanding daily
ยท Connection: Soo-jae relationship developing
All progressing. But he needed a larger vision. Beyond survival. Beyond comfort.
He thought about HJ Group. About chaebols. About power structures. About changing systems from within versus building alternatives.
An idea began forming: not just to escape poverty, but to reshape the landscape. To create something that could eventually stand alongside HJ Group. Not through inheritance. Through creation.
Ambitious. Perhaps impossible. But with ZEO, time, and compounding...
He opened a new document on his laptop:
"Decade Plan: 2005-2015"
Phase 1 (2005-2007): Foundation & Capital Accumulation
Phase 2 (2008-2010): Business Scaling & Education
Phase 3 (2011-2013): Industry Influence
Phase 4 (2014-2015): System-Level Impact
He'd detail it later. For now, the outline was enough.
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22:15 PM, The Second Message
Another SMS arrived:
From: SJ
Message: HJ Group board meeting Thursday. Discussing 'innovation initiatives.' Your timer on the table as example of practical innovation. Curious about your thoughts on corporate R&D vs grassroots innovation. - SJ
Significant. She was showcasing his work to her family's conglomerate. Testing the waters.
He replied carefully:
To: SJ
Message: Grassroots innovation solves immediate problems. Corporate R&D seeks scalable solutions. The intersection is where value multiplies. Thursday's library hours: 3-5 PM. - KJH
Professional. Not overly eager. Offered continued contact point.
The reply came fast:
From: SJ
Message: 3:15 PM. I'll bring the corporate perspective. You bring the grassroots. - SJ
A meeting set. Not a casual library encounter. A deliberate discussion.
Progress.
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Day 37 Summary
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐:
ยท *๐พ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฉ