We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 42

042

Unexpected Attention (2)

I was quite surprised when the reports came in from the evil spirits.

They hadn’t found the main body of the Turtle Ship, but they had found its symbol, the dragon head. As expected, the dragon head was wedged in a submarine cliff.

It hadn’t been eroded by the currents and was largely preserved in its original form.

In the scientific community, there were two sides: one that said the Turtle Ship was completely destroyed and difficult to find, and another that said even if it had been eroded, its original form would be preserved.

But in reality, it was stuck in a cliff crevice and almost intact. Where could the rest be? The head might have broken off in the waters off Tongyeong.

“Still, it’s amazing.”

Could wood last that long in the sea?

I couldn’t help but wonder, but here was a great example.

The massive Swedish warship Vasa, which sank 400 years ago and was submerged for 333 years before being salvaged, was one such example.

It sank on its maiden voyage on August 10, 1628, and was salvaged in 1961 and is now preserved in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm.

Although the Turtle Ship had been submerged for a bit longer, its parts were likely to be intact. That meant Korea’s warship construction technology was quite advanced. The wood used in the ship must have been treated with special methods.

If the scientific community thought the Turtle Ship had been eroded beyond recognition, they would have opposed the Yi Sun-sin Project from the start.

‘This is a bit of a problem.’

It’s only been two hours since we started exploring.

Even if I lied and said I was using new equipment, what would people say if I found a part of the Turtle Ship that hadn’t been found for decades?

The public would be in an uproar, and that interest would spread worldwide.

It’s terrible enough domestically, but worldwide attention? That’s even more unmanageable.

‘Let’s release the artifacts first.’

I hadn’t found the entire Turtle Ship yet, and even that was on a submarine cliff. The currents above it were so strong that it was difficult to pull it up with modern technology. The location itself was impossible to discover.

I’ll release the artifacts first to reassure people. And then, after a few days, I’ll announce that I found the dragon head.

I can’t avoid public attention no matter what, but I think it’s better to find it later than to find it as soon as I start exploring, so there will be less interest.

As it passed 3 PM, the captain started to worry.

“Hey, young businessman. The divers who went in earlier haven’t come up yet. Are they dead?”

“Don’t worry. They’re wearing special equipment, so they’re fine.”

“Heh, the technology is really amazing? The media will be interested.”

The captain scratched his head and went inside.

Then he left a word.

“Eat while you work. You’ll freeze to death.”

“Yes, Captain.”

I was so busy getting reports from over a hundred evil spirits that I skipped a meal.

I stopped working for a moment and came into the captain’s cabin to open my lunch box.

The rice in the high-performance insulated lunch box was still steaming.

The multi-grain rice came with seaweed soup, and the two-tiered side dish container was neatly filled with 5 side dishes each, for a total of 10 side dishes of vegetables, meat, and more.

The captain was impressed when he saw it.

“Is it your birthday today?”

“No.”

“You’re not even having a birthday, but you get a lunch box like this? Wow, you’re really blessed. You married well.”

“Hehe. My wife is kind of amazing.”

“Hehehe. Good times, huh? I’d believe you if you said you were newlyweds.”

‘You’re only 5 years older than me!’

The captain was talking like an old man looking at the sunset.

At this point, curiosity surged.

“When did you get married, Captain?”

“Me? I got married a little late. It’s been 6 years now.”

“…….”

I should have kept my mouth shut.

The sun was starting to set, so I couldn’t work any longer.

Of course, the ghosts could continue exploring, but people would be suspicious.

“Let’s go.”

The ship heads to the pier.

There were already barracks set up at Chuwon Port. Reporters were waiting for me in tents.

I thought there would be fewer people, but there were more than before.

‘Is the government serious?’

Since it’s come to this, it seemed like a strategy to stir up public opinion even more, completely turn attention to the Yi Sun-sin Project, and inspire patriotism.

I contracted with H Group, not the government, so I couldn’t say anything to the government, which was the main office.

The captain slipped away.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“Will you come out tomorrow too?”

“I’ll come if you call me.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As soon as I parted ways with the captain, the reporters rushed in.

Perhaps because of the cold weather, some people were sniffling and the hands holding the microphones were trembling.

The winter sea is that cold.

“Team Leader! Did you have any results today?”

“Um…….”

Should I reveal it or not?

I sighed softly.

But I couldn’t reveal nothing. The government and H Group would be expecting a lot, and if I said I didn’t find anything here, the public opinion would be bad.

‘Damn government.’

A victim of public opinion, I straightened my shoulders and said.

“We found about 120 artifacts.”

“……!”

“What did you say!?”

The reporters who were asking questions were also surprised.

They had only found 25 artifacts in decades. Even with the Navy mobilized and suffering.

But here I was, saying that I had found 120 artifacts, so they were surprised.

I continued to speak with the calmest expression possible.

“Our divers have also taken pictures. Take a look.”

I released the photos stored in the tablet PC.

They were artifacts submerged deep in the sea where even light didn’t reach.

Pierced armor showing how fierce the battle was at the time, swords stuck in the ground, arrows, arrowheads, soldiers’ belongings, and even commanders’ dog tags.

The reporters were taking pictures as if they were possessed.

A reporter asked.

“C-can this be shared?”

“Of course. We’ll upload it to our website, so download it.”

“What’s the website address?”

“It’s all in Korean, and then English dot com.”

“Oooo.”

The room was buzzing again.

Since it’s come to this, I should do some advertising too. If I can’t avoid public opinion, I should advertise that I’m this kind of person and do this kind of work to get some requests.

H Group headquarters.

Chairman Lee Kang-no was finishing his schedule for the day and preparing to leave work.

Occasionally, he turned on the TV to check on the progress of CEO Lee Yoo-sung’s exploration. But so far, the ship had only moved a little, and no reports had come in, so he soon lost interest. He had a lot of work to do anyway.

“Oh, I’m getting old.”

Chairman Lee Kang-no got up and did some waist exercises.

He was wondering if he should start considering retirement.

His dream was to capture all of Korea’s territory in his eyes after retirement. Some old people want to travel around the world, but in fact, it was difficult to capture the territory of Korea, where he was born and raised, in his eyes.

Bang!

Suddenly, the door opened and Director Han Cheol-soo, with a slightly excited expression, came in.

“Chairman! CEO Lee Yoo-sung has discovered 120 artifacts!”

“What!?”

“Turn on the TV!”

On TV, CEO Lee Yoo-sung, with a calm expression, was releasing photos taken in the sea.

“Heh!”

“Here are the artifact photos.”

“Are these genuine?”

“They’re submerged in the sea as they are. It’s okay to salvage this much. It’s relatively shallow.”

“How haven’t they been discovered?”

“The first reason is the strong currents, and the second is that there are many reefs that are indistinguishable from the artifacts. The third reason is that the currents are so strong that you can’t even salvage the bodies if you go inside.”

“But you even took pictures?”

“That’s thanks to the excellent technology.”

“Hehehe. Hehehehe.”

Chairman Lee Kang-no, who had decided to support CEO Lee Yoo-sung, didn’t think he would achieve this much.

He thought it would take at least a few months. That’s why he gave him 1.5 billion won, right? Director Han Cheol-soo cut it down from the original 3 billion won.

On the first day of exploration, he discovered 120 artifacts.

Then there is hope for the Turtle Ship.

“From tomorrow, you will take care of this matter directly.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“That friend is amazing too. He’s using this situation to advertise. Let’s do some image marketing this time.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The two old men’s eyes twinkled.

The next morning.

I shook all day yesterday, so I slept soundly without waking up once today.

When I woke up, my wife called.

“Oh, honey.”

-You worked hard yesterday. I saw you on TV. You’ve become a celebrity.

“I just got lucky.”

-I thought you’d do it. But it’s cold, so dress warmly.

“Okay. How are the kids?”

-The kids are fine.

-Oh, Dad!

Soon, Soo-jung’s voice was heard.

I could guess what state Soo-jung was in just by hearing her voice. She’s probably jumping for joy.

-You were really great!

“Yeah. Your dad is kind of great.”

-Hehe, can we go play on the weekend?

“If you’re coming, come with your mom. Are you okay?”

-Of course. Thanks to you giving me money generously, I have a lot less work than before. I can afford that much.

“Good! Then let’s see you the day after tomorrow.”

I finished talking with my family and immediately prepared to go to work.

I wanted to commute to Seoul, but it was too far away. I already miss my wife and daughter, but I have to wait a few days.

As I was about to get dressed and go out, a guest arrived.

“Is CEO Lee here?”

“Oh, who is this? Director Han!”

Director Han Cheol-soo from H Group came down in person.

That meant H Group was very interested in this matter.

I couldn’t leave an old man standing outside, so I brought him inside. As I closed the door, reporters squeezed in and took pictures.

This is a bit of a problem.

Han Cheol-soo glanced around the motel-level hotel room and frowned slightly. I’m sorry, but this hotel is the best in the area. He plopped down on the old sofa.

What should I serve?

I looked around and there was nothing to serve, so I brewed some coffee.

The weather outside must be terrible, because I can feel the cold air even here.

Han Cheol-soo, holding a coffee cup in both hands, asked.

“You’re really amazing. How did you find 120 artifacts?”

I hesitated for a moment whether to mention the discovery of the dragon head.

He was going to find out anyway, so shouldn’t Han Cheol-soo, who commissioned me, know? He had been involved in the business world for a long time and could advise me on how to use this situation to my advantage.

“Is it just artifacts? I also found the dragon head, which is part of the Turtle Ship and its symbol.”

“……!”