MILLIONAIRE

Albert's Dream

Zeeeeeing.

The sound of workers cutting wood with saws.

Clattering. Clattering.

The sound of workers hammering nails.

Jake Woodworking Shop was always busy and noisy for its size.

Cut wood was piled on all sides, useless woodcuts, sawdust and nails were scattered on the floor.

Although two hours had passed after lunch, the workers did not take a break. Because the shop was so full, the backlog had built up.

It was late spring, but the store looked like it was midsummer.

His sticky sweat was mixed with sawdust all over his face.

Even so, the workers were satisfied.

The generous and kind-hearted shopkeeper gave the workers a good salary because of their heavy workload, and there were no demanding and difficult workers in the shop.

You were joking and liked to work. The three Filipino workers among them were also kind and hardworking.

Thanks to these surroundings, the carpenter's workshop was more of a family than a business.

"Hey Mr. Kim, check this out."

"Hey, Tommy, come here and hold this for a moment."

Whenever they needed help, they were ready to help each other.

Among them was a certain man whose name was mentioned most often than anyone else in the store. He was a new young man hired less than a year ago, they called him by his first name, unlike other workers who were called by their last name.

"Albert, give me that piece of wood over there."

"Yes sir, brother."

"Albert, let's do this together."

"Sure, let me be with you right away."

Albert, like Felix, was a legendary thief who was known for suddenly showing up all over Canada. Every time they called him by name, Albert appeared and paced the shop.

They also had various reasons to call him. He not only helped them with simple unskilled work, but also helped them with hard work; They also had a habit of calling him for no reason when something happened.

"What the hell. Is this machine working well enough, Albert?

"The computer seems to be down, Albert."

"Hey, can you help me Albert?"

Albert was a problem solver. There wasn't a problem he couldn't solve every time he helped them. He was busier than anyone else in the shop, not only with his own work but also with running errands for other workers. viewed benevolently by all.

The shopkeeper Carter in particular had a very positive opinion of him.

As Carter watched Albert receive calls from other workers, he clicked his tongue and said, "Wow, wow. You could get sick working like this. Hey everyone, take a break. Why are they so greedy for work? "

Only then did they check the time.

" Oops. Is it that late already? "

" I'm so thirsty. Albert, can you bring us a glass of cold water? "

" Yes sir. "

Albert ran to the refrigerator.

When Carter saw this, he scolded the workers and said," You're going to kill him! Don't ask too much. Tommy is younger than Albert. Why do you always make it difficult for Albert?

"Really? Oddly enough, every time I open my mouth in the store, I tend to call his name first."

"Are you serious, Mr. Kim? Me too! When I open my mouth, his name comes out automatically, although I can't help it ... "

In the meantime Albert came back and handed each worker a cup of cold lemonade.

" Drink it, please. "

" You drink first, brother. "

After delivering the drinks to the workers, he filled his own mug and moistened his dry throat was a pretty busy worker. Seeing him drink like that felt good

" Refreshing!

Albert wiped his mouth with the back of his arm and then began to move.

He cleaned the woodcuts and nails that were strewn on the floor.

How sorry he was, Carter Albert stopped and said, "You don't have to clean it now, just take a break."

"I'm fine sir." You could trip over it if I don't clean it up now. Let me clean it up when I'm not so busy. "

" Huh? You are stubborn ..."

Carter couldn't help but laugh at Albert's comments as he watched him mop the floor.

Albert was 30 years old. Despite his age, his fingers were nimble and he was quick to learn new things.

Although he was only hired a year ago, he was free to operate any machine and also to carry out repairs.

His greatest strength was diligence. From morning to evening he hardly took a break. Outsiders would think you have a hard time having a bad boss.

His whole body was muscular, typical of a worker.

He was also quite tall, about six feet. People often called tall men fools, but Albert wasn't. On the contrary, he was smart and intelligent.

He'll be excellent at anything he does, Carter thought.

Carter was both grateful and sorry for him.

If he had been born to good parents and learned more ...

Albert said he did all kinds of jobs in his early childhood.

Carter was unaware of the condition of Albert's family because he had not told him in detail. However, Carter thought poverty was the main cause.

Had it not been for his financial situation, he would have had to make the effort to sacrifice his studies. This made him an expert in all trades, but was referred to as a high school graduate.

In Canadian companies, there was a huge pay gap between a college graduate and a high school graduate that was unimaginable to those who hadn't experienced it before.

Academic training, however, was nothing in the carpenter's shop where he worked. He could make a lot of money if he worked hard.

To keep costs low, Carter planned to sell his shop to someone else later this year. He had made more than enough money and his children were grown up. It was time for him to retire.

Then his plan changed. He wanted to train someone to be his successor.

In their eyes, Albert was meant to be a hard worker.

Not only because of his ability to learn and his nimble fingers; actually that was only part of his enormous strength.

Albert's greatest strength was his ability to involve others.

He had a natural ability to pull everyone he met to his side.

Not only Carter, but also Mr. Kim, who was known for his rough manner, and Mr. Park, a former gangster, blindly followed everything Albert said.

The owner of Albert's favorite restaurant greeted him like he was her son, and even the overhead shop owner, who had never made a deal with Carter, came out and said, "Are you going home now?" When she asked him saw walking through the store.

It was really a mystical attraction.

As such, he could overcome his less happy surroundings and fly high into the world if someone helped him a little more. If Carter had to give the shop he built while he was alive to someone else, he wanted to train a worker like Albert before he turned the business over.

Carter chuckled to himself.

"Huuuuuh. I'm afraid I can't retire because of him. Let me train him quickly so I can retire and rest."

Carter sighed.

Again in woolen gloves, Carter clapped his hands as if shaking the ground.

"Shall we go back to work?"

The other workers stopped chatting and went back to work.

The carpentry shop was noisy again and people were busy working.

It was 6 o'clock in the afternoon.

"Let's finish before dinner," Carter said.

When Carter yelled, the workers stopped working.

Each of them cleaned the woodcuts and scattered rubbish.

Even though Albert tidied it up once, there was still a huge amount of rubbish due to the work done. Everyone was busy cleaning up, thinking of getting home quickly.

Mr. Kim was especially busy today. Your son was due to return home after a few days off from the military. I would wait for Mr. Kim at home.

"Wow!"

Since he was moving too fast, he dropped a large piece of wood beforehand and could not react quickly enough.

It cut abruptly at the junction of the power cord, and the power cord was as old as Jake Woodworking Shop.

With a surprised look, Mr. Kim checked the cable.

Although it was a bit choppy, it seemed normal.

He picked up pieces of wood again and piled them in a corner.

After he finished, he showered and changed, which made him feel less tired.

"Those who want to go home must go, and those who want to have dinner must follow me. Albert, you're coming, aren't you? said Carter.

"Of course, sir."

The workers left the workshop.

The old electric cable was in one corner of the shop and it was hot because the woodcut had cut it hard some time ago, but no one had noticed.

Grilled beef ribs were on the evening menu. Five of them, including Carter and Albert, went to their favorite restaurant and sat down.

Vodka, an alcoholic beverage, was a must for dinner like this for manual laborers.

Carter offered Albert a cup of vodka.

"You won't have it?"

"No sir. I have to drive at night. Let me offer you one."

"Good."

Starting with Carter, Albert filled the cups of his employees.

He ordered a soda and filled his glass.

"Nice job today!"

Carter drank it and grabbed a piece of hot dog before suddenly asking Albert, "Are you driving for money today too?"

"Yes".

"They know you could risk your life anytime, especially if you drive drowsy."

Interestingly, Carter scolded him like that every time he sat across from Albert, although this time he decided against it.

"Let me go early. I have an appointment," said Albert when he had finished eating.

Carter and his staff hadn't eaten half of their meal and vodkas.

"Sure. Drive carefully, "said Carter.

Albert left the restaurant and went to the carpenter's shop.

A large van, big enough for 12 people, was parked in the corner of the shop.

It was Albert's favorite car and had been using it for six years.

Bought as used, it has a mileage of over 170,000 km.

But it still worked fine because you took good care of it.

The engine noise was also low.

"I hope I'm in good hands today," Albert told his car.

However, it did not arrive for some reason. His thoughts were uncomfortable and nervous. It felt like he had left something of value in the store.

"Have I missed something?"

He searched his pockets carefully but found nothing was missing.

"Did I work less today?"

I had the feeling that I had worked less today.

Usually he worked hard, otherwise he would feel a little restless.

"I seem to have to work very hard in my job as a chauffeur tonight."

Finally Albert started the car and the gray delivery van gently disappeared from the shop.

It was quiet in the shop until then, but the old electric cable buried in the ground was becoming hotter and hotter.

After saying goodbye to the staff, Carter stopped at a shabby bar.

A middle-aged man with thick horn-rimmed glasses suddenly rose from his seat and greeted him happily with the words: "I'm here, brother!"

"I'm a little late because I had to come here after buying dinner for my workers. Have you waited long?"

"I just got here too. Drink vodka!"

Carter got a cup of vodka from the man.

"By the way, what brought you here? Aren't you busy?" asked Carter.

"Well, I feel heavy at heart."

"Why does your heart ache? It's not like you're the president of a medium-sized company."

"My daughter is old enough to get married, but it is not so easy for me to find a suitable husband."

The middle-aged man shook his head as if he were grumbling.

Carter looked at him, laughed, and said, "I think the difficult thing for you is not finding someone to be your daughter's future husband, but finding someone to follow you, right?"

"Yes, that's right. She is my only daughter, so I feel like I need to find a suitable son-in-law who is good enough to deliver my business to her. "

" Didn't you tell me you had two candidates in mind? "

" I don't like either. The only person I'm expecting is my daughter's friend who she brought from the United States. Heard he's a smart guy with a degree from Columbia University. "

" Do you get a job in your company? "

" Yes, but you have to start at the bottom. By the way, are you going to close the carpenter's shop and retire at the end of the year? "

" Well, I've changed my mind. I'll be working for a few more years. "

"Why did you suddenly do that? "

" I've found a man to hand over the business to. I think I have to work for several years more to train it. He has a high school degree.

" Oh, I see. "

The middle-aged man's eyes stopped glowing when Carter mentioned that Albert had just graduated from high school.

Carter was a little disappointed with that. Though Carter knew he was such a prejudiced person, he Just wanted to reprimand him mildly.

"Hey, Mr. Park. There is no one in the world with perfect grades. There are some things you have to do without. If I were you, I would listen to my daughter's opinion, what do you think is more important, your company or your daughter's happiness?

Park smiled at that.

"I'll keep that in mind, brother."

"By the way, your business expansion project is going well? Don't you think you're doing it too aggressively?"

"As you know, brother, luck and time are the most important things in business. This is a real opportunity ..."

Park told a story about his business like Carter had asked the right question. However, Carter was thinking about other things and not paying much attention to them at the time.

By the way, how should I train Albert? You can't afford to waste time chauffeuring.

***

The next morning.

Albert left his house early in the morning.

He lived in a 10 meter villa on the first floor of an ordinary apartment complex. Please give me a chance. "Her mother got a job in a secondary workshop and often had to take time off because of the diabetes she had developed after the car accident. She had been able to keep her job for ten years because she was so good at garrisons

Since then Albert became the head of the family, he was constantly on the move to earn money, he worked hard day and night thinking that he would rather die at work than die with his parents.

Thanks to his hard work, he was able to buy a house in his name, even though it was in disrepair. Also, he bought some stocks and the remaining balance in his bank account was no small amount.

It was 3 o'clock in the morning when he got home from his job as a driver. He was supposed to report to work at 7 a.m.

Even though he only slept a little over three hours, he was not at all tired because he was used to this life.

Albert came to work with a good heart but couldn't do anything.

"What the hell happened? What the hell ...?"

Jake Woodworking Shop was gone. The rest of the building burned black and smoke rose.

Devastated by the fire, Carter and the workers stared blankly at the burned area. All he could do was comfort Carter, who was dejected, for a while and go home.

With over ten years of experience, Albert has become an expert who can be described as a professional wild thyme digger.

Selling wild thyme, bluebells and mountain herbs made a lot more money than a typical business job.

He received a call from Carter three days after the fire set the woodworking on fire.

"Can you see me for a moment when you're not busy?"

"Yes sir. I'll be right over there."

Carter was waiting for him in an underground tea house.

When Albert sat down, the waitress brought tea.

Carter didn't open his mouth until then. The longer they were silent, the heavier the atmosphere became.

After being silent for a while, Carter barely opened his mouth, but he was inaudible.

"I think I was too greedy."

"Did you say 'greedy'?"

Was there anyone in the world who wasn't greedy? The only difference was the level of greed.

To Albert's knowledge, Carter was a man of little greed. He wasn't the type of man who would ruin his business out of greed. Besides, what did fire have to do with greed?

Carter closed his mouth after these words and looked at Albert in silence.

I think I was distracted for a moment thinking I could keep a talented man like you in my little world.

"... ..?"

You're not the type of person to stay in a little world like this. You should venture into a bigger world. I think Heaven punished me for being too greedy.

"Are you okay sir?"

Carter showed no response.

Albert was worried about him now. The fire must have left deep scars.

Of course it was completely natural. Hadn't he lived in the workshop all his life? He must have gone mad because he had turned into a heap of ash.

Carter wasn't so surprised that the store caught fire.

As regrettable as it was, without Albert I would have closed the shop anyway.

Carter was so sad that he was going to be separated from his workers. Now it was time for him to part with them. Above all, she regretted having to part with Albert.

Carter pulled an envelope from his inside pocket and placed it on the table.

"What is it, sir?"

"It's your compensation."

"What?"

Albert's eyes suddenly widened.

Carter went on, as if he wanted Albert just to listen, "I paid the other workers severance pay, but I gave you more. You deserved it because you worked three times more than the others."

"Still, it's too much ..."

"When it comes to a senior like me, you shouldn't refuse it. Just take it. I would feel better if you took it."

Carter cut Albert's reply. With Carter so determined, Albert couldn't open his mouth.

"You know Steven factory right?"

"Are you talking about the furniture company, sir?"

Carter nodded.

Albert knew the company well. Although it was a medium-sized company, it was well known in the furniture industry and featured frequently in television commercials.

"I heard they are hiring new workers these days. What do you think? Are you interested?"

" Steven factory?"

He felt he could work for a good company like the Steven factory all his life. There was no reason for him to work there when he could. But was it possible for a high school graduate like Albert to get in there? ?

"As a veteran in this field, I know your President pretty well. If you are interested, let me recommend you. "

Albert was looking for a new job anyway. Carter's comments were more valuable to him than severance pay. Carter's eyes widened and he felt a surge of anticipation

"Thank you sir"

"Don't expect too much. Even though you get hired, you don't get a lot of money because you graduated from high school. "

" That doesn't matter. Thank you. "

Albert nodded toward Carter.

Carter looked at him and hesitated a moment.

Should I tell him about the daughter of the company president?

Though there was a distant possibility, they were able to build a good relationship through sheer luck. If you are sane, you will quickly find that there is no better son-in-law than Albert.

Carter closed his mouth as he thought this far.

Yes, if that's the way it is, develop a good relationship, even if I don't start that way.

Three days after meeting Carter, he received a message from Steven's factory not to be late for her interview.

The interview took place in five days.

Though unemployed for more than ten days, he was busier than when he was at the Jake Woodworking Shop. During the day he moved as a wild thyme digger and worked as a chauffeur until late at night.

The interview date is over.

Stevens' factory and office were on the outskirts of Toronto city. He reached the factory in an hour from home by public transport.

When he got there, there were already enough candidates for the interview.

Oh, there are over 40 candidates here.

Actually there must be a lot more applicants because the hiring manager leaked them after reviewing the résumés.

After all, only three applicants were hired. Although it was a medium-sized company, the competition rate among applicants was high due to the flourishing business.

The interview was conducted for two candidates at the same time.

The interview time was quite long. It took more than ten minutes to conduct an interview for a group of candidates and it seemed that the interview was difficult as the candidates came out of the interview with deathly pale faces.

The same happened to the following group of respondents. When they came out of the interview, they were sweating and shaking their heads.

Although Albert tried to stay calm, he got nervous when he saw her.

"Mr. Albert and Mr. Robert, come in!"

I'm fine. It's not a big deal. Everything will be fine, because President Carter has already spoken well of me.

Albert entered the interrogation room, trying to stay calm. He glanced at another interviewee, Robert.

With milk-white skin, Robert was like a noble prince. He wore thin-rimmed glasses that made him look very intellectual and elegant.

There were five interviewers in the room. Three were middle-aged and the other two were a man and a woman, both young like Albert.

Albert's gaze naturally turned to the young interviewer.

She was so beautiful that she would tempt any man.

His personality wasn't looking good, however. Leaning back in a chair, she openly expressed her boredom by yawning at times and even went so far as to laugh at Albert's résumé.

Rather, she smiled at Robert and expressed her personal friendliness with a wave of her hand. It seemed like he wasn't even aware of the other interviewers.

But nobody stopped them. That was enough for Albert to feel his place in the company... Mr. Kim?

Albert's relationship with Mr. Kim among his other friends was very special. Both attended the same elementary, middle, and high school. In addition, they both attended the same class up to four times in their schools.

They were temporarily separated when Albert moved to Toronto from Victoria; However, Kim happened to move to a wealthy city in Toronto and attended the same high school with him.

Before Albert moved, their houses were next to each other, so they went to school together.

Many envied her when they saw her walking together and said: "You must be very comfortable because you are not alone." In short, they could be considered best friends.

But that's just an indication of what they looked like on the surface.

Actually, they weren't that close; rather, their relationship was bad.

Although Albert didn't particularly hate Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim would provoke him for no reason.

Albert didn't go to school with Mr. Kim because he wanted to.

It was just because their houses were next to each other that their parents forced them to go to school together.

Because Albert's family had an accident, Mr. Kim blatantly ignored and harassed him, and harassed himself. During high school, Mr. Kim formed a group and even attacked him.

Even now, Mr.Kim showed the same attitude towards him.

Mr. Kim stared into his face with piercing eyes, the corners of his mouth pulled up as if he were saying, 'Hey buddy, I've got you!' Ground?

Albert had no way of finding out.

Although Albert didn't do him any good, he didn't do anything bad either.

Even so, Mr. Kim seemed to treat him like an enemy all along.

After a quick look at his résumé, Mr. Kim asked Albert a question about the content of his résumé.

"Mr. Albert, do you know the Incoterms?

At that moment Albert felt he was going crazy. It was a term he had never heard of before. He didn't know what the term meant.

Embarrassed, Albert couldn't remember the term he had just heard.

"Inco ... what did he say?"

"Do you know or not? You have to answer. Kim kept pushing him hard, as if determined to push him over the edge of the cliff.

"Just say yes or no, can't you say that?"

As he pushed on and on, Albert felt himself slide into a swamp.

As much as you tried to calm yourself down, Mr. Kim never gave you a chance.

At that moment, Mr. Kim said a word that hit him on the head and it was like pouring cold water on him.

"Are you afraid, Mr. Albert? How can you work in a company if you don't have the courage? "

" What did you say? Am I afraid? "

Suddenly Albert was offended and felt better.

What the heck! Why should I be afraid at the interview?

Of course, everything was overturned when Alberts parents had a traffic accident when he was still in high school. Kim's mouth was unusually curved at the edges.

"Don't you know? Are you bragging about? If you've applied for a position in purchasing, don't you think you should understand this word before you come for the interview?"

"I don't know what purchasing is doing. From now on I will learn the necessary things."

"My God. How can you apply for the position if you don't even know what the people in purchasing are doing? Don't you think you're stupid "

Mr. Kim began to use even less sensitive words without hesitation.

It was clear that he wanted to narrow his mind.

But the more he tried, the more Albert straightened his back.

" I don't think that's silly. "

He felt the interviewer's attitude change a little with his confident tone. Even the young interviewer, who had been bored all the time, looked up and looked at Albert

But only Albert He focused on Mr. Kim and continued confidently:

"I think what this company needs is my experience and skills. If the company finds me useful they can hire me. Don't you think that from the moment I get hired, I can learn about shopping? "

" Are you answering me now? "

Mr. Kim asked as if he were scolding him, but Albert didn't give in at all.

" I'm just answering your question. "

Mr. Kim asked many other questions afterward, but Albert answered without hesitation. He was like someone who had memorized all the answers beforehand after receiving the test. In some ways he could be considered rude.

As the Q&A went on, Albert's demeanor grew bolder at the thought that it was much better to be aggressive than defensive.

Did that have any effect? The interviewers began to look at him differently over time, especially the interviewer, who thought: Interesting, he looks like an untamed wild horse.