Seok Chun was in his thirties, a young age when hopes and dreams have not yet been extinguished. Unlike the equipment manager’s generation, which was content with humble manual labor and a traditional wife who would be subservient to him for the rest of his life, Seok Chun’s generation sought something different. A harmonious family may help one do well at work, but this alone was not enough. Compassion for others, particularly in the family, was still one of the foundations of society.
“All in all, the greatest loss is Seok Chun’s talent,” continued the equipment manager with a deep sigh of regret. “Since his wife behaves like that at home, his head must be overloaded, preventing him from being creative at work. That’s okay for some, but a skilled worker must have a clear mind to produce good material, and invent things as well.”
“Didn’t Seok Chun succeed in inventing a multispindle machine?”
“You mean the one that won him third place? He went through a lot for that. Nearly five years to finish it. It seems like you know something about the incident?”
“Incident? No, I don’t. All I know is that he was successful…”
“Then let’s not talk about it. I get very frustrated just thinking about it.”
“Why?”
“It’s because the Provincial Industrial Technology Commission is completely corrupt,” replied the manager angrily. He rubbed the cigarette butt out with his foot and changed the subject. “There’s another machine he’s been working on for some years now. It’s a semiautomatic lathe machine.”
The equipment manager led Jeong Jin Wu to the assembly sector.
A machine was buried in dust. It was Seok Chun’s invention. It looked like a lathe machine, but half the body had been removed and dismantled, with rusty parts scattered around the station.
“A few days ago, I said something that must’ve hurt Seok Chun’s feelings. I said, ‘Don’t walk around like a deadbeat and go complete your machine. Don’t let the outcome of the contest stop you from your next project.’ ”
The equipment manager picked up a rag from the floor and began to wipe the machine.
Jeong Jin Wu also picked up a rag and began to wipe the machine. His hands were covered in machine lubricant, which soon brought on a cold and numbing sensation.
“Don’t bother. Your clothes will get dirty,” said the equipment manager, as though he was irritated with the judge for bringing up the past.
The equipment manager’s tone did not bother Jeong Jin Wu. In fact, he was thankful to the equipment manager for allowing him to gain insight into Seok Chun’s marital problems.
What was the reason for the other argument between them when Seok Chun had completed his first invention?
“Sir, please tell me. How did the Provincial Industrial Technology Commission Board evaluate Seok Chun’s machine?”
The equipment manager glared at Jeong Jin Wu. The manager did not think that the evaluation of Seok Chun’s new machine had anything to do with the divorce case.
“Please tell me,” Jeong Jin Wu persisted.
The equipment manager relented when he realized that it might have everything to do with it. He wiped the grease off his hands with the rag and led Jeong Jin Wu to a corner.
“Comrade Judge, take a look at this first.”
The equipment manager opened a large cabinet, three times the size of ordinary tool cabinets.
“The multispindle machine is still at the exhibition. But take a look at this, and you’ll see the painstaking process that he went through. Our factory made this cabinet for him and put a plaque—‘Inventor’s Chest’—on it.”
The cabinet had five shelves. On each shelf, there were used tools and machine parts in disorder, covered in grease and dirt.
The equipment manager reached for a pile of blueprints on the bottom shelf. Many of the small and large blueprints had oil stains on them and were faded, so the angles and measurements were difficult to make out.
“These are Seok Chun’s that he’s been working on for many years. The one that he recently finished is at the technician’s lab. He would draw the plans over and over again. Then he would try to make the machine, and when that failed, he would go back to the drawing board. There’s no telling how many times he repeated this routine. There must be hundreds of these blueprints on this shelf. Can you imagine the ones he’s thrown away? He has also paid for all of the wasted materials and prints.”
Jeong Jin Wu helped the equipment manager put the blueprints back on the bottom shelf. An indescribable feeling weighed down Jeong Jin Wu’s heart. He could not ignore the blood, sweat, and tears Seok Chun had put into the hundreds of blueprints and wasted materials. For so many years, Seok Chun desired affection from Sun Hee, and for so many years, he had to endure his family discord, leaving evident traces of suffering on the broken machine parts. Who will ever truly understand the extent of Seok Chun’s efforts, even with the copious blueprints?
“They say raindrops bore holes in stones, and needles are made from grinding metal. The harder the labor, the greater the reward. The multispindle, for Seok Chun, did its job and functioned well. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. I’m sure you know, but only the inventor can truly feel the joy of his work. The difference between an ordinary person off the street who sees a golden field of rice and the farmer who harvests the rice that he planted is immeasurable.”
Jeong Jin Wu nodded his head in quiet acknowledgment.
“When I was younger,” the equipment manager said, “I, too, invented a new machine. And let me tell you, there’s no feeling quite like it. This one time, I was so overjoyed with my invention I went to my wife to tell her about it. She laughed and said, ‘Could it possibly compare to the joy of giving birth?’ I know that you can’t compare a metal invention to the birth of a child. But let me tell you, my eyes welled up with tears.”
Jeong Jin Wu stared at the ground with a pensive smile. He, too, remembered the joy of seeing his law essays published in prestigious legal journals.
“Comrade Judge, the multispindle is very energy-efficient with good speed and power, and it will increase the nation’s production. It requires very little manpower, so it will cut down on labor. On top of that, it can be sold at a reasonable price. The technicians at the exhibition, however, questioned the engineering of the mechanisms and asked for the blueprints. And even after that, the Provincial Industrial Technology Commission Board—”
With a sigh of frustration, the equipment manager closed the door of the Inventor’s Chest. His warm expression turned cold and rough. His wrinkles settled in deeply as he frowned, and his eyes reflected his vengeful thoughts.
“How could they do that to him? All they gave him was a vase and a plaque.”
Jeong Jin Wu was confused and wanted to ask about it, but he let the manager explain.
“Seok Chun is so selfless and humble that he received those gifts as a sign of honor. I also saw the vase. It wasn’t a special vase that was made particularly for the inventors or something that honored their hard work. It was bought at the local flower shop. It was something that anybody could go and buy anytime he wanted to. It was very condescending. I was absolutely livid, so I called the Provincial Industrial Technology Commission Board. This chairman or someone answered the phone and told me that everyone received a plaque equally without any partiality or discrimination, so I shouldn’t complain about it. I was so enraged I just hung up the phone. Then Seok Chun confronted me and gave me a piece of his mind for calling the chairman. I’m sure he had his own reasons.”
Jeong Jin Wu remained silent as myriad thoughts occupied his mind.