When I told him that I had to go to summer camp and wouldn’t be able to help with the online bookstore for a while, Jefferson laughed and seemed pleased.
“Haha. Summer camp, huh. I sometimes forget, but you’re still a middle schooler, right?”
“I don’t really want to go, but Mom already registered me.”
“Yeah. Going to summer camp will give your parents some freedom. I wish my kids would grow up faster so they could go to summer camp too.”
Jefferson Bezos, raising two young sons, envied the fact that his children would disappear for three weeks. He hadn’t enjoyed Boy Scouts or YMCA summer camps himself due to his lack of sociability, but he said that as one grows older, those become fond memories, so I should have fun.
“Anyway, you’ve been quite helpful, but now I really need to hire some employees.”
“The company’s framework is set, and sales are rising, so wouldn’t it be okay to expand properly now?”
Unlike most websites that sold the future without a revenue model, Amazon.com was recording visible sales by selling books, making it easy to get loans from banks.
“Yeah. The garage is running out of space too, so I need to look into moving to a proper office.”
Bezos said that with me going to summer camp creating a manpower gap, he would use this opportunity to expand the company.
We discussed the growth direction of Amazon.com like that, and a few days later, Jaesung and Jaeeun flew to a park near Bentonville, Arkansas, where the summer camp for Walmart children was being held.
“Oppa! What’s summer camp like?”
“I’ve never been, so I don’t really know, but probably campfires, outdoor activities, swimming, and sports-focused stuff.”
“Then… we don’t study?”
There were summer schools for supplementing specific subjects, but seeing how they gathered children of Walmart employees from across the country, it seemed the program would focus on leisure activities.
“Probably no studying, but there will be rules and things we have to do, right?”
“Since Grandpa Sam invited us, it will definitely be fun.”
Jaesung had come to summer camp with a dreadful feeling, but his younger sister Jaeeun was excited about the new environment and meeting kids for the first time.
It seems like something Sam Walton planned himself. Maybe I can look forward to it a little? Anyway, since it’s a big company, they wouldn’t have prepared it half-heartedly, right?
Arriving at the summer camp site with half worry and half expectation, there were impressive buildings made of logs.
This place looks like it’s for Walmart employee workshops. They’re holding a kids’ summer camp here? They must have put a lot of effort since their own grandchildren are coming.
While grumbling, one reason Jaesung had come to summer camp was that Sam Walton’s direct family would also be attending.
Part of it was to act like a good son for his parents, whom he had surprised with incomprehensible behavior, and since it was usually only up to middle school first-years attending summer camps, he thought this would be his last and came along.
“I’m excited but also worried that you’re going to summer camp. Grandpa Sam said it would be fine, but if there are kids bullying you or anything tough happens, call home.”
“I can handle American brats on my own. And Jaeeun will turn even enemies into friends, so no need to worry.”
Their mom, leaving her children for the first time, teared up and hugged them both.
Waving goodbye to Mom, and entering the camp, an instructor in khaki outdoor clothing with various badges and emblems overlocked welcomed them.
“You’re the only Asian participants this camp, James and Jenny. I’m Alex. Welcome to the Walton Summer Camp.”
A young white man with a bright smile helped with registration, checked the Yoo siblings’ sizes, and handed out clean uniforms without insignia along with supplies.
“If you successfully complete the camp programs, you can earn badges and emblems like mine. Kids who’ve attended every year already have them.”
Alex kindly and simply explained the camp rules and programs in a way kids could understand, and Jaesung, having completed military service, felt it was quite well-prepared, reminiscent of the origins of Boy Scouts.
“It probably won’t happen, but there might be kids who see you differently because of your skin color. Some friends have never met Asians from their hometowns or schools.”
“I get along fine with friends at school without issues, so no need to worry.”
“Yeah. If someone bullies you, it’s probably because they don’t know better, so tell an instructor. We’ll handle it well.”
While pursuing progressive management strategies, the children participating in Walmart’s rather conservative summer camp were mostly white.
There wasn’t even a single black child, and only a few Hispanic ones.
“Jaeeun, you’re not worried, right?”
“I can get along with all friends. If someone bullies Oppa, I’ll scold them.”
Super extroverted and resembling their mom with striking features, Jaeeun was already leading kids at school and had become a famous figure.
Her personality was so bright and active that occasionally jealous kids appeared, but she had the terrifying ability to reach out first and turn them into friends.
And Jaesung had calculatedly grasped the ecosystem of American kids and built his own image to make it hard for them to treat him lightly.
With overwhelming grades, he received all the teachers’ attention and love, and during PE, he showed above-average performance, making kids perceive him as perfect.
With intellectual yet handsome looks and a slightly hard-to-approach vibe, he was evaluated among girls just awakening to the opposite sex as a mysterious prince from the East.
Since it was an expensive private school attended by upper-class children, there weren’t really any delinquent-types, and though they were middle schoolers, most acted like elementary kids.
What could go wrong? Just hang out moderately and leave.
After receiving basic summer camp orientation with his sister, they separated to their respective dorms.
This is like the American version of Hogwarts. How many kids are gathered here?
He had imagined a simple summer camp from American movies, but Walmart, winning with size and volume, had gathered over 200 kids from across the U.S.
The facilities were American-style yet not cheaply made, built properly with high-quality materials.
The uniforms the kids wore and the camp props also looked expensive, not cheap.
This doesn’t seem like a simple camp?
Entering his assigned dorm, kids who arrived earlier were awkwardly eyeing each other, while those experienced with badges from previous camps gathered among themselves and greeted happily.
“You’re new this time. This is my fifth time, and it’s the first time I’ve seen an Asian.”
As Jaesung entered, attention focused on the only Asian kid.
“Nice to meet you. I’m James. I’m from Korea, and it’s my first summer camp, but I’ve learned survival skills.”
As a proudly discharged sergeant from the Republic of Korea Army, Jaesung was confident he could handle a Walmart summer camp with ease.
The standout Asian kid confidently introduced himself and preemptively revealed he was Korean, avoiding questions about being Chinese or Japanese.
Kids instinctively see intimidated opponents as easy targets, and these children, still acting on instinct, somehow felt the aura and vibe of a veteran sergeant from Jaesung.
That way, without any friction, he exchanged names with the kids in his group and assessed their personalities and states.
Just typical middle school first-years.
Claiming a decent out-of-the-way spot away from the entrance, Jaesung organized his stuff and lay on the bed thinking about how to endure three weeks, when a frail-looking nerdy red-haired freckled boy spoke to him.
“Do you like reading books?”
“Of course I do. Lately, I’ve been enjoying novels.”
Having regressed to a middle schooler in America, Jaesung spent most school time reading English literature.
He finished textbooks on American history and geography in a month, and reading novels he had read in Korean in their original English gave a fresh taste he was immersed in.
There’s not much to do on the internet anyway, and cell phones haven’t come out yet, so at least there’s books—thank goodness.
Rather, with no external stimuli and plenty of time now, he could read comfortably.
On top of that, with the neighbor opening an online bookstore, his interest in books grew more, and he fell deeper into the charm of reading by getting rare editions for free before customers bought them.
“My dad knows the author well, and it’s not published yet. It’s not supposed to leak out, but I brought it promising to read it alone.”
The slightly nerdy-looking freckled kid handed over a thick printout, and on the first page was written ‘War of Thrones, George R.R. Martin.’
“Oh! A George R.R. Martin novel. Isn’t it a bit hard for you to read?”
“You know Mr. Martin too. He’s famous in the genre fiction world. It’s a bit difficult, but the immersion is no joke.”
He wasn’t sure of the exact date, but George R.R. Martin’s original novel A Game of Thrones seemed to come out around this time.
Then he’s going to keep writing without finishing for nearly 30 years? The readers waiting are amazing too.
He recalled Game of Thrones, where the drama started based on the novel but eventually overtook it.
Come to think of it, isn’t Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone coming out soon? If I contract it in advance, it’d be a huge hit, but I can’t go to Edinburgh, Scotland to meet J.K. Rowling, right?
Thinking of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series that wrote a myth with one novel, he briefly pondered if there was a way to contract it through Amazon.com.
Lost in such random thoughts, the assigned instructor came by.
“Everyone move to the auditorium! Check your attire and look neat!”
Following the guide with the kids to the auditorium, over 200 children were buzzing.
Looking around for his sister, he spotted Jaeeun on one side laughing and chatting with girls.
Jaeeun, spotting Oppa, waved, and as he waved back in greeting, the girls with her giggled and blushed.
The unrest among the kids that didn’t seem to settle was organized through the skilled instructors’ efforts, and the emcee came out to proceed with the Walmart Summer Camp opening ceremony.
“We have a special guest for you all—the founder of Walmart, Chairman Sam Walton himself has come in person. Let’s hear his congratulatory address!”
Dozens of guides clapped enthusiastically to welcome, and the kids followed, applauding to please Sam Walton.
Happy with the children’s welcome, Sam Walton smiled and gave his address, but it felt like listening to a principal’s speech congratulating the start of elementary school.
“For this summer camp, we’ve invited special members just for you.”
At the mention of special guests, the kids murmured, and after pausing for reaction, Sam Walton built anticipation and shouted.
“The members of the Disney Kids Club have joined this camp! Let’s start the special performance by the Disney Kids Club!”