Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Turn the Tables (1)

Harok read the Daea Daily article on his way to Seoul in Jihyeon's car.

[Supplier of Garbage Dumpling Filling Arrested... Companies Receiving Supplies Under Investigation]

Fortunately, Mirae Food wasn't mentioned in the headline.

Huh?

But the company's name was clearly written in the subheading.

Choi Cheonsik, you son of a bitch.

Despite everything Harok had said to him, the bastard had stabbed him in the back.

This is bad.

If things continue like this, the president of Mirae Food is going to die. I have to prevent that from happening...

"Oppa, the traffic is terrible."

Jihyeon wasn't happy about having to drive her older brother to Seoul so early in the morning.

"Who pays the insurance on this car?"

"Oppa..."

"Who gives you spending money?"

"Oppa..."

"Then you should at least provide this much service, shouldn't you?"

"Who said I wouldn't? I'm just saying the traffic is terrible..."

She had a point.

The traffic really was awful.

"I think taking the subway will be faster. Drop me off in front of that station."

Harok got out at the subway station.

Suddenly, a wave of anxiety washed over him.

Although things were unfolding differently from his previous life, he had the unsettling feeling that they were heading toward the same conclusion.

I can't let that happen.

He couldn't repeat the miserable life he had lived before.

Getting fired from the company, never getting married, and spending his days as a pathetic trash journalist who copied and pasted articles while desperately chasing clicks.

Since he had failed to prevent the initial report, the media's relentless bombardment would soon begin.

I need a Plan B.

The chief, the head of the social affairs department, and the crime reporting desk editor were all waiting for Harok.

"You bastard! You're late. We couldn't even start the meeting because of you."

The meeting began immediately.

It was chaired by Lee Munhong, the head of the social affairs department, with crime desk editor Park Mungyu and police beat chief Kim Seongjun in attendance.

The purpose was to discuss their response to the garbage dumpling story.

The phrase garbage dumplings had already become the most searched term on the internet.

Television networks had jumped on the story like mad, endlessly broadcasting and replaying related footage.

In the middle of the meeting, Park Mungyu spoke up.

"Vice."

The vice-chief of the crime reporting team was simply called Vice.

The crime reporting team was a reporting unit led by the police beat chief. The vice-chief was second in command, assisting the chief and assigning reporting tasks to junior journalists.

Although the team's main sources were police stations, its reporters actually covered anything of social importance.

"Yes."

"Did you meet Choi Cheonsik the day before yesterday?"

What? How does he know about that?

Park Mungyu was a veteran journalist with twenty years of experience, more than ten of which he had spent as a crime reporter.

Even though he no longer worked in the field, he still had countless sources inside the police.

His reputation was well deserved.

"...Yes."

Harok answered quietly.

At the same moment, Park Mungyu's expression turned fierce.

"You little bastard! And you still call yourself a journalist?"

Lee Munhong and Kim Seongjun looked completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on.

"Deputy Chief Park, what's the matter?"

After hearing the full story, Lee Munhong's expression also changed.

"So you're telling me you knew about the garbage dumpling investigation and didn't write an article?"

"You bastard! You should've at least reported it to us! Do you think the chief is just here for decoration?"

It had turned into a public trial.

If I'd reported it, you would've ordered me to write the article immediately. That's exactly why I deliberately kept quiet.

"It was still under investigation, and I didn't think there was enough substance for an article..."

"What? Under investigation? You crazy bastard! Who the hell are you to decide whether something is newsworthy?"

Lee Munhong completely lost his temper.

It was understandable from his perspective. The dumpling scandal was such an enormous story that there was practically no way for their paper to make up for missing the initial scoop.

Unable to control his anger, Lee Munhong threw the coffee cup he was holding at Harok.

Thud!

If he had aimed just a little higher, the cup would have struck Harok in the face.

Coffee splashed everywhere, staining Harok's clothes and leaving marks all over the conference room.

"You little bastard! Get out of my sight right now! You call yourself a journalist?"

"Actually, there's something..."

Before Harok could finish, the chief interrupted him.

"Vice, go outside for now. I'll talk to you separately in a little while."

You're not even going to give me a chance to explain?

Harok lowered his head in a brief bow and left the room.

"He showed some promise early in his career. What's gotten into him lately?"

"I heard he recently broke up with his girlfriend. He hasn't been himself since."

Lee Munhong and Park Mungyu each made a remark loud enough for Harok to hear as he left.

Bullshit. If you'd at least set me up on a blind date, I wouldn't have anything to complain about...

After the meeting ended, Lee Munhong and Park Mungyu came out.

Kim Seongjun poked his head through the doorway and called Harok back inside.

How much more is he going to curse at me?

Kim Seongjun was notorious for his terrible temper.

As soon as Harok entered, he raised his voice.

"Listen here, you bastard. Until I give you further instructions, you're on indefinite police station stakeout duty."

Harikomi referred to the practice of trainee reporters eating, sleeping, and gathering news at police stations.

Most of the hardships of a trainee journalist's life came from these assignments.

For a crime reporter, being ordered to do harikomi was one of the harshest punishments imaginable.

He's telling me to do harikomi? A reporter with six years of experience?

I've won journalism awards almost every year, and I'm currently the number two member of the crime reporting team!

"Chief, no matter how you look at it, ordering me to do harikomi is going way too far."

Even a worm would turn if someone kept stepping on it.

News organizations had a strict hierarchy between seniors and juniors.

At the same time, journalists had a strong sense of equality because they considered themselves members of the same profession.

That was why they generally didn't attach honorifics when addressing their superiors.

They simply called them Senior, Department Head, or Editor-in-Chief.

"What? I'm going too far?"

"How can you order someone with my experience to do harikomi?"

"What good is your experience? Are you going to boil it into soup and eat it? Where the hell did your news judgment go?"

"For fuck's sake! If the police are conducting a completely botched investigation, are we supposed to blindly accept everything they say?"

The veins on Kim Seongjun's forehead began throbbing.

"What? A botched investigation? Did you actually see them doing anything wrong?"

"Then why would they manipulate the footage if they had nothing to hide? The whole investigation is based on forcing the evidence to fit their conclusions!"

Harok's forceful response caught the chief slightly off guard.

But then...

"You bastard! Are you a police officer? Are you conducting the investigation? Our job is to report what's happening in the investigation!"

"Damn it... If that's all you want, hire a typist instead of a journalist!"

Bang!

Harok stormed out of the conference room, slamming the door behind him.

There was a self-deprecating joke journalists sometimes told among themselves.

What do journalists and sperm have in common?

Answer: Only one in several hundred million has a chance of becoming a decent human being.

Harok was about to go outside for a cigarette when the name Mirae Food appeared on the television.

A reporter was standing in front of the company's factory, delivering a report.

"This is Mirae Food's Boryeong factory, where an enormous quantity of dumplings is produced every day."

"Reporter Seong Hojin, have you managed to speak with the company's president?"

"Yes. I personally visited the president's office in an attempt to meet Mr. Jeong, but the door was firmly shut."

The broadcast showed footage of Seong Hojin repeatedly pounding on the president's office door.

"Has the company president made any statement regarding the garbage dumpling scandal?"

"President Jeong has posted a message on his Facebook account insisting that 'Our dumplings are absolutely not garbage,' expressing his frustration over the allegations."

Harok picked up the remote control and switched to another news channel.

Vroom.

The screen showed a deliveryman from a Chinese restaurant arriving at the company's main entrance.

Around a dozen reporters were swarming behind him, desperately competing for an interview.

"Excuse me! Just a moment!"

"I'm busy!"

"What did they order inside?"

"Jjamppong and dumplings."

"Was it seafood jjamppong?"

"Just regular jjamppong."

"Were the dumplings fried? Were they a complimentary side dish?"

"Did they order anything else?"

"Are they regular customers?"

"Ah, I don't know! I'm busy as hell, damn it!"

After the footage played, a caption appeared at the bottom of the screen.

[(Exclusive) Mirae Food President Eats Jjamppong and Dumplings for Lunch]

These bastards really have hit rock bottom when it comes to being decent human beings.

Overnight, the president of Mirae Food had become a criminal condemned by the entire nation.

The media grew more vicious the weaker its target became.

Just look at the behavior of those hyena-like journalists once they found someone vulnerable enough to attack.

Can they even be called human beings?

After finishing his cigarette, Harok returned to the newsroom and browsed the major internet portals.

They were completely flooded with articles about the garbage dumpling scandal.

Even though Harok hadn't been the one to fire the first shot this time, events were unfolding almost exactly as they had in his previous life.

This won't do.

I have to turn the tables.

He thought back to how the situation had developed before.

What happened back then?

Wasn't it some documentary that first pointed out the problems with the garbage dumpling scandal?

Clack, clack.

He searched for documentaries produced by the major terrestrial broadcasters.

Scroll.

As he moved the mouse down the page, he stopped at a current affairs documentary produced by KBC.

Its title was Fact or Truth.

That's it.

This is where I need to create the momentum for a reversal.

A satsumari meeting had been scheduled for that afternoon, so all the crime reporters gathered in the newsroom.

Satsumari was a Japanese term that police beat reporters used to refer to themselves.

Meanwhile, the garbage dumpling scandal was continuing to grow.

Television stations were now reporting that banks had stopped issuing new loans to dumpling manufacturers.

In reality, the main reason so many small and medium-sized dumpling companies eventually went bankrupt was that banks recalled their existing loans.

That was something even Harok couldn't prevent on his own.

Those bastards.

The situation was becoming increasingly urgent.

This was no time to hesitate.

Harok knew exactly what would happen next.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration would order a complete recall of the dumplings currently on the market.

The banks would demand repayment of their loans, while the recalled dumplings would be removed from stores, cutting off the manufacturers' sales channels.

The government, the police, the banks, and the media would effectively work together to drive the companies into a corner.

One company after another would go bankrupt.

And one of the company presidents would commit suicide.

I can't let things go any further.

There's no point in prescribing medicine after the patient is already dead.

"We need to turn the tables."

Harok firmly presented his opinion.

The crime reporting team was currently discussing how they should approach their upcoming coverage.

Each reporter was offering suggestions about breaking news and investigative articles.

"What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"

Kim Seongjun glared at Harok, apparently still holding a grudge over their earlier argument.

Their confrontation had made the other team members uncomfortable.

"The television networks are driving the main story right now. How are we supposed to compete with broadcasters who can show everything through video?"

"So?"

"We need to change the entire approach instead of chasing after the television networks."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"By investigating the police's flawed and excessive investigation."

That again?

Kim Seongjun was immediately irritated.

As far as he could see, the public simply wanted to know how terrible the garbage dumpling companies were.

People wanted those companies driven into a corner and punished.

They were waiting for justice to be served.

And now Harok suddenly wanted to defend the dumpling manufacturers?

Who the hell wants to read news that takes the villains' side?

"Do you seriously think that kind of article will work right now?"

Thud.

Kim Seongjun leaned back in his chair and spoke sarcastically.

"Is journalism only about writing articles that people want to read? If that's the case, we might as well write fiction. Even when it's difficult, shouldn't real journalism be about following the right path?"

Kim Seongjun's eyebrows twitched.

"The right path? Real journalism? Who the hell are you trying to fool with that nonsense?"

"Isn't Daehan Daily's motto 'Impartiality and Truthful Reporting'? We should be writing articles that uncover the actual truth through relentless critical investigation, not articles designed to win popularity."

Kim Seongjun threw his ballpoint pen across the table.

"Fuck! What an extraordinary journalist you are! Do you think this is a university journalism class? What, are you trying to win yourself a Pulitzer Prize?"

Harok barely managed to suppress his rising anger.

"Didn't all of us start our careers as journalists with those same ambitions? Hey, Seo Jinwoo. What do you think?"

Seo Jinwoo was Harok's junior by one year and the ace of the crime reporting team.

His expression seemed to say, Why the hell are you dragging me into this?

"...We still need to follow up on the existing story. But I also think we should investigate the problems with the police investigation, just as Vice suggested."

Seo Jinwoo had offered a compromise.

Hearing the team's ace support the idea took some of the force out of Kim Seongjun's opposition.

The other team members immediately agreed with Seo Jinwoo's proposal, as though they had been waiting for someone to speak up.

Kim Seongjun had no choice but to give a little ground.

"Fine. I'll give you exactly three days. Bring me a properly developed story."

"By myself?"

"Who else do we have available right now?"

There were plenty of places to investigate and numerous people to interview.

Handling everything alone would be an enormous burden.

"Wait. Is everyone else only going to cover the dumpling story?"

"You're the one who proposed this article. Shouldn't you take responsibility for reporting it? What, aren't you confident?"

"It's not a question of confidence. I simply don't have enough hands to do everything."

Kim Seongjun barely seemed to be listening.

Instead, he stared into the distance.

"Please assign at least one person to work with me."

Harok gritted his teeth and made the request as politely as possible.

The crime reporting team currently had thirteen members, including the chief.

No matter how busy they were, there had to be at least one person available.

Deep down, Harok hoped Seo Jinwoo would volunteer.

But everyone was busy exchanging cautious glances.

Just then...

"Would it be all right if I worked with Vice?"

Every eye in the conference room turned toward the same person.

Seol Yubin had raised her hand.

It was Harok's first encounter with Yubin since his regression.

Because of his final memory of her from his previous life, he had felt strangely intimidated and hadn't even attempted to greet her.

At this point, Yubin had joined the company late the previous year and had only recently completed her training.

She was still a rookie journalist with just over six months of experience.

She didn't yet possess the authority and charisma she would eventually develop as a police beat chief.

Instead, she was overflowing with more passion and enthusiasm than anyone else in the conference room.

Harok felt uneasy, probably because of the memories of his previous life.

Besides, she had only just completed her training.

There was no telling whether she would be helpful or become an additional burden.

There are plenty of reporters with three or four years of experience. Why did it have to be her?

Harok was undoubtedly a senior reporter whom many juniors wanted to work with.

But who would willingly join the vice-chief when he was on bad terms with the chief?

That simply wasn't how people survived in the workplace.

"Am I not allowed to?"

In the end, Harok had no choice other than Yubin.