Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Frustration

The situation began developing rapidly.

Harok's investigative article had at least received the chief's approval.

His reporting was thorough, and every argument he had presented was supported by evidence.

Although they had argued and their relationship had become uncomfortable, the chief was still a journalist.

He wasn't the sort of person who would kill a perfectly good article simply because he had a personal grudge against the reporter who wrote it.

Above all, the deliberately misleading footage created through deceptive editing deserved to be criticized.

The interview with a representative of one of the companies harmed by the scandal was filled with anger.

"Leftover pieces of pickled radish? They're not waste. They're edible food ingredients. Consumers simply don't have much demand for them. But when we told the police that we would throw away those leftover pieces if nobody bought them, they decided that meant the ingredients were waste!"

"Who interviewed the company?"

"Yubin. She did a much more thorough and organized job than I expected."

"Yubin's a good reporter. Take good care of her and help her develop."

What do you mean, help her develop?

I only borrowed her for this one assignment.

"Let's get this article published as soon as possible. The damage to these companies is growing by the day."

Earlier that morning, the Food and Drug Administration had ordered the manufacturers involved in the garbage dumpling scandal to recall all their products.

In his previous life, the president of Mirae Food had jumped from Banpo Bridge a few days after the recall order.

We have to hurry.

"Do you have a relative involved in the dumpling business or something? Why are you so desperate?"

Harok flinched.

"These companies are about to go bankrupt because of an unreasonable investigation. It's completely unfair. Doesn't this remind you of the industrial beef tallow scandal?"

The industrial beef tallow scandal was a massive instant noodle controversy that had shaken South Korea in the 1980s.

"Well, I'm not sure..."

"The article will be in tomorrow's paper, right?"

"The department head has to approve it first."

Harok couldn't take his eyes off Kim Seongjun's retreating figure until the conference room door closed behind him.

For some reason, he was beginning to feel uneasy.

"Are they still in the meeting?"

Harok had been enthusiastically smoking in the smoking room before returning upstairs.

The conference room door was still firmly shut.

"Looks like your article is the source of all the trouble."

The person who answered was Jeong Yongin, the head of the legal affairs reporting team.

"Does it even make sense to debate this? The police have clearly made a complete mess of the investigation."

"That's why you should transfer to the legal affairs team. Stop wasting your time fighting with the police."

Harok stared at him in disbelief.

The legal affairs team covered the prosecution and other legal institutions. Even within the social affairs department, it was considered one of the toughest assignments.

Wouldn't transferring there be like jumping out of the frying pan and straight into the fire?

"Come on, Senior. There are things you can say and things you shouldn't. How can you ask someone who's already counting the days until his discharge to reenlist?"

"Try leaving the department. I bet you'll want to come straight back. You'll be so bored you won't be able to stand it."

"My dream is to die of boredom."

He was only half joking.

In this life, Harok genuinely wanted to experience other departments and live a slightly more relaxed life.

After all, who said a righteous and honest journalist had to work in the social affairs department?

The newsroom also had political, economic, cultural, and industrial affairs departments.

I need to get married someday, too.

He would rather avoid spending the rest of his career in the social affairs department, where there was no such thing as a guaranteed time to go home.

It felt as though his mother's campaign to get him married had officially begun.

In his previous life, she had continued pressuring him until he left Daehan Daily, at which point the subject gradually faded away.

Since he had decided to live differently this time, perhaps marriage was possible as well.

God, Buddha... Is it all right for me to hope for that much?

An hour and a half after the meeting began, the conference room door finally opened.

Neither Department Head Lee Munhong nor the chief looked particularly pleased.

Don't tell me they killed the article.

Fortunately, it hadn't been killed.

Instead, Harok's article was competing with a statement scheduled to be issued by the Minister of Health and Welfare at two in the afternoon for the lead position on the front page.

"What the fuck? My article is competing for the front page against a story that's nothing more than someone copying down a government announcement?"

"They're calling it a response plan."

Kim Seongjun seemed equally irritated.

Harok began to feel that something wasn't quite right.

Every newspaper handled its editorial meetings a little differently, but morning newspapers generally held meetings around eleven in the morning, two in the afternoon, and four in the afternoon.

The two o'clock meeting was used to review additional story proposals and decide whether to include them in the newspaper.

Unfortunately, Harok's article lost its place on the front page and was assigned the lead position on the social affairs page instead.

When Yubin heard the news, she seemed extremely disappointed.

Harok comforted her by explaining that securing the lead story on the social affairs page was still a respectable achievement.

But around four that afternoon, an unusual atmosphere began spreading through the newsroom.

This was the time when articles for the following morning's newspaper began being submitted for publication.

The newsroom was just entering its busiest period of the day.

"Department Head Lee, could you come see me for a moment?"

Editor-in-Chief Kim Yeonghwan poked his head out of his office and gestured for Lee Munhong to come over.

Why the hell is he calling someone who's already overwhelmed with editing articles?

Harok's eyes remained fixed on the editor-in-chief's office.

Huh?

The secretary is bringing in tea?

Does that mean they're planning to have a long discussion?

Harok's heart began pounding.

At a time when articles were supposed to be submitted for publication, the editor-in-chief was having a lengthy private discussion with the head of the social affairs department.

Harok searched through the editorial system, but he couldn't find any particularly sensitive articles that might require a private meeting between the two men.

He became increasingly convinced that the discussion was about his article.

Yubin had noticed something was wrong as well.

She sent him a message through the company's internal messenger.

[Yubin: Senior, what's with this atmosphere?]

We got a little closer after working together, and now she's acting like we're on the same level.

Ha... If I say anything, she'll probably accuse me of being an old-fashioned senior.

[Harok: You've got a bad feeling too?]

[Yubin: 100%. It's definitely about our article.]

[Harok: What's your instinct telling you?]

[Yubin: Surely they won't kill it. They'll probably just cut it down even more.]

Harok's head began to ache.

Do you have any idea how much work I put into that article?

He was already furious that the story had been pushed from the lead position on the front page, with a three-column headline, to the lead position on the social affairs page.

And now they were going to cut it down even further?

Clack, clack.

[Harok: If they strip away all the important parts, can you even call it an article anymore? It'll be a mutilated mess.]

[Yubin: Exactly.]

[Harok: By the way, aren't you being a little too casual with your senior?]

[Yubin: Oops, my mistake. I forgot to use the polite ending.]

[Harok: Angry duck emoji]

[Yubin: Dinosaur begging for forgiveness emoji]

This is no time to be joking around.

Phew.

A sigh escaped Harok's lips.

[Yubin: Senior, stop sighing~ Cheer up! You can do it!]

Harok couldn't help chuckling at Yubin's final message.

Five in the afternoon.

The private meeting in the editor-in-chief's office was still going on.

It was already time for articles to be submitted, but the department head, who was supposed to give them their final editorial review, was nowhere to be found.

Park Mungyu was practically tearing his hair out as he handled the editing on his own.

When the editor-in-chief's door finally opened, Lee Munhong's face was deeply flushed.

What the hell were those two doing in there to make his face turn that red?

Wait...

This means something seriously messed up has happened.

Harok immediately sprang from his seat and rushed toward Lee Munhong.

"What happened?"

Lee Munhong looked at him with an expression that seemed to say, How the hell did this bastard find out so quickly?

Phew.

He let out a heavy sigh.

Then he raised his arm and gently patted Harok on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I know how hard you worked on that article..."

"What? Wh-What do you mean? They haven't just cut it down?"

Unable to look Harok directly in the eyes, Lee Munhong lowered his head and spoke.

"The article has been put on hold... No, it's been killed."

Killed?

Why?

It was still the lead story on the social affairs page just two hours ago!

What kind of dirty trick could have turned it from a scheduled article into something that wasn't merely delayed but completely killed?

Daehan Daily was a newspaper that prided itself on its reputation more than anything else.

And yet, someone had apparently managed to convince the editor-in-chief to kill an article with a single phone call.

Who?

Did the president himself call or something?

"Why the hell was it killed?"

"Don't ask me for the reason. This is painful for me too."

"No, Department Head, how does that make any sense? I worked my ass off investigating this story! Fuck! And now you're telling me it hasn't just been delayed, it's been completely killed?"

"Watch your mouth, you bastard! No matter how angry you are, you can't swear at the department head like that."

Park Mungyu stepped forward to restrain Harok.

The desk editors from the political and economic affairs departments, which were situated on either side of the social affairs department, looked bewildered.

Even so, they seemed content to watch Harok's outburst as though it were some amusing spectacle.

Arguments over articles were common in a newsroom, and it wasn't unusual for journalists to raise their voices or unleash a stream of profanity.

But it was rare for a reporter with Harok's level of seniority to cause a commotion loud enough to shake the entire newsroom.

"Move aside, Senior. Damn it... Are you seriously telling me we should just accept this? What the hell happened to 'Impartiality and Truthful Reporting'? Did we throw our motto in the trash?"

"Come on, I feel terrible about it too. But what can we do?"

Lee Munhong tried to explain himself, looking thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Then at least tell me why the article was killed! Did the great Daehan Daily really agree to pull an article just because the National Police Commissioner complained?"

Silence.

He's not answering.

Does that mean I'm right?

"Was it really the National Police Commissioner?"

If that were true, Harok looked ready to call the commissioner immediately.

"Do you seriously think someone like the National Police Commissioner would dare tell Daehan Daily what articles it can and can't publish?"

Only then did Lee Munhong deny the accusation.

"Then who was it?"

Come to think of it, someone called the editor-in-chief?

That meant someone outside the company had known in advance that the article was scheduled for publication.

Harok had heard rumors that there were informants inside the newsroom, but wasn't this going too far?

It wasn't unusual for a newspaper's advertising department to trade away an article in exchange for advertising revenue.

But Harok's article wasn't the sort of story the advertising department would have any interest in.

Even if they removed the article, it wasn't as though the police would reward them by purchasing advertisements.

Judging by Lee Munhong's expression, the person responsible clearly wasn't someone as insignificant as the National Police Commissioner.

It had to be someone much higher up.

Could it be the Blue House?

But why would the presidential office get involved over something as trivial as a botched police investigation?

Is exposing the police's incompetence somehow damaging to the administration?

That explanation seems pretty far-fetched...

Harok realized that continuing to pressure Lee Munhong wouldn't get him anywhere.

He immediately turned toward the editor-in-chief's office.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"To confront the editor-in-chief."

Lee Munhong was horrified.

He immediately grabbed Harok's arm, and Park Mungyu hurried over to seize his other arm.

With both men holding him on either side, Harok looked like a criminal being escorted away by the police.

"Hey, get a grip! No matter how angry you are, you can't just barge into the editor-in-chief's office!"

"Let go of me! What do you mean, barge in? Does that mean the editor-in-chief is allowed to kill his juniors' articles whenever he feels like it?"

Harok struggled with all his strength, eventually throwing Lee Munhong and Park Mungyu aside.

He sprinted toward the editor-in-chief's office and grabbed the doorknob.

Rattle! Rattle!

That cowardly bastard!

Apparently, the editor-in-chief had been frightened by the sight of Harok charging toward his office.

He had locked the door from the inside.

"Editor-in-Chief! Open the door right now!"

Bang! Bang!

Harok began pounding furiously on the office door with his fists.

When there was still no response, he started kicking it as though he were taking shots at a soccer ball.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The secretary sitting beside the editor-in-chief's office was trembling with fear.

Lee Munhong and Park Mungyu hurried over and grabbed Harok's arms once again.

"Hey! That's enough!"

"I'm not stopping! I need to hear the reason directly from the editor-in-chief!"

Click.

At that moment, the office door opened.

Kim Yeonghwan stood in the doorway, glaring furiously at Harok.

"You little bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you some kind of gangster?"

The word gangster made Harok lose what little control he had left.

"What did you say? A gangster? Then what does that make you, a thug who sells out his juniors' articles?"

Slap!

Furious at being called a thug, Kim Yeonghwan struck Harok across the cheek.

"You bastard! Do you think you can say whatever you want?"

"Then if you don't want to be called a thug, start doing your damn job properly! Explain why you pulled my article!"

Kim Yeonghwan's face turned red, then purple with rage.

"I killed the article because it wasn't good enough. Are you satisfied?"

"What? It wasn't good enough? Editor-in-Chief, are you even qualified to judge my reporting? What part of my article wasn't good enough?"

Slap!

Kim Yeonghwan slapped Harok across the face again.

Harok stared back at him with eyes filled with contempt.

"You've spent your entire career sitting comfortably in the economic and industrial affairs departments, rewriting press releases handed to you by corporate PR teams. Have you ever gone out and investigated a story yourself? Have you ever written an article based on your own reporting? And you have the nerve to tell me my article isn't good enough?"

Kim Yeonghwan raised his hand once more.

Grab!

Harok seized his wrist.

With his hand caught in Harok's grip, Kim Yeonghwan trembled with anger and humiliation.

"The only reason a glorified salesperson like you can become editor-in-chief is because the world's gone to shit and all anyone cares about is making money. In the old days, someone like you would've been sent straight to the editorial writing department. Do you understand?"

Still breathing heavily, Harok forcefully pushed Kim Yeonghwan's hand down.

"Then again, you've spent your entire life copying down other people's words. Even if they sent you to the editorial department, would you be capable of writing a single line of an editorial?"

His criticism wasn't entirely without merit.

Traditionally, the editor-in-chief positions at South Korea's major daily newspapers had been dominated by journalists who came from the social affairs and political affairs departments.

But as advertisers grew increasingly powerful, that trend began to change.

Journalists from the economic and industrial affairs departments, who were responsible for bringing money into their companies, were increasingly being appointed editor-in-chief.

Kim Yeonghwan couldn't find anything to say in response to Harok's painfully direct accusations.

His hands merely trembled with rage.

"You're also the one who sold out my article about Kwon Jaegwan to Handong Group, aren't you? How much did you pocket back then?"

He was referring to the story about Kwon Jaegwan, the third-generation conglomerate heir who had assaulted his driver.

"Y-You little bastard..."

"And who the hell did you sell today's article to? You'd better remember that someone could die because of what you've done."

Ptooey!

Harok spat on the floor before turning around and heading back to his desk.

He angrily stuffed his laptop into his bag and walked out of the newsroom.

Nobody dared step forward to stop him.

"Bring that bastard before the disciplinary committee immediately!"