Chapter 9

Chapter 9. Let's Do It Together

"You're doing great."

The next morning, as soon as Harok arrived at work, he was called over to Department Head Lee Munhong's desk and lowered his head.

Lee Munhong couldn't even continue speaking. He just kept letting out deep sighs.

"Seriously... I don't know what I'm supposed to do with you."

"Department Head, I'm sorry."

"Wait. You should go see the editor-in-chief first."

Beep.

He called the editor-in-chief's secretary through the internal line.

"Juyeon, is the editor-in-chief there?"

"Yes, he is."

"Tell him Reporter Baek Harok is here."

"Yes."

"..."

"There's no need for you to come in, he says."

Petty bastard. He won't even see me.

He just wants me to quietly wait for the disciplinary committee's decision, huh? Fine. Do whatever you want.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Lee Munhong turned back toward Harok.

"You know the editor-in-chief holds grudges like nobody else, right?"

"Yes. That's probably why he sent me to the disciplinary committee."

"You've always got an answer... Ah, you disaster. I had such high expectations for you."

"I have no excuse."

"The disciplinary committee will probably convene soon. It's going to be rough, so make sure you're prepared."

"Yes."

After his meeting with Lee Munhong, Harok was called in by Chief Kim Seongjun.

"In a world of one-eyed people, the man with two eyes is the idiot."

What the hell kind of opening is that?

He always yells at juniors to write articles with the conclusion first...

"You're the normal one with two eyes in our one-eyed company. But the one-eyed people will live their whole lives without realizing they're the abnormal ones."

"..."

"I'm the same. I don't even realize I'm abnormal. Phew... Working with you is exhausting. One of us should leave, okay?"

"If someone leaves, it should be me."

Kim Seongjun looked at Harok with anger in one eye and pity in the other.

"For now, go back to your beat. If you stay in the office, you'll just make everyone uncomfortable."

That was the best thing Harok had heard all day.

Thank you very much. I'll leave immediately.

Harok packed up right away, greeted the department head and chief, and headed for the National Police Agency press room.

"Senior, over here."

Near the end of the workday, Yubin came to a coffee shop called Someplace near the National Police Agency.

"Why are you here?"

"Wouldn't I be curious whether my respected senior is doing okay? You're happy to see me too, right?"

In his previous life, things had ended awkwardly between Harok and Yubin.

So why was she so cheerful now?

In front of someone whose future could be decided by a disciplinary committee, no less.

Good grief.

"Enough nonsense. Why are you here?"

"Hmph. You're pretending to be tough again. If you're happy to see me, just say so."

I lose.

"Fine. I'm happy to see you. Happy now?"

"Thanks to your article, the entire atmosphere has flipped. At today's editorial meeting, they said we're finally going to start going after the police too."

"My article? It's our article. Your byline is right there beside mine."

"Yes, thank you. Because of that, I think I might be nominated for Journalist of the Month."

"Journalist of the Month?"

What kind of nonsense is this?

"Yes. I heard the Press Association is considering nominating your article for Journalist of the Month."

What an irony.

Inside the company, they were trying to punish him.

Outside, they wanted to give him an award.

"Forget the journalism award. Tell them to stop my disciplinary action instead."

"Puhaha!"

"You think this is funny?"

"Do you know what the funniest part of this whole thing is?"

"What?"

"Your article actually wasn't easy to notice. You only transmitted it to the portal, so it would've been hard to even find."

"That's true."

Harok had wondered about that too.

Unless someone specifically searched for it, the article shouldn't have been easy to find online.

And yet, within just four hours, it had spread everywhere and passed one million views.

"The night-duty reporter from the Internet News Team put it on the homepage as the main headline."

Newspapers ran separate Internet News Teams within the company.

Their main purpose wasn't producing original journalism, but churning out click-oriented articles and managing the company homepage, including deciding what appeared as the main online headline.

The system ran twenty-four hours a day, with one reporter always working the overnight shift.

On the night Harok caused the incident, that reporter had placed his article directly on the homepage headline.

"The editor-in-chief found out later and completely lost it, but technically the Internet News Team didn't do anything wrong."

Harok decided he had to buy that reporter a meal, whoever he was.

If he'd transmitted the article without permission and it had received no attention, he would've ended up getting punished for nothing.

"Who was on night duty?"

"Nam Sangjun. He's a reporter specialized in internet news."

"Tell him I want to treat him to a meal sometime."

"Can I come too?"

"Your name is on the article too, so you've got a share. If you want to join, join."

Yubin immediately gave him an okay sign and smiled brightly.

"Do you enjoy drinking with your seniors that much?"

"Depends on the senior."

"Guess I'm one of the acceptable ones."

Yubin gave him a playful smile.

"Senior, you're my role model."

"Should I be deeply honored?"

"Of course. It's not easy to earn my respect."

As they chatted, it was already six.

Yubin suggested getting drinks, but Harok declined, saying he already had plans.

"Feels like you're avoiding me."

"That's just your imagination. I really have plans."

Harok himself had only remembered those plans that morning.

He had opened his calendar by chance and found a whole string of appointments.

Come to think of it, this was when he was still in his early thirties.

Back then, he had worked hard not only at his job, but also at maintaining personal relationships.

That evening, he already had a dinner planned with his high school friends.

The next morning.

Harok was trudging toward the National Police Agency with a face full of hangover.

Ring, ring.

His landlord's number appeared on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Young man, I need you to raise the jeonse deposit this time."

"I really don't have any money..."

"I've been going easy on you since you were a student. I really can't this time."

"...Yes."

Right.

This was around the time his landlord started pressuring him to raise the deposit.

In his previous life, he'd covered it with his severance pay.

To submit the paperwork for extending his jeonse loan, he had no choice but to stop by the company.

He had drunk heavily the night before, and going to the office meant seeing faces he didn't want to see.

Harok hated the idea of going in more than death itself.

He delayed as much as possible and finally arrived at around five in the afternoon.

Everyone would be busy with deadlines at that hour, so they probably wouldn't even notice who had shown up.

Around six, after submitting all the documents, Harok went down to the first floor and put a cigarette between his lips.

He ran into Yu Seongun at the smoking area.

"Vice, did you get home okay that night?"

It had already been several days since Harok drank with Lee Jinbaek.

You sure ask quickly.

Then again, Harok supposed his relationship with Yu Seongun had always been about this distant.

"Yeah, more or less. What about you, Senior?"

"I spent the entire next day playing dead. Hahaha."

Until they finished their cigarettes, the two had no choice but to exchange updates neither was particularly interested in.

Then Yu Seongun suddenly said,

"Oh, right. Senior Lee Jinbaek asked me to tell you again."

"Tell me what?"

"If you're ever thinking about changing jobs, make sure you contact him."

That night, Lee Jinbaek had casually suggested that Harok move companies.

Harok had politely declined.

At the time, Lee Jinbaek had confidently said that if Harok received disciplinary action, it would become difficult for him to advance within Daehan Daily.

If that happened, he said, Harok should simply move somewhere else.

Am I really that badly marked?

Does he think this punishment is going to be serious?

"I appreciate the thought. Journalism keeps getting dirtier, but I can't exactly quit."

"Yeah. I think you're born to be a journalist. You're a natural. Especially for the social affairs department..."

Harok violently waved both hands.

"Senior, are you trying to ruin my future? I want to take those nice overseas business trips in the industry department too."

"Our popular culture team travels overseas plenty these days too. With the Korean Wave taking off, we've got lots of opportunities. If you're interested, tell me anytime."

"Yes, Senior. Leave a spot open for me during the next reshuffle."

"Sure. I hope you're not joking. Oh, and what happened with that drug case from last time?"

It had only been a few days since he'd mentioned it.

Yu Seongun was more impatient than he looked.

"I've been busy with other things..."

"Right. But from the rumors going around in entertainment circles, it sounds almost certain."

Of course it did.

The Benon drug scandal was going to explode in a huge way.

"I'll look into it right away."

"Good. Thanks."

Yu Seongun put out his cigarette and left first.

Harok smoked three more cigarettes in a row before heading back up to the newsroom.

Just as Harok was preparing to leave, Yubin, who was on night duty that day, entered the newsroom.

Bounce, bounce.

She had earphones in and seemed to be moving her body to the music.

To Harok, however, it looked more like the spasms of someone with a physical problem.

"Are you sick somewhere?"

When Yubin spotted Harok, she smiled brightly.

Apparently she hadn't heard his question because of the earphones.

"Oh, Senior. What brings you to the office?"

"I had some paperwork to submit. But why are you flailing your body around while walking?"

"Flailing?"

Yubin stared at him in disbelief.

"Senior, I'm moving to the beat..."

"I thought there was something wrong with you."

"Senior!"

Yubin shouted.

"You're going to scare the baby out of someone. You startled me."

"This is the latest trendy wave dance. Don't you know Beastie Kids' Love Forever?"

Huh? Beastie Kids?

"You're a Beastie Kids fan?"

"More specifically, I'm a fan of Benon. He's the visual member of the group. I bought a ton of Benon merchandise yesterday."

Ah, that's unfortunate.

It's all going to become worthless soon.

Harok stared at Yubin for a moment.

Then he suddenly wanted to test her abilities.

She had handled the company interviews in the dumpling case quite well.

He was curious whether she could perform just as well against narcotics investigators, who were much more difficult sources to deal with.

"Come over here for a second."

The celebrity drug story Yu Seongun had handed him was at least strong enough to become the lead story on the social affairs page if investigated properly.

Harok could handle it alone.

But two people working together were still better than one.

And a major investigation like this could give Yubin a chance to grow quickly.

I might as well give the future police beat chief another big exclusive for her portfolio.

They said you should give one more rice cake even to someone you disliked.

And Yubin was a junior he actually liked.

"Why?"

"Want to investigate a drug case?"

"Drugs?"

"It probably won't make the front page, but it'll be strong enough for the top of the social affairs page."

At the words top of the social affairs page, Yubin's eyes widened.

"Give it to me. Give it to me. Hurry."

"But there's a problem."

"What is it?"

Harok hesitated slightly.

She was a fan.

Wouldn't this be a huge shock?

Still, there was nothing he could do about it.

"The celebrity involved includes Benon, the guy you like. Actually, if we write the article, he'll probably be the main name."

"What?"

Yubin looked utterly unable to believe him.

Her favorite singer was involved in drugs?

"Are you teasing me, or are you serious?"

"Do I look like I have the seniority to sit around playing jokes with you? The narcotics division is trying to keep quiet about it, but they're definitely investigating him."

Yubin looked deeply shocked.

"Hey, Yubin. You okay?"

Snap, snap.

Harok snapped his fingers in front of her while calling her name.

"What?! Yes."

"Want to drop it? I can work with Byeonggyu instead."

Slap.

Yubin lightly slapped her own cheeks, as if trying to wake herself up.

"No. Do it with me. You're still my number-one reporter forever, Senior."

Ding.

Harok sent Yubin the number of the head of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's narcotics investigation division.

"This is Investigation Division Chief Kim Jongcheol. I got to know him when I covered a new synthetic drug case before. He understands the Korean drug market inside and out."

"Okay."

"Start digging there first. You'll find something that can become a story."

"What about you, Senior?"

Harok stared at her in disbelief.

Among journalists, it was practically taboo for a junior to ask a senior that kind of question.

There was once a famous story about a senior reporter calling a trainee.

"Anything happening on your line?"

"No, nothing. Anything happening on your line, Senior?"

That exchange had become legendary among crime reporters.

What Yubin had just said was almost on that level.

"Are you giving your senior reporting instructions now? Just do what I tell you."

"Ah, sorry. I'll try contacting him during night duty today."

The moment he scolded her, her eyes widened like a startled rabbit's.

Right.

As long as we maintain the proper boundary, we can be comfortable around each other.

"Don't approach him too directly from the beginning. Start with some relaxed conversation and ease into it."

"What can I casually talk about with a man over fifty?"

"That's for you to figure out. How am I supposed to explain every tiny detail?"

Yubin nodded as though she understood.

"That guy has a habit of flirting with female reporters, so handle it appropriately."

"Handle it appropriately? Are you telling me to put up with it?"

Harok flinched at Yubin's challenging gaze.

"N-No. Don't put up with it..."

He quickly corrected himself.

"If he starts hitting on you, kill him."

"Yes."