Chapter 177
“Thank you for saying that.”
Han Taesung bowed his head slightly in gratitude.
“However... until this issue is resolved, I think it would be better to postpone signing the contract.”
Richard continued carefully.
“Ah, it’s not because we don’t trust the two of you.”
“It’s simply that headquarters will probably feel uneasy about the situation.”
“I hope you’ll understand it as a procedural matter.”
“Of course.”
I answered confidently.
“We’ll resolve it as quickly as possible.”
Richard smiled brightly and clapped his hands.
“All right, then.”
“Shall we finally eat?”
“To be honest, I’m starving. Hahaha.”
“Of course. Hahaha.”
And just like that, we continued the meal in a much warmer atmosphere.
After lunch, we parted ways in front of the restaurant.
Before leaving, Richard firmly shook my hand.
“I’ll continue keeping an eye on the situation after returning to headquarters.”
“I hope this gets resolved quickly.”
“It will.”
On the way back, Han Taesung finally relaxed and let out a long sigh.
“Ha... I’m glad that went much more smoothly than expected.”
“Same here.”
“To be honest, Quantum’s reaction was what worried me most.”
“But now all that’s left is finding whoever planted the false story and putting everything back where it belongs.”
Just then, my phone began vibrating in my pocket.
I quickly checked it.
Reporter Goo Yangmo from Hanju Daily.
Perfect timing.
Before going to the restaurant, I had called Goo Yangmo to ask him to look into the source of the leak.
For some reason, he hadn’t answered then.
“Hello? Reporter Goo!”
“Hey, Director Min.”
“I was working and only just saw your missed call.”
Judging from the noise in the background, he seemed to be outside.
“It’s fine.”
“Where are you right now?”
“What’s with that voice?”
“You sound desperate.”
“What happened this time?”
“Let’s talk in person.”
“All right.”
“Come over here, then. I’m around Gwanghwamun.”
I ended the call and turned to Han Taesung.
“CEO Han, I need to stop somewhere separately.”
“You can let me out here.”
“That Hanju Daily reporter you mentioned earlier?”
“Yes.”
“He owes me a few favors, so I’m sure he’ll help if I ask.”
Han Taesung nodded.
“All right.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
I got out of the car and quickly headed toward our meeting place.
I met Reporter Goo Yangmo at a coffee shop in Gwanghwamun.
“What the hell happened that you’re this urgent?”
“Well...”
“I need to ask you a favor.”
“It might be a difficult one.”
“A difficult favor?”
Goo Yangmo tilted his head.
“Did you see the article this morning about the Mega Cinema sale?”
“Mega Cinema?”
“Of course I did.”
“That article came from our industry desk.”
He paused.
“But why are you suddenly asking...?”
Then his eyes widened.
“Ah, right.”
“Big Picture’s Han Taesung is at Hanshin Media now.”
“So that article was about CEO Han?”
“Yes.”
“But the article is wrong.”
“Wrong?”
I quickly nodded.
“Hanshin has already begun legal action for spreading false information and defamation.”
Goo Yangmo immediately pulled up the article online.
Then he tilted his head suspiciously.
“Huh?”
“This was written by Senior Lee Kyungsuk.”
“You know him?”
“Lee Kyungsuk from the industry desk?”
“We’re not close.”
“But we greet each other whenever we run into one another.”
He frowned.
“That’s strange, though.”
“Senior Lee isn’t the type to publish something without fact-checking it first.”
I carefully asked,
“Really?”
“Is he trustworthy?”
“Well... more trustworthy than me, at least.”
Goo Yangmo snorted.
“I’d call him an ethical journalist.”
“Anyway, he’s not the kind of guy who takes money and writes strange articles.”
“I see...”
Then maybe Lee Kyungsuk was deceived by whoever gave him the information.
Either way, what matters now is identifying the source.
After thinking for a moment, I continued.
“That’s why I’m asking.”
“We want to know who gave him such ridiculous information.”
“The source?”
Goo Yangmo stared at me.
“So you want me to find out who tipped off Senior Lee?”
I nodded solemnly.
Goo Yangmo looked troubled.
“But protecting sources is practically an iron rule among journalists.”
“I know.”
“That’s why I said it might be an unreasonable request.”
Goo Yangmo fell silent, thinking.
Then he asked,
“By any chance...”
“Is there a possibility the source is someone inside Hanshin?”
As expected of a reporter.
His instincts are sharp.
I hesitated briefly before answering.
“The important thing is identifying whoever deliberately provided false information.”
“Of course... if that person happens to be an insider, then Hanshin Group would have its own serious problem to deal with.”
“Ah.”
Goo Yangmo’s eyes suddenly gleamed like a predator spotting prey.
“So this could be internal politics inside the group.”
“Then that changes things.”
“Reporter Goo, this could even affect the group’s stock price.”
If an internal power struggle became public in the wrong way, Hanshin Group’s stock could easily become unstable.
“I know, I know.”
“Anyway, I’ll look into it as much as I can.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll wait for your call.”
Goo Yangmo called me five days later.
During those five days, rumors had spread inside the group that Hanshin Media and CEO Han Taesung should undergo a full-scale audit.
There were even ominous rumors that the Financial Supervisory Service might actually begin moving.
Quantum, which had said it would trust Han Taesung and me and wait for the matter to be resolved, changed its position only two days after returning to headquarters.
“Vice President Richard is still trying to persuade the executives and the president, but I’m sorry.”
“If this isn’t resolved by the end of the year, the deal may effectively collapse.”
Neither Han Taesung nor I could answer Frank, Quantum’s Head of Asia.
Damn.
