Third-Generation Chaebol

Times Square | New York, USA

Times Square, famous for drawing large crowds in the U.S., was even more packed than usual today.

"What's going on here?"

"I heard Steve is holding a demonstration for the phone he made."

"That phone supposedly has a lot of issues, doesn't it?"

"That's just false information spread by a competitor. So, today, they're holding this demo to prove that all the reported issues with INO PHONE are lies."

"Does that mean we'll get to try out the INO PHONE ourselves?"

"Of course! Just look around—there are a hundred units set up for people to test."

Similar scenes were unfolding in South Korea and Germany.

Many people got hands-on experience with the INO PHONE, realizing firsthand that the reported problems were nothing but misinformation.

Naturally, the demonstration attracted a large number of journalists.

Reporters not only took pictures but also stopped attendees for interviews.

During the event, prominent journalists specializing in consumer electronics were given their own INO PHONE units.

In this industry, earning recognition required writing objective articles, and many of these journalists were known for refusing any form of lobbying.

They tested the INO PHONE themselves and began writing their reports.

A significant portion of these articles systematically debunked the false claims that had been heavily publicized by a South Korean newspaper.

There was no way the media would ignore such a major controversy.

In Germany, where a consumer electronics expo was being held, the INO PHONE smear campaign became a headline story. In the U.S., where Steve was based, the issue received even greater attention.

The real problem, however, was in South Korea.

Especially at Dongyoung Newspaper, which had directly received information from Vice President Woo Sung-il and published articles based on it—things had erupted into chaos.

"Reporter Park! How are you going to take responsibility for this? Every single article you wrote turned out to be false!"

"T-That can't be! My source was someone I trusted completely."

"Then how do you explain the live demonstration happening right in the middle of Gangnam?"

"Isn't it possible that they only selected high-quality units for the demo?"

"Do you even hear yourself right now? They're holding demos in the U.S. and Germany too, and they even provided INO PHONEs for foreign journalists. That means at least a thousand units have been released!"

Reporter Park was just as frustrated.

How could he have doubted information coming from Woo Sung-il, vice president at Taewoo Electronics?

Sure, he was at fault for not cross-checking, but how could he verify information about a product that hadn't even been released yet?

"I'll meet with my source again."

"We should've investigated the moment the first edition of the paper went out. Now it all makes sense why Taewoo Group didn't respond at all."

"Do you think it's possible that the source and Taewoo Group were working together and used our paper for noise marketing?"

"So what if they did? The fact is, we wrote the article, and we failed to fact-check! Even if Taewoo Group pulls all their advertisements, we have no right to complain. How do you plan to fix this mess?"

The editor-in-chief's voice grew louder and louder.

Taewoo Group was one of the newspaper's biggest advertisers, alongside Samjin Electronics.

They had essentially stabbed a major client in the back, and now the consequences were on them.

"I'll figure out a way to fix it."

"You know just confronting your source won't be enough, right? You need to go to Taewoo Group, get on your knees in front of Chairman Kim, and beg for forgiveness."

"I'll do my best."

"Don't give me that 'do my best' nonsense—just get out there and do something!"

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Reporter Park left the office.

He immediately dialed Vice President Woo Sung-il's number.

After a few rings, the voice he had been waiting for came through.

Reporter Park let out all his frustration.

"What is going on?! Are you trying to make a fool out of me? Every single piece of information you gave me was fake!"

[Let's talk in person. Come to the restaurant we visited last time.]

Cursing under his breath, Reporter Park got into his car.

He slammed on the accelerator and sped toward the traditional Korean restaurant.

***

"Did you call the reporter?"

"Yes, just as you requested, sir."

I was sitting in a private room at the restaurant, speaking with Vice President Woo Sung-il.

He sat before me, his head hung low like a condemned man.

Of course, he hadn't been like this from the start. It was only after I showed him photos of him handing over documents to Reporter Park, along with recorded audio, that he finally lowered his head in surrender.

"You've been through a lot. President Park Jin-hoon made you do all sorts of things, didn't he? This whole incident—he was the mastermind, wasn't he?"

"…Y-Yes, that's right."

I never directly accused him of any wrongdoing.

I simply pinned all the blame on Park Jin-hoon.

"He was the one who gathered and spread false information, wasn't he?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"You were just following orders."

"I'm sorry. I knew it was wrong, but President Park was so forceful that I couldn't stop him."

Woo Sung-il had completely abandoned Park Jin-hoon.

Now, he was even trying to shift the blame for his own actions onto him—exactly what I had hoped for.

"I understand completely. I trust you, Vice President Woo. But I can't say the same for my grandfather or the others."

"Please help me! If you just spare me, I'll dedicate my life to serving you."

"Then let's do this. From now on, we'll say you were working with me to root out spies within Taewoo Group."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You deliberately spread false information within the company under my orders. The one who leaked that information was none other than Park Jin-hoon."

"Wouldn't that cause problems?"

Though his words expressed concern, his face said otherwise.

It seemed he had already made up his mind to align himself with me, assuming the role of a covert operative.

"Who would doubt my testimony? Besides, aside from you, me, and the reporter, is there anyone else who knows the truth?"

"If we coordinate our story with Reporter Park, then there won't be any issues."

"And we're not even fabricating anything. Park Jin-hoon orchestrated and executed this entire scheme. We're just adding a few details to the truth. He might protest, but who would believe him if we both say the same thing?"

"Thank you! Truly, thank you."

Thud!

Woo Sung-il bowed deeply, his forehead hitting the food tray in front of him.

"There's an old saying: 'New wine should be put into new wineskins.' But I believe in harmony. While old and broken vessels like Park Jin-hoon must be discarded, sturdy ones should still be used, don't you agree?"

"I will do everything in my power to prove that I am a vessel worth keeping, sir."

"Not just you—I want the others to come to the same realization. I hear Park Jin-hoon has quite a few executives who follow him."

I had to completely isolate Park Jin-hoon.

To do that, I needed to bring his loyal executives over to my side, and Woo Sung-il was the perfect person to handle that task.

Of course, if he ever became useless, I wouldn't hesitate to discard him.

But unlike those who had been ruthlessly purged in my previous life, his name wasn't on that list.

That was why I could afford to show him this much consideration.

"There are about twelve executives who follow Park Jin-hoon."

"When the leader of a faction suddenly disappears, chaos is inevitable. But if the leader is simply replaced, things can transition smoothly, wouldn't you agree?"

"On the contrary, they'll be even happier. It would be an honor for them to serve the next chairman."

"Then, could you quietly meet with them and bring them over to our side? I'd like to handle it myself, but too many eyes are watching me. I need to act discreetly for now."

"Leave it to me. I'll do my best to accomplish the task."

A loyal vassal had suddenly appeared.

When he first walked into the restaurant, Vice President Woo had looked at me like he wanted to tear me apart.

But now, he was putting on an act—pretending to be the most devoted subject.

This must be his survival strategy.

It was how he had risen to his current position. And for now, I couldn't think of anyone more useful to me than him.

Just as I picked up a bottle to pour him a drink—

Knock, knock, knock!

"Your guest has arrived."

The restaurant staff carefully knocked on the door and informed us.

I nodded, and Woo Sung-il personally opened the door, leading Reporter Park inside.

"It's our first time meeting, isn't it? You know who I am, don't you?"

"The heir of Taewoo Group? …It's an honor to meet you, Director Kim Min-jae."

Reporter Park was remarkably skilled at multitasking.

Even as he bowed in greeting, his eyes darted toward Woo Sung-il, silently demanding an explanation.

"Please, have a seat. We have a lot to discuss."

"Director Kim, do you already know everything?"

"Are you asking if I know that Vice President Woo handed you a file full of false information?"

"Wait… Was that really false information? Vice President! How could you do this to me?! I didn't even spend a single cent of it—take it back!"

Furious, Reporter Park pulled an envelope filled with checks from his coat and threw it at Woo Sung-il.

As soon as money entered the conversation, the vice president grew visibly uneasy, stealing nervous glances at me.

But instead of getting angry, I simply smiled and gently slipped the envelope back into the reporter's pocket.

"Now, now. Let's calm down. If anyone should be the most upset here, wouldn't it be me? I spent years developing the INO PHONE, only for it to suffer a hit to its reputation before even launching—thanks to a false article."

"B-But… It was all because of the vice president's false information…."

"I know. I understand. But are you trying to dump all the blame on him? Are you saying that neither you nor your newspaper bear any responsibility?"

"…No, I deeply apologize."

Reporter Park suddenly dropped to his knees, pleading for forgiveness.

A quick glance at Woo Sung-il's face told me he was fuming inside—probably just now realizing the full scope of the situation.

"Apologies are fine, but first, tell me how you plan to fix this."

"To be honest, I don't know how to fix it. Ideally, I'd run a full-page correction article, but doing so would destroy my newspaper's credibility."

Tears welled up in Reporter Park's eyes as he desperately explained his dilemma.

Well, no one told him to publish an article without fact-checking.

Granted, I was the one who had leaked the false information in the first place, but ultimately, the responsibility fell on him and his newspaper.

"Then, instead of a correction article, writing a new article wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

"A new article? What do you mean?"

"If the news reports that Taewoo Electronics' president, Park Jin-hoon, tried to sabotage the INO PHONE using false internal information, wouldn't that make a great story? Of course, you'll still need to publish a brief correction as well."

"So, if I write an article exposing Park Jin-hoon as the mastermind behind this, you'll forgive me?"

"Forgiveness isn't really the issue here. We all make mistakes in life, don't we? Oh, and by the way, that envelope in your pocket—that money came from Park Jin-hoon."

Reporter Park paused, processing the meaning behind my words.

Then, after noticing Vice President Woo awkwardly clearing his throat, he quickly put the pieces together.

"I see… I'll make sure to include in the article that Park Jin-hoon even paid for the article to be written."

"I'd rather not see the vice president's name mentioned in the article."

"Of course, I'll leave him out."

"As long as you write the article properly, Taewoo Group won't hold this incident against you. In fact, we'll even support your paper by running INO PHONE advertisements."

Reporter Park was a sharp man.

Even without me spelling everything out, he instinctively understood what I wanted and what he needed to do.

TL/n - 

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