Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: The Sanghae Branch Question
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“President Song?”
I whipped around at the voice calling me. Kang Yoo-ha gestured toward the back while tapping his wristwatch. It seemed to mean break time was over.
I nodded and hurriedly wrapped up the phone call.
“Chef Bong, I’ll call you back later.”
-Wait, hold on, Chef Song! Fair Trade Commission? Did you just say Fair Trade Commission...!
Click.
Oops. I hung up before he could finish. Should I call back right now and ask what he was about to say? But I soon shook my head.
I could talk after work.
“Did I interrupt an important call?”
I flashed a grin at Kang Yoo-ha’s question.
“Yeah. Thanks to you, a deal worth about 300 million won just went up in smoke.”
“You’re joking, right? Though with President Song, it might actually be true.”
“Haha. No way.”
We traded jokes back and forth as we headed back to the interview set.
“Out of all the reporters out there, thanks for reaching out to me specifically. I’ll buy you a meal sometime.”
“Haha, I’ll take the thought. I’m the one who’s grateful. I mentioned it, but I didn’t expect everything to be ready so quickly.”
It had been less than three days since he’d said he wanted to do an in-depth interview. In that short time, Kang Yoo-ha had handled securing the location, the camera director, everything.
“No need to mention it. This is only natural.”
Kang Yoo-ha let out a soft chuckle and winked at me.
“Thanks to you, I’ve got a real scoop?”
We settled into our spots from the interview earlier. I sank into the plush sofa, while he dragged over a chair and sat across from me.
The script sheet in Kang Yoo-ha’s hand was densely packed with carefully selected questions. With him jotting down notes on my responses, it almost looked like a notebook.
It was hard to believe he’d prepared it in such a short time—the questions showed real dedication. I could tell just how intensely he’d worked on it.
Pretends not to be, but he’s a real hard worker.
On top of that, he’d already proven he was a skilled writer. It’s hard to dislike someone who’s talented and puts in the effort.
Win-win for both of us.
“Is it really a scoop? It’s just an interview to clear up the controversy.”
Anyone else would’ve done the same.
“No way~ President Song, you really don’t know your own worth. Of course it’s a scoop!”
As he spoke, Kang Yoo-ha rattled off how I was the hottest topic scorching the internet right now, and how even a doodle from me would rack up massive views.
“Oh. That probably doesn’t sound great. Right? Sorry. Occupational hazard.”
It wasn’t exactly flattering to hear I made for good clickbait. But it was true, so I didn’t feel much about it.
“I get it. I have a habit of analyzing everything while eating, which ruins the meal for whoever I’m with.”
“Ahahaha!”
Kang Yoo-ha burst out laughing, saying I was good at jokes. It wasn’t a joke. Not important, though. I just shrugged.
“More than that, I was genuinely impressed when I heard. I didn’t fully buy the controversy at first, but I thought clearing it up would be a real pain.”
Exactly. Debunking one line of rumor takes a truckload of documents. Of course, the public doesn’t have the patience to read it all.
“But who knew there was such a brilliant counterplay.”
“Brilliant? You’re too kind.”
I chuckled softly.
“To let people know exactly whether there was abuse of power or unfair dealings, isn’t self-reporting the best way?”
“Exactly.”
Kang Yoo-ha replied, still beaming.
“Of course, it’ll take the Fair Trade Commission a while to investigate, but that one headline alone puts the brakes on the controversy. ‘Self-reported to the Fair Trade Commission’... Is there a simpler, more powerful explanation?”
The Fair Trade Commission.
What kind of organization is it?
A quasi-judicial body that thoroughly handles issues like monopolies and unfair trade practices. In other words, it’s the economic police.
It regulates unfair transactions to keep the market healthy.
For example, if massive corporations get caught colluding to manipulate market prices, the Fair Trade Commission steps in to punish them.
‘That makes it a terror for companies.’
Get on the wrong side of the Fair Trade Commission, and the fines will break your bones. Especially if it’s a monopoly case? You’re done for.
Even for me, pulling in the Fair Trade Commission was mentally taxing. Though I had nothing to feel guilty about.
Even upstanding citizens get nervous in front of the police for no reason. That kind of discomfort.
‘But this time, I needed to borrow their name, discomfort be damned.’
People like things fast and clear. Controversies, explanations—everything.
Why it wasn’t abuse of power, why the other side’s claims were absurd. How the contract went down. The fine print. Why it wasn’t an unfair demand.
Lay all that out in detail, and people tune out—it’s boring.
On the other hand, isn’t ‘Self-reported to the Fair Trade Commission’ easy to grasp and crystal clear in meaning?
“Then, enough chit-chat. Shall we get back to filming?”
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Whirr-.
Red lights flickered on across the cameras. It’d probably be edited into the final interview video.
Kang Yoo-ha flipped through a few pages of his script and began.
“We covered the self-report to the Fair Trade Commission pretty thoroughly before the break. Now, let’s talk about something a bit different.”
“?”
What was he getting at? I figured it’d be safe stuff like The Song’s growth trajectory or the new franchise brand launch.
Kang Yoo-ha looked at me and curled up the corner of his mouth in a grin. An ominous feeling crept in.
“The Song’s brands generally boast incredibly low closure rates. Considering that peer franchise brands in the industry hover between 10% and 20%, The Song’s rate under 10% is astonishing.”
What? It was a milder question than I’d expected.
I’d prepared answers in advance about how we kept closure rates low and management tips.
That is, until Kang Yoo-ha threw a curveball.
“But I hear The Song recently unilaterally terminated a contract somewhere?”
“...!”
I instantly knew which place he meant.
That Sanghae branch.
The one where, after I pointed out the issues, they came at me with a soju bottle.
Recalling it made the scar on my forearm throb instinctively. I found myself rubbing it.
‘What now.’
Just the keyword ‘unilateral termination’ alone could tie it to headquarters abuse of power. With the current issues, it’d be salt in the wound.
‘I didn’t hear about this in our prep talks.’
I shot Kang Yoo-ha a glare, and he pretended to flip a page, turning his face away while mouthing something like ‘Sorry.’
Sigh.
The recording was already rolling, and the question was out there. No dodging it by playing dumb.
If I answered smoothly, we could move past it without issue. I chose my words carefully and opened my mouth.
“It’s hard to call it unilateral. We had an amicable discussion with the franchise owner and decided to go our separate ways. We figured it was best to part as mutual supporters from a distance.”
It sounded like some celebrity couple announcing a breakup. But I couldn’t think of a softer way to put it.
“Ah. So, termination by mutual agreement?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“This is interesting. It differs a bit from the information we obtained.”
“...Pardon?”
What was he playing at? I narrowed my eyes, and Kang Yoo-ha slyly averted his gaze as he spoke.
“We have a reliable source. You know how rookie reporters crash at police stations, sleeping and eating there while digging for stories.”
He twirled his pen and shot back.
“Guess which police station I holed up in as a rookie?”
“...No way.”
“Yep. Bingo~!”
Kang Yoo-ha replied with a friendly smile.
“I even got the details on the bloody incident that went down at that Sanghae branch.”
“....”
“Mind saying a few words about it?”
This guy knew everything and was grinning like he was clueless.
I wanted to flick his forehead so bad. My fists were itching.
But I couldn’t do that on camera. And...
‘Come to think of it, there’s no harm in going public with this.’
If anything, that incident was closer to franchisee abuse than power abuse. I was the clear victim, complete with injuries.
The criminal complaint was still in progress, but once that wrapped, I planned to pursue civil action too. Nothing to hide.
‘I wanted to keep it quiet to avoid a fuss if possible...’
No helping it now. If it was coming out anyway, I’d milk it for all it was worth.
I switched gears right away, putting on my most pitiful expression.
“That incident... I still don’t like thinking about it.”
Kang Yoo-ha looked startled by my sudden shift for a moment. But he quickly read my intent.
His eyes widened briefly, then he let out an incredulous chuckle.
He thrust the mic toward me with a bright smile.
“Oh dear. Mind telling us how shocking it was?”
His tone was cautious, but his face told a different story.
It was like he was saying, ‘The stage is set. Shall we play?’
I grabbed the mic and thought back, ‘That’s my specialty.’