Chapter 328
Chapter 328
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Team Leader Oh
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The performance metrics for the Policy Promotion Office were straightforward.
Package the Agency's image in a positive light.
But how?
You can't turn sewage into bottled water just by wrapping it up nicely—the Agency's rebranding had its limits.
It was a job where producing results was impossible from the start.
"So how are you going to generate results?"
There was a way to handle it.
I'd handed out business cards to build rapport with folks at the broadcasting stations and suggested we collaborate on a public service announcement to get some visibility with the government.
"What kind of ad?"
"Oh, a TV spy ad."
The Agency protects the nation from sinister Yankee spies.
Honestly, what else did the Agency have to sell besides that image?
I promised the stations that cooperated by airing the ad they'd get Agency scoops first.
"It's exactly 30 seconds. No more than that."
The stations agreed to run the PSA out of deference to the Agency.
"See? That's why you hand out business cards and build those connections—you snag deals like this."
For the spy ad, I cast a child and a woman as models.
"A kid and a young, beautiful woman as models?"
"PSAs like this do better with something soft and approachable than stiff and formal—it appeals to the public more."
I staged the ad to show the Agency (the woman) protecting the child (the public) from spies.
No one would buy into the warmth of this cheap propaganda and actually believe it, but that wasn't the effect I was after.
"What's that woman's name?"
Shift focus from the ad's message to the young female model.
Over time, people's image of the Agency from the ad would morph into that of a young, soft woman.
It was a technique borrowed from 21st-century product marketing.
The ad quickly gained recognition on its own.
Riding the momentum, I got newspapers to run Agency promo comics too.
Again, the Agency was depicted as a woman.
Soon enough, staff from other departments—who'd never paid the slightest attention to the Policy Promotion Office—came complaining.
"Why portray our agency as a woman, of all things?"
I gave them a logical answer.
"Because a woman's soft, elegant image perfectly neutralizes the Agency's rough, brutal reputation."
So, we TS'd the Agency.
"......"
The image makeover worked just as I'd planned.
Within months, even the student activists were cursing the Agency as "those whore bitches."
It wasn't the picture the higher-ups wanted, but the Agency's image had improved anyway.
From human-hunting butchers to streetwalking whores—wasn't that a promotion?
I boldly reported the results during my briefing to the 1st Deputy Director.
"Director Bae, you're calling that results?"
Kim Yu-jin raised his voice, but 1st Deputy Director Kim Dae-gyu silenced him with a hand.
"Director Bae."
"Yes, Deputy Director."
"Doesn't this make us look too soft and weak?"
Kim Dae-gyu's point was valid.
"That's why I have something prepared."
I submitted my prepared report.
Of course, a three-page summary tailored for the big shots.
"Let's see."
Kim Dae-gyu read my summary carefully.
After a while, he looked puzzled.
"Director Bae."
"Yes, Deputy Director."
"Didn't you say you had no intelligence experience?"
"None at all."
Kim Dae-gyu gave me an odd look at my answer.
"But this is pro-level work. Looks like it's from a grizzled veteran. If I didn't know better, I'd think the Operations Deputy Director had put it together."
"You're too kind."
"Go ahead with it as you see fit."
"Thank you, Deputy Director."
Whatever Kim Yu-jin thought, the 1st Deputy Director approved my plan.
That was all that mattered.
My performance review came from my direct superior, the 1st Deputy Director.
I moved on to phase two.
"You're saying we collaborate with a broadcast station on a drama?"
It was something no intelligence agency would dream of.
But for a dubious department like Policy Promotion to survive, we had to shatter conventions.
I haunted the broadcast stations daily, feeding PDs "consulting" sessions laced with fabricated Agency anecdotes.
I aimed to add a subtle flavor to the Agency through a Korean-style spy drama.
"Director, this is going to be a hit. Let's get started right away."
Not long after swapping ideas with the PD, the station greenlit production.
How'd they approve without a script?
Korean dramas in this world didn't work like Netflix, scripting everything upfront.
They wrote episode outlines right up to filming, like serialized webnovels.
The first episode was slapped together at lightning speed.
Four weeks from approval.
Out came episode one.
Only Koreans screaming "hurry hurry" could pull that off.
"Ahh, Hyung-jun! Run! It's a trap!"
"Seon-hee!"
True to Korean spy drama form, they dumped a sack of romance sugar on it.
"Sweet and sticky—perfect."
The buzz was enormous.
In an era when people were still "learning," some viewers mistook the drama for reality.
The station's mailbox overflowed with postcards asking what happened to Agency agent Shim Hyung-jun.
"Now that's results."
Back in the day, if an Agency agent got killed off, the public would've clapped and cheered—worried about an agent's fate? Never.
I reported the drama's ratings data to 1st Deputy Director Kim Dae-gyu.
Even the Agency execs who'd dismissed my efforts as nonsense shut up after seeing it.
Anyone with eyes knew how massive TV drama hits like this were.
Kim Dae-gyu spoke mildly.
"You put in a lot of work, Director Bae."
"Thank you."
"Take this."
Unexpectedly, the 1st Deputy Director handed me a thick envelope.
"It's a bonus from the Director. He watched TV last night, felt good, and told me to give you some encouragement money."
"Thank you."
The cash itself wasn't much.
What mattered was that the top brass remembered my name.
That was key.
"Keep pushing through year-end. Good things will come."
"Yes, sir."
Good things probably meant a reassignment.
That wrapped up this year's performance harvest.
Back at the office, I split the bonus among the staff.
"Y-you're giving us this much?"
Normally, superiors skim half the bonus, and the rest trickles down.
But I wasn't planning to act like a petty cheapskate.
Even if they weren't worth recruiting, these were my people.
Who knew when our paths might cross again? Better to spread some goodwill.
The unexpected windfall put the office in high spirits.
If I could just snag Team Leader Oh too, it'd be perfect.
I smacked my lips, watching him at his desk with the phone pressed to his ear.
What to do.
Reach out, or hold back.
After agonizing, I decided to test the waters.
I started with the newspaper.
I called Team Leader Oh over and casually showed him an English paper with Lee Se-eun's news.
Checking up on Lee Se-eun wasn't a black mark for an Agency agent.
Seeing no reaction from him, I brought her up.
"You know, the young lady's got it rough. If she'd just bend a little, everyone would be better off. Shame."
"Yeah, you're right."
I watched his face—his words agreed, but his expression had a subtle glint.
Didn't that hint at hidden fondness for Lee Se-eun?
But I couldn't be sure.
I kept Lee Se-eun's articles on my desk steadily, probing his reactions.
After a week of testing, I got my read.
"Director."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"I'd like to know why you keep bringing up the young lady with me."
"No big reason. I just wanted to know what's in your heart. Whether you're truly loyal to His Excellency... or not."
Team Leader Oh looked displeased at my words.
"If it's a test, skip it. What loyalty test means anything for someone demoted to a dead-end post?"
My phrasing had struck a nerve—he came out blunt.
His situation, his vibe.
Team Leader Oh wasn't the Agency climbing type.
That's why I liked him more.
"Team Leader."
"Yes."
"Sorry for the test talk. Truth is, I was rude because I wanted to know what kind of man you are."
He gave a wry smile.
"Care for a smoke?"
I offered a cigarette; he took it calmly.
I lit his, then mine.
"Do you know why I tested you earlier?"
He listened silently.
"Because Bae Seong-jun dreams of a warm spring tomorrow."
My words were metaphorical, but they conveyed enough hostility toward the Jang Dong-yun regime.
Team Leader Oh, listening, dropped his cigarette in surprise.
"Was that a test too?"
I laughed.
"Does the changing of seasons require a test?"
I wasn't joking.
I made that clear.
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then spoke.
"Director."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"May I ask about the end of the dream you're dreaming?"
Only then did I reveal the dream I'd hidden in my heart.
The name of the work I loved beyond measure.
"The Republic of Korea."
He understood the meaning behind it.
We smoked in silence.
I made no offer, but his eyes told me instinctively.
From this moment, Team Leader Oh was on my side.
My first comrade took my hand in the gray silence.