Once It's in Print, Everything Changes
The people gathered in the restaurant turned their eyes to the television hanging from the ceiling.
At the news from the television, the restaurant patrons forgot all about their meals and fixed every eye on the screen. Chopsticks and spoons hung forgotten in their hands as they stared at the set. Even the owner, unable to bring out more rice for his customers, stood watching the broadcast, unable to tear his gaze away.
The office workers who had gathered for lunch heaved a collective sigh at the words from the television. They had already watched colleagues pack their desks and leave; the thought that they might be next was never far away. But the heaviness lasted only a moment. The simple fact that Doa Motors still had a chance to survive brought more relief than worry. If they could just hold on, a solution would appear—and if a solution appeared, perhaps even the present crisis would sort itself out. The spoons and chopsticks that had frozen in midair began to move again. Just as the stalled Korean economy was starting to turn once more, the people in the restaurant settled back into the ordinary rhythm of lunch.
In one corner of that same restaurant where office workers were finishing their midday meals, Kim Seong-ho and Jo Byeong-jin were eating as well. The two men busily scooped stew over their rice and talked while they ate.
"So in the end your sister-in-law is taking the kid and leaving for America?"
Jo Byeong-jin was the only outsider who knew exactly what was happening inside the Lee family of Ilhyeon. Seong-ho, still eating as he listened, reached for the stir-fried anchovies with his chopsticks and answered.
"That's right. She said she'll take the child and never set foot in Korea again."
"Your in-laws are something else."
Jo Byeong-jin shook his head, picked up some namul, and continued.
"An older brother-in-law insisting the kid is his even though it isn't, a father-in-law telling them to raise it anyway because it's still his son's child, a sister-in-law who agrees to take the child on the condition she never comes back to Korea—and the oldest brother-in-law who's the root of the whole mess in the first place… It's a complete disaster. Absolute chaos."
He clicked his tongue, thinking how the polished surface of the Ilhyeon family hid a far uglier mud pit underneath.
"If your older brother-in-law hadn't stepped forward, they definitely would have pinned the whole thing on you."
"They actually suggested it at the start—said maybe we should just claim I brought the kid home from outside."
Seong-ho answered as if it were nothing and scooped more stew over his rice. Jo Byeong-jin stared at him, dazed.
"For real?"
He asked again, half hoping it was a joke.
"Of course it's for real. Why would I make that up? It would have been the most convenient solution for them."
"They were seriously going to dump it on you? On a newlywed couple who haven't even been married that long?"
"Newlyweds or not, I'm still an outsider."
"Ugh. Those bastards."
Jo Byeong-jin spat the curse without thinking, then caught himself and apologized.
"Ah—sorry. I cursed out your in-laws without meaning to."
Whatever else they were, the Lees of Ilhyeon were still Seong-ho's wife's family, so he felt obliged to take the words back. Seong-ho, however, answered as if it were nothing at all.
"It's fine. They are bastards."
"Huh?"
Jo Byeong-jin looked genuinely startled. Seong-ho kept working his chopsticks, completely unbothered.
"What kind of normal household has a daughter-in-law who not only gets saddled with a kid someone else brought home from outside, but then takes that kid and announces she's moving to America for good?"
"Yeah… fair point."
Jo Byeong-jin gave a short laugh and went back to his own chopsticks.
"You're pretty amazing for adapting to that situation so well. I never could have managed it."
"It did take a little time to adjust."
Jo Byeong-jin assumed the "little time" Seong-ho mentioned meant a year or two—after all, Seong-ho was only entering his second year of marriage. In truth, the "little time" Seong-ho spoke of stretched well beyond twenty years: twenty years of living, dying, and now returning with a blade of vengeance aimed at the very people of the Ilhyeon family who had driven him to his death.
"Anyway, this should wrap things up for now, right?"
If Jang Eun-ah left with the child, the matter of the baby would clearly be finished. Seong-ho, however, had no intention of letting it end there.
"We can't let it end like this."
He set down his spoon. Jo Byeong-jin looked at the man who seemed to have finished eating and asked, face full of confusion,
"Can't let it end like this? Then how is it supposed to end?"
"This isn't the conclusion I want."
"So what conclusion do you want?"
Jo Byeong-jin asked, curiosity plain. Seong-ho took a drink of water and answered.
"I want things to get a little messier. If it ends here, people will never know the ugly truth about the Ilhyeon family."
"You're saying you want other people to find out about this?"
Seong-ho set the glass down and folded his arms. After a brief pause he looked straight at Jo Byeong-jin, who was staring at him intently.
"Even if it does get out, people won't remember it for long. Time will pass and it'll just become a scrap of gossip a few people whisper about—one of those dirty little secrets that never goes further."
"A family at the Ilhyeon level could probably kill a rumor before it ever spreads."
"Exactly. If it's just talk floating around among people, they can almost certainly shut it down. But what if the story gets printed in type?"
"Type? Wait—are you thinking of tipping off the press?"
Jo Byeong-jin shot a quick look around them. The diners who had frozen earlier to watch the news were now eating busily again. He tore off a napkin, handed it to Seong-ho, wiped his own mouth, then jerked his chin toward the counter and stood. After pulling out his wallet and settling the bill, he hustled Seong-ho out of the restaurant.
"Thanks for the meal."
Outside, Seong-ho offered the polite remark, but Jo Byeong-jin seemed not to hear it. He scanned the street carefully, confirmed that none of the passersby were paying them any attention, then jabbed Seong-ho in the ribs.
"Are you out of your mind? Talking about tipping off the media with that many people around—are you sane?"
"I never said I was going to tip off the media."
"What?"
Jo Byeong-jin stuck a finger in his ear as if he might have misheard.
"You clearly said that once it's printed in type the situation changes."
"I did."
"You meant the newspapers, didn't you?"
"Type isn't limited to newspapers."
"If not newspapers, then what?"
"Weekly magazines are type. Monthly magazines are type too."
"Weeklies and monthlies?"
Jo Byeong-jin's eyes went round; he clearly had not considered those at all. Seong-ho took him by the arm and started walking at a leisurely pace as he continued.
"It isn't only weeklies and monthlies either. Plenty of places deal in gossip."
"So you're saying…"
"Just leak the story to one of those outlets. They'll dig it up and spread it on their own."
Seong-ho kept walking, glancing at the shops lining the street as he spoke.
"No matter how powerful the Ilhyeon family is, they can't shut down every single one of those places."
"True enough. The major dailies and the broadcast networks are inside the boundary—but those smaller outfits aren't under our management."
Even inside the Restructuring Headquarters there was a department that handled the press, so Jo Byeong-jin knew exactly how far the Ilhyeon Group's reach extended. The team he himself oversaw handled that very work. Seong-ho nodded and went on.
"Right now people are living every day under the fear that they could be fired at any moment. They can't even enjoy ordinary life. In that kind of atmosphere, what happens if a story that can really grab their interest suddenly appears?"
"It would draw a ton of attention."
"Exactly. Once the gossip the tabloids are screaming about starts circulating in ordinary conversation, the major dailies will start paying attention too. Broadcast stations will begin their own reporting… No matter how hard Ilhyeon tries to kill the articles, once the public is already interested, the media won't be able to ignore it anymore."
Seong-ho finished speaking, stopped walking, and looked steadily at Jo Byeong-jin. From that gaze Jo Byeong-jin understood that everything just said had been directed at him.
"Got it. The moment I get back I'll start leaking the story."
Confirming that Jo Byeong-jin had understood, Seong-ho smiled and started walking again.
"You don't need to give them every detail. Toss them a hint and they'll dig through the trash and turn everything upside down on their own. Just throw out the topic. And make sure no one can ever trace it back to you."
"Don't worry about that. I'm not even handing over actual information—just a faint scent. There's no way the trail leads back to me."
Seong-ho knew Jo Byeong-jin would handle it well. He ended the conversation with a clap on the shoulder.
"She leaves at the beginning of next month, so the story needs to be in full swing before then."
"Beginning of next month…"
At those words Jo Byeong-jin began calculating in his head exactly when and how to drop the leak. Seong-ho watched him work it out and deliberately stayed quiet so the man could think in peace. Instead he looked over the shops around them, smacked his lips, and muttered to himself.
"It'd be nice to have coffee after a meal…"
That single small regret from his previous life still lingering, Seong-ho walked on toward the company.
Having left work early, Kim Seong-ho prepared dinner for Lee Gyeong-eun. In truth it was nothing more than reheating the meal that had already been left ready for them—exactly as Gyeong-eun herself usually did. Even so, the simple fact that he could do something for her filled him with quiet joy. And the gratitude Gyeong-eun felt went far beyond mere pleasure.
"Oh my. What's all this?"
"You must be hungry. Just wash your hands first and come sit down."
"Seong-ho."
Eyes already glistening with emotion, Gyeong-eun could not look away from him. Afraid she might actually start crying if he left her standing there, Seong-ho gently steered her by the back and said,
"Come on, go wash up. I'll finish setting the rest of the food out while you do."
He guided her to the bathroom, closed the door, then returned to the kitchen, laid out the spoons and chopsticks on the table, and sat down first. When Gyeong-eun emerged after washing her hands and lightly rinsing her face, she looked at him with the same overwhelmed gaze. Seong-ho smiled and motioned for her to sit. He even picked up a spoon himself and held it out to her.
"The soup's getting cold. Eat."
"Seong-ho, when did you have time to prepare all this?"
"You do it all the time. There's no reason I can't. Please, eat."
At his words Gyeong-eun tasted the broth. It was not a dish he had cooked from scratch, yet the knowledge that he had set the table for her alone made her chest swell with happiness. Watching her delight, Seong-ho placed a piece of side dish on her rice and said,
"Next time I manage to get home even earlier, I'll cook real food and have it waiting for you."
"You know how to cook?"
"Of course. I can manage most things. If there's something you want, just say the word. I'll make it for you next time."
In his previous life Seong-ho had lived alone for more than twenty years, cooking for himself the entire time; he possessed more than enough skill to prepare ordinary meals. It was a natural ability honed by solitude, simply one he had never needed to display since arriving in this life.
If I'd known she would be this happy, I should have cooked it myself.
Seeing Gyeong-eun so moved merely by reheated food the housekeeper had left, Seong-ho resolved that next time he would prepare everything with his own hands.
"Then pasta. I want pasta."
"Pasta? What's so hard about that? Ilhyeon Department Store sells the noodles and the sauce ready-made. It's easier than boiling ramyeon."
Smiling, Seong-ho placed another side dish on her rice.
"I'll make it delicious. Just look forward to it."
The depth of her emotion seemed to have grown even larger; now her expression held something close to pure admiration. Born into a family where she had never once seen herself or anyone else cook a meal, Gyeong-eun found Seong-ho's words utterly new and wonderful. Forgetting even to eat, she simply gazed at him with eyes full of love.