If You Can't Stop It, Correct It
Lee Tak-hyeon looked over Lee Mun-jong and the others seated around him, then spoke first.
“Director Hwang has gone out to kill the article, but it’s already too late. We shouldn’t be trying to stop the story—we need to prepare for what happens after it runs.”
“Too late?”
“Yes. It’s late.”
Lee Mun-jong pointed at the magazine lying on the table.
“It’s already been printed and set in type. The story has spread so far that we can’t touch the magazines and articles scheduled to hit the market tomorrow and the day after.”
Lee Tak-hyeon squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, bit his lip, then slowly opened his mouth.
“All our attention was fixed on Doa Motors, so we missed the chance to deal with this. From now on we have to think not about stopping it, but how to respond once the story is out.”
He lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Lee Mun-jong.
“Tell me what you intend to do.”
“I……”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Lee Mun-jong hesitated. He had never imagined the story would travel this far, so he had prepared nothing resembling a countermeasure.
Lee Chang-jong was no better. Lee Tak-hyeon’s eyes left Mun-jong and settled on Chang-jong, yet neither son could form a single word.
Looking at the two of them with undisguised contempt, Lee Tak-hyeon finally turned to Kim Seong-ho.
“Do you have something in mind?”
“If we cannot stop the article, then I believe we must correct its contents.”
“Correct them?”
When Kim Seong-ho spoke, Lee Mun-jong and Lee Chang-jong both turned toward him. Seong-ho met their stares in turn and continued.
“Right now the article claims the child belongs to the eldest brother. That is not true, so it has to be corrected.”
Mun-jong and Chang-jong exchanged glances and nodded.
“That’s right. The child…… is Chang-jong’s.”
“He is…… my son.”
The two men answered while looking at each other with awkward stiffness. Seong-ho watched them for a beat, then turned back to Lee Tak-hyeon.
“So I believe we must set the record straight.”
“Doing that won’t suddenly turn the situation in our favor.”
“The situation can never be favorable for us anyway.”
Seong-ho spoke to the still-frowning chairman.
“Since public finger-pointing is unavoidable, we should concentrate on minimizing how much of it we take.”
Lee Tak-hyeon tilted his head slightly, as though weighing the words, then gestured for Seong-ho to continue.
Seong-ho opened his mouth with deliberate calm.
“There are two problems at the moment. First is the affair; second is the illegitimate child. They look like the same story, but I believe we must handle the responses separately.”
“How do you propose to separate them?”
“We start by establishing that the eldest brother is not the central figure. Once that is clear, the affair between him and his secretary unravels on its own.”
“Hmmm……”
“Then we ourselves announce that the child’s biological father is the third brother and that the biological mother is his wife. That single move flips the entire negative narrative.”
“We come forward and announce it ourselves?”
Lee Tak-hyeon stroked his chin while studying Seong-ho. Seong-ho nodded.
“Sitting still while strange rumors swirl around us is the worst possible plan. If we cannot stop the story from spreading, then shaping the situation to our advantage is the best plan.”
“So instead of watching the weird stories multiply, we step out, explain, and correct the false ones?”
“Yes. I believe that is the only way.”
“Hmmm…… correct the story……”
Lee Tak-hyeon muttered to himself and fell silent for a moment. Then he slowly raised his head and looked at Mun-jong and Chang-jong.
“What do you two think?”
“I……”
Mun-jong glanced sideways at Seong-ho before answering.
“I think Director Kim’s method is acceptable.”
“Acceptable? Is that all you have to say?”
The vague reply produced a look of open dissatisfaction on Lee Tak-hyeon’s face. Mun-jong hurriedly expanded.
“As Director Kim said, if we cannot stop the story, then correcting it is probably the only option left to us.”
“Isn’t that just repeating what Director Kim already said?”
Lee Tak-hyeon regarded his eldest son with weary contempt, then turned to Chang-jong.
“And you? What about you?”
“I also…… think that method…… is the best……”
Chang-jong dragged the words out, desperately searching for a reason. Stretching the syllables did not magically produce any thoughts. He still had not managed a coherent sentence when Lee Tak-hyeon waved a dismissive hand at the mumbling son.
“Enough. Asking you two for ideas was my mistake.”
He shook his head, letting his disappointment in both sons show, then looked back at Seong-ho.
“All right. Handle it yourself.”
“Chairman, there is one condition I need before I can proceed.”
“What condition?”
Lee Tak-hyeon’s eyes narrowed. Seong-ho paused and turned to look at Chang-jong. Chang-jong returned the stare with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Hyung-nim, your wife hasn’t left for America yet, has she?”
Chang-jong found the sudden mention of Jang Eun-ah strange, but answered.
“Didn’t I say so earlier in the living room? She hasn’t gone yet. Why do you ask?”
Seong-ho did not answer him. Instead he turned back to Lee Tak-hyeon. The chairman, reading something in Seong-ho’s silent gaze, spoke slowly.
“Don’t tell me you plan to reverse the situation through the third daughter-in-law.”
“Yes. That will untangle every last thread.”
“What on earth are you talking about? Why would my sister-in-law be the one who untangles every thread?”
Mun-jong could no longer contain his curiosity. Seong-ho turned to him.
“If she stands in front of people and declares with her own mouth that the child is hers, this entire affair ends. More than that—when the truth turns out to be completely different from the rumors, the people who cursed us will feel guilt. That takes us beyond mere reversal and puts us in a favorable position.”
“You want her to say with her own mouth, in front of people, that she gave birth to the child? Our sister-in-law?”
Mun-jong asked, face full of shock. Lee Tak-hyeon stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Chang-jong’s face had gone paper-white; he could not speak at all.
With Ilhyeon Group’s acquisition of Doa Motors, the Korean economy finally exhaled. The exchange rate that had been surging again found stability, and the rumor that the nation’s credit rating would fall to junk-bond status vanished as if it had never existed. The people of Korea breathed a collective sigh of relief and felt genuine gratitude toward Ilhyeon Group.
“Is it true that Ilhyeon Group was about to abandon the Doa Motors bid?”
The host of a current-affairs program asked the reporter. The reporter nodded and turned to the camera to lay out the behind-the-scenes story of the Doa Motors auction.
“From multiple pieces of evidence we learned they nearly walked away because of union resistance and the creditors’ excessive demands. Inside the Restructuring Headquarters—the department leading the bid—the Doa Motors project team was even disbanded, and word circulated internally that the group had completely given up.”
“So the Korean economy was hanging by a thread.”
“You could say the Korean economy, already cut in half by the bailout, came within a hair of losing its head as well.”
The host let out a breath of relief.
“In any case, it is a tremendous blessing that Doa Motors went to Ilhyeon Group, the best possible outcome for the national economy.”
“In fact, after the auction ended, word leaked from inside the creditor group that there had been no alternative to Ilhyeon.”
“No alternative?”
The host’s expression brightened with interest. The reporter shifted slightly toward the camera.
“Contrary to what was reported outside, the German automaker had no intention of acquiring, and Sunwoo Group simply lacked the capacity. Every other bidder’s chances were effectively zero. That is why the creditors desperately hoped Ilhyeon would take Doa Motors, and when Ilhyeon looked ready to walk away they seriously discussed forcing Doa Motors into bankruptcy.”
“It was more dangerous than we thought.”
“It was. And under those circumstances, the decisive factor in Ilhyeon’s acquisition is said to have been the judgment of the group’s top leadership.”
“The top leadership?”
“Yes. The leadership sat down with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the creditors, and the decision to acquire was made right there. That is the story circulating behind the scenes.”
The host leaned forward, curiosity plain on his face.
“When you say leadership, whom exactly do you mean? Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon of Ilhyeon Group? Or did Vice Chairman Lee Mun-jong play the decisive role?”
“Neither of them, according to the accounts.”
“Then which member of the leadership made the call?”
“A participant in the negotiations has testified that the decision rested with Director Kim Seong-ho of the Restructuring Headquarters.”
“Director Kim Seong-ho?”
“Yes. Director Kim himself met the Deputy Prime Minister and the creditors and conducted the negotiations……”
The reporter described the scene inside the Ministry of Finance and Economy as though he had been present. He wove in Seong-ho’s words, the Deputy Prime Minister’s replies, the creditors’ positions, and even occasional remarks from the union side, all with natural, meticulous detail. The host hung on every word, the story painting itself before his eyes. Viewers watching through the screen felt exactly the same pull.
“He talks extraordinarily well,” Lee Gyeong-eun said, even though she already knew every detail. She speared a piece of fruit with her fork and held it out to Seong-ho, admiration clear in her eyes.
Seong-ho took the fruit, put it in his mouth, and answered while chewing.
“I specifically asked them to put a reporter with a good mouth on the show.”
He finished the fruit with a look of satisfaction.
“They gave us exactly the silver-tongued fellow we requested, so we ought to send a bonus.”
“What kind of bonus are you thinking of?”
Gyeong-eun asked, curiosity lighting her face. Seong-ho turned to her with a smile.
“How about an advertisement for Ilhyeon Department Store?”
“Oh, come on. That would mean I’m the one giving the bonus.”
“Aren’t husband and wife one body? Praising me is the same as praising you, so it should be fine if you supply the bonus, don’t you think?”
Gyeong-eun burst out laughing.
“Hohoho. You’re right. That does make sense. All right—since the broadcast is praising Seong-ho so thoroughly, his wife should send the bonus. Tomorrow first thing I’ll go to the company and tell them to place an Ilhyeon Department Store ad with that station.”
“An excellent decision.”
“Hohohoho.”
She laughed again. The warm, easy atmosphere continued for a while—until the television turned to a different topic and the warmth drained away at once.
“However, another interesting story is emerging from Ilhyeon Group besides the Doa Motors auction. What did your reporting find? Is it true?”
The host had changed subjects. The reporter flipped a page of his notes and began the prepared segment.
“At present two major stories surround Ilhyeon Group: the Doa Motors deal and the illegitimate-child scandal involving the group’s second generation. Those are the two main trunks of the narrative wrapping the conglomerate right now.”
The smile that had been on Gyeong-eun’s face while she chatted with Seong-ho hardened the moment the words left the television.
“What began as rumors in a few outlets has snowballed until even the mainstream terrestrial broadcasters are covering it.”
“For viewers who may not have heard, could you first explain what the story is?”
“Certainly. The story is simple. Vice Chairman Lee Mun-jong, the eldest son of Ilhyeon Group, had an affair with his executive secretary, and a child was born not long ago.”
“So a scandal of adultery and an illegitimate child is enveloping Ilhyeon Group. And the results of your reporting? Is the rumor true?”
Gyeong-eun lifted the remote and raised the volume, her face set like stone. A flagship current-affairs program on a major terrestrial network was discussing Ilhyeon Group’s scandal by name. The show regularly drew ratings approaching twenty percent—its influence was second to none among current-affairs programs. If a network of that weight mentioned the company name and Lee Mun-jong’s name without even the courtesy of initials, the damage to Ilhyeon’s image would be catastrophic.
Gyeong-eun stared at the screen, thinking that the present crisis might be graver for Ilhyeon than the economic meltdown that had shaken the entire nation and was still leaving aftershocks. Meanwhile Kim Seong-ho, who had specifically requested the silver-tongued reporter so that Mun-jong’s story would be told even more vividly than his own achievements, watched the same screen and smiled.