A Fresh Start with a Million (3)

"Ah, greetings, Chairman." At Son Min-gwan's words, Yoon-gi smiled softly and gestured for him to come further inside. "Welcome."

Everyone except Yoon-gi blinked in surprise as they watched Son Min-gwan. Feeling a bit of pressure, Son Min-gwan stepped into the conference room with a hesitant gait.

"Ah!" Ryu Geun-tae seemed to be the first to realize the situation, looking toward Yoon-gi. "Are you planning to have author Son Min-gwan serialize a novel in the newspapers?"

Yoon-gi nodded, looking satisfied. "That’s exactly it. The newspapers that supply to MEV will be able to serialize Son Min-gwan’s novel. And it will be an exclusive, not available anywhere else."

"An exclusive for a week… the competition is going to be incredibly fierce."

"Indeed. The newspapers that start the supply will do everything they can to keep the serialization going, and those that don't get the contract will scramble to win over author Son Min-gwan. Besides, the exclusive serialization of a new novel by Son Min-gwan is enough to make even newspapers with a daily circulation of two million copies drool."

Everyone in the study nodded, agreeing that it was entirely possible. Son Min-gwan, looking overwhelmed, spoke in a small voice.

"Ch-Chairman. Even so, I don't think I'm quite at that level…"

Yoon-gi deliberately cut him off. "You can be confident. Your work is truly loved by many of our citizens. To set the history of South Korea right, we need your talent."

"Uh… um… should I write a novel related to history?"

Yoon-gi shook his head. "Write a novel that is strictly focused on entertainment."

"Pardon?"

"Just write a novel that will make the readers go crazy with excitement. A story where they’ll be in big trouble if they don't read the next chapter. That’s what you do best, isn't it?"

In reality, Son Min-gwan had reached a point where anything he wrote became a bestseller. Of course, that was only for the novels that had passed Yoon-gi’s review. There were novels he had published without Yoon-gi’s oversight, but those had failed to meet the average standard of his previous works. But if it had Yoon-gi’s stamp of approval, it was a bestseller. That was why Son Min-gwan still had a strong tendency to rely on Yoon-gi.

"Hmm… well, I’m satisfied as long as my writing gets attention, so I will follow your instructions, Chairman."

To begin with, Son Min-gwan was an author who hadn't been very interested in pure literature. Since he had always aimed to capture people's interest by writing mystery novels—a genre focused on entertainment—he was currently writing exactly the kind of stories that were optimized for this project.

"Now, shall we call in the second helper?"

Yoon-gi picked up the receiver and paged the second person. Soon, the second figure entered. As they say, where the needle goes, the thread follows; the person who best complemented Son Min-gwan was, naturally, Ma Seok-il.

"Greetings!"

Unlike Son Min-gwan, Ma Seok-il greeted them with a booming voice the moment he stepped in, causing all the executives to smile.

"President Ma Seok-il will be in charge of dealing with each of the newspaper companies."

"Isn't that my specialty? Please, leave it to me. I will have the sales managers of every newspaper company dancing in the palm of my hand."

Ma Seok-il’s attitude, raising his right fist in determination, was the very model of a salesperson. Seeing that, Yoon-gi made a sort of bombshell announcement.

"If you handle this job well, I intend to give President Ma Seok-il a seat in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Study."

At that, everyone except Ryu Geun-tae looked shocked. Surprisingly, however, Ryu Geun-tae looked satisfied. This was because Yoon-gi had already asked for his opinion beforehand. Bringing someone recruited from the outside into the Study wasn't much of a problem; everyone would assume that someone with a justifiable reason was being brought in. However, if someone who had been a subordinate to an existing member of the Study were to join, it could cause various problems. Most notably, the risk of them acting as equals, claiming they were now at the same rank.

That was why Yoon-gi had sought Ryu Geun-tae’s consent first, and Ryu Geun-tae had agreed without any opposition. He knew all too well how much Ma Seok-il had contributed to YK, and he was a man who understood how painful it was not to be rewarded for one's hard work.

"Does anyone have any objections?"

Yoon-gi asked with a smile, but there wasn't a single person bold enough to oppose him. Of course, Ma Seok-il’s recruitment could have sparked dissatisfaction among others, not just Ryu Geun-tae. But that was the kind of dissatisfaction a leader sometimes had to suppress. Furthermore, the YK executives didn't harbor any particular complaints. They were people who knew exactly how far they could climb. So, although they were surprised, they soon wore calm expressions—or rather, they smiled and even applauded.

The one who was truly shocked was Ma Seok-il himself.

"Ch-Chairman. M-me, in the Study?"

"Yes, that’s how much I’m expecting from this project."

Ma Seok-il knelt on the floor of the study and slammed his forehead against it. Since it was carpeted, it didn't make a loud thud, but the dull sound resonated clearly.

"I will do my best! No! I will stake my life on it!"

A true, venomous determination had taken root in Ma Seok-il’s heart. How many people in South Korea could stand against a Ma Seok-il like this? From now on, the newspaper companies would have to play in the palm of Ma Seok-il—no, in the palm of Yoon-gi.

* * *

Ma Seok-il still maintained a very friendly relationship with the newspaper reporters. Of course, it was a friendly relationship on a personal level. While maintaining personal ties with the reporters, Ma Seok-il had never used them to apply pressure regarding YK. Of course, he utilized them appropriately when instructions came from above. However, he didn't engage in unnecessary pressure when there were no such orders. Because Ma Seok-il believed that everything in the world was a matter of give and take.

If so, why did Ma Seok-il bother to maintain friendships with reporters in a world of give and take? It was none other than an investment for the future! Connections that might not be helpful right now could be useful later; that was the reality of society. It wasn't for nothing that salespeople, or presidents who ran sales themselves, constantly interacted with others. Because you never knew when or in what situation a connection might prove helpful.

Thinking it was time to use the connections he had maintained for so long, Ma Seok-il arranged a meeting with two reporters at a bar.

"Oh, President Ma. Thank you so much for always calling us like this."

"That’s right. Thanks to you, President Ma, we’re managing to keep food on the table even in these tough times."

The reporters bowed their heads as they each received a shopping bag from Ma Seok-il. In fact, just doing this made it difficult for the reporters to write negative articles about YK. If a situation arose where they had to write one, most would pass it to another reporter and inform Ma Seok-il, saying, 'This kind of article is coming out.' Of course, there were rare reporters who didn't engage in give and take, but Ma Seok-il would catch them like a ghost and cut ties with them. Because Ma Seok-il wasn't a 'Giving Tree' that gave without thought, but a 'Giving Tree' that gave without regret.

"Oh, isn't it because you reporters are always running around for the sake of South Korea that we can always read quality articles? The profession I respect most in the world is that of a reporter. A reporter. I’m doing this job now because I lack the talent, but if I had the ability, I would have become a reporter in a heartbeat."

At Ma Seok-il’s words, which were so well-oiled with flattery that they practically licked the reporters' faces, they giggled and looked satisfied. Of course, reporters also had to return the favor if they received something.

"Hey, honestly, isn't President Ma much more talented than us? We’re just doing this because we have to make a living and it’s all we can do, but if I had the chance, I’d want to be like you, President Ma."

"That’s right. Honestly speaking, what’s so great about being a reporter? People like you, President, are the great ones."

This is why social skills are good. Not saying things the other person doesn't want to hear, and only saying things they want to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hear. As the saying goes, people are more likely to contact those who only say pleasant things rather than those who only speak the truth.

"Now, let’s properly disinfect our throats with some alcohol today!"

The sound of clinking glasses continued. Just when they thought they were quite tipsy, Ma Seok-il spoke subtly to the reporters.

"By the way, this is a secret just for you reporters."

At Ma Seok-il’s mention of a 'secret,' the reporters' ears perked up.

"Author Son Min-gwan is planning to serialize a new novel soon."

For a moment, the reporters' eyes widened.

"Author Son Min-gwan is writing a new novel?"

"Oh…! A new novel by author Son Min-gwan!"

It was a scoop. Ma Seok-il sprinkled some seasoning on top.

"From what I hear, MEV is doing a promotional event where they give newspapers to the audience, and author Son Min-gwan is going to serialize his work in the newspaper that gets the supply contract. You all know that author Son Min-gwan has a good relationship with the YK Group, right?"

Both reporters nodded repeatedly, their minds racing.

'Author Son Min-gwan is serializing? In a newspaper supplied to MEV?'

'If this is handled well, reader engagement will skyrocket!'

The two reporters worked for different companies. So, what was the common denominator between them? It was their 'loose lips.' Ma Seok-il deliberately leaked 'information that others didn't know but wasn't important' to reporters from time to time. And he carefully observed whether that information circulated. As a result, he already knew that these two were the reporters presumed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to have the loosest lips. He knew that if he leaked information to these two, the rumors would spread throughout the industry on their own.

And the next day. Just as Ma Seok-il had expected, stories about author Son Min-gwan’s new work spread to every newspaper company.

* * *

Originally, the standard procedure for this kind of work is quite simple. MEV informs the newspaper companies that they intend to receive 400,000 copies of newspapers per day. Then, the newspaper companies that want to bid visit the MEV office, listen to the explanation, and apply. During that process, the fact about Son Min-gwan’s novel serialization is revealed.

However, Ma Seok-il deliberately twisted the order. He called two reporters and leaked the information that MEV was planning to receive newspapers and that Son Min-gwan would be serializing in that newspaper. This was step one that Ma Seok-il had initiated. Then, what was step two? It was the perfect twisting of the sequence. A significant number of visitors who visited MEV today got to see the advertisement they truly wanted.