The Editor’s Gambit
A newspaper that once sold 80,000 copies had suddenly become a million-seller, with sales soaring past the one-million mark in the blink of an eye. Did these sales just appear out of thin air? Of course not. Naturally, it had cannibalized the circulation of other newspapers. If MEV had raised the price of the movie tickets while including the newspaper as a freebie, other publishers might have cried foul, accusing them of "bundling." But MEV hadn't raised the price. Because of that, it was a very awkward situation for the other papers to file a formal complaint.
Consequently, the 400,000 moviegoers no longer felt the need to buy a newspaper at bus terminals or train stations. Furthermore, those who came to MEV specifically to purchase the paper stopped their subscriptions to the papers they used to read. The daily serialized novel by Son Min-gwan boasted such incredible addictiveness that it compelled people to pay 300 won per issue just to read it. It was only the third day. By the time they reached the seventh day, the daily circulation of the Jeongsim Ilbo had surpassed 1.3 million.
This was a common scene at newspapers other than the Jeongsim Ilbo.
"Dammit, what the hell! Why?!"
"Well, you know how it is..."
The president threw an ashtray at the advertising director. "So, you're just going to sit there and take it? Do something, anything, to keep those ads! Do you think I pay your salary for you to just stand there?"
To be honest, there was nothing they could do. From a corporate perspective, it was far more profitable to place ads in a newspaper with high circulation than one with declining numbers. Therefore, quick-witted companies were rapidly pushing for advertising contracts with the Jeongsim Ilbo. Since the Jeongsim Ilbo hadn't yet become a "major" paper, the ad rates were relatively cheap. The quality of the articles was high, meaning subscribers spent more time reading the paper, and the ad rates were low. From a business standpoint, there was no reason not to advertise there.
"Hahahaha! It’s a hit! A total hit!"
The president of the Jeongsim Ilbo was cheering, answering calls that poured in day after day. How difficult had it been to run a newspaper until now? He was called a "president," but in reality, he had been treated worse than a cub reporter at a major daily. But now, it was different. With the heads of public relations for companies in the top 100 in the country calling him daily to meet for advertising, how could he not be happy?
'Though, there is one thing that’s a bit of a shame.'
A significant number of people were calling the Jeongsim Ilbo to ask, "If I subscribe, can I read Son Min-gwan’s novel?" When told it wasn't included in the general home edition, they would repeat, "Oh... I see..." and hang up. That was why the president of the Jeongsim Ilbo had asked Ma Seok-il if it might be possible to include it in the general edition as well. The answer he received was, naturally, a refusal. Ma Seok-il was, after all, a cold-headed salesman who pushed his agenda through meticulous calculation. The Jeongsim Ilbo president had essentially made an absurd request.
'Well, I knew it was a long shot from the start, but maybe it’s better if I go see him in person now?'
The president of the Jeongsim Ilbo went to find Ma Seok-il. Although Ma Seok-il had other businesses he was responsible for at YK, now was the time to focus on MEV. Therefore, it was possible to meet him if one visited the MEV headquarters—provided, of course, that an appointment was made in advance.
"Ah, you've arrived?"
Seeing the smile Ma Seok-il offered in the office, the Jeongsim Ilbo president bowed his head, thinking things might go well. "Yes. Hello, sir."
The Jeongsim Ilbo president handed Ma Seok-il a shopping bag with a smile. After some casual small talk, he got to the point. "Mr. Ma, it’s nothing else, but I have something I’d like to discuss regarding the contracts for the third and fourth weeks..."
"Ah! I actually had something to tell you as well."
Ma Seok-il cut him off with a bright smile and continued immediately. "The third week has already been contracted to another newspaper."
"Excuse me? What? Whaaaat?"
The Jeongsim Ilbo president was so shocked he jumped up from his seat. "Why are you so surprised? Didn't I tell you from the start that we were contracting on a weekly basis?"
"Ah, no... I know that... I know that, but..."
The Jeongsim Ilbo president couldn't finish his sentence. That was true. It was definitely a one-week contract. However, the president had been optimistic that once a contract was signed, they would be able to continue it steadily. But his opponent was Ma Seok-il. He had chosen the wrong person to be optimistic about.
Gulp! The Jeongsim Ilbo president swallowed hard and asked in an agonizing voice, "Mr. Ma, what on earth is the reason the vendor was changed? Do you not like our articles? Or has someone else offered to supply them cheaper?"
"No, the supply price hasn't changed at all." Ma Seok-il pushed a contract he had signed with another company toward him. "I received permission to disclose this. See? The supply amount is the same as the Jeongsim Ilbo. Well, if you suspect we signed a side contract, I have no way to convince you otherwise."
As Ma Seok-il shrugged, the Jeongsim Ilbo president’s eyes darted to the contract. 'It’s real... the supply price is really the same...' Even the company name was revealed.
"You would have found out which company we contracted with next week anyway, so what’s the problem?"
The words coming from Ma Seok-il barely registered with the president. "Mr. Ma, what on earth is the reason you won't continue to do business with us? Please, tell me. I will make sure to improve and come back!"
The president’s plea was desperate. But Ma Seok-il shook his head. "No, that is confidential, so I cannot tell you. I apologize. You know how it is—if I leak confidential information, I’ll get fired too."
In truth, there was no such confidentiality. Ma Seok-il had been granted full authority over this matter. But he was convinced that he had to act this way. His mission wasn't to build personal connections with the Jeongsim Ilbo; it was to ensure that no "bullshit" came out of the South Korean media.
"Ah..."
Eventually, the Jeongsim Ilbo president slumped his shoulders. "Don't be too pessimistic, though."
"Yes?"
The president lifted his head, his eyes holding a glimmer of hope. "Although this deal is over, I won't end the help I've been giving the Jeongsim Ilbo. I can still provide assistance with printing and covering political news as I have been. Of course, on the condition that the Jeongsim Ilbo doesn't lose its original intent."
The president rolled the dice in his head. 'Even if the contract failed, as long as I don't make an enemy of them, I can get access to reporting that a newspaper of our size could never do on its own. That means...'
There was no need to roll the dice. If he fell into the delusion of being betrayed by YK and lost his original intent, he would gain absolutely nothing. But if he maintained his integrity and kept his connection with Ma Seok-il, he could maintain reporting power equal to a medium or large-scale newspaper. That meant it was at least possible to gradually grow the size of his paper. Therefore, the Jeongsim Ilbo president bowed at a 90-degree angle and grabbed Ma Seok-il’s hand with both of his.
"Thank you. I will never lose my original intent."
Ma Seok-il whispered subtly to the president. "I have a bit of a personal connection with author Son Min-gwan, so I’ll see if I can pull some strings so you can serialize a short story at least once."
The Jeongsim Ilbo president’s face lit up instantly. "Th-thank you!"
Listening to the president’s gratitude, Ma Seok-il felt thankful to MEV—no, to YK—no, to Yoon-gi. 'To think I could be a "superior" who is less resented. I must be the luckiest salesman in the world, right?'
***
When Ma Seok-il implemented this plan, he was prepared to be cursed at. If he had traded exclusively with the Jeongsim Ilbo, he wouldn't have been able to properly carry out the instructions Yoon-gi had given him. After all, if he had an exclusive deal with one place, there would be no reason for other newspapers to drool over it. That was why Ma Seok-il intentionally decided to contract with different newspapers for the third, fourth, and fifth weeks.
Just up to that point. Ma Seok-il intentionally didn't decide on a newspaper for the sixth week.
'If I contract in advance, there will be bastards who start spouting nonsense while trying to sell us their papers.'
Of course, if he kept changing vendors like this, Ma Seok-il would inevitably be cursed at by the companies. Even if he announced it was a one-week contract, the other party would always have the expectation that once they signed, they could keep it going. 'Curses are just words. If the reward is there, why wouldn't I take the heat?'
With the mindset of a thorough salesman, Ma Seok-il didn't care what kind of insults he received as long as the reward was there. That was why he smiled even while thinking of a future filled with vitriol. However, Ma Seok-il’s face suddenly turned serious.
'But, as the Chairman said, this method eventually has its limits.'
Ma Seok-il had received a personal message from Yoon-gi.
Ma Seok-il had also felt that this was highly likely while dealing with newspaper staff over the past two weeks. Therefore, based on the full authority he had been granted, Ma Seok-il had created three countermeasures. One was to provide advantages regarding political reporting to newspapers that maintained a friendly relationship with YK. This was a huge merit for small to medium-sized newspapers, which helped prevent them from spouting nonsense.
The second was to increase the newspaper circulation itself. Originally, the amount of newspapers to be supplied by MEV was 400,000 copies. But Ma Seok-il had introduced a separate newspaper sales channel, effectively making the loss from MEV’s newspaper purchases zero. No, he had actually turned it into a profit. The additional newspaper sales volume had already reached 1.5 million copies. However, this was a method that only worked for medium-sized newspapers at best. Therefore, Ma Seok-il was waiting for the third method, which he hadn't implemented yet—or rather, hadn't been able to implement.
"4 million copies. Once we break 4 million copies, I can implement the method somehow. Isn't there some other way?"
In his mind, the third method was only possible once the amount of newspapers supplied by MEV reached at least 4 million copies.
"Ah! That would work."
Suddenly, the blood flowing through Ma Seok-il’s body shifted from the blood of a salesman to the blood of an editor.