The Unusual Sales Job (1)
"Hmm." The homeroom teacher tilted his head, his expression enough to pique the curiosity of the disciplinary committee members.
"Why, is something wrong?"
"No, look at this." As the teacher showed them a page from the magazine, the disciplinary committee members began to alternate their gaze between the magazine and Yoon-gi.
"What is it? Why are you like that?" The head of the disciplinary committee stepped closer to the magazine, and soon, he mirrored the same reaction as the other two. A moment later, he pointed to a section of the page.
"Ah, here..." The three of them burst into exclamations simultaneously.
"Yoon-gi, is this actually you?"
The teacher dropped the magazine onto Yoon-gi’s desk, and soon, the surrounding students swarmed around it.
"Yes, that's me."
"My goodness! How on earth did you end up in a magazine? Your hairstyle is different, so I wasn't sure if it was you."
"Hermès asked me to be their Asian model, so I went for a shoot. You know I went to Japan recently, right? That’s when we filmed it."
"Hermès? I heard that brand is incredibly expensive... Anyway, to think I’d live to see the day a working model is in my class."
As the teacher wore a look of wonder, a "merchant" student—known for his constant side hustles—grumbled with a sour expression.
"Yoon-gi is even in a Japanese magazine, but you aren't scolding him?"
Thwack!
With a perfect sound of a palm hitting the back of a head, the teacher delivered a series of rapid-fire knuckle raps to the merchant's skull.
Thud! It was a truly heavy, solid sound.
"You stupid idiot. Do you think productive behavior and unproductive behavior are the same?" The teacher continued, "Tsk tsk, you fool. If you had just kept your mouth shut, this would have passed quietly, but you always have to invite trouble. Come to the student affairs office after the homeroom meeting."
"Ugh!"
In the end, the merchant, who failed to even break even, was silenced by the disciplinary committee's intervention, allowing the teacher to resume his conversation with Yoon-gi.
"By the way, Yoon-gi. An Asian model? But why are you in a Japanese magazine?"
Yoon-gi offered a bitter smile.
"Right now, Japan is the only country in Asia with the purchasing power to afford Hermès. Well, rich people from other countries might buy them while traveling abroad, but Japan is the only market Hermès is currently considering for expansion."
"Damn it, are we really falling behind the Japs?"
Yoon-gi didn't bother answering, instead offering an enigmatic smile.
"Tsk." The teacher, realizing the reality of the situation, muttered a sharp remark and returned to the podium, where the disciplinary committee resumed their inspection of personal belongings.
A few days later, the magazine featuring Yoon-gi began to spread through the school like wildfire.
"Isn't it a treasonous act for a Korean to appear in a Japanese magazine?"
Jin-soo smacked the back of the head of a classmate who had said that to him.
"You idiot, how is that treason?"
"Why? A Korean appeared in a Jap magazine, didn't he?"
"Don't talk nonsense. It's actually a patriotic act."
"What? Why?"
As the other student looked confused, Jin-soo wore a look of immense pride.
"Hey, if there were any Japanese people who looked good in photos, do you think Yoon-gi would have been the model for that expensive Hermès brand? Yoon-gi proved that Koreans are superior to the Japanese."
"Ah!"
Won-hee was having the same kind of conversation.
"Yoon-gi is Korean, but he went to Japan to work. That means Japanese money is flowing into Korea. What could be more patriotic than that?"
"Wow, that’s true!"
Thanks to these words from Jin-soo and Won-hee, Yoon-gi instantly became a patriot, and the magazine spread like wildfire. Although it was a Japanese magazine, every school had its "merchants," and rumors began to spread to other schools just as they had before.
Even if students were interested in Hermès, it was unlikely to lead to direct purchases, but the indirect promotional effect was undeniable. Knowing this, Yoon-gi had accepted the request from Hermès headquarters. Furthermore, it wasn't just students reading these magazines; anyone interested in fashion would naturally take a look. It was certain that rumors were spreading outside of school as well.
'Well, it served as a bit of stress relief, too.'
Not only had he stepped on Watanabe's head, but Yamada had also been fired from Hermès Japan. As soon as he told Fabien about the Yakuza incident, Fabien had flown into a rage.
"No! I gave you clear instructions on how to handle this properly before I left, and yet you did this again?"
In the end, Fabien had to return to Japan from France to personally direct the branch's operations. The result was Yamada's dismissal and the termination of the contract with Watanabe. Thanks to this, Yoon-gi returned from Japan with a light heart, and he was able to enjoy his school life with a relaxed mind. Of course, Seo Jong-hoon had not returned and remained to carry out Yoon-gi's instructions.
'The indirect promotional effect is enough for now. Is it time to start direct promotion?'
With about half a year left until the opening, Yoon-gi felt the time for direct advertising had arrived.
"Indeed, it is about time we considered advertising." At Choi Chul-kyu's words, Ryu Geun-tae also nodded.
"Since the advertising space in newspapers is quite booked up, it would be best to prepare in advance considering the timing."
"So, you both agree that direct advertising is the way to go?"
Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-kyu nodded as if there was no need for deliberation.
"That is correct. Even if word of mouth about YK Department Store is spreading, it cannot compare to newspaper advertising."
"That's right. And I think it would be good to do television commercials as well. We need to advertise on newspapers or TV so that people from the provinces will come up to Seoul."
"Well, I'm not sure if it's necessary to draw people from the provinces."
"Why?"
To Choi Chul-kyu's puzzled reaction, Yoon-gi shrugged.
"Because the population of Seoul is enough. Wealthy people in the provinces will automatically find out about YK Department Store, so I don't think television advertising is necessary yet."
"Hmm... that's not wrong."
"And let's think about TV commercials after the opening. If we frame it as advertising nationwide for the sake of the mini-department store owners, wouldn't that be much better from an operational perspective?"
Choi Chul-kyu nodded.
"Certainly, there is room to think about it that way."
Just as they were leaning toward only doing newspaper ads, Yoon-gi brought up a new idea.
"Newspaper ads are good, but how about adding a secondary aspect to them?"
"A secondary aspect?"
"Yes. Who puts up newspaper ads in the end?"
"The newspaper companies."
At Ryu Geun-tae's answer, Yoon-gi shook his head.
"That's obvious. But there must be another case, right?"
Ryu Geun-tae gave a sheepish smile with an "Ah" sound, as if he understood.
"Journalists can also help with advertising. If we send them our draft, they could analyze the needs of the subscribers and suggest modifications to us."
Yoon-gi shook his head again with a smile.
"That's not a bad analysis, but that's not what I meant."
"I apologize. Then what is it?"
"There's no need to apologize. It's just a slightly unusual approach."
Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-kyu turned their eyes toward Yoon-gi's mouth.
"This is just my own terminology, but generally, advertising is 'positive'—a favorable feeling. Right?"
Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-kyu nodded as if it were obvious.
"Then, naturally, there must be a 'negative' case as well."
Choi Chul-kyu tapped the table lightly with his palm and exclaimed, "I get it! You mean when journalists write bad things about YK Department Store?"
"Exactly! No matter how much money you spend on ads, it becomes extremely dangerous if journalists start writing negative content."
Yoon-gi remembered the ugly side of the media, such as the food poisoning scandals, the "trash dumplings," and the "honeycomb ice cream" controversies.
"Are there any journalists who would write bad things about YK Department Store right now?"
At Ryu Geun-tae's well-founded point, Yoon-gi nodded.
"Keep talking."
"We currently maintain a close relationship with the New Military Regime. Furthermore, military officials have shops in our mini-department stores. If someone were to write a critical article about YK Department Store in this situation, they would be risking their lives. Is there any journalist who would do that?"
"That is exactly why we need to have an even closer relationship with journalists."
"Pardon?"
Ryu Geun-tae tilted his head, unable to understand Yoon-gi's words. Then, Yoon-gi dropped a small bombshell in front of Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-kyu.
"Do you really think the New Military Regime will last forever?"
If it had been anyone other than Yoon-gi, Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-kyu would have jumped out of their seats immediately. That was how much of a life-risking act it was to criticize the New Military Regime in the current political climate.
"Phew, I broke into a cold sweat for a moment." Choi Chul-kyu, wiping his face with a handkerchief, asked Yoon-gi in a low voice, "Yoon-gi, what does that mean? Even I can't easily understand what you're saying."
"Think about it carefully. The dictatorship of P, which seemed like it would last a lifetime, ended in vain. JD will be the same. Even the Soviet Union, which could be called an empire, is in a pretty sorry state these days."
"Hmm..."
Choi Chul-kyu groaned at Yoon-gi's surprisingly objective words.
"But the profession of a journalist, despite the changing names, has continued steadily from the past to the present. What if we don't pay attention to journalists, and the New Military Regime suddenly collapses? What will happen to YK Department Store?"
Ryu Geun-tae opened his mouth with a low groan.
"We would be targeted for an all-out attack. Unless the second New Military Regime joins hands with YK Department Store, if they use us as a scapegoat, we will be attacked relentlessly. And if a democratic government comes in..."
"We would become a national enemy."
As Yoon-gi smiled faintly, the tense reactions of the two lightened slightly.
"That's why we need to build a decent relationship with journalists in advance. If we feed them 'poisoned apples,' they will at least refrain from negative actions. Furthermore, if we keep records of those poisoned apples in our ledger, even if the regime changes later, the journalists won't be able to criticize us recklessly. This is the era of the media."
In the era after 2010, when internet speeds became incredibly fast, the era of public opinion manipulation would arrive rather than media manipulation, but at least in the 80s, the influence of the media on public opinion was incredibly strong. People influenced by the media of this time would have their perceptions solidified even into their 60s and 70s in the 2010s.
"I understand. Then I will prepare for specific entertainment for the journalists."
"How many days will it take to report the plan?"
"I would like to ask for about a week. Entertainment is a field that requires more aptitude than I thought, so I need to scout for a suitable person among the current YK Department Store staff."
"Don't you need more time?"
At Yoon-gi's words, Ryu Geun-tae gave a slightly shy smile.
"Even if I push it back further, I don't think the report will be significantly better, so I will submit the first report within a week. If you set the detailed direction after that, I will proceed accordingly."
"Let's do that."
Unlike with Jo Cheong-woo, Yoon-gi did not pressure Ryu Geun-tae with time. It was only natural, as Yoon-gi's personnel management method was to treat people differently when there were two of them.
"Yoon-gi, I have one question." Choi Chul-kyu, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Yoon-gi and Ryu Geun-tae, spoke up softly.
"What is it?"
"What do we do about the 'real journalists' who cannot be swayed by entertainment? It is a fact that there are journalists who would attack the New Military Regime at this point in time."
"Ah, that has a really easy solution."