“Excuse me for a moment. I need to use the restroom,” I said.
I asked for everyone’s understanding and hurried toward the restroom.
Mega Meat was withdrawing from the Ga-yeong-dong branch!
What could be a more certain victory than this? Even as I walked toward the restroom, a smile spread across my face.
Only after I locked the stall door could I properly read the article. Though I had been intoxicated by a brief sense of victory, my stomach churned the more I read. The content was completely different from what I had expected.
[Mega Meat Decides on Sudden Withdrawal of Ga-yeong-dong Branch… “An Inevitable Choice to Protect Employees”]
On the 15th, Mega Meat announced its decision to close the Ga-yeong-dong branch.
Mega Meat stated, “Due to malicious and persistent lawsuits and accusations from nearby small business owners, our on-site employees are suffering from severe mental stress and health issues. It has become impossible to operate the store normally.”
In particular, they explained, “Unfounded slander and malicious comments spreading online have tarnished the honor of our employees and seriously damaged a healthy work environment. This decision was made with the safety and health of our employees as the top priority.”
Mega Meat added, “The Ga-yeong-dong branch has been a store that received overwhelming support from local residents, and sales were in good condition. However, due to malicious attacks by some small business owners, we have unfortunately decided to close our doors.”
In a statement, CEO Park Jung-nam said, “This was an inevitable decision to protect our innocent employees and local residents. We will continue to practice management that prioritizes both our customers and our employees.”
Meanwhile, regarding the suspicions recently raised online about the quality of their pork, an official stated, “We are currently conducting an internal exhaustive investigation and plan to announce the results soon.” Mega Meat added, “If the allegations are proven to be groundless, we will take legal action for defamation and business interference. CEO Park Jung-nam has ordered us to respond sternly.”
“That… son of a…”
Park Jung-nam had completely flipped the script. He had taken a withdrawal forced by a plummet in sales and packaged it as a noble sacrifice made to protect innocent employees.
The only people who knew the truth were the residents of Ga-yeong-dong and me. What would the vast majority of people think when they saw this article? Wouldn’t it be obvious that they’d think a perfectly fine store was closed for the sake of the employees?
The moment the media abandons its responsibility, the truth gets buried like this. A chilling sensation crawled up my spine and pierced into my brain.
As I scrolled through my phone and checked related articles, the situation was even more dire. A flood of articles that were practically carbon copies were pouring out, simply changing the names of the news organizations. When people of this era tossed around the term “fake news” like a habit, I used to just let it slide. But finding myself the target of that fake news felt desperate.
[Dae-min Daily: Mega Meat Withdraws Ga-yeong-dong Branch… “Protecting Employees from Malicious Attacks Is Priority”]
[Kuk-dae Daily: Mega Meat Decides to Close Store Due to Attacks from Small Business Owners]
[Dong-seong Daily: “For Employee Safety”… Park Jung-nam’s Decision. Mega Meat Ga-yeong-dong Branch Closes Its Doors]
[Min-guk Economy: Mega Meat Ga-yeong-dong Withdrawal, Damage from Online Slander Is Severe]
[Citizen Economy: Abuse of Power by the Underdog, Park Jung-nam Declares a Direct Confrontation]
Not a single news outlet verified the fact that sales at the Ga-yeong-dong branch were almost zero. The empty store my father witnessed every day, the idle staff, the fact that there were more employees than customers… No one investigated these obvious facts. They were simply writing articles as if they were taking a dictation test from Mega Meat’s press release.
The content of the articles was nearly identical. They only slightly changed the order of the sentences, but the core message was exactly the same.
‘Attacks by malicious small business owners.’
‘Protecting innocent employees.’
‘An inevitable choice despite good sales.’
‘Overwhelming support from local residents.’
It was as if someone had just copy-pasted a distributed press release. The comments were exactly as expected. It was a situation where I couldn’t trust anyone. The media, public opinion, and even the truth were being distorted. Park Jung-nam knew exactly how to exploit the structural problems of the media.
I had to leave the restroom, but my feet felt too heavy to move.
***
The atmosphere of the gathering was still harmonious. Chef Park Seong-ho was organizing the mood while guiding people to their seats.
“Well, shall we officially get started? I didn’t intend this beforehand… but somehow, we’ve ended up with a very special guest today.”
Chef Park Seong-ho began to introduce me.
“This is President Jung Junho, who has been a hot topic lately. He runs Junho’s Butcher Shop and supplies truly excellent meat to our restaurant.”
Applause broke out, but my heart was heavy. Starting with me, everyone began to introduce themselves one by one. There were people from a truly wide variety of fields: representatives of food supply companies, culinary researchers, chefs from other restaurants, a producer for a cooking show, and even a cookbook editor.
“Actually, we have many things we’re curious about, too.”
A culinary researcher spoke up cautiously.
“About that video that became a hot issue recently… can you really tell all that just by looking at the meat? I’m not doubting you, President Jeong, it’s just pure curiosity.”
In any other place, it might have been an uncomfortable question, but the atmosphere here was relaxed. They didn’t seem hostile; they were genuinely curious.
“Yes, to some extent, it’s possible. Of course, it’s not 100% accurate, but…” I answered seriously. “If you look at the color of the meat, the fat distribution, and the grain of the muscle, you can estimate the rearing environment and quality to a certain degree.”
At that, a representative from a food supply company nodded.
“President Jeong is right. Those of us who have worked in this field for a long time can distinguish between good meat and poor meat. Though, of course, we aren’t as accurate as Mr. Jung Junho.”
Another company representative chimed in.
“That’s true. While watching the video, I saw that your explanations were quite well-founded. I thought that with that level of skill, it would be possible.”
The cooking show producer I had been talking to earlier asked with an interested expression, “President Jeong, would you perhaps be interested in appearing on our program? I think the viewers would really love it.”
Another producer cut in, not wanting to be left behind.
“We were actually looking for a food ingredient expert. If you could introduce tips on how to choose meat…”
However, looking at the producers’ expressions, there was a clear sense of caution. One producer lowered his voice slightly.
“However… since content that directly conflicts with a specific company is a bit burdensome, maybe we could go with a lighter topic…”
“Exactly. How about just giving tips on choosing good meat or recipes?”
The other producers all nodded in agreement. In the end, they were uncomfortable with becoming hostile toward Mega Meat. If that were the case, it was obvious that I would just go on the show and talk about general meat selection. I would just become a guest who was consumed for temporary buzz and then discarded.
“Things like how to check freshness just by looking at the meat, or how to read the marbling…”
“Focusing on that kind of practical information.”
If that was the case, was there even a need to go on TV? I smiled and answered politely.
“Thank you for the offer. I’ll think about it.”
“Now, now, let’s eat first. I’ve prepared a special dish for today,” Chef Park Seong-ho said, as if trying to change the mood.
***
When the meal was well underway, Chef Park Seong-ho called me over quietly.
“President Jeong, come over here for a moment. There’s someone I’d like to introduce to you.”
I stood up and followed Chef Park. A middle-aged man who had been eating quietly in a corner stood up. Seeing as I hadn’t seen him during the introductions, he must have arrived late.
“This is PD Kim Tae-hyun. He’s the one who makes the food-related investigative journalism program on KBC called *Dangerous Table*.”
The *Dangerous Table* I knew?!
If it was a show I had heard of, then it was a fairly famous terrestrial investigative program. If he was a producer for a show like that, wouldn’t he know something about Park Jung-nam’s corruption? What if I could be verified on a program like that instead of just appearing on a cooking show? And what was the relationship between these two? Various thoughts flashed through my mind.
But a Michelin restaurant owner-chef and an investigative program producer… It was quite an awkward combination when I thought about it. However, the two seemed to be quite close. PD Kim Tae-hyun handed me his business card and greeted me.
“Hello, President Jung Junho. I’ve enjoyed the videos that have been a hot topic lately.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
I took the card and greeted him back. Kim Tae-hyun asked with a meaningful expression, “Did you see the Mega Meat news that came out today?”
“Yes, I actually just saw it.”
“Still, a win is a win, so I should congratulate you.”
He gave a friendly smile. But I shook my head.
“This… isn’t a victory. In fact, it feels like things have become more complicated. Did you see the content of the article? I’ve become a malicious small business owner. A bad person who harassed innocent employees.”
“Ah…”
Kim Tae-hyun nodded and squinted slightly as if he understood.
“There have been countless people who have fought Park Jung-nam until now. It’s just that they didn’t make it into the media.” He suddenly looked at me with a serious face. “But out of all those people, you are the only one who has made it this far, President Jeong. So, I don’t think you need to feel so dejected.”
“What do you mean by ‘this far’?”
“You’ve actually driven Park Jung-nam into a corner. Furthermore, you’re the first person to ever make him withdraw a branch. You didn’t sustain a single scratch yourself because you used such clever methods.”
Chef Park Seong-ho, who had been listening quietly, agreed.
“He’s right. Usually, people either give up halfway or get buried.”
Kim Tae-hyun continued.
“But President Jeong… I don’t think you know Park Jung-nam very well yet.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He’s someone who understands public psychology very well. Look at what happened this time. He’s a very cunning man who even utilized a failing branch until the very end before discarding it.”
“I’m well aware of that much.”
“I’ve investigated this man before. Park Jung-nam isn’t just a businessman. He’s closer to a marketing genius.”
“Marketing?”
“Yes. Do you know how he became famous? At first, he was just an ordinary chef. But the era of social media completely changed Park Jung-nam,” Kim Tae-hyun explained. “He’s truly excellent at branding himself. He instinctively knows when to say what to get people’s interest, and when to stay silent.”
“So, this time as well…”
“Exactly. It’s highly likely it was calculated from the start. As soon as the Ga-yeong-dong branch ran into trouble, he used that to create a story that was advantageous for him.”
“…”
“To be honest, your foundation seems too weak to go head-to-head against someone like Park Jung-nam.”
“Then what should I do?”
“In my opinion… I think it’s better to stay quiet for now. If you try to refute him hastily, you might end up at an even greater disadvantage. You have your business to take care of, too.”
Kim Tae-hyun’s advice was painful, but realistic. I asked cautiously, “But… if you don’t mind me asking, how do you two know each other? A restaurant chef and an investigative program producer seem like an unlikely pair…”
Park Seong-ho and Kim Tae-hyun exchanged glances. It seemed like there was something difficult to talk about. However, they seemed to have decided to tell me. Kim Tae-hyun spoke first.
“Actually… both of us have suffered because of Park Jung-nam.”
“Suffered… how?”
Chef Park Seong-ho let out a deep sigh. He was about to tell a story he had kept hidden.
“It happened fifteen years ago. There was a time when I worked as a sous-chef at a restaurant run by Park Jung-nam’s family.”
“At that time, Park Jung-nam did some… problematic things regarding food ingredients.”
“What kind of problems?”
Kim Tae-hyun answered instead.
“Falsifying the country of origin, tampering with expiration dates… things like that. I ended up investigating that case as a rookie reporter.”
Park Seong-ho nodded.
“I saw it all happening on-site. I couldn’t stand it in good conscience, so I reported it to Tae-hyun. Ah, we’ve been like brothers ever since that encounter.”
“But…”
Kim Tae-hyun’s expression darkened.
“Park Jung-nam found out and tried to stop both of us. He used money and threats on Chef Park, and pressure from the higher-ups on me. Park Jung-nam’s family connections were formidable.”
“In the end, I was blacklisted from the industry, and Tae-hyun’s article was buried.”
Chef Park Seong-ho gave a bitter smile. After thinking for a moment, I asked, “But isn’t Park Jung-nam a self-made man? They say he succeeded through his own efforts…”
The two of them gave a bitter smile at the same time.
“That’s all a manufactured image.”
“Park Jung-nam actually comes from a very wealthy family. That’s why he was able to pressure us in so many ways.”
Chef Park Seong-ho nodded as well.
“The self-made success story was created for marketing. It’s a myth that the public loves.”
“I can’t believe such a thing…”
I was shocked after hearing the pasts of the two men. I felt like I finally understood why Chef Park Seong-ho’s face hardened whenever Park Jung-nam’s name was mentioned.
“What you are experiencing now, President Jeong, is ultimately a similar pattern to what we went through back then.”
PD Kim Tae-hyun leaned forward and spoke.
“To be honest, with just the evidence you have now or your skills alone, it will be overwhelming to go up against Park Jung-nam’s money, connections, and even the media.”
“…Is that so?”
“Reality is reality. Park Jung-nam isn’t an individual; he’s a system. He’s connected to more places than you’d think.” Kim Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh. “For now, be satisfied with having driven out the Ga-yeong-dong branch and prepare for a bigger fight. Winning this battle means you’ve become a true target for Park Jung-nam—no, for the world that Park Jung-nam belongs to.”
“A bigger fight?”
“Yes. To do that, you need to grow your profile, both in business and with the public.”
As if he had made a decision, Kim Tae-hyun pulled his chair in close and rested both arms on the table.
“I can’t help you with the business side, as that’s something you have to work hard at alone, but I can help you build public recognition.”
“How?”
“Are you interested in appearing on my show?”