The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 133

133. Yellow Journalism

Reporter Choi approached Detective Oh, who was visibly fuming.

She knew from experience that interviewing someone in such an agitated state often led to them letting their guard down and revealing confidential information.

“Detective Oh, that woman was quite something. Why did you just let her go?”

At the police station, reporters often held considerable sway.

It was common for reporters to speak informally, citing familiarity, youth, or a long-standing acquaintance as justification.

Detective Oh tore up the report he had been working on, threw it in the trash, and complained, sounding like he was tattling.

“She said she has connections, connections! I swear, it’s infuriating!”

“What kind of connections could make the great Detective Oh back down with just one phone call?”

“She claims she’s the president’s mistress. Says she’s raising the president’s child. I’ve seen it all in my life.”

At his grumbling, the reporter’s eyes lit up.

The president’s illegitimate child! This was a major scoop!

“You released her just based on that?”

“Well, her notebook had the names of well-known figures listed. She seems to be a bar hostess, but it didn’t seem like a complete lie. That’s why the police chief called.”

“Really? A notebook…”

Sensing an opportunity, Reporter Choi rushed outside.

Ms. Jeong and her brother’s car was broken down, and they were hailing a taxi on the road.

The reporter approached them and asked.

“I’m a newspaper reporter. Is it true that you used the president’s connections to pressure the police?”

The reporter asked a leading question, hoping to provoke their desire to boast.

Ms. Jeong replied.

“Hehe, how else would we have gotten out? You should have seen the detectives groveling.”

“I heard you’re raising the president’s child? Is it a son or a daughter?”

Drunk, they found the reporter’s eagerness amusing and recounted the day’s events like a heroic tale.

“Yes. I’m His Excellency’s mistress. I’m raising His Excellency’s son. That’s why the police are so servile.”

“What’s the son’s name? When did you start seeing His Excellency?”

“You don’t need to know that. If you pry any further, you’ll only get hurt.”

“I heard there’s a notebook with a list of high-ranking officials. Can I see it?”

The two siblings exchanged glances.

Only then did they realize that things were getting serious.

The brother next to her threatened.

“If you blab about today’s events, you’ll end up as fish food in the Han River! My sister is practically the First Lady. If you open your mouth, you’re dead! Get lost now!”

“…….”

The two took a taxi and left.

Even in the taxi, the two continued to chatter, giggling.

“Hehehe, did you see the detective and reporter’s faces?”

“Hahaha, they looked like they’d been hit by a car. As expected, the Blue House [the presidential residence] is the best connection.”

“We have to be careful of reporters. They’re like hyenas looking for rotten meat.”

“Sister, connections are everything. The police can’t do anything, so what power does a reporter who just looks for rotten meat have?”

But they had met a reporter.

The reporter went back into the police station, retrieved the torn report from the detective’s trash can, and obtained their personal information.

*

Newspaper company.

The editor-in-chief, editorial writer, president, and other executives held an emergency meeting about Reporter Choi’s scoop.

“If there’s a notebook with famous people’s names, it’s a jackpot, but we only have eyewitness accounts without evidence.”

“We need to be careful. This is a huge incident that could shake the regime, so shouldn’t we verify the facts first? If we publish a false report, the backlash on the newspaper will be significant.”

“Ms. Jeong’s testimony and her release that day are facts. If we focus the news on conveying such statements rather than the truth, and raise questions, our media company can avoid responsibility.”

“That’s right. A newspaper’s life is speed. What if another newspaper scoops us while we’re trying to do in-depth fact-checking? We’ll end up chasing chickens and staring at the roof [a Korean idiom meaning to waste time and effort].”

The president, who was listening, said.

“Being cautious is good, but we’re a newspaper that sells news. The truth is for the prosecution and police to uncover, and we just need to raise the issue. There will definitely be a heated debate over the truth for a while. We should use this as a golden opportunity to make up for the reduced newspaper subscriptions.”

*

That day, the evening newspaper’s front page featured a photo of a crumpled car along with the following headline in large letters:

– [Exclusive] Ms. Jeong, who claims to be the current president’s mistress and is raising his son, was released immediately after being arrested for drunk driving! Is it really the president’s son?

The article sensationally described her glamorous career as a hostess from Seonungak [a high-end establishment], along with a photo of her beauty.

The story about the notebook was also mentioned, amplifying the speculation about the list of people involved.

As the newspaper was placed on the newsstand, passersby stopped in their tracks, ten out of ten.

“What? The president’s mistress?”

“The president has an illegitimate child?”

“Who is that woman?”

“She’s so beautiful. That’s why they say heroes can’t resist.”

The newspaper sold like hotcakes.

The newsstand owner shouted.

“Newspaper sold out!”

The newspaper printing house was working overtime, having to print several editions that day.

The number of copies sold that day was the highest ever.

The scoop hit the country harder than a major typhoon.

*

The president’s office.

The president, who received the newspaper, felt his heart sink when he saw the headline.

“What? My child? I’ve never even held her hand?”

He had no acquaintance with her after the regression, but he didn’t know what the previous president had done.

“This is no time to panic. I need to check the facts first.”

The president made a phone call.

“Oh, President Jeong! Did you see the newspaper article?”

– Your Excellency, I’m looking at it now.

“What happened five years ago? I want to know the facts.”

– Ah, this is embarrassing. For something that happened ‘below the waist’ [a euphemism for a sexual affair] to appear on the front page of a newspaper, this is classic yellow journalism, Your Excellency.

‘Yellow journalism,’ also known as sensationalism, refers to media that tries to increase sales by reporting sensational and interesting stories that stimulate primal instincts.

“Looking at the article, the newspaper didn’t fact-check, and all the facts are based on the words of a drunk woman. But as President Jeong has experienced, this woman is Jeong Yun-suk.”

– I thought she was dead, but to be involved like this again, it’s a really terrible fate. No, it’s ultimately my karma. I’m really sorry for passing on a heavy burden to Your Excellency.

“Now is not the time for self-blame, but for a response. We need facts to come up with a plan. What really happened?”

At this moment, the president felt like a reader who wanted to know the truth.

– Sigh~ The Seonungak hostess politics is true. I met her a few times too….

President Jeong told the story in detail.

The president listened and nodded.

“So, it’s not me after all.”

– That’s right, Your Excellency. That woman eventually chose the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is taller than me and a handsome elite. I’m short and look like a country bumpkin, so I was pushed out.”

“Did you really have that intention?”

– That’s just how it is. At the time, the KCIA [Korean Central Intelligence Agency] was fiercely cleaning up after me, so if it was certain that it was my child, Namsan Tonkatsu [a derogatory term referring to the KCIA’s headquarters, implying assassination] would never have done the assassination so clumsily, and would have handled it without a trace so that no one would know.

“Ah, I see. So, it must be the Prime Minister’s son.”

– We all know that.

“I understand. That will help in resolving it.”

The president hung up the phone and felt relieved.

“Phew, that’s a relief. If it was really my flesh and blood, just thinking about it makes me dizzy. Now I have to clean up this mess.”

In fact, it was King Wang’s karma, who probably didn’t even know how many hidden children he had, rather than President Jeong’s.

The president called the chief of staff.

*

Ms. Jeong’s mansion. (Night)

Dozens of reporters gathered in front of the two-story mansion and knocked on the door.

There were also broadcasting news cameras.

“Is anyone there?”

“Please say a few words!”

When there was no response, the reporters were busy capturing the nameplate and the scenery of the house on camera.

In front of the gate, a broadcast reporter held a microphone and recorded.

“This is the house of Ms. Jeong, who claims to be raising the president’s son. There is no sign of anyone, but judging from the lights being on, there must be someone inside.”

She had gone to the beauty salon to prepare for her night job, so only the housekeeper and her son were at home.

The child’s cry, startled by the commotion, could be heard.

The housekeeper opened the window with a creak and shouted.

“No one is here right now! Please leave! The child is crying!”

As if waiting, camera flashes burst towards the second-floor window.

Flash!

Click!

The reporters, who had increased in number, swarmed like bees.

“Is that child’s cry the child?”

“Is it the president’s son?”

“What’s the child’s name?”

“Is Ms. Jeong not here?”

“Where does she work these days?”

The housekeeper closed the window curtain.

*

Gangnam parking lot.

Ms. Jeong hurriedly got into her brother’s car.

She was holding a newspaper in her hand.

“What should we do?”

“Damn it, is this something that should be on the front page of a newspaper?”

“We’re going to get into trouble for showing off! What should we do?”

“That reporter ruined it like this! I’ll kill him if I catch him!”

She was flustered and repeated the same exclamation.

The brother said.

“Sister, I called home, and they said reporters are camped out in front of the house. Where should we go?”

“I got a call from Seonungak too. They said reporters came there and were asking all sorts of questions.”

“To Seonungak too? Then they’ll be here soon.”

Sure enough.

Unfamiliar cars entered the parking lot one by one.

“Damn it! Let’s get out of here for now.”

Vroom~

*

Ms. Jeong left Seoul and hid in a hotel in Incheon.

In the room, she opened her notebook and made a phone call.

She called to ask for help, but the men on the other end of the phone answered as if they had made a promise.

– Why are you calling here! Hang up!

– I advise you, don’t pretend to know me! You’re a stranger to me.

Click!

She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

“Sniff, to treat me like trash now. Selfish bastards! What do I do now? Sniff.”

The brother couldn’t contain his anger and kicked the sofa in frustration.

“Damn it, they’re all cutting their tails [abandoning her]. Sister, let’s take this opportunity to screw those sanctimonious bastards over! ”

“Don’t talk nonsense. He’s not the president’s son, you idiot!”

“I know that. So, what I’m saying is, now that it’s come to this, let’s expose the notebook and screw over those who pretend to be noble and virtuous.”

“If we reveal it? What happens after that?”

“Well… we die together.”

“That’s all you ever do. It’s all your fault for drinking!”

“What? Now it’s my fault? When you think about it, it’s the problem that you worked at a bar, not that I drove drunk, right?”

The two had a heated argument.

And the method they found in the end was this.