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The 15th recipient of Geon-sik Song Journalist Award,
the reporter of HBC's Argon, Baek-jin Kim
will deliver an award acceptance speech.
GEON-SIK SONG JOURNALIST AWARD
FINAL EPISODE
Baek-jin Kim! Baek-jin Kim!
Congratulations!
You won the Geon-sik Song Journalist Award! You're amazing.
Mr. Kim, you need to see this! Look at this!
"The panel of judges think highly
of his courage and sense of duty
shown in his coverage of the Midtown accident."
This is really nice.
-You are the first in the history of HBC. -Come on, we did all the work,
and this man gets all the glory.
Mr. Kim is like a collector of journalism awards.
-Yes, he's a collector. -This is great.
Are we invited to the award ceremony?
I'll invite you to an event way better than that.
-Come to the conference room. -No, don't. Something doesn't feel right.
-I want to go. -You need to come.
You stay here.
The cause of the Midtown collapse,
which happened 6 months ago, has not been identified yet.
A majority of people still blame the construction manager, but the real cause
is faulty construction.
CAUSE OF MIDTOWN COLLAPSE
Since they didn't beef up the foundation,
cracks were running throughout the building.
And due to the heavy rain, water permeated through the cracks
and part of the building collapsed.
The construction manager was falsely accused of breaking a water main.
The truth of the accident could be concealed
because the building was built with irregularities and illicit benefits.
These men in authority were involved in this scheme.
The Vice Minister of Land and the City Planning Commissioner,
issued a permit to change public land to commercial one
so that a shopping mall could be built on the land.
MIDTOWN CEO JANG-HYUK SEO
Savings banks in Haemyung City gave Midtown illegal loans
of over 70 billion won without collateral.
The city's prosecutors accepted bribes
from Midtown's CEO, Jang-hyuk Seo and took care of legal issues.
MIDTOWN ORGANIZATION CHART
That asshole is Ki-jin Han, the prosecutor who interrogated me.
Prosecutor Ki-jin Han is the one who let the Midtown incident slide.
Many more prosecutors also are on the list
of those who received bribes from Midtown.
How did you get it?
I put together shredded pieces of paper from Midtown's office.
Did you put it together one by one?
Right. There was another illicit benefit Prosecutor Han provided.
The prosecutor turned a blind eye to embezzlement of eight billion won
committed by Pastor Kang of Sungjong Church.
The cousin of our CEO, right?
That's why our company stopped the follow-up on the Midtown case.
I knew that asshole would've done this.
In exchange of a massive
amount of money given to the authorities as bribes,
poor construction works were overlooked.
From the construction expenses of 70 billion won,
only 37.8 billion won was actually spent.
The mastermind of the entire scheme is the big boss.
-"Big boss"? -Yes.
That person called "big boss" orchestrated all this.
His identity is still unknown.
Seventy-one.
That's how many people died from the accident six months ago.
The cause is no longer poor construction.
These people who let and even helped this building be built
are also accomplices and culprits.
Our goal is to make clear what happened and deliver it to the public.
Argon will put every effort into the Midtown case from today.
Our priority is to identify the big boss.
Are you saying you'll screen every news item we produce?
Report the content of every news report from morning until night.
Also, report the content
of regular segments of each news program
in detail to me.
Report directly to me on Argon
in separate reports.
Not a single caption should be aired without my approval from now on.
Sir.
You can't infringe on the rights of the newsroom like this.
So what?
Are you disobeying me?
No, sir. I'll do as I'm told.
When you met with Prosecutor Cha, did he tell you
anything about the big boss?
No, he didn't know about him.
Around the time he learned the Midtown's CEO bribed prosecutors,
he was demoted.
Wait.
Did you say his investigation was stopped when the CEO approached him?
Yes.
That means Prosecutor Cha was on to something.
Or they wouldn't have made him go out and bribe prosecutors.
The CEO must be closely related to the big boss.
Look into his past.
Yes, sir.
The CEO, Jang-hyuk Seo
worked in construction before opening a hostess bar.
The construction companies he worked for
all have different names, but have one thing in common.
-What is it? -They all bought public land.
Could it be one company disguised in different names?
According to his police records,
he was charged with illegal loans
-and bidding irregularities. -But all his indictments were suspended.
He is one lucky guy.
Mr. Kim thinks Jang-hyuk Seo is working for the big boss.
What if the big boss owned the construction companies?
Are you saying the Midtown is not their first scam?
-You're right. -Seung-yong,
check who owned the companies that Jang-hyuk Seo worked for.
They are not in the database. They have no office
or an owner's name. They are bogus companies.
The companies were mentioned, but the owner's name wasn't.
There aren't many articles about them.
-Local newspapers! -What?
Local newspapers make detailed reports on the constructor of major buildings
including groundbreaking ceremony photos and interviews with CEOs.
I wrote a lot of reports like that when I worked in Busan.
Photos of the groundbreaking ceremony.
Where are they?
I knew I could find it.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
That's him.
Jang-hyuk Seo is here.
I found a photo of him.
Apartment Construction Ceremony
He's here too.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
I saw this man from the previous photo.
Redevelopment Ceremony
Jang-hyuk Seo is not here, but that man is.
Golf Resort Construction Ceremony
He's here too.
Thriving Myungju Construction
CEO Duk-su Yoon.
CEO OF MYUNGJU CONSTRUCTION
Duk-su Yoon?
The real estate genius, Duk-su Yoon?
Yes, that's him.
Wasn't he put behind bars in 2007 for real estate fraud?
He was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of two billion won.
For lack of evidence, he was released on probation.
Duk-su Yoon resurrected himself as the big boss, right?
It's still my presumption, but the method is very similar to his.
The way they buy public land at a cheap price
and prefers shopping malls is just like his method.
-Are you on your way back? -Yes.
So, Duk-su Yoon...
Have you eaten?
Not yet.
Let's go eat.
As far as I know,
Duk-su Yoon went bankrupt and became penniless.
Yes, he was known to have gone bankrupt.
But he was next to Jang-hyuk Seo in the ceremony photos.
Let me show you.
Please take a look.
Thriving Myungju Construction
"I dream of building a department store in my hometown Haemyung City."
Midtown?
He doesn't show up, but directs behind the scene.
What if it's his new way of living?
Yeon-hwa, eat this.
Thank you.
He hid his faults and made a comeback.
-And he's the big boss, right? -Yes.
It's a convincing theory, but it's only your suspicion.
You need tangible evidence that Duk-su Yoon is involved in Midtown
to prove it's true. Do you have an idea how to find it?
There is someone I could prod.
-Eat. -Thank you for the food.
You're late.
How did you know where I live?
You still use SNS. I think you should be more careful.
Thing like this happens because you disclose personal information.
What do you want now?
I worked in the office for a few months. That's all.
I told you everything I know.
-A few months? -Yes.
What about this?
Why are you in the photo that was taken three years ago?
Jang-hyuk Seo must've been very nice to you, right?
You worked for him for three years.
Or was there something going on between you and him?
That's preposterous.
I was working at his hostess bar
when he said it's an easy paperwork job, so I joined the company.
Goodness, he is so stingy. He's not my type.
I see.
Then, what about this man?
What did he call this man?
Big boss?
Sir, I'm sorry for calling you this late.
Could you do a background check on someone?
Hey, give it to me quickly!
Did you have to wake me up and bother me at this early hour?
Come on, I'm trying to keep you healthy.
A morning person lives long.
Bullshit. Since you became a reporter,
you've always used me.
Come on, I'll never forget what you've done for me.
Go wash your face. I'll treat you some time.
-Bye. -Hey.
Duk-su Yoon was born in 1963 in Haemyung City.
Didn't he go to school at all? There's almost no personal information.
We have enough of his past records,
but none of them is connected to Midtown.
I can't find the name Duk-su Yoon anywhere else.
They removed his name from legally sensitive matters.
-I find this strange. -What is it?
It's a charge filed against him.
There's a familiar name on it.
Ho-jung Yang?
Is he the same person we know?
Is he the city planning commissioner?
Did Ho-jung Yang sue Duk-su Yoon? Why would he? They're on the same side.
In the records of Duk-su Yoon,
the only thing related to Midtown is Ho-jung Yang.
Shouldn't we look into this?
HO-JUNG YANG
In 2012...
Since he sued Duk-su Yoon in 2014...
Ho-jung Yang is currently working under the vice minister, Dae-seob Kim.
Did he work for a civic group?
CIVIC GROUP FOR GOOD HOSPITAL
Civic Group's Manager Charged with Corruption
"Argon made a report on the Civic Group for Good Hospital."
Argon?
I thought we wouldn't be able meet for quite some time.
Maybe we're meeting too soon.
I'm not as excited as I expected.
How have you been?
What do you think?
How come you never called me just because I didn't call you?
Am I no longer your friend since I stopped being your lawyer?
See? You're more mature than me.
Here's the information you asked on Ho-jung Yang.
Thank you.
I didn't know that you knew his lawyer.
I met her when I was providing free legal advice.
CIVIC GROUP FOR GOOD HOSPITAL
There is a dishonest civic group that acted fraudulently.
The Civic Group for Good Hospital.
-Just like its name suggests... -Argon really made a report on it.
The civic group
accepted bribes in connection with construction bidding.
What?
Is this the same Ho-jung Yang from the civic group 3 years ago?
We have such an ill-fated relationship.
Why did he sue Duk-su Yoon then?
Ho-jung Yang said that he wasn't bribed,
and that he was framed by Duk-su Yoon's people.
-Why would Duk-su Yoon do that? -He wanted to kick people
out of the public land.
So, that land...
Midtown was built on that land.
What? Wait a second. Let me think.
So, what happened?
Are you saying
that the bribery case was fabricated for the Midtown project?
Was Ho-jung Yang a victim?
What if he was one of them?
-What? -It was called a civic group,
but actually, it was operated with illegal funds.
They had no intention of building a hospital.
Does that mean Ho-jung Yang pretended to be a victim on purpose?
He joined hands with the big boss to cancel the hospital construction
that was signed and sealed.
Eventually, the hospital construction went back to square one.
Ho-jung Yang became a city official right away,
and licensed the construction of Midtown.
What happened three years ago was connected to the Midtown accident.
They made thorough preparations to build Midtown for a long time.
We've just caught the root of the Midtown accident.
HYE-JIN MOON
CIVIC GROUP FOR GOOD HOSPITAL THREE YEARS ANNIVERSARY
Honey, I'm going to meet with the group.
I'll make sure to convince them.
It's you guys again.
Damned crooks...
It's 600 won.
Gosh, I don't have any coins.
I really don't.
Why don't you just give me one?
Thank you.
-Which one? -After you.
I'll have the same.
Thank you.
-Here. -Thank you.
-Thanks again. -Mr. Shin.
Do you remember the Civic Group for Good Hospital?
Yes, I do.
Whose item was it?
It was Baek-jin's.
He got a call from the informer himself.
Actually, I have something to tell you about the case.
Hello, Mr. Ho-jung Yang.
I'm Baek-jin Kim from HBC.
Did you make an appointment?
Let's go to my office.
Have some.
I make delicious coffee.
You didn't seem surprised to see me.
I didn't?
I was quite surprised though.
So?
What brought you here,
Mr. Baek-jin Kim?
Are you sure you have enough time?
There is a lot we need to talk about.
You're right.
After all, we have a lot of catching up to do.
So, Ho-jung Yang worked for the big boss and broke the fake bribery scandal
on purpose to have the hospital construction canceled?
To build Midtown?
Yes.
Baek-jin is sure of it.
The police began to investigate after our report was broadcast.
The person in charge was arrested after some time had passed.
We didn't know it was Ho-jung Yang.
The Midtown project was already in progress back then.
But something is off.
Ho-jung Yang said he joined the campaign for building hospitals
for his disabled son in an interview.
He also kept claiming that he was innocent.
He was acquitted in the end.
Could he have been one of them from the beginning?
Do you also agree with Mr. Kim?
Actually, there is something I can't quite understand.
The report I made three years ago had no problem.
Of course, I did miss one thing.
I missed that you accepted bribes on purpose.
You joined hands with the big boss to cancel the hospital construction.
-What did you say? -How did it feel?
You helped tear down a building that saves lives
to construct a building that does the opposite.
What did the big boss promise you?
Money?
Or your current position?
Did you abandon your belief and values in exchange for it?
Before I stood on his side, the world abandoned me first.
When everybody else turned away from me,
it was the big boss who lend me a helping hand.
What choice do you think I had?
It's a lie. It's a cop-out.
It's the same old excuse of a turncoat.
I didn't have to come all the way here. It's exactly the same as I expected.
It's late, but I'm relieved to find the root of the Midtown accident.
Thank you for the coffee.
Mr. Kim, you are still weak-sighted as before.
Pardon?
Do you know who the informer was for your broadcast?
It's Jang-hyuk Seo, the CEO of Midtown.
Did you really not know?
Have you read any of the documents I sent you?
-What are you talking about? -Three years ago,
I sent you every piece of evidence.
I begged you to take a look and correct your report.
You ignored it.
-Bullshit. -See for yourself if it's bullshit or not.
You're the one who started the tragedy of Midtown.
ARGON
DOCUMENTS ARGON
CIVIC GROUP FOR GOOD HOSPITAL
After our report was aired,
they sent Baek-jin
some explanatory materials.
We don't know what they were about.
Baek-jin was sure that they weren't worth a look.
EXPLANATION FOR BRIBERY ALLEGATION
THE ANONYMOUS INFORMER WAS JANG-HYUK SEO.
DO YOU REMEMBER DUK-SU YOON?
JANG-HYUK SEO GAVE FALSE INFORMATION.
MR. HO-JUNG YANG JOEUN BANK
TRANSACTION RECORDS
What are you doing here alone?
Why?
Do you remember the Good Hospital case which happened 3 years ago?
Mr. Kim, this is strange.
The document sent from Ho-jung Yang
mentioned both Jang-hyuk Seo and Duk-su Yoon.
Didn't you know?
Did you really not read it?
You must've had a reason.
The company must've pressured you or something.
There must've been a reason...
I didn't read it.
I chose not to read it.
What?
His wife was writing a paper or something.
A civic group she was working with got involved in illegal funding.
The group was the Good Hospital.
On her way to the group to convince them to come clean,
she got in an accident.
By the way,
why are you telling me this?
I think we got caught in the trap
we set up to catch someone else.
It was Jang-hyuk Seo that perjured testimony
and offered false information to Argon.
Ho-jung Yang was being threatened by Duk-su Yoon.
Ho-jung Yang was a victim.
He was not one of them.
All this was written in the document.
If you listened to him
or the civic group just once...
If you read this just once...
Why on earth didn't you do it?
Mr. Kim.
The award ceremony will be held on the anniversary of your wife's death.
Prejudices are so frightening.
When I learned Hye-jin got in an accident on her way to convince the group,
I wanted to kill them.
I couldn't even be with her at her last moments due to my broadcast.
When an informer told me that they took bribes,
I was sure that it was true before I even looked into it.
It was obvious to me
because I thought they were bad guys.
Right.
I thought that I'd kick their asses
and take revenge for Hye-jin.
Cheol.
I felt terrible...
so I wanted to make it up to her.
So, I closed my eyes
to the truth.
I only looked at the truth that I chose.
Despite being a reporter,
I let my personal emotions interfere with my reporting.
Baek-jin.
I only needed to see the document.
Cheol, I...
I contributed to building Midtown.
Don't blame yourself.
You are not like those who take money and cover up a story.
Your wife passed away. You couldn't have been in your right mind.
I would've done the same thing too.
Baek-jin, everybody makes mistakes.
There are those who took bribes
and turned a blind eye to poor construction.
If you expose them, that's enough to make up for your mistake.
Then,
what about them fabricating a case and taking the land intended for a hospital?
If it also gets known,
the whole world will know that you made a report
on the case three years ago.
Once people know,
they'll ask why you didn't know, if you really didn't know,
if you pretended to not know, and if you were one of them.
People will point fingers at you and blame you like crazy.
Baek-jin.
We went through enough during the Sumyoung case.
Cheol.
Do you regret that you reported it?
Gang-ho Joo's wife sent rice cake to our office
to congratulate you on winning an award.
You should eat it before it goes bad.
I'll get going.
Eun-sol, you must be happy.
Mr. Kim bought you a cute teddy bear.
She still won't speak.
She's receiving art therapy.
But it seems like she still bears the scar deep in her heart.
I'm sorry the house is so messy. I haven't organized everything yet.
It's no problem.
Thank you for the rice cake.
Don't mention it. It's nothing.
I just wanted to congratulate you.
My daughter and I can live a normal life thanks to your report.
Why did you move suddenly?
Do people keep visiting you?
Not a lot.
They come every once in a while.
They still say
that my husband killed their family.
I'm sorry.
What are you sorry for?
Is she...
I'll get going.
Thank you.
Goodbye, Eun-sol.
Bye.
Goodbye.
What brings you here?
What about you?
She sent us rice cake.
I came to say thank you.
Let's go. I'll drive you home.
Before my wife died,
I was about to sue
the Civic Group for Good Hospital.
That's why I did that.
Yeon-hwa.
We'll go ahead with the Midtown case.
Mr. Kim.
Make a report on me.
Why me?
If the others find out what happened,
they will never do it.
It's you who can make an honest report.
Are you saying that I'm the one who can stab you in the back?
What?
I have no social consciousness.
I'm a friendless contract worker.
I'm a mercenary who's going to leave.
So that is why you think I can do it.
A truth waiting to be uncovered
always leaves an echo of pain.
Like when we saw Eun-sol today.
I believe that you felt the same way about me today.
You said that you became a reporter because of me, right?
Like I think of you as a reporter,
I hope you also remember me
as a reporter.
Baek-jin.
You came to check if I'm dead, right?
What are you talking about?
It's too bad.
Unfortunately, I'm still alive.
Like you said, I might live twenty more years
although I was given two months to live.
I hope that really happens to you.
Mr. Choi.
Yes.
Do you remember how I was when I was a rookie reporter?
What?
The CEO of a famous construction company
was found dead under the river bridge.
At that time,
you concluded it was a suicide and made a report.
You made a report that it was a murder.
You were unbelievable back then.
After that, I had to write a letter of apology.
And people said you were disrespectful and got ostracized in the newsroom.
Actually,
I hesitated so much back then.
To say that your report
was false
was really hard.
I understand.
Do you remember what you told me then?
What?
"If you are sure of a truth,
even if the truth kills your own parents,
report it."
But...
now that I face a truth,
it scares me to death.
Do you think I can
be like you and keep telling the truth?
It's so hard to answer.
-Baek-jin. -Yes.
We are supposed
to do this for a living.
I'll keep doing it even when I die.
I could dig up some dirt on Hades, the God of the underworld.
I can't believe you'll still be my senior in the afterlife.
What do you think are the virtues of a reporter?
It seems like
you have one of the virtues.
Why did you become a reporter?
I wanted to change the world.
I'm sorry I made you
go through this hard time.
A truth waiting to be uncovered
always leaves an echo of pain.
I believe that you felt the same way about me today.
Like I think of you as a reporter,
I hope you also remember me
as a reporter.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION YEON-HWA LEE
The true cause of Midtown accident by Yeon-hwa Lee
THE TRUE CAUSE OF MIDTOWN ACCIDENT BY YEON-HWA LEE
Today's script is ready.
Thank you.
What is this?
Is Yeon-hwa making another report?
When did we add this?
There's no title of the report.
I think the script came out wrong.
What's going on, Yeon-hwa?
Do you have another report that we don't know about?
I added it myself.
You did?
Before today's broadcast,
I have something to tell you.
-Hello, sir. -Hello.
Hello, guys.
Hello, sir.
Hello.
-What brings you here? -I'm just stopping by.
What is that?
Give it here.
Give it.
Why do you have two different sheets?
Yeon-hwa, you knew about this, right?
Hey, are you crazy?
How could you be quiet about this?
You should've let us know.
It's not Yeon-hwa's fault.
I knew about this too.
It's nobody's fault.
Both three years ago and now.
Everything is my fault and I'll take full responsibility.
I'll make an apology myself.
Have you thought about the aftermath?
Do you think people will believe that you didn't see the document?
You know how the public do a witch hunt and make a person a sinner.
It's so obvious that they will blame you as one of them.
Look.
Please think again.
Let's edit your part out of the tape.
I'll do it now.
Seung-yong and I will do it.
-Hurry, let's do it. -Min-ho.
You know such a report is not real.
-Mr. Kim. -Seventy-one people.
If the prosecution or government service
who were supposed to protect people
had kept their eyes open, those lives would've been saved.
I know.
Those bastards took bribes
and abused their authority. It's their fault.
So, they should be punished. Why would you...
We had to protect people too.
But
I didn't do my duty.
If we don't bring up the case of three years ago,
the civic group won't be able to clear itself
of the bribery charge forever.
A lot of people involved won't be punished either.
Is that fine with you?
What about you then?
If we broadcast the report as it is, you will...
You crazy assholes!
What is this?
What the hell is this?
You gave me a fake script and told me not to worry this morning.
You screw me over one hour before the airtime?
Are you out of your mind?
Do you really have a death wish?
Reporting on Midtown is unacceptable enough.
But you are going
to stab your own heart on air?
It's a fact that people should know.
Are you giving me a lecture?
Are you trying to be a hero or something?
No.
A reporter shouldn't be a hero
because people want to believe what a hero says.
I just want
to say that I was wrong.
What?
I was wrong and any other reporter could be wrong too.
That's all I want to say.
I was wrong and I caused harm to the world.
So, the viewers should not believe news reports,
but judge them.
I want to tell them honestly.
Baek-jin.
Are you going to stop being a reporter?
What do you think your last moments at this company will be like?
People only remember results.
The world will only talk about your failure.
If you broadcast it,
twenty years of your career as a reporter will be thrown into a shit hole.
It will still be better
than throwing the entire profession
into a shit hole to save my reputation.
I beg you.
Please help me just this once by turning a blind eye to this.
Let's prepare for our broadcast, okay?
Get moving.
Yes, sir.
Now, what?
Come in.
What is it? What's going on here?
We've been ordered to let nobody in.
What? We work here.
I'm a producer here.
We're airing a program soon.
You can't go in.
Hey, Mr. Yoo!
Cheol-gu!
-Open the door. -Open it.
I can't believe this.
We're going on air soon!
Hey.
What? Why would they block the control room?
I'm coming now.
Mr. Kim, the control room...
Let's follow him.
Seung-yong.
Wait, Hye-ri.
One, two, three.
Don't you understand?
We'll take responsibility. Move!
-We don't have much time! -Come on!
-You're not allowed. -What?
What are you doing?
-Mr. Yoo! -Open it!
Get out of the way!
It's the CEO's order.
We can't let any member of Argon in.
-Okay, just step aside. -We need
-to broadcast! -Mr. Yoo!
Mr. Yoo!
I'm sorry, Mr. Kim.
-Hey! -Your program will be replaced.
-Are you crazy? -What the hell?
Move!
-Move! -I'm so sorry.
Hey! Just take this tape.
I'm sorry.
-Step aside! -Move!
Get the hell out of the way!
-What are you doing? -Open it! Come on!
-Open the door! -Open it!
-Let me give you this tape! -We need to broadcast it!
Get out of the way!
You fucking bastards!
Move!
Open it!
You did a good job.
Thank you.
You are the anchor of Argon from now on.
Yes. Please don't worry about it.
Good.
ARGON VCR MATERIALS
Baek-jin.
That's enough.
You did enough.
How did they know in advance and called the security guards?
We made a fake script
and the Chief let it slide.
It was me.
It was me who told Director Yoo.
What? What are you talking about?
I had to protect Mr. Kim.
What the Chief said is all true.
People will only remember the results.
They will forget everything you've done so far.
They will only remember
that you made a false report three years ago in favor of Midtown.
But...
how could we broadcast a report that will harm you?
I agree with Min-ho on some level.
Frankly, I was relieved
that we couldn't broadcast it.
Come on, guys!
I understand.
So was I.
I easily wielded the sword at others,
but once it was pointed at me,
it terrified and appalled me.
Min-ho.
What is your opinion
as a reporter, not as my colleague?
Is there no difference?
There are people who lost their family
and still don't know the truth.
The world already forgot everything
and works the way it did before.
But
do you think Midtown is the only case like that?
The prosecution, the government and the press.
Those social safeguards are all broken down.
The truth doesn't speak for itself.
It must be spoken through people's lips and pens.
That's our job.
If we cover up a report
because it harms me,
we'll also become a part of the broken system forever.
Let's not become that.
But we are banned from broadcasting. What do we do now?
Should we spread it online?
If we do that,
it won't be very effective.
It won't draw attention.
If it can't make a difference,
why would we risk our lives for it?
You said that our goal
when we started working on this
is to make clear what happened and deliver it to the public.
HBC is not the only channel.
Yeon-hwa. What are you talking about?
Are you saying we should give our report to someone else?
Yes, if it means we can broadcast it.
Are you sure you can do it?
I got permission from my boss.
It'll be on the front page.
By the way, will you be really okay with this?
It'll be like firing a cannon directly at HBC.
Will Argon be safe?
You'll be denounced as traitors.
I'm counting on you.
HYUNGSEOL TIMES
The Ministry Wins a Bid
What did you say when you took it? You said it'll be on the front page!
What the hell is this?
I wrote an article, but I couldn't get it printed.
What?
Who did it?
The vice minister, Dae-seob Kim and our vice president
took a golf trip abroad together.
I understand.
Mr. Shin, I'm sorry.
I understand, but it can't be published.
Please do me a favor. You said you have connections.
I'm sorry. I must get going.
Hey, come on.
You said you could have it aired.
Why can't you?
The higher-ups are not allowing it to be broadcast.
Stop saying no and explain the reason detail!
You already know the reason.
Hello. I'm Baek-jin Kim of HBC's Argon.
It's a great honor to receive...
Yeon-hwa Lee
YEON-HWA LEE
Mr. Kim.
What are you doing here at this hour?
Are you packing up already?
Tomorrow is the last day.
I don't think I'll be able to attend the award ceremony.
Tomorrow, I'm going to my dad's house.
I think your teammates will miss you.
Still,
I'll watch you getting the award on television.
You must be upset.
It shouldn't have ended like this.
We should've broadcast it.
I'm sorry I can't be of any help.
I'm sorry.
You must be more upset.
I'm sorry.
Yeon-hwa.
As a rookie at Argon,
you did a great job.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Seo-u.
How do I look?
Shitty.
It's what your mom gave me.
You must be happy to get an award.
Mom must be happy too.
Let's go see your mom later.
Don't forget to buy some flowers.
Seo-u.
What?
If...
If people point fingers at me and hate me,
that'll give you a hard time at school, right?
That's not new.
Dad, do you think people really like you because they compliment you?
People talked behind your back all the time.
Really?
Okay. See you later.
I guess Yeon-hwa is really not coming.
I got a text from her. She's going to her hometown.
She'll be staying at her dad's house.
I went to the office this morning.
Her desk was emptied already.
A text? Did she send you a text?
She went through a lot here.
We were going to throw a nice farewell party for her.
Yes.
She was better than other mercenaries.
Is this a report? She sent us such a long text message.
She left even without saying goodbye.
I'll go bring her.
Come on.
It's her way of saying goodbye.
Guys, I'm sorry. I'm late.
Did it start?
-No. -Let's go in.
-Hey, Nam-gyu. -Let's go.
Come on.
GEON-SIK SONG JOURNALIST AWARD
I'm leaving now, Dad.
Thank you.
You don't have to pick me up.
I'm not sure when I'll arrive because of the heavy traffic.
I'll call you when I arrive.
Yes.
Geon-sik Song Journalist Award
honors the life and achievement
of the journalist Geon-sik Song.
The award is given
to journalists who defend fair journalism
and contribute to the society as a faithful journalist.
The 15th recipient of Geon-sik Song Journalist Award,
the reporter of HBC's Argon, Baek-jin Kim
will deliver an award acceptance speech.
You must've thought I'm two meters tall.
It's probably because you've always seen me sitting in a studio.
That's right. I look tall when I sit.
I heard that this award
is given to journalists who fulfilled their duties to the fullest
and contributed to the society.
Any reporter would want to get this award.
So did I.
However,
I don't deserve this award.
I'm here today to tell you
the reason why.
Three years ago,
I reported on the corruption allegation against Civic Group for Good Hospital.
But the report was false.
The allegation was fabricated for the Midtown project.
The one that gave me false information
was the CEO of Midtown, Jang-hyuk Seo, who is currently in prison.
However, blinded by personal emotions and prejudices,
I neither doubted the false information
nor reviewed the opposing statement.
And I broadcast the false report.
Due to my report,
the building that killed many lives was built
on the land where a hospital
that should've been built to save lives.
What's going on here?
I gave this a lot of thought.
Is there nobody on the ground?
Our team is there.
REPORTER BAEK-JIN KIM
Come on, write a report on this now!
Yes, sir.
MID...
ARGON BAEK-JIN KIM
What's this? Baek-jin Kim?
Confession?
Baek-jin must've done something. Look it up.
The year before last,
The New York Times corrected a typo in a report
published 161 years ago.
If a wrong fact has been delivered, correcting it is a reporter's duty.
I'm sorry that it took me so long to gather up my courage.
The essence of a news report is delivering truths
based on facts.
We journalists are responsible for making a correct judgment
and correct reports.
Since I failed
to fulfill the responsibility,
I can't receive this award.
I dedicate this award to my senior reporters
who have been working hard and underappreciated
and my colleagues
who are fighting on the front line.
This is for you.
The special prosecutor, Jung-guk Cha
summoned Duk-su Yoon this afternoon who is the key figure of the Midtown case.
The prosecution team will investigate Duk-su Yoon, the actual owner of Midtown
and alleged bribery to authorities around the Midtown project.
The vice minister Dae-seob Kim who is alleged to be bribed by Yoon,
the former city planning commissioner, Ho-jung Yang,
and Prosecutor Ki-jin Han have been summoned too.
Do you feel responsible as HBC's CEO?
Did you pressure Argon?
Do you feel responsible for the situation as HBC's CEO?
Do you admit that you pressured Argon?
Please leave a comment on reinstating fired reporters.
It's such a beautiful day.
Yeon-hwa.
Yes.
A letter was delivered to you.
-A letter? -Yes.
Let me hold it.
I'll kill you if you do something awkward.
Now, I get why they call you a psycho.
You have only seven hours until a special live edition on Midtown.
Don't disappoint the viewers, okay?
Yes, sir.
We'll make sure to make
a good report.
-Come on. -What? Don't do this.
I'll see you around.
What's wrong with you? It's awkward. Don't do this, come on!
Mr. Kim.
Cut it out!
-I hate this kind of stuff. -Mr. Kim!
I can't let you go!
It's not like I'm dying.
Thank you.
Thank you, guys.
Congratulations on becoming a regular employee!
Goodbye.
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Subtitle translation by Min-shil Moon