I DO NOT TRUST THE KOREAN PRESS
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I DO NOT TRUST THE KOREAN PRESS
Half and half.
Here's your half and half.
EPISODE 6 - HALF SEASONED, HALF FRIED
No.
He didn't want to be a poet.
You know nothing.
What?
My dad's favorite wasn't Gomtang.
Dad?
What are you saying?
Producer Lee Yong Min
who died 6 years ago because of you...
He's my dad.
And my dad's favorite was
chicken, just like I me. Not Gomtang.
Your mistake can't be repeated.
The mistake you made 6 years ago.
Honor?
He was dead.
His family must've suffered so much by then.
It's just a bowl of Gomtang.
You can't pay him back with this.
Don't delude yourself.
Hey.
Her father is the late Producer Lee Yong Min.
Really?
Yeah, she doesn't have other siblings
and lives with her mother now.
I DO NOT TRUST THE KOREAN PRESS
Drat!
What's up with MP Jung Chul Wook's son?
I wrote an exclusive for drunk driving and switching seats,
and the Chief killed it right away.
What a bummer. It might have helped our traffic.
He must be wiping the MP's butt.
You, get out.
Your captain days are over.
Why are you still babysitting?
I belong in the field, not in the office.
Why are you so selfish?
You should go higher up, so that I can leave this position.
What?
I need to be promoted.
I'm sick of being City Desk Editor.
Who's going to take over my position if not you?
Another change?
DIGITAL DAILY KOREA
Digital Daily Korea? What's that?
Newspapers have a digital department for each desk.
Or they have an independent digital department,
which is what we are trying to do right now.
The online editorial department will continue to write the online version of the news
and we'll...
So you mean we can write our own stories from now on?
I'm not finished.
Not can. We have to write them.
Independent items and reports.
What about copying-and-pasting for traffic?
We, Digital News Desk...
No, Digital Daily Korea will never do that anymore.
Unless it's an exclusive.
It ranges from Politics and Society
to Economy, Culture, and International.
It's a completely separate platform.
Wait.
Do you call this an independent platform?
This is an advertisement platform.
Advertisements...
Every story comes with an advertisement or two.
The important thing is that we can write our own stories.
Isn't that what you've wanted?
Wouldn't they resist?
Resist?
The possibility's half and half, isn't it?
Good work leads to a good amount of incentive.
Which means No Pain, No Gain...
No.
It's Pain for Gain.
Pain for Gain? It sounds good.
Good, my butt.
They want us to compete with each other for traffic!
It's not a competition.
We want to improve the quality of our stories.
Are you really going to count likes and recommendations to calculate our incentives?
Of course.
The better you write, the more incentive you'll get.
That's awesome!
If I put my brain to work,
I might earn my kid's private lesson fee.
Nice.
Anyway, tomorrow morning's editorial meeting is at 10.
Bring newsworthy items.
Meeting's over.
What? You!
I won't repeat myself. Hear it from them.
Independent Digital News Desk?
Independent, my butt.
They want us to fight each other off for more profit.
The others are excited about the incentive,
not knowing the conspiracy behind it.
Idiots.
I was worried about Chief finding it out.
This is better than that.
Finding out what?
Hush!
Our misreport investigation.
What do you think?
What the heck are you thinking?
Huh? Nothing.
Isn't it a good thing that we get to write our own stories?
Stories? It's all crap.
Let's test it then.
Test?
THERE'S NO RULE IN THIS SURVIVING GAME CALLED REALITY
SACRIFICE IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SURVIVAL
NO ONE CARES
LEE JI SOO, DIGITAL NEWS DESK
DELIVER
NEW ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPLOADED
How will they react?
Crap!
We repeat our wrongdoings "daily" in "Korea"
in a brutal chicken game.
Our fathers don't bring fried chickens home anymore.
Good lead, good proposal, and pretty sentences.
Did a junior write this?
Yes, sir.
What's the name?
Lee Ji Soo.
Really? Lee Ji Soo?
The story's good. What's the problem?
Trim a few places
and upload it as the first Digital Daily Korea story.
What?
Only good stories can reinstate Daily Korea's reputation.
Han Jun Hyuk.
I thought you were a deadbeat.
Good job on training her well.
Teach her well.
Get out now, both of you.
You generously killed the exclusive yesterday
but today, you're so cold-hearted.
Now everyone knows he switched seats.
No one's going to read a repeat.
MP Jung must be monitoring this.
Please write an article that denies his switching seats.
MP JUNG CHUL WOOK
It's enough that we deleted the exclusive.
Now he wants a false report?
So disrespectful. I won't do it.
He is indeed disrespectful,
but MP Go, and now MP Jung.
You have another card now.
Isn't it a shame to throw it away?
I'm not throwing it away.
I'm keeping it.
We weren't kissing up to him.
We have the info, so we can use it to screw him or be generous.
So...
So, it's blackmail?
We're not gangsters.
I mean we shouldn't forget it.
Also, I'm growing the juniors.
I don't know.
MP Jung reconciled our CEO with MP Go.
What if he gets angry and takes it up with the CEO?
It's not going to be good for you, Chief.
Editor Yoon.
I know you've been seeing some big shots lately,
so you think you're a big shot too?
What?
Prayer is not enough.
You have to be good-natured to reach paradise.
So mind your ways, Sang Kyu.
Especially,
watch your mouth.
What?
He even told you to teach her well?
Where are you going?
Come to our usual place after work.
Talk to you later.
Is something up with him?
He looks grim all day.
Just shoot.
Chief praised your story.
So?
Do you want to make even with me for that?
Which Desk do you want to go to?
You don't have to go to City Desk if you don't want to.
Now we can write stories at Digital News Desk.
Right.
I don't know how far we can go,
but that's what I've been told.
So do you want to remain at Digital News?
What's this?
I'm not here to extort petty cash...
It's my resignation letter.
Resignation letter?
This is what you've come up with?
No.
I considered it for a short while.
If I committed wrong, I have to apologize.
If I'm in debt, I have to pay back.
I can't just run away.
First of all, I'm sorry.
I know it's not enough,
but I'm sincerely sorry.
Your dad's story turned out to be a misreport.
You can blame me or the Desk,
but no one will listen or take responsibility.
So?
You tell me.
My burden will never go away.
What can I do to lift the heaviness off of you at least a little?
Are you telling me to forgive you?
Because you apologized?
I'm not asking forgiveness.
You can hate me and blame me forever.
Just...
Tell me how to unburden your heart.
Why do you ask me that?
You should find out yourself.
If I knew that,
we wouldn't be talking like this.
You said you'll do what you can.
First, mend what you can mend.
Nothing's more fulfilling to amuse my daughter's palate.
Mom.
Why don't we amuse our palate?
I'm hungry.
I said let's order two.
I can't eat that much.
We can get a doggy bag.
I finished my internship, so...
If I was a doctor, I would be a resident now.
I've become a regular employee.
What does your company do?
It's a publishing house.
We make books.
What kind of books?
Internet web novels.
You won't know it.
One fried chicken and one soju.
Thank you.
Enjoy.
Fried chicken?
Did you think of dad?
Yeah.
I miss him even more today.
You say you missed me
but come empty handed?
You always bring something when you're drunk.
But you're empty handed when you're sober?
I'm going to drink now.
You should have come here after that.
Why come here first?
Do you have something to say?
Dad.
How about I quit my job and sell fried chicken?
I knew it.
Something's going on.
Do you think the fried chicken business is easy?
Were you fired?
Sacked?
It's not that.
Just... Life things.
Wait, how old are you now?
Are you over 40?
I was 40 a decade ago.
Then stick around.
What if I'm below 40?
Then you should stick around more!
What are you talking about?
Why the heck?
What do you think?
I don't like you doing this.
Coming here empty handed.
Geez!
I don't know what's bothering you,
but chewing on it won't give you an answer.
Don't think about it too much.
If you need to fight, fight.
If you need to win, win.
Of course, it's better to win.
But if you feel like you'll lose,
lose.
Things don't turn out the way I plan.
That's what I'm saying!
Life does not go as planned.
I lived a halfway life, and I'm old now.
Don't regret it like me.
Face it head on!
Face it head on...
Do you remember?
Remember what?
Dad's fried chicken philosophy.
Sauce on fried chicken is...
Disrespect for the dead chicken
and a culinary blasphemy!
He was on strike all the time.
Was our country lost?
He wasn't an independence fighter.
Couldn't he have lived a halfway life?
He always faced head on with everything.
That's why he left so early.
Dummy.
Right.
Dad was a dummy.
He said we work to put food on the table.
Sauce on fried chicken is not a big deal.
There are people who are well-off with worse sins.
Who did he think he was, a saint?
It was just fake news.
Sauce on chicken is nothing.
Where are you going?
Can you still eat?
Are you going to leave all this to waste?
Let's get a doggy bag.
Mom!
Don't cry.
No matter how loud you cry,
everyone's too busy to hear you.
We work to put food on the table.
Eat.
Food matters.
Okay.
Let's eat.
One seasoned chicken, please.
Beer too!
Your specialty.
Let me taste that other-worldly drink.
Thank you, master.
Mom.
Huh?
When dad was young,
he dreamed of being a poet.
Did you know?
What? Poet?
What?
Lee Ji Soo is the daughter of Producer Lee Yong Min?
She seemed to look at you in a creepy way.
She had a proper reason.
She's a stubborn character.
It's not her fault.
It's all mine.
What did you say to her?
What could I say?
I asked her what I could do.
She said mend what I can mend.
Mend...
What's there for you to mend?
Why don't you make the morning-after soup?
I have to go to work.
Do we have the ingredients?
I'll make it if you treat me nice.
Yeah, make me some.
Hi.
Good morning.
Hey.
Morning coffee with me?
What?
That old Han Jun Hyuk had junior years.
Do you know I used to preach him up here all the time?
What?
Okay.
I heard about your father.
What?
No offense.
Reporters shouldn't have secrets from each other.
Occupational compulsion.
Or I would say, reporters' rule.
We can't fathom what you've been through.
But I felt I had to say this.
The day your father passed away,
Jun Hyuk lost a big part of his life too.
6 YEARS AGO
Honey.
Something came up at work.
So I couldn't pick our daughter up.
Please help her!
We can't help her.
What? Please look again.
I'm sorry.
Please, look again.
Look again!
What are you doing?
Please!
Editor.
This is Jun Hyuk.
My daughter Yeon Doo...
She was in an accident.
I had to...
I had to pick her up.
She hurt her leg...
Please, help me.
Okay.
Sir.
Are you okay?
Thank you for coming.
How is she?
The surgery went fine. Don't worry.
Thank you, doctor.
Thank you.
She's okay.
Hey.
Don't worry.
Okay.
I'll be off now.
RESIGNATION LETTER
You should repay your debt.
Are you going to run away?
Debt?
You know men and their pride.
I don't know why they do it.
Back then, I thought it'd be better if he quit.
The death of Producer Lee
and his kid getting badly injured...
He thought those were all his fault.
He was buried in work.
Never went home.
Eventually, his wife divorced him.
He lost himself.
He's a victim too.
But I'm not asking you to understand him.
Sometimes, the truth is different from what you see.
You know he didn't write your father's story.
When Soo Yeon died,
he tried to fight till the end.
If I didn't stop him...
He could have become a whistle-blower.
What?
I say it again.
I'm not telling you to forget your pain
or to forgive Jun Hyuk.
His sincerity...
It actually might be different from what it seems.
Up next.
Commissioner Go Yu Seop,
Environmental Division of Geumon Industrial Complex,
admitted the solicitation list reported by Daily Korea
belongs to himself, not MP Go.
Go Yu Seop said he will voluntarily appear to Prosecution
and fully cooperate for the investigation.
Also, he publicly apologized for his misdeed.
Commissioner Go is suspected of illegal solicitation
for Geumon Company's recruitment.
Since Prosecution's investigation started...
You said you'll do what you can.
First, mend what you can mend.
Don't you have to find the problem in Daily Korea?
The correction report was released at that exact time.
It almost seems like sabotage for the trial.
Darn it.
It was all my fault.
I wanted to bash MP Go so bad,
I didn't see anything else.
Do you really think Chief didn't see through that?
Huh?
Chief uploaded the correction report right before the trial started.
But he started to write it
the day the original report was decided to be released.
What?
Chief knew it was a misreport then?
It's not possible.
He would have killed it if he knew.
Right.
What's all this?
Clear misreport.
Correction report affected the ruling.
Not a misreport.
It belongs to MP Go,
but not enough to be taken as evidence.
Daily Korea's Chief Na knew the list didn't belong to MP Go.
Reasonable doubt for ties
between Democratic Korea Party and Daily Korea.
Ties?
This is trash gossip.
Yeah.
I wish Chief isn't that corrupt.
But gossip is sometimes right.
Of course.
Even if the list belongs to MP Go,
it's fair to say the list cannot be lawful evidence.
Actually, I have a bigger problem.
Someone opened my laptop
and monitored me checking the Chief's correction report.
What?
Chief has planted a mole inside the company?
Yeah.
There might be multiple of them.
Look at yesterday's Jung Tae Young's story.
CHIEF
Yes?
So he must know we are investigating the misreport.
He might.
Crap!
What did I say?
I told you Digital Daily Korea is all a load of baloney.
Do you know who the mole is?
I don't know yet,
but I think I can find out who.
He didn't kill the misreport even though he knew,
and he is letting us investigate it.
Does it make sense?
I'll just...
...ask him myself.
What?
Kyu Tae for Political Desk,
Ju An for Digital News Desk.
Wait. I thought Lee Ji Soo wanted City Desk.
Yeah, it's...
She wants to write stories for Digital Daily Korea.
Really?
It's better anyway.
Teach both of them well.
Yes, sir.
Chief.
I have a question.
What is it?
Did you know it was Go Yu Seop, not Go Su Do?
DIGITAL DAILY KOREA
Today's the first editorial meeting of Digital Daily Korea.
There's a big problem, Editor.
What now?
Look at what's trending.
Gosh, darn it!
What do you think?
You think I knew it?
I don't know.
I can't read your mind.
What do you really want to know?
By any chance, do you still...
I do not trust the Korean press?
The death of intern reporter Oh Soo Yeon was a tragedy.
It revealed the irony in the Korean press,
including Daily Korea.
Press and reporters must speak for the citizens
without giving in to any pressure.
Press like Daily Korea promise their interns that
they'll provide plenty of work opportunities and education.
I told you to search for the right keywords.
Don't you understand Korean?
What university did you graduate from?
I'm sorry.
All day, we could only write articles for clickbait.
Their promised education was mere copy-and-paste.
We could only tweak the existing articles.
I felt ashamed to add provocative clickbait keywords.
Don't flatter yourself.
We hired you to do these things.
Yes, ma'am.
Despite this, many applicants apply for intern reporter
to add another experience to their resume.
And the press, including Daily Korea, exploit us.
Intern No. 5 has a lot of internship experience.
Yes, I wanted to have as many experiences as possible.
Right. Experience is the best qualification.
You all dream of being a reporter?
Yes.
Oh Soo Yeon must have been one of the applicants
who were exploited with their dream as bait.
Does the press really deserve to deal with these problems?
Unfair wage.
Non-regular jobs.
Youth unemployment.
I no longer trust the Korean press.
I don't regret giving up my dream of being a reporter.
Former intern reporter of Daily Korea.
Okay.
Like.
I think it was triggered by yesterday's posting.
Shares and likes have their own mouth.
We will release an official statement with a strong message.
Secretary Min, discuss litigation with Legal.
Yes. I'll tend to it right away.
Wouldn't it be better to respond to them directly?
We can consider that if the situation worsens.
But we expected this much,
thus countermeasures are prepared.
I don't know how Digital Daily Korea helps this situation.
Like I told you, this issue was reproduced on the internet.
But we are the ones who produce the news.
Online problems need to be dealt with online measures.
(NEWSFLASH) DAILY KOREA RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT FOR LATE INTERN REPORTER OH SOO YEON
A short while ago,
an intern reporter killed herself at Daily Korea.
Reporters and employees of Daily Korea are lost in grief.
To eradicate the competition in online media
with exclusives, newsflashes and traffic,
we created Digital Daily Korea.
And we are fulfilling the critical duty of journalism.
But recently, slander and rumors emerged online
to damage the reputation of the late intern and Daily Korea.
We would like to make clear that these are not true.
If slander and rumors keep spreading,
we plan to take firm legal action.
Lastly, in this unprecedented job market crisis,
we hope every young applicant
RELATED ARTICLE: THERE'S NO RULE IN THIS SURVIVING GAME CALLED REALITY.
SACRIFICE IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SURVIVAL.
with "Pain for Gain" as their motto
gets to have fair opportunities.
We, Daily Korea, promise to our readers
that we will only write sincere and true news
to open the window for truth.
Daily Korea's Chief Editor, Na Sung Won.
Ji Soo might get a huge incentive.
She must have some ties.
But if we try hard enough
with self-reflection and determination for tomorrow,
despite our "daily" wrongdoings in "Korea",
won't we all win in this chicken game someday?
Because "Pain for Gain" is an undeniable fact.
Don't worry. Yes.
Yes, I understand.
Chief just released an official statement.
It's not a problem anymore.
Gosh, are you sure?
We can abuse this article for traffic.
I told you.
We are no longer trash reporters.
Managers, any material to share?
No one prepared?
Not even simple items?
You're kidding.
Editor.
Yeah.
How about Geumon Company's recruitment corruption?
Are you crazy?
This is just gossip.
It's because we didn't do a follow-up report.
Go Yu Seop admitted the list belongs to him.
That's what I mean.
We have to appear as self-reflecting and responsible.
You said we are no longer trash reporters.
Yeah, I did. But...
I'll ask Chief's permission myself.
Wait, Jun Hyuk.
Are you crazy?
If I didn't stop him,
he would have become a whistle-blower.
Every young applicant with "Pain for Gain" as their motto...
Your touch turns a mediocre article into art.
Really.
And the idea of adding the junior's story?
Did you plan all this?
Our Chief has plans for everything.
Not a plan. I went with the flow.
Amazing.
I haven't been impressed this much with a statement before.
Don't they give a Pullitzer for statements?
"Pain for Gain" is the second most trending word.
"No Gain, No Pain" is ranked at 7th.
"Korean press" is out of the chart.
We have to fight off postings with postings.
THERE'S NO RULE IN THIS SURVIVING GAME CALLED REALITY.
SACRIFICE IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SURVIVAL.
BUY ME A DRINK.
Buy me a drink.
Uh, Chief.
It's about Han Jun Hyuk.
What?
Is there a problem?
Not really a problem, but...
We did our first editorial meeting.
Jun Huyk wants to investigate MP Go's misreport?
How did you know?
Taking responsibility for the misreport
and covering a follow-up...
Won't we appear sincere?
You can say that,
but there's a lot of gossip.
What?
That I released the misreport knowingly?
Did you know that too?
Hey, do you trust that trash?
No, of course not.
Then there's no problem.
If Jun Hyuk's up for it.
Right?
Here's your half and half chicken.
My dad's favorite.
Fried chicken.
What?
My dad hated seasoned fried chicken.
He said it's disrespect for the dead chicken
and a culinary blasphemy.
Upload and delete.
Re-upload after altering.
Your story must have been tainted like that.
I'll ask one thing.
Did you choose Daily Korea because of me?
I told you.
You're not that important.
Then was it just a coincidence?
I can't say that because I knew it was Daily Korea.
Daily Korea's City Desk reporter, Han Jun Hyuk.
I can never forget that aggravating name.
My mom doesn't know I'm working here.
She'll kill me if she finds out.
Didn't you dream to be a reporter because of your dad?
My mom wanted me to go to med school.
But with my scores, I could only go to mediocre ones.
She told me to go there.
But I had my pride
and didn't want to regret it.
Soo Yeon would be upset if she heard me right now.
Reality is reality.
I applied, like every other communications graduate.
Unprecedented regular position conversion type.
I didn't expect I would get it.
So?
What do you mean?
I have to work hard with my paying job.
I don't stick to fried chicken like my dad.
It got sauce on it. So what?
It's all the same in my stomach.
I'll live a mediocre halfway life.
Since it's Pain for Gain.
It's not that.
What do you want me to do?
So that...
Are you okay with me living like this at Daily Korea?
Without dreaming to be a real reporter,
just making money to feed myself.
Do you think you can repay my dad with that?
You order a half-and-half chicken if you can't decide.
But when your junior says she wants a halfway life,
you should tell her not to do that.
You should tell her not to be like yourself.
Producer Lee Yong Min didn't teach you that way.
He taught you to boil up harder.
Make me a real reporter.
A real reporter that's confident anywhere in front of anyone.
I'll boil up hard, like a bowl of Gomtang.
If you do that...
Your debt to my dad.
I'll call it even.
Then, I knew what his poem meant.
I...
I've not been...
I've not been aware.
I realized what my dad meant
when he said, "Don't live a halfway life".
You taught me big time.
FACE THE WORLD HEAD ON!
Reporters face the world head on with their stories.
I'll make you one heck of a reporter.
A real reporter.
No, you're the one who made me a real reporter.
Here.
Don't be too disappointed that a newbie got your weakness.
You can taste my out-of-this-world somaek anytime.
Okay.
What an easy person.
I said I'll even out your debt to my dad.
I didn't say I forgave you and wanted to be friends.
I know.
Pay your debt to me and my mother later.
First...
Do what you can do for Soo Yeon.
I told you before.
I'll watch you till the end.
I DO NOT TRUST THE KOREAN PRESS
Korean press.
Eat my poop!
Right.
This is called a proper posting.
(NEWSFLASH) DAILY KOREA RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT FOR LATE INTERN REPORTER OH SOO YEON
ANGRY - 2,421 VOTES
THERE'S NO RULE IN THIS SURVIVING GAME CALLED REALITY.
SACRIFICE IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SURVIVAL.
LIKE - 3,142 VOTES
A dirty job requires dirty hands.
CLICKS LIKE
It's hard to find a wise person with a kind heart.
I'll pour you one.
Come on in.
That's why it's hard to find a profitable business
that let's you keep a clean conscience.
But...
Now, tell me.
Who did that to Soo Yeon?
What if I told you?
But there's no halfway in life.
One does the crime, one pays the price.
H. U. S. H.
JOURNALISM GROWTH MEMOIR FOR THE RESTORATION OF MEDIA TRUST
Good morning.
What on earth are those?
I DO NOT TRUST THE KOREAN PRESS EITHER
FACE THE WORLD HEAD ON WITH PASSION!