Even in 2003, the illegal presidential campaign fund investigation continued to dominate the front pages of newspapers.
It was no surprise—thanks to the information we leaked, the scandal had ensnared five of the largest conglomerates, including Samsung, CL, and KS Group, drawing massive public attention.
"Vice Chairman, it's been revealed through the prosecution's investigation that Hyundai Motors Group also delivered illegal campaign funds."
"Yes, I heard. They handed over 10 billion won at the 'Meeting Plaza.'"
At this point, they might as well rename 'Meeting Plaza' to 'Bribery Plaza'.
Still, this worked in our favor.
Thanks to our people in the prosecution, we had secured solid evidence.
For a full year, Captain Kang's team had been monitoring Meeting Plaza 24/7, successfully gathering proof of illicit transactions—first from CL Group, and now from Hyundai Motors Group.
We then passed the evidence to our prosecutors, strategically leaking details piece by piece just as public interest in the illegal campaign funds was about to die down.
"Now, every one of the five major conglomerates—except for us—has been implicated in the scandal."
"This will give Taewoo Group a reputation for being clean and free from political corruption."
"Not just yet. The only reason Taewoo Group hasn't been caught is because there's no proof, but the public assumes we must have also contributed to campaign funds."
"Well, when everyone else has stolen, no one's going to believe that we didn't. Once the investigation is over, the truth will come out."
This wasn't something we could publicly advertise.
Any attempt to boast about our innocence could provoke the political world.
Instead, we had to let people figure it out on their own—perhaps nudging the media with a few extra ads here and there.
"So far, the opposition party has to pay back 80 billion won, while the ruling party has a relatively small penalty of 10 billion won."
"That's going to be a huge mess for them."
"The opposition party has enough assets—they can sell off their headquarters and training center to cover the penalty. But the ruling party is in a much worse situation. With the president-elect and a faction splitting away, they can't even afford to pay their official campaign debts, let alone the penalty."
A favorable outcome for us.
And it came with an extra bonus.
"There are rumors about a revision to the Political Funds Act. What's the latest on that?"
"It looks like they'll completely ban corporate donations to political parties. Given the public outrage, the law is expected to pass within the next year or two."
The strategy director reported with a satisfied smile.
Having been with Taewoo Group for years, he had seen firsthand how companies scrambled to raise slush funds for every election season.
But now, those days were coming to an end.
With corporate donations to political parties banned by law, we no longer had to play that exhausting game.
Of course, loopholes would always exist, and it was impossible to completely sever ties between politics and business.
But still, this was a major step forward—creating a far more business-friendly environment than before.
"Is there any chance they'll introduce unlimited campaign funding, like in the U.S.?"
"If you're talking about Super PACs, you don't need to worry. Given the public sentiment, it's nearly impossible for something like that to be implemented here."
If only Super PACs were legalized like in the U.S..
I would gladly pour massive amounts of money into supporting politicians who aligned with Taewoo Group's interests.
But under the current system, where supporting a campaign could land you in prison, I had no intention of opening my wallet.
*
A few days later.
Seo Moon-young, the CEO of Haduri, visited the Vice Chairman's office.
"Vice Chairman, we've finally set the launch date for TikTok. It will be released simultaneously in Korea, the U.S., and China next month, with plans to expand into the European market by mid-year."
"So it's finally launching. Development took quite some time."
"We spent a lot of time implementing strict content moderation to prevent the same mistakes as before."
Haduri's popularity remained strong.
In fact, its user base was growing rapidly each year, but its infamy was growing even faster.
No matter how hard they tried to clean up its reputation, it was nearly impossible to shake off the stigma of being a platform for explicit content.
"Managing both TikTok and Haduri must keep you incredibly busy."
"That's why I'm planning to either sell or shut down Haduri entirely. To be honest, I'd prefer to shut it down."
"You built Haduri with so much effort, and now you're just going to close it without making a single penny from it?"
"If Haduri stays around, it could negatively affect TikTok's image. And thanks to your financial support, money isn't an issue anymore."
Shutting down Haduri wasn't necessarily a bad decision.
From a businessman's perspective, selling it would be the logical move.
But from an entrepreneur's standpoint, shutting it down might be the better long-term choice.
"Then you can focus entirely on TikTok."
"That's why I have a favor to ask."
"Anything. Whether it's funding or personnel, you'll have my full support."
"I want to work with Seo Kwang-soo, the founder of Cyworld. I believe he's the perfect person to help us address Haduri's issues and improve TikTok."
I hesitated for a moment.
It wasn't a bad idea.
By now, Korea's version of Facebook had already taken over the top market share, and Cyworld was collapsing on its own.
That meant Seo Kwang-soo would soon be out of a job.
Given his talent, he might launch another startup—but I'd rather keep him within the Taewoo Group's sphere.
"I'll speak to him myself. It won't be an easy sell, but if I emphasize the challenge of a fresh start, I think we can convince him."
"Thank you! I'd even be willing to work under him if that's what it takes—please bring him to the TikTok team."
"That won't be necessary. Hmm... you two can be co-CEOs. Actually, why don't we go meet him together?"
Seo Moon-young and I headed to Facebook Korea's office.
And there, we met a drastically changed Seo Kwang-soo.
"You've gained a lot of weight. It looks like you've nearly doubled in size in just a few days."
"Lately, I've been feeling constantly hungry—I eat five meals a day, but no matter how much I eat, I still feel starved."
Why was Seo Kwang-soo feeling so hungry?
When revenge fueled him, he satisfied his hunger by watching Cyworld's market share decline.
But now that Cyworld had collapsed, he could no longer feed that hunger—so he turned to food instead, trying to fill the void in his heart.
"When you have nothing to do, a false sense of hunger tends to creep in. That's why I'm here to offer you a new opportunity."
"I'm sorry, but once Cyworld shuts down, I plan to retreat somewhere quiet and take up farming for a while."
Farming?
There was no way I was going to let the man who created Cyworld become a farmer.
"I want to give you the chance to achieve the dream you couldn't realize with Cyworld."
"That space has already been taken by Facebook. Are you saying you want to create another competing SNS?"
"There will be some overlap, but our vision is different. I'm thinking of a social media platform focused on short-form videos."
"Not text or photos, but an SNS built around short video content?"
Seo Kwang-soo slowly put down the chocolate bar he had been holding.
For the first time, something other than food seemed to satisfy his hunger.
"Not just in Korea, but in the U.S., China, and even Europe. Wouldn't you like to develop and operate an SNS platform used by people all over the world?"
"…Do you think I'm capable of that?"
"Of course you are! Please, help fill in the gaps where I fall short!"
Seo Moon-young suddenly stepped forward.
With chocolate smeared all over Seo Kwang-soo's hands, he firmly grasped them and pleaded.
"Wait… Haduri's CEO, Seo Moon-young? What are you doing here?"
"I'm working with Taewoo Group to develop TikTok, a short-form video platform. If we combine the strengths of Cyworld and Haduri, I'm sure we can dominate the global market!"
The strengths and weaknesses of both platforms were clear.
Cyworld had its charming, sentimental appeal.
Haduri thrived on bold, thrilling entertainment.
If those two elements came together, it wouldn't be impossible to create a world-leading SNS.
"Merging Haduri and Cyworld's strengths… That could definitely make for a great platform. Maybe even something that could rival Facebook."
"So what's holding you back? Why not join forces with Seo Moon-young as co-CEO of TikTok and take on the global market? The platform is launching next month in Korea, the U.S., and China. If you join now, you'll still have time to make improvements before the release."
Seo Kwang-soo's stomach rumbled.
It wasn't because of food—it was the reaction of someone who had just found a new prey to chase.
"I'm not sure how well I'll do, but I'll give it a shot. But what about my former colleagues?"
"Those who want to stay at Facebook Korea can stay. Those who wish to join TikTok can transfer over—we'll match their salaries and benefits exactly."
"Thank you! Then I'll move to the TikTok division right away!"
"Wait, before that—let's talk. There's so much we need to discuss."
Seo Moon-young and Seo Kwang-soo dived into their own world of conversation.
As two creators of similar yet distinct platforms, they immediately clicked and became engrossed in discussion.
Seeing that, I realized—I was no longer needed here.
When I returned to headquarters, the planning director was waiting for me.
In his hands was a stack of documents related to the 2003 CES.
"It's already time for CES again, huh?"
"It's understandable that you'd forget, Vice Chairman. Interest in this year's CES has declined significantly. Apple, the usual showstopper, has officially announced that they won't be attending this time."
"So we won't be seeing Steve at CES? That's a bit disappointing."
Starting this year, Apple had decided to hold its own event instead of participating in CES.
A developer conference and promotional event called WWDC was scheduled for mid-June, dedicated exclusively to Apple.
"From Apple's perspective, hosting their own promotional event on their own timeline makes more sense than adjusting to CES's schedule."
"It also shows that they no longer need CES to boost their brand."
"Taewoo Electronics isn't at that level yet, so we'll still be attending CES."
"Is everything prepared?"
"To be honest, we don't have anything groundbreaking. We'll be showcasing enhanced versions of existing products along with a few unique, creative innovations."
Taewoo Electronics did have a few hidden cards up its sleeve.
But it wasn't the right time to reveal them yet.
"There's no risk of leaks from our secret projects, right?"
"Nothing will be exposed through the products we're showcasing at CES. As for our research team, they're practically living at the company to ensure security."
This new product was the result of a collaborative effort between Taewoo Electronics and several other companies.
And at the heart of it was Chun Min-jung, the ace of Taewoo IT—a product that she had poured her heart and soul into.
There was no way it could be leaked.
Well, even if it were leaked, copying it wouldn't be easy.
But to create a sensational impact, preventing leaks was crucial.
TL/n -
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