Chapter 200: The World Cup, Huh?
by xennovel“The World Cup, huh….”
President Jo Dae-ho blinked, then clapped his hands lightly.
“Not bad. We’re not an official sponsor, so we don’t have advertising opportunities. But with a flood of foreign reporters during the World Cup season, we might see a huge advertising boost if we play it right.”
“If we play it right! Isn’t that a bit of a meaningless statement? Whether it’s the World Cup or not, things are good if you do them well. The real question is, what constitutes doing it well? Isn’t that right?”
Oh Se-hyun still looked unconvinced.
“I have a way to do it well.”
Both men’s gazes turned to my lips.
“Let’s do a massive event.”
“An event?”
“Yes. Every time our national team wins a game, we’ll draw names and give away 100 new cars.”
“What?”
“We can pick from the people who watched the Korean games live at the stadium. Using seat numbers….”
“Hold on a second. Giving away 100 is a bit much. Usually, for events tied to big issues like this, around 10 cars is appropriate.”
President Jo jumped.
It was a bit excessive for an event. When launching a new car, there are countless expenses. We have to pour money into every broadcasting and media outlet, not to mention the internet.
We’d have to request a series of special articles, and the skyrocketing model fees would be another burden.
“Do you think it will end with just 100 cars?”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“Do you think we’ll only win once?”
“Isn’t the goal to reach the round of 16? So, I think we’ll win at least once?”
Oh Se-hyun said uncertainly.
“I’m thinking even bigger. If we reach the quarterfinals, we give away 500 cars, and if we reach the semifinals, we give away 1,000.”
The two men chuckled at the mention of the quarterfinals and semifinals.
President Jo Dae-ho, in particular, didn’t even try to hide his scornful expression.
“If we could really reach the semifinals and give away 1,000 cars like you say, how great would that be? 1,000 compact cars worth ten million won each is a hundred billion won. Advertising our new car at that miraculous moment would be incredibly effective. But giving away 100 cars for one win isn’t much different in terms of impact compared to giving away 10.”
“Isn’t there a chance we might witness such a miraculous moment? Every time the national team wins, the advertising effect for our new car multiplies.”
President Jo didn’t object to my suggestion any further. His calculation was that the maximum they could realistically expect was about one win, which would still bring in about a billion won in advertising value.
“Any other ideas?”
He asked casually, without much expectation, but the suggestion I needed to push through was still there.
“I have one more. There’s a player named Park Ji-sung on the national team this year.”
“Who?”
“He’s a player who played for a Japanese professional team and was selected this time. Sign a contract with him. And sign coach Hiddink too.”
The frowns on their faces didn’t disappear.
“If you don’t like the new car, just say so. Are you deliberately trying to ruin its promotion?”
President Jo Dae-ho couldn’t bring himself to say harsh words to me, the grandson of Chairman Jin, whom he had served his whole life. But he nodded at Oh Se-hyun, clearly agreeing with what he was implying.
He was making his feelings known.
“Despite all that, the thought that we should do as you say… it’s something else….”
“Huh? Representative Oh, what are you suddenly saying?”
“I’ve been listening to this outrageous nonsense for ten years. But… the results have always been good. So now, no matter how absurd it sounds, it just feels… different. What can I do? The results speak for themselves?”
President Jo’s expression grew even more bewildered as he looked at the smiling Oh Se-hyun.
“This time will be no different. The bigger the issue, the more accurate this kid’s words become. So, President Jo, please trust him once.”
President Jo Dae-ho let out a long sigh, seemingly finding Oh Se-hyun’s words even more outlandish than mine.
“Oh, and sign Hiddink for a year and Park Ji-sung for five years or more. Pay them top-tier model fees too.”
“Well… if that stubbornness is anything like his grandfather’s, there’s probably no point in arguing… I just hope his gut feeling is as good as his grandfather’s.”
“I’m certain of it. Once the World Cup is over, these two will become national treasures, the biggest stars in our country. That’s why I’m also planning to push for an advertising contract with Soonyang Life Insurance.”
“Don’t worry. This kid’s instincts are even better than Chairman Jin’s.”
President Jo bowed his head, watching Oh Se-hyun chuckle.
* * *
Around the time digital satellite broadcasting services and HD broadcasting were starting to gain traction, Hiddink’s team showed poor results in evaluation matches during their training camps in South America and Europe.
President Jo Dae-ho didn’t say much. It seemed like he thought I might give up on the promotion strategy first, since there was still time left.
But sorry to disappoint, my interest in the World Cup had already waned. Knowing the outcome takes away all the fun.
And right now, annoyingly, I’m being bothered by something I have no interest in.
“Uncle, give up on the mayoral race and try for the general election in two years.”
“No. The general election timing is awkward. A month for a politician is like a year for an ordinary person. My presence will have faded in two years.”
Mayor Choi Chang-je kept wiping the sweat beading on his forehead as he clung to me.
Oh Se-hyun had already flatly refused him, so I was the only person he could rely on.
Also, because Grandfather’s warning had worked, no one was willing to become Choi Chang-je’s financial backer.
“More importantly, can you even get the party nomination?”
He couldn’t answer easily when I asked the most crucial question.
“There’s already someone polling with an overwhelming lead. Unless something unexpected happens, it doesn’t look like there’s a way for you to run as a candidate, Uncle.”
“Do, Do-jun.”
“Uncle, please listen to me.”
“Y-yes.”
My uncle quickly shut his mouth, not wanting to upset me, his last source of funding.
“My face is recognized now. Soonyang’s financial affiliates are in my hands. Betting on a long shot would put the company at risk.”
A victor won’t sit idly by while the loser still has supporters. If the competition with your opponent gets too intense, the next Seoul mayor might put pressure on me.
Or, I’d have to reach out to him first and offer my support to smooth things over.
But it’s not wise to form deep ties with politicians just yet. Grandfather’s connections are enough for now.
“A long shot? You’re mistaken. The atmosphere within the party is different.”
“I have eyes and ears too. A single phone call is all it takes for me to get a report on what’s happening in Yeouido. Don’t cling to false hopes.”
My uncle’s expression hardened as he bit his lip.
He knows he’s standing on the edge of a cliff.
A cornered rat is dangerous.
“Instead, prepare for the next general election. And don’t even think about fighting the Seoul mayoral candidate who’s currently receiving strong support from the party.”
“You want me to suck up to that bastard?”
“No. The winds of politics can change direction at any time. You need to avoid being labeled as someone’s man. But you also need to avoid being labeled as not being someone’s man. It would be best if you graciously conceded the Seoul mayoral candidacy.”
I was his last remaining source of funds. He knew very well that he couldn’t do anything without my election funds, so he didn’t insist further.
“I promise you. If you concede the candidacy gracefully, I’ll make sure your general election funds are taken care of in two years. And of course, I’ll secure the nomination for you.”
“Even the nomination?”
“Yes. Isn’t a phone call from Grandfather all it takes? Trust me, I’ll make sure to convince him.”
My uncle’s expression brightened slightly.
“It would be great if you could help me get nominated in our party’s stronghold….”
‘That’s a matter to decide after assessing whether you’re useful or not,’ I thought, but instead nodded emphatically.
“Of course.”
I gave him another gift, seeing his lingering disappointment.
“Oh, and until the general election, why don’t you serve as an outside director for Soonyang Life Insurance? I’ll set up an office for you too, so you can come in occasionally and provide legal advice.”
If I had told him to come to work every day, he would have refused. A politician who had served as the Mayor of Seoul would have lines of people wanting to bring him on board for a monthly salary of around ten million won just for lending his name.
Of course, it wasn’t free. The connections of someone who had been the Mayor of Seoul reached everywhere.
Such financial connections were always welcome, so he accepted my offer with a bright smile.
“Really? Ah, legal advice is something I’m good at. I’m a former prosecutor, you know? Haha.”
I didn’t want to see Choi Chang-je’s smiling face again after today. This man’s last remaining vitality was only valid until I sucked it dry one last time.
* * *
“Wishing the Taegeuk Warriors the best of luck.”
HW Automobile.
Just one line, and nothing else on a black background, a full-page advertisement.
On the morning of May 31st, the opening day of the World Cup, this advertisement covered all the major daily newspapers.
Unless you looked closely at the ad, it was hard to find the very faint silhouette of a car on the black background.
No one would think it was an advertisement for a new car; it looked like a simple message of support for the national team.
I felt relieved after checking all the major national dailies.
It turned out exactly as I wanted. This advertisement is just the starting signal for a series of ads to come.
And on this day, an unexpected event occurred that made it seem possible for South Korea to reach the semifinals.
At the opening match held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the previous World Cup champion, France, missing the injured Zinedine Zidane, lost 0-1 against the World Cup newcomer, Senegal.
Even then, no one expected France to be eliminated in the group stage.
June 4th.
South Korea’s first match was held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.
The advertisement that morning was slightly different from the previous one.
The black background was the same, but the faint silhouette was a bit clearer. Anyone could tell it was the roofline of a car.
And there was a clearly printed advertisement slogan.
“We sincerely congratulate the South Korean national team on their first World Cup victory.”
“HW Automobile will share this joy.”
“Today, through a lottery, we will give away 100 units of HW Automobile’s new model to 100 lucky winners. Please refer to our website for details.”
I immediately tried to access the HW Automobile website, but it wouldn’t load, probably because the server was down due to the surge in traffic.
I searched the internet again.
The hot topic in various online communities was undoubtedly the HW Automobile advertisement.
Was it a prediction? Or not?
It was a simple provocation to attract attention.
Could it be a misprint, with ‘sincerely wish you luck’ mistakenly printed as ‘sincerely congratulate you?’
The reaction was as expected, overshadowing all other World Cup-related advertisements. No other company’s ads caught any attention online.
Soonyang Electronics was running an event where they would give a bonus of up to 300,000 won per person if the team won their first match.
Daehyun Automobile was holding a prize event worth a total of 500 million won, giving 220,000 won to 2,200 customers if they won even one of the three preliminary matches.
Of course, if you looked closely at their events, there were complicated conditions attached.
Only we were giving away 100 cars unconditionally. And these were ten million won cars.
But it was still too early to be surprised. When the next advertisement came out, not just Korea, but the whole world would be turned upside down.