CH111 | VOC

“I thank everyone for attending today’s event.”

The audience in the auditorium applauded enthusiastically. I bowed my head in acknowledgment.

“Our nation is facing difficult times. People are suffering, and countless companies are collapsing. The President and our Assembly members are working tirelessly to restore our economy, but it’s not an easy task.”

I paused and continued,

“But we are a resilient people, descendants of Dangun with a proud 5,000-year history. We’ve overcome countless challenges and built this nation. If we unite and work together, we can overcome this crisis.”

My voice filled with emotion, I declared,

“Who saved our country during the Imjin War? The Korean people. Who pulled us out of the darkness of Japanese colonial rule? The Korean people, our independence fighters! And once again, the people have risen to save our nation! The gold collection campaign!”

I made eye contact with the audience.

“Only the Korean people, united by patriotism, could achieve this! Those who are selling their gold for our country are patriots and heroes! I’m proud to be a Korean!”

I paused for the cameras and continued,

“People from all walks of life, from prominent figures to mothers selling their children’s first birthday rings, are lining up to sell their gold. Isn’t it amazing? This great movement unfolding before our eyes? I’m deeply moved by the spirit and resilience of the Korean people.”

Shedding a few tears would have been perfect, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I was already getting goosebumps just from saying these words.

“I was ashamed and disgusted with myself for standing idly by while people suffered! I couldn’t just do nothing!”

I gestured to Maru, who brought in something covered with a cloth.

“Wouldn’t it be a great honor to tell my children and grandchildren that I contributed to this great movement? ‘Do you know what your father, your grandfather, did for our country?’ I believe the gold collection campaign is worthwhile just for that! So I’ve prepared this.”

I dramatically unveiled the object.

“The Taegeukgi (Korean flag)!”

It wasn’t an ordinary flag.

It was a 20kg gold bar, shaped like the Taegeukgi, fluttering in the wind.

The audience gasped, mesmerized by its beauty. It was more than just a gold bar, it was a work of art.

“This Taegeukgi gold bar embodies our hopes and dreams. I’m donating it to the gold collection campaign. I hope this small contribution will help our country.”

I bowed my head as the audience gave me a standing ovation. I then pointed to the people sitting in the front row.

“I’d like to introduce those who helped create this gold bar. First, Assemblyman Lee An-jin.”

Assemblyman Lee, a regular attendee of our events and the representative of our district, stood up and bowed to the audience.

“And next…”

I introduced various people, from National Assembly members to representatives from other foundations, all influential figures.

“This Taegeukgi gold bar was created with their donations.”

Maru flipped the gold bar, revealing the names and seals of the donors engraved on the back.

“Let’s give a round of applause to these generous individuals who are working hard for our country.”

The audience applauded again, and I bowed my head.

After the ceremony, Assemblyman Lee approached me with a smile.

“Thank you for inviting me to such a meaningful event.”

I waved my hands.

“Thank you for your donation, Assemblyman. It was my pleasure.”

He chuckled.

“That’s true. It was only 100,000 won, though.”

The Taegeukgi gold bar, worth 400 million won, had the names and seals of 20 donors engraved on the back. The total donation amount was 2 million won.

I needed the names of influential figures, and they were happy to have their names associated with such a high-profile event for a small donation. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

“The Taegeukgi gold bar is beautiful. No one would refuse to have their name on it.”

I had paid 10 million won for the crafting fee, so I expected a positive response.

Assemblyman Lee smirked.

“By the way, I’ve noticed this every time I see you… CEO Park, you’re a natural politician.”

The entire event was a performance, a publicity stunt.

Crafting a gold bar in the shape of the Taegeukgi was unnecessary.

Assemblyman Lee considered the 100,000 won donation a fee for participating in the performance, a form of bribery.

I said humbly,

“It’s nothing, Assemblyman. I’m just doing what I can.”

“Hahaha, that’s why I like you, CEO Park.”

I checked to make sure no one was listening and then whispered to him,

“There’s a box of apples in the trunk of your car, Assemblyman.”

“Hmm.”

I had been building a relationship with him through the foundation for a long time, so he knew it was safe to accept the bribe.

“Please use it for the benefit of the people.”

He cleared his throat and said,

“Of course.”

He patted my shoulder and left. I looked around, smirked, and muttered,

“Idiot.”

As more and more people viewed participating in the gold collection campaign as a patriotic act, the number of donations increased.

Celebrities and athletes, whose careers depended on public image, felt pressured to donate, regardless of their true feelings.

It was almost harder to find a celebrity who hadn’t donated.

That’s why I had created the Taegeukgi gold bar, to stand out and generate publicity.

It was a unique and meaningful donation, a perfect conversation starter.

Patriotic marketing was the king of marketing.

I returned from the donation ceremony at the gold collection center, accompanied by photographers, feeling a pang of regret.

“It’s such a waste.”

It was a small portion of my wealth, but it still hurt to spend money I didn’t have to.

“Think of it as an investment. An investment.”

I pouted at Maru’s words.

“It’s still a waste. My precious gold. But…”

I smiled.

“This will flip the table completely.”

As I had initially thought, the most effective way to expose the scheme was to reveal the circulation of the gold.

If the donated gold was found circulating within Korea, not overseas, no one, not even the chaebols, could contain the fallout.

I had initially given up on the idea of finding the donated gold among millions of pieces of jewelry, but then I had an idea.

I would use the highly visible Taegeukgi gold bar to attract attention. What would happen if it was found in Korea?

Of course, the trading companies weren’t stupid enough to bring such a conspicuous item back into the country.

That’s why I had prepared this.

“Maru, bring it here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Maru went to the vault and returned with a wooden box.

“Make it look used and worn. Rub it with your hands.”

He opened the box, and inside was a Taegeukgi gold bar.

It was an exact replica of the one I had donated, down to the names engraved on the back.

“Hehehe.”

If I couldn’t get back the gold I had donated, I could just pretend to find it.

Maru said with a puzzled expression,

“But hyung…”

“What?”

“If this works, it’ll be a critical blow to the trading companies. But what if it doesn’t? What if they just deny it? We have no proof.”

I nodded.

“Of course they’ll deny it. They’re not stupid.”

“Then we’ll just be wasting gold.”

I wagged my finger.

“No, you’re thinking about it the wrong way. This Taegeukgi gold bar is just a detonator.”

“What?”

“Thousands of dealers are acting on the rumors we spread. And they’re bribing the shell company employees. At least tens of thousands of people in this country know about the scheme, even if they don’t have all the details.”

A secret known by tens of thousands of people was no longer a secret.

The rumors were probably spreading even now, through word of mouth.

“I tried to shake the trading companies with rumors, but it didn’t work. Rumors are just rumors. They’re just conspiracies without evidence. But what if this Taegeukgi gold bar appears?”

I stroked the gold bar excitedly.

“It gives the rumors credibility. It turns them into truth. Who would believe there’s another Taegeukgi gold bar besides the one we donated? By the time the trading companies realize it’s a fake, it’ll be too late.”

This one fake piece of evidence would bring to light millions of real pieces of evidence and tens of thousands of witnesses.

“Of course they’ll try to cover it up. That’s why we involved the Assembly members. What a perfect headline.”

For Assembly members, always hungry for public attention, what could be better than the reappearance of the gold bar they had donated?

“It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s the media or the Assembly members, once the spotlight is on them, everything will unravel.”

Maru thought for a moment, rubbed the fake Taegeukgi gold bar with his hands, and said,

“It’s too late to worry now. Let’s make it look used.”

That evening, a news report about the gold collection campaign showed me holding the Taegeukgi gold bar for about five seconds. The next day, a small article with a photo, titled “Patriotic Gold Bar,” appeared in a newspaper.

Some praised it as a good deed, while others criticized it as excessive.

But it generated buzz, and the Taegeukgi gold bar became recognizable.

A week later,

Confident that the Taegeukgi gold bar had left the country, I called Maru and Park Jong-bum and smiled.

“Let’s begin.”