Park Si-hyeong had a mixed expression of shock and anger at my words.
Well, who could say such things in front of the sitting president?
I’m only saying it because it’s me. And telling him to worry about himself is not a joke.
After leaving the sushi restaurant, I got into the waiting car.
Taek-gyu, who was at the wheel, started the car immediately.
“What if someone follows us?”
“Why? Are you worried about an assassination?”
“They could disguise it as a car accident.”
“……”
Have you watched too many movies?
“Does it end just because I disappear?”
“So, what are you saying?”
“Obvious stuff.”
I summarized the conversation inside for him.
“The problem isn’t just the airbag defect, but the bigger issue is the cover-up. After the Toyota unintended acceleration defect cover-up, the related laws in the U.S. were strengthened. If it’s revealed that they intentionally concealed a known defect, the responsible person could face life imprisonment.”
“Then who in PAS is responsible? The CEO or the actual owner?”
“I don’t know.”
Taek-gyu laughed.
“It’s a great opportunity to test brotherly loyalty.”
I nodded.
“To do that, we need to find evidence that proves the cover-up was intentional.”
***
I was reviewing the crash test data sent from CarOS when someone came to see me.
Like before, but especially after Big One, many people wanted to meet me. When someone visits, they usually write their name in the lobby and send it to the secretary’s office, and I generally check it myself.
For founders or developers, K Company employees conduct meetings, but I do not accept any politicians, civic groups, charitable organizations, classmates, or friends.
However, the person who came this time was different. As soon as I heard his name and reason for visiting, I instructed them to send him up.
A moment later, a man in his mid-forties entered the CEO’s office. I stood up to greet him.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Jin-hoo.”
“Hello. I’m Tak Won-sik.”
He was none other than the son of TKT Precision’s CEO, Tak Kwon-taek.
We sat across from each other at the table.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes.”
He looked at me somewhat intimidated. It must have felt like an ordinary person meeting the second son of a chaebol or a large corporation’s chairman.
The secretary brought in the coffee.
“What brings you to see me?”
He spoke cautiously.
“Chairman…”
“Just call me Jin-hoo comfortably. To the employees, I’m the representative, but not to others. Please don’t be nervous and speak freely.”
“Ah, understood.”
At my words, he appeared somewhat more relaxed as he spoke.
“I saw an article about crash testing for Eunsung cars being conducted in the U.S.”
It wasn’t necessarily secretive, and news had already spread in the industry before being reported by the U.S. media.
Korean media are still silent, but articles are gradually leaking out, primarily through online news outlets.
“That’s right.”
He looked at me and asked,
“Is it because of the airbag?”
The purpose of the crash tests has never been publicly disclosed.
“You know quite well.”
He nodded.
“I was at the company then as well. I was involved in the airbag development.”
“Does your father know about this?”
He shook his head.
“He passed away two years ago.”
I felt an inexplicable connection to his pain.
“It must have been tough for you.”
“It wasn’t too difficult. After my father gave up on reclaiming the company, he vowed never to engage in business again and built a few buildings.”
“Ah…”
Unlike DHK Engineering, which supplied to third-party vendors, TKT Precision was a mid-sized company capable of developing airbags.
Moreover, unlike my completely failed family business, they sold their company for 30 billion won.
If they had built properties with that money, the whole family would have lived without any issues. A property owner above the creator, right?
Connection in pain, my foot…
“When developing the airbag, my father made the decision to use ammonium nitrate as a propellant instead of tetrazole. All the in-house engineers opposed this. They believed it was too dangerous to use a substance whose safety had not been proven. But my father did not listen to that and pressed on with his own intention.”
If you make the same product as existing companies at a similar price, there’s no competitiveness. It must have been an unavoidable choice for a latecomer.
“I never imagined my father would have flaws. I learned about it only after losing the company.”
Even though the CEO changed, the developers and employees still remained in the company. They informed Tak Kwon-taek about the incident, and he was reportedly shocked when he heard the news.
“My father lived with guilt for the rest of his life after hearing that someone died because of the airbag he created. Whenever he drank, he lamented that he was a murderer.”
“Did you ever try to raise awareness about the truth?”
He sighed as he spoke.
“Why wouldn’t I? I first informed Eunsung Motors and PAS of the facts. I told them that it was fine not to get the company back, but please, stop the sale of the airbags.”
“They certainly didn’t listen.”
“I reported it to the media and filed complaints everywhere, but it was useless. They viewed it as a grudge for losing the company, and Eunsung Motors sued my father for defamation.”
Just like with Professor Park Pil-hyun.
It seems that if you point out defects, you must be prepared for punishment.
“So what happened?”
He spoke with a bitter expression.
“I had no choice but to reach a settlement with Eunsung Motors. They agreed to drop the lawsuit after I promised not to claim any rights to the company anymore, not to raise issues regarding the airbags, and to keep the settlement confidential.”
Fighting against a large corporation is a long and lonely struggle. It’s understandable that they reached a settlement without fighting to the end.
He took out a file and USB from the bag he brought.
“This is the information my father gathered until his passing.”
I opened the file and examined the documents inside.
The accident cases were the first to catch my eye. Although we were also collecting information on airbag incidents, astonishingly, the materials provided by CarOS were organized in more detail.
There were documents showing the numerous times the dangers of the airbags were reported to Eunsung Motors and PAS, as well as records of complaints to the prosecution, the Fair Trade Commission, Consumer Protection Agency, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, along with the settlement agreement.
Creating a defective product is a mistake. However, hiding the defect after recognizing it is intentional. This is not only unethical but also carries legal responsibility.
This is clear evidence that they concealed the defect knowing about it.
I can’t believe such important information came to me so easily!
“Do you give this to me out of revenge?”
He shook his head at my question.
“I hold no grudge or resentment against Eunsung Motors and PAS. It’s funny, but if PAS hadn’t acquired it, TKT Precision would have had to take responsibility.”
I lost my hard-earned orchard, just before harvest. But it turned out I was growing poisoned apples. The person who seized it unknowingly picked the apples and sold them to people.
“My father suffered until the moment he closed his eyes, knowing he produced a defective product that caused people to die. Now, I want to relieve that burden. Please ensure that no more victims arise from that airbag. And I hope you tell that my father tried to reveal the truth.”
The problem started with President Tak Kwon-taek. If he hadn’t developed airbags using ammonium nitrate as an inflator, this wouldn’t have happened.
At least President Tak Kwon-taek tried to take responsibility for his mistake until the end. But both Eunsung Motors and PAS were too busy hiding the truth. If anyone had been willing to correct it, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point.
I nodded.
“I will definitely do that.”
At my words, Tak Won-sik looked relieved.
“Thank you, Jin-hoo.”
***
CarOS held a press conference at headquarters to announce the results of the Eunsung Car crash tests.
Professor Park Pil-hyun, who supervised the crash tests as an external expert, presented the findings himself. He first revealed videos and photos from the crash tests.
As a slow-motion replay showed metal fragments flying out when the airbag deployed, striking the dummy’s face and neck, people watching were taken aback.
“Of the hundreds of crash tests conducted, most airbags were fine, but vehicles that have operated for a long time in high-humidity areas are more likely to have airbags deploy on minor impacts or generate a strong explosive force, increasing the risk of debris flying.”
Reporters asked questions.
“Are there any related accident cases?”
A researcher who also participated in the experiment responded.
“Approximately 200 accidents have occurred in the past five years, with an estimated 13 fatalities. To prevent further damage, all vehicles equipped with PAS airbags should undergo an immediate recall for replacement.”
As shocking as that was, it didn’t end there.
Now, the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in.
“Eunsung Car and the manufacturer PAS are suspected of having known about the airbag defect for a long time but concealed it. We have secured sufficient evidence and will summon related individuals for investigation.”
This situation heightened sensitivities regarding safety, especially following the Big One incident.
The revelation of a critical defect in Eunsung Car airbags, and the fact that it was hidden for five years, was enough to ignite public outrage among the American people.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Justice immediately began investigations into Eunsung Car and PAS, while considering mandatory recall orders. The U.S. political sphere agreed to hold hearings.
A boycott of Eunsung Cars erupted nationwide, halving their sales.
The news quickly reached Korea.
As soon as the market opened, Eunsung Car shares plummeted by 18 percent, with group stocks like Jecheol, Glomas, and Linus also showing significant declines.
– Wow! That’s incredible. How did they find out about the airbag defect?
– LOL, insane. They really blew it after the earthquake.
– Eunsung Car and PAS are going down hard.
– Is it the last round of Otaku vs. the President?
– Is the airbag defect for real?
– I heard the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating.
– I’m doomed. I drive an Eunsung car. My car must have a killer airbag installed too.
– Yeah. If you have an accident, you’ll die. It’s a death sentence.
– The U.S. will recall, but what about Korea?
– They’ll probably say it’s the miracle logic of Eunsung cars. They’ll claim domestic and export cars are different, so no recall.
– Won’t they say Korean consumers are tough enough to handle metal fragments sticking in their faces?
– If the airbag recall happens, won’t PAS go down?
– The president’s term is ending, what will happen if PAS collapses too?
– Who will take responsibility at PAS? The figurehead? Or the President?
– Why did they turn Kang Jin-hoo into an enemy?
– Haha, the President has really become the enemy this time.
– The President turned into an enemy. An enemy-like President ㅜㅜ
***
The U.S. Prosecutor’s Office is simultaneously searching the U.S. branch of Eunsung Motors while sending an official document to the Korean government.
They requested information regarding the reports and outcomes of complaints made by CEO Tak Kwon-taek to the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. They also asked for cooperation to ensure that the CEO and executives of PAS can attend congressional hearings in the U.S.
Eunsung Motors and PAS have not issued any significant explanations. Even when reporters gathered, they remained silent, stating they were in the process of organizing their positions.
In an already chaotic situation, two events occurred simultaneously in Korea.
One was the police arresting a female employee of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) at an officetel, who had written hundreds of comments under the nickname “Jinhoo Hyosu.”
When the police knocked on the door, the employee locked it and held out while contacting the NIS. The NIS contacted the police, asking them to wait as they would handle it themselves, but the police ignored this and forcibly broke the door down.
Inside the officetel, it was decorated like a PC room, where NIS staff rotated through hundreds of IDs to post and comment. They even distributed photos with the face of Kang Jin-hoo superimposed on pornographic images.
Lee Il-seon, an aide at the Blue House who had taken leave and gone into hiding, voluntarily presented himself to the police. They had threatened to forcibly summon him if he did not appear by today.
He stood in front of the cameras with his head bowed.
“I apologize to the citizens for causing social controversy.”
Reporters immediately began firing questions.
“Do you admit to directing the protests by conservative groups?”
“Why did you issue such orders?”
“Was it you who gave the instructions?”
In response, he said, “It is true that I made contact, but I only acted according to instructions.”
The reporters were shocked.
“If it wasn’t you, then who gave the orders?”
“Is there a higher authority involved?”
“How far up does this go?”
Lee Il-seon calmly addressed the reporters.
“All instructions were given by the President. I was just playing the role of conveying them.”
