107: Chapter 108 Data Counterattack

Qian Xu stood in the living room.

Looking at his phone screen.

The article in The Chosun Ilbo.

Had already gone viral.

Naver hot search #5.

Over 8,000 comments.

Curses everywhere.

But there were also voices of support.

He smiled.

Koreans.

There are still sensible people.

---

The phone vibrated.

It was a message from Kim Min-jun.

"Mr. Qian, the lawyer has been contacted."

"Meet tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

Qian Xu replied.

"See you at the company tomorrow."

He put away his phone.

Stood up.

---

The next morning.

Apgujeong, Yunmengze Building.

7:30 AM.

When Qian Xu arrived.

Kim Min-jun was already in the meeting room.

Two documents were laid out on the table.

"Mr. Qian, good morning."

"Morning."

Qian Xu sat down.

"Where is the lawyer?"

"Coming soon."

Kim Min-jun said.

"Lawyer Kim, Korea's top media lawyer."

"Specializing in defamation."

"The fees are very expensive."

"But it's worth it."

Qian Xu nodded.

"Not expensive."

"As long as we can win."

---

A few minutes later.

The meeting room door was knocked.

"Please come in."

The door pushed open.

A man in his forties walked in.

Wearing a dark blue suit.

Wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Elegant temperament.

"Chairman Qian, hello."

"I am Lawyer Kim."

"Please sit."

Qian Xu stood up.

Shook hands.

"Lawyer Kim, sorry to trouble you."

"No trouble."

Lawyer Kim sat down.

Opened his briefcase.

Took out a folder.

"Representative Kim sent me the situation last night."

"I studied it all night."

"That article in The Chosun Ilbo."

"Contains many factual errors."

"We can sue."

Qian Xu looked at him.

"Can we win?"

"Yes."

Lawyer Kim was very confident.

"But it needs time."

"Korean judicial procedure."

"At least three months."

Qian Xu frowned.

"Three months is too long."

"Public opinion war."

"Cannot wait three months."

Lawyer Kim nodded.

"I understand."

"So I suggest a two-pronged approach."

"Legal line."

"I'll be responsible."

"Public opinion line."

"You fight it yourselves."

Qian Xu smiled.

"Okay."

"The legal line is yours."

"I'll handle the public opinion line."

---

After Lawyer Kim left.

Qian Xu looked at Kim Min-jun.

"Representative Kim."

"Organize our data."

"What data?"

"Salary schedules."

Qian Xu said.

"Benefit lists."

"Tax payment proof."

"Make it all public."

Kim Min-jun was stunned.

"Make it all public?"

"Yes."

Qian Xu nodded.

"Didn't they say we are dumping?"

"Then let them see."

"How much our employees earn."

"How much tax we pay."

"Slap their faces with data."

---

Kim Min-jun's eyes lit up.

"Okay."

"I'll do it immediately."

"Wait."

Qian Xu called him back.

"Not just data."

"Also comparisons."

"Compare what?"

"Compare with Lotte Mart."

Qian Xu smiled.

"Their employee salaries."

"Their benefits."

"Their tax payments."

"How much better we are than them."

"Clear at a glance."

Kim Min-jun gasped.

"Mr. Qian, this..."

"Isn't it too ruthless?"

"Ruthless?"

Qian Xu smiled.

"They struck first."

"Don't blame me for being impolite."

---

10:00 AM.

Yunmengze official account.

Published a long article on Naver.

The title was—

"Response to the False Reporting by The Chosun Ilbo"

The beginning read:

"Yesterday, The Chosun Ilbo published a false report titled 'Chinese Capital Dumping'."

"Maliciously smearing our company."

"Now publishing the following data."

"To set the record straight."

---

First data point.

Salary schedules.

Yunmengze Life Plaza salary standards:

Cashier: 2.8 million KRW/month (Lotte Mart: 2.2 million)

Stock clerk: 3 million KRW/month (Lotte Mart: 2.4 million)

Store manager: 12 million KRW/month (Lotte Mart: 6 million)

Assistant manager: 8 million KRW/month (Lotte Mart: 4.5 million)

All employees: Four major insurances upon joining (Lotte Mart: after 3-month probation)

All employees: 13th month salary annually (Lotte Mart: None)

---

Second data point.

Benefit lists.

Yunmengze employee benefits:

Free lunch (8,000 KRW daily standard)

Free coffee (unlimited)

Monthly team building (company pays fully)

Annual medical checkup (includes family discount)

Child education subsidy (200,000 KRW/month)

Housing subsidy (150,000 KRW/month)

---

Third data point.

Tax payment proof.

Yunmengze Life Plaza since opening:

Corporate tax paid: 1.27 billion KRW

VAT paid: 830 million KRW

Employee income tax paid: 350 million KRW

Total: 2.45 billion KRW

"We operate legally."

"Pay taxes according to law."

"Not a penny less."

---

The end of the article read:

"May I ask The Chosun Ilbo?"

"Is this what you call 'dumping'?"

"Giving employees high salaries."

"Providing generous benefits."

"Paying taxes on time and in full."

"This is dumping?"

"Then shouldn't Korean companies reflect?"

"Why can't you keep employees?"

"Why can't you afford to pay taxes?"

---

After the article was published.

Ten minutes.

Reposts exceeded 10,000.

Twenty minutes.

Comments exceeded 5,000.

Naver hot search went straight to #1.

#YunmengzeSalaryTable#

#ConscientiousBoss#

#LotteMartComparison#

Three topics on the list simultaneously.

---

The comment section exploded.

"Holy crap!"

"Cashier 2.8 million?"

"My friend worked at Lotte Mart for three years."

"Only 2.4 million."

"The gap is too big."

"And Yunmengze also covers lunch."

"8,000 standard daily."

"That's 240,000 a month."

"Plus salary."

"Actual income exceeds 3 million."

"800,000 more than Lotte Mart."

---

"Not just salary."

"Look at the benefits."

"Child education subsidy."

"Housing subsidy."

"Lotte Mart has nothing."

"My cousin worked at Lotte Mart for five years."

"Not even a year-end bonus."

"Yunmengze has 13th month salary."

"One extra month of pay per year."

"This gap."

"It's huge."

---

"The most ruthless part is the taxes."

"How long has it been open?"

"Paid 2.45 billion in taxes."

"Lotte Mart Hongdae Branch."

"Last year total tax was only 1.5 billion."

"One Yunmengze store."

"Pays more tax than one Lotte Mart store."

"This is called dumping?"

"This is called a conscientious enterprise."

---

"I've decided."

"Only shop at Yunmengze from now on."

"Not for anything else."

"Just because they are good to employees."

"Such an enterprise."

"Worth supporting."

---

"The Chosun Ilbo got their faces slapped hard this time."

"Wrote an article to smear others."

"Turns out they just posted data."

"Salary higher than you."

"Benefits better than you."

"Taxes paid more than you."

"What else do you have to say?"

---

Qian Xu sat in the office.

Looking at the comments on his phone.

Smiled.

The phone vibrated.

It was a message from Park So-yeon.

"Mr. Qian, you are amazing!"

"This move is too ruthless!"

Qian Xu replied.

"They struck first."

"I'm just defending myself."

Park So-yeon replied quickly.

"Defending?"

"This is clearly a counterattack."

"And it's a crushing blow."

Qian Xu smiled.

"Focus on your rehearsal."

"Don't worry about this."

"Okay."

Park So-yeon replied.

"But you must let me treat you to dinner tonight."

"To celebrate you winning the first battle."

Qian Xu smiled.

"Okay."

---

He put down his phone.

Looking out the window.

The sky over Seoul is blue.

The sun is great.

This public opinion war.

He won the first round.

But Lotte Mart won't give up.

He must prepare for the next round of counterattack.

The phone vibrated again.

It was a system notification.

Qian Xu tapped it open.

[Public Opinion War First Round Won]

[Korea's favorability towards China: 28.1% → 28.5%]

[Increased by 0.4 percentage points]

[Chinese people in Korea favorability: 82% → 85%]

[Increased by 3 percentage points]

He smiled.

Put away his phone.

Stood up.

Walked out of the office.