I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 161



Only Noblemtl

161 The Fallen Critic (3)

“I know it was a sudden call, but thank you all for coming.”

This is the first time the victims have come together since deciding to file a class action lawsuit.

“We are just contributing to the lawsuit that Chef Shin is handling.”

“I still get so angry when I think about that time that I can’t sleep.”

“Thank you for allowing me to punish you in this way.”

Groan, groan.

Since most of them are owner chefs, you can feel the rough vibe that is typical of kitchen workers.

“The reason I have gathered you all here today is to clearly define the target for the lawsuit.”

“You mean clearly? What else is there besides that Horace?”

Maverick, who first posted the revealing tweet, asks a question.

“First, I want to ask you something. What do you want to achieve with this lawsuit? The destruction of Horace, or maximum compensation?

“I want both, is that not possible?”

Susan, who had been standing still, looks at me and asks.

Everyone must feel the same way. They all had to close their restaurants after Horace’s column came out.

“Horace is a private individual. He is not even a wealthy person. He has little savings, only a private apartment and a luxury car. Even if the court orders you to pay a large sum of compensation, he cannot afford to pay it.”

“Then what should we do?”

Everyone’s expression darkens. This trial is their only hope for recovery.

“Of course, it has to come from the platform. In this case, it would be Flavor.

The United States does not yet have any laws regulating backlighting. The Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act) states in Section 5, Section 2 that it regulates all deceptive and unfair practices occurring in the marketplace.

It was clearly deceptive and unfair to take money and write advertising columns. We will win.

But the extent to which responsibility is held is a more important question, especially when we think about the future.”

FTC Act 5, Section 2 is so broad in scope that it depends a lot on the skills of the attorney. That’s why I hired the best law firm.

“Why is that so?”

“Even if you’re not Horace, you’ve probably met a lot of YouTubers or bloggers who offered to post videos or articles for money.

They brazenly upload content as if they are not receiving any compensation and deceive the public. This behavior encourages unfair competition in the market.

“Eventually, SNS stars will also join in. The market will become increasingly murky. In the end, the damage will be passed on to business owners and consumers.”

“Can we win if we fight the platform side?”

“That’s why we need Horace. We need to get evidence that the platform knowingly aided and abetted it for profit.

You all need money to get back on track. There is no doubt that this is the path to maximum reward.”

The owners start to murmur and exchange opinions, but this is a question with a set answer.

“I will follow Chef Shin’s advice. If Horace can’t pay the money, I honestly wish he would go to jail.

But that doesn’t matter to me more than my family, who live in poverty. As long as I get paid a lot, I’m fine.”

Maverick steps forward and speaks on behalf of the group.

“Me too.”

“It’s the same.”

“We’ve reached a consensus. Thank you for following along.”

I bowed to them and left the conference room.

The reason I am trying so hard to punish the platform is to change the future, which is going to be a mess due to viral marketing, even just a little bit. What influencers and YouTubers fear the most is not a fine. It is the suspension of their account on the platform.

Platforms have been lukewarm about sanctioning influential celebrities because they have helped expand their markets and make money.

But what if they have to pay huge fines? The risks would be greater than the benefits.

And precedent is very important in a trial. If I win, victims will all cling to the platform to get maximum compensation in similar cases in the future.

* * *

“This is how it happened. It was never my decision to make this decision out of pity for you.”

After finishing the explanation, Horace pours a drink with a gloomy expression.

“It’s funny that I’m saying this, but the truth is that people in the media industry are in a state of moral insensitivity. They equate their influence with the power of the media. And they exercise that power in a way that benefits them.”

“I know, Horace, you need to make a public confession and an effort to clean up the industry.

It’s hard to make a living as a critic, right? This will be your new job. The public is still not fully aware of the seriousness of this problem. You should constantly remind the public. If possible, you should write a book.”

“Even the book?”

“You’ve been on TV a lot, so you know how it works. If you were to honestly confess how the media has been deceiving the public, your book would sell. But you’d be enemies.”

“I was wrong anyway. But I know your physiology well. From the chair you use when hosting a talk show to the glass of water, there is nothing that is not sponsored. Everything is about money. The public is brainwashed without even knowing it and buys those things.”

“Society is always faster than the law. I look forward to seeing you at trial.”

I took his word for it and headed to the restaurant. Now the lawyers will finish the job.

* * *

The new year has arrived.

2011 was a really eventful year. There was the Great East Japan Earthquake, I got married, had two lovely children, got two Michelin stars and was listed on The Restaurant List.

But I couldn’t just smile and be happy about my accomplishments.

New York is currently experiencing massive crowd protests under the slogan ‘Occupy Wall Street’.

There may be more than one reason for this phenomenon, but many ordinary citizens took to the streets in despair at the reality that the top 1% of the wealthy own 50% of all wealth in the United States.

In Horace’s Scandal I could read the hatred of the common people towards the rich.

Our customers are mostly wealthy, so Segreto may also be viewed negatively by them. If the Korean food project we are currently working on is successful, it will help dilute this image.

“What are you thinking about?”

Joohee brings yogurt. She is very interested in making yogurt these days.

At first, I didn’t like additives, so I started making the most basic yogurt by pouring milk into the yogurt maker, but the spectrum has gradually expanded, and these days, I even make thick Greek yogurt by separating the whey myself. If I mix it with honey or fruit and add nuts, it becomes a great breakfast.

“The protests are getting more intense, it’s a big deal.”

“It’s serious. The biggest problem is that there is no answer.”

If enough growth has occurred, distribution should occur, but there is no society where this happens voluntarily. Since this cannot be forced, polarization in society will only get worse. I think that since I cannot change the world, I should at least take care of those around me.

“It looks like the strike will spread, but fortunately our restaurant is fine.”

“The problem is the sense of deprivation. My brother pays me a lot. If the company doesn’t share the profits, I’ll pay the price eventually. Even if there’s a labor dispute or if there’s no resistance, growth will stop. Because I don’t have affection for the company.”

“When did you get so smart?”

“Cheese.”

She smiles faintly.

Yuna and Noah are sleeping in their cribs, holding each other. Now, they can hold up their heads and roll over successfully. Recently, they have been expanding their range of activities by rolling over.

“The kids don’t fight?”

“If she can’t see him, she cries and looks for him. If he’s next to her, she fights. Yuna only tries to steal Noah’s toys and play with them.”

“But he’s my brother, isn’t that bothering you too much?”

“Noah is kind, that’s why. But when he gets angry, he fights and fights with each other. When that happens, they’re both so cute.”

I carefully lifted Yuna while she was sleeping. At first, she squinted her eyes, but when I hugged her, she hugged me tightly. She looked like a baby koala.

Ababa.

Noah, who had opened his eyes before he knew it, reached out his hand and asked for a hug.

“How did you know my brother wasn’t there?”

Kyaarruk.

Joohee smiles as she hugs Noah. Then she reaches out to Yuna.

“Do you want to be with your little brother?”

After laying them down again, Noah leans his face against Yuna’s and falls into a deep sleep.

“I think Noah will be a good older brother when he grows up.”

Joohee says with a smile.

I had a feeling that Yuna wouldn’t acknowledge herself as her younger sister.

Today is a holiday, but there is a lot to do. After a quick breakfast, I head to New Jersey in my newly purchased 12th generation Ford F-150 Raptor.

* * *

New Jersey is home to a large number of farms, thanks to its favorable climate, vast pastures, and proximity to the huge backwater market of New York.

Among them, I acquired the Sun High farm in Randolph. It was relatively small, at 10 acres (about 12,000 pyeong), and had a natural environment suitable for fermenting cheese. Above all, it was the best thing that I could use the maturing room as it was, since it was a place where cheese was made.

The method of making a field is very simple. Humans do less than 10% of the work, and the remaining 90% is nature’s work.

There were many Korean women in New Jersey and New York who couldn’t find jobs. They had to be fluent in English to even work as cashiers at a supermarket, but most of them came to the U.S. with their husbands but didn’t have the courage to do so because they lacked English skills.

If you work in Koreatown, where English is not required, you will only get paid half the hourly wage. It would be nice if we could help each other, but most cases of fraud overseas occur among people from the same country.

In this situation, when I, a well-known person, placed an advertisement in a Korean newspaper, applicants poured in like a flood.

I bought the best organic beans around, tasted them, and chose the ones that I thought would taste best when pickled, and got to work right away.

If possible, I wanted to do everything the traditional way, but it was too labor-intensive. I had no choice but to buy a large electric furnace that is used in restaurants to make Seolleongtang instead of a cauldron. The beans are boiled in large quantities and ground in a grinder. After that, they are put into molds, shaped, and then moved to the drying room.

After the first drying in the drying room, the soybeans are tied with straw and moved to the maturing room to float. After two months, the fungus is cultured and the soybeans are ready to be made.

“Yejin’s mom! You didn’t wash the soybean paste enough!”

“Umm. Okay.”

The dialect I hear in America sounds lovely.

Housewives gather together to wash the soybeans with straw, dissolve them in salt water, crush them by hand, separate the soy sauce and soybean paste, and store them in crock pots.

The Jangdokdae should be located in a sunny place. This is because the amount of sunlight can be controlled by opening and closing the lid. The temperature raised by direct sunlight during the day promotes the movement of yeast, and if the lid is closed at night, the residual heat prevents freezing.

Before we knew it, the kimchi crocks that had been completed began to line up one by one.

First, I made 100 jars of jang as a demonstration. Even if I use one jar a week, there will be some left over. Looking at the finished jars makes me feel strong.

The remodeling work is also progressing smoothly.

In February, Chef Lee Sang-beom, who had submitted his resignation letter to the Royal Hotel, finally received his visa.