Chapter 3: A Step Forward
In the largest office of the HW Group headquarters, President Cho Dae-ho looked as if he had aged a decade overnight. The flood of calls had become so overwhelming that he had to block them entirely.
As I entered his office, he let out a long sigh.
“Whatever the outcome, it’s a huge success. It’s madness, but still.”
“It may seem crazy, but we’re winning today. Rest assured.”
“I don’t know much about soccer, but I do know Poland is a European country. Are we really going to beat a European team in the World Cup?”
“We’re definitely winning, based on our analysis.”
President Cho waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn’t want to hear any more.
“Today is fine. Even if we lose, we can say our company sincerely wished for victory. But what about the next game? What are we going to do about the match against the U.S.? The PR team is in chaos, bombarded with calls from journalists asking if we predicted this.”
“Isn’t that proof of the incredible advertising impact? So what if it’s a battlefield? The PR team could use the exercise. Haha.”
“This isn’t a laughing matter. We’ve raised expectations, so we need to be very careful with the next ad.”
I smiled at President Cho, whose face was set in a hard line.
“Sir, we’re not gamblers. Some might criticize us if we’re wrong, but the key is maximizing the advertising effect. Today, no one paid attention to anything but our cars. Despite spending millions, no one else garnered any interest.”
But it seemed my words weren’t reaching him. He continued to voice his concerns.
“We can’t stop now, you know that? We need to predict the next ad too. Of course, if today’s prediction is wrong, we’ll just get criticized.”
“I’ve already decided on the next ad slogan.”
“What is it? Win? Lose?”
Even amidst his frustration, curiosity got the better of him.
“A big round of applause for the team for a great match.”
“What? Are you hedging your bets now? That’s weak.”
“Is it a problem if we predict, and a problem if we hedge? Haha.”
“Hmm…”
President Cho blinked, pondering for a moment before speaking.
“Are you thinking it might be a draw?”
I needed to answer carefully. I wasn’t a fortune teller.
“Whether we win, lose, or draw, it’s a fitting slogan, isn’t it?”
“True, but if it’s a draw, it would be quite appropriate.”
The answer would come on June 10th.
“Anyway, at 8:30 tonight, every single person in our company will be watching the game. Let’s see the result and then decide on the next ad slogan. Sound good?”
“Yes. If we lose today, we’ll definitely need to change the next slogan.”
But that didn’t happen.
That evening, as we celebrated our first-ever World Cup victory, two heroes emerged: Hwang Sun-hong and Yoo Sang-chul. And while not heroes, the morning’s ad that predicted victory became the talk of the town.
Most agreed the prediction was spot-on, though some joked it was like a cow accidentally catching a mouse. But others quipped that catching a mouse by accident was a skill in itself.
Interest surged in the silhouette of the car featured in the ad. Many speculated it was a sleek sports car based on the roofline, indicating a desire for something unique rather than a mundane sedan.
Now, the anticipation for HW’s next World Cup prediction was even greater than the tournament itself.
“A big round of applause for the team for a great match.”
“HW Motors shares in the joy once again today.”
“Today, we’re giving away 100 new models of the ‘Esquilo’ to 100 lucky winners. Check our website for details.”
This was the ad for the Korea vs. USA match on Monday, June 10th.
This time, the silhouette was clearer, revealing a 2-door coupe, which excited many. However, the ambiguous slogan only fueled curiosity.
With most interpreting it as a sign of defeat, some criticized it as jinxing the game before it even started.
But when the match ended in a 1-1 draw, public opinion shifted dramatically.
The slogan, “A big round of applause for the team for a great match,” was seen as perfectly fitting.
The PR team was overwhelmed with calls from people wanting to know who the “fortune teller” at HW Motors was, and the website server was still down.
Even the foreign press began to take interest, comparing our ads to the “Curse of Pele” and eagerly anticipating our prediction for the third match.
The ad for the final group stage match against Portugal on Friday, June 14th, caused a stir across Korea.
“Congratulations! Korea advances to the Round of 16!”
“HW Motors is giving away 100 ‘Esquilo’ cars today as well!”
The PR team unplugged all the phones and sat in a daze, as that was the best they could do. President Cho had left a message the night before: “If we win tomorrow, I’ll go to the Incheon stadium for the draw. If we lose, you go. I’m done.”
While everyone desperately hoped for victory, no one truly believed we could beat Portugal—except for Coach Guus Hiddink and me.
The future unfolded as planned.
The streets were filled with people in red shirts, and pubs recorded their highest sales ever, leaving owners elated.
They lamented that the World Cup only happened once every four years.
For the first two matches, the draw wasn’t even shown, but now it was being broadcast live.
President Cho waved to the crowd with a benevolent smile, while reporters thrust microphones at him.
“Can you tell us how you predict the outcomes so accurately?”
“Did you hire expert analysts, or is there really a fortune teller, as rumored?”
President Cho maintained his smile and shook his head.
“Oh no, we simply used the public’s wishes in our ads. We all longed for the first win, wanted to see a great match, and dreamed of advancing to the Round of 16 with the nation. That’s all there is to it. There’s no fortune teller. Haha.”
Knowing it was being broadcast live, he gave the most appropriate answers and then disappeared.
“He’s a master, isn’t he? Haha.”
There was nothing more to see. The true winner of this Korea-Japan World Cup was HW Motors.
Daehyun Motors, the official sponsor of this World Cup, spent about a trillion won on FIFA sponsorship fees, boasting about the billions in promotional benefits they would reap.
But we, without using the World Cup logo, enjoyed promotional effects surpassing Daehyun Motors.
Even the foreign press continued to report on our accurate predictions, giving us significant global exposure for our new car.
“So what’s next? Another ‘Congratulations on reaching the quarterfinals’?”
“Do you really think we’ll win? It’s Italy, after all.”
President Cho, CEO Oh Se-hyun, and the PR team all looked at me expectantly.
I hesitated, not wanting to play the fortune teller. I needed to come up with the most fitting ad slogan.
“AGAIN 1966. We are confident.”
“What?”
“What?”
The PR team, waiting with their notepads, looked at me blankly, not understanding the reference.
“In the 1966 World Cup, North Korea faced Italy and won 1-0. It’s about recreating that moment.”
“What? North Korea?”
President Cho, who was older, showed immediate discomfort at the mention of North Korea.
“Don’t be too surprised. It’s a slogan the official supporters, the Red Devils, plan to use.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They’re preparing a massive banner.”
“How did you find out? The Red Devils keep their slogans secret until the match.”
Oh Se-hyun looked at me skeptically, but I had plenty of explanations ready.
“Are you underestimating the intelligence of the Sunyang Group? We can find out something like this in an hour.”
“Oh, I forgot about that.”
I turned to the disgruntled President Cho.
“AGAIN 1966 will fill the stadium anyway. We’re just using it a bit early, and it works well. It looks like the supporters are advertising for us.”
His expression softened at the mention of effectiveness.
“But… are we going to win? Or lose?”
One of the PR team members, holding a notepad, cautiously spoke up. Even the staff were now curious if the predictions would come true.
“Look at the ad slogan. We are confident in victory. That’s it.”
“Hey! Stop being vague. What do you think will happen?”
“We didn’t start this to predict wins and losses. Fortunately, so far, the ads and results have roughly matched. That’s what’s important. Didn’t President Cho say that in the interview? That’s what matters.”
Ignoring Oh Se-hyun’s curiosity, I addressed the PR team again.
“This time, let’s increase it to 500 cars. Let’s show our confidence in victory with money.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t oppose even a thousand cars. I’ve been in the car business all my life, but this is the most exciting thing ever. When the fire is burning, you have to stoke it. That’s how you keep it from going out.”
President Cho didn’t oppose the 500-car giveaway at all.
“By the way, make sure to apply for the use of Seoul Plaza on June 29th. That’s when we’ll unveil our new car, the
No one expects our national team to make it to the semifinals.
June 29th is the date of the third-place match. Since everyone assumes our World Cup journey will end before then, the application for Seoul Plaza should be approved without a hitch.
“Lastly, the PR team.”
The PR team members, eyes wide with anticipation, focused intently on me.
“Inform all the newspapers. If they don’t offer us a discount on ad rates, we’ll pull our ads.”
“What? How can we…?”
Everyone’s scrambling to advertise during the World Cup, driving ad rates to an all-time high. And you want to negotiate them down?
Their expressions turned to disbelief.
“Our prophetic ads are no longer just ads; they’re exclusives. You’ve seen the subway newsstands, right? They display our ads prominently. From their perspective, we’re providing a scoop and paying for it. I guarantee, if we threaten to pull our ads, the free papers will run them for nothing. The major dailies will definitely offer discounts. Show them what the PR team is capable of.”
The PR team realized I wasn’t just talking; this was a directive they had to execute.
“Understood.”
With their confident response, the meeting concluded.
And then…
On June 18th, the match against Italy in Daejeon ended with Ahn Jung-hwan’s golden goal.
Now, people were fixated on just two things:
How long would the national team keep winning? And how long would HW Motors’ prophetic ads continue to hit the mark?