Domestic Public Opinion
More bullshit, that's what it was.
I'd already been worn down as far as a man could wear down, and used as far as a man could be used, so there was precious little patriotism left to find anywhere inside me.
These days, the thought even crossed my mind: since this is a country I saved, would it really be so bad if I just tore the whole thing down myself?
I know.
What I did was a dirty trick.
Because I — because we — had reeled in this woman and the military brass, women who knew nothing, who were just now getting their first taste of the bitter spice of a democratic society and were on their way to suffering exactly what we had once suffered.
Lured in with a kindly little bait, blended half of truth and half of lies.
Thanks to that, I'd gotten to hear a great deal.
Things like how the Blue House, which claimed to its face it was doing everything for our sake, had been telling the military behind closed doors to bring us to heel. Or the unfiltered reactions of North Koreans that never made it into the news or onto social media.
Not that I had any idea whether I could actually trust any of that information.
-Buzz.
I lifted my head and looked at the clock hanging on the wall.
-Buzz.
9:00 p.m.
For the past week, the call from the Blue House had not come late even once. And over that stretch, I had let the phone ring exactly three times before answering on the fourth vibration.
-Buzz.
That was the unspoken rule our week of repetition had built between us.
-Buzz.
And today, I was going to break it.
Ignoring the phone as it shrieked on and on, I got up, walked to the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of water, and drank. The cold air spilling out when I opened the door and the chill of the water sliding down my throat seemed to snap my foggy head awake.
By the time I'd finished drinking and wandered back — giving it plenty of time to wail alone — I slid the answer button sideways, raised the smartphone to my ear, and picked up.
"Hello. This is Park Seonghun."
-.... It's me.
"Ah... yes. Have you been well?"
-Yes... it's me, of course. I've been fine.
She's lying.
"Oh, right — I saw the news. You're holding a heads-of-state summit soon, I hear."
Where was it again? With Taiwan, wasn't it?
-Yes. So you did hear. Then let me come out and say it — I'd like all of you to come and grace the occasion with your presence.
Tch. Way too transparent. So that's why she wants us there.
"Ah, that would be about a week from now, correct?"
-Yes!
"Then I'm afraid that won't work."
Not going. Do we look insane?
"As I'm sure you're aware... Japan and the United States were so thoroughly satisfied with how we handled things over there..."
"They've asked us to extend what was supposed to be a one-week schedule into a full month."
"The American ambassador has even suggested that afterward, we travel to the US mainland and do exactly what we did in Japan, all over again."
"And of course, I would dearly love to be part of President Lee Nayoung's very first summit as head of state."
"But you understand, don't you? When national interest is on the line, our work here comes first."
"I'm sorry? Well, it's essential — for a rock-solid ROK-US-Japan alliance, this is simply necessary."
"So... I apologize. We won't be able to attend."
-... When exactly do you intend to come back? I told you the police had opened an investigation into the group that attacked you, didn't I? Hm?
Well, look at her getting all high and mighty. Fucking delightful. Who exactly are you whining at?
"...Mr. President. I believe I told you already."
"The mood of society itself has to change first. You saw with your own eyes how we were treated in Japan, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry? You didn't see what the Japanese people did for us at the memorial event we attended recently?"
"Ten million people. Every last one of them lining the roads we traveled, standing there holding white flags — not a single one missing."
Even thinking back on it now, my chest tightens.
That many people, smiling at us, sending their thanks for what we'd done in Japan.
Hah...
Yes, it was a somewhat overproduced stage play, staged a little too hard for political purposes — but it was genuinely moving.
Moving enough that I'd request it be played at my funeral as the deceased's most epic moment.
"Impressive, wouldn't you say?"
-....
"And yet in our proud Republic of Korea — what exactly happened to us?"
-There was an... unfortunate incident...
What kind of nonsense is that?
That doesn't even qualify as words.
"It was terrorism. Please don't rewrite the language on me, Mr. President. I really don't care for that sort of thing."
It reminds me of how they'll suddenly spend hundreds of millions in taxpayer money to twist the meaning of words that were perfectly fine to begin with. Why do they even bother.
-Yes... I apologize for failing to prevent it in advance.
-But with apologies to Choi Jiwon — haven't we protected you, and Minister Yoon's family, quite well? Hm?
Oh?
So she came at me with intent today. All sweetness for a week, and now the questions turn sharp?
"Ah, come now... Mr. President."
"We felt ourselves to be in serious danger from what those women with the four-syllable name were doing."
What was it they said again? Can't quite recall. Regardless — it was dangerous.
"And another thing..."
"When someone fails to understand that others are sacrificing themselves for society, and spouts nonsense while broadcasting their own social incompetence to the world..."
"Shouldn't we, as members of that society — as its leadership — step in and re-educate that child, or at the very least restrain her?"
If my own kid ever spouted what that four-syllable woman spouted, I'd slap them across the face on the spot.
Well... I'd never raise a child that way in the first place.
"Anyway, we'll most likely head back in about a month. See you at Incheon Airport then."
As always, I hung up unilaterally.
Ugh, my stomach. I should get some hangover soup in me, and soon.
-Beep... beep...
He hung up on me again, having said nothing but his own piece.
I'm furious.
I want to seize that ill-mannered brat this instant and rehabilitate him myself.
But the man is across the Korea Strait, somewhere in the Japanese archipelago.
Yes. Japan.
He stated, quite clearly, that he would return today. He even filmed a video of himself saying it and uploaded it where the entire nation could watch. And in the end, he didn't come.
Once again, the cleanup falls to us.
No — to me.
Unprecedented. Unheard of. I nearly killed myself smoothing over the mass exodus of an entire nation's male population to a foreign country.
No — I didn't even manage to smooth it over.
Even now, more than half the citizenry holds me personally responsible for everything that has happened.
Is this common sense? How is this something that can even happen? What could a president have been thinking, to approve such a thing?
Everywhere you go in this country, there is nothing but criticism of me.
It's only because Japan and the United States had been our allies in the Third World War — only because I could string together whatever excuses I could find, the memorial visit and the rest, stitching together an alibi from scraps — that I've held out until today.
If his stay in Japan truly stretches to a month, this is outright impeachment.
No — he hasn't returned today. I should consider the impeachment proceedings against me already underway.
Even now, if I close my eyes, I can see it vividly: eight Supreme Court justices convened at the Constitutional Court, ruling that I lacked the will to defend the constitution, the gavel coming down.
Ah...
No!
Really... what am I supposed to do?
".. How do the approval ratings look?"
"Worse than yesterday, Madam President... According to the latest survey, your approval has fallen — and so has the opposition's. The steepest drop is in the northern region, which had given you majority support."
My head is swimming.
"And public opinion at home?"
"Uh... centered on social media and content creators, there's very active secondary production about what happened to the men and their conduct in Japan."
"So at this point, we should assume the entire nation knows exactly what's going on."
"Thanks to that, nearly all citizens now believe the men went to Japan not for peace diplomacy, but with the goal of fleeing the country."
"Now, the mainstream view does still understand why the men left, and places the blame on our inadequate handling of what happened to them..."
"But a number of people — an absolute minority, yet far too many to dismiss — are echoing the claims of that Shin Kimjuye woman."
"How many?"
"Roughly thirty percent of the public, according to the polls."
Does this make any sense?
How is this reality?!
Does that bitch have a brain, or doesn't she?
Ugh... my head.
The hypertension the hospital always warned me about feels like it's about to become a very real problem.
"Hah... And what exactly are the people who side with that four-syllable woman calling for?"
"Uh... they insist the military should be dispatched to Japan to arrest every one of the men there, on charges of violating the National Security Act and a range of other laws."
"...And?"
"They say the president who refuses to do so must be impeached — and that Shin Kimjuye should assume the presidency in your place."
Stunned by my aide's words, I couldn't gather myself. I buried my face in both hands.
Even back when the former presidents and the Prime Minister had all died of the sleeping sickness, and I had to seize control of the political establishment — even then, I hadn't felt this lost.
Back then I was a ruling-party politician with a seat in the National Assembly, and I could see the path forward.
Now, I can't see it at all.
This lunatic tells me to change the mood of society — but I have no idea how anyone is supposed to change it.
The Blue House and the opposition issue statement after statement condemning their actions and their ideology. I speak on it myself, directly. Nothing changes.
If anything, it feels like the country is splitting clean in two.
The Shin Kimjuye faction, and the anti-Shin Kimjuye faction.
Should I just mobilize the military and throw the lot of them in jail?
Hah...
"And the matter I told you to prepare?"
"There were difficulties, but preparation was completed just now."
"You did prepare it properly, I trust?"
"Yes, Madam President! I took special care with exactly what you asked, and after considerable persuasion, we secured their full cooperation!"
Please...
God, please. Watch over the Republic of Korea.