Baring My Claws: National Audit Highlights
The chat window had devolved beyond chaos into a full-on brawl among themselves.
I adjusted the microphone.
"Congressmen, let's dial it back a bit. Dial it back."
My voice pierced through the chamber's shouting and echoed in the sudden silence. "I hope you'd at least once think about what this hearing is really for."
I couldn't lose my temper or get excited here. Some of the public might sympathize with my emotions, but this was a fight against the entire mob. In the footage that would live on forever, showing restraint amid the madness would be seen as dignified anger. At least, that's what I believed.
"Since when did National Assembly audits turn from fact-finding into a shouting contest? You're not asking questions—you're cornering witnesses until they spit out the answers you've already decided on. Wrong answer? It's evasion. Facts? 'Don't lie.' Logic? 'Don't interrupt.' How the hell is any conversation possible like this?"
"What the—?! Witness! Are you trying to lecture us now?!"
"Chairman! Look at that insolent attitude! Shut it down right now!"
Shouts erupted from all sides. The chairman furrowed his brow and raised the gavel.
"Witness Ryu Rion. Cease speaking! You're insulting the legislature..."
"The insult is coming from you congressmen."
I cut off the chairman and fired my final shot.
"If you call us here, listen. The public isn't watching your tantrums—they're watching for the truth buried under the noise. If you only want to hear what you like, just interrogate your mirror. Way more efficient."
The roars blended into a cacophony just as the morning session on current issues wrapped up perfectly timed.
When I re-entered the conference room for the afternoon questioning, the atmosphere was worlds apart from the morning. A few congressmen still glared with feral eyes, others looked pale and shell-shocked. Their phones on the desks buzzed and lit up nonstop.
My morning tirade had swept the nation. Their personal SNS were already splashed across communities, bombarded with text bombs and phone terror. The live chat sentiment wasn't helping either.
The chairman rapped the gavel with a heavy expression.
"...We'll begin the afternoon questioning. The unfortunate remarks from this morning will be addressed separately later. Proceed with questioning. Next, Congressman Baek."
Senior Congressman Baek, who had calmly observed and verified facts all morning, took the mic. Unlike the others, he neatly organized his stack of documents before slightly bowing toward me.
"This is Congressman Baek. Before the main questioning... On behalf of my fellow committee members, I apologize to the witnesses for the high-handed attitude and lack of communication shown by some this morning. The National Assembly is a place to hear the people's voices, not raise them."
The chamber stirred. Park, who had been yelling all morning, scowled at Baek, but Baek ignored him and looked at Lee Jinhak.
Congressman Baek was cut from a different cloth than the shouters. Emotionless, he slowly flipped through the thick Power Enhancement Committee minutes on his desk.
Baek adjusted his glasses and held up a thick bundle of documents.
"Director Lee Jinhak. Setting other issues aside for now—the core problem seems to be procedure. If I give you time, can you explain in detail how the chairman's delegation was handled?"
"Yes, of course."
Baek continued calmly.
"The 10th Power Enhancement Committee meeting records state that final authority was delegated to Chairman Seo Taeyoung. Is it true there was an 11th meeting after Chairman Seo's resignation?"
"The official meetings ended at the 10th. At that time, the chairman and members all agreed to wrap it up there. So the official record closes at the 10th, and Chairman Seo, holding final selection authority, reported to the association president. Then, due to health and personal reasons, he resigned, prompting an emergency summons. That was the unofficial meeting."
Baek gave Lee Jinhak ample time to answer and waited until he finished before responding.
"That's the key point. The 10th meeting minutes show all members agreed to delegate negotiation and final selection authority to the chairman. That's clear procedural basis, yet some members are backpedaling, claiming ignorance, turning this into a controversy. Can you explain the content of what some call the '11th meeting'—the emergency session after Chairman Seo's resignation?"
Director Lee Jinhak nodded. Huh? There's a congressman like this? I wanted to jump in right away but held back. Hoping Lee Jinhak could speak freely.
Lee Jinhak confidently gripped the mic.
"Yes. After the 10th, Chairman Seo Taeyoung reported to the association president with final decision authority. But the result didn't follow, leading to his resignation and a vacancy. To fill that gap, we gathered the Power Enhancement members and asked: How to proceed? I presented two options. Option 1: Reconstitute the committee from scratch. Option 2: Proceed with the final three candidates from the 10th, with me taking over. All members attending via non-face-to-face Zoom agreed to Option 2."
To sum up Lee Jinhak's words: At the 10th Power Enhancement meeting, members clearly agreed to let Chairman Seo Taeyoung make the final call. Blocked by Association President Kim Myeonggyu, Seo hit a wall and quit. Lee Jinhak inherited that authority and followed the members' agreement, yet suddenly some are crying foul. No wonder no one backed Option 1—they'd already reviewed tons of candidates up to the 10th by June. Pick a new chairman, new members, drag the coach vacancy to August-September? Or adopt Option 1 in June, form committee by July, cram reviews and interviews for a rushed pick in July-August? Makes no sense. They'd already selected the coach and narrowed to finalists—who else to review, interview? Picking in a month when it takes a month? That's why they bitch about the association. And now they complain about Option 2 passing? Get your heads straight. Even I, a footballer who doesn't know admin, see Option 1 as bullshit. No choice but Option 2, so Lee proceeded. Why the hell do this country's bandwagon fans and congressmen make this an issue?
Congressman Baek looked at Lee Jinhak.
"Option 1 was time-prohibitive, and even if pursued, it'd invite rushed selection backlash. Checking materials from the 1st to 10th Power Enhancement docs—around 90 coaches? Anyway, many were reviewed, and after 10 meetings, it boiled down to three finalists. So even Option 1 would've been pointless; all agreed on Option 2."
Right on. Feels good. Clear summary to conclusion. What party is this guy? Voting for him no matter what.
"Ultimately, this isn't a procedural violation—it's the exercise of properly delegated authority. Some committee members raising procedure as an issue? Sounds like they want to renege on their 10th meeting delegation."
Spot on. Not procedure—it's sour grapes somewhere. Ministry of Culture audit? Go ahead, no procedural breach. Probably later announcement: no violations, some flaws maybe. But definitely no procedure issues. What the fuck are this country's bandwagon fans and congressmen on about? Just say it straight: Don't like Yoon Seungwoo. Want a different coach. Drop the procedure bullshit and be honest. That'd be better. At least I can be straight: The association sucks, and I don't like Yoon Seungwoo either.