The Weight of the Law (2)

I had one question for Lee Si-hyun. Did she harbor any resentment toward me? Was there something she wanted to say to Yoo Ha-yeon, the young lady who trampled over laws and morals in pursuit of her own desires?

I knew her trip to Russia was half for my sake. She must have figured that staying in Korea would drag her into the political feud between her two benefactors, so she upped and left for the farthest reaches. And I also knew Si-hyun was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a woman of great ambition but even greater loyalty. Distance has a way of fraying bonds of body and heart alike, and there's always the chance her old subordinates and the young lady she'd served might take a backseat.

But I didn't voice it. I trusted her.

-Creak.

"...What are you doing?"

Squish, squish. I'd been savoring the soft feel of Si-hyun's body in the bath for the first time in ages when I glanced over at our unexpected guest.

"Oh, Ba-da, you're here? Come on in."

Cha Ba-da, towel draped modestly over her front, shuffled toward the bath hesitantly.

"Who brings a towel into the bath? Here, take it off...."

I snatched the towel away, and Ba-da flushed crimson, covering key spots with her hands.

"...Pervert."

Ugh, what a ridiculous misunderstanding. I gave her body a thorough once-over, top to bottom, then grinned to reassure her.

"Pfft, no need to worry. You're way uglier than me."

"...What?"

Lee Si-hyun pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

"...Young lady, that's not exactly the nicest way to put it."

"It's the truth, isn't it?"

I'd staffed my inner circle entirely with women because men couldn't handle my stunning beauty. Back in the old days, maybe, but not anymore. If I had to pick between men and women, it'd be women—ones with at least some superficial similarities to me.... Though that's like saying everyone's the same just because they have eyes, noses, ears, and mouths. Even if Cha Ba-da was in the top 1% looks-wise, it didn't change facts. Probably.

"What truth! Hey! Yoo Ha-yeon! You get out here too. How can you humiliate someone like that?"

I smirked shamelessly and stepped out of the bath as ordered.

-Splash.

"There, feast your eyes. What do you think?"

Cha Ba-da bit her lip, shaking her head, but couldn't resist sneaking peeks at my body. Hah, knew it.

"...You're a total crazy pervert bitch. You don't pull this shit on guys too, do you, Yoo Ha-yeon?"

"I'm still at an age where I gotta watch my reputation, so sadly, no. But I am curious."

"So you're saying you'll do it later?"

"Pfft, obviously a joke. Half-dressed is way sexier than full nude anyway. I'm a slight exception, but show it off carelessly and the value drops either way."

But despite my perfectly logical explanation, Ba-da kept glaring at me with utter disgust. Man, here I was getting all up close and personal, and instead of appreciating it, she shoots me that insolent look. Felt a bit wronged.

The law is the bare minimum of morality. So they say.

"Yoo Ha-yeon, who teases her friends nonstop, has no law or morals, huh."

So... what happens when law and morality clash? Take how Yoo Ha-yeon occasionally gets slapped with trumped-up charges like indecent exposure or public lewdness by that Boston seaside sheep. It's illegal, sure, but by my standards, not immoral at all.

"Isn't that on you, young lady...?"

To preempt any weird misunderstandings about me piling up: in these modern times, a woman in a tank top could get insta-jailed for exposure. Even Si-hyun snarking beside me would qualify as an exhibitionist to some eyes.

"But does anyone else go as far as you, Ha-yeon?"

I scowled.

"Si-hyun, that's not cool. Look at the big picture."

I slapped the documents open with a whoosh and tapped the center.

A reply from the National Rifle Association sat on my desk. Unofficial, no seal or anything, but definitely from them.

"...Honestly, it doesn't sit right with me. Feels like they're being politically exploited."

Si-hyun, who loved guns more than anyone, started self-loathing. I encouraged her while laying out my grand plan.

"Ahem, so the point is... we're getting money and political clout from this! Simple, right?"

-Clap.

When law and morality collide, it's simple: the stronger side wins. More precisely, it depends on what the strongest person prioritizes—law or morals.

...To be brutally honest, even if something violates both, if you're strong enough, you slip the noose. Unfair? Tough luck. Laws are like a wide, loose net—heaven's web, all-seeing. But like how that web always gets holes, laws struggle with big fish.

Still, alliances deploy the web for a reason: it exerts invisible restraint on everyone through the mighty power of legitimacy.

And right now, that legitimacy was squarely ours.

I grinned at Ba-da, explaining the situation.

"See? We've already pulled one faction to our side. Someone's finally speaking up for the voiceless Korean community. Even if it's politically motivated... this is real support."

Not as directly helpful as Si-hyun or Ha Young-il, but no slouch in brains herself, Cha Ba-da frowned thoughtfully and nodded.

"True enough. This alone puts Korea Town in our debt plenty. But... Yoo Ha-yeon, won't this make you look like a flip-flopper? You okay with that?"

"Yep, spot on. Politics is weird like that—catering to two opposing bases at once? You either end up a legendary politician like FDR... or get ditched by both. Usually the latter."

"...Well, I'm confident I can win everyone over."

"But this isn't just two factions clashing now. We're shrimp stuck on a whale's back."

"True."

I conceded readily. In America's tangled society, support bases aren't just two. Otherwise, presidents would always come from the same party. Republicans and Democrats are the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠big tents, but countless folks in between. Hell, the GOP's splintered enough now it's practically three parties.

Skilled politicians don't please 'everyone,' but they can satisfy 'most' with the right logic. Wins elections, after all.

"Normally, Koreans wouldn't make that 'most.' Too few."

But now, thanks to my scheming, a major GOP donor was on board. Now I had to satisfy riot-hit Koreans, the riot-starting Blacks, and mainstream whites feeling a twinge of conscience but not their fault. Tough gig.

"So, what's your plan?"

Si-hyun eyed me curiously. I smiled softly.

"Si-hyun, I'm amazing, sure... but no one's superhuman enough to do it all solo. And I'm not dumb enough to ignore experts who outdo me."

I knew ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it. This was beyond my wheelhouse. Mop up the mess without trampling state rights (some Southern states see racism as states' rights), cut discrimination, scrape up billions for reparations, and reassure mainstream whites they weren't abandoned.

Even a savvy politician would sweat this. And...

The President of the United States was a savvy politician. 'Tough for him' meant 'totally doable.' Especially with reelection looming.

-Click.

. . . The day's government announcement dripped with that classic mainstream white arrogance—but precisely because of it, no one could call it out.

"...Heh, who'd have thought that great man would praise Koreans like this. Live long enough, you see it all."

The Korea Town headman, representing our community, blinked at the TV in disbelief. There stood the leader of the world's sole superpower.