Please Expect Great Things
“Thank you for bestowing this upon me.”
In front of the main building of the Government Complex Seoul. In a way, this was also Seo Jia’s workplace. A vast crowd of people sat in the plaza before him, listening intently to his words.
“I do not believe I have done anything particularly grand. Even now, standing on this podium with the medal in my hand, I am trembling. I find myself wondering if I truly have done something significant enough to deserve the weight of this honor.”
He hadn’t prepared anything in advance. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs had sent an invitation suggesting it would be good to prepare an acceptance speech, but no matter how long he sat in front of his computer, his hands wouldn’t move, so he had given up halfway through. And so, he was delivering an impromptu speech.
“While receiving this medal, I... I would like to express my gratitude to the employees of Doowon Heavy Industries who worked harder than I did. I hadn’t told them beforehand, but I am grateful that they came to Incheon in the middle of the night to lend their strength. If it weren’t for these people, I don’t think I could have accomplished anything.”
As soon as he finished those words, the people broke into applause, one and all. The eleven people who had received commendations, including the President and Eunbyul, were sitting behind him, watching his back.
As the sound of applause grew to a crescendo, the recipients behind him eventually stood up slowly, bowed here and there, and sat back down.
“Once again, I am grateful to receive this medal. And... my heart is heavy. I am worried about whether I will be able to continue showing a good image, one that matches the weight of this medal. Thank you.”
Once again, the sound of applause filled the plaza, and the people thought the speech had concluded. The President also slowly stood up to deliver his own remarks and began to head toward the podium, but—
“...I am a person who failed.”
The President’s feet stopped moving. And the Prime Minister’s feet were the same. Only the sound of breathing from the government ministers, such as the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, could be heard. The people in the audience, his father and mother—who were sitting among the crowd, barely hiding their joyful smiles at the fact that their son had received a medal—and Seo Jia, who sat beside them. No one spoke a word. As if he had given a signal, the sound of applause vanished in an instant.
Only the sound of birds flying could be heard in the surroundings, and even the reporters taking photos and the announcers doing the live broadcast stopped talking and looked toward the back. It was because these were not the words one should say at a medal ceremony.
“After the decision to award me was made, I watched the news for the first time in what felt like years. There was a lot of praise for me.”
“After I failed, after I thought of myself as a failure, I never once watched the news. I was afraid that if I turned on the TV, I would have to face myself being criticized. That stayed in my heart, so I haven’t watched the news since.”
The people’s expressions turned pale and stiffened. Naturally, it had to be that way. Among these people, among those celebrating his award, how could there not be a single person who had spewed harsh words at him about a year and a half ago?
“I also saw the comments on internet news articles. ...Even there, it was all praise for me.”
“But I am a person who... failed.”
Some of the people listening to those words, which were filled with self-deprecation and regret, even closed their eyes as if they couldn’t bear to hear it. It wasn’t that they found him disgusting for digging up the past, but because they couldn’t just sit still and listen to his words, which were so cold they seemed to have turned the weather into winter.
“Someone, many people, wrote posts. That among the majority of people who praise me and hold me up as great, many would have cursed me in the past...”
“I saw people asking if such people had the right to praise me.”
Some nodded as they looked at him, and some turned their heads slightly. And then,
“In those posts, there were people saying that if I had proceeded with the experiment as originally planned, I wouldn’t have failed. There were also people saying I had been framed.”
“However, as I said, because I failed, I will work even harder. I will not try to cover up my past failures just because I have a lot of money or because I saved a few people. Even if it was someone else who made the mistake and not me, I acknowledge it as my own. I have no intention of looking askance at the fact that people who cursed me in the past are praising me now.”
His voice sounded choked, and the more he spoke, the more he rambled on about his thoughts in a way that made it obvious to everyone that he was thinking on his feet and speaking without a script. Yet, no one viewed it negatively.
“From now on, I will remember the weight of the medal I received today, and I will not forget it. I will not boast as if I have accomplished something great just because I did something big, saved people, or salvaged a ship.”
“So, I would like to take this opportunity to say this to the citizens.”
Those who had turned their heads, those who had closed their eyes—everyone was staring at him with intense focus.
“I do not hate the people who cursed me. Since I am indeed a person who failed... I don’t even have the right to hate them. Instead, I will work even harder... I will try very, very hard. I want to make up for my past mistakes. Even if I don’t receive a medal, even if no one pays me, even if it is a worthless and meaningless task, if it is something good for the people, I will continue to do it. I will continue without hesitation. I will become a person who knows what is important and what needs to be done, not just someone who makes a lot of money. So, once this ceremony is over,”
“...”
“I would appreciate it if you could have some expectations of me. Just a little bit. Please.”
After the thunderous applause ended, the President hesitated for a moment before slowly stepping onto the podium. Then, he approached him, shook his hand once more, and patted him on the shoulder. The President turned back, intending to deliver his own remarks, but eventually gestured to turn off the teleprompter, grabbed the microphone, and spoke.
“Greetings, citizens. I am the President.”
“...”
“I had prepared a speech, but it seems... it is of no use.”
“So... I,”
The President paused, looked back slightly, and then,
“By awarding a medal to a person who failed, I hope that person can feel at least a small amount of comfort.”
“...”
“...”
The people said nothing. The words the President had just spoken didn’t count as a speech, but they seemed better than any grand oration. It was proof of how much the people knew the substantive truth about his framing and his mistakes.
Subsequently, the people applauded for quite a long time, and thus the awards ceremony concluded.
***
The 9th floor of the government complex was the Prime Minister’s office. Here, the person who had awarded the prizes, the President, the Prime Minister, the ministers, and the families of the recipients were taking photos once more. Then, as the people sat down and saw food being placed at their respective seats, they realized it was a banquet.
The President was having a simple conversation while eating, and when the people quieted down for a moment, he called him over,
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“That...”
He put down his knife and looked at the President,
“I hope my words were a comfort to you. Executive Director Han Suhyun.”
“...Thank you.”
“It must have weighed heavily on your heart for you to remember it until now.”
The President then looked at his father and said,
“Is that business really such a failed venture?”
“Er... it’s not to a serious degree. We aren’t really doing much with it right now, but...”
“How about trying it again?”
“...Pardon?”
“If it’s not serious in Chairman Han’s eyes, isn’t it right to do it again?”
The Chairman wondered what the President’s true intentions were. Until now, he had been someone who didn’t interfere with companies, believing that laissez-faire was best, so he was suddenly talking about doing business.
However, the President had weighed the practical benefits and calculated the emotional factors in the meantime.
“The best way to make up for a mistake is... to turn that mistake into a success, isn’t it?”
“...Ah, yes...”
“Actually, the government is also under a lot of pressure. I thought it was nothing, but it seems more serious than the oil crisis. Yesterday, I had a meeting with the heads of the oil refineries.”
“Then, our company...”
“We didn’t call Doowon. I thought, ‘I’ll see them tomorrow anyway.’”
“Ah...”
His father, who was asking what kind of conversation he had had with the President, listened carefully, wondering if there was a change in policy.
“It’s obvious. They came as a group and asked me to lower the fuel tax. They were pleading, and honestly... I didn’t know what to say.”
“That must be a heavy burden for you.”
“Of course. Energy tax revenue has already decreased by 7 trillion won compared to last year.”
“....”
“So, how about restarting what you’ve put aside?”
The Chairman looked at his son, at him, upon hearing those words. He was not looking up at his father. He had an expression as if he were lost in thought.
“I will... discuss it further.”
“Yes. You will need time.”