A Young Counterattack That Flips the City
The very next day, after my meeting with Yoon Ki-chul, the atmosphere around the campaign shifted a little.
What I felt most keenly was the subtle change in Kang Seol-heon's eyes. Before, she had operated purely as an efficient strategist; now, there was something faintly emotional mixed in.
I asked her about it.
"Seol-heon. Did I do something strange?"
She shook her head with a small laugh.
"No, nothing strange. If anything, it was rather… fascinating."
"What was?"
"What you said after meeting Mr. Yoon Ki-chul. That man doesn't nod along easily for just anyone, you know. But he listened to you, and then he smiled. That was a scene that meant quite a lot."
It was only then that I realized it — that my words could land on someone not merely as 'policy,' but as sincerity.
Kang Seol-heon continued quietly.
"Honestly, at the start, I joined this because of your father. The organization was solid, and I assumed the election would go smoothly enough."
"And now?"
"Now I'm… starting to change my mind. I've begun to think something real might actually change through this campaign. In the beginning I was just designing an efficient election. These days, though… I want us to do this well. Genuinely."
Even as she organized her documents, she kept that same serious expression. On the surface, nothing had changed — but something was undeniably shifting.
Meanwhile, the attacks from the entrenched candidates carried on without pause.
"How can a young man with no administrative experience whatsoever hope to run a city government?"
"The mayor's office isn't something you reach just by being a good student."
Lines like these circulated through the local news and from mouth to mouth. I could feel the negative perception of me spreading.
An inexperienced young candidate. A political rookie who didn't understand the work.
They were building that frame to render me powerless. But I had no intention of sitting back and taking it.
"Sir, the mood is turning serious."
Kang Seol-heon handed me the poll results. The establishment candidate's support remained high.
I flipped through the report. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared — my numbers were actually higher than expected.
"Fortunately, your support isn't low. Roughly half of respondents back you," Kang Seol-heon said, then added, "The reason is simple. It's less about your personal popularity and more about your father's campaign organization — Representative Yeo Byeong-guk's machine. As that organization mobilizes, the people connected to him — the existing party members and campaign workers — are signaling their support."
And one more thing.
"On top of that, Mr. Yoon Ki-chul becoming your campaign chairman recently has had a very positive effect. That combination is what produced these numbers."
I nodded.
"Then it's the other half I need to persuade."
"Exactly. Your father secured you a base of support, but now we have to convert that into support for you personally."
I crossed my arms and thought for a moment.
"There's really only one way, isn't there. I have to show them my strength, unmistakably."
Kang Seol-heon nodded.
"How do you intend to do that?"
I gathered the campaign staff.
"We're launching our official counterattack. Our job is simple: prove that experience does not equal ability."
A few days later, we held a public policy announcement through the local media.
I stood before the reporters myself.
"Many people have made an issue of my experience. They say that without administrative experience, I cannot become mayor."
I could feel the reporters concentrating.
"But I'd like to ask them something. All that administrative experience — how much has this city actually developed under it?"
A brief silence fell.
"Right now, Yeojin City is bleeding its young people. The old downtown is in decline, the transit infrastructure is outdated, and the real estate problems are growing worse by the day. The people who ran this city — the ones who boast all that experience — what exactly did they ever change?"
A low murmur ran through the press corps.
"Experience isn't what matters. What matters is whether you can solve problems. And I have a plan to change this city."
The established candidates mostly fought their campaigns the traditional way.
I did not. Our camp leaned hard into social media, launching a campaign built on short, sharp messages.
'Yeojin Mayor 2030 Vision.'
A hashtag campaign, thirty-second policy videos, live Q&A broadcasts online. During one SNS livestream, I said it directly:
"So what if you have experience? If you can't create change, what good is it?"
"Yeojin doesn't need a steady administrator! It needs a problem-solver who can fix our crisis — right now!"
As the short, punchy messages spread, young voters disillusioned with the old politics began to take notice.
"Sir, the polling numbers are moving."
Kang Seol-heon handed me the report. The establishment candidate's support was still high, but mine was climbing steadily too.
"The response from young voters is especially strong."
I smiled.
"This is only the beginning."
But the entrenched forces were not going to be pushed aside this easily. A rougher attack was bound to come soon enough.
I'd never expected the establishment candidates to fight fair from the start. Still, they began moving faster than I'd anticipated.
My phone rang first thing in the morning. It was Kang Seol-heon.
"Sir, we have a problem."
"Her voice was calm but firm."
"An anonymous source has leaked to the press that 'Yeo Mu-jin failed in business and fell into debt.' Several outlets have already run it."
I frowned.
"Have you traced the source?"
"It's certain it came from one of the opposing camps, but they left no trail. It came in as an anonymous tip, so our legal options are limited."
I picked up the tablet on the table and checked the news.
I drew a short breath.
"So they've decided to pin this on me for good."
Kang Seol-heon handed over the tablet.
"It doesn't end there. The same story is spreading through the online communities. And certain outlets have started attacking along the lines of: 'He flopped in business in Seoul, and now he's chasing his father's coattails into politics, isn't he?'"
"It's the playbook I expected — just faster than I thought."
"How do you want to respond?"
The camp was quiet. I could sense the mood growing a touch heavier.
Fake news or not, once this kind of negativity starts spreading, people tend to believe it. Public opinion is easily swept up by emotion, and impressions imprint themselves before facts ever do.
I rose from my seat.
"We counterattack."
Kang Seol-heon looked up.
"In what way?"
"Two prongs. First, a fact-check. Second, we turn this whole thing against them."
I pointed at the tablet.
"That I failed in business? I never did. Have our own team compile the documentation and put out a rebuttal piece. We need objective evidence. Our financial situation and our business operating records have to be laid out clearly."
"We'll get on it right away."
"And the second part…"
I looked toward the briefing room where the reporters were waiting.
"I'll have to say it myself."
While the camp rushed to prepare the response materials, I got ready for the official briefing.
The reporters were already jostling to be first with their questions. I took hold of the microphone.
"I'd like to address the articles published by several outlets this morning."
Camera flashes erupted. I continued slowly.
"Those articles reported that I failed at a business in Seoul, fell into debt, and ultimately entered politics by following in my father's footsteps."
I paused, looking out over the reporters.
"That is not true."
The flashes flashed again.
"I co-founded an AI-based startup in Seoul. That company is still operating today, and I have never been buried in debt. There was a period of tight finances in the early days, yes — but that is no reason for it to be transformed into a 'business failure.'"
A murmur rippled through the press corps.
I pressed on.
"And I did not shut down my business to enter politics. In fact, it's the opposite. It was because I looked at the state of Yeojin City — the place where I spent my childhood, the place that holds my memories — and resolved that this city had to change."
I threw out one final line in a steady voice.
"I know perfectly well that a politician's past is supposed to be spotless. But fabricating things that never happened to attack someone — doesn't that just prove that's all they're capable of?"
The reporters thrust their hands up all at once.
I nodded toward Kang Seol-heon.
"Sir, that was a success."
"It's not over yet, though. Now it's our turn to turn this into a weapon."
I looked back across the camp and said, "What we do next is make sure the voters understand why they launched this attack in the first place."
From here on out, the game of raising my approval rating had officially begun.
On the morning of the debate, tension hung over the campaign headquarters from the first light. Everyone on staff knew what day it was.
"Sir, there's a strong chance the opposing candidates will try to steer the whole debate toward your lack of experience."
Kang Seol-heon said it while sorting through her notes.
"Predictable."
I took a leisurely sip of water.
"Exactly. How can you run a city with no administrative experience? How do your policies differ from the existing ones? And finally — what's your realistic vision, candidate? Those three are what they'll hammer."
"Then that's our opening for a counterattack."
I stood up.
"I'm ready. Let's go."
The public debate was held in the Yeojin City public assembly hall.
The moment I stepped inside, the venue was already packed with reporters and citizens. Flashes went off as I walked up onto the stage.
The other candidates filed in one by one.
My strongest rival, the former deputy mayor, wore the easy, practiced expression of a man on familiar ground. After so many years in public office, a stage like this was second nature to him.
The moderator took the microphone.
"We will now begin the public debate for the candidates in the Democratic Republican Party primary for the Yeojin mayoral by-election."
The first topic was 'administrative experience.'
The moderator posed the question.
"A question for candidate Yeo Mu-jin. You have been criticized for having less administrative experience than your rivals. How do you respond to that?"
Before I could answer, the former deputy mayor cut in with a smile.
"I'll grant that candidate Yeo is young and capable. But local governance is not something that gets solved by theory alone."
He turned his gaze slowly across the audience.
"A man without administrative experience becoming mayor can only end in chaos. Governance isn't something you study — it's something you have to live through."
Here and there in the audience, heads nodded along with him.
But I just smiled. I took the microphone and spoke unhurriedly.
"Well said. But that leaves me with a question."
I turned to my opponent.
"For decades, Yeojin City has been run by people with plenty of experience. And as a result — how much has this city developed?"
The hall went quiet.
"Right now, Yeojin stands on the brink of extinction. The young people are leaving, the economy is stagnant, and the new town districts are being warped by real estate speculation. The people who have governed this city all this time — what change, exactly, did they ever create?"
I swept my gaze across the audience.
"Piles of experience do not bring change. What our city needs right now is not steady management — it is transformation."
My voice rose a notch.
"I will transform Yeojin City, radically. And that transformation won't come from past administrative experience. It has to come from a new paradigm entirely."
The former deputy mayor — my most formidable rival — knitted his brow slightly and put on a look of scornful amusement.
"I have lived in Yeojin my entire life. My family has been rooted here for generations, going all the way back to my ancestors — I am a native among natives, you might say. I stand before you resolved to devote the rest of my years to this city. So tell me, candidate Yeo Mu-jin — with what state of mind did you utter those words and enter this election?"