The Recruitment Offer
When a newly emerged independent rookie starts making waves in the political arena, the established parties react in one of two ways.
First, they dig up every detail of the person's life, and if they find even the slightest flaw, they blow it out of proportion to crush them.
Second, they recruit them.
In Lee Yun-hyeok's case, the first scenario was highly unlikely. He was simply too young. While it was said that everyone had some dirt if you dug deep enough, it was incredibly difficult to find any fault with Yun-hyeok.
So, naturally, they turned to the second option.
Yun-hyeok had anticipated this.
He had received calls from both the Jayu Party and the Hanmin Party. The one he chose to meet first was the Hanmin Party.
"Good afternoon, Assemblyman," Yun-hyeok greeted politely as he walked into the Hanmin Party's local constituency office.
He scanned the faces of the people seated around the table.
First, there was Park Dae-man. As the powerhouse of this constituency, his presence made perfect sense.
Beside him sat a five-term lawmaker, Han Myeong-cheol. He was the current leader of the Hanmin Party. It was somewhat surprising for the party leader to travel all this way for a local by-election, but Park Dae-man had likely dragged him along.
And there was one more person.
Song I-seol.
She was a young member of the National Assembly elected through proportional representation. At twenty-nine, she was even younger than Yun-hyeok.
I can see where this is going.
At a glance, Song I-seol looked like an aide accompanying two veteran party heavyweights, but in reality, she was a strategic piece placed to pitch a political offer to Yun-hyeok.
Join the Hanmin Party, and we'll guarantee you a proportional representation seat next time.
They were probably planning to play that card.
Song I-seol was the headhunter. If Yun-hyeok showed any reluctance toward proportional representation, she would try to build rapport as a fellow young political rookie.
But what would they want from Yun-hyeok in exchange for that seat?
"You want me to run in the by-election under the Hanmin Party banner instead of as an independent, correct?"
The chances of the Hanmin Party reclaiming Mir City in this by-election were extremely slim. But what if they could make Lee Yun-hyeok their candidate? Baek Hyeong-guk, the one who caused the mess, was Hanmin Party, but Lee Yun-hyeok, the one who cleaned it up, would also be Hanmin Party. It would make the race winnable.
That was undoubtedly their calculation.
"Exactly," Park Dae-man admitted coolly to Yun-hyeok's question.
"To be honest, I was shocked when I saw you raise 250 million won. I had no idea you enjoyed that level of support from the citizens."
The party leader chimed in from the side.
"Mr. Lee, it's not every day that the party leader personally comes to recruit someone. I heard you used to be part of Assemblyman Park Dae-man's campaign. Since we're not strangers, let's work together."
"Mr. Yun-hyeok," Song I-seol intervened. "No matter how much support you have, there are limits to how far you can go in politics as an independent. You know this. Ultimately, to truly unleash your potential for the sake of the country, you need to join a major party like the Hanmin Party."
She continued, "Why don't you join me in leading the Hanmin Party's youth members to form a reformist faction, and do great things following in the footsteps of Assemblyman Park and the party leader?"
Yun-hyeok could now gauge how they sized him up.
Proportional representation.
So that's all they think of me?
To be fair, offering a proportional representation seat to a thirty-one-year-old political rookie was a proposal tempting enough to make most people faint with joy.
On top of that, being recruited by both the party leader and the floor leader meant securing a powerful lifeline within the party. Any ordinary rookie would have eagerly accepted on the spot.
But inside Yun-hyeok was the soul of a five-term lawmaker.
Proportional representatives were lawmakers in name only, possessing very little actual political decision-making power. This was because they were chosen by the party leadership, not directly by the voters.
Still, young politicians clung to proportional representation because the connections and experience gained within the party made it easier to secure nominations for local constituency elections later on.
While it was a stable, elite path, Yun-hyeok did not have the luxury of time to take such a detour. The general election was four years away. If he spent those four years rotting away as a proportional representative, he would only have two years left. When would he ever get to practice his own brand of politics? Yun-hyeok was in a position where he had to throw away the comfortable elite course and charge straight through the forests and swamps on an off-road path.
"I appreciate the generous offer, but I intend to see this through to the end as an independent."
"It won't be easy, Mr. Lee. Winning as an independent is no simple feat," the party leader said, shaking his head.
"The Jayu Party's support base in Mir City is rock-solid and highly conservative. Even if you've shown great promise, they will doubt you because you are too young and lack experience. In the end, they will vote for the Jayu Party out of sheer habit."
To be honest, he wasn't wrong. If the election were held today under these conditions, it would likely come down to a tight race between the independent Yun-hyeok and the Jayu Party candidate. The odds were fifty-fifty.
"Which is exactly why I'm here," Yun-hyeok said.
In truth, this was his real reason for attending this meeting.
"I would like the Hanmin Party to refrain from nominating a candidate."
The party leader's eyebrows twitched at the bold counterattack.
"Refrain from nominating a candidate...?"
"Yes. And I want the Hanmin Party city councilors to declare their support for me."
"So you want to sweep all the Hanmin Party votes while remaining an independent?"
"Precisely."
"Aren't you being a bit too greedy? Why on earth should we go that far for you?" the party leader asked, his brow furrowing.
"The reason is simple," Yun-hyeok replied. "An independent is always free to join the Jayu Party."
The atmosphere in the office instantly froze.
Yun-hyeok was the very man who had exposed the embezzlement of the Hanmin Party mayor, forcing him out of office. If he ran with the backing of the Jayu Party, his chances of winning would be 100%. With no real competition, his candidacy would practically guarantee his election.
Yun-hyeok pulled out his phone and displayed a call log.
"This is the number of Assemblyman Lim Jun-won of the Jayu Party, representing Mir Eul. He contacted me recently, asking to meet."
"..."
The expressions of the two veteran politicians sharpened. Park Dae-man asked, "And did you agree to meet him?"
"Of course. We haven't met yet, but I expect he will offer me something very similar to what you offered me today, Representative."
Park Dae-man, being a hardliner, looked thoroughly displeased.
"Yun-hyeok. There are lines a person shouldn't cross. Were you actually interested in joining a trash heap like the Jayu Party?"
"I am not. But right now, I am not interested in the Hanmin Party either. What do you think?"
Yun-hyeok said, "The Hanmin Party leadership has three choices. First, nominate a Hanmin Party candidate, turning this into a three-way race between me, your candidate, and the Jayu Party candidate—and lose. If you're lucky, I'll win. If you're unlucky, the Jayu Party will."
Yun-hyeok folded one finger.
"The second choice is for me to join the Jayu Party, crush the Hanmin Party candidate, and win. That would be your absolute worst-case scenario."
He folded a second finger.
"And the final choice is for the Hanmin Party to refrain from nominating a candidate, narrowing the race down to a head-to-head battle between me and the Jayu Party candidate. Then, the Hanmin Party city councilors can 'individually' declare their support for me. Assemblyman Park Dae-man could even come to my campaign rallies and deliver supporting speeches."
Park Dae-man's shoulders trembled slightly.
"Furthermore, the Hanmin Party headquarters can support me by providing campaign infrastructure. If you do, I will surely win, and the Jayu Party's flag will not fly over Mir City. I will also remember Assemblyman Park's support and the assistance of the Hanmin Party leadership."
Silence descended upon the office.
Park Dae-man's expression turned sour.
If Yun-hyeok actually won the Mir mayoral election as an independent, he could use the city as a stepping stone to build his own base and eventually run for the National Assembly.
Yun-hyeok could easily read his mind.
If Yun-hyeok were to join the party later, his political value would be on a completely different level. They had hoped to buy him out cheaply with a proportional representation badge while he was still "undervalued," but that plan had failed. At this rate, in the general election four years from now, Yun-hyeok might threaten Park Dae-man's own constituency as a formidable rival.
"Not nominating a candidate is out of the question," Park Dae-man said, shaking his head after quickly running the numbers.
"What do you think, Representative?"
But Yun-hyeok had brought up this bargaining chip with the party leader in mind from the very beginning.
Although Park Dae-man and the party leader had come here hand-in-hand to recruit Yun-hyeok, their relationship was actually quite awkward.
This was because Park Dae-man was currently running for floor leader.
Traditionally, within any political party, the floor leader and the party leader exist in a delicate balance of power, cooperating while keeping each other in check.
Therefore, Han Myeong-cheol wouldn't mind planting a watchdog in Mir City who could keep Park Dae-man in check.
"The Hanmin Party has already shown accountability for Baek Hyeong-guk's wrongdoing by urgently allocating a new budget in the National Assembly for the small business subsidies. Couldn't you take that a step further?" Yun-hyeok asked the party leader. "Have the party leadership announce that they take full responsibility for the Baek Hyeong-guk scandal, and show humility by refraining from nominating a candidate. After all, the candidate elected in this by-election will only serve a two-year term anyway."
They would only be filling the remainder of Baek Hyeong-guk's term.
"The real election is the local election two years from now. Why not take a step back now to win over public sentiment and secure a victory then?"
"Ahem!"
Park Dae-man cleared his throat. His glaring eyes practically screamed, Is this punk serious?
However, the authority to make such a decision rested far more with Party Leader Han Myeong-cheol than with Park Dae-man, who had yet to become floor leader.
Han Myeong-cheol rested his chin on his hand, contemplating deeply.
"Refrain from nominating... under the guise of taking responsibility for Baek Hyeong-guk's actions."
The justification was solid.
Though Park Dae-man always claimed that justification was just a shell, they couldn't afford to reject the practical benefits inside that shell.
This was because the Hanmin Party did not hold the upper hand. If things went south, Yun-hyeok could easily strike a deal with the Jayu Party.
So, if they were going to lose the election anyway, it was better to withdraw, support the independent, and call it a draw with the Jayu Party. At the same time, they could polish the party's image by appearing to take responsibility for Baek Hyeong-guk's corruption.
"What do you think? This is the best option. I will guard the void left by the Hanmin Party well as an independent, Representative."
"...Heh."
Han Myeong-cheol, who had been lost in thought, suddenly burst into a chuckle.
"Hehehe! Hahaha!"
He slapped Park Dae-man on the shoulder.
"Where on earth did you pick up and raise such a dangerous creature?"
"Mmm..."
"Don't worry too much," Han Myeong-cheol said, leaning toward Assemblyman Park while keeping his eyes fixed on Yun-hyeok. "Mir City doesn't have just one National Assembly seat. There are three districts: A, B, and C. And as Mr. Lee pointed out, the Jayu Party holds two of them."
"That is correct."
"Surely, a warm-hearted man like Lee Yun-hyeok wouldn't try to snatch away the livelihood of a senior colleague with whom he once shared meals in the same campaign camp?"
"Of course not. Challenging Assemblyman Park Dae-man would only result in a bruised nose," Yun-hyeok said, saving Park Dae-man's face. He had to do so, especially in front of a greenhorn like Proportional Representative Song I-seol, who was currently shrinking in her seat and nervously reading the room.
"The only reason I made it this far on my own was thanks to Assemblyman Park's guidance. Furthermore..."
Yun-hyeok subtly twisted Han Myeong-cheol's words and threw them back.
"...wouldn't a warm-hearted man like the Assemblyman help a political junior who once shared meals in his campaign, even if he is running for mayor of Mir City as an independent?"
"..."
Park Dae-man let out a bitter smile, while Han Myeong-cheol looked thoroughly amused.
"You're not someone who can be bought with a mere proportional representative's gold badge. I brought the wrong stakes to the table."
The party leader finally made his decision.
"Very well, Mr. Lee. The Hanmin Party will not nominate a candidate."
"Thank you, Representative."
"And the city councilors, as well as Assemblyman Park, will declare their support in their personal capacities. In return, you must make sure the Jayu Party's flag does not fly over this city."
"Yes. I will win, without fail."