Mudfight

As January rolled in, the internal strife within the Liberty Party began to grow increasingly filthy.

Such grievances were being aired both inside and outside the party.

It had now become an open secret that Seol Jung-ho was putting all his effort into recruiting Lee Yun-hyeok.

Conversely, clamor was rising among the lawmakers of Seol Jung-ho's own faction, demanding an urgent replacement of their candidate.

This was accompanied by the pessimistic view that Choi Gwang-seop stood no chance of winning anyway.

The Liberty Party floundered in the swamp of its own fractured consensus.

And then...

That crazy bastard!

Seol Jung-ho was forced to realize all over again that the Red Team's second-in-command was no ordinary lunatic.

"Assemblywoman Seo!"

As a barrage of shocking articles began to flood the press, Seol Jung-ho stormed straight into Seo I-gyeong's office.

"Let's just hand it over to Han Gi-jeong."

Kim Jae-o, the strategist for Seo I-gyeong's faction within the Liberty Party, proposed a daring strategy.

"In exchange, tell him not to use it to attack Mayor Choi, but to focus his attacks entirely on Seol Jung-ho."

The bomb had first landed in the hands of Lee Yun-hyeok, a neutral boss. Then it had been passed to Choi Gwang-seop. Now, in an unprecedented turn of events, it was being handed directly over to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Blue Team.

The calculations of Seo I-gyeong's faction were as follows.

First: Choi Gwang-seop himself has already been forgiven by Lee Yun-hyeok.

They could spin that beautifully.

They could frame it as: Lee Yun-hyeok received such slanderous material from Seol Jung-ho, but he simply handed it back to Choi Gwang-seop.

Why did he do that?

"Because the two of them aren't actually on bad terms. Let's emphasize that."

After all, they had successfully brought subsidiaries of major conglomerates in Seongnam City into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mir City Innovation Lab together. They had shared the development funds, implemented Mir Childcare 365 in Seongnam, and even gone to the public bathhouse together!

"We should have him take the same position."

Though Choi Gwang-seop had indeed used underhanded tactics during Yun-hyeok's childcare rental business launch, wasn't that just the nature of politics?

All Choi Gwang-seop had to do was address the public like this:

"At the time, I could not directly criticize Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok's project myself. This was because many companies residing in the Mir Innovation Lab were at stake. To prevent any unfortunate incidents where these businesses might suffer due to my political philosophy, I expressed my concerns regarding the childcare rental project to the party leadership. It was the party leadership that subsequently released the critical press materials."

By doing this, Choi Gwang-seop could absorb the blow of the scandal with the least amount of damage.

And the second calculation of Seo I-gyeong's faction:

"The one Han Gi-jeong truly wants to destroy is Lee Yun-hyeok."

Han Gi-jeong needed to break Lee Yun-hyeok, who was currently surging up the polls at a terrifying pace. He didn't have the luxury to waste his attention on Choi Gwang-seop.

Therefore, once Han Gi-jeong received the files, rather than using them to condemn Choi Gwang-seop...

"Let's attack Lee Yun-hyeok."

This was his moment!

Han Gi-jeong began churning out press releases at an industrial scale.

He even went on political podcasts to raise his voice personally.

"Both the Liberty Party Representative and the Mayor of Mir City are deeply problematic."

He framed the issue entirely from the perspective of an objective outsider.

"Politics, in the end, is about dialogue and compromise. The most critical skill in politics is negotiation. Even within the National Assembly, we negotiate with opposing parties. In this case, wasn't the party representative—who had come to offer him entry into the party—showing consideration for Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok by revealing what could be considered his own party's shame? Yet, to take that very information and immediately run to the representative's rival to tattle? Setting everything else aside, this is a severe breach of moral integrity."

Han Gi-jeong was ecstatic.

My secretariat really knows how to get things done!

Tracking down that specific sundae soup restaurant based on Lee Yun-hyeok's schedule to gather information had been an absolute stroke of genius.

"It shows an extreme lack of political flexibility and adaptability. If you wrap it up as being clean and upright, it might look like a strength. But real-world politics does not operate that way. With that kind of mindset, he might manage Mir City, but he can never build the leadership required to govern an entire province."

Having finally seized the upper hand, Han Gi-jeong had no intention of letting go.

"Representative Seol Jung-ho also made a colossal error in judgment. What if your own candidate's approval ratings are falling and they look poised to lose the election? If you are the party representative, the right thing to do is to believe in them until the end and lend them your strength—not to think about bringing in an outside mercenary to replace them. He is a candidate rightfully elected through a democratic primary, after all."

The Liberty Party was suffering a fatal fracture.

Meanwhile, Yun-hyeok's pristine, beautiful image was beginning to crack.

"In the middle of all this, Mayor Choi Gwang-seop is the only one who has become a pitiful victim."

And Han Gi-jeong himself would emerge from among these half-baked politicians as a true leader of unity.

"Politics can sometimes require a smiling face while hiding a dagger. But that isn't because politicians are inherently bad people. It is because they know exactly how much rides on their every word, so they force themselves to smile. Even if they disagree behind the scenes, they choose to take the long way around rather than expressing it bluntly."

He even went so far as to show meticulous concern for his rival candidate.

"Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok needs to learn a thing or two from Mayor Choi Gwang-seop. If he didn't want to join the Liberty Party, he could have just declined. Why did he have to embarrass the party representative who had gone out of his way to show him goodwill?"

"The person who leaked that data to Han Gi-jeong... Who do you think it was? It was Choi Gwang-seop himself!"

Seol Jung-ho also began to speak out.

"I mean, is Han Gi-jeong a police officer? Like a criminal turning himself in, Choi Gwang-seop went to the opposing party's candidate, handed over his own scandal files, and begged, 'Just destroy our party representative, just destroy Lee Yun-hyeok, and please don't hit me too hard.' Is that what happened?"

His veteran instincts as a party representative had not faded. He had no intention of backing down easily from this mudfight.

The local elections had now become incredibly difficult to salvage.

The immediate priority was shifting the blame.

"It is true that I was the one who initially leaked the files. But why did I do it? It was to recruit Lee Yun-hyeok, the hottest rising star in politics. It was to win the gubernatorial election. At that point, Mayor Choi's approval ratings were already lagging far behind the other two."

He went around shouting his defense at every lecture and online political broadcast he could find.

"But for what reason and purpose did Mayor Choi Gwang-seop hand those files over to Governor Han Gi-jeong? Wasn't it because he was cornered, and chose this method to protect his own candidacy? And as for Governor Han Gi-jeong..."

Seol Jung-ho pointed out that Han Gi-jeong also bore a heavy responsibility for this situation.

"As an established politician and a governor, he should know how to protect a newcomer like Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok. Talking about moral integrity and whatnot! It's utter nonsense!"

He could not allow Han Gi-jeong to stand loftily on safe ground, playing the role of a righteous judge.

"Is Mayor Choi Gwang-seop's backroom plotting considered a clever political decision, while Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok's forgiveness of Choi Gwang-seop is deemed a moral failure?"

Seol Jung-ho's specialty was mudfights.

"The supporters of the Hanmin Party need to think carefully as well. Who is the one currently joining hands with a political enemy to crush an independent newcomer?"

The scandal began to sink deep into an absolute quagmire.

"Mayor! Just one word, please!"

"Did you really receive the slander files on Mayor Choi Gwang-seop from Representative Seol Jung-ho?"

"What kind of deal did you make with Representative Seol Jung-ho?"

"What are your plans regarding joining the Liberty Party?"

Reporters swarmed him relentlessly.

I can't get any actual work done like this.

It was now February.

The small stone Choi Gwang-seop had cast had, in just two months, bounced between the giants of both parties and mutated into a grotesque, massive scandal.

It had grown far larger than the risk Choi Gwang-seop was originally supposed to bear.

And at the absolute center of it all sat Lee Yun-hyeok—the target of Choi Gwang-seop's plot, the one who received the evidence from Seol Jung-ho, and the one who returned it to Choi Gwang-seop. An immense amount of public attention was focused on him.

"Everyone!"

It was slightly earlier than planned, but the fruit was ripe enough. It was time to harvest.

"I will be releasing an official statement."

Yun-hyeok promised a major press conference. Not just to explain the full story of this incident, but...

"Regarding my party affiliation as well."

Macron.

The President of France, and one of the most revolutionary figures in French political history.

In Korea, he was mostly known as 'the man who married his high school teacher who was twenty-five years his senior,' but in truth, his political achievements were far more noteworthy than his private life.

Because he became president?

No.

Because he completely overturned the established political order at the party level.

In 2016, at the exceptionally young age of thirty-nine, Macron founded a new party called En Marche!. After creating an absolute storm, he swept both the presidential and legislative elections in 2017 to become the youngest president in French history.

How did he achieve such monstrous results?

Setting aside his youth, his victory in the legislative elections was a miracle that defied all logic.

Because his party won a majority in parliament.

How ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could a new party, founded barely a year prior, achieve such a crushing victory against the two established giant parties?

Analyzing the reasons, first, Macron's personal branding power was immense. Second, both of the existing major parties were suffering from severe crises.

The ruling Socialist Party had alienated its left-wing base with business-friendly centrist reforms amidst high unemployment. Meanwhile, the center-right Republicans had suffered a fatal blow when their presidential candidate, François Fillon, was embroiled in an embezzlement scandal involving fake jobs.

Both parties were reeling.

Macron stepped into that vacuum, seizing the future narrative by championing technology, startups, and public sector reform, offering a 'Third Way.'

Technology, startups, public sector reform.

These were the exact themes Yun-hyeok championed.

An extremely young age.

Similar to Yun-hyeok.

Even the fact that he had been an independent before founding his party was identical to Yun-hyeok.

Were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the two established parties in Korea rotting away?

In Yun-hyeok's estimation, yes.

Though their approval ratings hadn't plummeted as drastically as those in French society yet.

Still, this scandal had successfully drawn the eyes of the entire nation.

"The political sphere has been very noisy lately due to the scandal surrounding Seongnam Mayor Choi Gwang-seop."

An immense crowd of journalists had gathered at the press conference. The sound of camera shutters was deafening and continuous.

"Everyone," Yun-hyeok said, looking out at the crowd. "Aren't you exhausted?"

Lee Yun-hyeok was indeed a master of the direct breakthrough.

Han Gi-jeong, Choi Gwang-seop, and Seol Jung-ho all shared the same thought as they watched.

"I received those files from Representative Seol Jung-ho, and I handed them over to Mayor Choi Gwang-seop."

Yun-hyeok spoke calmly on the live broadcast.

"Governor Han Gi-jeong said this: that it was morally wrong of me. He asked why I didn't simply decline, and why I chose to run to the representative's political rival to tattle. Let me tell you why."

In his office at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, Han Gi-jeong took a deep drag from his electronic cigarette.

"Because I did not want to entangle myself in the collusion, backroom deals, and negative campaigning of old-guard politics. I wanted the gubernatorial election to be a transparent competition of policies."

Yun-hyeok's voice echoed through the broadcast.

"This is a moment where fourteen million Gyeonggi residents exercise their precious right, a right they obtain only once every four years. I wanted to have a clean and fair competition with Governor Han Gi-jeong and Mayor Choi Gwang-seop. Mayor Choi Gwang-seop deserves such a competition. Because he is a candidate who was rightfully and democratically elected through the Liberty Party's primary."

In his office at Seongnam City Hall, Choi Gwang-seop clutched his head, his heart heavy with a complex mix of emotions.

It was guilt—a long-forgotten, unfamiliar sensation he hadn't felt in the decades since he entered politics.

"That is why I handed those files to Mayor Choi Gwang-seop. I forgave him for secretly plotting against me behind my back. And I warned him to be careful."

"The same is true now."

"I do not wish to see him waste his energy being dragged into internal party divisions and political strife. I hope he reaches the election day safely. I hope we can compete cleanly and proudly with our policies and philosophies on that stage."

In his office in Yeouido, Seol Jung-ho's expression grew increasingly dark.

He's made fools out of all three of us.

As they had fought frantically among themselves, the public's fatigue had reached its peak, and Lee Yun-hyeok knew this better than anyone.

He had painted himself as the most decent, cleanest man in the entire arena.

He had completely restored his pristine image.

"However, contrary to my hopes, it seems the Liberty Party has failed to resolve this issue internally."

"...?"

"Everyone. Aren't you tired of this?"

"Wait a minute," Seol Jung-ho muttered.

"A party representative who shoots his own candidate in the back. A candidate who sells his own scandal to the opposing party to preserve his position. Is this truly the picture that you, the members of the Liberty Party, wanted to see?"

"And in the process, a candidate who aligns himself with the rival party's candidate, bites at an independent neutral, and unleashes all-out negative attacks while wrapping it up as 'political flexibility'... Is that candidate truly the figure you, the members of the Hanmin Party, wished for?"

"Is this crazy bastard about to..."

"A political party is an organization that represents the opinions of its members. To the members of the Liberty Party and the Hanmin Party: do you truly believe your voices are being reflected?"

A cold shiver ran down Seol Jung-ho's spine.

"No way. It can't be."

"Regarding my party affiliation. I will not be running as an independent."

Who could have predicted it?

That he would choose this exact timing.

"I will create a third alternative that overcomes the evils of the two established parties."