Power & Sex, and... 98

0145

"Assemblyman, could you make some time this evening?"

"What business does Congressman Park have with me?"

"There's one last thing I need from you. Come on out."

It was hardly a welcome call, of course. But they couldn't very well ignore it either. And so, he dialed up all twenty-odd assemblymen one by one, summoning them to the restaurant.

It was just as he'd anticipated, but the atmosphere inside was icy cold. From their perspective, they probably wanted nothing more than to kill him if the law would allow it. The pre-ordered dishes arrived, but not a single one of them touched their chopsticks.

"Eat up first. They say even a ghost looks better after a good meal."

He tossed out the line without a care whether they picked up their chopsticks or not, then dug into his own food. They had no choice but to follow suit. Once the meal wrapped up and plum tea arrived for dessert, he took a sip and finally spoke.

"Just one press conference. That's all I need."

"I've already done my no-run announcement! What more press conference do you want?"

The three-term Kim Assemblyman exploded in a fury. Park met his gaze with a faint smile before replying.

"Since we're already here, how about doing one last good deed? Who knows? It might just open a path to survival."

Every eye in the room snapped to him at those words. A path to survival—that single phrase dangled like a lifeline. And why not? The scandals that had befallen them were known only to him and them. As long as he kept quiet, there was no reason they couldn't make a comeback. It was a natural reaction. For him, it created leverage to use them again someday, and if they betrayed him, he could always end their political careers in an instant. No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worries there.

"What kind of press conference are you asking us to do?"

The tone had already softened, thanks to that one line.

"A press conference declaring support for Jeong Sang-won, Congressman Park Seong-hwan, and Supreme Committee Member Jeong Sang-won."

"What about Kim Seong-gap?"

"Kim Seong-gap's just as rotten as the rest of you. Sure, your press conference might get him elected party leader."

"So no endorsement for Supreme Member Kim?"

"People will just think they overlooked it by mistake."

"And how exactly do we get our shot at survival?"

"What's so hard about that? Stay on as party execs outside the Assembly, take a break next round, then run in the general election after that. Or step up for the party in one of our barren districts and go down fighting gloriously. Boom—instant comeback narrative. Hold onto a decent party post in the meantime, and it's not a bad deal, right?"

Eyes gleamed around the table as they crunched the numbers. Hell, even he would've jumped at the chance if the tables were turned. Far better to endure four years than fade into obscurity or live branded a traitor forever.

In the end, they agreed to hold the press conference at Jeongron-gwan next Wednesday, declaring support for Han Seong-su, Park Seong-hwan, and Jeong Sang-won. Their event would make the party convention results a landslide. To save themselves, they'd have to go all-in, mobilizing their organizations too.

By the time dinner ended, the vibe had flipped completely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from when they'd arrived. Hope did that to people.

"Congressman Park, let's shake on it."

"Assemblyman, hands get shaken after results. For now, compile lists of constituencies where you can still sway votes and send them via your secretaries to our campaign HQ's Kim Sil-jang. He'll need to rework our strategy."

The outstretched hands faltered, then brightened again before the awkwardness could settle. Chameleons, these politicians.

"Ah, got it. I'll instruct my aides right away."

"You'll want to focus on turnout in those districts too, Assemblyman."

"Of course. We'll do our utmost, no worries."

That wrapped the meeting. A few would probably show up at campaign HQ by dawn tomorrow, pacing sternly with hands clasped behind their backs. Politicians gonna politic. Anyway, he'd use them to hit his goals, tossing them the scraps they craved in return. The world wouldn't praise his "cleanliness," and clinging to it might cost him big. Dirt was just another weapon on the path to victory.

"What brings you here at this hour?"

"Dinner?"

"Grabbed something quick."

He pulled out sashimi ordered from the raw fish joint, shoved tables together, and gathered everyone around.

"Kim Sil-jang, grab a few bottles of soju."

"We don't have soju in the office."

"You think I'm an idiot? Just bring it."

In the end, Kim Sil-jang dug out the hidden bottles from the fridge depths, and cheers erupted once they were confirmed.

Like any election, the party convention campaign had no days off. Supporters, delegates, and party assemblymen streamed into HQ nonstop. Guarding the place left zero downtime from the crowds.

No big moves from Kim Seong-gap, who'd been robbed of hundreds of millions. He joined Jeong Supreme Member, Park Seong-hwan, and Han Seong-su's schedules over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the weekend. Their areas were the party's weakest anyway, and with no ties to Gangwon himself, he wanted to gauge the mood firsthand.

It was a brutally long, tedious haul. Seoul to Busan felt familiar enough not to kill him, but this shorter route somehow wrecked him. Taebaek City was another two hours past Wonju. The car's weak engine had him exhausted just climbing hills.

After meeting candidates from Uljin, he plunged straight into Taebaek's delegates, pleading support for their candidates. Post-meeting, the group hit Jeongseon, Pyeongchang, Samcheok, Donghae, then crashed in Gangneung.

Honestly, after dinner with Gangneung delegates and securing endorsements, staggering back to the lodging felt impossible even sitting. He just wanted to collapse.

"Assemblyman, you worked hard today."

"Nah, I just tagged along after ages away."

"How long can you stick around?"

"Gotta head back tomorrow morning. Mobile shower van issues, plus prior commitments at HQ."

Truth was, he lacked the stamina for another full day. Feigning urgency about tomorrow's return wrapped things up.

"Congressman Park, what about Kim Seong-gap?"

Jeong seemed curious too. They'd agreed to team up, yet Kim never joined, leaving the top candidate solo. Natural suspicion.

"Kim's all over the place mentally. He's neck-and-neck with Moon Assemblyman within the margin of error."

"Teaming up would help both sides, no?"

"Stubborn guy. He'll manage."

Jeong's face clouded with puzzlement. Veterans like him lived by their instincts; how could he miss the hint? But no need to spell it out for Jeong, Park Seong-hwan, or Han Seong-su. It might deflate them mid-tour, souring the local momentum—obvious risk.

Having sniffed out the rift with Kim, Jeong dropped the topic. They exchanged good-luck wishes assuming steady momentum and called it a night.

Back in Seoul, he skipped HQ for a rest day. He'd announced a Monday return post-Gangwon, so no one awaited. He headed home and crashed, body aching everywhere, into deep sleep.

The phone bell jolted him awake to darkness.

"Honey, where are you?"

"Yeah. Office-tel."

"Didn't go to the office today?"

"Nah. Hit Taebaek yesterday, left Gangneung earlier, got home."

"You must be beat. Sorry, go back to sleep."

"No, slept plenty. What's up?"

"Friday afternoon's our show, right? Heading there anyway—what to prep as comfort gifts for the soldier uncles?"

"Handing those out to everyone would bankrupt the company."

"That's why I'm stressing. How many troops at the base?"

"Over ten thousand, probably."

"Huh? For real? That many?"

"Yeah. That's the standard setup."

"Then what?"

"No need to overthink. If you insist, burgers one per guy. Hits the kids' tastes perfect. Choco pies are what temples and churches hand out weekly."

"Tough call. Can't just do lone burgers, but nothing else fits."

"Even one burger each gets cheers. Chaplains eat anything."

Truthfully, burgers alone would run 40-50 million won. But she wanted to give, and it could hook future fans. When those soldiers hit civilian life craving burgers, they'd recall the fun show, the performers—priceless.