Power & Sex, and... 100
“Assemblyman, it's time to head out.”
After finishing the briefing with Reporter Seo, Gu Secretary went over to Jeong-ah, said something to her, then approached me to say we needed to move. I followed behind her, while Jeong-ah escorted the office manager out of the office. But out in front of the office, there was nothing set up—no equipment, just a few vans parked there.
“Gu Secretary, what's going on?”
“We've decided to hold the handover ceremony somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“You'll know it well when you see it.”
We split up into several vans and set off. I asked Reporter Seo if he'd gotten any hints, but he knew nothing either. I considered calling Ara but figured I'd find out soon enough anyway, so I just waited. The vans passed Seomyeon Rotary and turned toward Dongnae. Could it be? The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it as unlikely.
“We're here. Get out.”
The vans dropped us off behind the stage at Song Sang-hyun Plaza. I'd suspected as much, but staging a donation event in such a vast open square with just a handful of people would look pathetic. No way they'd do it here—or so I'd thought. My assumption was completely overturned. This was the very place where Ara and I had held our wedding ceremony.
As we headed toward the plaza from the vans, trumpets suddenly blared, and the MC announced, “Assemblyman Park Maru and his wife have arrived!” A thunderous roar of cheers erupted. Looking ahead, I saw the square packed with an enormous crowd. And there, lined up neatly beside the stage, were three pretty pink one-ton trucks with plywood bases, showing off their cute rear ends.
Reporter Seo, who'd been standing next to me, had vanished at some point. Dressed sharply in a suit, Gu Secretary guided Ara and me from behind the stage to the front, and we climbed up onto the platform under her lead. An exclamation slipped from my lips: “Oh!”
Standing there on the stage was none other than Lee Hoe-jang of Daesan Group, who must have arrived just moments ago.
“Come on up, Assemblyman Park.”
“Chairman, how did you make it all the way here?”
“I've decided to attend both today's Busan event and the one in Seoul.”
After exchanging greetings with the chairman, the district mayor approached and extended his hand. I thanked him for coming and shook it firmly. Next came the mayors of Seo-gu and Yeongdo-gu Districts. I had no idea why these unrelated officials had shown up, but I greeted them warmly and clasped hands all the same. After shaking hands one by one with all the local dignitaries who followed, Ara and I took our seats as directed by Gu Secretary.
“What the heck is all this?”
“Eun-mi's handiwork.”
“How'd Eun-mi pull this off? She's swamped right now herself.”
“She just said we're doing the Busan and Seoul events like this today. She consulted with Jeong-ah about it.”
The event unfolded on a truly grand scale. The team that had set up the stage for my wedding—which would now handle performances for Ara Entertainment—had come down with Eun-mi yesterday to prepare everything. Even the MC was from Ara Entertainment.
The MC began by explaining that the event stemmed from discussions between the fan cafe admins and volunteers who'd helped with my election, along with Ara's experiences from local volunteer work. They'd launched a crowdfunding campaign on the fan cafe to buy mobile bathing vehicles. Upon hearing this, Lee Hoe-jang of Daesan Group had generously donated, allowing them to purchase 15 vehicles with the combined funds. Today, three were being donated to Busan for the first time.
The pre-ceremony entertainment kicked off with the first round of performances by singers from Ara Entertainment. The crowd went wild, applauding enthusiastically, cheering on the idol stars, and singing along joyfully.
After the singers' first set, Lee Hoe-jang delivered his congratulatory address. Then my name was called next, and I stepped forward to the podium with zero preparation.
“This is Park Maru. As you all know, this place holds deep meaning for me. I'm honored to be here donating mobile bathing vehicles for the elderly and disabled who have trouble getting around. There are so many people to thank, but that'd bore you all, so I'll just say thank you to everyone and wrap it up. Thank you!”
The crowd whistled and cheered at my brief speech, which kept the district mayor's follow-up thanks short as well. With the VIP greetings done, the highlight of the event—the mobile bathing vehicle handover—finally began.
“We're donating three mobile bathing vehicles to Busan today. They've been allocated to Busanjin-gu, Seo-gu, and Yeongdo-gu, districts with large low-income elderly populations. These vehicles will be donated to those three district offices and operated under consignment by local volunteer groups.”
Only then did it click why the unrelated mayors were there.
“Assemblyman Park Maru, Daesan Group Chairman, and fan cafe admin Jeong-ah, please come forward.”
At the MC's call, I escorted the chairman back to the front of the stage. As we three stepped up, the MC summoned the mayors of Busanjin-gu, Dong-gu, and Yeongdo-gu as well.
Moments later, young women in elegant hanbok approached with trays holding the vehicle keys and presented them to us three.
“We'll now proceed with the handover of vehicles 1, 2, and 3. First, Busanjin-gu District Mayor, please step forward.”
The Busanjin-gu mayor stepped up to me. I glanced at the tray, and the MC continued.
“Assemblyman Park Maru, please hand the key to the Busanjin-gu District Mayor.”
I picked up the key from the tray and passed it to him. Camera flashes exploded everywhere, the air filled with shutter clicks. Following the MC's cues, the chairman handed his key to the Seo-gu mayor, and Jeong-ah gave hers to the Yeongdo-gu mayor, completing the donations.
With the keys handed over, the mayors descended the stage under the MC's guidance, boarded their district's vehicles, and started the engines for the show. We three joined them below for commemorative photos. That wrapped up the official handover ceremony.
What remained was the party. Soft music flowed from the stage again as dry ice billowed out, and a female singer in a white dress emerged from the mist. The crowd erupted in thunderous applause to welcome her. Then came the chants: “Suji! Suji!”
It was Suji. She waved to the audience and began singing a calm ballad to the accompaniment—not her old upbeat dance tracks, but a gentle, poignant melody that tugged at the heartstrings. The citizens were drawn in deeper and deeper; the whole area fell so silent it felt like a vacuum chamber. Even passing cars seemed to stop and kill their engines. When her song ended and she bowed, the crowd remained spellbound, too entranced even to clap.
“Hello, this is Suji. I'm honored to be here with you all at such a wonderful event.”
Her greeting snapped the silence, and the crowd exploded into frenzied applause, chanting “Suji! Suji!” It seemed Eun-mi's advice for her to switch to ballads had come from experts, not just her. Even to a music novice like me, that moment felt like a dream.
After Suji's song, upbeat rhythms blasted from the speakers once more. During the interlude, her former group members flooded the stage. Suji had seamlessly rejoined them.
The mobile bathing vehicle donation event concluded in resounding, dazzling success—words like “smash hit” or “spectacular” fell short. The mayors, led by Busanjin-gu's, expressed their thanks and invited the chairman and me to lunch, but we politely declined. Following his lead, I escorted him back to the district office.
“What on earth happened?”
“Like you, I had no clue. She just said to come to Busan, so I did.”
In the end, it was Eun-mi's initiative, with Jeong-ah and Ara collaborating. A knock came soon after, and Eun-mi, Ara, and Jeong-ah entered the room.
“How was it today?”
“It was huge. But how are you covering the costs for a stunt this big?”
“I'll bill Dad for the performance fees. It's Daesan Group promo anyway, right, Dad?”
Fair enough. With stage photos hitting broadcasts and papers, the Daesan name and logo would reach not just Busan but the whole country. If you framed it that way, the PR value was immense—not mere ads, but imprinting an image of a socially responsible corporation in the public's mind.
We chatted a bit more in the committee room before heading to the office. It was bursting at the seams, with people mobbing Suji and the other idols for autographs and photos.
Impossible to get anything done there, so I asked the managers to move Suji and the agency singers to a restaurant.
Escorting the chairman, I headed to the restaurant too. Hanging around the office would've meant no proper meal, so we rented out a place in Seomyeon entirely and went there.
By the time our group arrived, the restaurant was packed anyway—no need for a full rental. Ara Entertainment singers alone numbered over a dozen including Suji, plus managers, coordinators, stage crew, volunteers, and district committee execs. Lunch bills were a real concern.
Part 3 of The Secretary's Women—Powerhouse Assemblyman Park Maru—begins anew today, January 21st.
Please show it lots of love and support!