Power & Sex, and... 26
Putting forward Assemblyman Kim Seong-gap as the party leader candidate and Assemblyman Jeong Sang-won for the supreme committee race had been settled for now. All that remained was to get Assemblyman Park Seong-hwan's feelings spared while naturally positioning Assemblyman Seo Jeong-ho to run—and win—as the representative of the National Assembly Reform Alliance in the supreme committee election. Of course, the joint resignation of the current supreme committee members hadn't been officially confirmed yet, so there was no need to rush.
"Chief Kim, if you're not too busy, could you step in for a moment?"
He had decided to discuss the issues with Park Seong-hwan and Seo Jeong-ho with Chief Kim. After all, Chief Kim had already screened both assemblymen, so he might catch something the protagonist had overlooked. And on matters like this, where Chief Kim's decades of political experience far outstripped his own, getting advice was essential.
What the protagonist respected most about Chief Kim's abilities was his organizational prowess. His input would be crucial not just for the party leader race but for vote-counting in the supreme committee election as well.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Park Seong-hwan might have ambitions himself in this situation, but we can't rule out the possibility that Moon Uiwon is pushing him hard to expand his faction."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Hindsight's twenty-twenty, but the reason Park Seong-hwan put me forward as secretary in the National Assembly Reform Alliance meetings might've been Moon's orders."
"It's not the most elegant approach, but what if we drive a wedge between Moon and Park Seong-hwan?"
"Got a good way to do that?"
"How about a deal? Since we've decided to back Kim Seong-gap for leader, if he wins, we promise Park Seong-hwan the deputy chief of staff position or party spokesperson role. No reason for him to turn that down."
"But won't there be backlash since he's a first-termer?"
In any case, it was better to keep Park Seong-hwan on side if possible, so they agreed to explore a deal. He might prefer a guaranteed party position over an uncertain supreme committee bid anyway. If he took the deal, worst case, they could offer him a nominated supreme committee spot that the party leader could appoint. With that in mind, they decided to proceed smoothly for now. Next up: meeting Seo Jeong-ho and making sure he owed them big.
"Is Assemblyman Park busy?"
"No, Father-in-law, I'm free."
After Chief Kim left the room, Lee Hoe-jang called. They made lunch plans, and he headed out to the Daesan Group headquarters in Guro.
"Come on in. The chairman's waiting."
A young assistant from the annex office led him to the chairman's room, where Lee Hoe-jang greeted him warmly.
"I've been hearing how our Assemblyman Park's been making waves everywhere. You holding up okay?"
"Nah, I'm fine."
"But you're thinking of running for supreme committee?"
"No, not at all right now."
"Then why stir up the board like this?"
"For the time being, I'd rather stay behind the scenes and pull strings. Supreme committee or party leader—I'll think about those after I study up more."
"Smart choice. Rush out front too early, and you'll make enemies that'll trip you up later."
"Is that why you called me in? Worried about that?"
"Partly, yeah. And also about finding you a place to live here. Figured we'd kill two birds with one stone."
"Sure."
"Will Eun-mi's idea work?"
"She's way sharper than me on stuff like that."
Lee Hoe-jang seemed concerned the protagonist was moving too fast without solid groundwork, worried he'd crumble under attacks. Satisfied with the response, his expression eased, and they chatted comfortably. When Eun-mi entered soon after, they headed out for lunch.
Lunch focused on her entertainment agency plans, so he just listened. She praised the talent jumping ship from SJ Entertainment and wanted the new building in Yeouido since most broadcasters except SBS were there. Lee Hoe-jang agreed readily, leaving it to her to scout and report back.
With the agency's personnel nearly set, securing a building would make operations smooth under the Daesan Group umbrella.
After lunch, Lee Hoe-jang returned to his office, and the protagonist followed Eun-mi to hers. As before, it buzzed with young staff hustling on entertainment projects.
"You're heading to Busan tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, gotta go this time."
"What about getting a place in Yeouido?"
"You think there's a house fit for you there?"
"There's a nice mixed-use apartment across from the Assembly. Could serve as office space till we build our own."
"Anyway, handle the house however."
"Wanna check it out early next week?"
She'd clearly done her homework. He couldn't afford a Seoul place anyway, and wouldn't spend much time there. Plus, Yeouido meant risking prying eyes from acquaintances, so he left it to her.
During the election, she'd handled his Busan place flawlessly—another reason to trust her completely.
"What if we make Ara a registered director?"
"Registered director? Why?"
"It'd give her legit income."
"Better not. No experience in the industry—if she's listed without it, it'll draw scrutiny and cause issues."
"True. But we need one or two reliable names for income and support."
"Just a name on paper?"
"Yeah. Someone who'll back me at board meetings later."
"How about Suji? Listing her as director could motivate the singers, make 'em hustle harder thinking they could rise like her."
"Good point. I'll think on it. Or ask Suji?"
"You two sort it."
In entertainment, agencies were strictly the "A" dominating the "B." The SJ mess stemmed from CEO Hwang Bo-jun exploiting that ruthlessly.
If Suji, under Eun-mi's agency, became a shareholder-director, other singers might feel loyalty, motivated by the path to executive roles.
But that was Eun-mi's call, so he dropped it.
Sticking around the Members' Office Building risked headaches, so he called Chief Kim, asking him to cover with excuses like constituency visits unless urgent. Then he spent the day with Eun-mi.
"Honey, busy tomorrow?"
"On hiatus for now. Why?"
"Hiatus? Why?"
"Till the convention's locked in, better lay low."
"..."
"Truth is, I'm the mastermind behind our party's infighting."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Tested the waters on purpose."
"What's next?"
"Once the convention's set, no worries."
"You won't get iced out by the party?"
"Why would I? Piss me off, I'll ice everyone else."
"lol"
"What's so funny? Spot on, right?"
"Anyway, we're hanging today, and if tomorrow's free, wanna take the night train to Busan?"
"What about work?"
"Staff's handling it fine. Just wanna ride the night train with you."
He'd planned Busan tomorrow afternoon anyway, so they advanced it. Couldn't say no to her night train whim. He called Chief Kim about an urgent Busan trip that evening, booked tickets, and a rental car from Busan Station.
Mugunghwa trains to Busan were tough—the 4 PM one was tight even now, and no night train vibe. Only an 8 PM on weekdays. Lucky it was a weekday; otherwise, he'd have pulled strings for her.
After tickets and rental, he parked at Daesan HQ, switched to her car, and headed to her place.
"Mother-in-law, how've you been?"
"Come in, my Park son-in-law."
Her mother greeted him with her usual warm smile. They chatted on the sofa about recent events while Eun-mi bustled in the kitchen. Finally, she emerged with a plate of kimbap.
"Honey, ahh~"
"I can feed myself."
"Just ahh~"
"Not in front of your mom."
"Pfft, it's fine. Mom's cool, right?"
"Just eat it, son-in-law."
He demurred a few times, but she insisted, and her mother beamed expectantly. Resigned, he opened wide as she fed him a piece with chopsticks.