Power & Sex, and... 45
“Assemblyman, it's a call from Assemblyman Park Seong-hwan.”
The moment I arrived at the office, my phone rang with a call from Park Seong-hwan. He said he had something urgent to discuss, so I readily set up a lunch meeting. After all, with the entire party leadership resigning, we'd soon have the supreme committee election, and I needed to coordinate on those matters anyway.
I wrapped up my morning work and headed to the restaurant where I'd arranged to meet Park Seong-hwan. Following the hostess's lead to the private room, I saw two pairs of shoes outside the door. Someone else was with him, but there was no reason to avoid it, so I stepped inside. To my surprise, Moon Uiwon was sitting there alongside Park Seong-hwan.
“Park, come on in.”
“Assemblyman, it's been a while.”
“I ran into Park Seong-hwan by chance and suggested grabbing a bite, and he mentioned he was meeting you here—our very own Park Maru. I thought it was a good chance to see you too, so I shamelessly tagged along.”
He was laying it on thick with an obvious lie, stressing that this meeting was pure coincidence rather than planned. But there was no need to dodge or question it. Even if someone spotted me—a rising star—meeting with Moon Uiwon, a senior figure in our party, it wouldn't hurt me. On the contrary, word getting out that a heavyweight like him sought me out would only inflate my value. Politically, it was a net positive.
The food came out, and once the server left the room, Moon Uiwon spoke up.
“Park, aren't you pushing too hard from the start?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I'm talking about the party leadership resignations.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Let's not play games between pros. I know a first-termer like you has big ambitions.”
“.....”
“Help me out this time. Then, next round, I'll back you fully.”
Moon Uiwon went straight for the kill with his blunt approach. For a moment, I was caught off guard by his direct shot, but I quickly regained my composure and waited for what he'd say next.
“Park, help me this time. I'll make it up to you, I swear.”
He repeated himself word for word.
“Assemblyman, I'm just a first-term nobody. I wouldn't even know how to help you.”
“Word's spreading that you're backing Supreme Committee Member Kim Seong-gap in this convention. So instead of him, support me.”
It seemed the rumor that I'd allied with Kim Seong-gap had spread through the party. From his perspective, pushing the narrative of “Kim Seong-gap as the frontrunner” as fast as possible made sense—he was probably desperate to build momentum. I had to respect the impatience.
“Aren't you eyeing the presidency yourself, sir?”
“Exactly. That's why I need the party leadership.”
“Do you think Kim Seong-gap has presidential ambitions?”
“Not now, but if he grabs the reins? Who knows.”
“No! Kim Seong-gap will never run for president.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I'll stake everything I have on it!”
I stated flatly that Kim Seong-gap wouldn't aim higher than party leader. Moon Uiwon fell silent at my conviction, then spoke heavily.
“Park, you're one scary guy.”
“I might be terrifying to enemies, but to my allies, I'm a rock-solid partner.”
Park Seong-hwan glanced between us, puzzled, trying to decipher what Moon Uiwon's words implied.
“So you're saying you'll block my path to party leader?”
“Not block it, sir. But if you become leader, you'd have to give up presidential moves.”
“Why do you think that?”
“If you hold party power and push for the presidency, the opposition faction will nitpick everything. It'll all boil down to accusations that you're running the party dictatorially to feed your personal ambitions, abusing leader privileges. Would that help you, sir?”
Moon Uiwon went quiet after my words. His mind was no doubt racing at invisible speeds, calculating pros and cons. I watched his face silently, waiting for his decision.
After a long deliberation, he finally opened his eyes, took a sip from his cup, and spoke.
“Like that poet Du Fu said, the waves behind drive the waves ahead—and your wave is fierce, Park. Let's join hands.”
He extended his hand as he said it.
“You'll follow my advice?”
“What other choice do I have? I don't want to make an enemy of you.”
In the end, I couldn't ignore his hand. No formal document bound us, but pushing further might've turned it into a noose. All I could do was wait for him to run as our presidential candidate next election and hit the limits of his abilities.
Nearly three hours later, I parted ways with them and returned to the Members' Office Building. To my pleasant surprise, a familiar face was waiting.
“Assemblyman, how have you been?”
“President Kim, what brings you all the way to Seoul?”
Kim Sajang had quietly supported the office operations since my days under Assemblyman Hwang, never skimping on aid. His visit to my Seoul office made me worry something big was up.
“President Kim, is everything alright?”
“Ah! No, no. Don't worry.”
He must've caught my changed expression and hurried to reassure me. But he wasn't the type to trek to Yeouido without reason, so I masked my concern and waited.
“The lady of the house asked me to come up.”
“?”
“Ah, Assemblyman Hwang's widow. She's building a new place and wanted to see if I could handle the construction.”
“Ah~”
Far from my fears, it was good news for him—and me. Eun-mi hadn't forgotten his help during the old days; asking him to build her new headquarters for Ara Entertainment was a gracious move, and I was grateful.
“How's business at your office these days, President Kim?”
“Everyone's screaming about the tough economy. How could I thump my chest and say I'm special? But at least we're holding steady.”
“That's a relief. Have some coffee first, then let's go see.”
“Oh no, I couldn't. You handle national affairs—wasting time on a businessman like me is no good.”
“President Kim, that hurts. Are you calling me ungrateful? I think of you as family.”
It was true. Though not on staff, he'd done more for the district office than any party worker since Hwang's time. Treating him like family was only natural.
I escorted Kim Sajang to the temporary office at Daesan Group HQ, where Eun-mi was setting up Ara Entertainment. The place buzzed with heat and activity, staff deep in their tasks.
“President Kim, come on in.”
Eun-mi's face glowed with a radiant sheen. The saying that women grow more beautiful in love wasn't made up—and that love meant satisfied sex in body and soul was clear from her visage.
In her office, she ordered tea, then called the project manager in charge of the new headquarters via intercom. Moments later, a young man entered with an armful of blueprints and spread them on the table.
“That's quite the scale.”
“They say you need this size for an entertainment agency these days.”
Kim Sajang scrutinized the plans meticulously. After a thorough review, he pulled out his phone, snapped photos while flipping pages, sent them off, and made a call.
“Seo Manager. Check the photos I just sent. Call when you're done reviewing.”
After the brief call, he turned to Eun-mi.
“Ma'am, how about tweaking the interior layout?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not a problem, exactly. But reviewing it, I feel like space is wasted in spots. Better to shrink the building slightly and redirect to the exterior for a stronger company image overall.”
Eun-mi glanced at me, seeking my take. But I hadn't even studied the plans properly—and even if I had, I knew nothing about agency ops or construction. Weighing in would be unhelpful meddling, not advice.