Power & Sex, and... 46
Maru listened quietly as Eun-mi shared general insights about the entertainment agency's operations. Kim Sajang seemed to agree that gathering even a bit of knowledge on their systems would be useful for the construction, focusing intently on her words.
Just as Eun-mi was deep into her explanation and Kim Sajang and Maru were firing off questions, Kim Sajang's phone rang. A few curt exchanges followed—"Yeah," "Right," "I see," "That sounds good"—before he set the phone down and spoke up.
"Our design team's on the same page. They'll mark up the sections needing revisions shortly and send them over. Madam, if you review them and find them reasonable, why not request changes from the architectural firm that drew up these plans?"
Kim Sajang had already formed his own conclusions about the design. To double-check if his views held water, he'd consulted his company's design team. Maru figured there was no way Kim Sajang would steer her wrong or cause her any loss, so following his advice made perfect sense.
"Does your company handle designs too?"
"Yes. We don't take on outside commissions, but we do in-house designs for projects we've secured ourselves."
"Then could you take over the design entirely from scratch?"
"What about these plans then?"
"The person who did them is from your company anyway. If you can handle the design, I'd love it if you discussed it with him and redrew them."
"Won't that upset the architect who made these?"
Eun-mi was straight-up asking Kim Sajang's firm to redesign from the ground up, but he hesitated, wary of stepping on the toes of the original architect. Truth be told, across any profession, jumping into someone else's midway project was something people avoided—and in construction, it was practically taboo. His reaction was only natural.
"I'm fine with it."
The young man who'd brought the blueprints suddenly chimed in that he was okay with it. Maru puzzled over his words for a moment before realizing he might be the designer in question and turned to look at him.
"Truth is, I don't know much about entertainment agencies myself, so I referenced other plans. Hearing you now, President, I agree those parts need fixing too."
The young guy was the architect behind the drawings. Confirming this, Kim Sajang quickly extended a hand in apology, regretting his harsh critique right in front of the creator.
"Aigoo, sorry about that. I was out of line."
"No, no. It's my skills that fall short. Thanks to you, President, I've learned something new."
Surprisingly, the young man took it in stride with a straightforward attitude. As their conversation flowed, it turned out he was a top graduate from the prestigious Ikhong University architecture department—one of the best for the field in Korea—and had just passed his architect exam this year. Kim Sajang took a real shine to him, chuckling nonstop and listening eagerly, even trying to poach him on the spot to join his team.
In the end, Kim Sajang decided to summon his entire Seoul design team to Busan to collaborate with the young architect. True to form, he immediately instructed Chief Secretary Seo to have them pack up and head north.
"You could just bring Heo Team Leader down to Busan."
"The site's here anyway, so working on location has its advantages all around. Plus, Heo Team Leader's already nailed the basics almost perfectly, so it won't take long."
"Still, the costs won't be cheap."
"Then Madam can just pay a premium on the construction fees. Heh heh."
They shared a laugh, wrapping up talks on the Ara Entertainment design and build. Eun-mi called in her general affairs manager to prep a workspace for the incoming design team, while Kim Sajang headed out with Heo Team Leader to inspect the site.
"Honey, you tired?"
"Why would I be?"
"Last night with Suji, and then..."
"That really worrying you?"
"Yeah. You can't get sick."
"No need to fret. I manage my condition just fine."
After a few more words with Eun-mi, Maru left the office and headed to Yeouido.
"Chief, got a minute?"
He called Kim Sil-jang into his room as he entered the office.
"Something up?"
"I met Congressman Moon."
"Weren't you going to see Congressman Park Seong-hwan?"
Maru explained in detail how he'd gone to meet Park that morning but run into Moon instead, and the full gist of their confrontation. No one else in the office matched Kim Sil-jang's political acumen, so Maru made sure to fill him in completely.
"Sounds like Moon was desperate."
"Yeah. And the guy's got a huge ego to boot."
"So, planning to ally with him?"
"My take? He can't grab the leadership. Too greedy to trust fully besides."
"Got it. Loud and clear."
For now, they'd keep things with Moon at arm's length. Greedy types—especially those who flaunted it—were liable to turn their knives on you someday, so vigilance was key. Once he lost the next presidential run, he'd be useless in the party, and even the general election after that looked shaky. No reason for Maru to keep investing in him.
"Congressman, lunch was great thanks to you."
"Where you at right now?"
"In my office."
Out of the blue, Park Seong-hwan called. When he offered to drop by, Maru saw no reason to refuse and agreed to meet. Moments later, word came that he'd arrived. Maru stepped out, opening the door to greet him.
"Come on in. Meeting this often, people might think we're dating."
"That so? I came because I want to get closer to you, Congressman Park."
"Same here. I want to get tight with you too."
They exchanged pleasantries and light banter before sitting. Honestly, it had barely been hours since lunch, so Maru was curious about his sudden visit but couldn't pry outright. He circled around with chit-chat on party dynamics and the nation's tough economic straits.
Finally, either fed up or resolved, Park Seong-hwan spoke gravely.
"Don't trust Congressman Moon too much."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Maru feigned surprise, then waited for more.
"He probably recorded your talk with him today."
"Could be."
"You suspected?"
"I don't trust anyone but friends. In this game? You can't take folks at face value."
"Right. So... do you trust me, Congressman?"
"Honestly? Too soon to say. We haven't known each other that long."
"Fair. But could I ask a favor?"
"If it's something I can do, sure."
"I know you've pledged National Assembly Reform Alliance support for Congressman Seo Jeong-ho as supreme committee member. What about me?"
"Congressman, that's not for me to decide. It's the party members' choice—how's a first-termer like me gonna call that shot? And if that's the ask, shouldn't you hit up Congressman Moon instead?"
Park Seong-hwan's pitch caught Maru off guard. He was open to Moon's deal, but this wasn't something for Park to demand so bluntly, so Maru tossed the ball back.
"Didn't I say? Don't fully trust Moon."
"But aren't you in his camp?"
"I thought so too, gave my loyalty. But he's too damn greedy."
"..."
"Moon doesn't want me running for supreme committee. Worried it'll split votes."
"It's one person, two votes anyway—why?"
"Thinks his odds are slim, so he's cutting deals with others."
"Sigh~"
Maru absentmindedly reached for a cigarette but remembered no smoking in the office, awkwardly stowing it away and eyeing Park.
"Back you for it, and I'll actively support your moves from here on."
"Congressman Park, you really set on supreme committee? If so, I can't help there. Anything else, maybe."
"Then?"
"Like you said, I've committed to backing Seo Jeong-ho and Jeong Sang-won in the race. How about a central party post instead? You're first-term, so not one of the big three roles, but there are solid ones."
"So you'll help?"
"Politics is give and take, right?"
It was unfolding just as Maru had envisioned. Sure, hard to fully trust a guy who'd bolted from Moon's faction claiming neglect, but for the time being, he'd play useful ally—no loss for Maru.