Power & Sex, and... 47
Days blurred together in a whirlwind of party business. In the end, just as I'd planned, the leadership unanimously resigned at the Supreme Committee meeting. Until a new one could be elected, the floor leader would double as the emergency committee chair, shifting us into an emergency measures committee system.
"Ahji, you here?"
"Nah, doesn't look like I can make it down this week."
"Hing~ But I miss you so much."
"Then sorry, but how 'bout you come up Sunday night?"
"Really? You sure that's okay?"
"What's stopping my wife from coming to see her man?"
Taking care of the district was important, of course, but right now I just didn't have the bandwidth to head down. I ended up telling the office manager it wouldn't just be this week—I probably wouldn't make it to Busan for a while—and asked him to handle things at the district office. Not that I needed to; he'd treat it like his own job anyway.
After hanging up with the office manager, I called Ara. Her voice was thick with emotion, damp like she'd been holding back tears. Living apart from her husband at such a young age clearly wasn't easy. I couldn't ignore her feelings and told her to come up to Seoul. The library was closed Mondays, so unless something came up, I'd clear my schedule for the day.
"Oppa, how about we hold a fan cafe meetup?"
"Sounds good. What's brought this on all of a sudden?"
"The party convention's coming up soon, right? Let's show off our strength before then."
"What if turnout's low?"
"Nah, at least 200-300 people will come."
"If we can pull that off, it'd be a huge win."
"Then it's a go."
Jeong-ah had gotten good at reading the political winds. I'd kinda forgotten about the fan cafe lately, but pulling together even 200-300 people right now would solidify my position in the party—not just that, it'd be a chance to flex my influence on the other assemblymen.
If Suji showed up, 200-300 might even be conservative. Since SJ Entertainment imploded, she was still working solo, so TV appearances had dropped, but she stayed visible as a model in ads. Her fanbase of oppa stans held strong. Still, Ara Entertainment needed to get back on track soon—not just for Suji, but all the girls. Apparently, getting licensed was one thing; actually running the agency was another beast entirely.
Anyway, fan cafe stuff aside, I was fielding calls late into the night. Some total wild card announced a run for Supreme Committee member and hit me up for support. Kim Seong-gap was getting antsy now that the convention schedule was firming up.
I'd already set dinner for tomorrow with Kim Seong-gap, Jeong Sang-won, Seo Jeong-ho, and Park Seong-hwan. We had to stick together at least through this convention, and as long as no one stabbed us in the back, our paths were aligned. Bonding a bit more couldn't hurt.
"Oppa, can I come to the office now?"
"Yeah, come on over."
She showed up in under thirty minutes. She thanked the female staffer who'd let her park, then shoved an A4 sheet at me.
"What's this?"
"Fan cafe meetup plan."
I skimmed Jeong-ah's proposal. She’d clearly put thought into it, so I flashed a satisfied smile.
"But Danyang? Isn't that kinda remote?"
"Sure, a bit, but most members are in the capital area anyway. Busan folks are super active, so distance won't faze 'em."
"Fair enough. Why Danyang specifically?"
"It's quiet there. Plus, a chance to test how gung-ho the Seoul crowd really is."
"So, weeding out the posers?"
"Yep. Folks who just lend their name might bail when you need 'em most. This'll sift the real ones and toughen up the cafe."
"What if turnout sucks?"
"No way—at least 200!"
"Alright, let's see what you've got, Jeong-ah."
Honestly, I was worried. But she was so damn confident, I couldn't say no. Fine, small is small.
"How much budget we talking?"
"It's overnight, so a bit."
"Holler if you need more."
"No sweat—Eun-mi unni's sponsoring."
She'd already looped in Eun-mi, figures. Those two were glued at the hip at home and work. Fan cafe was Jeong-ah's baby now; she'd call if she needed backup, so no point fretting.
"Let's grab dinner."
"What about the office crew?"
"Wanna join?"
"I'm good either way. Just swap 'oppa' for 'Assemblyman' and I'm set."
I pitched dinner to the aides, but the workaholics wouldn't budge. I handed my card to Kim Sil-jang, asked him to feed them, and headed out with Jeong-ah.
"Do other assemblymen's staff grind like that?"
"Most? Nah. Sixty percent are probably boozing or at the sauna by now."
"Then why's your team like that? I nearly suffocated here sometimes."
"Workaholics. Plus, I'm on the Defense Committee with no real experts, so they're hustling extra."
"Lucky you, oppa. Assemblymen get to play with girls daily, while aides pull all-nighters."
"You know you're one of those girls, right?"
"Pfft~ That's why I feel bad."
I felt guilty too. Most of my crew had stuck with me from the Hwang days, but the vibe was night-and-day now.
I drove Jeong-ah toward Gimpo. Needed to feed her dinner—and yeah, I'd held Eun-mi and Suji lately, but not her.
"Where we headed?"
"Gimpo for dinner."
"Why all the way out there? You're beat—let's eat close."
"You not in the mood lately?"
"You're wiped, oppa. You did it with unni the other night, and Suji before that."
"Where'd you hear that?"
"Suji, who else?"
"You girls talk about that stuff?"
"Duh, that's what close friends do. Anyway, I can wait—don't push it."
Her thoughtfulness hit home. But party stress had me craving a woman's body—raw, messy sex.
"Dinner first, then we'll see."
An hour later, we pulled into Gimpo. Spotted a cute Italian spot and headed up. Seated by the window, we ordered steaks.
"Nice vibe here, huh?"
"Yeah, pretty good. View of the river would make it perfect."
"Oppa, you miss the sea."
She got me. On high-stress days like these, Songjeong Beach at night called to me. Staring at those dark waves cleared my head like nothing else. Seoul had no such balm. Once, desperate, I'd driven to Incheon, but it wasn't the sea I craved—just disappointment on the way back. Songjeong was my soul's refuge.
We ate in a pleasant, quiet mood. Afterward, we crossed to Ganghwa-do on a whim. First time for me, so nav led the way. But night roads on unfamiliar turf killed the vibe; we looped back to Gimpo without much fanfare.
"This the spot?"
"..."
"Oppa, let's just go home."
"Why?"
"I hate seeing you tired. You're stressed out."
"That's why we're here. Need to fuck to unwind."
"Pfft~ Not 'cause you're worried I'll pout if you skip me?"
"Nah."
"You really think sex'll fix it?"
"Yeah. Remember what I used to say?"
"What?"
"When I'm beat, I grab this and crash. Rubbing it eases the fatigue—ring a bell?"
"Oh yeah."
Dredging up old memories finally convinced her I meant it. Truth be told, a proper love motel was new territory for me too.
Past the parking entrance, I spotted spots with shades up and down. Pulled into one with it raised. Parked, shade dropped, we got out and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Door opened to a pay machine. Fed in the room fee, unlocked. "Whoa, cool," Jeong-ah gasped. Arm around her, we stepped inside.