A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 46

Society can never be peaceful. That is why we have shoved all conflicts into one place to prevent mutual destruction.

That place is the National Assembly—a dogfighting arena.

And democracy is the system through which the people choose which dogs will fight on their behalf. But if there are no fights in the arena, what meaning does democracy have?

In other words, if the National Assembly is at peace, the country is doomed.

“A merger? Let them do it! I will found a new party! I absolutely refuse to acknowledge this collusion!”

The dogfight begins.

—

I shoved away the lawmakers who swarmed me, grabbing at me from all sides. Their faces were ashen, while mine was flushed red with rage. I swung my cane wildly and shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Let go of me!”

“R-Representative Han Seung-moon!”

Forgetting that we were in front of the cameras, curses flew from every direction.

“Representative Han! Have you lost your mind!?”

“I don’t need the Democratic Party! I don’t need the Republican Party! Is this what you call a country!?”

There are certain lines in politics that should never be crossed.

“I refuse to acknowledge the merger! How can a one-party dictatorship exist in a democracy!?”

But in this world, there is no such thing as true good.

“I will establish a new party! A party that serves only the people!”

So, I decided to draw my own line.

With bloodshot eyes, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“The April general election! The April general election! We must honor the will of the people! I will fight for the people!” (T/N: Damn bastard. lol. Outsmarting these old-timers again.)

The messier the National Assembly is, the more stable the country remains.

“I will usher in a new era of politics, breaking away from old habits!”

I draw the line.

“I will establish a new party!”

Silently. On a vast, blank canvas. I draw the line.

As I left the press conference, my eyes briefly met Yang Pan-seok’s.

—

The nation was engulfed in fury.

And anger drives people to action.

[Representative Han Seung-moon has officially filed with the Central Election Commission to establish the ‘National Party.’]

And when fire is gathered in one place, history is made.

[Figures such as Jeong Choong-yeop, Governor of Jeju; Kim Jo-in, former Democratic Party floor leader; and Woo Jung-hwan, Seoul’s Deputy Mayor, have all expressed support for the new party’s formation.]

Those who had no ties to the establishment—
Those who had fallen out of favor—
Those who had been cast aside—
All reached out to me.

The Republican governor of Jeju, distanced from central politics.

A former political heavyweight, now neglected.

Countless politicians in Seoul who, despite lacking electoral districts, had the support of refugees.

It was only natural that those eyeing the April general election would flock to me.

That was my intention all along.

Now, I had gathered my forces.

The problem was money.

To build a central party, to create dozens of regional party offices, and to operate countless subsidiary organizations—typically, this required at least 6 billion won. Considering today’s economic conditions, the real cost would be in the hundreds of billions.

I had originally planned to leverage the conglomerates.

Before the Gate Incident, the reason the conglomerates had ruled like kings was because politicians were too busy fighting each other. The current situation only proved that point—now that the political world had united, the conglomerates had lost their power.

Thus, they had a vested interest in maintaining the two-party system, just like me.

Of course, these conglomerates were no better—if anything, they were worse. The idea of aligning with them carried significant political risks.

[Notably, GS Group’s Chairwoman Chun Geum-soon has joined as a founding member of the new party, drawing widespread attention.]

Geum-soon came in hot, throwing 25 billion won my way.

[Representative Han Seung-moon claims that the National Party’s foundation is based solely on voluntary donations from the public. However, concerns have been raised about the emergence of money-driven politics—]

Click.

Won Ok-bun turned off the TV.

“The power of words is truly terrifying.”

She placed the remote down with a twisted smile. Even the news reports, while careful not to contradict public sentiment, were subtly criticizing me. It was clear that Won Ok-bun was not pleased.

“I did ask to have him brought in at some point, but… I didn’t expect it to happen this way.”

“Isn’t this all just fate?”

“Ah… hello…”

I had come to see Won Ok-bun with Chun Geum-soon.

Though she maintained an unreadable expression, the stark white in her eyes betrayed an underlying displeasure.

With a sour expression, she was the first to speak.

“They’re going through with the merger. Something about a National Defense Party, or whatever…”

The National Party. The Republican Party. The Democratic Party.

As the entire country cried out for the April general election, a three-way political landscape had formed.

Naturally, the National Party was bound to win.

The narrative of “regime change” and “eradicating deep-rooted evils” always worked.
Especially in tough economic times like these.

There was only one way the establishment could survive.

“So, in the end, they’re merging…”

“They’re founding the National Defense Party, apparently. Weren’t you the one who pushed them into this?”

“I suspected as much.”

The National Defense Party, created to oppose the National Party.

They would maintain the three-way split for now and time their official merger for maximum impact during the April general election. It was obvious.

“Haa…”

In the end, the two powerhouses that had ruled South Korea for decades had come together.

No matter how much they wobbled, decades of entrenched political power wouldn’t crumble so easily.

Republican supporters carried memories of economic prosperity.
Democratic supporters carried the passion of the democratization movement.

For hardcore loyalists, politics wasn’t a choice—it was a part of their very identity.

Right now, the polls showed me at 81% approval.

But politics can shift at any moment.

“A power-hungry demagogue is fabricating divisions among the people.”

“The nation must not be torn apart like this.”

“For the sake of national defense, we must unite beyond political lines.”

Not a bad slogan.

If public sentiment cooled even slightly—
If respected elder statesmen spoke out—
If lawmakers not implicated in the recording emerged—
It would work.

It was still early January. The tides could turn at any time.

And ultimately, people believe what they want to believe.

There would be those who wavered.

Won Ok-bun picked up on her own past remarks.

“I told you, there’s no benefit in being too aggressive.”

“…..”

I closed my eyes calmly and took a sip of orange juice.

Won Ok-bun stroked the scar on her face and rested her chin on her hand.

Of course, the acting president couldn’t be ignored.

“Representative Han—”

“Take the role of the mediator.”

Right now, I was in control.

—

There is no politician more dangerous in South Korea right now than me.

I delivered my demands to Won Ok-bun.

“There’s nothing for you to gain from getting caught up in the National Assembly’s infighting.”

The government and the National Assembly needed to be separated.

“I’m not asking you to join the National Party. Breaking old alliances isn’t an option.”

As a key figure in an established party, Won Ok-bun couldn’t sever her ties.

Instead—

“I want you to ensure that the April general election takes place.”

“…Representative Han, are you giving me orders?”

“I’m asking you to take a firm stance and hold the country together while these childish lawmakers fight among themselves.”

[I’ll let you play the role you love, so listen to me.]

After all, she didn’t need the National Assembly’s support—she needed the people’s.

“With public sentiment the way it is, the April election won’t be the only thing on the ballot, will it?”

The fateful April was approaching.

The day both the president and the National Assembly would be elected.

I was going to make it happen.

“Aren’t you running for president?”

Won Ok-bun remained silent.

Now was the time to sweeten the deal.

“You have two major headaches.”

I raised two fingers.

“The economy. The media.”

A crumbling economy. A vengeful press, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“I’ll take care of them.”

“……”

Won Ok-bun hesitated for a moment.

I nudged Chun Geum-soon in the ribs with my elbow. She promptly handed over an investment and development proposal to Won Ok-bun.

It was a deal overwhelmingly favorable to the government.

In other words, a visible achievement she could take credit for.

“Consider this a small down payment. Now, let me explain the real solution.”

I would stabilize the media and the economy.

In return, she would ensure that the April general election took place.

I opened my mouth to speak.

“First—”

“No.”

Won Ok-bun cut me off.

“Explain that later.”

“…Excuse me?”

“What are you doing?”

I was caught off guard.

The seasoned politician began her careful interrogation.

“Representative Han. If you wanted power, all you had to do was wait. As you got older, your time would have naturally come.”

A veteran prosecutor had pinpointed the heart of the issue.

“Right now, you’ve divided the country. Are you planning to stage a coup with the Hunters?”

What the hell?

“If it were me, that’s what I’d do.”

Her expression twisted as she continued her cross-examination.

Her voice, rough with phlegm, stumbled slightly, but—

“If you used Hunters as assassins, there wouldn’t be any evidence. If a pen suddenly floated up and stabbed someone in the eye, shattering their brain, who could prove who did it?”

Her words were razor-sharp.

“Start with your reason.”

“……”

“Do you think I handed over half of the National Intelligence Service for that?”

Half of the NIS.

Chief Jang of the Counterterrorism Bureau.

The survivors of the experiment lab riots.

The people involved in those inhumane experiments.

The former agents who had pledged loyalty to Cha Jae-kyun.

They were now under my command.

The research on the horrific human experiments had to continue.

But Won Ok-bun had no intention of carrying that burden herself.

During the dismantling of the NIS remnants, I had been given those people.

A compensation for taking down Cha Jae-kyun.

An investment in the training of superpowered individuals.

And a weakness I had created for myself.

“Representative Han. Do you want to die?”

Won Ok-bun tightened the leash around my neck.

“Treason isn’t a light sentence.”

Silence stretched between us.

Her eyes burned into me, while I calmly sipped my orange juice.

She was reacting more harshly than I expected.

Time to change the strategy.

No brakes from here on.

Pedal to the floor.

“…Do you really think I’m fighting to win, Acting President?”

Pi Chae-won once told me—

‘There are those who abandon their conscience and brainwash themselves into serving the state.’

‘I gave them a second chance.’

“I’m not fighting to win. I’m fighting to fight.”

“Explain clearly.”

“To build a just country, we need political division.”

‘What is a just country? I don’t know.’

“I suppose you could say I’m helping Deputy Minister Cha Jae-kyun rest in peace.”

“…You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

‘How does one create a just country? I don’t know.’

Everyone is looking out for themselves.

But we killed the man who swore to hunt down every last monster, bathed in their blood.

Now, no one is willing to do the dirty work.

It’s a bleak world.

A preordained collapse is coming.

When the oil and ammunition run out, the country will fall.

Then, who will save it?

I feel it—deeply.

Cha Jae-kyun dumped a heavy burden on me.

“If you could read my mind, Acting President, you’d know you can’t stop me.”

“Treason. The sentence for that is not light!”

We hurled our arguments at each other.

This wasn’t a discussion.

“I’ve sacrificed far more than you realize.”

“Do you want to get shot? You think I went easy on those gangsters!?”

A game of chicken.

If one side doesn’t stop, both die.

“Hold the April general election and the presidential election.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, ordering the president around!?”

But I had to win.

Because she was a coward.

“And you will cooperate in establishing the new two-party system—National Party versus National Defense Party.”

“I didn’t back down even when gangsters slashed my face! You think I’ll back down now!?”

A lackey of the Roh Tae-woo administration was still running the country.

“Otherwise, I’ll burn it all down.”

“Stop threatening and try persuading me!”

She had abandoned Roh Tae-woo and switched to Kim Young-sam.

“I’ve already said it. I’ll fix the economy and put the media in your hands.”

“……”

A lifelong conservative politician who still managed to serve as a minister under a Democratic administration.

“If you don’t accept my terms, I’ll crash straight into you.”

“…Representative Han Seung-moon. Were you always like this?”

She claimed neutrality.

“If I crash, it won’t be as clean as Cha Jae-kyun’s downfall.”

“Are you seriously planning a coup!?”

There is no such thing as political neutrality in South Korea.

“If you think I’m putting on a show just to seize power, you’re going to regret it.”

“You… you lunatic…”

The people who are the most afraid of fighting always choose neutrality.

“The Apgujeong Hunters… They’ve killed a lot of people.”

So—

“I need you to remain neutral for now, Acting President.”

Cooperate. Coward.

Do you think the Apgujeong Hunters spent those first two weeks in Seoul only hunting monsters?

From the very first time I met them, the Apgujeong Camp had already been running systematic human hunts using wolf-beasts.

Even if it was self-defense against looters, Kim Chun-sik, Hong Seon-ah, and all the others had killed people before.

“In a world full of lunatics, you’d be mistaken to think I’m any different. I’m not stopping here.”

Of course, even if I asked, they wouldn’t kill anyone now.

But that didn’t matter—Won Ok-bun didn’t know that.

She was the one who had suspected a coup in the first place.

She felt far more threatened by my actions than I had anticipated.

Thus, between compromise and confrontation—

The choice was obvious.

“If I die, there’s already someone ready to set off the bomb in my place.”

I pressed the frail old woman into a corner.

“We both know how this game is played. Let’s not waste time talking politics.”

No brakes. Full speed ahead.

“Forget politics—let’s talk business.”

“……”

“If you ensure the April joint elections happen, I’ll stabilize the economy within a week.”

An offer she couldn’t refuse.

“And tonight, I’ll extend the expiration date on your media monopoly.”

—

[Breaking News]

At approximately 7:21 PM, Representative Han Seung-moon was abducted near Jeongseon, Gangwon Province by a terrorist group.

The group has identified themselves as remnants of former Deputy Minister Cha Jae-kyun and have released a statement online. We have the footage.

[The Gate Incident is a natural struggle for survival between species. Humanity must evolve in response. Instead of fearing them as monsters, we should emulate them.

Deputy Minister Cha Jae-kyun devoted himself to uncovering the secrets of evolution by studying criminals who had already been cast out of society.

Ultimately, we have successfully developed a drug that advances human ‘evolution.’ However, Representative Han Seung-moon stole the secret of evolution and distorted it, labeling it as ‘monstrification’ for his own political gain.

We issue this warning.

To eliminate fear of evolution, we will release the evolutionary drug into the public in three hours.]

[In response, Acting President Won Ok-bun has expanded martial law nationwide, which was previously enforced only in the Seoul-Gyeonggi region…]

—

[Thirty-Six Stratagems
Stratagems for Offensive Warfare

The 28th Stratagem
Borrow a Corpse to Resurrect a Soul

Use any means necessary.]