Chapter 64

The first Wednesday of April.
The joint election was approaching.
Countless seats would be filled once more: 300 Assemblymen, mayors, city council members, and the president.
State affairs would no longer be carried out behind closed doors like now, and the executive branch would be revitalized through the mutual checks and balances of the two major parties.
The military would no longer rely solely on field commanders, and the economy… well, those desperate for approval ratings would somehow make it work.
In other words…
It meant I no longer had to bear everything myself.

* * *

The party convention was, as the name suggested, the grand assembly of the party.
Usually, it elected the party leadership, and right before a presidential election, it also selected the presidential candidate.
The authority of the party leader varied depending on the timing, but right before the general election, the party leader held the nomination rights (the power to decide where Assemblymen would run), making it the most powerful position.

Considering that the joint by-election would be held on the first Wednesday of April, the party leader elected today, March 3rd, would be able to wield considerable influence within the National Party.
They could endorse someone during the upcoming 10-day presidential primary, or decide which Assemblymen to field across the country.

Originally, fierce competition was expected.
Governor Cheong Jung-yeop of Jeju, economic official Kim Jo-in, and Seoul Deputy Mayor Woo Jung-hwan.
But Woo Jung-hwan lost his mind blasting campaign songs without tact, and thanks to a law preventing local government heads from holding elected party positions,

“Former Assemblyman Kim Jo-in has been elected as the first leader of the National Party!”

Kim Jo-in peacefully waved as he ascended the stage.
He was a steadfast technocrat who had walked only the economic path since the Fifth Republic era.
Considering that current Finance Minister Yoo Jae-kyung had passed the civil service exam when Kim Jo-in was Finance and Economy Minister, you could guess just how much of an old relic he was.

– Waaaaaaah!!

I was lost in thought when the sudden roar of applause brought me back to my senses.
Representative Kim Jo-in, who had been climbing the stage, veered off course and approached me.

Considering the National Party was basically a collection of my personal supporters, and the stronger it grew, the more it resembled a Han Seung-Moon fan club, it was a very wise move.

I cautiously stood and extended my hand to him, but instead of a handshake, he spread his arms wide and hugged me.

Our embrace was broadcast on the giant screen.
It was pretty ridiculous, considering this was only the second time I had met this old man in person.

* * *

The first Wednesday of April was election day.

“The Republican Party and Democratic Party, in these desperate times, indulged in power games and betrayed the people!
If not for Assemblyman Han Seung-Moon’s denunciation, our Republic of Korea would already be beyond saving!”

Considering presidential candidate registration was 24 days before the election, and Assemblymen candidate registration was 20 days before,

new developments like presidential primaries and the formation of the nomination committee had to happen right about…

“We must pour new wine into new wineskins, and innovation and national defense must be chosen by the people!
Thus! We will now commence the National Party’s presidential primary!”

Now.

Despite his age, Representative Kim Jo-in thundered as he declared the start of the 7-day presidential primary.

Of course, it was all a formality.
Just looking at the candidates made that obvious.

Candidate 1: Cheong Jung-yeop, Governor of Jeju Province.
The safest land in Korea, the governor of the new administrative capital, an expert on Chinese diplomacy, and a politician supported by the Federation of Korean Industries.
Unlike other local leaders, the Jeju governor had near-presidential authority over the autonomous police force, and Jeju was the only region where local heads were appointed, not elected.

Thus, Jeju was Cheong Jung-yeop’s turf.

Since this was a presidential primary, not a party leadership race, he could participate while retaining his position as governor.

Candidate 2: Park Seong-pil, Deputy Governor of Economy, Gangwon Province.
Gangwon was infamous for its battered economy, and this was my first time hearing the man’s name.

Candidate 3: Shin Soo-gwang, a self-employed businessman.
Another unfamiliar name. He was apparently the head of a refugee camp in the capital area and a former supermarket owner from Siheung in his forties.

“……”

Just from the lineup, it was obvious that some “arrangement” had been made between Kim Jo-in and Cheong Jung-yeop.
I’ll run for president, you become the party leader. That kind of deal.

Of course, this was only possible because of the special circumstances.
Normally, it would have been a brutal bloodbath: internal attacks, media exposés, framing wars.

How had things come to this?

Party leaders and presidential candidates had to be of a certain “caliber.”
And there were almost no such “caliber” figures left in Korea.

There were no heavyweight politicians.

Of course, heroes had been born from these chaotic times.
Commander Kim Doo-sik of the Chungcheong defense line, General Yoo Hyun-jong in the North, GS Group’s CEO Chun Geum-soon, and, embarrassingly, even myself.

There were plenty of people considered heroes.
Even a division commander or PMC guild master defending a region was treated like a hero locally.

But among them, there were no politicians. Except for me.

A drought of politicians.

Even to do anything, an Assemblyman needed experience.
And apparently, only four Assemblymen remained.

One was in a coma in the hospital, another’s political career was ruined because of a leaked recording I exposed.

In reality, it was just Yang Pan-seok and me left.

“The chairman of the nomination committee will be Professor Jung Seon-guk!”

The reason Professor Jung’s face was so sour was clear.

Normally, you could just slap some local committee member into the spot or favor the side that paid more deposit money in contested areas.
But this time, it was a nightmare.

New people had to be recruited from scratch.

In other words, a massive influx of new faces into central politics was inevitable.

It was the beginning of a whole new era.

* * *

“Hyung, are you okay?”

As soon as we got into the car after the convention ended, Yang Il-ho bombarded me with worry.

If I said I was fine, it would obviously be a lie.

“……It’s just, I’m a bit tired.”

Lee Ho-jung bluntly added,

“It didn’t look like just a bit. You were swaying just standing still.”

“……”

“Should we adjust your schedule for now?”

“……Can we really afford to? The general election is right around the corner.”

As I talked with Lee Ho-jung, Yang Il-ho naturally pressed the accelerator. The car smoothly exited the parking lot.

We were on our way to the hospital where my parents were admitted.

“……Stop staying up all night.”

“Would you be able to sleep soundly if you were me?”

“Do you know you always stagger a little when you walk?”

“Didn’t notice.”

I muttered gloomily as I sent a text to Chun Geum-soon: ‘Thank you so much for gracing the event with your presence. I hope we can meet again soon. Wishing you continued success ^^’

“……Is it weird to tell the fifth-ranked conglomerate to ‘prosper’?”

“She’ll probably just chuckle. It’s not like it’s a BBQ restaurant opening.”

“I already sent it.”

With that pointless banter to soothe my nerves, I closed my eyes for a moment.

“……Just gonna nap for a bit.”

“Okay. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Life was exhausting.

Trying to explain it felt like a waste of breath.
At any moment, someone might jump out and stab me.
I felt guilty towards the Hunters from Kim Chun-sik’s guild who were now overworked and dying because I split the guild.
I felt guilty towards those who had taken the Awakening Accelerator, shortening their lifespans for a shot at survival.

I was anxious that someone might betray me, terrified that reporters might show up tomorrow morning asking about fabricated terror plots or rigged mergers.

I was scared the sky might suddenly open up and another Gate would appear.
I feared for Gam Ji-yoon, who was fighting flying monsters over Chungcheong Province.
I worried about Yeo Do-yeon, wherever she might be now.
And I was terrified that my hospitalized parents might escape and spread the Black Plague of the Black Goat.

The very fact that a plague-infected individual was in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, was a massive violation of the law.

And also, I was disgusted.

Disgusted with people who spoke out of both sides of their mouths without a second thought, using others’ hearts for their own gain.

“……Ah, Assemblyman. Chaewon texted. Some people from Gaeseong came to the orphanage.”

“What?”

“They asked where we hid the children.”

I hated the fact that I had become ‘one of them.’

“What did they do?”

“Hong Seon-ah and the military’s ability users, who were waiting there, arrested all of them. Except Ri Cheol-jin.”

It was depressing to realize that ‘people like us’ only survived by ‘living like that.’

“Tell them I want to meet him.”

* * *

We had smuggled out forty-five defector children, including those of Baekdu lineage.
By now, they would be in an underground bunker somewhere in North Gyeongsang Province.

Naturally, the Gaeseong rebels came to the orphanage and protested fiercely, and we, who had anticipated that, arrested them on the spot.

Thus, bringing Ri Cheol-jin—who could pop up anywhere in an instant—to the negotiation table was

“Long time no see, Mr. Ri Cheol-jin.”

“……You knew?”

an easy task.

“What do you mean?”

“……”

I smiled sweetly and tapped my fingernail against the interrogation room table.

“About the Baekdu bloodline?”

“You son of a…!”

Ri Cheol-jin glared at me, grinding his teeth.

I coaxed the boy in a gentle tone.

“First, the Republic of Korea government respects the Gaeseong rebels’ right to survival and wishes to maintain a mutually cooperative relationship if possible. So let’s be honest about our intentions—”

“Kidnapping our compatriots and threatening them is cooperation!?”

Ri Cheol-jin shot up from his seat, yelling furiously.

“You drag away kids not even ten years old and dare talk about cooperation!”

“You seem to care about the children a lot.”

“It’s not about ideology, it’s basic human decency!”

“Hard to call it decency when you endanger forty-four children to hide one. Calm down first.”

I spoke to Ri Cheol-jin.

“We suspect that Kim Seong-ah is the collateral great-granddaughter of Kim Il-sung and the last remaining member of the Baekdu lineage.”

“……”

“‘Suspect’ is just a euphemism in South Korea meaning ‘we already know everything,’ so there’s no point exercising your right to remain silent.”

Ri Cheol-jin hung his head. A voice filled with resentment leaked out.

“……Are you planning to sell out our comrades to Ri Yong-su?”

“They don’t even know we are aware of Kim Seong-ah’s existence. They’re only confused why the South Korean government is acting this way. I doubt even Chairman Ri Yong-su—”

“Don’t speak such blasphemy!”

Ri Cheol-jin cut me off sharply.
Dealing with a hothead when I was already exhausted tested my patience, but I forced a smile.

Because I was still working.

“That treacherous dog could never be the Chairman of the Republic!”

“Sure. I can tell your loyalty to the Kim family is genuine—”

“The legitimate succession of the Republic is clear…!”

“Let’s stop there.”

I pointed my finger at him calmly.
They really thought they were royalty.

“We all know, don’t we? In the end, it’s all propaganda to maintain power. You were part of the ruling class yourself. You, of all people, should know better than to believe your own lies.”

“……I’ll concede that much. However, listen to me. It is absolutely unacceptable for our southern comrades to regard Ri Yong-su as the legitimate leader of the Republic! How could you recognize a man who sacrifices 100,000 lives for his own power as the father of the people!?”

“Then who do you say is ruling North Korea now?”

“One must uphold basic human decency—”

“Did the Kim family uphold it?”

Finally, Ri Cheol-jin fell silent.

I quietly scribbled down notes about his ideological tendencies on a sheet of paper while muttering.

I proposed a rough three-point verbal agreement.
A recorder was running outside the interrogation room.

“We will no longer discuss the royal family of North Korea. Let’s get to the point. The South Korean government has determined that the movements of Gaeseong defectors across our territory, driven by unknown motives, could potentially pose a threat to our citizens.”

1. Do not teleport around our land.

“However, repatriating 100,000 defectors as demanded by the Ri Yong-su regime would also violate humanitarian principles. Since the South Korean Constitution defines North Korean citizens as under South Korea’s jurisdiction, we must uphold our constitutional order by temporarily housing and protecting the defectors north of the Civilian Control Line.”

2. Live in designated safe zones we provide.

“Our government is actively discussing diplomatic and military response measures to ensure the future safety and survival of the 100,000 North Korean defectors. We hope that the leadership of the Gaeseong rebellion will actively cooperate with these efforts for the sake of mutual coexistence.”

3. We’re setting the board. Don’t even think about playing tricks—just listen.

As expected from someone well-educated in North Korea, he seemed to understand exactly what I meant.

“……!”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have turned that red in the face, clenching his lips and trembling like that.

Ri Cheol-jin asked in a trembling voice,

“Must…! Must it really come to this…?”

“You can’t pretend to be the victim after sneaking the Baekdu bloodline onto our land. If this goes wrong, you might cause a nuclear missile to fly over here.”

“Of course, of course, I offer a thousand-fold apology. But, but, this is a matter of survival for us too. The Civilian Control Line is just a stone’s throw from where the People’s Army could invade!”

“South Korea’s population is already saturated. And if your people scatter throughout our society, it could pose serious national security and diplomatic threats to our citizens.”

“…! I, I am—! I am a savior to Assemblyman Han Seung-Moon’s parents! Please, relocate us south of the Taebaek Mountains, somewhere Ri Yong-su’s influence cannot reach!”

“That depends on how you and your people behave. I’m a member of the National Assembly. The real power lies with the government officials.”

“Do you not know the basic decency of human beings!?”

What a funny bastard.

“If firing torpedoes at the Cheonan and shooting civilians on Yeonpyeong Island is what you call human decency, then I have nothing more to say.”

“……What?”

I calmly provoked him, despite my fatigue.

I was starting to think it would be difficult to work with him anyway.

“Ah, you probably don’t understand. Anyway, from a democratic standpoint—which you folks hardly know—there’s no real difference between Ri Yong-su and you guys. Why should we assume you’re on our side?”

“……”

“Of course, I’m grateful you cared for my parents. But I’m a public official. I do what I’m told by those above me.”

“……”

“I’m quite an important person here, you know? If something happens to me, the country would be turned upside down. The very fact that I’m sitting here with you is already a form of indirect respect from our government.”

I really was an important person.

“……”

If Ri Cheol-jin kidnapped me with teleportation, it would cause enough chaos for negotiations to shift dramatically.

He stared at me, trembling like a leaf.
If he just reached out, he could grab me.
He wasn’t even handcuffed.

If he lunged at me and teleported, he could easily abduct me.

I waited for a moment, half-expecting him to make a move.

But.

“……I understand.”

This kid apparently had more patience than I expected.

I stood up with a bright smile.

“That’s all from me. Please be a bit calmer when speaking with the next person who comes in.”

“……I understand.”

There was no soul in his answer.

Without bowing, I left the interrogation room.

His patience had saved his own life.

Clack.

As soon as I exited the room and closed the door, I saw four snipers stationed at the window ready to fire.

Along with two Awakeners from GS Aegis waiting to ensure my safety.

A veteran negotiator from the police special task force entered the interrogation room, and I left the underground bunker under the protection of the National Intelligence Service.

Tap. Tap.

Only the sound of my cane echoed against the dark stairway.

* * *

News about Yeo Do-yeon arrived the following evening.

* * * * * * *

(T/N: Im back! Lol, kidding. I had a free time so I’m trying to do some TL work. Mind you, we are still not on the regular upload schedule!)