Free Web NovelThe terrestrial TV networks stationed outside the polling stations each conducted their own exit polls.
In time, the results would be compiled and broadcast together, but for now, each network was reporting slightly different numbers.
I set my phone down and stared at the exit poll announcements. For some reason, I felt tense, fidgeting with the remote control as if it were to blame.
“Boss, I brought your meal.”
Chief Ma handed me a bento he had packed from a nearby Japanese restaurant.
Even as I opened the bento and ate the sushi, my eyes stayed fixed on the TV. I could barely tell whether the sushi was going into my mouth or up my nose.
The countdown began, and finally, the projected seat numbers appeared in the subtitles.
As I scanned the rapidly passing captions, the anchor’s clear voice announced:
— According to exit polls, the Centrist Party is projected to win more than a majority, with between 130 and 160 seats. The Progressive Party follows with 70 to 100 seats, and lastly, the Conservative Party is projected to win 30 to 50 seats.
I unclenched my tightly balled fists. I had been gripping so hard there were nail marks in my palms.
Including proportional representation, they had secured at least a majority.
The camera briefly cut to each party’s headquarters before displaying the projected results of key battleground districts.
Once the tension eased, my appetite faded. I put my chopsticks down but kept my eyes glued to the TV until the projected results were finished.
‘Looks like Myungsoo will win without trouble. Same for President Yoon.’
The Progressive and Conservative Parties were like oil and water — they would never join forces under any circumstances. The two had been fighting for so long that cooperation was unthinkable.
If the actual results matched the exit polls, Yoon Changho’s chances of winning the next presidential election would greatly increase.
Once I caught my breath, I could assess the situation more calmly.
‘All that’s left is to build up Myungsoo’s stature. Those who helped him this time will become his people... and the rest, I’ll have to bring in myself.’
While I had played a part in founding the party, the current Centrist Party was little more than Yoon Changho’s personal vehicle.
The voting public didn’t know me, and the seasoned lawmakers with three or more terms had joined only after seeing Yoon Changho’s high probability of a presidential win.
In this election, the injection of new blood into the Centrist Party had paid off. Yoon Changho’s seasoned leadership and Lee Myungsoo’s youthful vigor combined into an image that resonated with the public.
As a result, people fed up with the two-party system of Conservatives and Progressives cast their votes for the Centrist Party.
With my thoughts concluded, it was time to act. I pressed the call bell to summon Chief Ma.
“Prepare ten billion won in cash that can’t be easily traced.”
“I’ll get it ready right away.”
“Set aside two billion of that for Yoon Changho, and pack the rest into apple boxes, two hundred million per box. Once the results are in, deliver them to the people I tell you to.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Chief Ma bowed and left the room. I could hear his voice making calls from beyond the door.
Twiddling a pen around my fingers, I calmly organized my next steps.
My eyes stayed on the TV, but my mind was already hard at work.
— Mr. Kim! I didn’t call you too late, did I?
On the other end came Yoon Changho’s hearty laughter.
Apparently, he had been busy calling people, because it was nearly midnight when he phoned me.
“President, congratulations.”
— Hahaha, it’s all thanks to you. I never imagined we’d win by this much.
“No matter how much I helped, the landslide victory is the result of your abilities. Unlike elsewhere, there wasn’t even noise during the nominations, was there?”
— You flatter me too much.
He sounded in such a good mood that laughter never left his voice during the entire call.
“Now that you’ve won in Jongno, it’s time to prepare for the presidential race. You’ll need to focus more on external activities than legislative work.”
— Let’s not talk about headaches on a day like this. How about we meet this weekend at your place and discuss it properly then?
“Yes, President. Let’s do that.”
The moment I agreed, I heard someone in the background urging Yoon Changho along.
He must have been swamped.
With a quick apology, he hung up.
Soon after, Myungsoo called as well. Hearing the excitement in his voice finally let me breathe a sigh of relief.
The next day, all vote counts were completed.
The Centrist Party, including proportional representatives, had secured a total of 157 seats.
The Progressive Party had 86, the Conservative Party 53. The remaining seats went to independents.
They had won most of the Seoul metropolitan area and claimed many victories even in Yeongho-nam, the strongholds of the Conservatives and Progressives.
This was something that had never happened in my life before the regression.
With my own hands, I had changed the course of Korean politics. Where the altered current would flow, even I couldn’t know.
* * *
Clang!
The sound of something breaking rang out in the chairman’s office of Ilseong Group.
“What the hell are you people doing! Fine, I’ll accept that the Centrist Party winning was inevitable — but didn’t your report say their seat count would be similar to the Progressives’? How the hell did this happen?”
Blood ran down Lee Seokmin’s head where the object Chairman Seo had thrown struck him. Yet neither he nor any of the Strategy Office staff dared say a word.
Despite mobilizing all of Ilseong Group’s resources to support the Progressives, the result had been a crushing defeat.
It was the moment Seo Yonggeon’s pride was shattered to pieces.
“What does the Strategy Office even do? You’re all just parasites living off your salaries!”
Panting with rage, veins bulging on his neck, Seo Yonggeon finally forced himself to sit.
“Everyone out except Seokmin! Out, you bastards!”
The staff backed out with bowed heads, closing the door behind them.
“Lee Seokmin!”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“...Go to the bathroom and wipe the blood off first.”
Wiping a flushed face with one hand, Seo pointed toward the en suite bathroom.
A moment later, Seokmin returned, having quickly cleaned the blood, and stood before Seo with a stiff expression, head lowered once more.
“You called Representative Gong Seungyeon?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
By now, Seo’s expression had cooled, his face settling into that flat look he wore whenever something displeased him.
“Sit. Don’t just stand there.”
At the order, Seokmin sat without hesitation, like a trained dog obeying its master.
“Tell me, does it make sense for me — me, Seo Yonggeon — to be losing to Kim Muhyuk?”
“I have no excuse, Chairman.”
“Hmph...”
The anger flared again. Seo let out a deep sigh, swallowing the fury rising inside.
“Seokmin, you’ve never once disappointed me before. What’s wrong with you lately? Getting old?”
There was nothing Seokmin could say to the chairman’s exasperated words.
A sharp click of the tongue echoed through the office.
“The time is coming to hand things over to Jaehun, for you and me to step back. If we don’t finish properly, everything we’ve built could turn to dust.”
“I’m sorry, Chairman. It won’t happen again.”
From behind, Seo’s eyes showed no emotion despite the harsh tone.
“Raise your head. What’s done is done.”
“...Yes.”
“Is the handover to Jaehun going smoothly?”
Rubbing his temple, Seo narrowed his eyes.
“Yes. Once we neutralize the shares Kim Muhyuk holds, we’ll transfer the group shares to Ilseong Logic, which the vice-chairman fully controls.”
“There’s no room for mistakes. If you disappoint me again...”
A cold light flashed in Seo’s eyes. He didn’t finish the sentence — he didn’t need to.
Seokmin instinctively swallowed dryly, cold sweat breaking out down his back.
“You know better than anyone.”
“...Yes, Chairman.”
Heavy silence hung in the air until a knock sounded at the door.
Seokmin quickly rose and stepped outside. The secretary, glancing nervously toward the office, whispered:
“Sir, Representative Gong Seungyeon has arrived.”
“Tell her to wait.”
“Yes, sir.”
Despite the secretary being right there, Seokmin naturally relayed the report instead.
“Chairman, Representative Gong has arrived.”
“Have her wait. We’ll need to clean up first. Once the office is tidy, bring her in.”
“Yes, understood.”
“You go to the hospital, get that treated, then come back.”
Soon, staff from the secretary’s office entered and tidied the wrecked office until it was spotless.
Once they were gone, Gong Seungyeon entered and bowed.
“Chairman, it’s been a while.”
“Haha, Representative Gong, come in, sit.”
Seo smiled as if he hadn’t been raging moments ago.
“Have you sounded out Cheon Sooman?”
“Yes, Chairman. I have.”
“And?”
“He said it was nonsense, but his eyes don’t lie. The way they flickered, I think he’s considering it.”
Clicking his tongue, Seo shook [N O V E L I G H T] his head.
“I wish he’d make up his mind after seeing the election results. It’s frustrating not being able to get near Chairman Cheon’s hospital room.”
“A greedy man like him will reach out soon enough.”
Gong let out a sly smile.
“Besides, we’re not the ones feeling the pressure — he is.”
“If it weren’t for Chairman Cheon, I’d never have accepted that bastard as a son-in-law. A man with no ability, only greed, daring to covet Ilseong Group?”
From the start, Seo had known Cheon Sooman was colluding with Cheongpunghoe to grab Ilseong Group.
Gong shook her head in agreement.
“Who would’ve thought Kim Muhyuk would wipe out Cheongpunghoe? That man is scarier than Chairman Cheon.” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
No one had expected him to crush them.
Seo, having already investigated the incident, nodded.
“Yes. He’s a man who wields money like a weapon. If he decides to act, he doesn’t care whose toes he steps on — and he’s bold enough to follow through. If only he weren’t an enemy.”
When Chairman Cheon stepped down and named Kim Muhyuk as successor, Seo had investigated his past in detail.
At the time, he’d been pleased — the idea of dealing with the young Muhyuk seemed far preferable to wrestling with the formidable Cheon Sooman backed by Cheongpunghoe.
But once Muhyuk drove Sooman abroad and eliminated Cheongpunghoe, that thought vanished.
The supposed puppy turned out to be a tiger cub. For the first time since inheriting Ilseong Group, Seo felt a real sense of danger.
Most of all, the shares Chairman Cheon held began to weigh on his mind. Those shares could destabilize control.
So Seo decided to use Cheon Sooman.
“Kim Hakgwon promised — during his term, whatever we do, he’ll look the other way. We have two years left. Before then, we must hand management to Jaehun safely.”
His words carried an almost obsessive edge.
“Ilseong is mine, and Jaehun must inherit the Seo family’s kingdom. Am I wrong, Representative Gong?”
In Seo’s eyes, Gong saw fear — the fear of losing Ilseong.
“Of course not. Ilseong is yours, and the vice-chairman must inherit it.”
Pleased by her firm answer, Seo’s face softened slightly.
“When Chairman Cheon dies, have everything ready to file suit immediately. All we need is to suspend Kim Muhyuk’s voting rights.”
He would do anything to protect his kingdom — even kill the once-untouchable Cheon Taesan.
“After that, it won’t matter who wins or loses. By then, it’ll all be over.”
“As you instructed, everything is ready. No matter what Chief Justice Oh Jeongseok or Representative Yoon Hyungmin try, with President Kim Hakgwon’s help, they’ll have to accept a voting rights suspension.”
A plant inside the Blue House had swiftly reported that Kim Muhyuk and Kim Hakgwon had fallen out.
Seo hadn’t missed the chance to ally with Kim Hakgwon.
“No one can predict the world. Who would have thought the man who helped Kim Hakgwon win would end up splitting with him?”
“Do you know the reason, Chairman?”
Leaning forward, Gong waited, but Seo only gave a small shake of his head.
“Probably because of Kim Hakgwon. I heard he tried to get leverage over Kim Muhyuk.”
A sly old fox trying to tame a tiger cub — of course it would sour.
“Is that true?” Gong asked in surprise.
“Yes. Through Han Minkyung, he threatened to cut off IMF support. Imagine — the President of Korea, supposedly the most powerful man in the country, unable to move against Kim Muhyuk because of money.”
Seeing Gong’s shocked face, Seo chuckled.
“He did something even I couldn’t. You don’t believe it either, do you? I didn’t at first.”
When Seo first heard it from Kim Hakgwon’s own lips, it was the first time he regretted not siding with Kim Muhyuk.
