Free Web NovelWhile Kim Muhyuk was carrying out an overseas schedule that took him from Iraq to the United Kingdom, and from the United Kingdom to Russia, Korea itself had fallen into a complete maelstrom of chaos.
What began as allegations raised in the United States spread rapidly to the media and civic groups, and the flames burned ever more fiercely.
The reformist faction of the Progressive Party allied itself with civic organizations, using this opportunity to seize the initiative and attack the government and the President.
But all of it subsided in an instant.
With a single video aired on a major U.S. news channel, the raging blaze was extinguished without even leaving behind ashes.
“I clearly warned you. Just what kind of mess is this supposed to be?!”
The faction leaders gathered in the Progressive Party Chairman’s office all lowered their heads deeply.
Kim Seokjin did not hesitate to hurl sharp criticism toward Kim Seonggeun, the Emergency Committee Chairman seated at the head of the table.
“I distinctly recall telling you that this was something we should never touch. We put you in that position to present party convention rules and various reform proposals. We did not seat you there to play politics!”
“Assemblyman Kim Seokjin. Watch your manners. I am the one currently leading the party as the Emergency Committee Chairman.”
Kim Seonggeun narrowed his eyes. He pointed out Kim Seokjin’s discourtesy, but Kim Seokjin paid him no mind and only raised his voice further.
“Fine. Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Seonggeun. That is your title. We granted you full authority to reform and innovate a party that suffered consecutive defeats in both the presidential and general elections. That is precisely why we said nothing about the reform proposals you announced up to now. But now you are engaging in political games. That is a clear abuse of authority.”
All this time, Kim Seokjin had quietly prepared for the founding of a new party by gradually mobilizing only a very small circle of close confidants.
Even so, he refrained from strongly criticizing the Progressive Party’s reform proposals and waited.
He believed that if he crouched low and waited patiently, the time would come. And just as he had anticipated, that time arrived.
Regarding this incident, Kim Seokjin and his faction expressed a negative stance, but Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Seonggeun continued to push forward regardless.
“I was willing to sacrifice myself for the party, even if you put forward various reform proposals to kill me and my faction. But not anymore. What the Emergency Committee Chairman and the others are doing is practically an act of harming the party itself. I cannot just sit by and watch this.”
“Are you saying you intend to remove me?”
As if his head ached, Kim Seonggeun muttered while pressing his temples firmly.
“How would an old man shoved into the back room dare to pull down the Emergency Committee Chairman? If you don’t like the temple, the monk leaves.”
The eyes of everyone gathered in the Chairman’s office widened.
“That means.......”
“When this meeting ends today, I will immediately submit my resignation from the party. I have no intention of remaining in a party with no future, wasting the twilight of my political life here.”
At Kim Seokjin’s bombshell declaration, Hong Jinwoo raised his °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° voice.
“Chairman! You are the face of this party. And yet you’re saying you’re leaving the party?”
“President Kim Hakgwon has already left the party. What difference does one more defection make? And isn’t that what you want as well? Once I’m gone, you’ll be able to secure party leadership without question.”
“Internal power struggles are one thing. Defection is a completely different matter. We may disagree among ourselves, but we should fight within the party. Leaving the party is another story entirely.”
Was Kim Seokjin’s defection truly just a personal issue?
No matter how toothless a tiger Kim Seokjin might be, he was still the dominant figure in the Honam region.
For the sake of winning future elections in that region, his faction had no choice but to follow Kim Seokjin out.
If he—and his entire faction—left the party, there was a high probability that the number of seats would be cut in half.
For Hong Jinwoo, preventing the party from splitting was an absolute necessity.
“My mind is already made up. No matter how much you try to stop me, my decision will not change. I’m giving you exactly what you want, so why are you so angry?”
“Didn’t I just ask you to rest for a while? Then when you return.......”
Kim Seokjin scoffed and cut Hong Jinwoo off.
“I don’t trust a politician’s promises. You’re the same, aren’t you? The moment a politician is forgotten in people’s minds, it’s no different from death. And am I a politician beloved by the people like President Kim Hakgwon? What you’re saying is that I should go die. Or are you willing to give up party leadership and do things my way? If so, I’ll reconsider.”
Hong Jinwoo bit his lip hard. Kim Seokjin’s terms were absolutely unacceptable.
If not now, he might never get another chance to seize party leadership.
When an opportunity presented itself, he had to firmly secure control and expand his faction.
That was why Hong Jinwoo had proposed that Kim Seokjin step back temporarily.
He had even dangled the next presidential election as bait, but Kim Seokjin refused to accept it.
In the end, Hong Jinwoo installed Kim Seonggeun—a man who had spent his entire life as a professor—as chairman and formed an Emergency Committee.
Along with him, he created party convention rules that favored himself.
“Chairman.”
“Assemblyman Hong, you have no intention of yielding either. Neither do I intend to step back any further. Once the party constitution and bylaws are finalized as they are now, the picture will naturally be one where I step aside.”
The party convention rules announced by the Emergency Committee allocated 30% to delegates, 20% to general party members, and 50% to opinion polls.
With Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo holding over a majority in opinion poll support, no matter how strong Kim Seokjin’s support among party members was, he could not seize party leadership for his faction.
“I have no intention of doing that. At the same time, I don’t wish to create turmoil within the party. I’ve been part of this party for decades, after all. Even if I leave, I’ll be cheering you on.”
Though he claimed he did not want chaos, the faction leaders already felt as if a bomb had gone off.
“As a final piece of advice, out of affection for the party. Reform? Fine. All of it is good. But no one likes abrupt change. It’s better to change slowly, little by little. Do your best.”
Kim Seokjin rose from his seat. Not a single person in the Chairman’s office could stop him.
“And Chairman Kim Seonggeun.”
Standing now, Kim Seokjin looked down at Kim Seonggeun and curled his lips upward.
“Do you understand now what I meant when I said that the politics you read about in books and real politics are different? Didn’t I tell you from the start? No matter how dignified you try to act in this filthy arena, you’ll eventually end up rolling around in the mud with everyone else. You’ll become just as dirty as them in the end. Welcome, Chairman. Welcome to this filthy quagmire.”
At Kim Seokjin’s scathing mockery, Kim Seonggeun’s face stiffened.
But Kim Seokjin paid no attention and simply turned around and walked out of the Chairman’s office.
* * *
After finishing an overseas schedule that lasted over a month, I finally returned to Korea.
Korea was now fully into summer.
The airport was crowded with people preparing to travel abroad.
Leaving the chaotic airport behind, I entered Seoul.
“So Kim Seokjin really left the party.”
The front page of the newspaper I bought at the airport featured a massive headline about him.
[The Progressive Party No Longer Represents Progress. Former Chairman Kim Seokjin Abruptly Leaves the Progressive Party.
Former Chairman Kim Seokjin has abruptly left the Progressive Party. At a press conference, he criticized the current Emergency Committee and Chairman Kim Seonggeun, stating that he could no longer stand by and watch the Progressive Party’s moral decay, and therefore decided to leave the party.
Former Chairman Kim Seokjin is a representative politician who fought against dictatorship during the era of military rule.......]
I folded the newspaper and spoke to Manager Ma.
“Contact Kim Seokjin and provide funding for his new party’s preparations. Support him generously, but make sure to leave evidence for everything.”
“Yes. I will do so.”
After hearing Manager Ma’s reply, I leaned back deeply into the seat.
I gazed at the scenery flashing past the window and sank into thought.
‘The opposition party splitting in half.......’
I had intervened in the internal strife of the ruling Centrist Party and forced a compromise.
Power within the party had now tilted completely toward the pro–Yoon Changho faction and the pro–Lee Myungsoo faction.
Of course, Myungsoo did not actively form a faction himself.
But politicians have an acute sense for the smell of power.
Naturally, people flocked not to the current powerholder Yoon Changho, but to Myungsoo, the most likely next powerholder.
Whether they were moths drawn by my relationship with Myungsoo or not didn’t matter. As long as they could be used, that was enough.
After arriving home, I sat down in my study and took out my phone.
Before the ringtone even sounded a few times, the other party answered.
— Oh, Muhyuk. You’re back in Korea?
“I just got in and I’m in Pyeongchang-dong now. You saw Kim Seokjin leaving the party, right? After that, sitting lawmakers and numerous district chairmen are all going to leave in droves and form a new party.”
— This was your plan too, wasn’t it?
Myungsoo asked in a serious voice. All I had done was hand Kim Seokjin a gun with bullets loaded.
The one who pulled the trigger was Kim Seokjin himself.
“Who knows...... In the end, the choice was Chairman Kim Seokjin’s. I just gave him a little push.”
— That’s true. In the end, everyone makes their own choices. Well, from our perspective, there’s nothing bad about this, so we should be happy. By the way, aren’t you heading down to Busan?
“I’m meeting the President tomorrow and then heading straight to Busan. Grandma told me to come down right away.”
At the mention of Grandma, Myungsoo let out a sigh.
— She already scolded me. When she found out you went into Iraq, she really let me have it. She asked why I didn’t stop you and why I let you go. I nearly died trying to make excuses. She didn’t say anything to you?
After Kim Mugil went down to Busan, I got a severe scolding from Grandma.
When she learned that I had gone directly into Iraq to negotiate with terrorists, she nagged me endlessly.
“Don’t even get me started. I think it’s the first time I’ve been nagged like that at my age. Listening to Grandma nag, she’ll probably live to be a hundred.”
— Hahaha. I mean, you shouldn’t have let it get out. There’s no way Grandma would’ve imagined you’d actually go to Iraq yourself.
Myungsoo laughed loudly. After laughing for quite a while, he continued in a voice still full of amusement.
— So when are you going to Busan tomorrow? I should go too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Kim Muhyuk get smacked on the back by Grandma.
“Probably in the evening. I’m having lunch with the President and talking things over.”
— Got it. Then I’ll set my Busan schedule for the evening too. Ah, I’ve got to go in now. There’s a full leadership meeting because of Chairman Kim Seokjin’s defection. Yes, I’m coming in now.
Without even a proper goodbye, Myungsoo hurriedly hung up.
It seemed the ruling party leadership had also convened a meeting to weigh the pros and cons of Chairman Kim Seokjin’s defection.
After ending the call, I handled a few urgent documents and stood up.
Maybe it was the long flights, but my body felt stiff and heavy.
Rubbing my shoulders, I spoke to Manager Ma, who was waiting outside.
“Manager, don’t connect any calls today. I need to rest properly for once.”
“Yes, boss.”
“You should rest too.”
After glancing at Manager Ma as he bowed his head, I headed straight to the bedroom.
The next day.
I entered the Blue House for a luncheon meeting with President Yoon Changho.
“President Kim. Welcome.”
President Yoon Changho was already waiting in the dining hall. The meal had been prepared.
“As the weather’s getting hotter, I chose samgyetang for the menu. Is that all right?”
“Of course. I’ve been out of Korea for over a month, struggling through food that didn’t suit my taste at all. I’m grateful for your thoughtfulness, Mr. President.”
“That’s good to hear. Let’s eat.”
Throughout the meal, not a single important topic was brought up. We only exchanged light conversation.
Once lunch ended, the Blue House staff cleared the table, and dessert was brought in.
“From now on, don’t let anyone in.”
“Yes, Mr. President.” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
After the Chief of Staff bowed and left, we began our real conversation over tea.
“I’m grateful for what you did in Iraq.” freēwēbnovel.com
“Not at all. It was only possible because of your decision, Mr. President. If it had failed, it could have dealt you a serious blow as well.”
If it hadn’t succeeded, President Yoon Changho would have borne all the responsibility alone.
“Still, going there personally to negotiate isn’t an easy task. You really did go through a lot.”
There was sincerity in Yoon Changho’s words. I replied with a faint smile.
“I did go through hardship, but I’m relieved that the effort paid off. Didn’t it help your approval ratings as well, Mr. President?”
“Yes. No one knows how much you suffered, but I’ll remember it.”
As he said that, Yoon Changho set down his coffee cup and met my gaze.
“So what’s the reason you asked to meet today? You’re not the type to boast about your achievements and ask for praise.”
“Haha. Is that the image I have? I met with the President of Russia this time and obtained a firm commitment regarding the construction of an oil pipeline starting from Russia and running all the way to Ulsan.”
“What? Is that true?”
Yoon Changho already knew that I was pursuing a pipeline construction project crossing both North and South Korea.
“Yes. I received a firm commitment, and not only for the pipeline construction, but also for the operating rights to that pipeline. That’s why I came to seek your approval, Mr. President.”
Just because I had received permission from the Russian President didn’t mean the project could proceed immediately.
A pipeline was effectively national infrastructure.
As such, approvals would be required from all involved countries—Russia, North Korea, and South Korea alike.
