[There Was No Solution, Only Forced Logic—Choe Sang-dong’s Remarks Cause Ripples!]
[Choe: “Now Is the Time to Look at This Coldly. Korea’s Deformed Real Estate Structure Must Be Fixed.”]
[The Arrogant Ruling Party Still Unable to Escape Regulation-Omnipotence...]
When the first official debate ended, the election landscape began to shake.
In the opinion poll conducted the next day, the gap in approval ratings between the two sides widened to 10 percentage points, and amid the grim atmosphere, even within the ruling party, voices of caution began to burst out.
It was difficult to change jeonse now, when it had already become a major housing policy for the people. All the more so if the issue involved relocating companies and school districts.
After the debate, Choe Sang-dong became a walking gaffe factory every time he gave an interview. Thanks to that, the Seoul mayoral election seemed even farther out of reach.
-...No. I do not consider it a gaffe. When the subprime crisis struck the global real estate market, the house-poor problem was a serious issue in our society as well. Why else would the government at the time have pleaded with people to borrow money and buy homes? An oversupply of real estate will inevitably reveal its side effects someday. We cannot leave everything entirely to market logic.
As I watched the news, I admired Choe Sang-dong’s backbone.
Why had such a smart man been so obsessed only with partisan logic when devising campaign strategy? Why had he not shown off such excellent powers of persuasion earlier?
[Is One Gaffe a Day Not Enough? Candidate Choe Sang-dong Lands Three Gaffes in a Row Today!]
In truth, the more time passed, the more I understood.
After the official debate, Choe Sang-dong was beaten by the media like a neighborhood drum. The moment he opened his mouth, he was denounced for gaffes, and the more that happened, the more his opponent’s approval rating soared. It seemed he had put partisan logic first not because he was stupid, but because he was smart.
[I Support You, Candidate Choe. Please Change Seoul...]
As I left a comment on an internet article, a bitter laugh escaped me from self-loathing.
It was strange. The house-poor problem had clearly been serious in Korean society... and for the ten years after that, deflation had struck so hard that the government told people to borrow money and buy houses... it had gotten so bad that people even said prices needed to rise to stimulate the economy... so why did no one remember those days?
“...”
Apparently, the phrase “rosy retrospection” really did exist.
Looking back, those days somehow seemed like they had not been a big deal, like military boot camp, and some corrective effect made them feel like a brief trial.
“Hello, Representative. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lee Se-jun.”
“Well now. Pleased to meet ya. I’m Park Seong-man.”
And so, not long after the first official debate ended, I visited the Conservative Reform Party.
“But how’d ya know my number and contact me like this?”
“Is there any civil servant in Yeouido who doesn’t know your number, Representative? I’ve always supported the Reform Party from afar.”
“Well, is that so?”
The Conservative Reform Party.
A broad conservative party founded during the last general election by Representative Park Seong-man, who hailed from Chungcheong Province. Originally from the Daehan Party, Park Seong-man was considered a reformist rising star among the young conservatives, but for certain reasons, he left the party and launched a mini-party with three seats.
Even I did not know exactly why a man who had held a senior post inside the Daehan Party had left his original home and set up a new household. But according to political commentators, a rolling stone had knocked out the stone already embedded there.
“Anyway, why’d ya ask to see me today?”
With a slightly tense face, I lifted my teacup.
I must not be fooled by this folksy dialect. From a young age, he had held a senior post in the leading opposition party, and now he was the head of a mini-party—a ninth-dan master of politics.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about. Representative, will Candidate Kim Jae-jin, who is running from the Conservative Reform Party this time, unify candidacies with Candidate Min Seong-cheol?”
“Unify, huh... I wonder what meaning there’d be in that. We couldn’t even reach 5% in the polls, so we weren’t invited to the official debate. But why’re ya askin’?”
“There’s still plenty of time left. I believe the Conservative Reform Party has considerable potential.”
The survival rate of startup companies was less than 5%, but startup parties in politics faced even harsher treatment than that.
Over the past thirty years, there had been discussions in Korea of new parties large and small, third zones, and the like, but they were always crushed by the power of the two major parties and eventually perished.
The Conservative Reform Party’s situation was not much different at present.
Currently, the Reform Party was an ultra-mini party with three seats and had not even secured the status of a negotiation group, and in this local election, it had to suffer the humiliation of not being invited to the official debate. This was because the supporters of the two major parties had rallied, and the third-party candidate’s approval rating had failed to reach even 5% in the polls.
“More than anything else, I’m curious about your thoughts, Representative. If the election results become neck and neck, will you unify with ‘that party’?”
Park Seong-man smiled bitterly.
“Now that’s one hell of a question. I don’t know either. If we don’t hit 15% of the vote, we’ll lose our campaign expenses again, and there ain’t much hope.”
“Then...”
“But that don’t mean this Park Seong-man under heaven can stomach joinin’ hands with those Daehan Party bastards. You know, don’t ya? How much I suffered at those wretches’ hands?”
“Then...”
“But then again, politics being what it is, even if the destination’s different, if the stopover’s the same, maybe you share a seat.”
“Then...”
“But when I think about it again, I wonder if my stopover and those bastards’ stopover are really the same... Good grief, who would’ve known? That man went and died in such an artful way.”
“...”
“For us, it’s a fight between shit and diarrhea. Our party line itself is most similar to the Daehan Party’s, but those bastards caused such a huge mess. So we’re tryin’ to change things a bit, but public opinion just won’t follow, and it’s mighty frustrating.”
Park Seong-man continued to grumble, then stared into my eyes.
“But why is a team leader working at the pension fund askin’ about that?”
“I have a small wish... As one citizen, I sincerely hope there will be a conservative party that walks the proper path. I hope there will be more parties that support reforming the National Pension.”
Park Seong-man smiled bitterly.
“The proper path, huh... Sounds nice. I don’t much want to do politics by compromising with the world either, but that ain’t as easy as it sounds. One election eats up tens of billions like it’s nothing, so how can I insist only on the proper path?”
“Forgive my impertinence, Representative. If I help you with that part, can you continue to walk the proper path?”
“What?”
I carefully handed him a document.
“It’s an untraceable Singaporean account. You can use it directly. If you want it as a party donation, I’ll launder it through various channels and donate it as clean money.”
“What in the world. How much is this?”
“With this amount, even if you fail to reach 15% in this local election, you’ll be able to recover all your campaign funds. I’ll provide every form of support so you can campaign in the next election and the one after that without worrying about money.”
Park Seong-man stared at me silently. Then he soon corrected his posture and sat up.
“Oh my. Looks like I’ve met a dangerous man... But hearing that, isn’t it a little funny? How can a request to walk the proper path and talk of political donations come out together?”
“How could politics ever proceed on conscience alone? I don’t think there is such a thing as clean politics in this world. Even Merkel and Obama would surely have dirty laundry if the authorities set their minds to digging.”
“That sounds mighty meaningful.”
“...You can’t do big politics without getting your hands dirty. Even if I myself am clean, I think there will come a moment when I must embrace someone whose hands are dirty.”
For a while, Park Seong-man studied me with a wary expression.
“Well, fine. I’m a bastard who’s rolled around plenty in the Daehan Party too, so I won’t ask how this money was prepared. But isn’t it human nature to give political funds like this to someone who has a chance? What do you plan to gain by investing in us, when we weren’t even invited to the official debate?”
“An investment in the future.”
“What?”
“I don’t want the Reform Party to forcibly unify with the Daehan Party because of campaign funds, or to give up its vision. I believe that if you endure the trials, someday you will become the legitimate heir of conservatism.”
I examined Park Seong-man’s face.
His eyes were already directed toward the Singaporean account. It could not be helped. If his party lost just two more elections, it would likely go bankrupt...
“Enough with the pretty words. Say it more directly. What do you want?”
“To finish the race.”
“Not unify, but finish the race?”
“Yes. I hope you won’t bend your pride and will finish all the way to the end.”
“I don’t understand. Compared to the gift, that wish is far too modest.”
“It sounds laughable, but... this truly is a political donation with no selfish motive. I want to live, at least once, in a society where Park Seong-man becomes president.”
Had he liked my answer?
He, who had been watching me with his arms crossed and full of wariness, burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. Goodness. This really won’t do, but still.”
I clenched my fist tightly.
If my memory was correct, the Conservative Reform Party was the biggest variable in this election. In this local election, where the fervor to judge the administration was burning hot, Mayor Min had won by a razor-thin margin because of the Reform Party, which shared the same support base.
“Team Leader Lee Se-jun. Then I’ll understand this as truly selfless money?”
“Thank you. Yes, please understand it that way!”
I sprang up from my seat and bowed at the waist.
It was not simply because I needed a “Lee In-je” that I wanted him to finish the race. If my memory was correct, I remembered that in the near future, Park Seong-man had served as president once.
“...”
Though I did not remember well whether that world had been good or bad.
*
[Lee In-je Has Appeared! Conservative Reform Party’s Approval Rating Looking Unusual!]
[Candidate Kim Jae-jin: “There Will Be No Unification. We Will Raise Our Poll Numbers and Make Sure We Are Invited to the Second Debate.”]
[Unrestrained, Unprecedented Moves... Conservative Reform Party Dispatches 300 Campaign Vehicles!]
[Representative Park Seong-man Remains Silent... Will They Really Finish the Race Without Backroom Negotiations?]
One day, with the second official debate three days away.
Mayor Min’s camp gathered in one place with dark expressions. The election landscape had been solidifying due to Candidate Choe Sang-dong’s repeated gaffes, but suddenly, an unexpected variable had appeared.
“No, Representative Park! Why on earth are you suddenly doing this? I’m telling you, just say what you want.”
Thanks to that, Mayor Min spent the entire day clutching the phone and pleading with one man.
“The mood is good right now. Choe Sang-dong kicked the ball into his own net, so my approval rating is ahead by 10 percentage points. But what am I supposed to do if the Reform Party suddenly attacks me? No, how is this fair competition by any measure? Candidate Kim Jae-jin and I eat from the same bowl. If your side takes 1% of my approval rating, it’s practically a 2% drop, I’m telling you. If we fight among ourselves, won’t only the Minguk Party profit like a fisherman?”
Mayor Min pleaded into the phone with all his might, but somehow, the conversation did not seem to be going well.
“No, please... Please, let’s not do this. Representative Park, when you were in our party, you and I were on good terms, weren’t we? I’m a young reformist too. I’ve always supported you from afar, Representative Park. I’m someone who has truly never forgotten your kindness for even a moment.”
-Then why did someone like that show such an attitude when the former president died?
“Wh-what?”
-I’m sorry, Mayor Min. I too keep remembering the good old days with you, Mayor, but that part keeps bothering me. It feels like if we join hands carelessly, that shit will get on our hands too.
“Representative Park, Representative Park!”
-I think we must finish this election to the end. I’m sorry.
The call cut off.
Mayor Min’s fury quickly swept through the entire conference room.
“This lunatic!”
Mayor Min threw the phone aside and fumed.
“He suddenly mobilized 300 campaign vehicles? And suddenly increased campaign aides by 3,000? Where the hell did that bastard Representative Park get the money!”
At that moment, one man stood up with a grave expression.
-With all due respect, Mayor... there is a more important problem than that right now.
“What?”
-After the Reform Party spent money on campaigning, the change in approval ratings has been conspicuous. The poll announced yesterday...
Whoosh.
Mayor Min snatched up the documents swiftly.
Kim Jae-jin, who had failed to reach even 5% in the polls and had not been invited to the official debate, had already surged to 10%.
The votes that bastard had taken were conservative votes, the same bowl as his own... In other words, right now—
“What is this?”
-Because of Candidate Kim Jae-jin’s vote share, the gap in the two-way race has narrowed. Currently, the difference between Choe Sang-dong and you, Mayor, is within the margin of error...
Bang!