Kim Seokjin, who led the largest faction in the Progressive Party, stepped down from the chairmanship to take responsibility for the party’s defeat in this election.
Even so, he was still the undisputed kingmaker of Honam.
After President Kim Hakgwon retired and cleared his party affiliation, Kim Seokjin absorbed the mbers of the Kim Hakgwon faction who had been left with nowhere to go.
At present, there was no politician in the Progressive Party with a larger power base than him.
Hong Jinwoo, Lee Miyeon, and several other politicians certainly existed, but even if they joined forces, they were no match for Kim Seokjin.
Of course, politics was not decided solely by the size of one’s faction.
Just like how, after reaching an agreent with Hong Jinwoo, he had ultimately supported the Ergency Committee and installed Kim Seonggeun as its Chairman.
“Why? Does it taste bad? It suits my palate perfectly.”
Instead of answering my question, he focused on the bowl of sundae soup in front of him. I shook my head.
I’d thought the fire had reached his feet already, but he still seed to have plenty of leeway.
“Chairman. If you have nothing to say, I’ll take my leave.”
I had no intention of waiting for him to finish his al.
I wasn’t the one who asked to et. Kim Seokjin had been the one to request this eting—why waste ti?
“Hm......”
Kim Seokjin set his spoon down with an audible clatter, clearly displeased.
“Young people these days are so impatient......”
Speaking as if scolding , he rinsed his mouth with the water in front of him.
“I’ve got an interesting piece of information. That’s why I wanted to see you.”
“Information?”
Kim Seokjin nodded. Judging by the relaxed look on his face, it seed like a fairly big catch.
‘What information could there be that I don’t already know? The mole I planted in the Progressive Party hasn’t reported anything noteworthy.’
Then again, since he wasn’t embedded in the leadership, maybe access to information was limited.
“What is it?” I asked. “This information of yours.”
“If you like it, will you pay the price?”
“If it’s information I want, I’m willing to pay any price. With information of my own, or with money. Though whether it’ll be to my liking remains to be seen.”
Kim Seokjin’s eyes lit up, knowing exactly what my words were worth.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Chairman Kim Seonggeun has chosen you as his target.”
That was it? Was he really calling that information?
Sensing the disappointnt on my face, Kim Seokjin hurriedly added,
“Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo, Assemblyman Lee Miyeon, and Assemblyman Pyo Changsu—their factions have all decided to back the Ergency Committee Chairman. If they combine their strength, even I can’t guarantee victory. In other words, the Progressive Party really is going to try to devour you.”
Lee Miyeon and Pyo Changsu.
I raised an eyebrow, arms crossed.
I’d already expected Hong Jinwoo to oppose ......
But I hadn’t expected people who’d taken under-the-table money to side with Kim Seonggeun.
“No matter how powerful you are, this is still South Korea. Once ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) public opinion turns against you, there’s no telling what will happen. Targeting the wealthy is what our Progressive Party does best. And on top of that, you amassed an enormous fortune at such a young age.”
So they were planning to use as a sacrifice in the na of reforming the Progressive Party.
Chairman Kim Seonggeun had made quite an interesting choice.
“This all happened yesterday. So what do you think—good information, or sothing you already knew?”
I’d expected the Ergency Committee Chairman to move, but even I hadn’t known who would join him.
Just learning the nas Lee Miyeon and Pyo Changsu made this information worthwhile.
“That’s so fairly decent information you’ve brought . I didn’t expect those two to side with the Ergency Committee.”
I let out a small chuckle at how readily they sold out even fellow party mbers, let alone people from other factions.
Given enough ti, it would’ve reached my ears eventually.
Still, Kim Seokjin had moved quickly and sold information I needed.
“You’re honest.”
“I value trust above all else. If soone betrays trust, who would ever fear their words?”
“Trust......”
“Well, I’m a businessman—that’s what matters most to . Politicians are different, aren’t they? Anyway, what is it you want?”
“Hong Jinwoo’s weakness. That’s what I want.”
Hong Jinwoo’s weakness.
That ant Kim Seokjin considered Hong Jinwoo a rival who could threaten him.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to find any aningful weakness of Hong Jinwoo’s either.
Like any human being, he had minor blemishes—but nothing big enough to destroy his political career.
The fact that even I hadn’t found anything ant he was an extrely ticulous man.
“I haven’t secured any weakness on Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo either.”
“......You expect to believe that?”
Kim Seokjin asked skeptically, clearly unable to believe that a politician could have no exploitable weakness.
“You must’ve looked yourself, Chairman. Isn’t that why you ca to to make a deal?”
“That’s true. I thought you’d have it.”
“Not all politicians are obsessed with money. Assemblyman Hong cut ties with his family when he entered politics—or sothing close to it—but he’s the second son of a construction company that dominated Honam. He’s already inherited what there was to inherit, and all the gift taxes were paid in full. He’s not short on money.”
The easiest way to catch a politician by the ankle was money.
Hong Jinwoo’s family owned Hongseok Construction, based in Honam.
It wasn’t publicly listed, but because it handled most state-funded construction projects in the region, it was known as a solid, highly profitable company.
It had grown through collusion between governnt and business since the days of the military regi—so if I could target the family, that would’ve been ideal......
Unfortunately, Hong Jinwoo had almost completely severed ties with his family when he entered politics, and he hadn’t hesitated to openly criticize Hongseok Construction either.
“He’s the second son of Hongseok Construction. And you’re telling he’s spotless? Is that even possible?”
“It is. I guess this country is still a livable place, after all—to think politicians like him still exist.”
I said it sincerely.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that more than half of the current National Assembly mbers had taken money from .
If they hadn’t, it was usually because they had weaknesses so severe that their political lives would end if exposed. The longer soone stayed in politics, the more weaknesses they accumulated—that was only natural.
But Hong Jinwoo was different.
He had never taken money, and he was the one who most actively criticized Hongseok Construction, the very thing that could have been his weakness.
It was sothing only a man who hadn’t aid for the presidency from the very start could do.
“Are you playing gas with right now!”
My genuine admiration seed to infuriate Kim Seokjin, and he raised his voice.
“Gas?”
“Yes! If we can’t cut off Hong Jinwoo’s political life, neither you nor I will make it out unscathed! This isn’t the ti to be praising Hong Jinwoo.”
If Hong Jinwoo beca president, it would be a headache for too.
But for now, he wasn’t a threat in the slightest.
The fire wasn’t at my feet—it was at Kim Seokjin’s.
“Well, he’s not a threat to yet.”
“.......”
“Your position is far more dangerous than mine, Chairman. If I were them, I’d sacrifice you, not . A clean break from the past. Chairman Kim Seonggeun would do exactly that. Rather than chasing the illusion of a capitalist standing above workers, he’d purge the entrenched corruption right in front of him and reform the party. Let’s be honest—did you co here because you were worried about , or because you needed ?”
Reading the naked sneer in my words, Kim Seokjin bit his lip.
Kim Seokjin worried about ? That was laughable.
He was far more afraid of his own position being threatened.
If he stayed still like this, his entire faction would be exiled abroad under the pretext of “studying overseas.”
That was how defeated leaders were usually dealt with.
“I haven’t found Hong Jinwoo’s weakness yet, so I can’t give you that. But I can offer you a way to protect your position.”
“......A way to protect my position?”
“Yes. Take everyone who follows you, leave the party, and form a new one.”
“Hah......”
At the ntion of forming a new party, Kim Seokjin stared at as if I were ridiculous.
“Form a party? Do you have any idea how hard that is? No—forming one is easy. Growing it is the hard part. You know all this. Why are you saying nonsense?”
He was right. In this country, founding a political party wasn’t difficult. Making it function properly was.
But Kim Seokjin was the king of Honam.
“With your influence, Chairman, you can at least secure support in Honam.”
As long as he didn’t aim nationwide, his party could wield real influence there.
Once that happened, the Progressive Party would lose its footing in Honam.
For , there could be no better outco.
The more mid-sized parties that existed instead of a single giant one, the weaker party power beca overall.
“......That might be true. But you know how much money it takes to build and grow a party.”
I nodded.
Even if you ford a party, the biggest issue was money.
Politics was reality, and without money, you couldn’t run a party.
Salaries and welfare for party staff, and managing organizations spread nationwide, required enormous funds.
One of the main reasons the Conservative Party had refused to dissolve until the very end was the assets it owned.
Decades of accumulated party assets were more solid than those of many mid-sized corporations.
Giving that up was never easy—which was why the Conservatives chose to rge with the Centrist Party instead of disbanding.
“Go ahead and form it first. I’ll support the costs involved in founding the party and the funds you’ll need in the early stages. After that, once you et the requirents for a negotiating bloc and receive governnt subsidies, operations will stabilize.”
“Khmm......”
Kim Seokjin cleared his throat and looked at .
I could tell what he was hoping for and let out a hollow chuckle. Greedy to the very end.
“I said I’d give you the funds. I’m not saying I’ll lend them to you. No one will ever be able to trace the source of that money. You can say you’re founding the new party entirely with your own personal assets. I have no reason to interfere in a party you create. All I ask is that you don’t obstruct what I intend to do. Whether you fight the Centrist Party or take on conglorates—that’s none of my concern.”
When I spoke firmly, Kim Seokjin nodded. Expectation flickered across his face.
“You really can do that?”
“When have I ever made empty promises? I told you earlier—I put trust first. I don’t say things I can’t keep.”
Kim Seokjin, Kim Seonggeun, and Hong Jinwoo probably never imagined I’d make an offer like this.
The look of shock on Kim Seonggeun’s face was so vivid in my mind that a deep smile crept onto my lips.
“Split the Progressive Party in half. When the presidential election season cos around, the Progressive Party and the new party will have no choice but to join forces. At that point, you can get what you want.”
An endless cycle of founding and rging parties—the history of the Progressive Party was a history of division.
They fought bitterly, reconciled, and moved forward like that.
Even if Kim Seokjin left to form a new party, it wouldn’t be anything new.
“So be it. By the way, are you really planning to just leave Hong Jinwoo alone?”
“Well. What can I do to a man with no weaknesses?”
Of course, I was already working out various plans in my head.
Lately, the idea I was most drawn to was a traffic accident.
Though for now, I’d put that on hold—it wasn’t a good thod for eliminating a politician of his stature......
“He’s the kind of man who’ll latch onto you and soday.”
“If the Progressive Party’s power weakens first, Hong Jinwoo won’t have the luxury of thinking about anything else. He’ll be too busy trying to stabilize the party. So focus on preparing your new party. A good day will co eventually.”
I smiled warmly at Kim Seokjin, who kept pretending to worry about until the end.
Don’t waste your breath worrying about —just do your part.
Thinking that, I checked my wristwatch.
“Shall we get going? I have another appointnt.”
“Fine. Make sure you keep your promise.”
Hearing the word “promise” co from the mouth of the least trustworthy man, I stood up with a smile.
“A fine batch of apples just ca in. Take them ho—your wife will like them. I had two boxes loaded into your trunk, so feel free to share them. I’ll be on my way. I’ll contact you separately.”
I nodded to Kim Seokjin and left the restaurant.
As I headed to my next appointnt, I gave instructions to Manager Ma.
“Contact the U.S. and tell them to proceed with the plan we discussed.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Hong Jinwoo has no weaknesses? If there aren’t any, then I’ll just make one.
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