Chapter 90

EP 15 - Extras in the Political Arena (4)

People only believe what they want to believe.

This is why politics is a matter of value judgment, not factual judgment. Even if one side seems to be entirely at fault, supporters will unconditionally take their side.

And that's why politicians rarely apologize. They usually just express regret.

No matter what the issue, if you don't apologize and stick to your guns, it becomes an 'issue' rather than a 'problem.' The targets for清算 and discussion are clearly distinguished.

In other words,

"I am Kim Doo-sik, the temporary commander of the Chungcheong Defense Line. First, I would like to offer my deepest apologies to the people of Korea."

The moment he apologized, it became a problem.

* * *

The three issues I presented to the Won Ok-bun administration were:

Why did you disband the reserve forces?

Why did you dismantle the guild?

Where did the 1.5 trillion won in the supplementary budget go?

However, the conclusion was that even if it wasn't Won Ok-bun, we could have occupied a more advantageous position in the international community.

It was a statement that clearly stimulated the national pride and desire for compensation, and the logic was so miraculous that even Aristotle would have been shocked and fainted from high blood pressure if he had risen from his grave. But with the media, which was already highly toxic, packaging it brilliantly, the people began to stir unexpectedly.

Most media plays are like this.

Various comments from professors and former politicians appear on the main pages of various portal sites, and 30-second interview edits circulate on YouTube all day, making people start to think that Won Ok-bun must have done something wrong.

It's like smoke coming from a chimney that has been disconnected. Of course, the house must be on fire, but that's not something the people need to know.

Decisively,

"According to the internal investigation of the military, it has been confirmed that some division commanders embezzled military funds. The military has already referred the relevant division commanders to the military court, and I would like to offer my deepest apologies to the people."

The hero of the Chungcheong Defense Line, Commander Kim Doo-sik, who was mentioned as a presidential candidate, bowing deeply was a significant move.

This happened just six hours after my interview was broadcast.

"However, contrary to what Representative Han Seung-moon pointed out, the funds embezzled at the front line were minimal, and the people's tax money is being used for the self-defense of Korea. Please trust the government..."

Translation: Acting President Won Ok-bun, I didn't betray you.

Kim Doo-sik did add a clarification, but our media doesn't care about such things.

[1.5 trillion won in the supplementary budget, used for personal gain?]

[Commander Kim Doo-sik admits to internal embezzlement in the military.]

[Han Seung-moon draws his sword, where will the presidential race go?]

As soon as Kim Doo-sik made his official statement, Minister Yoo Jae-kyung hurriedly appeared in an official setting.

"I am Minister Yoo Jae-kyung of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. First, I would like to offer my sincere apologies for the current controversy."

He was also a presidential candidate. Although he had low public recognition, those who were interested in politics had a very high opinion of Yoo Jae-kyung, who had led the Sejong Government Complex.

Of course, Minister Yoo Jae-kyung was not a person with good speaking skills. He was not the type who could persuade people in a backroom drinking session, nor was he the type who could gain an advantage on TV.

And he knew this best.

"First... this supplementary budget was aimed at reinforcing military facilities after the front line had stabilized, that is, it was heavily focused on investing in infrastructure. Given that the international financial market and the dollar index are virtually paralyzed, what remains for Korea is the real economy, that is, the fundamentals."

[1.5 trillion won for barbed wire? Uncovering the truth behind the supplementary budget]

[Minister Yoo Jae-kyung declares the end of the international financial market]

[1.5 trillion won to plan the economy. Is it just to feed the rich?]

"We have already experienced a major crisis due to the reckless speculation of large corporations seeking exchange rate gains. To reduce the economic resilience of securities, the government aims to activate a strictly real economy-focused domestic market. This supplementary budget is also aimed at creating a trickle-down effect in the domestic construction industry, raw materials industry, and labor market, along with reinforcing military facilities."

[1.5 trillion won invested in large corporations. Soldiers are hungry.]

[2 trillion won in the supplementary budget is a gift to the construction industry]

[Again, the trickle-down effect. How long will it last?]

"Given the extreme fluctuations in fiscal resilience and the virtual elimination of the value of currency internationally, we should not intuitively judge the value by the amount of money. What's important is how consistently we invest indirect capital in the industry. We must endure until the industry is revitalized."

[The end of the currency era, now barter?]

[Pouring water into a leaky bucket to keep the economy alive?]

[Minister Yoo Jae-kyung: 1.5 trillion won is not important.]

"Korea's economy is relatively stable compared to other countries. Although trade has not yet been fully revitalized, the value of our won has gained considerable international status due to the impact of Korea's security. With the prospect of economic recovery through the Masan project, this is a time when trust in the government and the currency is more important than ever."

[Still better than us? The government is at a standstill.]

[Exchange rates without trade, just a dream.]

[How long will trust alone be required?]

"Of course, I acknowledge the controversy surrounding this supplementary budget. However, the use of the defense budget is a matter directly related to national security, so I ask for your understanding that it cannot be disclosed rashly. What I can affirm is that this supplementary budget has not been tainted by embezzlement and has been used entirely for national defense."

[Taxes were well spent. The details are secret.]

[Admitting the controversy but not explaining it.]

[Stay put. The government tells the people again.]

*

- Interesting.

"Ah, no, Acting President! Han Seung-moon was causing trouble, so I rushed out to see if I could help, but unintentionally—"

- Minister Yoo.

Won Ok-bun was never a fluent speaker. He was an old man with distorted facial muscles. But his words were clearly imprinted in Minister Yoo Jae-kyung's ears.

- You should know when to joke.

A low voice came from the speaker.

- Who are you following orders from?

"Ah, no, absolutely not! Acting President!"

- Not at all. I'm a politician too.

It wasn't a voice of anger or accusation. It was just a slightly indifferent and distorted question as usual.

So it served both purposes.

- A traditional Korean medicine clinic? Or a Western one? That guy has been stirring things up lately.

"Forming alliances! What a ridiculous statement—"

- Always like that.

Won Ok-bun calmly shared his experience.

- Pretending to be a mistake. Pretending to be loyal. There are always such sneaky people. And they are the most dangerous. I know this from experience.

"Acting President...!"

- I believe you, a smart person, understand what I'm saying.

"Acting President! Former Acting President, no, Your Excellency—"

—Click.

The call was disconnected.

Yoo Jae-kyung's gray hair at the back of his head was drenched in cold sweat during the five-minute call.

Yoo Jae-kyung, exhausted, slumped into his chair. A sigh escaped from the weary middle-aged man.

"Ha..."

What a ghostly old man.

"I didn't expect to be found out so early..."

Won Ok-bun, though preoccupied with dealing with the audience, was not a fool.

Han Seung-moon attacked her, but Yoo Jae-kyung and Kim Doo-sik turned it into a fatal blow.

Of course, it wasn't an outright act, and they had prepared various alibis, but Won Ok-bun immediately saw through it and sent a sharp warning.

"......"

As various thoughts swirled in Yoo Jae-kyung's mind, a strong emotion interfered with his thinking.

Fear.

He had been the closest observer of Won Ok-bun's actions. He had witnessed the defense minister, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the director of the National Intelligence Service being sidelined. He had seen the veteran politicians being reduced to old men in the backroom, and the Defense Party's control of the party, followed by martial law to control the media, and the subtle media manipulation to maintain her image.

He was a person who keenly felt how Won Ok-bun had packaged herself as a hero, how agile and decisive the process was, and how covert and cunning her actions were.

He had helped her do it.

However, Won Ok-bun had a natural aura of authority that transcended everything.

It wasn't a supernatural charisma or anything like that. This aura stemmed from her background.

She was a prosecutor.

A veteran prosecutor who had always been at the center of power during the Roh Tae-woo and Kim Young-sam administrations. If she hadn't entered politics, she could have become the chief prosecutor.

"......"

Yoo Jae-kyung knew.

Almost all the major financial cases that overturned Korea, the sudden sex scandals, and even the corruption of the president's family at the end of their term.

They all came from the prosecutor's office.

Yoo Jae-kyung couldn't even imagine what kind of knife this 70-year-old prosecutor would pull out, and he didn't want to imagine what crazy things the prosecution, facing the unprecedented task of producing the first prosecutor-turned-president, would do.

"......Ahem!"

However.

"Yes, I am Minister Yoo Jae-kyung."

- Hey, Minister Yoo. I told you to fire a signal, not a nuclear bomb.

"Oh! Representative Yang! How did you enjoy the broadcast?"

It was worth a try.

*

"It's fine. It's worth a try."

"Shut up......"

"Yes."

In the large limousine heading to the Busan District Prosecutor's Office, across from me on the sofa sat Cheon Geum-soon, looking dazed.

Or rather, she was sprawled out. She looked more like a pile of mush than a person.

"Why are you so limp? You're losing your strength."

"......Ah, I'm drained......"

"Do you have low blood sugar?"

"A little...?"

She was sprawled out on the sofa, looking like she would collapse if pushed to the side. The limousine was so large that she could have lain down, but there's such a thing as human dignity, so she didn't lie down in the car. If I hadn't been there, she might have.

"......We'll switch cars here."

"Ah, yes."

We got out of the limousine and switched to a smaller K5 as we entered Busan. Going to the prosecutor's office in a limousine would have invited a lot of criticism.

I took out a high-quality handmade chocolate from the limousine's refrigerator and offered it to her.

"Do you want some?"

Cheon Geum-soon opened her mouth wide and I carefully placed the chocolate in her mouth.

She chewed the chocolate and looked at me.

"When did you steal this...?"

"Steal? I just naturally took it."

"This is my chocolate. I cherish it..."

"Rich people can never understand the feeling of stuffing mints from a meat shop into their pockets."

Cheon Geum-soon chuckled and said to the driver.

"Honey, let's take a roundabout way. We're not going to a fancy place, so why rush?"

"Yes, Madam."

It seemed she was very afraid of appearing before the prosecutor's office.

We were summoned for a clear violation of the election law.

"Well, what else could we get but a suspended sentence?"

"......I have a record, so if I get a suspended sentence this time, I'll go to jail."

"Oh, right."

She had a record from when she received a community service order for an economic crime.

I smiled to comfort her.

"......But! There's a good system called a special pardon for the new government!"

"......If we win the election, it's a pardon, and if we lose, it's jail time?"

Cheon Geum-soon glared at me with a rare venomous look and asked in a low voice. Given the situation, it seemed the only option was to be shameless.

"Didn't you help me without knowing?"

"......That's true."

"Think of it as investing in Han Seung-moon stock."

"It's more like a coin..."

"Seung-moon coin... It sounds good. Doesn't it sound like it will skyrocket?"

"Hah."

Cheon Geum-soon let out a light laugh and a lazy smile.

"I... played with coins a little when I was in high school. About 92 billion won?"

"Wow, you made a lot."

"Probably lost it all......"

"......"

*

Considering that the current Chief Justice Yang Pan-seok was a former judge who was appointed to the Court Administration Office and even caused a judicial upheaval with her, it was easy to guess that even if the prosecution foamed at the mouth, it wouldn't have much power.

Therefore, I prepared to stand confidently at the prosecutor's office photo line.

What questions would I get? What would I answer?

Questions like always being the last to vote in the party congress and giving chicken to soldiers, or that it's right to return 1.5 trillion won instead of arguing over the cost of chicken, or that the prosecution has become a puppet of the government.

I prepared my answers by thoroughly researching past and predicted questions on the internet. Since the media was on our side, there was no need to worry much.

I thought the prosecutor's office photo line would be a red carpet.

But.

"Have you heard that Governor Cheon Jung-yeop has been indicted for violating the National Security Act!?"

"What do you think about the Kim Jo-in video!"

"During the dot-com bubble, the people's tax money went overseas...!"

"Two elections ago, there were allegations of sexual favors...!"

It was a fiery path.