I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 245



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He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (245)

“I, Park Jeong-ui, solemnly swear before the people that I will faithfully execute my duties as Prime Minister by observing the Constitution, defending the nation, promoting the freedom and welfare of the people, and striving to develop national culture.”

This is Daedeok-gun,

Park Chung-hee, who became the 7th Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, made a declaration to the nation.

This is his third term as Prime Minister, and he has been ousted twice due to personal corruption or controversies, receiving political death sentences each time.

But this time, he returned like a phoenix,

While Kim Jong-pil expanded his support base by targeting the lower classes through welfare strategies, Park Chung-hee succeeded in making a comeback by raiding empty houses.

Kim Jong-pil’s failure to consider the middle class’s votes in order to gain the votes of the lower class was acknowledged, but even so, Park Jeong-ui’s political acumen in exploiting that gap was undeniable.

The phoenix that never dies, isn’t this also a politician’s character and competitiveness?

The political monster who returned to power at the age of 70 set his sights on his next target.

“No matter what happens, we will make this country ours.”

Park Jeong-ui took Singapore as his role model.

Singapore is a little bigger than Gyeongseong and has a population of only 3 million, but it is one of the top ten countries in Asia in terms of living standards and national competitiveness, just like Korea.

What is surprising is that when Singapore first gained independence, it was a poor country with a per capita national income of only $400.

The fact that this country has emerged as a world-class nation is thanks to the hero Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Kuan Yew believed that social integration and government-first policies were necessary for national development, and he pushed for economic development to create today’s Singapore.

In Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew is a hero and a symbol of the nation itself.

It is a kind of corporate state where everything in the country is subordinate to the Lee Kuan Yew family and the people benefit from it.

So is this the only country in the world?

If you think about it, Korea is similar to Singapore.

With a state-centered policy, it has risen to the position of Asian hegemon in just 30 years, and most of its middle class is supported by manufacturing and large corporations such as Daehan Transportation.

At the center of it all is the head of state,

Just as insulting Lee Kuan Yew is treated as a serious crime, insulting the head of state in South Korea is also punishable by severe punishment.

Shouldn’t we make Korea like this the property of the Goryeong Park family?

The problem is that the two countries have different political systems; Singapore is a one-party dictatorship with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) holding 81 of the 87 seats in parliament.

South Korea almost went through that process, but the head of state declared parliamentary democracy, and now the People’s Republican Party of Korea and the Democratic Peace Party form a two-party system.

In this situation, it is almost impossible for a monarchy of the Goryeong Park clan to emerge.

Park Jeong-ui, who had previously planned a monarchy but was caught by the head of state and lost his power, took refuge for the time being.

‘Let’s just survive. If we survive, opportunities will come.’

Politics is a battle for power and a battle for life.

Why did Tokugawa Ieyasu become the ultimate victor during Japan’s Sengoku period, when the average life expectancy was less than 40?

As his competitors who had overwhelmed him died for various reasons, the last one to survive took power, but the old man who had just turned 70 was losing to his competitors even in the fight for life.

‘Can I live longer than Sanggeun?’

Park Jeong-ui could not even dream of treason against his nephew.

In Korea, a nephew is revered as a god, and no one can deny his existence.

So, relying on that authority, he took control of the Korean People’s Party and pushed for the establishment of a monarchy, but the plan went awry every time because his nephew did not allow it.

So what is the last thing you can lean on?

A nephew dies before oneself, but it is highly unlikely that a nephew who is much younger than oneself will close his eyes first.

Rather, it would be faster to count down the days until his own death, Park Jeong-ui was afraid of that.

But there is hope, as scientists around the world are currently developing a drug that can extend lifespan to 300 to 500 years.

If I just hold out until it’s finished, I’ll be able to do it somehow, but the problem is that my nephew’s lifespan will also increase.

Is it possible that I will never be able to escape my nephew’s shadow?

After living as the perennial number two for the past 30 years, he thought that if he persevered, an opportunity would come, but time was not on his side.

***

“Sir, I just got a call from the hospital.”

“Did you get any call from the hospital?”

“That’s… the Prime Minister suddenly collapsed.”

This is the Daedeok County official residence, and I received a report from the butler.

My uncle collapsed and was taken to the hospital. He is now 70 years old, so it is not surprising that something can happen at any time.

But it is true that it is sudden. My father, who is almost 80 years old, is still alive and well, so isn’t it a bit early for my uncle to be hospitalized already?

First, I listened to the butler’s words.

“So, what caused the collapse?”

“We need to get a more detailed examination to know for sure, but they say it seems like mild anemia.”

“Then it wouldn’t be to the extent that we can’t run the country.”

Even though my family was in trouble, I considered political gains and losses first.

We’ve just managed to get the parliament back on track after two months of drifting, but if my uncle falls here, we’ll have to elect a new prime minister, and that’s going to be a headache.

If I could do politics while receiving outpatient treatment, I would do so, but this incident took an unexpected turn.

“Cancer?”

“Yes, it has been confirmed that the cancer has reached stage 4 and has metastasized.”

“So you’re saying he’s been given a terminal diagnosis?”

“That’s not it. They say there is hope if we administer immunotherapy.”

“Hmm~ What should I do with this…?”

There has been significant progress in cancer treatment over the past few years.

It was enough to revive Emperor Hirohito, who was on the verge of death. However, such miracles are not common.

If the immunotherapy is effective, a complete cure is possible, but if it is not effective, secondary chemotherapy is performed. From this point on, the drug becomes more toxic and the cancer cells develop immunity to the chemotherapy.

Tertiary treatment is the last resort, and if this doesn’t work, only elite soldiers who are immune to chemotherapy will remain in the body.

Becoming a terminally ill patient waiting for death,

Will heaven grant my uncle any more life? For now, I have instructed the medical team to give him the best treatment possible.

The doctors have conveyed their intention to do everything they can to treat the uncle of the head of state, not just anyone else.

***

“Brother, please tell Sang-geun. I have to go back to the National Assembly.”

“Hey kid, is this the time for something like that to come out of your mouth?”

“How did I get that seat back!! This is so unfair!!”

This is Daedeok-gun,

Park Sang-ui consoled his younger brother who was clutching his chest.

You’ve been Prime Minister three times so far, so why are you making such a fuss about it?

But the ambitious man who still had much to achieve shed hot tears.

“I still have a lot of work to do. I can’t die like this.”

“Hey, you little punk? Who’s dying? The first round of chemotherapy hasn’t even started yet. Just stay still.”

“That’s right, Father. The doctor said there was hope. Even the Emperor, who committed so many sins, survived. Why would you have to die?”

The daughter (Park Jae-ok), who couldn’t stand to watch, also consoled her father.

Emperor Hirohito, who started the Pacific War and caused countless deaths, survived after receiving treatment, so why should our father die?

He consoled me, saying that heaven would not permit it.

But in a situation where no words could comfort the patient, Park Jeong-ui insisted on going to work at the National Assembly.

In South Korea, if a prime minister is absent from the National Assembly for more than 10 days due to health issues, he or she is deemed to have lost the ability to run the country, and today marks exactly the 9th day since he or she left office.

If you don’t go to work today, you will definitely lose your position as Prime Minister.

How could he hand over the position of Prime Minister that he had obtained to someone else? But that stubbornness did not last long.

“Please stop!! People live and work, so what’s the big deal about a mere Prime Minister?”

“This… master… .”

“If you want to be the Prime Minister so badly, throw away all your medical treatment and everything and go to work. The Prime Minister has to live too. What’s the use of anything if you die?!!”

The family members just looked at each other at the landlady’s cold words.

They say a mad dog is cured by a stick, and after one beating, the house became quiet. Mrs. Kim Ho-nam, who had rectified the order, reconfirmed the schedule she had received from the hospital.

“You’ll start treatment in two days, so eat something. If you don’t eat, how are you going to fight the disease?”

“That’s right, Dad. You have to live first before you can do politics. Come on.”

“Yes, Justice, you wouldn’t die, would you? Aren’t you the phoenix that came back from the evil Soviets? If you live, you’ll have another chance to do politics.”

Patient Park Jeong-ui, who had finally found stability thanks to the comfort of his family, took a bite of food, but he couldn’t tell whether it was going down his throat or his nose.

Why would a guy who wants to fight for his life with his nephew smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol like his wife?

Park Jeong-ui continued to pray to God from that day on, wondering if this was a divine punishment for the uncle who tried to eat his nephew.

‘I was wrong. I won’t change my mind again, so please give me a chance. I want to live a little longer. I still have work to do.’

I wonder if that prayer worked.

I was diagnosed with cancer cells that were almost completely eradicated in the first round of chemotherapy.

However, it is still too early to be at ease, and the doctor continued to advise her to live a frugal life and not to stimulate her body.

The patient barely managed to survive, but was once again confined to his home. He returned home and sat on the floor, looking into the distance.

“Ugh~.”

“Why are you sighing so loudly?”

“Life is so futile… It seems like only yesterday that I decided to take up arms and command the world… When did I get so old…?”

Mrs. Kim Ho-nam looked at her husband intently.

Have you come to your senses now?

If you realize that life is meaningless, you should live with self-restraint from now on, and pour out your meddling advice to live quietly without thinking about other things.

“People get such terrible diseases because they are greedy. Now, you too should live quietly like your grandfather.”

“Hey, people need to have goals to live worth living. If you just sit in a corner of your room because you’re old, that’s a dead life.”

“Oh, then that’s right. Your real illness isn’t cancer, it’s greed. Greed. You’ve been kicked out twice because of it, and you still don’t realize it?”

The nagging began again, and the angry patient ended up saying the name.

“If you look at it that way, who is more greedy than our Sang-geun? He’s now the world’s leader. Compared to him, I’m rather humble.”

“That disease won’t be cured until the heavens take it away. Oh my~.”

The wife goes into the room first,

The patient left alone again turned his gaze into the distance.

Is this really the end of my political career? But the lump in my throat was too big to admit it.

He planned to return to Congress once he felt a little better, but Congress would not allow him to do so.

The People’s Republican Party of Korea, led by Kim Jong-pil, has proposed a bill to ban politicians over the age of 70 from entering politics, hoping to use this opportunity to bury its rivals.

When you’re over 70, you need to rest, and how can you make cool-headed decisions with such a weakened body?

In the United States, too, criticism from voters is pouring in as 10% of the Senate is now filled with people over 70 years old.

Korea is also not free from this controversy.

Kim Jong-pil is still 60 years old, but Park Chung-hee’s close associates are very old, ranging in age from at least 65 to at most 76 years old.

These are relics of an old era that should now disappear.

As Kim Jong-pil declared war, the South Korean National Assembly became heated again.