The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 361



Only Krnovel

361. Advance or retreat (1)

There is less than a month left until the presidential election.

For a presidential candidate, one day during this period was as important as a normal year.

In order to secure the support of as many voters as possible, a schedule was planned and carried out by the second.

Governor Choi Jae-seok was also busy.

That’s why I requested a meeting in the early morning hours, and we were able to meet briefly in the car.

“I’m sorry for asking you to meet the busiest person in Korea.”

“If it’s Chairman Kim’s contact, shouldn’t we leave it aside even if the Grim Reaper comes?”

It was Governor Choi Jae-seok, who was literally working a crazy schedule.

Broadcast debates, interviews, and even election campaigns.

I felt tired on my face because my schedule was short of even 10 body parts, but looking at my body as a whole, I felt more lively than before.

Should I call it election campaign mulberry?

These politicians became energized when they received the support of many supporters, as if they were sharing their energy.

“Many experts have analyzed that this election will be a very close race. The results of the Taewoo Group’s investigation are also similar. This is an election in which the winner will be decided by a margin of less than 1%.”

“The ruling party’s candidate is strong, and with the issue of unification of the pan-opposition candidates, it has become an election where you don’t know what’s ahead. So shouldn’t we run even harder?”

Three candidates were trapped in the 30% range.

An election structure in which the winner is the person with even a single hair sticking out between the boxes.

This meant that there was a high possibility that the results of this election would be overturned if even the slightest variable occurred, and no one who runs a company likes uncertainty.

“At this point, I have two cards I can give you. You may not like either of them, but would you like to hear them?”

“The Chairman is giving me a silk pouch. I will open it with the heart of Jo Ja-ryong.”

The golden bag’s plan.

Jo Ja-ryong was able to overcome difficulties thanks to the plan contained in the silk pouch given by Zhuge Gongmyeong.

But I was not Zhuge Liang, and candidate Choi Jae-seok was not Jo Ja-ryong.

That’s why he had a truly cruel plan in his silk pouch.

“The first card is a way to increase the intensity of the public opinion war that is being conducted legally. If you post posts that are close to slandering the ruling party and pan-opposition candidates, you can lower their approval ratings.”

“······I don’t think it’s legal.”

“It’s not legal, but I’m confident that no one will get caught. Even if times pass and governments change several times, there’s no way for us to know that it was something we planned.”

“Hmm, no matter how much I have a throat, I can’t do something like that. I’m really sorry. I know that if I were to lead a political party, I would have to accept such a proposal, but I can’t.”

I expected this kind of reaction.

It was also the reason why I joined hands with Choi Jae-seok rather than another politician.

There may be times when he feels frustrated, but because he has this kind of personality, I can trust him.

“If the candidate does not want it, we will only conduct legal media campaigns like we are doing now. However, by doing so, we can only get approval ratings similar to those of the opposing candidates.”

“If we work hard one step at a time, wouldn’t we be able to increase our approval rating by at least 0.1%?”

“The opposing candidates are also working hard. It is not easy to raise approval ratings in this election, especially since it is a three-way battle. In fact, as time passes, it may turn out to be unfavorable for the candidate.”

Candidate Choi Jae-seok had spent his entire life in politics.

I knew right away what I meant.

“The election trend in Korea is bound to be towards the two major parties. Although the National Economy Party has risen to the position of the largest opposition party, the National Economy Party has not yet been fully recognized as an axis of the two large parties in the hearts of the people. .”

“As time passes, moderates will gravitate towards the ruling party or the opposition party. The only one that has the potential to break the 30% range is the National Economy Party.”

I stabbed the sore spot mercilessly.

If we were to say that we would be at least 2-3% ahead, then it would not hurt.

However, it was a very close race, less than 1%, and in opinion polls, he sometimes came in first place, but sometimes he was in second place, so it was a hurtful comment.

“So are you saying we should use illegal methods? If that’s the case, I will once again refuse.”

“I will no longer recommend illegal methods because you do not want them. But I will ask you one thing: which election would you choose, the current election with a 30% probability or the next election with a probability of 70% or more?”

Candidate Choi Jae-seok was famous for his eloquence.

In broadcast debates, he was able to easily answer any sensitive question, and was a person with the dexterity to even counterattack.

However, he was unable to open his mouth to answer my question for a long time.

“Are you saying we should give up on the election now? There are still more than half of opinion polls showing me with the highest approval rating.”

“So now is the right time. If you withdraw as a candidate now, you can get the highest price.”

“I am a politician, not a businessman. I even did not run for this election with the intention of receiving a ransom.”

Candidate Choi Jae-seok got angry at me.

Is today the first time you’ve gotten angry at me?

Until now, he had tried to accept as much as possible no matter what I said.

However, I could not help but become angry at the words urging me to resign as a candidate.

“What if the price of the ransom is the future of the Republic of Korea? Still, wouldn’t you accept the ransom?”

“Please tell me in detail what you mean.”

“The ruling party and the opposition party are fighting fiercely. Not only the political world but also the supporters are literally divided. Moreover, the National Economy Party has joined in and divided the party into a three-way war.”

“I also find that unfortunate. But isn’t a healthy democracy born through that process?”

Democracy meant expressing different opinions.

If there were only one opinion, it would be communism or socialism.

“I would agree if it were a healthy argument, but it’s getting too heated right now, and it’s only going to get worse.”

“Do you think that if I resign I can prevent such division?”

“If you resign as a candidate in the name of preventing division and achieving great unity, wouldn’t it be able to resonate greatly in the hearts of the people?”

I am a businessman.

There was no great interest in political ideology or healthy democracy.

Even though the political world divides the people, it didn’t really matter to me.

It was just a strategy for candidate Choi Jae-seok’s next step.

I said this because there was an analysis that if I resign as a candidate under the pretext of grand unification, I could win the next election with an overwhelming margin.

“No matter how big the bell rings, the wave will stop within an hour. Will the ringing remain until the next presidential election?”

“The sound you hear with your ears will end, but won’t the sound deep in your heart remain? And you can gain another benefit by resigning as a candidate.”

“What is the benefit?”

“Are you satisfied with a five-year president? Shouldn’t we be in the Blue House for eight years like the United States?”

“Are you talking about the presidential reappointment system?”

Presidential reappointment system.

The idea was to reform elections in a way that would allow for re-election, like in the United States.

It was also the fundamental reason why I brought up the topic of resignation as a candidate.

Currently, the only candidate for the National Economy Party is Choi Jae-seok.

Even if he was elected this time, there was no suitable candidate to run five years from now.

No matter how much effort I had put into the National Economy Party up to now, it didn’t seem right in just 5 years.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to properly change the political landscape of the Republic of Korea by changing the presidential term to enable re-election? In order to do that, I think we need to take a step back to take a step forward.”

“The presidential election is a battle of trends. The moment we abandon this trend that we worked so hard to achieve, it becomes difficult to make promises for the next time.”

“So, if you enter the National Assembly through a by-election to be held in the first half of next year, you can continue the trend.”

After a general election, there are always instances of election law violations, and this general election was no different.

The Nowon-gu National Assembly seat in Seoul was vacant.

“You’re telling me to abandon the presidential election and run in the Nowon-gu by-election. Haha, it’s a national assembly election instead of a presidential election.”

“I know very well that this is like telling me to go into exile.”

“And Nowon-gu is also an area where pan-opposition candidates are traditionally strong. In particular, the opposition party is even saying that they have decided to give Nowon-gu to one pan-opposition candidate as a condition of this unification.”

The pan-opposition party was unified by two candidates.

In the process, he was promised a seat in the Nowon-gu National Assembly as compensation.

However, if candidate Choi Jae-seok were to run for Nowon-gu, the situation would change completely.

“There has been no official word yet. So, a decision needs to be made as soon as possible to win at least in Nowon-gu. If the candidate announces his candidacy in Nowon-gu, the pan-opposition will give up Nowon-gu and move the district to Yeongdo.”

“Indeed, both pan-opposition candidates have connections to the Busan area.”

“Isn’t Nowon-gu given as compensation because Nowon-gu is the opposition party’s stronghold? If the candidate runs, attention will shift to Yeongdo as it will no longer be a compensation plan.”

There are three constituencies where by-elections for members of the National Assembly are held.

These were Nowon-gu in Seoul, Yeongdo-gu in Busan, and Buyeo-gun in South Chungcheong Province.

In the case of Buyeo-gun, South Chungcheong Province, it was the ruling party’s stronghold.

Since more than 70% of residents supported the ruling party, it was difficult for even a presidential candidate to get elected.

Of course, Yeongdo in Busan was also an area where the ruling party had the upper hand.

It was also a place where there were widespread rumors that a prominent member of the ruling party was running for office.

However, it could not compare to the name value of candidate Choi Jae-seok, and the pan-opposition candidate was naturally very likely to choose Yeongdo over Nowon-gu.

“You gave me not just a pocket, but a pocket of worry. No matter what decision you make, it won’t be easy.”

“Of course, even if you choose to continue to focus on the presidential election, I will do my best to help. However, for the future of the Republic of Korea, I think candidate Choi Jae-seok should be president for eight years.”

It was a cruel multiple choice.

No matter which view you choose, candidate Choi Jae-seok’s political life had to take a difficult path.

Even if the presidential election continued, there was a 33% chance of being elected, and even if he resigned as a candidate, it was not a smooth road.

“Please give me a moment. I will discuss it in depth with the staff of the National Economy Party and make a decision.”

“This is a question that has no right answer. Please consider which answer you choose will help the future of the National Economy Party and the Republic of Korea.”

I already had a vague idea of ​​what choice he would make.

This was because the vitality that had filled my body through the election campaign was slowly draining away.

And he found the answer within a few days.

And he proudly declared the answer he chose in a candidate debate that was broadcast live.