I worked behind the scenes to support Myungsoo’s rise.

Without Myungsoo knowing, I personally met with the Centrist Party lawmakers who were in their third term or beyond and asked them to back him.

“Don’t obstruct Representative Lee Myungsoo’s path, Representative Song Jaeho.”

“......”

“You’re not driven by grand ambition anyway, are you? Isn’t your goal the mayor’s office of Daegu? I’ll lay out a flower road on your way there, so please support Representative Lee Myungsoo.”

Most of the Centrist Party’s senior figures originally came from the Conservative Party.

That was why they had been uncooperative toward Lee Myungsoo, and among them, Song Jaeho was the most openly aggressive.

“And what guarantee do I have that helping Representative Lee will make me the next mayor of Daegu?”

“Once Representative Lee Myungsoo has firmly taken control of the party, I’ll put the current Daegu mayor on the prosecution photo line for you.”

“What?”

Song Jaeho frowned.

“As long as the current mayor is still there, isn’t it difficult for you to run as the candidate? Then we simply need to empty that seat.”

“Hah... what nonsense is that? What crime are you planning to bring him down for? Is that even possible?”

Song Jaeho’s voice rose. Even though he already knew, he was still probing once for form’s sake.

“You know, don’t you? Once I decide to do something, there’s very little I can’t do. You won’t get a single drop of blood on your hands, Representative Song. Just enjoy the fruits. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Even if he comes under prosecution, it would still take years to reach a Supreme Court ruling.”

“I know. And if he endures, then we’ll simply think of another method.”

When I said it as if it were nothing, Song Jaeho fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.

“...Good. Then every lawmaker close to me will support Representative Lee Myungsoo for floor leader.”

“Thank you.”

“Make sure you keep your promise.”

“Of course. As long as you don’t break your promise first, there will be no reason for me to ever break the promise I made to you.”

With a satisfied expression, Song Jaeho stood and extended his hand.

“Looks like I misjudged President Kim. I think we can become good partners.”

His kindly face was drenched in naked greed. I smiled as I shook his hand.

“Please lend Representative Lee Myungsoo plenty of support.”

“Of course. I will.”

“And one more thing. If you break our promise, then the two of us will never sit across from each other and smile like this again.”

I looked directly into Song Jaeho’s eyes.

He flinched slightly, then nodded again.

“Haha. Understood. Becoming mayor of Daegu will be the final step of my political career. I have no greed beyond that. So in the end, it’s not me who must keep the promise—it’s President Kim. I’ll be going now.”

With that, Song Jaeho turned and left.

I got to my feet and looked out the window. Watching him disappear into his car, I pressed at my temples.

“Politicians really are the hardest people to deal with.”

I had even considered crushing him outright with force.

But I decided that would be the very last resort.

Instead, I chose the form of giving them what they wanted and binding them by the hand.

“Manager Ma. You put that in there, right?”

“Yes. I got the key from his chauffeur and placed two boxes in the trunk.”

I had decided to fulfill what they wanted while also showing a little sincerity.

After hearing Manager Ma’s report, I nodded.

“I think we’ve met everyone we needed to meet. No other schedule left, right?”

“Yes. Everything for today is finished.”

“That’s a relief. Let’s get some rest now. Starting tomorrow, it’s going to get busy again.”

For the next several days, I continued meeting National Assembly lawmakers, giving some carrots and others the whip, steadily building more strength behind Myungsoo.

* * *

After being elected floor leader, Lee Myungsoo held a four-party meeting with the floor leaders of the two negotiation blocs and the Speaker of the National Assembly.

“Come in, Representative Lee.”

“Mr. Speaker. It’s been a while.”

“Haha. It has indeed. I never imagined you would throw your hat into the ring for floor leader.”

Speaker Yoon Seokhwan warmly welcomed Lee Myungsoo. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Even within the Centrist Party, Speaker Yoon Seokhwan was a rare six-term lawmaker.

The Speaker of the National Assembly ranked second in the national order of protocol and was the head of the legislative branch.

Compared to that stature, the actual power was much weaker, but it was still the most honorable final seat a lawmaker could ever reach.

Usually, the majority party selected the Speaker from among lawmakers with five or more terms, and the moment someone was elected Speaker, they had to give up their party affiliation.

“It just happened that way.”

“Still, it’s good seeing you here. It reminds me of when you first entered the Assembly.”

“Haha. I was only able to come this far thanks to your guidance, Mr. Speaker.”

“You say the nicest things. The other floor leaders should arrive soon. Sit down first and let’s talk.”

“Yes, Mr. Speaker.”

As Myungsoo sat, Yoon Seokhwan lowered his voice.

“You should brace yourself today.”

Myungsoo nodded.

The opposition was in the middle of an all-out offensive against him, furious that he had resigned as secretary-general only to be elected floor leader immediately afterward.

“I’ll endure it. From the opposition’s point of view, this is the only way they can increase their presence.”

“This is exactly why I like you, Representative Lee. Maybe it’s because you’re young, but your confidence just overflows. I’m envious.”

At the praise, Myungsoo gave an awkward smile.

“By the way, I heard President Kim Muhyuk has been meeting senior lawmakers one by one lately to keep them in line. Was that at your request?”

“No. Muhyuk probably just did it to help me.”

At that answer, Yoon Seokhwan let out a low hum.

“Hmm. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

“Muhyuk won’t step in anymore. I already spoke to him. So the kind of thing you’re worried about won’t happen.”

When Myungsoo answered firmly, Yoon Seokhwan nodded with a smile.

“Then that’s enough. I’m a man heading into retirement anyway, so I won’t say more.”

At that moment, the door opened, and reporters entered along with the floor leaders of the two opposition parties.

Myungsoo rose from his seat, walked toward them, and bowed his head slightly.

“Seniors, I look forward to working with you. Even if I’m still inexperienced, I ask for your generous understanding.”

“Ahem.”

Park Jihyun, the Progressive Party floor leader, cleared her throat and patted Myungsoo on the shoulder.

“You don’t need to come in quite so humbly. Aren’t you someone with the power to make anything happen exactly as you want?”

She had circled around it, but what she really meant was whether there had been noise in the process of his election.

“How could the Assembly possibly run smoothly without your help? I ask for your guidance and support.”

“Ahem.”

But because Myungsoo kept his low posture, Park Jihyun could no longer provoke him.

“Representative Lee.”

Lee Sujin, floor leader of the People’s Union, the party that had split from the Progressive Party and swept up most of the Honam seats, called out to him.

“Yes, sunbae.”

“If you keep doing whatever you want in such a high-handed way, it won’t end well.”

“I’ll engrave that deeply in my heart.”

Myungsoo bowed once again.

The reporters busily snapped photos.

The scene was shaping up like two senior politicians lecturing a younger one.

“That’s enough. How is someone still young supposed to learn politics if this is how you treat him?”

Lee Sujin couldn’t hide her discomfort to # Nоvеlight # the very end.

As the mood grew heavy, Park Jihyun stepped in to smooth things over.

“Let’s send the reporters out first and talk among ourselves.”

Turning toward the reporters with a smile, she ushered them out.

“Alright, alright. You’ve taken enough pictures, right? Let’s talk among ourselves now. Please head out.”

“Can’t we stay just a little longer?”

“Next time. Isn’t this our first formal meeting? Imagine how much we’ll have to talk about. Please!”

Park Jihyun handled them smoothly and got the reporters out.

Once all the reporters had left, an awkward silence hovered through the Speaker’s office.

“Alright, everyone sit down. This is the first time you’re meeting—don’t sharpen your blades so much.”

“Mr. Speaker, we’re not the ones sharpening our blades. The problem is that the person who should be taking responsibility is instead reaching for even greater power.”

“Haha. Representative Lee Sujin, don’t be like that. Just sit first.”

Yoon Seokhwan smiled benevolently as he tried to change the mood.

All four sat down, but no one spoke.

Once the reporters were gone, Park Jihyun openly let her discomfort show, while Lee Sujin kept glaring at Myungsoo with a sour expression.

The first to speak was Lee Sujin.

“Representative Lee Myungsoo. What’s your angle?”

“My angle?”

“The person who stepped down taking all responsibility comes back as floor leader before the rumors have even settled. Does that make sense?”

But once the reporters were gone, the shift in atmosphere applied to Myungsoo as well.

He returned her sharp question with an even sharper answer.

“Do I need Representative Lee Sujin’s permission for our party to elect a floor leader?”

“What?”

“We held a general caucus, and I was legally elected there. So what do you mean by ‘angle’? I had already intended to throw away the secretary-general position I had held for years and return to private life. But the party members and many lawmakers elevated me to floor leader.”

“Even so, that’s not right!”

“What exactly isn’t right?”

As Myungsoo refused to back down, Lee Sujin’s face flushed red.

“Hey, Lee Myungsoo! When you were still babbling in diapers, I was bleeding for this country! How dare you stand there and talk back to me so precisely—”

“Come on. Why are we bringing up age here? Must be nice being old.”

“What! You little—!”

“And Representative Lee Sujin, please use honorifics. I am the ruling party’s floor leader. I would appreciate being shown respect. In private is one thing, but speaking in banmal even in an official setting is not a very good example from a senior, is it? You said earlier that someone young wouldn’t learn politics like this, but shouldn’t the older person be the one setting the example first?”

“Pfft.”

Lee Sujin, who had tried to criticize Myungsoo by bringing up age, could only open and close her mouth.

Watching the scene, Park Jihyun finally failed to suppress her laughter and burst out.

Lee Sujin whipped her head around and shouted at her.

“Representative Park! Why are you laughing!”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Please continue.”

At Park Jihyun’s flippant waving gesture, Lee Sujin’s anger only flared higher.

Her face red enough to burst, she raised her voice.

“Hey, Park Jihyun!”

“Ah, please. My ears aren’t bad yet, Representative Lee Sujin. Lower your voice. Are you alone here?”

“You want to die!”

“A floor leader talking like that. Tsk, tsk.”

They had once formed an alliance because the Centrist Party was a common enemy, but originally the Progressive Party and the People’s Union were practically mortal enemies.

“What are all of you doing in front of me?”

Yoon Seokhwan tried to step in and restore order, but Lee Sujin’s fury wouldn’t subside.

She abruptly stood, pointed at both Myungsoo and Park Jihyun, spat out curses, and stormed out of the Speaker’s office.

The reporters waiting outside immediately thrust their microphones toward her.

“Representative Lee Sujin, why did you come out so early? Did something happen inside?”

Lee Sujin fiercely condemned Myungsoo.

“There’s no arrogance like this arrogance! What kind of person is Representative Lee Myungsoo? He’s the chief culprit who ruined this country’s diplomacy!”

While Lee Sujin was unleashing her barrage at the reporters outside, Myungsoo was speaking with Park Jihyun.

“Representative Park.”

“What? Are you here to pick a fight with me too?”

“I don’t believe I was the one who started the fight. And we didn’t come here to fight, did we? What would it take to improve your mood? Shall I help pass one of the bills your Progressive Party is pushing?”

At the words help pass one bill, Park Jihyun’s expression changed.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. In exchange, stop attacking me from now on. Then I’ll help move one of the bills you proposed that’s currently stuck in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.”

“And do you even have that kind of authority?”

“I have that much power. So let’s stop wasting energy on pointless political strife and join hands for the people’s livelihood. That issue is already over, isn’t it?”

Faced with Myungsoo’s surprisingly flexible attitude, Park Jihyun’s eyes lit up.

“Hmm. Fine. Then not one—pass two. Labor law related.”

“...Your greed is excessive.”

“Come on, this is in exchange for stopping the attacks. I’d say that’s a pretty cheap price, don’t you?”

After thinking for a moment, Myungsoo nodded.

“Alright. I’ll have them moved through the committee immediately and put on the plenary agenda. Will that do?”

The gift was bigger than she had expected, and Park Jihyun’s expression brightened visibly.

“Wow! Looks like I completely misjudged you, Representative Lee. I had no idea you were someone I could actually talk to. Let’s work together.”

Outside, Lee Sujin was still viciously attacking Lee Myungsoo.

But inside the Speaker’s office, reconciliation between the Centrist Party and the Progressive Party had already been achieved.

After dramatically reconciling with Myungsoo, Park Jihyun stepped out of the Speaker’s office and began openly praising him.

“Representative Lee Myungsoo was far broader-minded than I expected. We agreed to prioritize the people’s livelihood, and he promised to help pass the bills currently stalled in committee.”

Watching that interview from the floor leader’s office, Lee Sujin hurled the remote control in her hand at the television and spat out a curse.

“Those bastards! How dare they!”