“You made your decision sooner than I expected.”

It was a week after our first meeting that Park Joohyeong finally contacted me.

Taking my hand meant abandoning the convictions he had upheld all this time, so I thought it would take him much longer to accept my proposal.

This time, I deliberately called him to Myeongdong.

When we met again face-to-face, Park Joohyeong grasped the hand I extended with both of his.

“If I let this opportunity slip away, I’ll eventually be driven out of Hanminjok Daily anyway.”

For now, he was still tied to Hanminjok Daily under the title of advisor.

But an advisor was a position with no real authority. In other words, he could be kicked out at any moment.

“Let’s sit down and talk first.”

I guided Park Joohyeong to his seat. He waited nervously for me to speak first.

“If you came all the way here, can I take it to mean you’ve decided to accept my proposal?”

Instead of answering immediately, Park Joohyeong swallowed dryly and parted his lips.

“Am I wrong?”

“No. You’re right. It’s just......”

“Just?”

“Even if I become the representative director of Hanminjok Daily, I intend to run it according to my convictions.”

I nodded.

Of course, those convictions could never remain as clean as they had been before he took my hand.

Bending your convictions once is difficult, but the second and third times are far easier than the first.

“Fine. Do as you please. I have no intention of controlling Hanminjok Daily however I want either.”

Hanminjok Daily was ranked fourth among the major daily newspapers, but it still fell short compared to second and third place.

And compared to the unrivaled number one, Koryeo Daily, it wasn’t even worthy of comparison.

As long as Koryeo Daily remained aligned with me, there was no need for Hanminjok Daily to move according to my every step.

“Reform Hanminjok Daily however you want. I only want one thing. The downfall of Bae Youngsik and his faction. As long as you accomplish that, I don’t care what else you do.”

Only after hearing my definitive answer did Park Joohyeong finally seem relieved, his expression brightening.

“Understood. I promise you. Then what should I do?”

“That’s for you to figure out, Advisor. A man who says he has no intention of becoming my puppet didn’t even think about what he should do?”

“Well...... I’ve already tried everything I could. The moment I lost the election, there was nothing more I could do. Besides, even the younger reporters who supported me are welcoming Representative Bae Youngsik's direction.”

Park Joohyeong honestly laid out reality as it was. I listened without interrupting him.

“If I want to fight President Bae Youngsik here, I need a bargaining chip. And I don’t have one.”

“You’re honest.”

“That’s why I’m asking you to place that card in my hand.”

Since he had decided to join hands with me, he was now asking me to hand him a knife too.

I kind of like that shamelessness.

“You think I have cards in my hand?”

“If that weren’t true, you wouldn’t have come looking for me in the first place. I don’t know much about you, President, but I do know you possess a lot of cards.”

Sharp too.

I nodded and opened the drawer beside me.

Then I pulled out a small notebook from inside.

“Take this.”

I tossed the notebook in front of Park Joohyeong.

Carefully, he picked up the notebook from the table.

“What is this?”

Instead of answering, I gestured for him to look himself.

The moment he opened it and checked the contents, his eyes widened.

“T-this is all real?”

“Of course.”

Inside the notebook were records of several corrupt dealings tied to Bae Youngsik's faction.

From taking money to write favorable articles, to using internal information for real estate investments and making illicit profits.

Various other weaknesses were detailed thoroughly as well.

“I didn’t have enough time, so that’s all I managed to obtain. But it should be enough, right?”

Unfortunately, I still hadn’t found Bae Youngsik's weakness.

For someone of his age and career, his assets were surprisingly modest. But there were no traces of him taking bribes either.

It wasn’t because Bae Youngsik was clean.

If anything, the fact that there wasn’t a single trace left behind was what made it so strange.

Every time it felt like I had finally caught his tail, the trail abruptly stopped somewhere.

There was more than enough circumstantial suspicion, but not a shred of physical evidence.

Almost like someone preparing in advance for a future political career.

It felt as though he intended to use me as a sacrifice for his entry into politics.

“With this much, I think a comeback is possible. No matter how powerful President Bae Youngsik is, there are still different factions within his own faction.”

“That’s good to hear. I was worried it might not be enough.”

“If they realize I’m holding weaknesses over several people, they’ll become anxious. Because they won’t know exactly what I’m holding. I’ll need to shake up the internal factions first.”

At least he understood the basics.

Well, that level of political skill was probably why he had dared to challenge the presidential election of a major newspaper like Hanminjok Daily in the first place.

“Then I’ll trust you and wait.”

“I’ll return once I have results. At that point, I’ll tell you what I need.”

“Good. You look much better when you’re this confident. Go back and start working.”

Park Joohyeong rose from his seat and slightly bowed his head.

“You gave me this opportunity, so what comes after depends on my ability. But this is a path I already failed once. So please help me a great deal.”

Recognizing your own shortcomings and asking others for help wasn’t easy.

He had ability, awareness, and basic competence. With my support, he’d secure victory without much trouble.

“Understood. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact Manager Ma. He’ll help you with everything. No matter what it is.”

I deliberately emphasized the words no matter what, and Park Joohyeong nodded.

After sending him away, I called for Manager Ma.

“Manager. Keep an eye on the people around Park Joohyeong. Focus on who approaches him and who he meets with.”

“Yes, understood.”

I had no intention of blindly trusting Park Joohyeong and leaving him unchecked.

Once a man on the verge of political death began making a comeback, someone would inevitably try to win him over.

And I intended to follow that trail upward to find whoever had orchestrated this entire matter.

Even while I continued planning various things beneath the surface, time passed relentlessly.

Every political party finalized its nominations, and campaigning officially began.

“Did the results from this week’s commissioned polls come out?”

Nationwide polling cost an enormous amount of money.

Even so, every week I commissioned polls through multiple companies instead of relying on just one.

And I didn’t keep the results only for myself. I also sent the data to Myungsoo.

Of course, the Centrist Party had its own think tank and conducted internal polling, but outside opinions could still paint a very different picture.

“Yes. They just came in.”

“You sent the polling data to Myungsoo too, right?”

“Yes. The moment we receive them, they’re forwarded to Representative Lee Myungsoo as well.”

After finishing his report, Manager Ma placed the documents containing the polling results onto the table.

“These are today’s polling results.”

Inside the envelope were the results from several different polling firms.

The larger the sample size in a poll, the more accurate it became.

But the larger the sample, the more the costs exploded exponentially.

That was why television stations and newspapers rarely commissioned polls with more than one thousand respondents.

But I spared no expense and conducted weekly polls using samples of five thousand people.

The cost alone amounted to several hundred million won per polling firm.

“These are surprising results.”

“Are they?”

I lowered the papers in my hand and turned them toward Manager Ma so he could see more easily.

“It’s close even in Honam. There’s even one poll here showing a victory within the margin of error.”

I pointed at one sheet among the regional polling results.

That particular paper showed results from two provincial governor races in Honam and one Gwangju mayoral race that differed from the others.

Every other poll showed losses outside the margin of error, but this one showed losses within the margin.

And for the Gwangju mayoral race, it even showed a lead.

“The questions are slightly different from the others, but...... this could still turn into a meaningful result.”

Honam was a region where support for the opposition was overwhelmingly strong.

“If we manage to win even one regional governorship in Honam, Myungsoo could really grow wings.”

Unlike the already-collapsed Conservative Party, the Centrist Party’s support in Honam wasn’t actually that low.

Still, I never thought they’d reach the point of taking a regional government seat.

“Myungsoo’s going to like this.”

“Boss. If only one poll is showing these results, doesn’t that mean the reliability isn’t very high?”

“Well. Public opinion isn’t about the immediate results you see right now. You have to look at the trend. Overall, support for Centrist Party candidates is rising. At this rate, I really do think they might win at least one seat.”

In the end, this was the result of nominating good candidates.

They filtered primary candidates through evaluations according to internal rules first.

Then they finalized the candidates through proper primaries.

Without even a single strategic nomination.

It was proof that Myungsoo’s choices hadn’t been wrong.

* * *

Lee Myungsoo opened his laptop and checked his email. Then he downloaded the polling data and immediately reviewed it.

The moment he saw the results, he printed everything out and called for an emergency supreme council meeting.

“What’s this about? Why’d you call us all here when we’re busy, Representative Lee?”

The people scattered all over the country only managed to arrive late that evening.

“Let’s discuss it after you look at this first.”

Lee Myungsoo’s aide placed copies of the polling data in front of everyone.

“Where’d this poll come from?”

Lee Jeongho asked.

“It’s polling commissioned independently from Myeongdong.”

“Myeongdong......”

At the mention of Myeongdong, Lee Jeongho trailed off.

“Party Leader. If you look at the sample size, I can confidently say it’s more accurate than any other poll.”

Everyone gathered here was a veteran politician worn smooth by experience.

In other words, they were all masters of elections.

“Even so, we can’t get carried away over this.”

“That’s true. Only one poll showed favorable results within the margin of error.”

“So what are you proposing we do?”

“We need to get permission from the Blue House and announce additional pledges favorable to Gwangju Metropolitan City.”

“What? You want us to ask the Blue House to interfere in the election? Representative Lee, have you lost your mind?”

Lee Jeongho raised his voice and glared at Lee Myungsoo.

“No. I said we should obtain permission. Our core election strategy has always been not to make promises we can’t keep.”

“Still......”

“It’s not difficult, is it? We simply make a pledge centered on what Gwangju wants most.”

Lee Jeongho wiped his face dry and let out a sigh.

“What if we lose somewhere else because of it?”

“Even if we lose two places, winning Gwangju Metropolitan City matters more. The symbolism alone is enormous. This local election is the last election that can predict next year’s presidential race.”

The fierce discussion dragged on for a long time.

After an exhausting tug-of-war, most of Lee Myungsoo’s demands were ultimately accepted.

“Party Leader, please meet with the President and obtain permission.”

“......Very well.”

“And except for Assemblyman Cheon Suin, the entire leadership will go down to Gwangju and support the campaign.”

“Why am I excluded?”

At the news that he was being left out, Cheon Suin frowned.

“Do you really need to ask? You insulted Gwangju.”

“N-no, that was—!”

“Apologizing now will only reinforce negative impressions in people’s minds. Save the apology for after the election.”

When Lee Myungsoo spoke firmly, Cheon Suin finally backed down.

“Instead, Assemblyman, please go support Gyeonggi Province. That’s where things could become dangerous.”

“Hm, understood.”

Cheon Suin nodded.

“Then everyone, prepare yourselves and head down to Gwangju. I’ll make preparations and follow immediately.”

The Centrist Party poured all its strength into Gwangju Metropolitan City.

In addition to their prepared campaign pledges, they unveiled new promises, and the party leadership also went down to Gwangju during the remaining campaign period to help with rallies.

And then election day finally arrived.