EP 31 – Winter Travel is Not Going (1)
teeth.
One of the biggest concerns for politicians was their teeth. In a way, it is natural that older yangbans suffer from overwork and stress all day long.
Right now, it is often heard that the chief of staff has pulled out a few teeth, and the president, who was teased for his leaky pronunciation, had a history of pulling out 13 teeth.
And that, yangban-seok was no exception.
“Chief Seok Jae-bong.”
“yes. dismissal.”
“Where did you get the implant?”
Seok Jae-bong, chief of staff, scratched his head shyly at the president’s subtle question.
“Actually, my sister-in-law is a dentist… … .”
“So you received it with utmost sincerity.”
“Haha, no. But how did you know?”
Yang Pan-seok held out five fingers.
“I did five.”
“Haha. I did six.”
“haha.”
Two elderly people in their 60s looked at each other and smiled warmly.
It wasn’t that they both laughed.
* * *
President Yang Pan-seok and Chief of Staff Seok Jae-bong continued discussions about implants and dental health for a long time.
The story ended with a promise that Yang Pan-seok would visit a dentist run by Seok Jae-bong’s sister-in-law someday, and only then did they start talking about state affairs.
“I heard that there was a major accident yesterday. How is it?”
“yes. A hunter in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do was unable to control his abilities and burned all around. It’s a Daldongne, so the fire spreads so quickly… … .. However, it was confirmed that the news of the fire was not reported as much as Shin Su-gwang, the chairman of the Blitzkrieg, was recently setting an angle with the mainstream media.”
“Ugh. What happened to the independence army on the North Korean side?”
“The National Intelligence Service is in the process of forming public opinion, centering on key figures. So far, I know it’s been pretty smooth.”
“okay. If possible, I would like to hear that there is no talk of establishing a single government. Even if the force is always on standby, let’s solve it through dialogue if it’s a little bit. Because after work, I get cursed at this and that.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
After that, Yang Pan-seok asked a few more questions and simply shook his head with a satisfied expression.
“Well, good. If you receive a solicitation regarding the US presidential election, please report it immediately… … Yes. Just go.”
However, Chief Secretary Seok Jae-bong did not leave the office and hesitated. It looks like he has something to say.
“Hey, President.”
“why. What’s wrong?”
“It’s no different, I think I need to organize my personal life slowly.”
It was said that he would resign as chief of staff and run for parliament. The translator ran automatically in Yang’s head.
Seok Jae-bong was originally an aide to Won-ok-bun. It is also a Republican figure who was once re-elected. So, if he returned to politics now, he was going to become a third-term member of the National Assembly.
And Seok Jae-bong was Won-ok-bun’s aide and Yang Pan-seok’s spy. He reported to Yang Pan-seok about every move of Won-ok-bun throughout the gate incident.
Thanks to this, Yang Pan-seok defeated Won Ok-bun in the last presidential election, and Seok Jae-bong was recognized for his work and was able to occupy the second-in-command position in the Blue House as the Chief of Staff of the President.
In other words,
If Won Ok-bun became president, Seok Jae-bong would be the first to cut his throat.
Yang Pan-seok finished thinking that far and opened his mouth.
“Are you planning to push the former Prime Minister Yoo Jae-kyung?”
“Haha, I guess… … .”
“Prime Minister Yoo Jae-kyung has lived only as a civil servant for the rest of his life, so he must be ignorant of the affairs of the National Assembly. It will be of great help as our director, Seok, has enough experience in the National Assembly.”
“thank you.”
“If the constituency… … ?”
“We haven’t decided yet, but we are looking for an office in Gwangju.”
“Gwangju… … Now there are over 15 districts in Gwangju alone… … .”
Since Yoo Jae-kyung of the National Defense Party ran for Busan, it was said that Seok Jae-bong would be in charge of Gwangju. He also received the halo of Yang Pan-seok, who was the leader of Honam.
Yang Pan-seok clearly knew what was going on, but he gave Seok Jae-bong a useful constituency. Then, he called the party leader of the National Defense Party and promised Seok Jae-bong the next floor leader.
When all the other politicians were lame, it was the moment when the president, who had fallen into an early lame duck, showed his unwavering power.
Seok Jae-bong, moved by the grace, bowed his head and left the office. However, Yang Pan-seok’s troubles had only just begun.
“Huh… … So, who should be the chief of staff now? … .”
Yang Pan-seok began to wrap his head in earnest.
Yang Pan-seok’s greatest goal was to leave the Blue House with applause. The second goal was the endless development and glory of the Republic of Korea.
For him, Kim Doo-shik, a well-known war hero, was appointed as the prime minister, and recently he was raising the image of the government by working out the welfare budget and part-time comments.
In such a situation, if the wrong person was appointed as the chief of staff here, it was clear that he would be subjected to a carpet bombardment and would be crippled in an instant and become a prey for all kinds of politicians.
The most terrifying one in particular is the next president. Because the presidents who have been torn apart through a difficult presidential election used to do what is known as the liquidation of corruption in order to recover their stamina.
Thanks to this, almost all of the presidents of the Republic of Korea did not do well in their later years. Yang Pan-seok was unaware of that fact, so he was worried first.
However,
“… … hello?”
It was still worth doing.
“Hey, Seungmoon. Now, go to the potato soup restaurant there… … .”
* * *
“… … Chief of Staff to the President?”
“uh.”
“… … me?”
“okay. You are the right person.”
Yang Pan-seok smirked and drank hot Gamjatang soup, and I spit the Gamjatang broth out of my mouth.
I was eating oysters at home when Yang Pan-seok called me out, and he told me to become the chief of staff of the president. What is this, the sound of forgetting the ghost Hongdu in the middle of the night?
I replied reflexively.
“I don’t.”
“What?”
“sorry!”
Maybe if I was a guy who didn’t know politics at all, I was a guy who used to roll on the front line as an aide. Therefore, I knew how frightening the position of the chief of staff of the president was.
What is the Chief of Staff to the President? The actual number two in the Blue House. no. 2nd in Korea. the right hand of the president. legitimate non-profit tax.
And once you enter, you have to give up the thought of going to work for several years. A place where you have to pull out about five or six teeth due to stress.
That was the position of Chief of Staff to the President.
“Successful at a young age has made me a minister that doesn’t suit me. And I only realized my lack of ability.”
“Heh heh, being humble… … .”
“This is the case if we look only at overseas support for stimulants this time. Emotions take precedence over reason, how can I do my country work? I’m not a person to be used much.”
“Ah, that’s for me to judge.”
“And above all. It seems that the body is slowly losing its taste. It is getting harder and harder to get up in the morning, and my ears are ringing and my tinnitus is ringing, and now my teeth seem to shake a little.”
“therefore. In the end, will it be hard to eat?”
“Yes.”
“It’s good to be honest.”
Although it is said that the head of the policy office handles economic and administrative affairs these days, the chief of staff was literally a politician in the dark.
Whenever something happened abroad, the chief of staff had to sell his arms, and when the media and the prosecution were in an uproar, the chief of staff had to feed seolleongtang through his nostrils.
Of course, the work intensity, stress, and risk were very high.
So I struggled to get out of the beast of Yang Pan-seok, but this old man was looking at me with the eyes of a beast that was almost preying on its prey.
In a way, I, who used to be Yang Pan-seok’s assistant, could have said that when I entered Yang’s chief of staff, I was originally looking for a seat… … .
My thoughts were a little different.
“Do you really need me? … ?”
“I need.”
“Ah, no, if I was a firefighter putting out the fire that fell on my feet, wouldn’t I need a gardener to take care of a large garden now?”
In fact, I often feel that my role is over.
Monsters and superpowers arose in the world, and all sorts of things happened. But we got through it. And in some ways, it’s much better than it was in the past.
If you have survived a huge disaster so far, now is the time to build a new city from the ashes.
And I was a gifted person at framing and destroying people, not a person who spreads hope by leading people.
okay. I cannot become a superhuman like Lumiere, Hong Seon-ah, or Kim Chun-sik. And, as the situation in Australia alone shows, it was clear who the world needed more.
But can I be completely twisted like Cha Jae-gyun? Not even that. In the end, I was just an ordinary gray molecule.
To be honest, there are so many superhumans in the world, and I wondered if it was okay for an opportunist who was lucky enough to succeed like me to climb higher than it is now.
So maybe now is the time for me to step down. At least, maybe I shouldn’t go higher than that. The moment I become the chief of staff, I really become a presidential candidate, so maybe I shouldn’t rise to that position… … .
With that in mind, he carefully thanked Yang Pan-seok.
“Of course, I can’t play at home because I have a family to feed, but I want to stay away from politics as much as possible. You can be a hunter, sometimes you can go on a TV show, or you can spend time writing the memoir of Seungmoon Han.”
“Huh… … .”
“Actually, if I go into politics in the future, I don’t think there will be any more roles I can play. The WPO will be led by Noah Lumière well, and Korea will rise and fall again because it is a democratic society anyway. The international situation is gradually stabilizing… … .”
That said, now I want to stop going higher here. That was my argument.
As to how much persuasion had worked, Yang Pan-seok also spoke less. He stroked his sparse beard for a while, then said to me.
“… … First off, I know what you mean. It’s not that I don’t understand your mind either. The world has definitely gotten a lot better. Gone are the days when a dozen people gathered together and dealt with each other like in the old days. Now the word destruction is not so scary.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
But Yang Pan-seok finally shook his head.
“That wouldn’t be a world where people like you would be forced to retreat to the back room. If the Horus system of the US Forces Korea ceases to exist immediately, the entire Republic of Korea will be exposed to unexpected gates, and if China cuts off food aid, hundreds of thousands of people will starve to death this winter.”
“… … .”
“Where is that? If the eastern Russian warlords invade North Korea to survive. If an extra-large gate is announced in the middle of Busan. If the stimulant recipe goes to the United States. Do you think we will be able to live as comfortable as we do now?”
Unexpected threat. Those words crushed my heart. Yang Pan-seok calmly left his seat and stood up.
“I’ll give you a week or so.”
“… … .”
“In the meantime, think about it. What can we do for this country?”
He put on a sloppy suit and left a word as he left the Gamjatang restaurant.
“I will wait for a positive reply.”
It must have been a small revenge for counting only one person and leaving.
* * *
I did not expect a positive answer, I said that I would wait for a positive answer. At this point, it was a threat, not an invitation.
So, three days have passed since Yang Pan-seok’s notice. I was waiting for the day of slaughter with the heart of a calf being led to the slaughterhouse.
And the calf does nothing but eat and sleep. So, I didn’t even take a step outside of the blanket except when I was eating.
When I explained such a philosophy of life, Yeo Do-yeon started calling me like this.
“hey. calf.”
“what.”
“Eat the leftovers.”
I went out to the living room and ate a piece of beef stew with my fingers.
And the salty salt hit his tongue.
“Ow, swag! Where did you buy this Jangjorim?”
“I did.”
“Somehow it was delicious.”
He said that it was salty because he ate only soy sauce without rice, and Yeo Do-yeon stabbed me in the back with her elbow.
I was the only person in the world I could touch with peace of mind, so I decided to accept this kind of attack leniently.
At that time, my aunt, who was lying on the sofa and watching the news with her aunt’s lap on her knees, spoke to me in a tired voice.
“Boy. When do you go to work?”
“… … Four days left.”
“Don’t be too mortal. It’s not a place where other people want to go for the rest of their lives, but they can’t go.”
“Yes. I also wonder if this is a dream sometimes. Do you think the chief of staff to the president at 30 makes sense?”
“It would be better if it was a dream. boy Look at the news over there. Berlin completely collapsed today. The retreat is over, but it seems that the Europeans are not alone in shock.”
“… … .”
The symbol of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate, was shattered into pieces of stone. Above it, a group of monsters resembling wild dogs were running as if insulting civilization.
And the moment the gate opened in Busan, that would not be the scenery of another country. I frowned at the burden and opened the refrigerator to soothe my burning stomach.
As I drink cold water,
bread-!
Sarai was heard at the sound of the horn.
“Collock… … ! Cole… … !”
I managed to calm my stomach and went outside to find out what was going on. Bodyguards are sweating around a white sports car.
As I dragged my slippers out to the yard, someone pulled my head out of the sports car and called me. It was a familiar voice.
“Long time no see. How are you?”
“… … Mr. Chen?”
“Your complexion is very bad. What do you think is going on?”
“That’s it. Because someone grinds their crayons in front of someone else’s house in broad daylight… … .”
President Cheon Geum-soon was wearing orange sunglasses that sparkled like mirrors. I have a small head, so I feel like the sunglasses are too big.
Besides, he was making up for what was going on. I wonder what the hell is going on with people like this, who usually insisted on only sloppy suits.
“Anyway, what’s going on?”
“Didn’t you hear from Governor Chung Jung-yeop? You said there was a FKI meeting in Jeju Island.”
“Ah, it was. The chaebols get together and make friends. But wasn’t that tomorrow?”
“Who is going to Jeju Island for a day trip? Isn’t it?”
The last question was not asked of me. There was someone in the back seat. Someone wanted to take a closer look.
was a chaebol.
It wasn’t even a suit, it was plain clothes. Just looking at what looks like a jolbu is something that CEO Cheon bought. He bowed his head and avoided my gaze.
“… … Why are you here?”
“… … So I went out to buy food… … .”
“I told you not to follow someone I didn’t know who gave me food.”
“… … .”
Underground bunker 4 days before being taken to the Blue House.
The sudden trip to Jeju Island began like that.