Ha-yeon’s expression brightened even more.
***
By mid-February, nominations were in their final stages. In order to conduct campaign activities and meet citizens, I had to slowly decide on a candidate and prepare accordingly.
From Monday morning, clouds of war hung over the election camp of the 1st party. It was because it was the day when the outcome of the fight between Lee Yu-san and Han Jung-taek came out.
The people of Mt. Lee’s camp supported Mt. Lee, and the people of Jung-taek Han’s camp supported Jung-taek Han.
As always in Korean politics, centrists were in a position to decide everything.
“I don’t know whose side to take.”
“Shouldn’t I still take the side of Congressman Lee Yu-san?”
“You have to look at the candidates and select them. What if you look at the representative and select them?
“That’s right. If you don’t win the general election, it’s the same as losing power.”
Even inside, they were divided, and a heated debate ensued. It was true that Mt. Lee was at the center of the party, but that didn’t mean he had all the power.
Representative Ryu Gwang-min opened his mouth.
“First of all, we need to unite among ourselves.”
“Isn’t this what happened because of you?”
The arrows of criticism were directed at Rep. Ryu Kwang-min.
“Someone didn’t push me because they didn’t want to push me?”
“Gee. Be patient. Don’t you know who’s holding you back the most right now?”
“It’s a pity that Congressman Yu-san Lee is arranging traffic. Wouldn’t he not have thought of stepping down on his own?”
“That’s right. Congressman Han Joong-taek still hasn’t been able to organize his side properly.”
Public opinion had to be created. Because Lee Yu-san had asked for help from some moderates in advance, they sided with Yu-san.
People belonging to the moderate group were also in a situation where they were anxious that they would fall out of the nomination. In the meantime, when a person with power came in contact with them individually, they were bound to be shaken.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Where is the line in the same party?”
“That’s right. Don’t blur the atmosphere by saying strange things, let’s start by talking about how to win.”
This time, the Han Joong-taek line moved. If you go line-to-line, you will inevitably be pushed back by Yu-san, so you shouldn’t focus on the line now.
Han Jung-taek still needed time to develop his power.
‘Even if I say something, it will only backfire.’
Representative Han Joong-taek covered his itchy mouth with his hand. There was a lot I wanted to say, but there was no need to expose my position here.
If a fight breaks out and splits into two factions, most of them will be on Yu-san’s side.
“These days, youth policies are emerging as an issue. How about proposing policies for young people who will lead the future?”
“If it’s a youth policy, wouldn’t young people do well?”
Han Joong-taek’s line consisted of young lawmakers. For this purpose, the atmosphere was created in advance.
[An aging Korea. If this continues, the population will disappear in 20XX]
[National pension depletion in 20XX due to the decrease in the youth population]
[If the national pension is depleted, existing recipients may not be able to receive it]
Among the elderly, there were quite a few people who lived on pensions. As the current young people find it difficult to live, the birth rate is declining and the aging population has emerged as a serious social problem.
In this situation, articles that emphasized that if policies for young people are not implemented, middle-aged people will also suffer, continued to pour out.
Thanks to this, an atmosphere spread among the people that the Republic of Korea can only be sustained by taking care of the young people. It was an image created by Han Joong-taek’s line, led by Dokgogap.
“Young people have no experience, so what kind of policies will they make? Youth policies are made even better by those who have made them.”
“That’s right. Not all young people are the same. How can young people who have only fragmented experiences create good policies?”
“Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you have a lot of experience. At times like this, you need a sense of youth.”
The Yoosan faction and the Hanjungtaek faction were in sharp confrontation. Leaders on both sides simply kept their mouths shut and watched the situation.
Han Jung-taek kept his mouth shut, fearing that his words might be someone else’s, and Lee Yu-san was waiting for the right moment to intervene.
“People want a new face.
“That’s your idea. Most people are supposed to pick someone they’re familiar with. Wouldn’t it be better for each of them to run in their existing districts?”
After a long discussion, the ball had no choice but to go to Lee Yoo-san and Han Jung-taek.
“Lee Yu-san, what do you think?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to devise a strategy from a comprehensive perspective? How can we do a big job by talking about individual defeats?”
The conclusion he came to was to incorporate Han Jung-taek’s line into his own line. Unlike his own line, which formed a cartel for over ten years and saw each other, the solidarity of Han Jung-taek’s line was weak.
‘I didn’t eat political rice in vain.’
The solidarity of the colleagues who caught the weakness was stronger than anything else. Han Joong-taek lacked that part. He had to do something dirty to win.
So, I decided to call the young people to ‘Dorim’. People who came to him had to make nominations together and organize the rest, so he needed time to select them.
He took out a piece of paper and put it on the table.
“This is the second party’s nomination list.”
The party members gathered around the paper with a murmur. It was a Zoro received from the Ganja planted inside, and the reliability was quite high.
“We got it last night. We have to figure out the pros and cons of each candidate and put the right candidate in the running. We need your help to do that.”
“Tell me if you need anything.”
Congressman Min caught the wind.
“If you help me to investigate each candidate, wouldn’t it be possible to complete the investigation in three days?
Naturally, the number of candidates was less than the number of party members. Not everyone can be a candidate.
“Then, why don’t those who want to be candidates for each constituency appeal their competitiveness against their opponents? I think we just have to make a decision after seeing the appeal.”
“What do you think, Congressman Han Jung-taek?”
Han Jung-taek clenched his fists under the desk. Because I missed the timing, it became difficult to cut off here.
“You do that.”
Yusan’s proposal was not unreasonable. Not knowing that he was buying time to do groundwork, Han Jung-taek accepted his opinion.
‘Now that I’ve bought time, I’ll have to have a deep conversation with the candidates.’
‘Now that I’ve gained time, I’ll have to invite those with high potential to run for Dorim.’
The statue was a dream.
***
There was no doubt that Ha-yeon had a stomachache.
As soon as I donated to Hanmaeum Nursery School as suggested by the child, a pop-up popped up in front of my eyes.
[Received a gift from a donation angel]
[Cooldown: 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
[Treasure Map (medium, rare)]
‘Are you on a treasure map?’
What I found with the treasure map (small) was silver ore and a shipwreck.
‘If it’s in the middle, what the hell is coming out?’
The saliva went down.
Did your ancestors appear in your dreams again?
I made a note of the coordinates and finished my schedule at the nursery school. The director decided to expand the size of the nursery school by purchasing the surrounding land.
“I hope the people who took over the building last time did it again.”
“Yes. Please contact me again when you purchase the land.”
Finding a reliable builder was not an easy task. I was able to entrust the work with confidence because I had built up quite a bit of trust with Chairman Cheol-hyun Lim of Taesan Construction.
‘Because I said I managed it properly the last time I built it.’
He was the trustworthy father of the trustworthy Im Han-ul, so I could trust him.
“Boss. But this big money… Aren’t you overdoing it?”
the manager asked again. It was an amount I could never have imagined.
But now it was different. Because that amount of money was only the first grade that was put into a Korean account.
I wanted to make a donation to this place every week, but it seemed that the director would be unable to handle it. It was because it took a lot of mental strength to spend a lot of money properly.
“Don’t worry about money from now on, just raise the kids as the director said.”
“Can I really hire a private tutor?”
“Of course. Because children will be the future that will lead our country.”
The issue of low birth rates is on the rise, but there are so many abandoned children… In the future, these children will be thrown into a society where they have to pay per diem.
The only gifts that could be given to them who would live in a harsh world were proper education and experience.
‘Since Hayeon is my friend, I hope everyone goes well.’
That way, our Ha-yeon will benefit too.
“Ha Yeon-ah. Father is here. I have to go now.”
Ha-yeon, who had been playing with the children, jumped up from her seat and ran to me.
“dad!”
“Uh. You can play a little more.”
“It’s okay, guys. I’ll come back later.”
Hayeon smiled brightly and waved to her friends. Friends also responded with greetings.
“You must come!”
“I hope to see you later in elementary school.”
“I know.”
There was no such thing as the school district was different. However, it was nice to see the children treating each other with pure hearts.
“hi!”
“Please come again.”
“Let’s play board games next time. The director bought us a board game.”
“huh!”
Ha-yeon grabbed my hand.
“Now go.”
***
The place indicated by the treasure map (middle) was a point between Dokdo and Pohang.
‘There’s no way a treasure ship passed this place, so it’s highly likely that it’s a natural resource…’
It was a treasure map (medium). A valuable treasure ship from the time of the British Empire was the Treasure Map (Small), and I thought that another shipwreck could not be ‘medium’.
‘I heard that our country has a lot of natural gas resources. Could it be natural gas?’
I heard that commercialization was not possible because the mining method was not appropriate. It occurred to me that the treasure map couldn’t have given any clues that weren’t liquid.
‘What should I do to collect marine resources?’
When in doubt, it was best to call an expert, but there were not many people to consult with. So I went to find Han Seong-min.
It was possible to talk on the phone, but it was because the phone could be tapped by a single person.
He was organizing an election camp in the Hwaseong cap area with the help of Seol Gyeong-taek. When I went to the nearby area and put in a phone call, he rushed over.
“Chief Kim. What brought you here?”
“Are the preparations for the election going well?”
“Thanks to Congressman Seol Gyeong-taek, it is going smoothly. The people who have been assigned as assistants this time are all kind.”
He laughed and scratched the back of his head.
“Is there a woman you like?”
“Ah. No. Not yet. For now, it’s time to focus on the election rather than dating. The opponent hasn’t been decided yet, so we need to prepare as much as possible.”
It was time to move slowly in the camp of the party where Yu-san belonged, but Han Jung-taek’s attack did not seem to come to his senses yet.
‘It will be decided soon.’
It didn’t seem like there would be a candidate who could win the Disneyland bid. If Han Seong-min ran, it was said that Dunsney Land would announce a statement sooner or later.
‘Infrastructure support using tax is what Dunesneyland wants.’
Facilities such as electricity, roads, and water supply were not expanded just for the sake of Disneyland. So I used to share the pain with the state. This was the same when building amusement parks in other areas.
Since urban planning is established by the state, it had to be approached from a national perspective.
‘Because the city can also invest in equity.’
If Han Seong-min became a member of the National Assembly, it was possible. It was to create jobs for tens of thousands of people, so the justification was clear.
‘Besides, if the number of young people increases, the city will definitely develop.’
It was clear that most of the employees working at Disneyland must be young people. It would be a good measure to overcome the hollowing out of the community.
That was the center of Han Seong-min’s pledge.
“More than that. What are you here for?”
“I came to ask you something.”
“I will tell you to the best of my knowledge.”
If you’re a lawyer, you probably know this.
“Do you know how to obtain a permit to mine underground resources in South Korean waters?”
“An underground resource?”
“We’re trying to mine a resource like natural gas.”
Han Seong-min narrowed his brow slightly.
“Did you discover the mine?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“No way… Did your ancestors appear in your dreams this time too?”
Officially, the shipwreck was discovered because an ancestor who appeared in a dream told him about it. That side was a shortcut to avoid complicated explanations.
“yes.”
“Then, we must first acquire the right to concession undersea.”
“What is a subsea concession?”
“Simply put, it’s the right to become a tenant farmer in a mine.”
Sungmin Han started to explain.
“According to the Submarine Mineral Resources Development Act, there are two types of subsea mining rights: exploration rights and extraction rights. You must have a mining right to mine.”
“Is it difficult to buy land?”
“Only the government can have the right to mine subsea mining, and the only thing a corporation can obtain is the right to mine. If you start mining, you have to pay the mining fee to the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy.”
It was a more complicated situation than I thought.
‘I can start a business only when someone I know sits in the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy?’
Now Yusan’s side was in power. I thought about holding hands with him, but there was no guarantee that the guy who abandoned Dokgojin like a devoted partner would treat me well.
‘I’ll have to do it after Seol Gyeong-taek becomes president.’
It was too risky to start right now.
I tried to think about just giving out the coordinates and leaving, but there was no benefit to me.
‘Lee Yu-san is only doing good things.’
The ruler of the country is not on my side, so I can’t make others do only good things.
Still, it would have been nice to know in advance.