"President Lee, where's your company's corporate card? Our Samseong-dong Kookmin branch has the best service rating around."
Three rounds in, Yoon Seung-gil abruptly raised the topic.
"If you need anything, call me. I'll make you happy."
Shincheon Kookmin, akin to rural credit unions.
Yoon Seung-gil was its Samseong-dong branch proxy.
"The corporate card's with KB (Korea National Bank). Elders' orders, hard to refuse."
"Oh~ Got it!" Yoon's face showed raw disappointment.
Brief contact piqued Lee Jin-woo's curiosity.
Blunt speech, emotions bare.
After rejection, he lost interest in talking, just shoveled food.
Like a reckless kid—charmingly, he was authentic, free-spirited.
Bluntly, childish, foolish, self-important.
How'd this guy become a proxy without being a corporate scapegoat?
What followed shocked Jin-woo more.
He left early, citing "urgent business."
Seeing Sook Min-soo's embarrassment, Jin-woo figured it was time to go.
The lunch worked better than expected.
He hadn't pushed, but someone self-destructed!
"President Lee, wait. Let's talk in the living room. I need your advice."
Sook Min-soo stopped him, wanting a private chat.
Glancing around, the maid was gone. Just them.
"Sure, another drink?"
"Of course, such fine wine shouldn't go to waste."
She shook the bottle, heedless of disturbing its aroma.
Right now, even a 10-million-won Petrus didn't matter.
"President Lee, your view on lawyers?"
"Law's bottom rung, prosecutors' fallback, elite class…"
"Law's shame!" Sook Min-soo scorned her profession.
In truth, this was lawyers' reality in Korea.
To most, lawyers were the fallback for those who couldn't make judge or prosecutor—academic dregs.
Self-taught civilians passing bar exams had the highest ratio among legal careers.
Only barely surviving families took pride in lawyers.
It wasn't part of the "privileged class," and non-privilege faced society's disdain.
Yes, even the scorned masses held this view.
How else could Korea be called a "twisted, surreal" society?
Plus, prosecutors' vast power.
To shield them from elite retaliation post-retirement or exile, Korea had an unwritten "ex-official courtesy" rule.
Retired prosecutors joined law firms or became corporate legal advisors.
How could a privileged elite's retirement home earn public respect?
But lawyers weren't trash.
More like a steep, treacherous ladder, with infinite potential to the top.
The climb was brutal, but possible…
Roh Moo-hyun was living proof.
"I want to enter politics." Sook Min-soo revealed her goal.
Politics needed many prerequisites.
But most crucial: money's backing.
She aimed to start as a councilor, seeking any possible support.
Seeing her manicured, pale, slender fingers rest lightly on his thigh, his gaze on her crossed legs, black stockings revealing hints of flesh, grew heated, impulsive.
Does she know who I am?
He wondered, but dismissed it.
His identity, while not secret in small circles, was beyond her class's reach.
Otherwise, she wouldn't hedge, hinting indirectly.
She'd be blunt: what she wanted, what she'd offer.
Sometimes, it's that simple.
"District—got anyone's endorsement?"
Mimicking her, he lightly stroked the stockings' texture.
Mm~
Silky, smooth, resilient, with a cool skin undertone, elevating the friction's luxury.
Under bright lights, with faint knocks and excited shouts seeping through the door, the sinful thrill of impulse surged.
Wow~
Like the devil's lure, dangerous yet addictive, impossible to stop.
Craving more.
She didn't reject his advance. Hesitant, she said, "Dongdaemun A district. A seat's opening."
"Didn't peg you for conservative. Thought young folks leaned radical."
"Conservatism's the best strategy. All radicalism or reform is fleeting, settling back to conservatism."
Korea's parties were chaotic, countless factions, renaming commonplace.
Today, one splits off, forming a new party, taking followers.
Tomorrow, aligned interests merge, teaming up.
Splitting, merging—the true powerholders never change.
So, party names didn't matter. It was about whose side you picked.
"What do you want?"
Jin-woo avoided getting too close to politicians, but some things were beyond control.
His status tied him to them.
In the future, even if he wanted out, many wouldn't let him.
With eras speeding up, global and domestic shifts intensifying, everyone craved a stable rear base.
So, why not plant seeds while he was free?
They might bring surprises.
"Really decided?"
"Yes."
"Then show me your resolve… Tomorrow, I'm at MBC's Gayo Daejeon. Day after, start with polls. How's that?"
"Two days, too short."
Sook Min-soo explained, troubled. "I haven't quit my job, and the campaign office needs prep."
Truthfully, she needed time to convince herself.
Deep down, she wasn't ready. One step, no turning back.
"That's where you show resolve, no?"
Standing, he smiled, nodding politely. "See you then. Maybe a surprise awaits."
Game over for today.
He was eager for her choice in two days…
Watching him leave, Sook Min-soo wavered.
His calm confidence, like he controlled fate, made him seem godlike.
A surprise—did it exist?
"Min-soo, he's gone." Yoon Seung-gil, fresh from a game win, beamed.
"Yes."
Chugging from the bottle, she headed to the study. "I've got work tonight. Don't wait."
"Can't it wait till tomorrow?"
No answer. He shrugged. "Fine, don't drink too much."
The door shut. His face shifted. "Guess I can play a few more rounds."
Rubbing his hands, he raced to his room.
Tonight, he'd go all out.
Hearing faint excited shouts outside, Sook Min-soo lifted the bottle again.
Glug, glug~
Downing the rest like a brute, she slumped onto the study's spring bed.
Tonight, she just wanted to sleep.
But the warmth of his touch kept her tossing.
Heart racing, guilt and temptation swirled, like tasting forbidden fruit—complex.
A good girl, others' pride, she'd never felt such intense emotions.
Her heart pounded wildly, blood rushing, body burning, suffocating…
Curling up, her hand drifted downward.
"Pick me up at the apartment."
Calling Driver Kim, Jin-woo entered a café across the street, ordering an iced Americano.
Fresh-made, no wait.
Sipping, he called home.
Not Chief Ahn. Running the family, knowing all that was and is happening, wasn't just him.
"Daisy, you good?"
"Fine, but why call me?"
Her voice was hushed, wary of being overheard.
He got her position. The secretarial office was no easy gig.
"Dongdaemun district, any hot primaries?"
"Why ask? You never cared…"
In a crisp uniform, Daisy slipped into an empty alley. A signal?
"Just curious. Can you get it?"
She paused. "Saenuri Party's pushing a new candidate, Sook Min-soo, a lawyer… Her dad's a Shincheon Kookmin board executive."
Jin-woo pressed, "B district?"
"It's tied to her. I didn't say she's A district."
"Sort of."
He didn't deny it. No point lying over this.
"It's the Democratic Party's fourth-term…"
The Rover pulled up, ending the call.
Simpler than he thought. Saenuri was at its peak, dominating Seoul and Busan.
With heavyweight party backing, anyone could win.
Key was party nominators, supporters.
And most critical: campaign funds…
In an era valuing wealth, power rose from its rotten swamp.
(End of Chapter)