The Former Chaebol Heir Excels as President

Chapter 46: Room 510 of the Members’ Office (1)

I was assigned to the Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting and Communications Committee under the instruction of the newly appointed Floor Leader.

Two Level-4 Staffers, two Level-5 Secretaries, and one each of Level-6, Level-7, and Level-9 Secretaries, plus one intern.

A total of eight people.

The intern I had to select was delayed. It was because none of the applicants had truly won me over, but today I decided I’d make a decision after interviewing just one more.

Knock knock—

Sitting in my office, I checked the time.

It was time for the intern interview.

“Yes.”

Ahn Jin-su entered.

“Sir, the applicant is here for the interview.”

“Let them in.”

Inside the National Assembly, Ahn Jin-su and I used formal speech with each other.

Of course, when we met in private, we reverted to being friends again.

A woman who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, entered.

“Hello.”

“Please have a seat.”

“Secretary Yoon! A cup of coffee, please.”

A voice from outside replied, “Yes!”

Looking at her resume and self-introduction, I asked,

“Any reason you chose an internship at the National Assembly over a regular job?”

“I’ve always been curious about the work done here, and I thought I might be good at it.”

Her name was Yoo Yeon-jeong, a graduate of the Department of Korean Literature who had submitted her resume.

Her self-introduction exceeded four A4 pages in length, but in summary, she said that the experience at the National Assembly would serve as an important criterion in choosing her career path.

“You were active in the school newspaper for a long time and even won awards in writing contests three times.”

“I like writing. My dream is to become a journalist, writer, or film director, but I haven’t decided yet.”

“Are you saying that experiencing work at the National Assembly might help you choose?”

“That’s how it feels. It’s an irresistible pull—something like that.”

“That’s an interesting way to put it.”

“To me, it’s that desperate.”

She was bold.

Though she looked nothing like the character in the original novel, for some reason, the image of the dormitory mistress from ‘The Dorm Mistress and the Love Letter’ came to mind.

It was because the eyes visible behind her gold-rimmed glasses looked rather strict.

“Can you introduce yourself in under three minutes?”

“I’m the eldest of two sons and one daughter, raised in an ordinary household. My father worked as a day laborer but remained optimistic, and my mother raised three children while working in a restaurant. I had a lot of time alone, so I loved books, and writing became my hobby.”

She spoke clearly and deliberately, as if she had rehearsed.

“In college, I worked for the school newspaper and developed an interest in social issues. I wrote a few articles on inequality and injustice. My strength is responsibility—there’s never been a single instance of anyone criticizing my work. I also have an ability to analyze and summarize complex matters easily. On the other hand, my weakness is…”

“That’s enough.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t want to hear your weakness. That can be corrected later. What do you think you’ll be like ten years from now?”

“I don’t know what profession I’ll have chosen, but I believe I’ll be recognized within an organization.”

She writes well, is logical, has vivid eyes, and is full of confidence.

I like her.

There was a knock, and Secretary Yoon brought in the coffee.

“Please have some.”

“Thank you.”

After she sipped the coffee, I asked,

“Do you know anything about me?”

“You were born on May 5, 1972, in Wonju. Your resident registration lists September 9 because the doctor said the baby might die at birth. That’s why your name uses the characters for ‘sky’ (Cheon) and ‘life’ (Myeong), meaning ‘a life saved by the heavens.’ And…”

It was as if she had downloaded my entire life into her brain. My business started in high school, the photo taken at a protest in Yeonje University, the volunteer work I did in college—she knew it all.

I was so stunned, I couldn’t speak.

“Your brain’s a computer.”

“Because I respect you, I’m eager to learn from you.”

“I’m only a first-term member—what could I possibly teach you?”

“I want to learn your attitude toward life. I’m confident that you’ll become an outstanding politician.”

“That sounds like flattery.”

“It’s sincere.”

Her eyes and gold rims sparkled at the same time.

“The intern pay is 1.2 million won, and while it includes the four major insurances, it’s not a permanent position. Even with allowances, the total won’t exceed 1.5 million. And you could be replaced at any time.”

“I’m not doing this for money.”

“There’ll be many late nights.”

“That’s even better. I’ll get to learn more.”

She’s a bold and energetic woman, and that’s her charm.

“Alright. Let’s work together.”

“Pardon?”

Yoo Yeon-jeong looked flustered.

"Why? You don’t like it?"

"No, sir. I was just a little shocked because you said it so suddenly."

"Let’s do our best."

I reached out my hand, and she gripped it firmly.

With this, the formation was complete.

The member’s office was running at full speed.

Our first bill: “Revitalization Plan for Traditional Markets.”

In the meeting room, two staffers, two secretaries, one assistant gathered with me.

Revitalizing traditional markets had been one of my campaign pledges, and I was confident it was the one we could fulfill the quickest.

I spoke first.

“We’ve found partners for the website setup and delivery system. We’ll start in my constituency.”

“As expected from someone with a business background. Your network is wide. This will definitely help.”

That was Political Affairs Staffer Im Seong-chan.

He was a veteran with sixteen years of experience in the field and also held a law license.

Member of the National Assembly Seong Chang-rae had said the party sent me their most competent staffer because expectations were high. According to him, Im Seong-chan had pipelines into the National Intelligence Service, police, prosecution, National Tax Service, and the Board of Audit and Inspection.

That’s how extensive his network was and how specialized he was in political matters.

“As Staffer Im said, because of my long experience in IT, finding partner companies isn’t hard. The problem is I lack legislative experience, so things are disorganized. I need your help, Secretary Han.”

“There’s an existing law, so it’s best to add to and revise it. With the presidential election coming up this year, if we prepare well, it shouldn’t be hard to pass.”

Level-5 Secretary Han Do-nam was a legislative expert.

He continued.

“Several other Members of Parliament are preparing related bills, so it’s better if we act quickly.”

“‘Traditional market’ is a more positive term than ‘street market,’ so it’s important we clearly use it. We should change the entrance signage as well.”

“What should we do about coupons? Last year, sales for Onnuri gift certificates stalled at 180 billion won, but this year it’s projected to exceed 300 billion.”

“Coupons and points are in a different category than Onnuri gift certificates. They’re meant to circulate only within the market. It makes sense to start with online implementation and then expand offline.”

“So the target demographic would be the younger generation familiar with smartphones.”

“Let’s begin with that approach.”

Secretary Wang Gyo-muk, who had been listening, joined in.

“The theme is important. Right now, the bill is tentatively titled ‘Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Promotion of Traditional Markets and Shopping Districts.’ We’ll need to differentiate clearly.”

“Your pledge emphasized transforming traditional markets into places of entertainment, sights, and food. We should highlight the tourism angle.”

“How about calling it something like the K-Market transformation of traditional markets? Adding English might help.”

“Using English might weaken the message.”

I listened carefully to the various staff opinions.

The Traditional Market Globalization Act, Traditional Market Landmark Transformation Act, Traditional Market Tourism Support Act, Traditional Market Culture and Tourism Act.

Many ideas were shared, and Level-6 Secretary Ha Eun-hye recorded all the comments.

“Thank you all for your input. Let’s proceed with the next steps. Secretary Wang, please compile examples of events held in traditional markets overseas.”

“Yes.”

“Staffer Ahn, please gather input from the field.”

“Understood.”

“Secretary Han, organize the traditional market-related bills that were previously discarded.”

“Yes.”

Assigning each their tasks, I concluded the meeting.

“Staffer Im, may I speak with you for a moment?”

“Yes.”

To introduce a bill, I needed the agreement of at least ten Members of Parliament.

With so many traditional market-related bills expected, it wouldn’t be easy for a first-term member like me to get space.

I had to analyze each Member’s tendencies through Staffer Im.

Just as I exited the office, shouting erupted from the adjacent member’s office.

“What kind of work is this? You call this a report?!”

Member of the National Assembly Woo Gyeong-ho, who used Room 511.

He was a three-term lawmaker who had once been imprisoned during the democratization movement.

Because I had always seen him as a composed figure, I was completely taken aback.

His furious voice continued.

“If you don’t want to work, quit right now! There are plenty more like you! You’re way out of your depth, acting like you know something! Pathetic bastard!”

I looked silently at Im Seong-chan.

“Let’s go for now.”

I followed him out to the garden.

Im Seong-chan and I stood side by side at the railing.

My startled heart had yet to calm down.

“I didn’t expect Member of the National Assembly Woo Gyeong-ho to be so angry. It’s completely different from his image—it’s disorienting.”

“He’s suffering from post-election defeat syndrome. One of his staffers miscalculated the votes.”

“Sounds like someone promised support and then broke it.”

“From what I’ve heard, he secured promises of votes from mainstream members by offering them roles like Standing Committee Chair, Party Spokesperson, and Floor Deputy Leader. But he ended up in last place. No wonder he’s furious.”

"Do you think the other side gave a bigger gift?"

Im Seong-chan silently nodded.

It was about the recent Floor Leader election.

I had voted for Member of the National Assembly Mo Jong-chan, a three-term lawmaker.

Seong Chang-rae had suggested that I vote for Member of the National Assembly Woo Gyeong-ho, and I had agreed at first. But I concluded that Mo Jong-chan had greater political insight and believed in his pledge to eliminate factional politics, so I cast my vote for him.

"You must’ve voted based on your conviction, too?"

"I can’t fool you, Staffer Im."

"You can never read the minds of those veteran lawmakers. Even if staffers go all the way to their local constituencies to secure promises, they often end up voting for someone else. It’s something you should be aware of. That’s why factions are formed—not without reason."

"Member of the National Assembly Mo Jong-chan said he would do away with factional politics, though?"

"Every form of politics has power blocs. Someone has to carry the banner."

Im Seong-chan didn’t explain further.

He merely tossed the topic at me like a riddle, as if handing me homework.

"Sir."

"Yes?"

"I believe you’re cut out to become a great politician."

"Why do you think that?"

"Your moral character, leadership, and negotiation skills were proven in business, and in this election, you demonstrated strategy, vision, communication skills, and patriotism. Those are remarkable traits."

"You’ve been observing since the campaign, haven’t you?"

"You may not know this, but in the staffers’ group chat, you were a major topic. Everyone was curious if a political rookie could defeat a three-term ruling party lawmaker."

Attention is good.

I too had come to enjoy the idea of being someone talked about, like established politicians.

"Staffer."

"Yes, sir?"

"Can I trust you?"

A 16-year veteran.

I had to make him my person.