Chapter 585: If Responsibility Must Be Take, I’ll Accept It

The leaders of the Moderate Party gathered in the representative office of the Central Party office.

Their faces were filled with displeasure.

"Lee Myeong-su, the Secretary General."

Han Ji-ho, the party representative, called out to Lee Myeong-su, his voice unmistakably showing his irritation.

"Yes, Representative."

"The inter-Korean summit. Was this the purpose of your visit to North Korea? And to make matters worse, it's being held in Seoul. Were you just there to coordinate this?"

Lee Myeong-su knew all too well the emotions they were feeling.

Discontent and anxiety. Despite being the leaders of the Moderate Party, none of them were aware of this fact.

Only Lee Myeong-su knew that the summit would take place in Seoul, apart from the President and his closest aides.

Under Han Ji-ho's piercing gaze, Lee Myeong-su nodded.

"Yes. I personally met with Vice Chairman Jang Seong-taek to negotiate. That meeting led to the scheduling of the summit."

Among the leaders present, there were some from the Moderate Party, but there were also several who had joined through the merger of the Moderate Party and the Conservative Party.

Starting with Han Ji-ho, who had once held the presidency of the Conservative Party.

On the surface, they appeared well united, but a closer look revealed underlying discord.

Particularly during the nominating process for parliamentary candidates, the Conservative faction had become dissatisfied.

Most of the nominations went to those from the Moderate Party, except for the previously promised TK region, deepening the rift.

"Hah! But you didn't even mention this to me. Am I not the party representative? Secretary General, tell me. Am I not the leader of this party?"

"Why are you stating the obvious? You are the party representative, who else would it be?"

Lee Myeong-su's calm words sharpened Han Ji-ho's gaze.

"Is that so? Then why did you handle this without reporting to me?"

Lee Myeong-su had anticipated this reaction. However, there was no escaping the necessity.

If information leaked beforehand, it could derail the planned relations with North Korea.

Sighing, Lee Myeong-su replied.

"Representative. This matter was a matter of security. Isn't that something you all know? North Korea always prioritizes security in related affairs. The only people who knew about this were five of us, including President Yoon Chang-ho and myself. Even the special envoy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Unification Department who visited Pyongyang were unaware. They merely conducted the family reunion meeting as assigned, while I acted separately."

"You should have informed me regardless. Do you know how ridiculous I appeared? Reporters and party members were asking me about this, and I had no answers!"

Han Ji-ho suddenly raised his voice, frustrated by the barrage of calls after the press conference.

"My apologies for that. But this wasn't something I could step in for. I was simply following the President's orders and had no intention of disregarding you, Representative."

Han Ji-ho slammed his hand on the table.

The coffee cups on the table rattled with the force.

"Secretary General! After being coddled by the President, have you grown so arrogant? Just because you have the President's trust doesn't mean you own this world!"

The atmosphere in the representative office turned cold, and Lee Myeong-su's expression hardened.

"As they say, 'Flowers do not bloom for ten days; power does not last for ten years.' I too have enjoyed that power alongside the President. But what eventually became of the Conservative Party? It vanished into history after merging with the Moderate Party. Isn't that right?"

Lee Myeong-su remained silent, simply staring at Han Ji-ho.

"At least you should have told me. I could have steered this matter in a better direction."

"What exactly is the problem? You know that the success of this summit will positively affect the upcoming elections in a month, don't you, Representative?"

"Positive effect? Aren't we just repeating the same mistakes of the previous administration? And you think that'll boost our election chances?"

Lee Myeong-su felt a surge of anger at Han Ji-ho's sarcasm, his voice rising.

"Do you not recall how dangerous things were until recently? The fear of war hung over the nation. Panic buying was rampant, and public safety deteriorated significantly. Engaging in dialogue with North Korea was inevitable."

Han Ji-ho smirked, one side of his mouth curling upward.

"You are thinking about politics too one-dimensionally. The inter-Korean summit in Seoul—it isn't clear to you what that signifies? Do you really think it'll earn us support from those who would vote for the Progressive Party? Let's exclude those who would vote for the Progressive Party even if they sold out the country. What about the conservative base? How do you think they will react to this? Where do you believe their votes will go?"

"They…"

"Listen, Secretary General. Some incumbents who didn't receive nominations have left the party only to run as independents. If conservative votes lean toward them, only the Progressive Party will benefit. Do you not understand this?"

A sneer filled Han Ji-ho's expression.

Han Ji-ho ultimately blamed the issue of the incumbents running as independents entirely on Lee Myeong-su.

Clenching his lips tightly, Lee Myeong-su held back his anger, replying with a bitter tone.

"Voters aren't that foolish."

"Oh foolish friend. Do you think those running as independents are just a bunch of nameless freshmen? They are the ones who were recognized in their regions. Plus, now you've given them a golden opportunity. What do you think they will do?"

"They will undoubtedly try to leverage it."

Han Ji-ho clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Is there anyone who would consider this our good fortune?"

"However, it will clearly be a boon for the elections. North Korea's trends have always had a significant impact on elections…"

"If this party were a progressive-leaning one, it could have been advantageous. The Progressive Party would highlight this. They believe that the policies of the Kim Hak-gwon administration were never wrong, which is why they claim this administration continues with those policies. However, the Moderate Party cannot do that. Do you now understand the situation?"

The patronizing tone in Han Ji-ho's voice prompted Lee Myeong-su to clench his fists.

"You're suggesting that it's more of a fault on the Representative's part for failing to prevent this. There was absolutely no corruption in the nomination process. As promised during the merger with the Conservative Party, we conceded all of the TK region to the Conservative side. The other regions had their candidates selected after a transparent nomination process. It was the Representative who failed to prevent their defection."

The two continued their tense exchange, remaining at an impasse.

The other leaders were also divided into factions, aligning either with Han Ji-ho or Lee Myeong-su, resulting in heightened tensions.

They knew well that this fight was merely a means to gain leverage for the upcoming power struggle within the party after the election.

"If we lose this election, it will surely put the brakes on the President's administration. Will you take responsibility for that?"

"Responsibility?"

Han Ji-ho nodded.

"Yes. The variables you brought have clouded the electoral situation. Therefore, someone must take responsibility."

"If responsibility must be taken, I will accept it."

Lee Myeong-su stated firmly, causing Han Ji-ho to burst into laughter.

He sensed the mockery within, yet Lee Myeong-su remained composed, taking a deep breath.

"You'd better hold onto those words. So, how much was to be paid as a condition for the summit?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let's not play coy. Those red bastards wouldn't hold a summit without some compensation, would they? Is there anyone here unaware of the fact that Kim Hak-gwon secretly funneled money to Kim Jong-il? You said we shouldn't politicize the upcoming election with that information, right? Wasn't that the reason we didn't use that golden opportunity?"

Lee Myeong-su responded with a stiffened voice.

"No money was exchanged for this summit. The North Korean government seeks to lift the economic sanctions swiftly under the U.S. lead. They also want to establish the Kaesong Industrial Complex as soon as possible. That's why the summit was held."

"Who will believe that? Not a single person in this room accepts that claim. If that's true, then let's use the issue of the Kim Hak-gwon administration's remittance to North Korea for the election. Huh?"

Lee Myeong-su surveyed his surroundings.

Even his allies exchanged dubious glances.

'Is he really going to hit back this way?'

Questioning the remittance to North Korea was Kim Mu-hyeok's approach.

This was a topic from which there could be no retreat.

"Beliefs are a matter of personal freedom. However, I advise you not to touch the issue of the Kim Hak-gwon administration's remittance to North Korea. This is a warning. Anyone who seeks to publicize this… will face expulsion from the party."

"Lee Myeong-su, Representative."

"I'm not joking. No one should ever talk about it publicly. This is also President Yoon Chang-ho's will. Do you understand?"

Lee Myeong-su, having cut off the discussion, stood up.

"I have other commitments, so I'll take my leave. And once again, let me emphasize that the party stance is in favor of the summit. There should be no independent actions. There's no benefit in the Blue House and the party causing discord right before the election. My faction will manage things, so take care to placate your faction, Representative."

Lee Myeong-su turned to leave. At that moment, a man suddenly jumped up, shouting.

"Hey, Lee Myeong-su! How dare you speak to the Representative like that! You disrespectful brat! What gives you the right to say such things in front of your seniors?"

Lee Myeong-su halted his steps and turned his body.

"What exactly is Representative Jeong Seok-min saying? Calling me disrespectful?"

"Yeah, you punk! Who here has less political experience than you? You better remember that just relying on the President could lead to some big trouble! Apologize to the Representative right now!"

Lee Myeong-su couldn't help but frown.

The sight of a well-dressed middle-aged man with a gold badge spitting and raising his voice was becoming exhausting.

He felt overwhelmed with frustration at the antics of elders who seemed determined to belittle him.

"Representative Jeong Seok-min."

After surveying the surroundings, Lee Myeong-su spoke coldly.

"Do you want me to show you what true disrespect looks like? Why would age matter in politics? What role does seniority play here?"

"What did you say, punk? You think you can just say whatever you like? You really want to die?"

Jeong Min-seok shouted while clenching his fist, ready to charge at Lee Myeong-su.

"Hey! Jeong Min-seok!"

Kim Jae-hyung, the floor leader, called out to Jeong Min-seok, raising his voice.

"What's with the shouting? Are you looking for a fight right now?"

The crowd split into two, and the representative office quickly descended into chaos.

* * *

"Hahaha. This is insane. So what happened?"

"No, it's not a laughing matter!"

Myeong-su exclaimed, still feeling angry, his tone rather brusque.

"Okay, okay. So what happened in the end?"

"Well, after a lengthy argument, Representative Han Ji-ho intervened and brought it to a close."

"Hmmm… Representative Han Ji-ho leveraged the issue of remittances to North Korea, huh?"

"Right. He was hinting that we bribed them. So that became a focal point of the discussion."

One bad apple spoils the barrel—the atmosphere of the Moderate Party was now crystal clear.

"That's a fair perspective. It appears it's time for him to tidy things up. He's too blinded by greed to read the room."

"Hey, let me handle this. Don't get involved; it complicates things. It's not good for you to keep stepping in to fix matters either. I'll handle it politically."

"Understood. I'll keep an eye on things."

"Right. I need to meet with the reporters, so I'll hang up for now. I'll contact you later, so stay put."

With that, Myeong-su ended the call first.

How to approach this? After briefly staring at the disconnected phone, he called out for Manager Ma in the study.

"Manager, please send someone to Representative Han Ji-ho. Make sure to monitor who he meets and where he goes. Also…"

Although he had told Myeong-su he would keep an eye on things, it was impossible to sit idly by.

But since he wasn't taking direct action, this much should be acceptable.

"Please provide Myeong-su with all the weaknesses of Han Ji-ho and his faction."