The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 244

The election proceeded smoothly.

Even before officially registering as a presidential candidate, Seong Tae-hyun had already secured over half of the support in preliminary polls conducted by various sources.

At this rate, the scenario of him being elected as the 23rd President was unfolding without a hitch.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was just idly watching.

I was mobilizing the most reliable Special Unit to dig into the other candidates’ records, uncover their weaknesses, and pass them on to Seong Tae-hyun.

While high approval ratings were a positive sign, maintaining them was crucial to achieving our ultimate goal.

Since the current Acting President, Ha Tae-won, belonged to the Daehan Party, he held a tight grip on the National Intelligence Service, and his trusted aides within that organization were working for the Daehan Party.

Even if Ha Tae-won didn’t want Kim Jeong-sik to win, he had to appear to be helping the Daehan Party, at least for the time being.

Elections are usually like this.

On the surface, it may seem like the two candidates and their campaign teams are simply meeting people and exchanging greetings, but countless individuals are moving behind the scenes.

It can’t be helped. That’s how it should be.

Hundreds, thousands… no, tens of thousands of people’s interests are at stake with the election of one person.

Even local mayors and county officials all face drastically different fates.

They, too, would be actively campaigning and engaging in electioneering.

“First, let me address the issue regarding Manse Party candidate Joo Jin-seong,” Yoon Seol-ha said, opening her report.

“It concerns his son’s military service.”

“Didn’t both of Joo’s sons complete their active duty?”

“Yes, that’s correct. However, it has been confirmed that his second son spent a total of 203 days outside the base during his 21 months of military service.”

“That much?”

“It’s recorded that he went out under the guise of vacation and external medical treatment.”

“Pull up the detailed records and send them to Seong Tae-hyun’s campaign team.”

“Understood.”

She turned the page of the report and continued to share the findings of her investigation.

“This time, a relative of Daehan Party’s candidate Kim Jeong-sik is involved in land speculation…”

After about 30 minutes of reporting, she stood up from her seat.

“Then handle it, and report back when it’s done.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Seol-ha closed the report and asked,

“Are you heading straight home?”

“Yes. I have an appointment.”

“Understood. I’ll call you if anything important comes up.”

I immediately grabbed my coat and headed to the meeting place.

***

“Prosecutor, how have you been?”

“Of course, I’ve been well. Thank you for coming all the way here.”

He smiled broadly, shook my hand, and guided me to the sofa.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes.”

The man sitting in front of me was Shin Dong-hyun, the former chairman of SV Group and current National Assembly member for Seongwang-dong.

And he was as reliable a partner to me as Seong Tae-hyun.

He opened the conversation.

“The election atmosphere seems favorable. If it continues like this…”

“Yes. Unless there’s an unexpected turn of events, it seems likely that Seong Tae-hyun will be elected.”

“Congratulations. You’ve truly reached the pinnacle.”

“No. It’s not just about winning the election.”

I crinkled my nose and leaned towards him.

“Assemblyman, shouldn’t you also ascend to the top?”

Becoming the Prosecutor General doesn’t solve everything.

True power is at its strongest when the end is nowhere in sight.

That’s why dictatorship grants absolute power.

Perhaps taken aback by the unexpected direction of the conversation, Shin Dong-hyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Are you implying…”

“Seong Tae-hyun has stepped down from his position as the Mayor of Seoul to run for president. A by-election will be held soon.”

Shin Dong-hyun’s eyes wavered.

The Mayor of Seoul.

He couldn’t possibly be unaware that the position is an elite and essential course to the presidency.

“Are you suggesting that you’ll support me?”

I curved my lips into a smile as if it were obvious.

“Do you remember what you said when we first joined hands?”

“Ah…”

He had clearly stated that he wanted to reach the very top.

Otherwise, there would have been no reason for a conglomerate chairman to jump into this dirty world of politics.

Shin Dong-hyun nodded with a determined expression.

“To think you would remember… Thank you so much, Prosecutor.”

He held my hand tightly.

“I will be with you no matter what.”

I patted his hand a couple of times.

“I also want to see you standing at the top.”

“What should I start preparing? Should I help with this election?”

“No. Please don’t get involved in the presidential election. Focus on preparing for the Seoul mayoral by-election.”

“Will that be alright?”

“Yes. It’s better for me to handle the presidential election. Please prepare to ensure your victory in the Seoul mayoral election. You must not falter, even if someone tries to undermine you.”

“Understood. Then I’ll start working on my image.”

I smiled lightly.

“I’ll see you at the top. I’ll be waiting at the summit.”

He clenched his fist and nodded.

“I’ll follow you soon.”

***

December 1st.

Less than ten days after the start of the election campaign, Manse Party candidate Joo Jin-seong withdrew from the race.

To be precise, he joined forces with the Daehan Party and decided to support Kim Jeong-sik as the final unified candidate.

It couldn’t be helped.

Even combined, their approval ratings couldn’t surpass Seong Tae-hyun of the Minguk Party, so unifying the candidates was an inevitable choice to seize power.

As a result, they succeeded in closely following Seong Tae-hyun’s approval ratings.

With one-third of the election period completed, Seong Tae-hyun’s approval rating stood at 53.6%, while the unified candidate Kim Jeong-sik’s approval rating was approaching 46.2%.

It wasn’t quite a back-and-forth battle, but their fierce pursuit had begun.

We had to run away even faster.

“Deputy Chief Lee Doo-hyung.”

“Yes, Chief Prosecutor.”

“In addition to the Special Unit, mobilize all reliable personnel from other departments. If there’s anything that could tarnish Kim Jeong-sik’s image, even if it’s minor, find it all and make sure it’s exposed.”

“Understood.”

We couldn’t afford to give them even the slightest opening.

Only when Seong Tae-hyun is elected president will my dream be realized.

We must run until the end.

***

Amidst the fierce battle, we were doing our best to maintain our approval ratings, but the gap between the two candidates continued to narrow.

Since the blackout period begins the day before the election, the final opportunity to survey the public’s approval ratings was on December 14th, two days before the election.

The results of the survey on this day showed that the gap between the two candidates was much smaller than expected.

In the final approval rating survey, they had even entered a range where a reversal was considered possible.

Seong Tae-hyun’s approval rating was 51.3%, while Kim Jeong-sik’s approval rating was 48.5%.

The election was unfolding within the margin of error.

Media outlets began reporting that the Daehan Party and Manse Party’s candidate unification was a stroke of genius.

We ran like crazy for two days to protect this slight lead.

Time passed, and finally, December 16th, the day of the presidential election, arrived.

Han Ji-yu and I went to the polling place and cast our precious votes for Seong Tae-hyun.

As expected, a considerable number of reporters gathered to capture Han Ji-yu’s voting scene, and we took photos urging citizens to vote.

After hinting that we were voting for Seong Tae-hyun without violating election laws, we headed home.

In the car on the way back after voting,

Han Ji-yu looked more excited than usual.

“It would be really great if my brother-in-law gets elected.”

“Then you’ll be known as the Prosecutor General’s wife.”

A smile spread across her face.

“Just hearing it makes me excited.”

“Do you like it that much?”

“More than anything, I’m happy because I can picture how happy my parents will be. Not only a Prosecutor General’s son-in-law but also a President’s son-in-law…”

She smiled contentedly and placed her hand on mine.

“Thank you, it’s all thanks to you, Oppa [an affectionate Korean term for ‘older brother’ used by women].”

“What do you mean, thanks to me?”

“It’s true. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been called the Prosecutor General’s wife, and there’s no way Ji-soo would have become the First Lady. No, I couldn’t have even imagined it in the first place.”

“I’ve come this far thanks to you.”

This was sincere.

If it weren’t for Han Ji-yu, I would have collapsed several times along the way.

Especially when I was shot by a stray bullet from the police and fell into a coma, it was she who rallied public sentiment in my favor.

It was a fresh reminder that I had made a good marriage.

Holding Han Ji-yu’s hand tightly, I said,

“Even if I’m reborn countless times, Ji-yu, I’ll marry you.”

Without hesitation, she replied with a bright smile.

“You’re the only one for me, Oppa.”

***

Han Ji-yu and I were barely eating dinner at home, our eyes glued to the TV.

“They say it usually goes according to the exit poll results, right?”

“Yeah. That’s generally the case, but you never know until the results are in.”

The exit poll results from the three major broadcasting stations predicted Seong Tae-hyun’s victory.

However, unlike the previous presidential election, which had a landslide difference, this time it was within the margin of error, so we had to watch until the end.

As of 9 p.m., tracking the vote count made Seong Tae-hyun’s victory seem likely.

However, we had to keep watching until it was confirmed.

The TV occasionally showed Seong Tae-hyun’s campaign headquarters, with the Hand of God, Go Seong-tak, by his side.

As 1 hour, then 2 hours quickly passed, I couldn’t even lift my butt from the sofa as I watched the election coverage.

“It’ll be alright, don’t worry.”

Han Ji-yu’s encouragement didn’t even register.

How long had it been since my heart had been pounding like this?

If he wins, if Seong Tae-hyun ascends to the presidency, I will truly be able to reach the pinnacle.

And at just past 11:30 p.m.

The announcer, who was reporting at the desk, grabbed the earpiece and seemed to be listening to something.

-Yes, this is a breaking news report.

He changed his posture and leaned his body towards the desk as he spoke.

-The presidential candidate has been confirmed.

I swallowed hard and listened intently.

-The 23rd President has been confirmed as Seong Tae-hyun of the Minguk Party. As a result, the ruling party will change from the Daehan Party to the Minguk Party. A new era of government has begun.

“Yes!”

I jumped up from my seat, waving my fist, and Han Ji-yu clapped her hands in joy.

As expected, the broadcast screen switched to Seong Tae-hyun’s campaign headquarters, and they all jumped up from their seats, cheering.

-Hooray!

-Congratulations!

The cheers and congratulations conveyed the elation and joy of the place beyond the TV, and finally, Seong Tae-hyun roared, looking up at the sky.

Finally, he succeeded in reaching the pinnacle.

The shimmering dream was finally within reach.

No longer Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon, but Prosecutor General Choi Seo-joon.