The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 260

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 260

Expansion (3)

The election period passed in the blink of an eye.

I was helping Lee Doo-hyung, of course, and also supporting Oh Tae-won, who was running in Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, so I was working overtime every day.

What was regrettable was that I couldn’t properly support candidate Park Myung-chul, who was nominated in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province.

He was struggling in his own way, but I didn’t have high expectations.

It couldn’t be helped.

The most important thing in life is choice and focus.

As the election progressed, the Daehan Party and the Minguk Party tried to stir up controversy about the fact that I was subtly supporting Lee Doo-hyung, but it ended in a failed attempt.

It’s a matter of course.

Members of the National Assembly make laws, but prosecutors like me are the ones who actually apply them to reality.

It is obvious that the working-level staff knows the law better and applies it better than those who only receive briefings and exploit the people’s livelihood.

No matter how much they cry out, there is nothing they can do if they haven’t violated the election law.

It is a time when all kinds of election strategies are rampant.

Their story was simply dismissed as negative attacks by opposing forces trying to harm Lee Doo-hyung.

In the past three weeks, there have been many things besides election-related matters.

The most representative event was the announcement of the new city construction project by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office.

The application period itself was much shorter than usual, so it was already closed.

Of course, Goyang City also completed the application according to the guidelines.

Other cities and counties may have been aware of it, but the application period itself was so short that fewer cities applied than usual.

People’s interest may be low right now, but considering the big picture, this situation is even better.

When the land speculation case is exposed, people will think, ‘They rushed to deal with it secretly to try to make money among themselves!’

The Minister of Justice case just needs to wait to ripen.

***

“Overall, the voter turnout is quite low.”

The tallied voter turnout for this by-election was 31.4%, which was not a high number.

The general election voter turnout is around 50%.

By-elections are lower than that, below 40%, but this time it was much lower.

Occasionally, it records in the 20% range, but it wasn’t that bad.

The lower the voter turnout, the more advantageous it is for me.

It’s a much better condition for an upset to occur.

Especially in times like this, it’s good to rise from being an independent.

“What about the three districts?”

“Seongwang-dong is 34.2%, Gyeonggi-do Seongnam is 37.1%, and Jeollanam-do Suncheon is 23.8%.”

“Suncheon is definitely low.”

“Yes. Among them, the voter turnout in their 20s is higher than usual.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It seems that Park Myung-chul’s candidate contacted the student councils of the universities in the district and raised interest in voting. I heard that it was easy to talk because these student councils were anti-establishment.”

“Even so, we are the Minguk Party, so in Jeolla-do…….”

I didn’t have high expectations.

I guess I’m not letting go of the thread of hope because I tried.

Still, even though he was backstabbed by the party and nominated in Jeolla-do, he didn’t give up and worked this hard, so I have to admit that he has tenacity.

Usually, when lawmakers are nominated for Jeolla-do, they give up before they even start and just waste time.

“Contact Park Myung-chul and tell him to come up for a meal after the election results, no matter what. It will definitely be helpful to have someone like this by your side.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Seol-ha bowed her head and left the office.

I moved to the sofa and turned on the TV.

All three broadcasting stations were covering the by-election.

As expected, the district that is receiving the most attention is Seongwang-dong.

In addition to being a political district, Lee Doo-hyung is an independent, but he has also emerged as a strong candidate, and the three parties—the Daehan Party, the Minguk Party, and Lee Doo-hyung—are fighting the closest battle within the margin of error.

I grabbed the remote control and muttered to myself.

“Hang in there, Doo-hyung.”

***

Daehan Party 19%.

Minguk Party 24%.

Mansae Party 5%.

Independent Lee Doo-hyung 22%.

The current vote count is 70%.

With this level of vote counting, the outline should be gradually revealed, but Seongwang-dong was not at all.

The Mansae Party candidate had already dropped out, but the gap between the other candidates was a figure that could be caught up with.

It was still as foggy as ever.

It would be convenient to watch it on TV, but perhaps because there are not many districts holding by-elections, they broadcast the vote count for an hour or two before continuing with the existing programming, such as dramas and broadcasts.

The voter turnout figures at the bottom of the screen of all three broadcasting stations are all that’s available.

Frustrated, I looked at Yoon Seol-ha and asked.

“How are Suncheon and Seongnam doing?”

“In Suncheon, the car carrying the ballot boxes had a traffic accident while moving, so the vote counting started very late. It’s not a meaningful vote rate, but it’s still within the margin of error. And Seongnam is leaning to some extent…….”

Before she could finish speaking,

A long caption appeared at the bottom of the screen.

-Gyeonggi-do Seongnam: Daehan Party candidate Lee Tae-hyun, certain to be elected!

“Oh, no…….”

A sigh came out involuntarily.

Until just a moment ago, I had not given up hope because it was ‘likely to be elected,’ but once ‘certain’ appears, the story is over.

All that’s left is Seongwang-dong.

As it is, I had no choice but to put my expectations on Lee Doo-hyung.

Yoon Seol-ha bit her lip and got up from her seat, erased the number 119 next to the Daehan Party on the whiteboard, and wrote 120.

The numbers listed there are a table that summarizes the lawmakers who have been in office since the general election and the seats in the districts that have been confirmed so far in real time.

To date, the Daehan Party has secured 120 seats, Seong Tae-hyun’s side has 119 seats, the Mansae Party has 20 seats, and independents have 8 seats.

The number of seats I have is still 29.

Out of the 13 constituencies, there are only 4 remaining.

I had to secure at least one of them.

Even if that happens, there was a problem.

Even if Lee Doo-hyung is elected in Seongwang-dong, if Seong Tae-hyun’s side takes all three remaining seats, they can secure a majority of 150 seats if they join forces with the Mansae Party and the remaining independent lawmakers.

Lee Doo-hyung had to be elected, and one of the remaining three districts had to be taken by the Daehan Party or the Mansae Party.

I never thought I would be cheering for another party.

“How’s Suncheon doing? Can’t the Daehan Party use its power yet?”

“The number of votes itself is small, so the vote count is rising rapidly, but everything is still within the margin of error.”

“How about Seongwang-dong?”

“Lee Doo-hyung’s candidate’s vote rate has almost caught up with Minguk Party candidate Go Jun-geun. It’s now within 1%.”

Please give me a little more strength.

However, after a long time, the caption that appeared was unwelcome.

-Seoul Eunpyeong-gu: Minguk Party candidate Jo Hyun-soo, certain to be elected!

-Seoul Gangseo-gu: Minguk Party candidate Kang Tae-hyun, certain to be elected!

“……Damn it.”

There were only two seats left.

That was only Suncheon in South Jeolla Province and Seongwang-dong.

The drama that was being broadcast on TV previewed the next episode and then continued with the news.

The first thing the announcer covered was the by-election.

In the middle of talking about the districts where the election was confirmed in order,

Suddenly the screen changed and the studio was shown and the announcer opened his mouth.

-This is breaking news that has just come in. The vote count in Seongwang-dong, which had been the most fiercely contested, has exceeded 90%. And the outline has begun to emerge to some extent.

The announcer checked the script he had just received one more time and said.

-In Seoul Seongwang-gu, independent candidate Lee Doo-hyung has surpassed other candidates from the Daehan Party, the Minguk Party, and the Mansae Party. In the current situation, he is likely to be elected.

“Nice!” I clenched my fist and jumped up from my seat.

However, I didn’t even shout for joy.

It’s too early to be happy yet.

Because there was not a big difference in the vote rate, it could be overturned easily enough.

About 10 more minutes passed in a breathless state.

The announcer received the situation again through the earphone and looked clearly at the camera and said.

-The member of the National Assembly of Seongwang-gu has been confirmed. It seems certain that independent candidate Lee Doo-hyung will be elected.

“That’s it!”

I shouted loudly and high-fived Yoon Seol-ha.

30 votes.

I succeeded in securing exactly 30 lawmakers.

There is only one remaining district, Suncheon, South Jeolla Province.

Anyway, that side is also the Daehan Party’s stronghold, and since Park Myung-chul is the candidate from the Minguk Party, it was certain that I could thoroughly check Seong Tae-hyun’s side no matter who was elected.

If the Daehan Party is elected, it is possible to prevent Seong Tae-hyun from moving as he pleases, even if it is impossible to perfectly hold the casting vote [a deciding vote that breaks a tie].

“I’ll rest my mind now.”

“I know. I was so nervous…….”

Yoon Seol-ha was so nervous that her legs gave way and she collapsed on the chair after seeing Lee Doo-hyung’s election.

“Thank you for your hard work, Seol-ha.”

“No. Prosecutor General, you worked harder.”

“Instead of this, shouldn’t we have a simple dinner party among ourselves?”

I put on my coat with a smile on my face.

But then.

“Wait a minute, Prosecutor General.”

Yoon Seol-ha stopped me and pointed to the TV.

“It doesn’t seem to be over yet?”

“Anyway, all that’s left is Suncheon. Even if the Daehan Party is elected…….”

“No.”

She said, fixing her eyes on the TV.

“This seems to be going strangely.”

“Yes?”

I tilted my head and looked at the TV.

-Suncheon, South Jeolla Province vote count.

-Daehan Party Kim Cheol-hyun: 36%

-Minguk Party Park Myung-chul: 37%

…….

Wait a minute.

Could this be…….

I sat back on the sofa with my coat on.

I rubbed my eyes and checked the voting status because I thought I had seen it wrong.

Is the Minguk Party really going to be elected in Suncheon?

The reason why Park Myung-chul was nominated in Suncheon was that Seong Tae-hyun’s side chased him away to keep him in check, knowing that he was attached to me.

Because they thought that the Minguk Party would not be able to use its power in Jeolla-do.

But no one expected it, but now Park Myung-chul is about to ‘plant a flag in the heart of the Daehan Party’ as Seong Tae-hyun said.

If he is elected…….

It’s even more nerve-wracking than confirming Lee Doo-hyung’s election.

“It’s not over until it’s over.”

At Yoon Seol-ha’s words, I unknowingly put my hands together again and started focusing on the vote count.

How long has it been?

The announcer looked at the camera with a surprised voice and shouted.

-An upset has occurred.

I unknowingly swallowed hard.

-The birth of a Minguk Party member of the National Assembly is imminent in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, which is called the Daehan Party’s stronghold. The member of the National Assembly of Suncheon City, South Jeolla Province, has been confirmed as Park Myung-chul of the Minguk Party!

“Yes!”

I threw my coat into the air, and Yoon Seol-ha fluttered the documents she was holding.

We hugged each other without anyone saying anything and enjoyed the joy of being elected.

As if waiting, the special investigation department prosecutors, including Chief Jang Ha-young, rushed into the office like a flood as the office door opened.

“Congratulations, Prosecutor General!”

“What, you didn’t leave work?”

“Yes. I was secretly waiting!”

It seems that they ran all the way from the Central District Prosecutors’ Office as soon as the election results came out.

I shouted with a beaming smile.

“It’s a company dinner today. No one should think about going home.”

“Understood!”

We shouted and headed to a Korean beef restaurant.

By-election results.

Daehan Party 120 seats, Mansae Party 20 seats, Independent 9 seats, Minguk Party 151 seats.

To the public, it seems that the Minguk Party has a majority and is very advantageous for running the state affairs, but the reality was different.

Of these, 121 are on Seong Tae-hyun’s side, but the remaining 30 are on my side and are completely split like a different party.

And of the 9 independents, Lee Doo-hyung was on my side.

To sum up, the number of seats I have secured is a total of 31, including 30 from the Minguk Party and 1 independent.

Unless the Daehan Party or Seong Tae-hyun’s side cooperate with each other, they will not reach 150 seats even if they bring in all the Mansae Party and independents.

My help is essential to pass a bill.

Moreover, if I move with determination, I can secure a majority without the help of Seong Tae-hyun’s side.

Similarly, even if I stand in opposition to the Daehan Party depending on the situation, I can secure a majority of seats by joining hands with the Minguk Party without their help.

In a word, I have the casting vote.

This means that I can make all decisions on most agendas at my level.

To put it a little vulgarly,

Seong Tae-hyun, you bastard.

You’re screwed.