Elections aren’t won just with words.
No matter how many promises you make or how many debates you win, it’s useless.
The key is impression.
“Nothing is more important than image-making.”
Votes are divided to some extent based on party loyalty.
Hardcore supporters will vote for the party no matter who the candidate is.
In the end, it’s the swing voters—the moderates—who hold the casting vote.
“If you ruin your image, you can’t win over the moderates.”
No matter how smart, competent, or well-liked you are, if you seem rude or disconnected from the common people, it’s over.
And if there’s even a hint of special favors for your children or a personal scandal tied to you, the election becomes a real uphill battle.
On the flip side—
“If your image is good, even crimes can be overlooked.”
It means that if you manage your image well, you could be forgiven for almost anything.
In that sense, street campaigns act as a kind of gauge.
A measure of how well your image is perceived.
And my current position is…
“Oh my! How adorable. You look like you just stepped out of a comic book!”
“Is that the one? The candidate with Transformer Syndrome or whatever it’s called, the one who turned into a little girl?”
“This kid is a presidential candidate? No way.”
Ssshhhk—
This is a supermarket sampling station.
The savory smell of carefully grilled Tyranno chicken nuggets wafts in the air.
So much so that my gaze keeps wandering over there without me even realizing it…
“Hey, little one, would you like to try one?”
An employee skewered a small piece with a toothpick and offered it to me.
“……”
I hesitated to take it.
The issue was its appearance.
When it was in its original Tyrannosaurus shape, the nugget looked incredibly delicious, but after being cut into small pieces, it just wasn’t as appealing.
“They’re better when they’re not cut…”
“Haha, even when they’re cut, they taste the same. But since it’s cute, I’ll give you an uncut one.”
“Thank you~”
I bowed politely at a 90-degree angle.
This was my first street campaign since my TS transformation.
It wasn’t an official schedule, but I still had to greet people enthusiastically.
Nom.
I put the nugget into my mouth.
The moment I bit into it—
“!”
I’m screwed!
It’s scalding hot!
But I can’t spit it out!
When it’s hot, you just have to endure it! Even if your mouth burns, eating it gracefully is the basic principle of street campaigns!!
“Huff! Huff…!!”
“Oh my! Are you okay? Is it hot?”
“I-it’s fine!!!”
I somehow swallowed it.
It felt like putting burning coal in my mouth.
“Phew.”
After barely calming down, I showed the employees my open palm.
A gesture indicating my number, 5.
“Vote for number 5…!”
“Huh? Number 5? Are you really a presidential candidate?”
“Yes! I’m a presidential candidate…!”
The employees still seemed doubtful.
Honestly, it stung my pride a little.
Even though I was originally a candidate polling at 9%, and my TS transformation made me a hot topic, was I really that unrecognizable?
I wasn’t expecting world-class recognition, but to be this unnoticeable…
“Well, it’s unavoidable since my supporters belong to a different generation.”
My supporters were mostly young people.
There weren’t many young people at the supermarket.
Regardless, the fact remained that I had to try harder.
After that, I continued walking around the supermarket, greeting passersby and employees.
Sometimes, people recognized me and showered me with affection.
“Siljang ping… Can we go look at the toys now…?”
“Hmm. Alright. But you can only pick one toy.”
“Just one…?”
“Yes, just one.”
I’m paying for it with my own money.
Can’t I buy more than one?
Without realizing it, I looked at her with eyes full of meaning.
Han Seoyoung, however, cut off my gaze with a firm response.
“Buying recklessly wouldn’t be good for your mental state. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but since you turned into a child, it’s true that you’ve lost some self-control.”
Fine, fine!
Thank you so much for thinking about my mental state!
No sarcasm—I’m genuinely thankful!
“So just one toy. Got it?”
“Yes…”
Finally, we arrived at the toy section.
“Wow…”
A sight that naturally elicited admiration.
Tall shelves filled with toys arranged neatly in rows and columns.
One side of the display was practically wallpapered with Tanniping toys.
At this point, shouldn’t there be an audit over the monopolization of the toy section?
“This is HeoChuPing, ChiChiPing, HimNaPing, JoyPing, MiDeumPing…”
Before I knew it, I was pointing at each toy, trying to match them with their names.
And then I decided to stop thinking altogether.
Right now, I was overwhelmed by a wild sense of excitement.
It was a feeling akin to standing before thousands of supporters…!!
Encountering Tanniping toys was just as exhilarating an event.
“This one’s SolJikPing, this one’s SoSimPing, that one’s BanJjakPing, and this one… uh… this one…”
What was this one called again?
I couldn’t remember.
There weren’t just a few fairy characters, after all.
“Uh, this one’s MoLLaPing!”
When in doubt, just wing it.
I was about to continue browsing the toys when someone interrupted me.
“That’s not MoLLaPing. It’s MulPulPing.”
“?!”
It was a sharp-tongued girl.
She was about the same height as me.
But with her sharp, confident look, she felt a bit like an older sister.
“MulPulPing?”
“Yeah, Mul! Pul! Ping!”
“Mu…MungPungPing…”
Damn it.
Her pronunciation was flawless.
The girl, seemingly pleased with herself, started provoking me.
“You don’t know much about Tanniping, do you?”
“I-I know a lot!”
“Then how come you don’t know MulPulPing?”
“I just forgot for a second…”
“Then tell me what kind of magic MulPulPing uses.”
Now, with a victorious grin, she looked down at me, her chin raised high.
“MulPulPing’s magic is to stick fighting people together. If you didn’t know, remember it now.”
“Uh-huh.”
Who would’ve thought not knowing a bit about an animated show would get me lectured?
But I was dead serious about not losing to anyone when it came to TaniPing.
MulPulPing.
I’ll never forget you.
The girl began explaining the toys with remarkable skill.
“This is HeoChuPing’s house. You know how HeoChuPing’s house looks, right? This toy replicates it exactly.”
She felt like a Tanniping employee or something.
She looked about my age, but her speech was so articulate.
“And this is the SoSimPing stage set. If you’re planning to buy a toy today, you should get this one. It’s super rare and sells out as soon as it comes in.”
At this point, I became curious about this girl’s identity.
Could she be the daughter of the Tanniping company’s president or something?
Gathering my courage, I asked her.
“Um… by the way, how old are you?”
“Me? I’m nine. What about you?”
Come to think of it, I didn’t really know my age, did I?
So I just made one up.
“I’m… uh… also nine.”
“Tch. We’re the same age, then.”
What’s her problem now?
This feisty kid…
She had a certain charm that made you want to bop her on the head.
“But how do you know so much about these toys?”
“Me? I come here every day after school. My mom works here, so I have permission to hang out and look at toys.”
“Wow. So you must have a lot of toys at home.”
“Nope. I don’t have any.”
“Not even one?”
“Yeah. My mom says we don’t have money. So I just look at them. And I’m fine with that.”
Her knowledge didn’t come from buying the toys but from not being able to.
The more unattainable they were, the more she learned about them.
“But it’s okay. I heard they all become useless later anyway.”
She said that, but her gaze was glued to the toys.
To her, TaniPing toys must have been an unbreakable fantasy.
A hidden treasure, longed for because she couldn’t have it.
“Did you hear? That kid’s a presidential candidate!”
“Look at her browsing the toys. So adorable.”
“Candidate! Please look over here!”
“I support the children’s president!”
Before I knew it, a crowd had gathered around me.
It wasn’t as large as the usual scenes for major presidential candidates.
After all, I was only the third-place candidate from a minor party.
Still, it must have been noisy enough to draw attention.
Among the people who came running to check out the commotion was the girl’s mother.
“Sojin!”
“Mom?”
The girl’s mother seemed to be working as a cashier at the supermarket.
“Hey! What were you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to stay in the playroom?”
“I was just looking around for a moment. I was showing her the toys, too.”
“Do you even know who this person is? He’s a presidential candidate!”
“Huh? President?”
“Hurry up and apologize!”
The mother’s hand pressed down on the back of the girl’s head.
Confused, the girl bowed deeply and was dragged away by her mother.
As I stood there blankly, Han Seoyoung assessed my state.
“Candidate, it’s just a small misunderstanding. There’s no need to worry. It’s not a troublesome situation.”
Right. It was just a minor misunderstanding.
Anyway, it was time to choose a toy.
This was Kang Jiwoo’s first public campaign.
The first venue was a supermarket.
Since the atmosphere was good, the party even started a live broadcast with cameras.
Security personnel were kept to a minimum.
It was her first campaign, and the party worried that Kang Jiwoo might feel too much pressure.
The campaign proceeded smoothly.
People found Kang Jiwoo endearing, especially her fascination with the toys and the way she chatted with a little kid about them.
The problem arose at an unexpected moment.
“Candidate, could you choose one now?”
“I can only pick one, so I have to choose carefully…”
Out of countless toys, only one!
This decision was far too difficult for young Kang Jiwoo.
“I promise I’ll get you another one later. For now, could you pick one quickly?”
“This one is too small… and this one only has one TaniPing…”
So focused was she that she didn’t even hear Han Seoyoung’s words.
It wasn’t about deciding policies, reforming pensions, or negotiating diplomacy, but…
Kang Jiwoo deliberated over the toys as if it were all those things combined.
The branch manager, watching her, approached with a satisfied smile.
He handed over the biggest Tanniping toy set from the display.
“Candidate Kang Jiwoo, you’re putting so much thought into this, so let me gift you one.”
“A gift?”
“Yes, this is free. It’s our way of thanking you for visiting our store and showing concern for the livelihood of the people.”
“What… It’s free…”
Kang Jiwoo received the box.
It was so big it completely hid her face, and she staggered slightly under its weight.
At that moment, Han Seoyoung stepped in.
“Branch Manager, thank you so much, but during the election period, we can’t accept anything. We’ll have to just accept your kind gesture.”
“Oh, is that so? What a shame. I just wanted to buy one thinking of my niece.”
Violation of the Public Official Election Act
Accepting any form of goods during the election period is strictly prohibited.
Kang Jiwoo knew this, too.
Han Seoyoung expected Kang Jiwoo to return the toy immediately.
“Candidate?”
Thud-thud-thud.
But instead, Kang Jiwoo ran off with the toy.
“Ca-Candidate! Where are you going?!”
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
How could she run so fast on those short legs?!
Everyone was flustered and started chasing after her.
“Candidate!”
“Stop! If this gets out, our campaign will be in serious trouble!”
Kang Jiwoo skillfully used her small frame to slip through narrow spaces.
“Taking a toy isn’t going to solve anything! What are you thinking?!”
-Presidential Candidate Kang Jiwoo, Shockingly Caught Stealing a Toy!
It was a headline that could have been written.
But a child is still a child.
It didn’t take long for the party members to catch up with Kang Jiwoo.
The place they arrived at was the free children’s playroom inside the supermarket.
A space for kids to spend their time.
“Candidate…?”
Kang Jiwoo had entered the playroom.
She placed the toy box in front of the girl from earlier.
The girl was so surprised her eyes grew wide.
“Wh-What’s this?”
“Haah… Haaah… A g-gift!”
“A gift? For me? Really?!”
“Yeah!”
“Why?!”
“You said… you didn’t have any toys.”
“But…”
Kang Jiwoo pushed the box toward the girl.
“I’m fine.
You know Taniping better than I do, so you need it more than I do.”
“You… thank you…”
The children’s playroom.
The adults watching what unfolded inside all wore the same expression.
They had smiles that seemed like they might melt into a soft puddle.
‘Candidate! Your heart is so beautiful!’
‘This is a lethal dose of cuteness…’
‘Should I try for one more daughter?’
The adults thought.
That little girl.
She might just make a pretty good president someday…!