The first president of Kids Nation was Kang Jiwoo.
Many people celebrated the birth of the first child president.
The child committee members were no exception.
The chairperson of the committee was Na Youngjae.
In the car on the way home, Youngjae recalled Sojin’s words.
“It’s important for a politician to be a good speaker, but what’s even more important is a warm heart. Jiwoo is the kindest child I know in the whole world.”
Sojin was younger than Youngjae.
However, she was far more mature mentally.
Even Na Youngjae, who had lived his life as the epitome of perfection, felt a sense of reverence.
A type of genius that Youngjae couldn’t comprehend.
Even someone like Sojin looked up to Kang Jiwoo.
“Jiwoo will be a great president. Not just great, but the best in history. My dream is to be like Jiwoo someday.”
To realize that even someone you admire has their own role model was an odd feeling.
It stirred jealousy, inferiority, and a sense of competitiveness while also uplifting positive emotions.
For the first time, Na Youngjae was excited by such complex feelings.
He excitedly chattered to his mom about Jiwoo and Sojin.
“Sojin said Jiwoo’s going to have a real presidential debate soon. We’re planning to meet and cheer him on with the committee kids and Sojin…”
But he suddenly sensed an uncomfortable atmosphere and stopped mid-sentence.
—
His mother didn’t even pretend to listen.
“Driver, don’t you know this road gets jammed at this hour? You should have taken a detour.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Her tone was icy.
Sensing he might become her next target, Youngjae tensed up.
“Na Youngjae.”
“Yes.”
“Kids shouldn’t be watching politics.”
“…Yes.”
“And why are you so excited today? You’re in fifth grade and lost to younger kids in front of everyone?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Do you know how embarrassed I was when Seokjin’s mom kept smirking next to me? I couldn’t even lift my head!”
A torrent of scolding followed.
Youngjae knew he’d be hearing about this for days.
—
In the brief silence that followed, Youngjae breathed on the car window and traced Kang Jiwoo’s name with his finger.
The writing disappeared quickly, but the words engraved in his heart remained vivid.
It was a name written with friendship and admiration.
—
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”
A pterodactyl-like scream echoed through the building.
It was loud enough to be heard two floors below.
Yet no one seemed surprised.
“Here we go again.”
After all, it wasn’t the first time.
The source of the screech was none other than Jo Seyoung, the leading presidential candidate.
—
“Why does my approval rating keep dropping?!”
Cho Seoyoung’s ratings had been steadily declining.
It couldn’t just be attributed to the rise of Cutie Forty; the downward trend had been too long.
“Fine, so Yoo Hangseol’s supporters are switching to Kang Jiwoo’s side. But why are mine dropping too?!”
“……”
No one dared to answer.
But everyone knew the reason.
Kang Jiwoo is just too cute!
The first-ever appearance of an adorable presidential candidate was causing a seismic shift in politics.
—
“What is the PR team even doing? Over there, they’re coming up with fresh campaigns, rallying on the streets, and making a splash every day. Meanwhile, what is our PR team doing? What’s the point of me working so hard if our campaign strategies are a mess?!”
Cho Seoyoung’s words became increasingly harsh.
It was understandable.
The gap between candidates was narrowing, yet no one seemed to grasp the cause properly.
After venting, Cho Seoyoung let out a long sigh and continued.
“Everyone seems to think we’re safe because I’m the frontrunner and my opponent is just an elementary schooler, but this is no time to relax. Elections aren’t over until they’re over. We need to win by a large margin to secure strong government authority.”
“Yes, of course. We’ll come up with measures tonight and…”
“Measures? Forget it. Just tell the spokespeople to ramp up the negative campaigns.”
If you can’t raise yourself, bring the other down.
That had become the recent political meta.
After all, people loved to listen to scandals and gossip.
—
“But sir, in the current situation, negative campaigns might…”
“Shh. Be quiet, Commissioner Jang.”
The head of strategy dismissed Jang Sori, the young advisor.
Given the tense atmosphere, she couldn’t say more.
Cho Seyoung scanned the party members with a sharp gaze.
“This won’t be enough. We need someone who can play the role of a sniper without caring about putting themselves in harm’s way.
Fortunately, I have the perfect candidate.
‘Representative Kanshin-ah, can I see you for a moment?’
‘Yes, Representative!’
Cho Seoyoung stepped out of the conference room, followed by Kanshin-ah, walking like an eager puppy.
At the building’s emergency staircase, Cho Seoyoung, holding a cup of instant coffee, had a private conversation with Kanshin-ah.
‘Our Representative Kan seems to have caused some trouble recently, huh?’
‘I’m sorry… I really didn’t hit her, but somehow they caught it on camera from such an angle, as if they’d hired paparazzi or something…’
Kanshin-ah was embroiled in a controversy about abusing Kang Jiwoo.
The media captured him gripping her harshly during a previous visit to the campaign, creating a scandal.
To cause such an uproar during a critical presidential election period?
Jo Se-young had every reason to kick Kanshin-ah out of the camp, yet she chose not to.
‘Why apologize? It all happened because you were working hard for me, didn’t it?’
‘Of course! My only focus is on your election, Representative!’
‘Haha, I see. Very trustworthy. Speaking of which, I have a task for you. Would you take it on?’
‘A task…?’
Cho Seoyoung placed her hand on Kanshin-ah’s shoulder, her grip surprisingly strong.
‘Given the situation, let’s position you this way.’
‘Position? What do you mean?’
‘You’ll be Kang Ji-woo’s sniper.’
‘……’
In politics, there are many ways to make a name for oneself.
One of the most well-known is by being a sniper—mercilessly digging into the flaws of a prominent political figure.
However, this tactic is not without risks.
Depending on the opponent, it can backfire spectacularly.
Kang Jiwoo was, without question, the hottest politician at the moment.
Even party veterans who had been waiting for her to fail with a mere 10% approval rating had started to play it safe now that her support was nearing 20%.
‘This is a suicide mission…’
Becoming Kang Jiwoo’s sniper seemed like a sacrificial position.
‘Representative… I just earned my badge. I’m not sure if this role is suitable for me…’
‘Representative Kan, are you serious right now? Weren’t you the one groveling and begging me for a nomination? Now that you’ve got your badge, you’re just thinking of saving yourself? After dragging me into this mess?’
‘N-no, that’s not what I meant…’
Kanshin-ah’s face turned pale.
Truthfully, Kanshin-ah lacked influence and political clout.
If not for Cho Seoyoung’s backing, he wouldn’t have dreamed of becoming a lawmaker.
Besides, the Saebaram Democratic Party was practically Cho Seoyoung’s private organization. Falling out of her favor would mean instant exile.
Cho Seoyoung read Kanshin-ah’s fear and dangled bait.
‘How about the spokesperson position?’
‘……!’
Spokesperson for the Blue House.
A position with little risk yet plenty of exposure to the public—a golden opportunity.
‘Once you’re appointed as spokesperson, your image can be reshaped in no time.’
‘R-right…?’
‘And after all, Representative Kan, you’ve always been Kang Jiwoo’s sniper. Let’s stick to what we’re good at.’
Cho Seoyoung extended her hand, and Kanshin-ah took it, his hand cold as ice.
‘I’ll devote myself completely to this mission!’
Thus, Kang Jiwoo’s sniper was reborn.
At that same moment, in the office of the Future Marriage Ginkgo Korea Party, shouts erupted.
‘Who the hell is the bastard running their mouth anonymously?! Who is this disrespectful scumbag?! Huh?!’
Park Seokji was furious.
The cause was an anonymous interview that surfaced the night before.
The content went something like this:
Kang Jiwoo’s debating skills are on par with a preschooler.
She memorizes scripts but struggles to handle even one A4 page.
If she actually wins, the party has no capacity to govern.
All they do is market her face like in commercials.
Kang Jiwoo is likely to crumble in the next debate, and the party will collapse with her.
It was filled with speculative, wishful thinking.
‘Isn’t it Kim Shinbae?! He’s been babbling nonsense about unification and skipping meetings, only concerned about getting on camera!’
Park Seokji’s accusations resonated with others in the room.
But they knew better than to point fingers recklessly—it would only play into the anonymous informant’s hands.
‘Calm down, Representative.’
‘I can’t believe this! Our members are working so hard! Look at Chief Han, barely sleeping for days!’
I was just as frustrated, but this was inevitable.
‘In a mishmash third party like ours, internal betrayal is bound to happen. Anywhere you go, there’s always a traitor.’
After all, betrayal is the closest devil to a politician.”
“The internal attacks are a problem, but the negative campaigns from both the Democratic and Republican parties have intensified.”
“Exactly. This morning, Congressman Gansina said something horrible about our candidate on the news… and here the candidate is, listening to everything. Secretary.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry…”
Attacks were coming from all directions, relentless and chaotic.
Yes, now I truly feel that I’ve become a leading presidential candidate.
A secretary entered the office and called for Han Seoyoung.
“Director Han, the party members are flooding us with protest calls…”
“Protest calls?”
“They’re in an uproar, saying we should cancel the TV debate even now. They’re asking why we’re doing something that’ll hurt our approval ratings.”
The supporters seemed just as anxious as the rest of us.
No, actually, they might be more worried than I am.
Sigh.
Just preparing for the debate and the fundraising event feels like my head is going to explode…
But there’s no other way.
To alleviate their concerns, I have to prove myself.
Han Seoyoung, who had been pulling at her hair in frustration, shifted her gaze to me.
“Candidate, are you watching Tanniping again?”
I couldn’t take my eyes off my smartphone.
I had found something really entertaining.
“Candidate, there are only three days left until the debate. Let’s review the script a bit more. You can check Tanniping later.”
“It’s not Tanniping… This is…”
“Then what is it?”
Hmm.
How can I explain this?
With my childlike body, I can’t fully understand it myself, so explaining it properly is hard.
But I tried my best.
“Some guy said he wants to meet me… He even posted a photo of himself…”
“What? What did you say?”
“A guy sent you a photo?! Who is that bastard?!”
The party members were horrified.
Wait, that came out wrong.
That’s not what I meant…
“Yeah. But he’s an American guy…”
“An American? What on earth are you looking at?”
I handed the smartphone over to Han Seoyoung.
An American man who wanted to meet a young elementary school presidential candidate.
And his identity?
— Elon Mengsk (CEO of Tesla)
(Kang Jiwoo’s Stone Wall Challenge video)
(Translated)
“This kid is running for president of Korea?
As expected, Earth was just a simulation!
There’s no way something this amazing could be real!
If Kang Jiwoo actually becomes president, I’m going to Korea to meet her!”
The quirky American CEO and global billionaire, Elon Mengsk.