The words that came out of my mouth were something I had heard from a grandmother at the market—the one who likes Cho Seoyoung.
“Excuse me, there’s a grandmother… But she’s not really my grandmother. She told me to pass this on to Candidate Cho Seoyoung if I met her…”
I couldn’t speak coherently.
That alone was proof that this was all ad-libbed.
It sent chills down my spine. What if I made a mistake? What if I ended up hurting her approval rating with unnecessary remarks?
“Which grandmother are you talking about?”
“The Sundaeguk grandmother… your grandson passed away… in the military… due to an accident…”
“…!”
Cho Seoyoung seemed to understand my words at last.
I tried to organize my words as much as possible. It was impossible to stop speaking now, so the best I could do was ensure I didn’t choose the wrong words.
“He was working at a high place… He fell. It happened at night, even though they weren’t supposed to work then. But because a general was coming to visit, they were forced to… But Candidate Cho Seoyoung helped…”
Though my words weren’t perfectly polished, she would have understood the gist of it.
The important thing wasn’t the specifics of the incident but conveying the grandmother’s message.
“Thanks to Candidate Cho Seoyoung, the grandmother said her grandson wasn’t wronged. And now, she feels at peace…”
Cho Seoyoung’s complexion slowly returned to normal.
Though she was trembling slightly, she didn’t look uncomfortable anymore.
“The grandmother said to tell you she’s always cheering for you.”
The studio went silent.
Even Yoo Hangcheol, who would usually interject for fun, didn’t open his mouth.
Cho Seoyoung couldn’t respond easily. Even saying she understood seemed to take effort.
“…T-Thank you.”
Her voice trembled faintly. She was holding back tears.
‘This is unexpected.’
If anyone were to cry during this debate, I thought it would be me.
But instead, I made Cho Seoyoung cry.
Jiwoo Kang… Could I be a debate prodigy?
This story about the private…
It was about a soldier who died due to unreasonable work orders.
What enraged the public was that this work—painting an exterior wall—had nothing to do with defending the country and was ordered merely for a general’s visit.
The military tried to cover it up, framing it as a suicide by citing the soldier’s psychiatric treatment history.
The bereaved family’s protests were dismissed, and media coverage failed to gain traction.
If Cho Seoyoung hadn’t uncovered the truth, the private’s unjust death would never have been known to the world.
“I’m sorry. The emotions from back then suddenly resurfaced…”
“It’s all right. Please take a moment to collect yourself.”
In the end, Cho Seoyoung shed tears in front of the cameras.
‘I never imagined this story would come out of Kang Jiwoo’s mouth…’
This was the case that made Cho Seoyoung’s name widely known.
It established her as a righteous prosecutor.
But it had already been nearly a decade since the incident.
The public had largely forgotten it, and even Cho Seoyoung had buried the memory deep within herself.
Yet, Kang Jiwoo brought it up.
And she did so while Cho Seoyoung was under attack from Yoo Hangcheol.
‘In the end, she helped me, didn’t she?’
She used her own time to shield Cho Seoyoung.
No other rival candidate would ever do such a thing.
It was unthinkable that Kang Jiwoo had any strategic motive.
And even if it were a calculated move…
‘If this is a strategy, it’s one I have no choice but to respect.’
It was something Cho Seoyoung couldn’t even imagine doing herself.
“…Due to time constraints, we’ll now proceed with closing statements. Candidate Cho Seoyoung, please begin.”
“The allegations raised by Candidate Yoo Hangcheol are nothing more than fake news spread by YouTubers, which only serve to degrade our political discourse…”
The closing statements had begun.
It was a time to summarize what had been said, without any further back-and-forth.
“Candidate Yoo Hangcheol, your closing statement, please.”
“Today’s debate was deeply regrettable. Candidate Cho Seoyoung failed to provide clear explanations regarding the allegations, and Candidate Kang Jiwoo’s policies were disappointing…”
Yoo Hangcheol’s turn ended.
Cho Seoyoung and Yoo Hangcheol had criticized each other to the end.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the debate began and ended on a negative note.
“Thank you. Lastly, Candidate Kang Jiwoo, please give your closing statement.”
The final turn belonged to Kang Jiwoo.
She glanced at her script before beginning her speech.
“It was truly great to be able to speak today in such an important setting alongside Representative Cho Seoyoung and Representative Yoo Hangcheol..! I think Candidate Cho Seoyoung is really smart! And Candidate Yoo Hangcheol also seems incredibly cool and intelligent…! I’m still lacking in many ways, but I feel like I learned a lot from these two great adults today…!”
Kang Jiwoo was the only one who complimented her rival candidates.
‘Completely outmaneuvered to the end.’
Cho Seoyoung and Yoo Hangcheol could only manage wry smiles in response.
“I will continue to support Candidate Cho Seoyoung and Candidate Yoo Hangcheol! And I will work even harder to become a wonderful adult like them…!! Thank you~”
Such an adorable and lovable display.
Some of the staff nearly clapped involuntarily before realizing and stopping, narrowly avoiding a mishap.
“Candidate Kang Jiwoo, you have time left. Would you like to end without using it?”
“Uh… I have a question. May I ask?”
“Yes. You have one last chance to ask a question.”
Kang Jiwoo alternated her gaze between Cho Seoyoung and Yoo Hangcheol.
The presidential debate had already gone on for two hours.
This was Kang Jiwoo’s first question, coming at the closing remarks.
‘What kind of question is she going to ask?’
All eyes were on her.
Kang Jiwoo had already emerged as the winner of the debate.
Why would she bother asking anything now?
No one could have predicted what was coming, and indeed, the question was completely unexpected.
“How… do you get better at debating…?”
Laughter erupted.
At that point, the staff couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
Cho Seoyoung could no longer suppress his smile.
And so, the presidential debate concluded with laughter filling the room.
—
Immediately after the debate, the internet was abuzz with Kang Jiwoo’s stellar performance.
The traffic surge was so intense that some servers even went down briefly.
Title: Today’s Presidential Debate Highlight
(A video clip of Kang Jiwoo speaking, with Cho Seoyoung wiping away tears in the background.)
“She has a tough tongue, unlike her innocent looks, and completely wrecked Cho Seoyoung’s mental state, making him cry. Jiwoo-ping. lol”
“No, the fact that she verbally demolished Cho Seoyoung is just too funny. lol”
“Watching the clip again, she’s insanely adorable.”
“Not wrong, though?”
“Is this even real?”
Title: Oh, Surprisingly, That’s True.
(A meme of Kang Jiwoo holding a baseball bat.)
“She’s 9 years old, but she verbally obliterated a 46-year-old former prosecutor and a 65-year-old journalist party leader. Absolutely insane LOL”
“Her young age just makes it all the more impressive…”
“Seriously, how did she pull that off? LOL”
“This was the best dopamine hit of the year.”
The overwhelming reaction was positive.
Using an adorable and kind demeanor, Kang Jiwoo had deflected all attacks.
That alone was impressive, but she had gone further by moving Cho Seoyoung to tears with her compliments.
While making an opponent cry isn’t always a good look, in Kang Jiwoo’s case, it worked in her favor.
Even left-leaning communities couldn’t help but acknowledge it.
Title: I Think We Lost This Time…
“I didn’t expect her to bring up the Private Lee incident.”
“At first, I thought her naive remarks were helping us, but in the end, the only positive image left was hers.”
“Honestly, seeing someone compliment others during a debate felt refreshing and nice.”
Title: David Defeated Goliath
“After watching yesterday’s debate, I’ve made up my mind. I’m voting for #5. Just like she won the debate, I hope she can bring miracles to Korea.”
What was expected to be a disastrous debate for Kang Jiwoo turned into an unforgettable moment.
The debate was a topic of concern not only for the candidates and their supporters but even for Kang Jiwoo’s closest aides and the party members of Kang Jiwoo’s faction.
Yet, against all expectations, Kang Jiwoo emerged victorious in a resounding display.
No matter what anyone says, Kang Jiwoo was undeniably the brightest star of this debate.
It wasn’t just an underdog rebellion—it was beyond what words could capture.
This will surely go down in the history of Korean politics as an extraordinary debate strategy.
Perhaps even politicians around the world would take notice.
Negative politics, YouTube-driven campaigns—these weren’t issues confined solely to Korea.
And maybe the alternative to those…
Could it be…
‘Cutie Politics’?
Even a globally renowned billionaire weighed in almost in real time.
The comment was incredibly short—just two words:
– Elon Mengsk (CEO of Tesla)
(Kang Jiwoo’s presidential debate photo)
Next president.
Factors👍👀
Short but powerful.
The approval ratings announced the next day seemed to fulfill Elon’s prophecy.