Chapter 5: Money is the best

Han Seoyoung finished her schedule and hurried back to Kang Jiwoo’s office.

She had planned to stay with him all day, but an issue arose nearby during a campaign event, forcing her to leave.

It was a short absence.

However, Kang Jiwoo was only at an elementary school level in terms of development.

Leaving him alone still felt unsettling.

“Candidate, it’s Han Seoyoung. I’m coming in.”

“J-just wait a moment…!”

“?!”

Seoyoung paused outside the door.

She wasn’t sure what was happening, but Jiwoo clearly asked her to wait.

“Should I respect his privacy?”

Kang Jiwoo was now in the form of a young elementary school-aged girl.

In behavior and speech, he was undeniably childlike.

But there was no doubt that Kang Jiwoo himself remained inside.

If he were a completely different person, they would have abandoned the election altogether.

Even if it didn’t seem like much, the campaign schedule must have been exhausting for someone in a child’s body.

“If he’s gotten himself into some kind of trouble, I should help.”

Click.

When Seoyoung opened the door and stepped into the office, she spotted an animation playing on the screen.

“I want to eat sweet cake-chu!”

‘That’s… Taniping, isn’t it?’

Even Han Seoyoung had heard vaguely about the infamy of Taniping.

A new backbreaker franchise.

A money-hungry fairy known for driving parents to bankruptcy with its aggressive marketing.

It was an animation that captivated children like no other.

And yet…

‘The candidate… was watching that?’

Kang Jiwoo was secretly watching Taniping?

“No-chu!”

Jiwoo jumped off the chair with a small bounce and dashed over, trying to block the screen with his tiny frame.

He seemed deeply embarrassed to be caught watching Taniping.

But no matter how hard he tried, his small body couldn’t cover the massive screen.

The sight of it was too funny.

Seoyoung barely suppressed her laughter.

If she laughed out loud, Jiwoo would definitely sulk.

Pretending not to notice, Seoyoung turned off the Taniping video for him.

“Did you write the speech draft?”

“I… I wrote it-chu…”

“Hm. Let’s take a look.”

She had been gone for about two hours.

Seeing a notebook on the desk, it seemed like he had made an effort.

‘Jiwoo-sunbae used to write by hand when he had writer’s block.’

Half curious and half worried, Seoyoung opened the notebook.

In crooked handwriting, it read:

Hello.

This is Kang Jiwoo.

I will become president.

Thank you~

“???”

That was it?

For someone who claimed to be confident in writing, this was shockingly unimpressive.

“……”

Jiwoo quietly looked up at Seoyoung.

“I-is this not good enough…?”

His face resembled the pitiful, wide-eyed expression of the cat in old animated movies.

“I’ll write the speech for you.”

“O-okay…”

“Don’t feel too discouraged. I heard that as time passes, there are cases where people regain their original personality and intelligence.”

Of course, the fact that such cases exist also implied the possibility of no recovery.

Still, there was hope.

“Let’s work hard together. I’ll help you.”

“Thank you… chu.”

Jiwoo bowed deeply.

For a fleeting moment, Seoyoung felt the urge to hug him tightly and blow raspberries on his cheek.

But she quickly suppressed the thought.

I must remember—this is Jiwoo-sunbae. Also, as our party’s candidate, I must treat him accordingly…!

—

Meanwhile, Yoo Hangcheol, the leader of the Conservative Party and candidate No. 2, was basking in good fortune.

Currently polling at 33.7%, he was trailing the leading candidate by about 5 percentage points.

For him, the recent scandal involving the third-place candidate was a golden opportunity.

“The support base for Kang Jiwoo is centrist conservatives. If he falls, his supporters will turn to me.”

And Kang Jiwoo was falling.

Afflicted by some “TS disease” or whatever nonsense it was, Jiwoo couldn’t even appear in public.

“Finally, my shining moment has arrived…!”

Hangcheol couldn’t contain his excitement.

How long had he waited for this opportunity?

From a legendary journalist who stood against all social injustices to a politician wallowing in a dirty cesspool for years, finally, his moment of destiny was upon him.

Yoo Hangcheol was convinced of it.

“The approval rating has dropped!”

“2,”

the secretary delivered the bad news before he could relish his conviction.

“What? Dropped…?”

“Approximately a 3%p drop! Although the leading candidate, Jo Seyoung, also saw a slight decrease, the gap between you two has widened!”

“What nonsense is this? With Kang Jiwoo in that state, why would my approval rating drop? Are you sure you’re reading this correctly?!”

The secretary answered with confidence.

“I’ve checked thoroughly! Candidate Kang Jiwoo has surged forward, causing your approval rating to decline!”

“Kang Jiwoo surged? Why on earth?”

He was curious.

How could Kang Jiwoo, who had turned into a child, see a rise in approval ratings?

“I’ve gathered public responses, but it might be a bit harsh. Are you okay with hearing it?”

“When have you ever seen me get angry over something like that? Tell me everything, without leaving a single detail!”

The secretary began his report with an impassioned tone.

“First, people are saying, ‘If an old man with dementia can be president, why can’t a child?’

‘Conservatives and progressives are all the same anyway! Hate-driven politics is tiresome! Let’s go for cute and lovely politics now!’

‘At least she’s cute when she appears on the news. Old folks just ruin the mood!’

‘Enough…’

‘Would you rather all drink bleach and die together vs. heal with a cute elementary school president? It’s a no-brainer, right?’”

“Bleach” was a derogatory nickname for Yoo Hangcheol.

While some praised his bluntness as refreshing, likening it to a fizzy drink, others saw his remarks as toxic, earning him a nickname among his detractors that implied he was as lethal as bleach.

“Hey, stop it! You’re saying this for me to hear, aren’t you?!”

“Oh! Absolutely not!”

The situation was bad.

Now, what mattered was how he would respond.

The outcome of the presidential election could depend on his next move.

“Vote for her because she’s cute? With citizens like this, no wonder politics is in shambles.”

Thud!

Yoo Hangcheol kicked an empty trash can in frustration.

“Get in touch with the senior members and tell them not to mention Kang Jiwoo from now on!”

“Should we refrain from criticizing her as well?”

“No criticism or anything else—just ban it all! That kid is soaking up all the attention right now! I’m the only one who needs to have the microphone!”

“Understood!”

Yoo Hangcheol stormed out of the office, stomping his feet.

His smartphone buzzed endlessly.

The senior members of the party were sending him flattering messages.

As he stepped out of the National Assembly building, a secretary rushed toward him.

“Representative! This is from Assemblyman Kim Sanghoon’s office!”

“What is it?”

“You’re scheduled for a live interview today, correct? We’ve secured a video that could deliver a critical blow to Candidate Kang Jiwoo! Please check your Telegram!”

Yoo Hangcheol immediately pulled out his smartphone.

There was a video sent from Assemblyman Kim Sanghoon.

It was footage taken from a building adjacent to Kang Jiwoo’s campaign office.

In the video, the young Kang Jiwoo could be seen through a window, enthusiastically dancing to an animation playing on a screen.

“Heh. Cute. Is she mimicking the animation?”

“Yes, it seems so. Haha.”

Both of them had inadvertently spoken their honest feelings.

“Ahem. Anyway, this is good material. If her condition is fake, this proves she’s exploiting a child in her office. If it’s real, it shows she’s incapable of fulfilling her duties.”

“Exactly.”

“It might be worth revealing this today.”

Coincidentally, today’s live broadcast interview was scheduled on a major channel.

Exposing this footage during the broadcast would deal a heavy blow.

“I’ll frame those supporting Kang Jiwoo as thoughtless children. By showing that they lack any rationale for their support, we’ll dismantle her voter base.”

The strategy was already forming in his mind.

Yoo Hangcheol was a master of media warfare.

With a touch of sharp rhetoric, he was confident he wouldn’t lose in the battle for public opinion.

“Kang Jiwoo, you’ll eventually have to bow before me.”

In the end, Han Seyoung had prepared the script.

I practiced reading it.

At first, I tried to memorize it but quickly realized it was impossible with my brain, so I opted to read it instead.

“Candidate, let’s head to the small auditorium right away. Practice will begin as soon as you enter.”

Today, the plan was to practice in front of party members.

With only a couple of days left, both Han Seyoung and the party members seemed to be feeling the pressure.

“Or maybe they just want to see me.

Either way, I have no choice but to work hard.

With the remaining time until the election being so short, the preparation period was bound to be tight.

“Candidate Kang Jiwoo is entering!”

Following the announcement, I stepped onto the stage.

Though it was called a small auditorium, it had over 100 seats.

Of course, many seats were empty.

Only about 30 of our party members had come to help me.

Gulp…

Even so, I was incredibly nervous.

This tiny heart of mine was pounding so hard that I almost stumbled from the dizziness.

From the side of the stage, Han Seyoung shouted softly.

“Candidate, please step up to the podium.”

“……”

Get your head together!

If you mess up here, the press conference will be a disaster too!

Following Han Seoyoung’s instructions, I stepped up to the podium.

But I couldn’t see anything.

“This is way too high…”

The podium was so tall that I needed something to step on to get up there.

Han Seoyoung quickly brought a folding chair.

“Ugh…”

Once I climbed onto the chair, I could barely peek over the podium.

“Even with the chair, she’s still so small because she’s short.”

“Oh my, how adorable~ She’s like a baby acorn~”

“Alright, alright, she’s cute, but let’s focus and listen to the talent show—no, the speech first.”

The older party members seemed to find me simply adorable.

But being cute wasn’t enough.

To boost support, I had to prove that I was capable of running the country.

“Hoo…”

I took a deep breath and began my speech.

“H-hello, I’m Kang Jiwoo. E-everyone must be surprised, b-but…”

The speech didn’t flow smoothly.

I kept stuttering and even skipped several lines altogether without finishing my sentences.

“Looks like Jiwoo still struggles with reading.”

“It must be hard for her. There are so many people, and the pressure must be overwhelming.”

“What should we do? The press conference is right around the corner.”

“Can’t we postpone it a little?”

“With the election campaign so tight, delaying the press conference isn’t really an option…”

How humiliating.

I couldn’t even read aloud properly.

More than anything, it hurt.

“I worked so hard…”

Since yesterday, I had been trying my best to practice.

Of course, I wasn’t very focused, but I resisted the temptation of Taniping, cut down on sleep, and practiced.

But the result was brutally disproportionate to my effort.

“With more practice, she’ll do better!”

Han Seoyoung defended me, but the general sentiment wasn’t positive.

“The press conference is in just a day and a half. Do you think practicing until then will make much of a difference?”

“That’s… well…”

Even Han Seoyoung couldn’t give a firm answer.

Neither could I.

Honestly, my confidence was dwindling.

Am I ruining the party?

Should I have handed the candidacy over to Representative Park earlier?

The guilt made my already small heart shrink even more.

Unable to read my speech properly, I felt so pathetic that tears welled up.

“So sleepy…”

Pretending to be sleepy, I rubbed my eyes to wipe away the tears.

I barely managed to hide them, but not being able to cry freely made me feel even more pitiful, and more tears threatened to fall.

“Yawn… Why do I keep yawning?”

I kept fake yawning while wiping my eyes.

That’s when Representative Park Seokji stepped forward.

“Hahaha. Chief Han, you don’t know because you don’t have kids, do you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Leave it to me. I have six grandchildren, you know.”

Confidently stepping in, Representative Park, nicknamed Side Dish Brother, pulled out his thick wallet.

Then he took out two 50,000 won bills and placed them on the podium.

“Jiwoo, if you practice hard and learn to read properly, this grandpa will give you 100,000 won!”

Was he trying to buy my motivation with money?

But… only 100,000 won?

Han Seoyoung let out a faint sigh.

‘Representative Park always thinks from an adult’s perspective.’

No one dislikes money.

But not everything can be bought with money.

Passion and determination for something – these require fundamental motivation that money alone can’t provide.

However, this time Han Seoyoung’s assumption was wrong.

“You can use it to buy snacks and toys, too.”

“!?”

Toys!

At that word, my eyes lit up.

With a slightly excited tone, I said,

“Taniping Catch costs 99,800 won!”

A pure love for Taniping sparked a fire in me.

It became my motivation.

“And, and, the Hurcheuping Carriage is 79,000 won.”

“Oh, is that so? If you practice hard, you’ll be able to buy it!”

“And, and, the talking Chichiping is 30,000 won. But if you’re collecting Taniping, you need to gather a few. Regular Chichiping costs only 10,000 won, but with that, you can get Chichiping, Hurcheuping, Himnaping… altogether, ten of them!”

Han Seoyoung was slightly dumbfounded.

‘Wait, she can talk like this? And she memorized all of it?’

Representative Park Seokji, who has six grandchildren, his financial therapy was highly effective.