Chapter 034: What Must Be Done (3)
Hee-soo gave a serious answer to Ga-eul's suspicious expression.
"The problem is how long it took for the building to collapse."
"The time?"
Ga-eul, who had been cold until now, leaned forward as though Hee-soo's words had pulled her in.
After pausing briefly, Hee-soo continued.
"It collapsed far too quickly."
"What do you mean, too quickly?"
"If that disabled welfare facility had been built properly, it should have endured for at least two hours. With the amount of firefighting power mobilized after a Level 2 response was declared, the fire should have been fully extinguished before the building collapsed."
"But that building collapsed less than thirty minutes after the fire started."
Ga-eul frowned.
It wasn't irritation.
Her eyes looked more like those of a predator that had caught the scent of prey.
"Are you saying the building was poorly constructed?"
"Yes. Poor construction seems almost certain. I came because I'd like you to investigate who was involved."
Aide Yoo reacted first.
"The government commissioned the construction of that building, so that's why you came here?"
Hee-soo smiled and nodded.
"You've got a good aide. He understands quickly."
"Hahaha. Thank you for the compliment."
"Shouldn't you be the assemblyman?"
Hee-soo already knew a little about Aide Yoo from Chief Jang.
But he was also testing him.
Aide Yoo gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of his head.
"Hahaha. That's too much praise. A sinner like me shouldn't do something like that. This position suits me perfectly."
"A sinner?"
As Hee-soo tried to ask more, Ga-eul interrupted.
Her irritation was clearly visible on her face.
She asked sharply,
"So what's your point?"
"You're in a position where you can officially request a massive amount of information. I'd like you to use that information to find out what happened."
Aide Yoo immediately understood.
"You believe someone higher up is connected to this?"
"Someone the police or ordinary audit authorities might hesitate to touch?"
"Our aide really is competent."
As Hee-soo kept praising Aide Yoo, Ga-eul's expression became even sharper.
"Couldn't Suseong investigate this itself?"
"Of course we could. But if we investigate, a lot of what we'd have to do would be illegal."
"Since when has Suseong cared about legal versus illegal..."
Aide Yoo quickly interrupted before Ga-eul could finish.
"Ah. What Director Choi means is that if Suseong investigates directly, it would cost a lot of money and may require illegally obtaining information. So he'd rather have it investigated legally using the people's tax money, right?"
Hee-soo smiled and nodded.
"Our aide understands people well, and he's good at putting sharp meaning into polite words."
"That's correct."
"But the biggest reason is this. Even if we obtained evidence that way, we couldn't use it for official sanctions."
"We could only use it for private retaliation."
Aide Yoo smiled and nodded.
"Understood. And this sort of thing is exactly what our Assemblywoman Kim Ga-eul specializes in."
He looked toward Ga-eul.
"Right, Assemblywoman?"
Ga-eul's response was sharp.
"What exactly do you mean by that?!"
Aide Yoo turned toward Hee-soo.
"Our assemblywoman has been extremely busy lately, so she's a little sensitive right now. But she actually likes cases like this very much."
"We'll decide whether to take the case and let you know. Why don't you go back and wait for our answer?"
"Ah. Should I?"
As Hee-soo was about to stand, Aide Yoo stopped him.
"Ah, one more thing."
"Yes. Go ahead."
"Is Chief Jang Seung-tae not with you?"
"He is. He came with me today."
Aide Yoo looked surprised.
"But you came inside personally?"
"Yes. I don't really like leaving things like this to Chief Jang."
"It would probably be faster if you did."
"Even if you have the best ingredients, you won't become a good chef unless you've actually cooked before."
Aide Yoo smiled and nodded.
"Ah. I understand what you mean."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Hee-soo left the office.
Chief Jang was waiting outside.
"Did the conversation go well?"
"Hmm. Just like you said, Assemblywoman Kim really does have a good aide."
"Right?"
"I'd like to hear that man's story properly someday."
"He's the real deal. The party keeps telling him they'll nominate him to run for the National Assembly, but he insists he isn't suited to being a lawmaker and keeps refusing. He's an unusual guy."
"You already told me that part before."
"His family originally ran things like private investigation agencies too. I don't have any direct connection to him, but I know his family."
"As expected from Chief Jang. You know everyone and everything."
Inside the office, Ga-eul stared at the door Hee-soo had left through and exploded.
"Seriously! Why did he suddenly come here and tell me to investigate something for him? Does he think I'm someone who handles his personal complaints? Aide Yoo!"
Aide Yoo, who had been smiling a moment earlier, now had a serious expression and was lost in thought.
Ga-eul asked in surprise,
"What? Why are you making that face?"
"Hmm. Director Choi is Suseong's successor, right?"
"Yes."
"And if he called them to his house right now, there are probably at least fifty assembly members from both the ruling and opposition parties who would go."
Ga-eul's mood twisted even more.
"Oh. How impressive."
"If fifty lawmakers from the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, the Public Administration and Security Committee, the Science and ICT Committee, and others gathered together, and if they included members from both ruling and opposition parties with at least three terms each, is there anything in this country they couldn't do?"
Ga-eul's response remained sharp.
"Probably not. Especially if he can call both ruling and opposition lawmakers. He might as well become president."
"No. He doesn't need to become president. And if he also borrowed Chairman Choi's influence, he could probably gather half the National Assembly."
Ga-eul became even more irritated and snapped at Aide Yoo.
"Exactly! Then why is he giving this job to me?"
"Am I his errand runner?"
Aide Yoo laughed at her complaint.
"Hahaha. That's not it, Assemblywoman."
"Someone with that much influence specifically came to you."
Ga-eul couldn't hide her surprise.
"What?"
"Director Choi, with all that influence, came here because he sees Assemblywoman Kim as a partner."
"Really? Then why doesn't he just work with those third-term lawmakers?"
"He said it himself. With one word, he could make lawmakers line up for him."
"Well, some of that was probably posturing. Of course he could do it, but acting that way in the current era would be rather outdated."
Ga-eul finally became serious.
"Then why did he come to me?"
"This is just my opinion, but I think it means a member of the National Assembly may be involved in this."
"Corruption?"
"Yes."
"That's why I think Director Choi ignored all the third and fourth-term lawmakers and came to Assemblywoman Kim."
Ga-eul fell deep into thought.
"Then I might end up stabbing one of the senior lawmakers in the back?"
Aide Yoo smiled at her wording.
"You could put it that way."
"But the National Assembly is a jungle."
"How long do you think the party will keep giving you proportional representative nominations?"
"They won't next time."
"You need to secure a district and run there if you want to build a foundation as both a lawmaker and a politician."
"So you're saying he's giving me that kind of opportunity?"
"Yes."
"I don't know exactly what Director Choi is thinking, but this is the message he just handed you."
"Pick one lawmaker you can take down, whether they're ruling party or opposition, and take their district."
Ga-eul didn't look pleased.
"Still, how could I stab a senior lawmaker in the back?"
"Assemblywoman, lawmakers may be colleagues, but each one is also an independent constitutional institution."
"If you abandon your conscience because of that sense of loyalty, then you're unfit to be a lawmaker."
"I know that much."
"I may not be able to stab a senior lawmaker in the back, but I can smash the back of a criminal's head without hesitation."
Without realizing it, Ga-eul cracked her knuckles.
Her eyes sharpened like a predator that had spotted prey.
"I hope it's Dobong B. That's a ruling party district. If I go in there..."
"Then you also have to push past your own party's district committee chair."
"Hmm?"
Ga-eul's expression immediately fell again.
"Ah. Right. That person has probably spent years building their base there."
Aide Yoo let out a long sigh.
"Ah, what are we going to do with our assemblywoman?"
"I'll say it again. There are no seniors and juniors among lawmakers. Each of you is an independent institution."
"If another institution is corrupt, whether it's ruling party or opposition, your job is to cut its head off."
"Besides, if the other person isn't even a sitting lawmaker and is only a district committee chair, then in one sense they're someone who already lost."
"If Assemblywoman Kim goes there and wins the district, it may be unfortunate for the committee chair personally, but it's better for the party."
"Put the party before yourself."
Ga-eul's expression darkened again.
"I know. Haah. So you're saying Director Choi just dropped that kind of homework on me?"
"Exactly."
"To put it another way, he came to file a request saying this."
"Whether they're ruling party or opposition, use only the truth and cut down whoever deserves it."
"Hmm. But why doesn't he do it himself instead of making me do it?"
"If Director Choi does it himself, he spends money and creates enemies without gaining anything."
Ga-eul nodded in understanding.
"But if I do it, I might gain a district and increase my public recognition?"
"Exactly. You gain something."
"But I'll lose something too."
"You'll probably gain more than you lose."
Ga-eul gave a bitter smile as though she had no choice.
"Well. If it's something that needs to be done, there's no reason to avoid it."
Her eyes began shining again, but for a different reason than before.
Then another question entered her mind.
"Still, why give that opportunity to me? There are plenty of other first-term lawmakers."
Aide Yoo shrugged.
"Who knows? How am I supposed to know what's inside Director Choi's head? What do you think?"
Ga-eul rubbed her chin and narrowed her eyes.
"Hmm. Maybe because I'm a first-term proportional representative who doesn't need to worry about a district?"
"Hmm. I'd say that's about five percent."
"Really? Then because of the bold actions I've shown so far?"
"Maybe three percent."
"I'm not going to become some obedient lawmaker who does everything he tells me."
"Let's call that a tiny pinch. I doubt he expects that from you anyway."
