Chapter 73: That Time I Held an Election in South America (3)

TL: Skye

The day after he got back from the regional campaign tour.

Yu-jin called Isabella in and told her this:

"I'm thinking we'll take today's campaign stop down to Publica Street."

"...Sorry?"

For a moment, Isabella couldn't believe her ears.

He'd held a perfect, ironclad grip on power for ages now.

The head of every government department had long since stopped being a minister and become a Senior Secretary, a direct presidential appointee in all but name, and naturally the civil servants beneath them were no different from Yu-jin's own hands and feet.

In other words, whoever else might waver, the civil servants had no choice but to back Yu-jin, unconditionally.

And yet here he was, insisting on heading down to Publica Street, where all the government departments were clustered, just to go see the civil servants.

Which was really no different from saying he meant to bring his own house to heel, now was it?

"I'm not sure... that's really necessary."

"No. We have to go. They're all working so hard, aren't they? Imagine how thrilled they'll be to have the head of the executive show up in person to cheer them on."

"......"

Watching Yu-jin refuse to budge, Isabella thought to herself:

'His Excellency doesn't trust a single soul!'

Watching Yu-jin set out to crush even the faintest seed of betrayal before it could sprout, Isabella felt a shiver run through her.

The thought that she, too, might look that way in his eyes stung a little, but more than that, she was moved by the sheer ruthlessness of his resolve.

A man in whom cold reason overwhelmingly outweighed emotion.

Because that was exactly what Isabella's superman on a white horse was supposed to be.

"Understood. Then I'll notify each department of Your Excellency's visit."

"Oh, don't do that. It'll only disrupt their work. Let's keep it low-key, just slip in and out."

"Y-you mean you'll... ambush them, sir?"

"Come on, are we marching off to war? An ambush, please. We'll just stroll over like we're out for a walk, say a few encouraging words, and head back."

As Yu-jin said this with a small chuckle, Isabella's eyes wavered wildly.

A short while later, on Publica Street.

It was a peaceful afternoon, the middle of the workday.

The civil servants, sluggish and drowsy from a fresh lunch, were nodding off at their desks or trading idle chatter, when...

Vrrrooom-

Dozens of black sedans came gliding into view.

There wasn't a single siren, but the sheer, overwhelming presence of the motorcade yanked the eyes of every civil servant on the street toward it at once.

The problem was...

"Th-that license plate..."

The plate on the car in the center was shaped like the national flag.

There was exactly one vehicle in all of San Marcos that carried a plate like that.

"Isn't that... the car His Excellency rides in?"

The presidential armored limousine, no less.

On top of that, it was a gift from the chairman of Hyunhwa, gleaming so bright it could be spotted from a mile off, so the civil servants recognized it on sight.

The Interior Ministry's Bureau Director, who'd been smoking a cigarette by the window, let out a horrified shriek.

"E-emergency! It's an emergency! His Excellency is here!"

"What? Without any warning?"

"Everyone, fall in, now! Clear your desks! Don't leave so much as a speck of dust!"

"Get word to every department! Tell them His Excellency is on his way!"

In an instant, the government departments of Publica Street descended into total bedlam.

After all, the most powerful man in San Marcos, an iron-blooded leader without an ounce of pity, had come to call.

There were thousands of heads, but the thought running through nearly all of them was the same.

'He's come to batten down every last hatch right before the election!'

Moments later, thousands of civil servants came pouring out of the department buildings like a swarm of ants.

No one had ordered them to, yet they fell into neat ranks and files and lined the road on both sides.

Standing there like soldiers awaiting inspection, they began to break into a cold sweat.

Thud. Thud.

The car door opened and Yu-jin stepped into view.

Behind him, Isabella, second-in-command of the current regime, and a row of sunglasses-clad security agents stood arrayed like a folding screen.

Climbing out of the car, Yu-jin smiled benevolently and spoke.

"Oh dear, I'd meant to make the rounds and come see each department in person, but you've all come out to meet me. You must be swamped with the election coming up; I'm sorry to intrude."

"N-not at all! It's nothing but a joy to see you, Your Excellency!"

Serhio, the Education Bureau Director standing closest to Yu-jin, answered in a booming voice.

"Ah, the Education Ministry's budget director. We've met before, haven't we? You're a cousin of Senior Secretary Sergio, if I recall?"

"I'm honored that you remember, sir!"

Having exchanged greetings, Yu-jin lifted his head and glanced around.

"I'd love to shake every one of your hands, but I'd be eating up far too much of your time... Could I perhaps borrow that chair over there?"

One of the civil servants came sprinting over with a chair.

Stepping up onto it, Yu-jin spoke through a megaphone.

"First, I'd like to apologize for dropping in unannounced and stealing your working hours."

Yu-jin meant it sincerely, but on the receiving end it triggered a colossal misunderstanding.

"I wanted to see all of you, working so hard for a fair election."

[I've come to crack down on you ahead of the election.]

"This election is an enormously important event for our San Marcos. There's a great deal to prepare, and I'm told there are countless procedural details to attend to. And since it's been such a long time since we last held an election, the weight on the shoulders of those of you handling the actual work must be heavy."

[Since this is the first election in thirty years, fail to prepare it properly and I'll ship you off to Tortilla Farm and work you until your shoulders break.]

"A UN Observer Delegation will be visiting for this election. That means the foreign press may well have their eyes on our vote too. Naturally, there can be no mistakes. Please, prepare thoroughly so that nothing unseemly comes to pass."

[Make a mistake, and something unseemly will happen to you personally.]

"Of course it will be grueling, exhausting work. No experience, not enough hands... But the nation believes in you. And I believe in you too."

[Grueling or not, you will get it done, no excuses. Betray that trust and you'll receive a punishment to match.]

"Civil servants are the hands and feet of the nation. Only when you act with the right mindset does the country stand upright. In this election as well, I would ask you to conduct yourselves in exactly that way."

[If by some chance anyone harbors other intentions, I will hunt him down and beat him senseless.]

Spotting a few of the more faint-hearted among them break into a cold sweat, Yu-jin spoke with great sympathy.

"As important as the election is, your health matters just as much. If you collapse, who will look after the nation? Let's all mind our own well-being and give it our best."

[You are my slaves. Even death requires my permission.]

At those words, the civil servants began to tremble all over.

Yu-jin gave a contented smile and waved his hand.

"I am who I am because of all of you. The election results aren't in yet, but let's keep building this country into something magnificent, together. You'll all be with me, won't you?"

To those listening, it was an absolute command that could not be refused.

"Of course, Your Excellency!"

"We're prepared to lay down our lives for you!"

"We will serve you even in death, Your Excellency!"

Cries brimming with terror flooded every inch of Publica Street.

"You're all busy, so this troublemaker will be on his way. Keep up the good fight today, everyone."

Yu-jin nodded with satisfaction and climbed back into the car.

And just as the motorcade pulled out of the street...

Clapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclap!

Close to a thousand civil servants beat out a seal clap hard enough to split their palms open.

"Everyone seems to be working so diligently. I'm very pleased."

Yu-jin smiled in satisfaction and sank back into his seat.

***

A few days later, news of San Marcos reached living rooms across the Western world, the United States and Britain among them.

[CNN News]

The anchor began to deliver the news with an expression that was at once grave and intrigued.

"In San Marcos, America's neighbor in Latin America, a presidential election is being held for the very first time in thirty years."

The screen cut away, and footage from the campaign rally held days earlier at Libertad Plaza began to play.

[A great nation where everyone eats well and lives well! I, Yu-jin, will build it without fail!]

"Waaaaahhh!!!"

"Yu-jin! Yu-jin! Yu-jin!"

A crowd of a million filled the screen. Citizens who had claimed even the rooftops and the roadside trees went wild at a single gesture from Yu-jin, weeping and cheering in a scene that genuinely resembled a religious revival.

"As you can see, the mood on the ground is extraordinary. The people of San Marcos are throwing their absolute support behind Acting President Yu-jin Choi."

The anchor turned to the expert beside him and asked.

A caption appeared beneath the expert on screen, reading "Charles Abram" and "Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy, New York University."

"My understanding is that San Marcos is a long-standing dictatorship. One could say he simply inherited the previous regime, so what accounts for this kind of support?"

"It's simple. Yu-jin Choi's policies have been so successful that people call it the Miracle of Libertad."

"Can we put some numbers to just how successful?"

"Of course."

Graphs and figures appeared behind the expert.

[GDP up 300%: from $17.3 billion to $52 billion.]

[Per capita national income: surged more than twofold]

"In just three years since he took over as Acting President, the country's GDP has tripled and unemployment has dropped to a quarter of what it was. National income has exploded as well, and a middle class has begun to take shape."

The anchor pressed further, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"How was such success possible in so short a time?"

"It can be analyzed any number of ways depending on your perspective, but academia attributes the biggest reason to the fact that Yu-jin Choi's policies amounted to a successful New Deal."

"A successful New Deal... so you're saying it was state-driven policy."

"It's also the fastest growth strategy a developing nation can adopt. But not everyone pulls it off. Plenty of countries have rolled out state-led development policies and failed all the same."

"So in San Marcos's case, how were they able to succeed?"

"Ironically, we believe the fact that it was a dictatorship played a major role. When no one can oppose the policies the government puts forward, they're very easy to push through by force."

"Looked at another way, you could call that Yu-jin Choi's leadership."

"Precisely."

"Thank you for your insights. We appreciate your time today."

"Thank you for having me."

The expert exited, and the anchor added one final remark.

"San Marcos's presidential election has been confirmed as a single-candidate race, with Yu-jin Choi running unopposed. According to local sources, his approval rating sits well above 90 percent, making his victory all but certain, and..."

Not long after the segment aired, Drump, the President of the United States, posted on his own social media as well.

[Just watched the news. My friend Yu-jin is a very SMART and NICE guy. The fact that his approval rating is over 90% is proof that the people of San Marcos are very WISE. I'd honestly love to meet Yu-jin soon and learn his secret for boosting approval ratings.]

With a public shout-out from the U.S. President now thrown into the mix, the San Marcos election became a matter of worldwide interest.

And so, three months passed.

At last, the morning dawned on the day of the election that would decide the fate of San Marcos.

*****

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