CH444 | Heir

November 8, 2016.

The 45th presidential election of the United States was held.

I watched the live vote count broadcast from the Financial Tower with one of the vice presidents. Not only us, but everyone in the Financial Tower held their breath and stayed up all night, eyes fixed on the broadcast.

“I hate to say this, but the election forecasts released yesterday look very unfavorable.”

“You mean the projections from the news outlets.”

“Yes. The New York Times, which is considered highly reliable, predicted that the Democratic candidate has more than a 90 percent chance of winning. CNN is also forecasting a landslide for the Democrats. Some online outlets are putting the Democratic victory odds as high as 98 percent.”

CNN and The New York Times.

They were America’s leading news organizations, and widely regarded as having excellent access to information.

It wasn’t just them. Most media outlets were predicting Trump’s overwhelming defeat.

“Predictions are just predictions. Until the ballot boxes are opened, no one truly knows the result.”

“Even the bookmakers are betting on Trump’s defeat. The odds of him winning are only 28 percent.”

“That’s still higher than what the media outlets suggest.”

“Probably because quite a few gamblers are betting on the underdog, which brought the figure up to 28 percent.”

Gamblers don’t place their money on a mere hunch.

For this U.S. election alone, the betting pool amounted to nearly 300 billion won. To win, they poured over data and information before staking their bets.

“The media outlets are deeply tied to politics, so their forecasts are inevitably influenced. But gamblers only care about money, which makes their predictions easier to trust.”

“Even so, the odds of victory are still under 30 percent.”

“Thirty percent is by no means a low probability. The results will take a while to come in, so you should take a break and come back later.”

The tighter the election, the longer it takes to decide the outcome.

In the United States especially, every ballot box, including mail-in ballots, had to be opened and counted before the winner could be confirmed. That naturally made the process slower.

“Exit polls should start coming in soon. Let’s at least check the key battlegrounds before taking a break.”

“The first exit polls are released from the Midwest, right?”

“Yes. Indiana and Kentucky are usually announced the earliest.”

We turned our attention back to the TV.

CNN began releasing the exit poll results.

“Trump has won Indiana by a six-point margin!”

“He’s taken Kentucky by an even larger lead—62 percent, a very comfortable win.”

“These are states the Republicans won in the last election as well.”

They were places where Trump was already expected to win by a wide margin.

Had he lost in Indiana or Kentucky, there would have been no point in watching the rest of the election. Winning there was only natural, and the results carried little significance.

“Now the exit polls from the most important states are coming in.”

“Florida is next, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. Florida and Virginia in the Southeast coastal region. His campaign promises for the shipping industry helped push his support up in these areas. Florida is especially crucial, with 29 electoral votes on the line.”

It was the bellwether of the entire election.

Without securing Florida’s electors, winning the presidency was virtually impossible.

“The Democrats won Florida in the last election, so it’s a bit unsettling.”

“Even so, support has been rising here thanks to his shipping industry pledges. It’s worth being hopeful.”

Thirty minutes later, the Florida exit polls were released.

And unlike the pre-election surveys, the numbers shocked us—in the best way. We clenched our fists and cheered.

“Trump has won Florida!”

“Only by about one percent, a razor-thin margin.”

“It could still flip depending on the mail-in ballots, but the odds of him holding the lead are very high!”

Trump secured victory in Florida.

Shortly after, results from Georgia came in—he won there by a five-point margin.

“He’s taken Georgia comfortably. There’s no chance of that result being overturned.”

“Georgia went Republican in the last election as well. It was an expected win.”

“South Carolina also looks solid for him.”

“He won there by a margin of fourteen percent!”

Trump had now carried much of the Southeast.

It wasn’t enough to decide the entire race, but his promises of investment in the shipping industry had likely helped a little in the region.

“Now that he’s even won Florida, all he needs to do is maintain the momentum. Especially with Ohio and North Carolina coming up—polling agencies were deeply divided on those states.”

“So, true battlegrounds. If he wins there too, his chances of being elected will rise sharply.”

Thirty minutes later, the Ohio exit polls were announced.

Though Ohio had been considered a toss-up, the results showed a decisive Trump victory.

“Trump has won by more than eight points! At this rate, he really might win the presidency!”

“I told you, opinion polls can’t be trusted. In Korea, with its smaller population, surveys can be accurate, but the U.S. is vast and populous, and polling is far less reliable.”

“North Carolina has also gone to Trump, with a margin of over three points. Republicans won here in the last election too, but the state was far from guaranteed.”

Trump’s string of victories continued.

But the next results were far from certain.

The upcoming polls were from the Rust Belt—the old industrial region in decline.

“If he even manages to win in the Rust Belt, there will be nothing left to wait for.”

“That seems unlikely. The Democrats are traditionally strong there.”

Everyone expected Trump to lose in the Rust Belt.

But when the results came in, the picture was completely different.

“Trump has taken Pennsylvania! The margin is razor-thin—less than 0.8 percent—but he’s flipped a state that everyone assumed would go to the Democrats!”

“And Michigan too, by an even slimmer margin. Barely 0.2 percent.”

“No one expected him to win in the Rust Belt.”

It was the moment when Trump’s chances of victory rose dramatically.

All at once, our tension eased, and a heavy drowsiness set in.

At this rate, we wouldn’t be able to carry out the day’s work properly, so a short break was necessary.

“Shall we go to the sauna together? By the time we’re back, most of the results should be in.”

“I’ll accompany you. It will be a pleasure to sweat it out in good spirits.”

We returned after a brief rest at the sauna.

By then, most of the exit poll results were in, and they showed Trump in a favorable position.

“According to the data released by U.S. media outlets, the expected consolidation of women’s and minority votes for the Democrats was much weaker than predicted.”

“That explains why the outcome is so different from what the media had forecast.”

“Especially since he won in places no one expected—like Pennsylvania and Michigan.”

“It also helped that the third-party candidates took a sizable share of the votes.”

More than five percent of the ballots went to minor candidates.

From the Democrats’ perspective, it was as if votes that should have been theirs had been siphoned away.

Had they absorbed even part of that support, the outcome might have been entirely different.

“On top of that, most of the working-class white voters went for Trump, and analysts say the Republicans outperformed in their election strategy as well.”

“Once someone wins, the media and the experts always find a way to explain it after the fact.”

“That’s true. Some outlets are even blaming the Democratic candidate’s poor health and limited campaign travel as one of the key reasons for the loss.”

The election was something that had to be won.

There was no such thing as a “beautiful defeat.” Politics was a winner-takes-all arena.

“Trump may have won this time, but whether he can win reelection is another matter.”

“He secured the electoral college, but the Democratic candidate actually won the popular vote.”

In Korea, the side with the most votes wins. But in the United States, the electoral college system often meant that the candidate with fewer votes could still prevail.

“Now that this election is over, we need to start building connections with whoever is likely to win the next one.”

“You think reelection is completely out of the question?”

“Most likely. Tell David to start approaching the next Democratic candidate discreetly.”

“When you say the next candidate, do you mean the current Democratic nominee?”

“No. A new figure will rise as their candidate. The only real card the Democrats can play now is Biden, who served as vice president under Obama.”

He was the last U.S. president I remembered.

After that, I didn’t know who would come next.

Trump might succeed in making a comeback, or Biden might secure reelection.

It didn’t really matter.

As long as we shook hands with both sides, whoever won, Taewoo Group would also win.

“Do you think the Democrats will nominate Biden as their candidate? As you know, their nominee this time struggled to campaign due to old age. But Biden was born in 1942.”

“That makes him seventy-four now. By the next election, he’ll be seventy-eight.”

“And if he’s thinking about reelection, he’d be over eighty. Would the Democratic Party really throw their support behind such a candidate?”

Age was indeed a problem.

But the Democrats had no fresh cards left to play.

They would have to dig out the old ones stored away and use them, even if they were worn.

“President Trump isn’t exactly young either. The difference is only three years.”

“True, but his fiery speeches and restless energy make people forget his age.”

As I was speaking with the vice president, a phone—one known to only a handful of people—rang.

The call was from none other than the main character of this election, the president-elect, Donald Trump.

I hadn’t expected him to call personally. I checked the caller ID several times before finally answering.

“Congratulations on being elected as the 45th president of the United States!”

[It’s thanks to you. I heard you were the one who crafted that late shipping industry pledge. From the Rust Belt to the coastal regions, it was your promise that helped secure victory!]

“No, sir. It was entirely your own remarkable ability that led to your win.”

I made sure to sound as humble as possible.

For the next four years, he would hold the strongest power in the world. At the very least, this much humility was required.

[I’d like to formally invite you to the inauguration. I’ll send you an invitation, so be sure to attend and share in our victory banquet.]

“It will be an honor. I’ll bring a grand gift to the White House to celebrate your victory.”

[Coming from Chairman Kim, I’m already looking forward to it. Let’s work well together going forward. I’ll make sure to take good care of you.]

“Thank you for calling despite your busy schedule.”

[Once my victory was confirmed, you were the first person who came to mind. Let’s talk again soon.]

A call from the president-elect, Trump.

Not just any call—it was the very first one he made after his victory.

It showed how much he valued me, though I didn’t let it show outwardly.

“Why the long face? You just received a call from the future president of the United States, yet you don’t look pleased.”

“The White House is like a restroom. The situation before going in and after going in changes completely.”

“You think Trump will change once he steps into the White House?”

“Maybe not completely, but the gratitude he feels toward me won’t remain as strong as it is now.”

Even so, it was undeniably useful.

He could loosen the regulations I needed lifted for my businesses.

And above all, he would still have enough gratitude left to crush the shipping alliance that was keeping Taewoon Shipping in check.