—The exit-poll results for the 15th presidential election will be announced shortly. The exit polling was conducted at 120 polling stations across the nation's cities and provinces, surveying 3,000 people. This reliability…

On the TV, the vote-count broadcast for the 15th presidential election was in full swing.

Do-beom approached Tak-hyeon, who was watching the count broadcast with everyone gathered at Pyeongchang-dong.

"Who won?"

The counting hadn't even begun, and not even the exit poll had been announced yet.

But even in such a situation, the Ilhyeon Group could know the outcome first.

Do-beom answered in a voice everyone gathered before the TV, Tak-hyeon included, could hear.

"Candidate Dae-sang Kim's support has been confirmed at a little over 40 percent. A margin of about 1.5 percent over the ruling-party candidate."

"1.5 percent…"

Tak-hyeon twisted the corner of his mouth up and nodded.

"He paid a steep price for his pride."

Everyone seated there knew who it was Tak-hyeon meant had paid the price for his pride.

"That man who split off from the ruling party. How much support did he get?"

At Jeong-eun's question, Do-beom wore a bitter smile and turned his head to answer.

"He secured 19 percent, they say."

"19 percent?"

Jeong-eun clicked her tongue in astonishment and said,

"That's more than a steep price. Dae-sang Kim ought to at least buy the man who broke off from the ruling party a meal."

"Would a meal cover it? If that candidate hadn't split off, most of those 19 percent were people who'd have voted for the ruling party. Honestly. Losing because he couldn't take that bloc under his wing is impressive in its own way."

Jeong-eun and Sang-jong could only marvel that, with the gap between Dae-sang Kim and the ruling-party candidate at a mere 1.5 percent, the third candidate—the one from the broader ruling camp—had pulled in a full 19 percent.

And Chang-jong, not to be left out of a conversation like this, didn't forget to toss in his own remark.

"But this means that even with the IMF bailout blowing up right now, the broader-ruling-camp vote came…