Protesters continued to grow in number in front of the Jamsil polling station early on the 4th, even after Oh Se-hoon was elected mayor of Seoul. [Photo = Yonhap News]

It was the middle of the night, when all the dust that had settled in my mind had cleared. It was the middle of the night, when the old fog had completely lifted. It was the middle of the night, when the windows of my thoughts had been wiped clean with a creak. It was the middle of the night, with only pure, unadulterated starlight left in the night sky of my mind. It was the middle of the night, when the last ripple had vanished from the surface of my consciousness.

At first, people seemed bewildered. Dr. Jang Jae-eon, who had pointed to election fraud through computer manipulation, had already gone to the Gwacheon National Election Commission. Jeon Han-gil, who was broadcasting the election live for Hangil News, said they had to go to Gwanghwamun. Lawyer Kang Shin-up was also heading to Gwacheon. Manggi-to TV was also heading to Gwacheon.

Meanwhile, people flocked to the polling station in Jamsil 7-dong. They were angry about the news that they couldn't vote because there were no ballots. "Young Vistas," which had been imprisoned due to the Seoobu District Court incident, was also keeping a close eye on Jamsil 7-dong. It was the middle of the night.

It was like the Geum River at night, after all the dirty waste and turbid water had flowed out, leaving only clear water. It was the middle of the night, when all the muddy water in the reservoir of my mind had settled. It was like the riverside on a cool dawn breeze after the painful杂念 (miscellaneous thoughts) had been washed away. It was the middle of the night, when the waves in my heart, which had been churning unbearably all day, had been purified.

YouTube was buzzing. "Those involved in election fraud go straight to Guantanamo!" "Arrest Noh Tae-hak, please!" "Can't the People Power Party see this? Come out to Jamsil and declare the election void!" "Changwon is on the 3rd floor of the Convention Center." "We must rise up nationwide. This is the June 3rd Revolution. Drop everything tomorrow and come out. Let's eradicate election fraud and reclaim the Republic of Korea." "Many people have gathered in Daegu's Gyesan five-way intersection." "An hour ago, there was white smoke from something burning on a mountain near the National Election Commission. And the ashes were white. Paper." "Noh Tae-ok" "Election void, halt vote counting, election fraud." "When day breaks tomorrow, let's go to Gwanghwamun and drag them all out." "Half-torn ballots found in an open cardboard truck, family ID used to move ballots onto an open truck, more ballots from the election commission than actual voters, a shortage of ballots." "This is a legitimate act of popular resistance."

It was the middle of the night. It was a night sky without a single cloud, like after a storm had passed. A deep blue stillness between the constellations filled my heart. The Milky Way's waterway had swept away all sorrow, pain, fear, and hesitation. It was a night of only moonlight on a thousand rivers. It was a night when the ashes of my worries had cooled.

Morning finally came. With a mind devoid of any杂念, and with a firm resolve to see it through to the end, a red heart, I head to school.

A last-minute comeback? They say a lot was stuffed in at the last minute! 28 bundled ballots found in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. It's sad, this is my hometown. Jang Dong-hyuk will file a lawsuit for an election nullification. Pathetic, they're just learning to walk now. Standoff at the Jamsil polling station with ballot boxes, citizens explode. The world is not dead yet. Is this possible? It's chaos everywhere. Are we just going to let this go? Mostan's grim preparations. Ah, is it still not finished even in this June? A tragic June 3rd election fraud. Yoonka was right. Election fraud is rebellion. This is the truth. Unseparated serial number ballots found at the vote counting site. It's not even one or two cases, so it's not surprising. A nationwide shortage of ballots on 61% of all ballots. Where were they used?

The roar of the subway's steel wheels is deafening. On the screen, they say the fire on the mountain near the National Election Commission will be investigated as arson. I know the outcome. They say the opposition candidate for Seoul mayor has conceded defeat. This means they want to wrap things up. This means they're satisfied. The strange logic that the People Power Party did well with just Seoul and Gyeongnam/Gyeongbuk has also emerged. Former International Court of Justice Ambassador Mostan has been banned from leaving the country. It could be said that he is effectively under detention.

Did they bring so many ballots that they ended up running out? Like a diversion, after causing trouble in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, how much more was done in inconspicuous places? One female YouTuber said, "Is this first-come, first-served voting?" She called it an unprecedented catastrophe. In any case, as long as there is election fraud, any talk of winning or losing an election is just empty words. Opinion polls, exit polls, vote percentages, and shifting fortunes are all fake.

How will I live today? The light coming from the future is my sustenance today. Though it is devastating and difficult, I am full.

The hope of the future, of tomorrow, is burning brightly. Again, it is always about 'again'.

◆ Professor Bang Min-ho

Ph.D. in Literature, Professor of Korean Language and Literature at Seoul National University. He is currently the editor-in-chief of the quarterly literary magazine 'Maeck' (from 2022) and is actively working as a poet, novelist, and literary critic. His works include 'Lover Shim Cheong' (2015), 'Language of Pain' (2019), 'Rethinking Korean Criticism' (2021), and 'Seoul Literary Journey' (2024).