Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Mayor's Debauchery
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Operation failed.
No, the word "failure" wasn't enough.
Annihilation. Devastation. Total defeat.
Yeah, total defeat.
It was a complete and utter rout.
All the extravagance and waste from yesterday had ended in nothing but pointless digging.
No matter how much I thrashed about, I was on my knees before an overwhelming talent for squandering that I could never catch up to.
I, who had tried to play the role of the debauched Mayor Lee Garam, was ultimately just a small-time citizen experiencing big money for the first time in my life.
I thought I'd thrown around a fortune, but compared to the real Lee Garam's spending habits, it was like buying toy cards at the corner stationery store.
I was a small-time citizen, I am a small-time citizen, and I'll remain one forever. That was the only bone-deep truth I'd confirmed.
But I couldn't give up.
On this stage where my life was at stake, exiting wasn't an option.
Right, the direction of my acting was wrong.
I couldn't dodge her suspicions by clumsily imitating him.
So, I needed to change my approach. A Copernican shift. A paradigm change.
Not "what to do," but "do nothing" instead.
Yeah. Today's concept: inaction. Apathy. Irresponsibility.
Do nothing.
Exist, but don't function.
Don't think. Don't take responsibility.
I'm just breathing furniture. A plant photosynthesizing on taxpayer money.
That was the new Lee Garam I had to portray.
If yesterday was rehearsal, today was the real show.
Knock knock.
"Mayor."
Seria entered and reported the first schedule of the day.
"At 10 a.m., there's a meeting on the redevelopment plan for Songdo Super City from the Urban Development Bureau. It's an important event with representatives from the top ten corporations attending."
Of course it was important. The city's future was on the line.
But my future was teetering on a cliff right now.
"Yaaawn..."
Leaning back in my chair, I let out a long yawn with the most annoyed expression imaginable.
"I need a break today. My brain—my noble brain—is screaming for a vacation."
"...Your brain? The mayor's brain?"
Why repeat it twice? That rubbed me the wrong way.
"Yeah. My brain held an emergency union meeting last night and voted to strike. The agenda was preventing burnout from excessive thinking and demanding guaranteed paid leave. If I don't comply, it'll go into slowdown mode."
I put on the most serious face I could muster.
"As mayor, shouldn't I lead by example in protecting work-life balance? Handle the minor meetings yourself."
"These are weighty matters that require your direct decisions, sir."
"It's all the same—building structures and paving roads, right? I trust you'll handle it just fine. I have complete faith in my secretary."
Faith, or rather dependence. No, more like dumping it on her.
I waved her off dismissively.
"...Understood. I pray for a smooth agreement with your brain's union."
A fleeting emotion crossed Seria's face. Contempt? Resignation?
Didn't matter either way. As long as it worked.
The moment she left, I flopped onto the mayor's office sofa, hugging a fluffy cushion and pulling out my smartphone.
A flashy effect lit up the gacha screen.
Yggdrasil Fantasy. The popular cute collector game these days.
Without hesitation, I charged 100,000 won using the public expense card.
[SSR-grade character 'Ouroboros Serpent' acquired!]
"Kuhahaha! There it is! I got it!"
I sprang up from the sofa, letting out a triumphant yell.
This was the thrill of blowing money! The electric rush of gacha!
Behold the glittering data fragment summoned by sacrificing city budget!
Crunch!
To celebrate the victory, I tore open a bag of potato chips on the side table.
The salty, greasy powder enveloped my tongue and numbed my brain.
I munched away while infinitely scrolling through meaningless short videos.
Cat videos. Soda pop challenges. More cat videos.
I spent the whole day like that.
Utterly meaningless, utterly unproductive time-wasting.
I skipped all the meetings.
Approvals were rubber-stamped without review.
Most of the workday went to gaming and NewTube watching.
I had become a plant mayor.
Not even photosynthesizing—just a rotten plant spewing carbon dioxide.
"This is the ultimate art of politics. The aesthetic of doing nothing while feasting. Perfect."
This ought to leave even Seria throwing up her hands.
6 p.m.
Quitting time, when the city hall air grew lax.
Employees filled the building with a sense of liberation.
How about that. This perfect slacking. This dazzling incompetence.
Surely rumors were spreading among the staff: "Typical Lee Garam, what'd you expect?"
But why was this happening?
The atmosphere at city hall was strangely serene.
If anything, it seemed... lively.
The faces of staff passing in the hallways looked brighter than usual.
"The mayor's been awfully quiet lately, hasn't he?"
"Yeah, tell me about it. Used to be he'd nitpick everything, and getting one approval took a week."
"This time, the West District waste processing plant expansion budget passed on the first try. It's a miracle."
...Huh?
Something was off.
This wasn't the reaction I'd expected.
They were happy because I wasn't working?
How badly had the real Lee Garam tormented his staff? Just holing up without causing chaos was enough to earn gratitude?
Damn. Another miscalculation.
But it was fine.
The staff aside, Seria would be different.
She alone would see through my rotten mindset and conclude, "The mayor really is a hopeless idiot not worth suspecting."
"Seria."
"Yes, Mayor."
"How did I look today?"
She gazed at me silently, steadily.
Those turquoise eyes seemed to dissect me completely.
A gaze piercing my shallow acting shell to peer at my true heart.
"You looked... awkward, sir."
My heart.
Thud.
Fell straight to the floor.
"W-what?"
"Like you're acting, perhaps?"
"A-acting?! W-what are you talking about?! This is my real self! My true personality!"
My voice came out trembling like a goat's bleat.
"Is it?"
Seria tilted her head slightly. That subtle angle squeezed my heart tighter.
"But it feels unnatural. Aren't you trying too hard to avoid work?"
Ah.
I realized the problem.
I'd lived my whole life as a diligent office worker. Clocking in at 9 a.m. every morning, working till 6 p.m., sometimes overtime.
Some habits are ingrained in the body.
Unconsciously checking the time, organizing tasks. The DNA of an efficiency-obsessed salaryman.
'A truly lazy person doesn't try so consciously to be lazy. They just are, naturally.'
A lifetime machine of work trying to suddenly become a layabout—that awkwardness seeped out of every pore.
Damn.
My ingrained diligence was tripping me up.
So what the hell else was I supposed to do?
I was cornered.
I needed a stronger blow.
Not just Seria, but everyone needed to be imprinted with the fact that I was a hopeless debauchee.
I was lost in thought, standing blankly in front of the break room coffee vending machine, when familiar voices reached my ears.
"...So, have we mapped out 'Nebula's' movements?"
"Yes, Captain. We've secured the internal layout and VIP room locations. The issue is infiltration. Security is tight..."
Kang Jiyeong.
Special Task Force overall captain. A woman of steel.
And her team members.
Serious expressions, like they were in an operations meeting.
But one word in their conversation lodged in my ear.
Nebula.
The name of the new massive club that had opened in Bupyeong a few days ago.
Club?
Kang Jiyeong?
That rigid woman at a club?
Well, she's human too.
Chasing villains and training all day—how much stress must she have built up?
But what was this about movement mapping and infiltration? Strategizing how to party most efficiently?
Anyway, it was an opportunity.
This was heaven-sent.
The Special Task Force, guardians of the city's justice.
Especially Kang Jiyeong, who valued principles and despised corruption.
If I showed her—the mayor—cavorting sleazily and debauched right in front of her eyes?
"Ahem. What's this, everyone huddled up having such a fun chat?"
My sudden appearance froze the Task Force members' faces awkwardly. Kang Jiyeong's expression hardened like ice.
"Mayor."
"Looks like you're all planning a fun outing somewhere. Perfect timing—I've been feeling antsy myself."
I slung my arm around a stiff team member's shoulder.
"If you're hitting a club, let me tag along, yeah? Come on?"
Silence.
The break room air froze solid.
The members just exchanged glances, none daring to speak.
Their faces all screamed "We're screwed."
As expected. Busted for trying to go have fun without me.
"We're... well... it's an extension of work..."
One member squeezed out an excuse.
"Work? Going to a club is work? Well, stress relief is important work too! Then it's welfare for the boss to manage his subordinates' stress, right? Come on, we're all going! Tonight's on me!"
Resigned expressions.
Kang Jiyeong sighed and stepped forward.
"Understood, Mayor. Let's go together."
"That's the spirit!"
I cheered inwardly.
It had finally come.
The perfect chance to tank my reputation.
With the Task Force as witnesses, no less.
Just show them me partying debauched, licentious, and sleazy right in front of these apostles of justice.
"But on one condition. You follow our instructions. And... keep it as quiet as possible."
Quiet at a club?
Some unique concept? Library theme?
Whatever. Didn't matter.
"Great! Tonight, we drink till we drop!"
Tonight, I'd become Neo Incheon's most debauched man.