Chapter 16

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 16

Chapter Title: The Mayor's Straight Talk

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The next morning.

I strode into the city hall lobby like a triumphant general.

My shoulders thrust skyward, my footsteps light as if treading on clouds.

It felt like a red carpet had been rolled out beneath my feet.

Full of vim and vigor.

No word could describe my mood better than that.

Last night, I had won. A perfect, overwhelming victory.

Now the citizens would shout "Lee Garam, step down!" in voices thick with rage, and the city council would pretend to relent and pass the impeachment bill.

Heh heh heh. Everything was going according to plan.

A perfect scenario. Perfect staging. Perfect acting.

That was me, Lee Garam.

I opened the door to the mayor's office. Seria was sitting at her desk as usual, reviewing documents. She didn't even glance up at me.

Was she sulking? Or had she given up? Either way, it didn't matter.

I hummed a cheerful tune as I sat at my desk and picked up my smartphone.

Alright, time to check the festival site once more.

The hour had come to savor the public's adulation (curses) pouring in for my glorious tale of downfall.

My timeline was flooded with denunciations of me.

[#Impeach_LeeGaram]

[#HateMayor_Out]

[#DisgraceOfNeoIncheon]

My name was floating around the internet as a curse word laced with every insult and malediction imaginable.

Just seeing the hashtags made my stomach full.

[@HeroLover_24: What a next-level wastrel mayor. Drag him down now!]

[@FemiWarrior82: How can a creep like that be mayor? He's Neo Incheon's shame. #LeeGaram_OUT]

[@Gaia_Circle: Hamburgers over the environment? Is his brain made of french fries?]

[@IdiotSandwich: Isn't Lee Garam just an attention whore, not a mayor? You can tell the level of Neo Incheon voters who elected a clown like that. Tsk tsk.]

[@JusticeSuker: Packaging low-class hate speech as conviction. Disgusting.]

"That's right! Exactly! Say my brain's made of golden, crispy french fries!"

The exact reaction I'd hoped for.

At this rate, the impeachment train would barrel nonstop to its final destination.

I scrolled on, basking in satisfaction.

Scrolled.

Kept scrolling, and scrolled some more.

But then.

"Huh?"

Something was off.

The vast majority was pure vitriol aimed at me, sure.

But amid that torrent of abuse, unfamiliar currents began to emerge.

[@JustJoker: LMAOOOO seriously hilarious. Dude's lost it lololol]

[@Rational_Thinker: Gotta respect not putting on airs like other politicians and just saying what he thinks straight up.]

[@Polit_cynic: Honestly, not a single wrong word, right? Everyone thinks that deep down. Lee Garam just said it out loud.]

[@KimchiDrug: Kimchi mandatory lol showed my foreign friend and he's shaking what?? Lololol]

[@Donald_Fan: Milkshakes taste best with plastic straws! Mayor Lee Garam gets it! #DefendStrawFreedom]

[@Anonymous_User: Other guys do all sorts of dirty shit behind the scenes while pretending to be saints up front. This one's just upfront about it. Better than the hypocrites.]

...What.

What was this?

Why were they laughing? Why the agreement?

I wanted curses! I didn't do this to be funny! I was dead serious about ruining myself!

An incomprehensible phenomenon unfolded before my eyes.

#Crazy_LeeGaram

#LeeGaram_Resign

The majority was still cursing me, no doubt.

A torrent of abuse. Good. Just as expected.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mixed in were unexpected voices of support and defense.

And right there, glaringly prominent below them, hashtags.

#Honest_LeeGaram

#GaramChads

#MayorDoWhatYouWant

"......"

No. This wasn't right.

My outrageous statements were becoming memes, circulating the internet even as they drew condemnation.

Someone had photoshopped my face onto a comic character with the caption "Don't use such strong words. You look weak."

Scattering it across every community.

Another had used AI deepfake tech to slap my face on a "Demon Summon Dance," my stiff expression grooving wildly in a mix of pathos and the uncanny.

And that video's views... two million?

Someone even trained AI on my voice to make a song and upload it.

"Aaaargh!"

I clutched my head.

This wasn't it! This wasn't in my plan! I was supposed to be a loathsome villain, not turning into some ridiculous comic relief!

"Tough crowd, so tough..."

The people of Neo Incheon were viciously resilient.

Not batting an eye at this level of trash talk and antics, turning it into humor. Hadn't they learned yet?

Fine. Time to go bigger. Online playgrounds wouldn't cut it anymore.

A stage with greater reach. One the whole nation watches. Raw, no safety nets.

Right. A TV talk show.

Go on a live current affairs talk show and bare my ideology, convictions, and shattered psyche for all to see.

No one would watch with joy. They'd recoil in shock, rage, and change the channel.

"Alright! It's decided!"

At that moment, an icy voice came from behind me.

"May I ask what you've decided, Mayor? So I can prepare in advance for whatever outlandish scheme you have to tank city hall's reputation this time. For instance, if you're planning a bungee jump from the roof, at least we should get insurance first."

I cleared my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠throat nonchalantly and turned around.

"Ahem! Seria, contact the broadcasters right now and book me on the highest-rated current affairs talk show."

"......Pardon?"

A tiny crack appeared in Seria's poker face.

"Broadcast...? A live talk show, even?"

"Yes! For true communication with the citizens! I can't stay trapped in the narrow window of SNS anymore. I need to face them directly and make my convictions and philosophy crystal clear!"

Seria eyed me up and down.

"Mayor, are you perhaps confusing 'communication' with 'agony'? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠What you're planning isn't dialogue with citizens; it's collective torture for the viewers."

"Nonsense! That's authenticity! Shed the mask of editing! Show the raw me! Isn't that the true leader this era demands?"

"The Mayor's 'raw' self usually violates broadcast regulations. And live means no edits. Words once spoken can't be taken back. Your brain seems like an outdated model without a filtering function, making it even riskier."

Seria's barbs were twice as sharp as usual. But that only fueled my resolve ablaze.

The more you try to stop me, the more I wanna go!

"Don't worry, Seria. Through this talk show, I'll rewrite Neo Incheon's history!"

"The history you speak of is usually called a black mark."

"Excellent point, Seria. But black or white, history is history. What matters is being recorded. Better a vivid tyrant than a bland, odorless mayor!"

"More like a clown than a tyrant. A third-rate one booted from the circus, at that."

"That's an honor too! They say the jester who amuses the king is greater than the king!"

"That's usually the jester's self-justification."

Seria's rebuttal pierced the flaws in my logic.

But no matter. My logic wasn't forged of steel; it was clay.

Breakable anytime, remoldable into new shapes. Flexibility. My greatest weapon.

"Anyway! Book the highest-rated program. Tonight works!"

"Sigh..."

And that very evening.

I sat in the studio of NNC's flagship current affairs talk show, 60 Minutes Straight Charge.

The audience's murmurs, flashing camera lights, and the veteran MC's tense face across from me.

"Good evening. This is Jo Youngseok of NNC 60 Minutes Straight Charge."

The real-time ratings graph on one side of the studio skyrocketed like mad.

People wanted to see the fool tumble from the tightrope, the tyrant lose his head to the guillotine.

Then today, I'd gladly meet those expectations.

"We have a scorching hot guest today. At the center of the controversy, Neo Incheon Mayor Lee Garam. Thank you for joining us, Mayor. Neo Incheon—no, the whole country—is burning up thanks to you lately."

Felt like a celebrity. Not bad.

"The honor's mine for being invited. I always welcome chances to connect with citizens."

"Haha, connect, you say. Opinions are divided on your 'connection' style, Mayor. Your SNS posts have sparked massive controversy. Many are wondering if you'll clarify or apologize for those remarks."

Here it comes.

I leaned back deeply into the chairback, as if I'd been waiting.

"Clarify? Apologize? Why would I?"

I shot back with genuine puzzlement. Silence fell over the studio.

Murmurs swelled like waves. Most of the audience let out incredulous chuckles.

"I just stated my convictions. What's wrong with what I said? Men exist, women exist. One plus one is two. Why fight over plain facts?"

A faint crease formed between the host's brows.

"Ah, convictions matter, of course, but some worry your words... incite social conflict."

"Conflict? I see it as harmony."

"Pardon?"

"Look—because of me, LGBTQ groups and conservative Christians are joining hands, women's groups and men's groups speaking as one. Everyone united in cursing me. If that's not harmony, what is?"

"Uh? Ah... well..."

The MC flapped his mouth but formed no coherent sentence.

He scrambled to recover, but I gave no quarter.

"And I came here today because I have something to say."

I stared straight into the camera.

Declaring to the millions watching beyond the lens.

"Everyone. Neo Incheon is Korea's number one city."

"Mayor! Please refrain from remarks that could stir regionalism..."

I cut him off and bellowed.

"The city with the most heroes and villains! Heart of superpowered tech! New center of the world economy! That's Neo Incheon! Seoul? Seoul's just a setting sun now. Its perks are outdated nostalgia and pricey real estate. A giant museum, you might say—great to visit, suffocating to live in. The future is here, in Neo Incheon!"

The studio erupted into chaos. Boos and cheers exploded from the audience simultaneously.

"Whoa whoa! Mayor! Calm down! No overly radical statements, please...! Alright, what are your thoughts on other issues? Say, the worsening outflow of superhumans overseas, or the deepening monopolies of the top ten conglomerates..."

"Hm. Those?"

I brushed off his lifeline like trash into a bin.

"Pardon?"

"Doesn't seem important enough for me to worry about. Does a mayor need to handle such trivia?"

At my defiant attitude, MC Jo Youngseok's face drained to ashen. He must regret unleashing this uncontrollable monster into the studio.

He desperately flipped through his script.

"Now! Time to take questions directly from our audience!"

Studio lights brightened; hands shot up from the seats. The MC pointed to a young man who looked the least threatening.

"Mayor! I'm a 20-something scraping by with three part-time jobs. Prices are so high I can't make ends meet! How are we youth supposed to survive?"

Good question. I gazed at him with innocent brightness.

"Money? Why no money? If you're broke, get a job."

Murmurs rippled through the audience. The questioner stammered in shock.

"N-No, I... I am working!"

"Hm. Working but no money? Weird. Then cut living expenses. Buy rice instead of coffee."

The murmurs turned to near-gasps of horror.

Next, a bespectacled female student grabbed the mic.

"Jobs are like stars in the sky these days. No matter how many specs I stack, I can't pass documents. Do you even know this reality, Mayor?"

I tilted my head.

"Jobs hard? Hm... Start a business then? One-man companies are trendy."

Sweat poured from the MC's brow like a waterfall. Near tears, he pointed to the next.

"Yes! You there! Front row!"

"Mayor, studio rent's killing me. Can you fix housing?"

Here it was. Time for the knockout.

I surveyed the audience with a benevolent smile.

"Rent too high? Then buy a house."

Silence.

The studio air froze solid.

"Y-Yes! T-Time's up! We've had a frank, bold talk with Mayor Lee Garam today! Thank you, viewers!"

The broadcast ended anticlimactically amid the MC's mental collapse.

Back in the limo to city hall, I sank deep into the plush leather seat with a satisfied smile.

A breaking news alert popped on my smartphone.

[Breaking] Mayor Lee Garam on 'Straight Charge' Shatters Show's All-Time Ratings!

"Perfect."

I murmured softly.

"This seals the deal for real!"