Chapter 87

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 87

Chapter Title: The Mayor and Public Opinion

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Jin Yeonhwa's lingering heat slowly dissipated.

As if nothing had happened, calm returned to the office.

I closed the floor-to-ceiling window with the remote and let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew. I survived. Lee Garam survived."

Good.

I had successfully sent that bulldozer of a woman packing.

And not just that—it was a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone strategy that had drained her energy into a wild goose chase.

Blood Moon? Bad Ending Club? The Kurokumo Clan?

One-off extra villains with grandiose names from the original story. Jin Yeonhwa would have to circle Neo Incheon ten times over to track them down.

Freedom.

Yes, freedom.

Liberty. Deliverance.

The precious reward granted to me for exorcising the disaster named Jin Yeonhwa, that walking spontaneous combustion device.

"Kuh, heh, kuahaha!"

Like a king in his mayoral chamber, I sank into the plush sofa and picked up my smartphone, an essential tool of civilized life.

Freedom. This was true freedom.

Seria would be tied up in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meetings all afternoon, and Jin Yeonhwa would be wandering the city chasing phantom enemies.

This time, this space—it was all mine.

"Nero. Let's celebrate the victory. Today is a special day of doing absolutely nothing."

Nyaah—

Nero purred and swished her tail.

She seemed to understand my triumph as well.

Now, what should I do?

Catch up on webnovels? Or maybe some gacha pulls?

No, no. Such ordinary leisure activities would only dull my creativity.

"Ah, right. Public opinion manipulation!"

Meow—

I bolted upright. Nero meowed in dissatisfaction, but I ignored her.

"Reverse propaganda to tarnish public opinion against myself. Isn't that the most important duty of this city's incompetent mayor?"

Jin Yeonhwa was just a temporary threat. The real enemy was elsewhere.

The public's blind support for me. Their baseless trust. Their dangerously high favorability.

That was the absolute evil I needed to shatter.

If my real-world struggles hit a wall, all I had to do was pioneer a new battlefield.

Yes. The true battlefield of modern society.

A place where truths and lies mingled and exploded behind the mask of anonymity.

The internet.

And among it all, the front line where my deification was progressing most severely.

I headed to the Lee Garam Minor Gallery.

"Ugh..."

The further I scrolled, the dizzier my mind grew.

This wasn't a gallery. It was a cathedral for a cult.

A gathering place for devotees worshiping the false idol that is me.

Fine. Then I'd smash that idol right in front of the faithful.

Heresy? No. I was the inquisitor. The first and last inquisitor to judge myself.

I donned the mask of anonymity.

Perfect.

A logical exposé based on facts. An irrefutable feast of truth no one could deny.

Soon, this gallery would descend into chaos. Support for me would turn to doubt, doubt to suspicion, suspicion to hatred.

Kuhuhu. My flawless scenario.

F5. Refresh.

"Oh, comments already!"

Tons of replies had piled up. Time to check the reactions.

......Huh?

Why were the reactions like this?

I had proclaimed nothing but pure truth without a shred of lies.

Incomprehensible. I grabbed the keyboard again.

- Author: You guys don't get it. I saw it with my own eyes. Lee Garam is total trash! Just the other day, he even threw away a Yoplait lid without licking it clean—I saw it clear as day!

"No, why won't they believe me!"

Nero, who had been dozing, perked up her ears in surprise.

"I am like that! Lee Garam is like that! I am Lee Garam! What do you know!"

- Author: So frustrating! You ignorant fools! I'm the real Lee Garam! I'm telling you myself, why won't you believe me!

Huh?

My post.

The cry of truth I had poured my soul into had vanished.

And then a small popup appeared on the screen.

"......"

I was speechless for a moment.

It took a bit to process the situation.

So, Lee Garam.

In the Lee Garam Minor Gallery.

Got banned.

For impersonating Lee Garam.

What kind of fishless taiyaki nonsense was this?

A Lee Garam-less Lee Garam Gallery?

Then what was the point of the gallery's existence!

Rage and despair mixed, draining the strength from my body.

Damn. The internet was ultimately a lawless zone ruled by the tyranny of the majority.

The voice of truth drowned in noise, madness devouring reason.

No matter how loudly I shouted the truth, the world believed only what it wanted to believe.

Then a new news alert popped up on my smartphone screen.

Moon Hyeji.

That name snapped me back to attention.

One of the few righteous figures in the original story.

No superpowers, but a true journalist who relentlessly uncovered the rot in power and corporations through dogged reporting. A character who proved the cliché that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Time to activate Plan B.

The masses were fools. They saw only what they wanted and believed only what they desired.

But that woman, Moon Hyeji, was different. She pursued ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the truth.

She would gladly dig into my ugly reality, Lee Garam.

I immediately logged into the City Hall official email account.

I entered the Hero Daily editorial office's official email in the recipient field.

I didn't forget to add a note asking to forward it to Reporter Moon Hyeji.

Now for the content.

A whistleblower report on Lee Garam's corruption, negligence, and malfeasance.

As an internal whistleblower, I was reporting myself.

I attached evidence files I'd secretly gathered: attendance logs marking my late arrivals, questionable corporate card expenses, and cute photos of Nero.

This was perfect.

Upon receiving this bombshell email, the justice-driven Reporter Moon Hyeji would assemble a special investigation team and comb through City Hall.

And finally, all my hypocrisy would be exposed, and I'd be ignominiously ousted from the mayor's office.

I hit send.

Now, just wait.

I refreshed my inbox every minute.

Reply yet?

Not yet?

Soon, right?

10 minutes passed.

30 minutes.

An hour.

'She's busy. Tips like this aren't one-offs. It'll take time to verify.'

I comforted myself while anxiously biting my nails.

After two hours, finally: 'New Mail (1)' appeared.

My heart pounded. It's here! Finally!

"......"

What?

Was this really the reply to my email?

These were acts I committed, with evidence I sent?

Black propaganda? Malicious rumors? All spread by me!

I collapsed limply onto the sofa.

The sky outside the window was still blue, and Nero slumbered peacefully on the sofa.

Everything in this world was perfectly at peace—except for me.

"Damn it."

A low groan escaped my lips.

"Why won't anyone acknowledge the truth!"