Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Mayor's Acting
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This won't do.
If things continue like this, it really won't do.
'You've changed so much lately.'
'A change bordering on a complete overhaul.'
Suspicion.
Yes, suspicion.
She's suspicious of me.
Seria knows me too well.
No, more precisely, she knows the 'original Lee Garam' too well.
So there's only one way.
Acting.
Act like the original 'Lee Garam'.
The audience: just one person, Seria.
Go back to being that pitiful puppet she thinks she can control.
Time for a one-man show with my life on the line.
I closed my eyes and pictured the profile of Lee Garam from the original comic in my mind.
Born into a prestigious family, but he was nothing more than a side branch. A pathetic wastrel constantly compared to his capable siblings, the family's black sheep.
And it was Seria who put someone like him in the mayor's seat.
She 'handled' the family heirs, political rivals, anyone in the way—in her own style—and installed a puppet on the throne.
So what did the original Lee Garam do after becoming mayor?
Nothing.
He just drank, met women, and indulged in meaningless extravagance.
He didn't know Seria's true identity, but instinctively sensed she was a terrifying being who could shatter his daily life. So he behaved himself within the power and pleasures granted to him.
Yes, that's it.
The character I need to act is that man.
A doll faithful only to his own pleasures.
Since the original was a simpleton, it shouldn't be too hard to imitate.
"Seria."
I infused my voice with as much arrogance and boredom as possible.
"Cancel all my afternoon schedule."
Seria's eyebrow twitched faintly.
The thrill of catching a crack in her poker face.
"There's a city defense system demo at 3 p.m. It's an important event with representatives from the Safety Management Bureau and all ten major corporations attending."
She's right. It is important. The city's safety is at stake.
But right now, my own safety matters more.
"Handle that trivial stuff yourself. I've got something more important."
I waved my hand as if shooing away an annoying fly.
"Something important for the mayor? You don't mean wasting the city's money at a department store again, do you?"
"Hey now, that's plenty important! The economy! Yes, we need to boost the economy! The mayor has to lead by example, stimulate spending, and breathe life into the commercial district!"
Lame lines that even sounded stupid to me.
But they seemed effective.
Disdain—or perhaps contempt—flashed in Seria's turquoise eyes.
Either works.
"Understood."
Surprisingly, she acquiesced easily.
"I'll inform the demo attendees that the mayor is stepping out to address Neo Incheon's sudden economic crisis."
She repackaged my nonsense even more convincingly to mock me.
I sank deep into my chair and opened my laptop.
Now, time for the main act.
A tear-jerking one-man show with my life as collateral.
Titled: The Prodigal Mayor's Return, the Pitiful Mayor's Comeback.
Act 1: Lee Garam-style Extravagance.
I logged into an online shopping mall.
The first thing that caught my eye was 'Premium Sun-Dried Salt'.
Hm. Salt. We're out of salt at home.
Two products sat side by side on the screen.
One in a blue packet: 500g Sun-Dried Salt for 12,300 won.
The other in a green packet: same size for 12,500 won.
200 won.
A mere 200-won difference.
The petty bourgeois in me rebelled fiercely.
Spending an extra 200 won won't make the salt saltier or whiter. Ingredients are the same. This is irrational spending. Waste.
But I have to act like the debauched Mayor Lee Garam.
What would he do? Ignore the price tag, pick the prettier package.
With trembling hands, I moved the mouse cursor.
Green packet. 12,500 won.
Add to cart.
Click.
Done. I wasted 200 won.
Now for the main event.
I typed 'Xtend Switch 2' into the search bar.
The price of the latest OLED model made my breath catch.
650,000 won.
Six hundred fifty thousand won.
To my former office worker self, 650k was like rent money. A month's living expenses, wedding gift fund, savings for the future.
Scrolling down revealed related game bundles.
Nearly 100k each.
Insane. Utterly mad prices.
Total: 750k won.
What couldn't I do with that money?
But I have to.
This level of impulse buying is necessary for Seria to think, 'Ah, our mayor's finally back to his old idiot self.'
It's an investment in survival. My life insurance.
The cursor trembled over the buy button.
My heart trembled with it.
Click.
Order confirmed.
I slumped against the chair back. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
I did it. I really did it.
I splurged. I wasted.
I'm no longer the petty bourgeois Lee Garam.
I'm the debauched, pitiful, irredeemable Mayor Lee Garam!
I muttered in the most frivolous tone I could muster, loud enough for Seria to hear.
"Ah, nothing beats spending money! Such a rush! The best!"
"Hm..."
"Lunchtime."
I declared as I stood from my seat.
The morning-long self-destructive spree of extravagance and waste under the guise of indulgence. It wasn't over yet. Act 1 had just ended.
Act 2 of the debauched mayor performance.
Gourmet indulgence named waste.
A high-end limited Korean cuisine restaurant near city hall.
A separate annex space, carpets muffling footsteps, ink wash paintings by unknown artists on the walls.
This place didn't sell food; it sold 'prestige'.
Seria and I sat facing each other across a heavy wooden table.
I opened the menu and pointed to the priciest item.
"I'll have this."
Special Hanwoo Omakase. Price: 200,000 won.
Burning 200k on lunch.
Insane. Utterly mad.
This is the taste of power. The scent of capital.
"Seria..."
I spotted the smallest print at the bottom of the menu.
"Lunch special bulgogi set. That'll do for you."
Price: 25,000 won.
Seria nodded without a word.
Moments later, the table was set.
Before me, an endless array of palm-sized plates: sirloin marbled like artwork, top round blooming like snowflakes, inside skirt dusted with faint gold flecks.
In front of Seria: bulgogi in an earthenware pot and a few simple side dishes. That was it.
Stark contrast. Perfect staging.
The ideal setup to show Lee Garam's selfishness.
I ostentatiously placed a piece of top round on the grill.
Sizzle—
The sound of meat cooking is always beautiful.
"Ahh!"
I popped a perfectly cooked piece into my mouth and let out an exaggerated moan.
"This is the taste! Power tastes just like this! It melts in your mouth!"
Top round melts in your mouth!
I'm spending 200k to shout that one line.
I kept eating.
Sirloin, inside skirt, short rib.
At first, it was delicious. Honestly, the best beef I'd ever tasted.
But the limit came.
My stomach screamed. My brain sent stop signals.
Breathing was hard. My belly felt ready to burst.
"Whew..."
The moment I set down my chopsticks.
"Already done?"
Seria spoke quietly.
"The old mayor said this was mere appetizer."
"Wh-what are you talking about? We haven't even started!"
I desperately denied it and picked up my chopsticks again.
This wasn't a meal. It was torture.
200k self-inflicted torture.
"Then the afternoon demo's yours. I have a critical mission now. Inspecting the field to check how suppressed consumer sentiment is, and as mayor, leading by example to warm up our frozen economy."
Seria bowed silently.
I sent her to the demo and headed to the department store alone.
Department store.
Heart of capitalism. Cathedral of desire.
Especially the luxury section.
The air changed the moment I stepped in. Expensive perfume scents.
I approached a mannequin wearing a tie.
Beautiful blue, soft silk.
Price tag.
450,000 won.
"......"
My hand shook.
450k for a tie. Wear it and you could fly to the heavens?
Handkerchief next to it: 300k. Cufflinks pair: 800k.
Incomprehensible. Who buys this? Why?
But I'm Lee Garam. Debauched Mayor Lee Garam.
I squeezed my eyes shut and told the clerk.
"Th-this and that. And that too. Three months installment... no, cash."
My hands trembled. Heart raced wildly.
While here, I grabbed a few T-shirts and sweatpants.
Cheap compared to luxury, but pricey by my standards.
Finally, the watch section.
Watches gleaming in glass cases seemed to mock me.
Tags for hundreds of thousands, millions of won.
Here, my acting hit its limit.
I couldn't comprehend the value.
Then, in the electronics section, something familiar caught my eye.
Apple-brand smartwatch.
Latest model. Heart rate monitor, GPS, calls, notifications galore.
This is it.
So rational, practical.
"I'll take this."
I picked the latest smartwatch without hesitation.
Back in the office, I strode to Seria's desk like a triumphant general.
And dramatically spread out the bundle of receipts proving my day's debauchery.
Shuffle—
The long trail of receipts covered her desk.
"Hm."
Seria examined each receipt meticulously, like reviewing documents.
How about that. I've perfectly reverted to the old Lee Garam.
She still suspicious after this extravagance?
Come on, start.
Scold my excess, nag about the city budget.
I crossed my arms confidently, waiting for her reaction.
"But it's strange."
Seria spoke.
"What's strange?"
Right, about to comment on how excessively extravagant it is.
"These items. One tie, one handkerchief, one pair of cufflinks. The old mayor wouldn't pick them one by one. You'd just point at a display and say 'everything from here to there'."
Seria picked up a receipt and continued.
"And throwing money at clerks whose faces you didn't like, making them pick it up—that was routine. But today, you chose each item yourself and even checked prices."
She set down the last receipt.
"Even the watch: a smartwatch instead of a multi-million-won luxury. Considering practicality? Truly astonishing."
She paused, then added.
"Your spending habits have become so modest. Like a lifelong wage earner. Have you newly discovered the virtue of fiscal responsibility? Or are you facing financial difficulties?"
Failed.
Lee Garam's enemy is Lee Garam.
My idea of massive spending was neighborhood grocery shopping to the original.
This wasn't even a match. I'm the guy who flinches at tens of thousands of won!
Stare—
Seria's gaze.
Suspicion not only lingered but deepened.
"Mayor, what was your favorite caviar? Time to reorder."
My heart stopped.
No, it stopped then restarted, pounding so hard it felt like it'd shatter my ribs and burst out.
Caviar?
The only caviar I know are those dubious black fish eggs from a few wedding buffets.
Just black, salty, fishy roe.
Varieties? Caviar has varieties?
How would I know?
Asking a convenience store lunchbox-and-ramen guy about sturgeon pedigrees is too much.
"Ca... caviar? Oh, that."
I feigned nonchalance, desperately squeezing my brain for knowledge.
"Uh... Beluga?"
"Beluga."
Her voice was flat and clear, like a textbook announcer.
But the chill in that flatness pierced my eardrums, burrowing into my brain.
"The caviar the old mayor favored was 'Almas Caviar'. The premium line harvested in small quantities only from albino sturgeon."
I don't know.
No clue.
Never heard of it.
How am I supposed to know about white sturgeon guts?
I was smiling.
Probably.
My lips twitched, so I couldn't be sure, but I was making a smiling face.
That's social life.
Even if your heart freezes and chills run down your spine, your facial muscles must perform.
"Haha. Of course."
My voice cracked.
"I knew that."
Lie.
A blatant lie.
"Seria. I was testing you. A competent secretary should know her boss's tastes perfectly. Excellent. You pass."
Seria bowed lightly.
"You're too kind."
The plan failed.
No, 'failure' doesn't cover it.
Annihilation. Devastation. Total defeat.
But I can't crumble here.
I'm Lee Garam. The shameless, conscienceless corrupt mayor.
Prepare the next operation.
Bolder, more reckless, more pathetic!