Reforming Mir City's Transit
Lee Yun-hyeok.
When Kim Min-cheol, the Planning and Coordination Director, received the report containing that name, he recognized it instantly. Wasn't that the man who had recently stopped the closure of Doma Elementary School?
Since there were rumors that he might run for mayor in the next local election, Kim Min-cheol had already done some preliminary research on him.
Lee Yun-hyeok had worked as a campaign strategist for Assemblyman Park Dae-man. However, he had not joined the Hanmin Party and was currently an independent. Aside from saving the school, he also had the achievement of resolving the dispute between the developer and the residents of the Yeok-dong Raymi Castle complex.
He was a man who, in a short span of time, was rapidly building his political foundation and practically swallowing Mir City whole.
And yet...
I never expected him to be an administrator of this caliber.
Until now, Kim Min-cheol had viewed Lee Yun-hyeok as nothing more than a "passionate and clever strategist." He was skilled in negotiation, which allowed him to secure a favorable deal for the residents of Raymi Castle. And he was passionate enough to prevent the closure of Doma Elementary School.
But those were the kinds of things a civic group activist would do.
A mayor had to be someone who could plan and execute policies on a city-wide scale. To be mayor, one had to be an administrative expert.
For that reason, Kim Min-cheol had not highly rated Lee Yun-hyeok as a mayoral candidate.
Until now, that was.
"According to my own investigation, the congestion rate per subway car exceeds 180% during a total of four hours: from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM, and from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on weekdays. Furthermore, the average delay caused by overcrowding reaches approximately nine and a half minutes. This means that commuters arriving at the station waste an average of nine minutes and thirty seconds on the platform, unable to board due to the congestion, waiting for the next train. And the floating population on the Mir-Pangyo Line during these hours reaches fifteen thousand people."
Lee Yun-hyeok was a master of administration.
No, he was a virtuoso.
"According to data from the Korea Transport Institute, reducing the congestion rate by just 1% in Seoul saves approximately 100 million won annually in social time-loss costs. As I mentioned, this is an estimate of the labor cost losses from commuters wasting time on platforms, combined with the drop in productivity caused by stress. Even if we only reduce the congestion rate from 180% to 130%, it would theoretically yield about 5 billion won in economic benefits."
He hadn't come to pitch an idea; he had come to get a signature on a fully realized policy.
"Of course, it's difficult to compare Mir City directly to Seoul. And it would be unreasonable to apply the exact same estimates for hourly labor loss or stress-induced productivity drops. The actual economic benefit might be less than that. However, the required budget is incomparably smaller."
Yun-hyeok brought up data on the screen showing cities that had actually increased train runs during rush hours.
"Two hundred million won annually," he said.
"We only need to add five round-trip trains during those four hours of rush-hour traffic. It can be handled at an incredibly reasonable cost. On the other hand, the budget of Mir City's Transportation Division is..."
The screen now displayed the budget of the Mir City Transportation Division.
"...approximately 80 billion won annually. We can easily afford this. There's no need to restructure the budget; we can implement this immediately using our reserve funds."
Yun-hyeok continued, "If an administrative measure can yield 5 billion won in economic benefits for an annual investment of 200 million won, shouldn't it obviously be executed? Furthermore..."
Yun-hyeok pointed to the stack of documents.
"...especially when nearly ten thousand citizens of Mir City are demanding it."
As the presentation drew to a close, Kim Min-cheol's mind was in turmoil.
He was thinking of the current Mayor of Mir City.
Baek Hyeong-guk.
Kim Min-cheol's superior and the chief administrator of Mir City.
If only our Mayor were even half the man this guy is.
For a high-ranking public official in a political line like the Planning and Coordination Director, loyalty was synonymous with morality.
Kim Min-cheol was a man loyal to the Mayor. But frankly speaking, the current Mayor's administrative skills were abysmal.
Will Lee Yun-hyeok run under the Hanmin Party's nomination?
The current Mayor, Baek Hyeong-guk, was also a member of the Hanmin Party. Unlike the President, local government heads were not bound by the duty of political neutrality. Thus, they maintained their party affiliations.
Perhaps that was why Lee Yun-hyeok was currently active as an independent. They might have already designated Lee Yun-hyeok as the next candidate, keeping him independent for now to avoid undermining the current administration of Mayor Baek Hyeong-guk. Or perhaps there was a factional split within the Hanmin Party. Which side did Lee Yun-hyeok belong to?
"I really am just an independent," Yun-hyeok replied, feeling somewhat dumbfounded by the Planning and Coordination Director's question after the presentation ended.
He had just delivered an absolute masterpiece of a presentation, and the first question he got was, "Which faction of the Hanmin Party do you belong to?"
"I see. My apologies. The policy proposal itself was flawless, Mr. Yun-hyeok."
He was remarkably polite to Yun-hyeok, who was much younger than him.
And Yun-hyeok immediately realized the intention behind the Director's question.
He sees me as a mayoral candidate.
While the President of South Korea was limited to a single term, local government heads could serve up to three terms.
And the current Mayor of Mir City, Baek Hyeong-guk, was only in his first term. He would undoubtedly run for re-election in the local elections two years from now.
He's identified me as a threat.
Since Yun-hyeok had been part of Assemblyman Park Dae-man's campaign, Kim Min-cheol likely assumed he would eventually join the Hanmin Party and clash with Baek Hyeong-guk for the nomination.
If that were the case, the Director might have tried to bury the policy Yun-hyeok had brought forward, but...
"Let's move forward with this policy," Kim Min-cheol said.
His sense of responsibility toward Mir City's administration was stronger than his loyalty to the Mayor.
"Excellent," Yun-hyeok replied.
"But there is a problem, Mr. Yun-hyeok."
"What is it?"
"Actually, I planned a similar policy in the past."
This was something even Yun-hyeok hadn't anticipated. Finally, the mystery of why Kim Min-cheol, a high-ranking Grade 4 official heading the Planning and Coordination Department, had personally come all this way was solved.
"You personally planned something similar, Director?"
"Yes. The city hall was already well aware of the congestion on the Mir-Pangyo Line during rush hours. Of course, the data I compiled wasn't nearly as flawless as what you've brought today."
Kim Min-cheol humbly deflected the praise.
"Then why wasn't it implemented last time?"
"..."
The bitter smile on Kim Min-cheol's face told Yun-hyeok everything he needed to know.
Having returned from the future, Yun-hyeok understood the situation perfectly.
Was it because of the current Mayor, Baek Hyeong-guk?
Kim Min-cheol was not an unemployed civilian like Yun-hyeok; he was a high-ranking Grade 4 official in the political line who oversaw Mir City's entire budget. Naturally, the only person who could block the execution of a policy designed by Kim Min-cheol was Baek Hyeong-guk.
And Baek Hyeong-guk was an utterly pathetic human being.
"The Mayor does not wish to create any friction," Kim Min-cheol said.
His carefully chosen words carried a subtle hint of disappointment in the Mayor, yet his loyalty remained. He was trying his best to shield his boss.
"He believes that while it is good to provide convenience to many through new policies, we must also listen to the voices of those who oppose them."
"Oppose?"
"Yes."
They weren't raising taxes on the citizens. They were simply allocating existing funds. Who on earth would oppose a policy that, at an incredibly practical cost of 200 million won annually, would provide immense convenience to fifteen thousand commuters traveling to Pangyo?
"It may be hard to believe, but there are those who oppose it. They are..."
Before Kim Min-cheol could finish his explanation, Yun-hyeok found the answer.
"The regional bus companies."
"...Yes."
"So the bus companies are opposing it."
"That's correct. When I tried to introduce the policy last time, the bus companies flooded city hall with complaints. Because our Mayor prioritizes 'coexistence,' he couldn't bring himself to execute it, even though he knew the policy was perfectly rational."
"'Coexistence'?"
Yun-hyeok let out a dry chuckle.
Kim Min-cheol offered another bitter smile.
The word "coexistence" was merely a desperate shield the Director had conjured up. In reality, the Mayor simply didn't want to take any flak.
Ordinary citizens, long accustomed to the "hell train," wouldn't protest or file mass complaints just because the subway schedule wasn't expanded.
On the flip side, if the subway runs were increased, the bus companies would march straight to city hall, staging protests and blasting noise through megaphones. They would scream about their right to survival and threaten to go on strike.
Most regional bus companies were private enterprises. They likely received subsidies from the city, and fearing those funds might be cut, they pressured the Mayor with a barrage of complaints.
And Mayor Baek Hyeong-guk had neither the ability to negotiate with them nor the courage to crush them. He simply wanted to finish his term quietly, without any noise, keeping things exactly as they had always been.
But that wasn't all.
Baek Hyeong-guk had also embezzled city funds. He had done it secretly, bypassing the eyes of high-ranking officials like Kim Min-cheol and the General Affairs Director, even going so far as to set up his own personal task force.
Though that issue would only come to light much later...
What a piece of trash.
He wanted to line his own pockets, enjoy a bit of prestige, and step down quietly at the end of his term without making any enemies or causing a scene. And he thought he could manage a city with that kind of mindset.
"At any rate, Mr. Yun-hyeok," Kim Min-cheol said, "increasing the train runs at Mir Station is absolutely necessary for the citizens. I will try to push it through somehow this time."
"And the bus companies?"
"If we promise to maintain their subsidies, we should be able to reach a compromise."
"No, that's not how this works."
"Pardon?"
"If they aren't doing the work, they shouldn't get the subsidies."
Yun-hyeok's expression grew sharper.
"But if the bus companies vehemently protest, the Mayor will..."
"I will make sure they can't protest. Please give me your business card."
Yun-hyeok took the Planning and Coordination Director's card and slipped it into his wallet. Then, he packed up his camera. He had recorded the meeting after obtaining consent from Kim Min-cheol and the other officials beforehand.
"I'll be in touch."
With that, Yun-hyeok left the room.
There were still two years left until the local elections, and Yun-hyeok was currently an unemployed independent. A thirty-one-year-old jobless man living with his parents couldn't just walk into a bus company and expect to meet the president.
However...
If an email arrived with a subject line like this, the company would have no choice but to jump in shock:
Attached to the email was a PDF containing the massive volume of documents that had terrified the Transportation Division officials, along with a link to his YouTube channel.
On the channel, Politician Lee Yun-hyeok, a new video had just been uploaded today.
"What is this?!"
Nam Seong-il, the president of Seongil Transport Co., Ltd., shrieked in horror the moment the report landed on his desk.
"They're increasing the subway runs?!"
A nightmare from about a year and a half ago flashed through his mind. Back then, Kim Min-cheol, the Planning and Coordination Director, had spearheaded a similar policy at city hall.
At the time, President Nam Seong-il had barely managed to block it by treating city council members to meals and drinks, handing out envelopes of cash, lobbying the Mayor, and mobilizing his employees to protest in the plaza in front of city hall while bombarding them with complaints.
"And now they're doing it again?!"
When he opened the YouTube channel, he saw some incredibly young guy delivering a presentation. And this time, there was a massive difference from when Kim Min-cheol had tried it.
A petition signed by nearly ten thousand citizens.
A petition demanding more subway runs was incredibly powerful. Seongil Transport was not a particularly large company; they only had 233 employees.
Last time, they had solved the issue by having every single employee file a complaint, but that wouldn't work this time. By that same logic, the other side would throw ten thousand complaints right back at them.
"This is insane... Who the hell is this guy?"
It wasn't Kim Min-cheol driving the initiative this time. The culprit was the young man giving the presentation in the video.
President Nam Seong-il browsed through a few more videos on the channel.
"An aspiring politician? Doma Elementary School closure... No, wait, what is this...?"
There was something truly mind-boggling. He had wondered how the guy managed to gather ten thousand signatures, and there it was: twenty-one insane, sixteen-hour-long livestream videos.
He had literally sat in front of the station for sixteen hours a day, gathering signatures.
Is this guy a psychopath with OCD or something?
"What kind of crazy bastard is this...?"
He had blocked Kim Min-cheol, only for some kind of monster to appear in his place.
President Nam Seong-il clutched his throbbing temples.
"But I still have to stop him."
Although this wave was incomparably stronger than the one led by Kim Min-cheol, Nam Seong-il resolved that he would stop it even if he had to shave his head and go on a hunger strike in front of city hall.
"But, President," his secretary said, treading carefully.
"This young man says he would like to meet with you."
"With me?"