Thieves Are Meticulous and Detailed

The next morning.

Yun-hyeok visited the offices of the Mir Shinmun, a local newspaper. Thanks to his recent eye-catching activities, they had reached out to him first for an interview.

Yun-hyeok sat in a small room, conducting the interview with Ju Hye-yeong, a reporter from the social affairs desk.

"When did you first become interested in politics?"

In his first life, Yun-hyeok had first stepped into politics at the age of twenty-one.

"Back in college, an engineering professor sexually assaulted a graduate student. The student union went wild, protesting and alerting the media."

Yun-hyeok shared the story of what had happened back then.

"But all the university administration did was give him a sabbatical and a minor pay cut."

As a member of the student union at the time, Yun-hyeok had been deeply shocked by the administration's response. He couldn't believe they would disregard the students' voices so completely.

Fueled by sheer stubbornness, Yun-hyeok had gone to the law school's student council to draft a bill.

A bill that would force universities to dismiss any professor who committed a felony.

He had marched straight to the local National Assembly member's office, explained the situation, and begged him to destroy the professor.

The result?

"It never even made it to the legislative stage."

This was even more shocking than the university giving the professor a sabbatical.

"That National Assembly member made a single phone call to the university right then and there. The professor was fired the next day."

"Whoa..."

The reporter's jaw dropped at the sudden twist.

"So, was it then that you felt the raw power of authority and decided to become a politician?"

"Not exactly."

At that moment, Yun-hyeok had actually felt a wave of nausea.

It would have been better if the university administration had defied the politician's phone call, stubbornly trying to protect the professor to the end, forcing the National Assembly to push the bill through legal channels to dismiss him.

If that had happened, he would have felt that justice was served.

But what was this?

Why did they ignore the exact same demand when it came from the students, only to immediately bow their heads and obey when a National Assembly member spoke?

"I don't really like stories where a powerful politician swoops in to punish a villain that ordinary citizens were helpless against. It might feel refreshing and satisfying in the moment, but as you know, carbonated drinks are bad for your health."

"Ah."

"The justice that a National Assembly member can achieve must be something an ordinary citizen can achieve on their own. That is what a truly just society looks like. That is what I believe."

The interview proceeded smoothly.

They covered everything: resolving the conflict between the developers of Raymi Castle and its residents, saving Doma Elementary School from closure, increasing the frequency of the Mir Station trains, converting Seongil Transit into a city bus line, and his recent rescue of the runaway teenagers.

The reporter neatly organized Yun-hyeok's track record.

"Putting aside my job as a reporter, speaking just as a citizen of Mir City... I really hope you succeed, Mr. Lee."

"Thank you."

"What is your next move?"

"Actually, about that..."

Yun-hyeok got straight to the point.

This was the real reason he had come today.

"Reporter Ju, I heard the Mir Shinmun previously investigated the unpaid small business subsidies. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Do you know anything about that?"

The COVID-19 pandemic, the global high-interest rate trend to curb the resulting inflation, and the Ukraine-Russia war.

Amidst this succession of crises, consumer sentiment had shriveled, making it incredibly difficult for small business owners to keep their doors open.

Consequently, the central government had introduced a policy to prevent immediate bankruptcies by selecting small business owners facing imminent closure due to severe revenue drops caused by these external factors and providing them with subsidies.

Because this budget was not proposed by the city council, council oversight was lax. Furthermore, since central government ministries couldn't possibly monitor every single local government, it was the perfect pot of money for Baek Hyeong-guk to dip his hands into.

"I was actually the one who investigated that... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠though we never got to publish it."

Reporter Ju Hye-yeong's eyes widened.

Yun-hyeok had come knowing this.

In the original timeline, Baek Hyeong-guk's embezzlement wouldn't be exposed until much later, but when it did, this unpublished article from the Mir Shinmun had surfaced alongside it.

The reason it hadn't been published now was because the managing editor had blocked it. Why? A small local paper like the Mir Shinmun survived on policy advertisements and promotional articles funded by City Hall. Naturally, they couldn't afford to offend the city administration.

Even so, Ju Hye-yeong was the one who had realized something was off about the subsidy distribution, and she had started her investigation even before Yun-hyeok.

"Could you tell me more about it in detail?"

Obtaining her data would save him a massive amount of time.

"Just a moment."

Ju Hye-yeong brought over the materials she had gathered and analyzed.

"So far, they've distributed subsidies to about thirteen thousand small business owners on a first-come, first-served basis, with varying amounts based on their risk of closure. They claimed the budget ran out earlier than expected and are currently considering a supplementary budget. But it doesn't make sense."

She had some experience under her belt, and her instincts were sharp.

"There are about sixty-six thousand small business owners in Mir City. In cities of a similar size, the number of small businesses facing closure that received subsidies exceeded twenty thousand. Yet Mir City only gave them to thirteen thousand before the budget was completely depleted? It's highly suspicious."

"It certainly is."

"There must have been an administrative error during the execution process—either they made duplicate payments to certain businesses, or they miscalculated the number of recipients and the payment amounts from the very beginning."

It wasn't a simple mistake. It was deliberate embezzlement.

"Could I get a copy of these files?"

"Of course. I'll email them to you."

Yun-hyeok opened the email she sent, and the harvest was even greater than he had hoped.

"You filed an information disclosure request?"

"Yes."

Ju Hye-yeong had demanded that Mir City Hall release the list of businesses that had received the small business subsidies.

She had wanted to visit those businesses and interview them.

"But they rejected it."

Anyone could file an information disclosure request, but they could also be denied—usually under the guise of personal privacy protection.

"Most small business owners are micro-proprietors, and it's common for their names to be included in their business names."

For example, "Chu-hyeok-su's Butcher Shop" or "Kim Mi-ju's Hair Salon."

"I received a response stating that the list of businesses could not be disclosed due to concerns over excessive infringement on personal privacy."

Unbelievable.

What a flawless excuse.

Pocketing the money meant for the likes of Chu Hye-su or Kim Mi-ju, and then hiding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind their names!

It was something he had consistently felt from his first life to his fourth:

Thieves are always incredibly meticulous and detailed.

The justice that a National Assembly member or a President can achieve must be something an ordinary citizen can achieve as well.

The motto Yun-hyeok had adopted as his political compass during his youth at twenty-one was still valid today.

However, executing justice against the embezzlement of a local government head required a bit of technique.

A National Assembly member could simply launch a parliamentary audit and tear them to shreds, but an ordinary citizen had no such authority.

So, what was the alternative?

Ju Hye-yeong's approach was correct.

An information disclosure request.

Of course, City Hall would refuse to disclose the information, using the excuse of protecting the names of people like Chu Hye-su. But a project of this scale couldn't be completely hidden, no matter how hard they tried to cover it up.

It was similar to the Raymi Castle situation.

Let's see if you can hide every single scrap of information.

Yun-hyeok launched a relentless barrage of information disclosure requests.

By cross-referencing and verifying these documents, the outline of the embezzlement would begin to take shape. This was exactly how investigative journalism programs like In-Depth 60 Minutes or PD Notebook operated.

Of course, those programs had teams of experts working together, whereas Yun-hyeok was working alone. But in exchange, Yun-hyeok possessed knowledge of the future.

It will take some time for the responses to these requests to come in.

Yun-hyeok grabbed his car keys and left the house.

In the meantime, I should pay a visit to the Small Business Association.

For an unemployed citizen to wield power comparable to a National Assembly member, mobilizing the public was absolutely essential.

Gwangmyeong-dong, the most developed commercial district in Mir City.

There lay the sixty-year-old Mir Central Market. Deep within its alleys was a large butcher shop that had been run by the same family for two generations.

The owner of that butcher shop was the current president of the Mir City Small Business Association.

Chu Hyeok-su, owner of Chu-hyeok-su's Butcher Shop.

"Lee Yun-hyeok?"

When Yun-hyeok arrived, the association president ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked skeptical. However, the young man counting cash at the POS terminal recognized Yun-hyeok instantly.

"You're Yun-hyeok! Dad, look! This is the guy who stopped Doma Elementary from closing! He also reorganized the transit system and saved those runaway kids in Tanseo-dong!"

The young man excitedly slapped the president's shoulder. Suddenly, the surrounding market merchants and customers began to murmur, and in an instant, a crowd gathered around Yun-hyeok to get a look at him.

"Are you the one they say is running for mayor?"

Understanding now, the president set down the cleaver he had been using to prep meat. He covered the slab of meat with plastic wrap and pulled off his gloves.

He hesitated before offering his hand.

"My hands might smell like raw meat."

"I'm having a pork belly party tonight anyway, with meat I'm buying from here."

Yun-hyeok shook the president's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lee Yun-hyeok."

"Chu Hyeok-su."

True to his forty years of experience as a butcher, his grip was incredibly powerful.

"Seeing as you've come all this way out of the blue, I take it you have something to offer us?"

"Yes, of course."

"You've got my attention. What is it?"

"The small business emergency relief subsidies."

The moment those words left his mouth, Chu Hyeok-su's expression shifted.

"There are many of you who haven't received them yet, correct?"

Yun-hyeok threw out a line that sounded a bit like a debt collector.

"I will get them for you."

There were as many as twenty businesses in Mir City that sourced their meat directly from Chu Hyeok-su's Butcher Shop.

If the commercial districts of Mir City were its blood vessels, the Small Business Association of Mir Central Market was its heart.

Their organizational power was formidable, their network was vast, and their ability to spread information was unmatched.

It was happening right now.

"Who's here?"

"Yun-hyeok?"

"Isn't that the guy who added more buses to Route 21?"

Rumors began to spread through Mir Central Market at terrifying speed.

"Someone came to see the association president and said he'd get us our subsidies!"

"Is he from City Hall?"

"A city councilman?"

"They say his name is Lee Yun-hyeok!"

"He's going to get us our small business subsidies!"

"This is no time to be watching the shop!"

In an instant, merchants swarmed in front of Chu Hyeok-su's shop.

The side-dish shop owner, the elderly woman selling wild greens, the young man from the fish market...

The crowd was so immense that even Yun-hyeok was momentarily taken aback.

It felt as if a famous idol had suddenly shown up at a middle school.

"Hey, everyone! Hold on a second!"

Chu Hyeok-su tried to manage the crowd in front of his shop, but it was futile.

"Mayor!"

"Please help us!"

"Are you really going to get us our subsidies?"

"Those bastards at City Hall said they can't give us anything because the budget is gone!"

"We're really desperate here!"

The desperation of the buzzing crowd felt like a stirred-up hornet's nest.

Once Baek Hyeong-guk was brought down, that raw energy would transform into overwhelming support in the upcoming by-election.