The Baekrok-san Preservation Alliance, Part 2
“If you want to go home, just lock the door on your way out.”
At quitting time, Lee Yun-hyeok went so far as to hand the office keys directly to Kim Nam-jae, the president of the Preservation Alliance.
“...”
The Baekrok-san Preservation Alliance was thrown into utter confusion. Something was wrong.
What kind of politician in the world could be this nonchalant in a situation like this? Their own office had been occupied, and the protesters' chants were echoing all the way down to the first floor. How could he act like this?
But the next day, Yun-hyeok went even further.
“Here are some poster boards, markers, and Scotch tape.”
He had paid them a visit just to hand out these “gifts.”
“Feel free to use them if you want to put up protest posters around the main building.”
With that, Yun-hyeok turned on his heel and headed back to the conference room.
“Hyung-nim, is this right?”
The alliance members asked President Kim Nam-jae, a creeping sense of anxiety washing over them.
“I feel like we're being played.”
“It's a battle of nerves. We can't back down now.”
Kim Nam-jae wrote out the protest posters, went down to the first floor, and began plastering them everywhere.
One would expect the civil servants to stop them, but surprisingly, not a single person interfered.
The civil servants in the civil service department ignored them completely. This was a strict guideline handed down by the Task Force: Never engage in direct conflict.
Instead, they simply needed to ask the visiting citizens for their understanding regarding the noise pollution and the eyesore posters.
So, if any citizens asked, the staff were instructed to explain the situation kindly.
The civil servants were more than confident.
After all, this was a golden opportunity to vent to the public about all the misery those protesters had put them through over the years.
They detailed exactly what kind of people these protesters were: how they ran illegal farms, pocketed profits without paying a single cent in taxes, bombarded the office with malicious complaints, urinated in front of the water purifiers, pulled a hundred queue tickets at once to disrupt operations, and threw all kinds of tantrums. They even welled up with tears as they lamented how these thugs had now gone so far as to occupy the Mayor's office.
Consequently, the members of the Baekrok-san Preservation Alliance felt the stinging gaze of the citizens burning into the backs of their heads as they put up their posters.
Occasionally, some hot-tempered elderly citizens would bark at them.
“Hey, you punks! Do you think the Mayor moved his office just so lowlifes like you could occupy it? It's noisy as hell! Disband this instant!”
Some people even marched straight up to the second-floor office to yell at them.
“I heard my civil petition got delayed because you bastards bombarded the city with spam complaints!”
The entire purpose of occupying the Mayor's office had evaporated. They couldn't even disrupt his work. To a newly inaugurated mayor, the physical office wasn't important in the first place.
Nor could they pressure him through public scandal or negative opinion.
The Baekrok-san Preservation Alliance was gradually isolated within the main building, and doubts began to creep in about whether they should even continue.
And then.
“The Mayor formed a Task Force himself?”
Deputy Mayor An Yong-dae and the political power players were stunned by the news.
Of course, since Lee Yun-hyeok was close with the working-level staff, this was a scenario they could have anticipated.
But this was far too fast, and unbelievably organized.
How could anyone mount such a response the moment the office was occupied?
“How on earth...?”
The Deputy Mayor, in particular, suffered severe cognitive dissonance due to his own administrative expertise. Why was a deputy mayor dispatched from the central government in the first place?
Wasn't it to compensate for the lack of expertise of an elected mayor?
Unless someone was an administrative expert who had transitioned into politics, this level of execution was impossible, no matter how smart they were.
It sounded as if a first-year pre-med student had been handed a scalpel and successfully performed emergency surgery on a ruptured appendix.
Normally, a first-term local government head with zero administrative experience—especially a thirty-one-year-old greenhorn—would be at a complete loss in this situation, seeking counsel from administrative experts like the Planning and Coordination Director or the Deputy Mayor.
“Something... feels very wrong about this...”
Finally, concern began to brew even among the key power players, such as Jang Seong-woo, Director of Administrative Support, and Lee Do-hun, Director of Future Strategy.
And Seo Yeon-hwa, Director of Public Relations...
“What is Lee Yun-hyeok doing right now?”
At 7:00 PM.
She discovered a shocking live broadcast on a YouTube channel.
The political power players realized it was far too late to pull out.
I'm going to do a live broadcast on-site after work, and I need a staff member to guide me.
At Yun-hyeok's suggestion, the Task Force unanimously dispatched one civil servant.
Grade 7 Civil Servant Jo Hyeon-seo.
He was a Grade 7 civil servant in the Environmental Department and the original designer of the Baekrok-san development plan.
Jo Hyeon-seo had realized that the pollution around Baekrok-san was severe. He concluded that instead of wasting money trying to restore it, it would be far better to bulldoze the contaminated area and develop it.
That was why he had drafted the development proposal and secured approvals from both the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Ministry of Environment.
In other words, dismantling the Preservation Alliance was a long-cherished dream of his.
“Hello, everyone!”
Twenty-eight-year-old Jo Hyeon-seo greeted the camera of Yun-hyeok's vlog.
“I'm Jo Hyeon-seo, a Grade 7 civil servant from the Environmental Department! Today, I'm here with the Mayor to expose the wicked forces who have illegally occupied Baekrok-san and run unauthorized businesses here. I'll show you exactly how badly those people have trashed this mountain.”
“...”
This guy is a bit too enthusiastic.
Yun-hyeok felt a bit concerned, but he let Jo Hyeon-seo take the lead.
“As some of you may know, the farm owners are currently occupying the Mayor's office. They're absolute geniuses at illegal occupation. But do you know what that means?”
Jo Hyeon-seo led Yun-hyeok as they marched into the Baekrok-san farms.
“It means their home base is completely empty right now!”
“...”
“Actually, it's been empty for a few days, so we've been conducting a thorough investigation. Since the Mayor wanted to see it for himself, I brought him along. Mayor! You can come on in.”
Jo Hyeon-seo said as he climbed over the farm's fence.
“You seem... very excited.”
Regardless, Yun-hyeok was grateful to have someone else wield the sword for him.
News articles began pouring out from every direction.
And for good reason—those bastards had truly gone too far.
• Electricity theft through unauthorized wire connections to utility poles.
• Illegal water pipe connections to the Baekrok-san valley.
• Estimated restoration costs of approximately 1.6 billion won.
Furthermore, because they had noisily publicized their occupation of the Mayor's office, they had dug their own graves.
They had occupied a greenbelt zone, and then occupied the office of the Mayor who wanted to negotiate its lifting. On top of that, they were shouting and causing distress to both civil servants and visiting citizens.
The incident was so sensational that even a tiny spark was enough to make it national news.
The purpose of the broadcast was to shape public opinion.
To ensure they wouldn't even dream of misleading the public with their "environmental preservation" nonsense.
Because now, the accumulated wrath of the civil servants on the first floor was about to be gathered and unleashed like a Spirit Bomb.
“Registered mail.”
From early morning, what felt like death sentences began dropping on the second floor.
The registered mail delivered by the postman after securing a signature was sent from the Mir City Environmental Department.
In other words, it had come from the floor right below them. Despite the short distance, routing it through the post office was necessary to adhere to official administrative procedures.
Document No: Mir City-Environmental Dept-Illegal2025-0341
Date of Issue: October 27, 2025
Recipient: Kim Nam-jae (701104-1xxxxxx)
Address: 11, Baekrok-ri 20-gil, Yeonji-myeon, Mir City
“What the fuck is this...?”
Upon opening it, he found a notice imposing a fine of 8 million won.
And then.
“Registered mail.”
The postman returned.
“I accidentally left these out. All of these are for Mr. Kim Nam-jae.”
“What?”
The postman handed Kim Nam-jae twelve more envelopes.
• Order to Restore Public Property Occupied Without Authorization
• Notice of Demolition of Illegal Structures
• Prior Notice of Enforcement Fine Imposition
• Notice of Administrative Investigation into Illegal Use of Agricultural Land
• Prior Notice of Accusation for Violation of the Farmland Act
• Prior Notice of Tax Audit
• Request for Submission of Tax Data
• Notice of Intent to Impose Fine for Unreported Agricultural Income
• Prior Notice of Claim for Return of Unjust Enrichment
• Request for Disclosure of Asset Details in Cooperation with the National Tax Service
• Warning of Restriction on City Hall Access and Prohibition of Obstruction of Civil Petitions
• Claim for Indemnity due to Unauthorized Occupation of Public Facilities
“...”
President Kim Nam-jae's face turned completely pale.
Some of the documents were from the National Tax Service, and others were from the court. But it was clear that they had all originated from the first floor.
The final document, the “Claim for Indemnity due to Unauthorized Occupation of Public Facilities,” was for their occupation of the Mayor's office.
The postman went down after getting his signature, only to return moments later.
“This is quite a headache. Is there a Mr. Lee Ho-yeong?”
He handed thirteen envelopes to alliance member Lee Ho-yeong.
“Mr. Seo Gil-jun?”
Next, he handed thirteen envelopes to alliance member Seo Gil-jun.
“Next is... Mr. Lee Seong-min?”
Fines and summonses rained down on them like a carpet bombing.
“Hehehehe.”
Smiles bloomed across the civil service counters on the first floor.
Because starting this morning, those bastards on the second floor had become dead silent.
And by the afternoon...
“They're running away!”
One by one, the protesters came down with devastated expressions, tore down their posters, and slipped out of City Hall.
“This is incredibly satisfying.”
Sending all those notices from the first floor to the second had given the civil servants a thrilling rush of sweet revenge.
After years of being battered by malicious complaints, having the Mayor personally lead a counteroffensive sent their dopamine levels through the roof.
“It was hell dealing with you, and I hope we never meet again.”
The head of the Environmental Department threw a middle finger toward the ceiling.
“...”
Meanwhile, Jo Hyeon-seo sat at his counter, watching the retreating members of the Preservation Alliance with hawk-like eyes.
“Wait a minute! Excuse me!”
He suddenly dashed out after the alliance executives.
He had received a specific instruction from Yun-hyeok.
“I didn't summon Baekrok-san.”
Yun-hyeok had said that on their way back from the on-site investigation.
“Of course, I intended to deal with Baekrok-san eventually, but the first group I contacted was the Yeokdong History Preservation Society, not them.”
Then why had the Baekrok-san alliance suddenly stormed the Mayor's office?
Well.
Maybe they had just come on their own initiative. Or maybe, when Yun-hyeok called the Yeokdong History Preservation Society, someone else tipped off Baekrok-san.
“Is there someone pulling the strings behind you? Don't take the fall alone, mister! If you cooperate, your punishment for occupying the office might be reduced.”
Jo Hyeon-seo grabbed one of the executives and gently dangled the bait.
“...”
He had his doubts, but something actually bit.
“We got a call from the Public Relations Office.”
“They've completely lost their minds...”
Jo Hyeon-seo's jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
He had vaguely sensed the power struggle between the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor. But this was crossing the line by a mile. They were absolutely insane.
“Tell me everything in detail.”
Jo Hyeon-seo gathered all the testimony from the alliance executive and rushed straight to the Mayor's office.
A political affairs meeting was convened via the main building's internal messenger.
The fact that the venue was the second-floor Mayor's office felt chilling. Wasn't that the very place occupied by malicious protesters just this morning?
Lee Yun-hyeok had fought them and won a resounding victory, returning like a triumphant general.
So, what kind of discussion would take place in this office now?
Whirrrrr—
The scene that greeted the tense directors as they entered the office was Lee Yun-hyeok holding a vacuum cleaner, tidying up the dust on the floor.
Click!
He threw the windows wide open to air out the room.
Rip!
Then, he peeled off the tape and scraps of paper stuck to the walls.
“Please, have a seat on the sofa.”
He took out the vacuum filter and shook the dust into the trash can.
Thud!
Thud!
Except for those echoing thuds, the room was dead silent.
No one uttered a single word.
The tension was so sharp it felt like it could cut. Fearing that even the sound of swallowing would be heard, the directors kept their mouths shut and held their breath.
“Cleaning up really clears the mind.”
Yun-hyeok began boiling water in an electric kettle.
“I heard a rather shocking story from a certain civil servant earlier.”
He said, pouring the coffee.
“I heard that the Public Relations Office was the one that instigated Baekrok-san to occupy this place.”
Jo Hyeon-seo had doubted they would go that far, but Yun-hyeok had expected it to some extent.
This was a country where politicians would ask North Korea to stage a shootout right before an election.
They must have made a reckless move, thinking that if Yun-hyeok failed to handle the occupation properly, his leadership would crack, allowing them to turn the tables.
“...!”
Seo Yeon-hwa, Director of Public Relations, turned pale.
“N-No! That's not true!”
“Shall I call the president of the Baekrok-san Preservation Alliance and ask him myself?”
The purge had begun.
“I heard he said he has absolutely no intention of taking the fall alone.”