The On-Site Inspection

Lee Yun-hyeok had expected this to some extent.

Once the project scored exceptionally high in the first round of evaluations, the city council members from both parties, who had been sitting on the fence, would scramble to jump on the bandwagon.

But this is even beyond my expectations.

Perhaps because the council chairmanship was currently vacant and the local elections were just around the corner, both sides were utterly desperate.

"Mr. Mayor! The Jayu Party will make sure to steer clear of this project during the administrative audit season. I will personally take responsibility and keep the audit committee in check!"

"We can connect you with several industrial policy officials at the Hanmin Party's central headquarters! If needed, we can even push for support at the provincial party level."

They babbled on, promising to mobilize the Economic and Construction Committee to inspect the Durim-myeon industrial complex and see if anything was needed, organize business seminars or forums, and use the Steering Committee's authority to fast-track the budget reporting and approval schedule.

It made perfect sense.

Even a Member of the National Assembly would use press releases to boast if a project in their constituency was included in the Ministry of Economy and Finance's budget proposal.

How much more so for local city council members? They had no choice but to do everything in their power to dip their toes into this 60-billion-won project, just to get one more photo op and have their names mentioned one more time.

This eventually led to an extreme shift.

"We can even prevent the local residents of Durim-myeon from acting territorial and hostile toward the new businesses!"

Their stance had completely flipped 180 degrees from the plenary session.

"Mr. Mayor, what if we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enact a mutual prosperity agreement to legally protect these new businesses? The Hanmin Party can draft it."

"We can actively promote the attraction of this 60-billion-won new industry and frame it as a necessary generational shift, phasing out outdated businesses."

Ha.

Even in his first life, Yun-hyeok had always been amazed by how politicians could pull off such a shameless, lightning-fast about-face.

How can they have absolutely no shame?

The very people who had torn into him during the last plenary session, demanding to know why he was neglecting local residents to favor outsiders, had overnight switched to promising they would trample those same residents so the outsiders could thrive.

It was the result of calculating their own gains and losses with absolute, cold-blooded precision.

If a local government leader simply brought in outsiders and showered them with support, it could spark public criticism across Mir City.

But if that leader secured a 60-billion-won budget using those outsiders, the rest of Mir City—even if Durim-myeon objected—would erupt in applause and cheers.

In that case, let's just crush Durim-myeon under the pretext of a 'generational shift'!

...That was the conclusion of their calculations.

"Let's leave the local residents alone."

Seeing the displeasure on Yun-hyeok's face, the Vice Chairman and the Steering Committee Chairperson flinched and shut their mouths.

"They are the most precious assets in the Durim-myeon revitalization plan."

They looked utterly bewildered.

Their expressions seemed to ask, Isn't this mayor an MIT-paper-reading obsessive who's only interested in attracting high-tech industries?

"But if you foster new industries in that area, the opposition from the local residents could be fierce," Choi Hyeon-ju, the Steering Committee Chairperson, cautiously advised.

"The results of the first round of evaluations will be officially announced by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and articles will be published. Once the residents of Durim-myeon realize what's happening, they might start protesting."

"That's why I'm going to go there myself to hold an explanatory briefing and prevent that."

"You're going there yourself?!"

This time, Vice Chairman Ha Tae-hun cried out in shock.

"Mr. Mayor! That... that seems far too risky..."

Choi Hyeon-ju also opposed the idea, her face pale with panic.

From the perspective of the Durim-myeon residents, this situation would indeed be incredibly difficult to swallow.

Yun-hyeok acknowledged that.

"It's no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠different from building a massive Homeplus supermarket right in the middle of a dying traditional market."

"There will be an absolute uproar. They'll ask why their own mayor, who is supposed to protect his citizens, is trying to snatch away what little livelihood they have left."

"They'll especially latch onto the private contracts, claiming a lack of transparency, and tear you to shreds!"

You guys did the exact same thing.

It was truly absurd.

"Actually," Yun-hyeok made a shocking confession. "I had already contacted Durim-myeon before I even reported this matter at the plenary session."

The faces of the two council members turned pale.

"So you've already arranged to meet them?"

"Yes. I told them I would hold a briefing to explain that we are going to foster a new industry there, and that we need the understanding and cooperation of the local residents."

Granted, coordinating the schedules of the engineering trio, the local factory owners, and Yun-hyeok himself had been tricky, which was why the date had been set a bit late.

"Anyway, please leave that part to me. I truly appreciate the City Council's active cooperation."

"..."

The two of them looked incredibly uneasy.

Their expressions betrayed their regret, wondering if they had made a massive mistake. If the briefing went south and the Durim-myeon residents held protests, threw eggs, and caused a riot during the on-site inspection, wouldn't they lose the project bid entirely?

They began to regret having jumped the gun.

"Let's release a joint statement from the City Hall and the City Council later today."

But there was no turning back now.

The second round of evaluations was the on-site inspection.

Evaluators from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups would personally visit Durim-myeon to inspect the factories.

The engineering trio had been told that this wouldn't be a particularly difficult evaluation. After all, the evaluators would take into account that these were startups in their very infancy.

Thus, it didn't matter if they lacked employees, had insufficient factory equipment, or had incomplete pipelines. The evaluators would understand. They just needed to show a genuine commitment to the business.

...Or so they had heard.

"We can't settle for just that, everyone. Let's build prototypes to show them when they come for the inspection."

The mayor had clearly lost his mind.

"How are we supposed to make prototypes?" Dr. Hwang In-hye's eyes went wide.

"That's impossible, Mr. Mayor. We are missing far too much equipment."

"Of course, we are incredibly grateful for the laser cutters and CNC machines, but those aren't enough."

"We need thermal processing equipment for soldering PCB components."

"We also need a clean oven."

"And a rotary cutter."

A chorus of complaints erupted from the scientists. Naturally, they were short on equipment. This place hadn't originally been built to manufacture drones, coated plastics, or AI semiconductors.

Even if some of the existing machinery was compatible, there were bound to be massive gaps.

But Yun-hyeok was unfazed.

"Didn't you make them in your labs?"

"Well, yes... but the labs had those machines. They weren't ours, they belonged to the engineering department's shared facilities."

"They're here too. They don't belong to you, but they belong to Durim-myeon."

A few days later, the engineering trio followed Yun-hyeok to a dilapidated officetel in Durim-myeon, their hearts in their throats.

Hostile banners were plastered all over Durim-myeon. Even before the briefing had begun, the residents' fury was palpable.

"This is exactly why I wanted to hold the briefing sooner," Lee Yun-hyeok clicked his tongue as he climbed the stairs of the officetel.

It wasn't because of the risk to himself.

"It's just a waste of money for those banners. I'm sure everyone is struggling financially right now."

"..."

Where on earth does this confidence come from?

Dr. Mun Gi-hyeon took a deep breath, trying to suppress his trembling fear.

The officetel looked like something straight out of an apocalyptic movie, which only heightened his anxiety.

The building looked at least fifty years old, with filthy corridors and a grimy meeting room. Inside, there was a water dispenser with an empty bottle, creaking tables and chairs, and dim, flickering lights.

An old radiator rattled noisily in the corner.

Inside the room sat about sixty factory owners, their faces dark with fury.

Their average age was in the sixties. They wore knockoff black padded jackets with "Nice" written instead of "Nike," and sneakers with flapping soles.

The entire room reeked of economic recession and despair.

Dr. Kim Myeong-un recalled his wife's initial reaction when he had gone home and told her about Yun-hyeok's proposal: What if the locals there are hostile and territorial?

"Hello, everyone," Yun-hyeok greeted the angry factory owners as he stepped inside.

"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here today."

"Mr. Mayor, weren't you a civil activist? Weren't you supposed to be on the side of the citizens?" a man in a "Nice" padded jacket yelled out impatiently. "What the hell do you think you're doing right now?!"

"Everyone," Yun-hyeok cut straight to the chase. "We need your help to pass the upcoming on-site inspection."

"Are you kidding me?! Why would we help—"

"These young developers are currently lacking a lot of equipment in their factories. I would like you to rent your machinery to them."

"No, I mean, why on earth should we—"

"Three million won for a single day's rental of a CNC machining center!" Yun-hyeok shouted over the noise. "Paid immediately!"

The owner of Cheongil Metals, the man in the "Nice" padded jacket, still had children to raise. His eldest was in college, working part-time to help out, but his second daughter was only a sophomore in high school.

Her academy tuition was currently two months overdue.

Neither the owner nor his wife had ever discussed money in front of the kids, and the academy teachers, out of consideration for a sensitive teenager, had never brought up the overdue fees.

Yet, children had a strange way of finding out. How had she known?

His daughter had been extremely gloomy since last month. She had subtly begged her mother to let her quit the academy, claiming she was bored of the classes and could study fine on her own. She was trying to ease the burden on her cash-strapped parents. It was an intention any parent could read instantly.

It broke his heart. But now...

"Three... three million won?"

That was three months' worth of tuition.

"What are you doing?! Don't try to divide us!" someone among the factory owners shouted in anger, but the owner of Cheongil Metals couldn't afford to pass this up. He didn't care if he was cursed at. He would rather be branded a traitorous piece of trash by the Durim-myeon Business Association than let his daughter worry about their household finances.

Besides, Cheongil Metals had no work lately anyway. His CNC machining center had been sitting idle for over a week.

"I'll... I'll rent it to you," he raised his hand, his face flushed red.

"What are you doing, President Kim?!"

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Shouts of anger erupted from all sides, but President Kim squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry, everyone."

"Thank you, President Kim," Yun-hyeok said, writing down his contact information. "Next, who can rent us a cleanroom? I'll pay three million won!"

"Me!" someone else's hand shot up.

"I'll do it for 2.5 million!" another man shouted.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't a reverse auction. It's first-come, first-served. The gentleman in the baseball cap, please give me your name and contact number."

For a few million won, deep cracks instantly began to splinter the Durim-myeon Business Association.

"Reflow soldering machine! 4.2 million won!"

"Here!"

"Multi-layer film extruder! 2.4 million won!"

"Me!"

"Clean oven! 1.2 million won!"

"What do you need that for?"

"They need it for curing plastics."

"We run a painting business. Wouldn't our drying line work?"

Yun-hyeok looked at Dr. Hwang In-hye, who nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! Since I'm not familiar with your drying line, we can negotiate the price later."

"Thank you!"

Now, they were actually thanking him.

"Wire bonder! Three million won!"

"Me!"

The factory owners who had gathered to denounce Lee Yun-hyeok completely lost their will to fight within thirty minutes.

And then, things began to take a truly bizarre turn.

"You are the absolute best experts when it comes to operating these machines. Could you personally teach these junior engineers how to use them?"

"Well, we can't have them breaking the machinery, so I suppose we should show them..."

"Then let's go take a look right now."

Yun-hyeok led the crowd from Cheongil Metals to Jeil Heavy Industries, touring the facilities.

Though some still grumbled, the attitude of the majority had shifted. After all, they were getting paid. Yun-hyeok was now their client.

And above all, seeing their precious factories—which they had protected for thirty or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forty years—humming back to life after sitting idle due to a lack of work softened their hardened hearts.

"You do it like this..."

Dr. Mun Gi-hyeon gasped in awe as he watched President Kim, in his "Nice" jacket, seamlessly fuse a weld line with a TIG torch like a true artist.

"Wow! I've never seen anyone weld like that. Even my university professor couldn't match this..."

He was genuinely amazed. No matter how brilliant a PhD holder was, they could never replicate the intuitive touch of a technician who had handled machinery for decades.

"Hmph," President Kim grumbled, feeling self-conscious. "It's nothing special..."

When they stripped away the terrifying, high-tech labels like "drones" and "AI chips" that seemed poised to devour their traditional industries, they realized that underneath it all were just young, inexperienced kids.

"Actually, I grew up in Durim-myeon when I was a child," Yun-hyeok shared a story as they walked. "My mother used to work at a factory here called Seojin Textiles."

There was an employee lounge on the second floor of that factory. When Yun-hyeok was in elementary school, he would come there to play after school.

He would watch TV, catch grasshoppers with kids his age, and play hide-and-seek. The factory ladies would always bring him snacks.

"I don't know where those ladies or those friends are now. Seojin Textiles has long since vanished."

The building itself had been completely demolished, leaving nothing but an empty lot.

"How many businesses in Durim-myeon have disappeared like that over the years?"

"..."

"Everyone, Durim-myeon won't be saved just because the local government hands out subsidies."

This place was different from a small business association.

While small business owners suffered from temporary recessions due to external factors like COVID-19, the factories of Durim-myeon were being left behind by the natural progression of time.

"And blocking high-tech industries from taking root won't save you either."

"..."

"Instead, you must cooperate. These startups aren't like a massive Homeplus invading a traditional market. They are partners who will work alongside you."

Just because they manufacture drones doesn't mean they'll make the internal wiring themselves.

Even if they produce coated plastics, they won't cast the molds themselves.

The same went for AI chips.

The metal housing cases or shielding plates they required would all be sourced from existing manufacturers.

"You can work together. You can make money together. And as more entrepreneurs and investors gather in Durim-myeon, even greater opportunities will come your way," Yun-hyeok looked at them and continued. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"The glorious days when you built factories in this wasteland and drove the manufacturing industry of Mir City can return once more."

A week later.

The evaluation panel from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups visited Mir City and was utterly flabbergasted.

They're actually producing prototypes!

Having evaluated countless startup projects for the Ministry, they knew better than anyone how absurd this situation was.

Weren't these companies that had barely finished their business registrations, with their production lines months away from being operational?

They had come expecting exactly that, but what they saw was unbelievable.

The local factory owners are helping them.

The evaluators experienced a severe case of cognitive dissonance.

The city council members, who had requested to observe the inspection under the guise of welcoming the panel, were equally stunned.

What on earth am I looking at right now?

Vice Chairman Ha Tae-hun knew exactly what kind of banners had been hanging here just last week.

They had all been voluntarily taken down now, but they had definitely been there! Banners condemning Lee Yun-hyeok!

He had assumed that once things reached that point, the only option left was to bulldoze through with administrative force.

What kind of magic did he perform to change things like this?