The Gatekeeper of the Treasury

"A perfect score on the on-site inspection too?"

Minister An Jae-gyeong received yet another dizzying report.

"Did I hear that wrong?"

"It's the absolute truth, sir."

"Are you sure they graded fairly?"

He had finally resorted to asking such a question, and even the Minister himself found it absurd.

Of course they had graded fairly. What could the evaluation committee members possibly get from an independent rookie politician that would warrant giving him special treatment?

Still, it was hard to wrap his head around.

He acknowledged that Mir City had assembled an impressive lineup of top-tier entrepreneurs.

But an on-site inspection wasn't about evaluating technological prowess; it was about checking the state of preparation on the ground.

How long had it even been since those startups registered their businesses? What kind of preparation could they have possibly done to earn a perfect score?

"Apparently, they were already churning out prototypes in collaboration with local factory owners."

The Minister's Chief of Staff showed him the report submitted by the evaluation committee.

"I heard the mayor personally visited during the inspection and did a YouTube livestream. Shall I show you?"

"Show me."

The Chief of Staff opened the YouTube app on his phone. But instead of the livestream, he found something else.

"An edited video has been uploaded as well. Let's watch this one."

The video began with Yun-hyeok scouting the trio of engineering geeks from Hankuk University.

Because it was a sole-source contract, he had handed the camera to Jo Hyeon-seo to leave an exceptionally transparent record.

Thanks to that...

[An exhausted editor appears, looking haggard due to finals week]

Ji Hye-min, wearing a hoodie pulled low, made a brief appearance on screen.

The viewers loved it all the more.

They went wild over the headhunting of the engineering trio.

And when he reached a dramatic compromise with the factory owners, technicians, and artisans of Durim-myeon, there were gasps of admiration and applause.

A large portion of Yun-hyeok's channel subscribers were Mir City residents. It was only natural, given that Yun-hyeok was the mayor of Mir City. And many of those Mir City subscribers were desperate for local jobs.

"By the way, about that person..."

Jo Hyeon-seo suddenly spoke up to Yun-hyeok while working on his computer.

"Who?"

"Ji Hye-min. Shouldn't we really put her on the payroll now?"

"Hmm."

In truth, paying her was the right thing to do.

A just society is one where a person is compensated fairly for their labor.

And unlike his days as an aspiring politician, Yun-hyeok now had plenty of ways to pay her.

For one, he could hire her through city hall and pay her a salary.

Or he could pay her through his political fund account.

Did that account still exist?

Yes, it did.

This was the real kicker of the Political Funds Act.

While it was impossible to open such an account outside of election season, maintaining an existing one after the election was perfectly legal.

Wasn't that incredibly bizarre?

No matter how he looked at it, that law definitely needed some amendments.

At any rate, the political fund account still existed. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Since Yun-hyeok's approval rating had been astronomical, he had been fully reimbursed for his campaign expenses, leaving 250 million won sitting untouched in the account.

He could easily use that money to pay Ji Hye-min for her video editing.

But...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"She insists on not accepting it, so what can I do?"

Yun-hyeok had contacted the "egg ghost" Ji Hye-min a few times after meeting her.

She was in the middle of finals, and Yun-hyeok was busy with Durim-myeon, making it difficult to schedule a meeting, but he had consistently brought up the matter of payment.

"But she kept refusing."

"Wow... She's really something. Do you think she'll change her mind once she graduates?"

"Perhaps. She won't be able to use being a student as an excuse anymore."

"At this point, she's a true die-hard fan... Mayor..."

Jo Hyeon-seo wore a sly grin.

"Go for it... I'm rooting for you. You're still single, after all."

"Hmm."

"There's a bit of an age gap, but hey, you're both millennials/Gen Z!"

Yun-hyeok nodded.

"Thank you. But I wonder if my secretary is chatting like this after finishing the work I assigned him?"

Hyeon-seo. Do you find your mayor that easygoing?

"Ah..."

Jo Hyeon-seo quickly turned back to his computer.

He was in the middle of drafting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the presentation slides so that the Future Industries Division could fill in the details and finalize them.

Only when the regions grow can the nation grow.

South Korea's greatest problem was its hyper-concentration in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Half the population lived in the capital region. The country was practically a city-state, like Singapore or Vatican City.

Consequently, housing demand concentrated in the metropolitan area, drawing speculative investment that sent real estate prices skyrocketing. The competition to secure a home grew increasingly cutthroat, driving up education costs, plunging people into poverty, and stripping away hope and happiness. Ultimately, this devastated the birth rate.

To solve the metropolitan overcrowding, young people had to move to the provinces.

But they refused to go.

Because of poor infrastructure?

That was true.

But the issue started at a much more fundamental level of survival.

There are no jobs.

Moving to the provinces meant their livelihood would soon become precarious. Because there were no jobs.

Therefore, robust businesses had to grow in the regions.

Balanced regional development and fostering local economies were among the core mandates of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Though they had rarely achieved any meaningful results.

"This time, things might be different."

Minister of SMEs and Startups An Jae-gyeong was a man obsessed with regional economic development.

The idea of selecting just three local governments and pouring all the resources into them—instead of splitting the budget and handing out crumbs everywhere as they had done in the past—was his.

"The third-round presentations. Would it be alright if I personally attended the evaluation?"

Minister An Jae-gyeong asked his aides after gathering them together.

His political affairs advisor, policy advisor, and even the Chief of Staff immediately showed reluctance.

"It's safer to separate political affairs from practical operations, Minister."

"This is different from the first-round document screening."

"It might only spark rumors of political interference by the Minister."

"It would be better to just take a photo with the final selectees after it's over..."

Concerns poured in from all sides.

In truth, their real worry lay elsewhere.

"And if you go, Minister, everyone will have a hard time..."

"You're far too blunt, Minister!"

This was due to Minister An Jae-gyeong's personality.

A former KDI researcher who had worked in the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, he had joined the current administration as a cabinet member, but his true target had been the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

However, political reasons had played a part in him being pushed to a minor post like the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Because of his incredibly blunt personality—he never beat around the bush, even with his superiors—the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff's line had avoided him.

Consequently, the man who had almost become the Minister of Economy and Finance and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs ended up relegated to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, which ranked far lower among cabinet positions.

"I won't be grading them myself. I'll leave the evaluation to the judges and just ask a few questions."

The aides looked deeply troubled, but they could no longer dissuade the Minister.

They could only offer silent condolences to the presenters of the local governments that had passed the second round.

Jeongrae County.

It was the only "county" among the local governments that had passed the second-round on-site inspection and advanced to the third round of this project competition.

A rural area with a population of twenty thousand. This tiny town, far smaller than Mir City, had staked its very survival on this project.

The startup's name was EcoPress.

The founder, Choi A-yeong, was originally from Jeongrae County, and her father had been an Intangible Cultural Heritage holder in straw craft.

He had supported his family by weaving rice straw. With a few deft movements of his hands, baskets, hats, and mats would materialize.

Ta-da! Look at this, A-yeong. It's a bag!

Choi A-yeong loved the straw crafts her father made for her.

She would play by feeding the leftover straw to the cows.

In those days, rice straw had many uses. Even without the skill of an Intangible Cultural Heritage holder, every household wove straw to use as bedding and feed for their cattle.

But when she returned to her hometown upon hearing of her father's passing and attended his cremation...

Choi A-yeong realized something.

That now, all that rice straw was simply burned away.

Just like her father.

As time passed, rural areas changed significantly. While every household used to raise a few cows, those small-scale barns had disappeared, replaced by industrialized facilities.

Large-scale barns laid down synthetic mats for the cattle and fed them compound feed.

Choi A-yeong felt that Jeongrae County as a whole was like one giant piece of rice straw.

This nation had once relied on it for survival, but now it had become a troublesome waste product.

Choi A-yeong did not return to Seoul after her father's funeral. Instead, she founded EcoPress.

She wanted to prove that rice straw was still useful.

She invented a cellulose-based absorbent extracted from rice straw. It could be used to make diapers or sanitary pads. Because it wasn't chemically synthesized, it was safe even for sensitive skin. It was also eco-friendly.

"Since we recycle agricultural waste, the material costs are practically zero!"

The Jeongrae County Governor had personally come all this way to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deliver the presentation, riding in an old official car with a rattling bumper.

"This is the hope of Jeongrae County! Even in our town, where only the elderly remain, we can finally foster a proper industry."

He appealed to all their strengths and even pulled at their heartstrings.

But his opponent was far too formidable.

No, he was the absolute worst.

"Is this commercially viable?"

Minister An Jae-gyeong was a total "T"—a cold, analytical bastard. To think his very first question after hearing Choi A-yeong's poignant story would be this.

"The material costs might be practically free, yes. But the processing costs are high. And manufacturing diapers or sanitary pads seems like a poor choice. How many newborns or women of childbearing age even live in Jeongrae County?"

"Th-that... Well, we plan to distribute them to other cities..."

"The distribution structure is also concerning. To secure a stable supply of materials, the company must be located in a rural area, but sanitary pads and diapers need to be easily purchasable by consumers at convenience stores or supermarkets."

"..."

"Of course, Jeongrae County has a regional agricultural logistics center used for supplying rice. But that is managed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, isn't it? To distribute sanitary pads or diapers through the Nonghyup RPC, you would need to reach a solid agreement, but you haven't had any business discussions regarding that yet, have you? Then how do you plan to distribute them?"

Jeongrae County's poor EcoPress was utterly torn to shreds.

Even the judges were flustered, not knowing what to do. Normally, in a setting like this, they would say nice things out of courtesy, given that the presenter was a high-ranking local official. They would point out one or two areas of improvement and end on a positive note.

After all, this wasn't a National Assembly audit; it was a ministry project aimed at local governments.

Even if only three teams were ultimately selected, couldn't they keep the atmosphere of the presentation room amicable?

But with the Minister showing such a sharp edge, the judges couldn't afford to look soft either.

Something is off.

Unlike typical third-round evaluations by central ministries, every single person who went in to present came out looking like they were attending a funeral.

Both the Gunsan team for "Electric Boiler Smart Factory Industrial Complex Development" and the Ansan team for "Eco-Friendly Industrial Complex Development based on Waste Fiber Recycling."

Everyone was sighing heavily, their faces practically screaming that they had completely blown it.

And finally...

"I'm sorry... A-yeong."

The Jeongrae County Governor, who was nearly eighty years old, came out to the waiting room after finishing his presentation with tears actually welling in his eyes!

The founder of EcoPress wept right along with him.

"The atmosphere in the presentation room seems really bad."

Jo Hyeon-seo quietly whispered to Yun-hyeok.

"Indeed."

What on earth was happening inside?

Even Yun-hyeok found it difficult to predict, leaving him bewildered, while the engineering trio looked utterly anxious.

"Mayor of Mir City. Please come in!"

A Grade 9 civil servant from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups came to the waiting room and called for Yun-hyeok.

"Yes, coming."

Who on earth made the poor Jeongrae County Governor cry?

Yun-hyeok entered the presentation seminar room, determined to see the faces of these high-and-mighty judges.

Wait, isn't that Minister An Jae-gyeong?

The moment he saw him, Yun-hyeok barely managed to suppress a burst of laughter.

To the other teams, he might have been the gatekeeper of hell, but to Yun-hyeok, he was an incredibly welcome sight.

He was a political colleague with whom Yun-hyeok had forged a powerful friendship in his first life, sometimes fighting, sometimes helping each other. They had worked together countless times, especially in the National Assembly, regarding regional development.

And he had also found the answer to his earlier question.

So you're the one who made the Jeongrae County Governor cry, huh?

This man was great in every other way, but he was just too pessimistic and blunt.

Of course, he had his reasons.

His philosophy was that anyone executing taxpayers' money had to view every project as pessimistically as possible to prevent waste.

Yun-hyeok agreed with that to some extent. Still, there was no need to make the poor man cry.

At any rate...

"We will begin now."

I should alter the presentation plan a bit.

Since the listener was the Minister, it was best to tailor the presentation to his level.