The Guard Dog
“By the way, Mayor,” Jo Hyeon-seo asked on the way back.
“Are you going to run for governor in the next local election?”
Lee Yun-hyeok stared quietly at the driver's seat.
Hyeon-seo is incredibly quick-witted.
“If you go to the provincial office, Mayor, what happens to me?”
“Well, Mr. Hyeon-seo,” Yun-hyeok said, “you'll have to return to the Environmental Department. Make sure to assist the next Mayor of Mir City well.”
“No way! Mayor! Are you abandoning me?!”
“It's not that...”
“Do you know how much long-distance driving I've been doing for you lately?!”
“If you don't like it, you can always resign from your hard-earned Grade 7 civil servant position. Then I can appoint you to a political post at the provincial office.”
“Huh?”
“You're currently part of Mir City's official personnel quota, so transferring to another local government is difficult.”
“What about a temporary dispatch?”
“Even if the provincial office is a higher authority than the city hall, a four-year dispatch is completely unprecedented.”
“Oh, man...”
To be honest, Yun-hyeok felt a bit of regret too. Jo Hyeon-seo was quick on his feet, making him perfect for handling minor tasks.
Just having him schedule the countless meetings had made life so much easier.
Besides, traveling together all this time, Hyeon-seo must have learned a great deal over his shoulder.
A Grade 7 civil servant who had met so many governors and ministers... he was probably the only one in the entire country.
Thinking about it that way, it really was a waste. Just when he was becoming truly useful, they had to part ways.
“Then... if I resign, will you hire me?” Jo Hyeon-seo asked an unexpected question.
“Are you really going to resign? From a stable Grade 7 position?”
“I'll give it some serious thought.”
“Think carefully. Even if I become governor and hire you, you have to think about what happens after my term ends.”
A political aide shared the same fate as their politician. If the politician failed to win reelection after their term, everyone became unemployed together.
“But you rejected a stable position too, Mayor.”
Yun-hyeok paused to think about what he meant, realizing he was referring to Han Gi-jeong's offer.
“You mean his promise to give me an extraordinary position if he becomes president?”
“Yes. But you didn't even bother to hear what the position was, did you?”
Of course not.
Once someone became president, they had to fill key posts—from the Prime Minister to ministers of core departments and heads of major agencies—with their own people.
But what kind of position would he give to a mercenary who wasn't even in his own party, someone who had merely helped him secure a second term as governor?
Seeing him boast about an "extraordinary" offer, he might have been considering a cabinet minister post. Granted, giving a minister post to an outsider mercenary—and a rookie in his thirties at that—would indeed be extraordinary, but it would likely be something like the Minister of SMEs and Startups or the Minister of Employment and Labor.
It's not like he'd make me Prime Minister.
Taking the governorship for himself was far better than accepting an ambiguous minister post.
And above all, the most important point:
Han Gi-jeong will never become president.
From his first to his third life, Han Gi-jeong had never once won a primary to run in the presidential election.
Han claimed it was bad luck, but in Yun-hyeok's eyes, his political foundation was simply too shallow compared to the other political giants.
Of course, that was precisely why he would obsess over building his achievements as governor.
He'll keep trying to keep me in check while desperately trying to take as much credit as possible for Mir Childcare 365.
Kim Min-cheol certainly possessed a wealth of political sense—especially compared to Jo Hyeon-seo.
“Establishing a consortium in Mir City and delegating the province-wide expansion project to us?” As soon as Kim Min-cheol heard the results of the meeting, he offered his congratulations along with his concerns.
“The governor has taken a step back. But he won't give up so easily. After all, he might end up competing with you, Mayor, in the next local election.”
That was true.
From Han Gi-jeong's perspective, he couldn't let Yun-hyeok grow too powerful. They might clash over the Gyeonggi Province governorship in the next election.
“But hasn't he already agreed to give it to Mir City?” Jo Hyeon-seo asked.
“Even if he delegates it, there are plenty of tactics the provincial office can use. They are a higher authority than us,” Kim Min-cheol said.
“For instance, they could release press statements and hold press conferences under the provincial office's name to seize control of the narrative. Or they could establish a performance evaluation team directly under the province to monitor and find flaws in our consortium, or even manipulate the appointments of the advisory panel as they please.”
“...”
Jo Hyeon-seo's complexion paled slightly.
“So we have to fight the provincial office while running this project?”
“It might very well come to that.”
Listening to their conversation, Yun-hyeok let out a soft chuckle.
“I could fight the provincial office over the pie myself, but frankly, I don't want to spend the remaining year of my term doing that,” Yun-hyeok said.
“There's no need for Mir City Hall to clash with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office over branding or expansion rights. Our civil servants are already busy enough; I don't want to burden them with political warfare.”
“Then what do you plan to do?” Kim Min-cheol asked.
“Let's hire a mercenary.”
“Mayor! I am truly sorry about last time. I'm really not that kind of guy! I swear!”
Mun Ji-hun, the freshman National Assembly member of the Jayu Party, began babbling the moment they met.
“I actually work very hard! I don't just drink all day. I'm someone who stays up night and day thinking about what I can do for my constituency in Jungang-dong and Mir City!”
His desperate rambling was almost comical.
“I know. Many politicians enjoy those kinds of things, so it was likely just a mistake on your part.”
Yun-hyeok offered Assemblyman Mun Ji-hun an escape route. In truth, Mun Ji-hun was exactly the kind of person who loved those things.
“O-of course!” Mun Ji-hun swallowed hard.
His mouth had gone dry watching Mir Childcare 365 swallow even the medical association whole.
As a freshman assemblyman with a weak foothold in his district, Mun Ji-hun had to hop on this bandwagon by any means necessary.
That was why Yun-hyeok's proposal was so extraordinary.
“Assemblyman Mun, a consortium will soon be established in Jungang-dong. It will serve as the control tower for expanding Mir Childcare 365 to the provincial level. I would like you to serve as the advisory commissioner for public relations and external cooperation.”
“...!”
Mun Ji-hun's eyes widened to twice their size.
“W-why... to me... all of a sudden...?”
“Because you are the most qualified person for the job.”
Mun Ji-hun was originally a political journalist who had joined the Jayu Party and served as the central party spokesperson. Thanks to his strong performance there, he had received a nomination and became a member of the National Assembly. Thus, he was a master of policy promotion, public opinion shaping, and message design.
And as a member of the Jayu Party, he had no reason to walk on eggshells around Han Gi-jeong. In fact, he could leverage the Jayu Party's central infrastructure to launch an even larger offensive against him.
And besides...
“You are Mir City's representative in the National Assembly. As fellow citizens of Mir, let's be on the same team.”
“...!”
“Please protect this project in the National Assembly, Assemblyman, so the provincial office can't chip away at it or keep it in check.”
“...!”
The Gyeonggi Provincial Office was a higher authority than Mir City Hall, but it held no power over the National Assembly.
“Make sure the entire Gyeonggi Province knows that Mir Childcare 365 belongs to Jungang-dong, Mir City. If you do that,” Yun-hyeok said, “Jungang-dong will support you again in the next general election.”
“Th-thank...”
Mun Ji-hun grabbed Yun-hyeok's hand tightly.
“Thank you! Thank you for trusting me with this! Please, do not worry about a single thing!”
True to his nature as a politician steeped in old-school politics, Mun Ji-hun was shrewd and highly adept at political transactions.
Yun-hyeok would not compete with Mun Ji-hun for Jungang-dong in the next general election. He had just said as much—that he would support Mun Ji-hun in Jungang-dong. In exchange, Yun-hyeok demanded that he keep the Gyeonggi Provincial Office in check.
Mun Ji-hun understood perfectly.
“I will do it! Absolutely! Flawlessly!”
He had barely managed to catch the last train, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
A freshman assemblyman might be a greenhorn, but he was still a member of the National Assembly.
During a National Assembly audit, Mun Ji-hun pressured the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
“A local government leader personally visited and persuaded ministers of various departments, designating sandboxes to conduct institutional experiments. Now, they are preparing to expand to other municipalities. In a situation like this, shouldn't the central government provide additional support? I strongly request that a special grant tax be allocated to Mir City.”
He also attended the Health and Welfare Committee. Although he wasn't a member of that committee, he arranged for a fellow Jayu Party assemblyman to speak on his behalf.
“Mir Childcare 365, initiated by Mir City!”
Since his goal was to keep the Gyeonggi Provincial Office in check, he emphasized Mir City even more.
“It is receiving immense praise. Now, Mir City is taking the lead to expand it province-wide! What is the Ministry of Health and Welfare's stance on this?!”
He even gathered friendly assemblymen to issue a joint statement.
“...We urge for innovation in childbirth and childcare policies through initiatives like Mir Childcare 365.”
Drawing on his background as a political journalist, he invited a crowd of reporters he knew well and held a press briefing.
“This is a prime example of digital administration aimed at rebounding the birth rate. It was pushed forward by Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok of Mir City, and now...”
He then rented a conference room in the National Assembly, gathered experts from various fields, invited a swarm of reporters, and hosted a forum.
[Forum on the Province-Wide Expansion Strategy for Mir Childcare 365]
While drawing massive attention in the National Assembly, he also stirred up the Jayu Party members in the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly.
According to what he heard from the assemblymen, Han Gi-jeong had reportedly smashed two of his electronic cigarettes in frustration.
Watching the waterfall of articles and press releases, one person felt a complicated mix of emotions.
It was Ji Hye-min, the original (?) PR manager of Lee Yun-hyeok's political activities.
“Wow...”
No matter how good she was at editing videos for NewTube, she was still just a college student. It was only natural that she felt a bit inadequate compared to a member of the National Assembly who was a former journalist and central party spokesperson.
Assemblyman Mun Ji-hun had gone so far as to produce a promotional video and distribute it across NewTube and public television networks.
The quality was outstanding.
On the "Politician Lee Yun-hyeok" channel, comments urging for the next video upload were overflowing.
In fact, Yun-hyeok had already hosted a live broadcast promoting the policy after launching Mir Childcare 365, and he had also uploaded footage of himself persuading the ministers.
Ji Hye-min only had to edit.
However, she was so busy lately that her working speed had inevitably slowed down.
She had recently been hired as an intern at a startup.
She was originally scheduled to start working in July, but because the company had recently relocated and their workload had surged, she ended up starting a bit early.
Trying to handle both her final exams and her job at the same time left her with barely any time to sleep.
Still, for some reason... I feel a bit...
Ji Hye-min felt a strange sense of inadequacy that drained her energy.
Maybe Lee Yun-hyeok doesn't need an amateur college student editor anymore.
“Hye-min!”
Assistant Manager Kang Woo-jin walked into the pantry and called out to Ji Hye-min.
“The CEO said you should join us once the meeting starts.”
“Me too?”
“Yeah. Come in and take the meeting minutes, please.”
“Understood.”
“Today's meeting is with a really important guest, so make sure you're well-prepared.”
“Yes! Will do!”
Ji Hye-min tried to cheer herself up.
When she moved to the meeting room, she found the company's CEO, department heads, and numerous engineers gathered there.
Along with the very person who had prompted this startup, "Agronex," to relocate to Jungang-dong, Mir City.
“Mayor?”
Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok was sitting at the conference table.
“Hye-min? Why are you coming out of there...?”
Lee Yun-hyeok was equally taken aback.
The app development was now on stable ground.
He was using Mun Ji-hun as a guard dog to protect his home turf, and he had handed the entire consortium over to the head of the Future Industry Division, promoting him to the vacant position of Director-General of Future Strategy.
Yun-hyeok now turned his attention to another project.
Doma-myeon and Hawol-myeon.
It wouldn't be an easy task, but the necessary preparations were well in place.
After all, Mir City now possessed both the software of Jungang-dong and the hardware of Durim-myeon.
Agronex was a company Yun-hyeok had been particularly glad to see among those moving into the Mir Data Innovation Lab.
This was because they focused on designing a profitable business model to solve the chronic problem of Smart Farms—namely, their low profitability relative to high initial costs.
Thus, to consult on the Doma-myeon and Hawol-myeon projects, he had brought along Kim Min-cheol, Jo Hyeon-seo, and several political appointees to hold a meeting with the company's CEO and engineers.
But then...
Why is Ji Hye-min here?
“I'm interning here...”
“But your house is far from here, isn't it?”
“That's why I'm planning to rent a place nearby for just two months.”
“Really?”
The guy sitting next to Hye-min, Assistant Manager Kang Woo-jin (who looked like a bit of a playboy), suddenly had his eyes light up.
“The unit right next to mine in my studio apartment building is vacant. Do you want to move in there? I can even help you move.”
This bastard... Flirting with my wife!
“The dormitory...” Yun-hyeok carefully intervened.
“The Mir Data Innovation Lab has its own dormitory. Since many companies relocated from outside the city, the city provided it for employee welfare. The facilities are nice and affordable, so you should stay there. The security is excellent, too.”
“Oh... but since I'm just an intern...”
“Do they discriminate against temporary interns for things like that? Your commute would take nearly two hours one way.”
“We don't discriminate! We really don't! Hye-min just never applied!” the CEO of Agronex said in a panic.
“There are still plenty of vacant rooms there! Hye-min, I'll get you into the dormitory! It only makes sense for someone with a long commute to live there!”
“Well, there you have it,” Yun-hyeok said.
“Th-thank you.”
Ji Hye-min replied with a bewildered expression.
Beside him, Jo Hyeon-seo kept his head half-bowed, giggling to himself. Yun-hyeok nudged him sharply in the ribs.
“Let's begin the meeting.”