The Mir Avengers

The deficit-ridden structure of its economic business sector had always been a headache for the Nonghyup Central Federation.

So, when a regional cooperative proposed a new venture and requested investment, the Central Federation usually cooperated enthusiastically.

Usually.

But if that new venture involved developing independent product manufacturing, branding, and distribution networks based on infrastructure provided by the city, they would balk.

Suppose it actually went well and succeeded.

Then, countless other regional cooperatives—Onyang, Wondang, Sindo, Baegam—might all clamor to follow in Mir Nonghyup's footsteps.

If there was a risk of fracturing central control, the Central Federation had to hesitate, even if it meant Mir Nonghyup could make a quick buck in the short term.

And yet...

"W-Withdraw? You might withdraw from the Federation?"

The ultimate form of a fractured central authority was the secession of a regional cooperative.

Bang Se-hyun, the Chairman of the Central Federation, carefully scrutinized the two men sitting before him.

One was the president of the Mir City cooperative, a man he knew well. And next to him...

"Are you... the Mayor of Mir City, young man?"

"I am," Lee Yun-hyeok replied.

Bang Se-hyun had heard the mayor was young, but by agricultural industry standards, he was astonishingly youthful.

And for that exact reason, the Chairman hadn't paid much attention when he heard the head of Mir City would be attending today's meeting under the guise of public-private cooperation.

After all, mayors of cities the size of Mir rarely cared about cooperatives or agriculture. Besides, what could a rookie young politician possibly do caught between a regional cooperative and the Central Federation?

He had assumed the mayor's attendance was merely a performative stunt to court voters ahead of the local elections next year.

But looking at him now, the true mastermind of this situation wasn't Park Tae-gang, the cooperative president. It was the Mayor of Mir City. He was the head of the operation.

The mayor had orchestrated this entire thing from behind the scenes.

Otherwise, how could a notoriously timid regional cooperative president have made such a daring, reckless decision?

Even if the mayor is behind this, it's still shocking.

The reason was simple: Nonghyup was an organization that politicians walked on eggshells around.

Nonghyup was deeply political.

The combined membership of the 1,100 regional cooperatives nationwide hovered around two million, and their leadership elections were managed directly by the National Election Commission.

An organization that wielded two million votes naturally possessed immense leverage over the political sphere.

And yet, the mayor of a city with a population of barely 490,000 was rebelling against the Central Federation, the apex of those two million members?

What if they seceded and failed?

The political risk Lee Yun-hyeok would have to shoulder was lethal.

Politicians from both sides of the aisle in the National Assembly would tear Yun-hyeok to shreds just to curry favor with the Central Federation, and members of the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, Marine, and Fisheries Committee would launch a relentless assault.

"You must be absolutely certain of success, then?"

On the flip side, if he succeeded, other local government heads would copy him, and the National Assembly would face pressure to codify this model into law.

Lee Yun-hyeok was making an all-in bet against the Central Federation.

"It will undoubtedly succeed," Yun-hyeok said.

Yun-hyeok slid a document across the table. It was titled: Mir City Smart Farm Innovation Valley Project - Feasibility and Economic Viability Analysis Results.

"This data has already undergone a feasibility analysis by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Compared to traditional open-field farms, annual household income is projected to increase by approximately 170%. We are targeting 60 billion won in annual sales by year five, with the break-even point expected in year four."

"The Central Federation cannot make decisions based solely on profit margins," Jung Woo-jae, the Executive Director, interjected with a frown. "This risks setting a terrible precedent."

"Which would be the worse precedent?" Yun-hyeok asked calmly.

"A regional cooperative, driven to the brink of a forced merger due to poor performance, developing a highly lucrative revenue model under the joint cooperation of the city hall and the Central Federation..."

"..."

"...or the Central Federation, in its stubborn attempt to maintain absolute control, failing to reach a compromise and driving an entire city-level cooperative to secede?"

Chairman Bang Se-hyun's throat went dry. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Let's do this," Yun-hyeok proposed, initiating the compromise.

To be frank, forcing Mir Nonghyup to actually secede would inflict heavy damage on his side as well.

Therefore...

"Once we successfully brand our tomatoes, we will include the 'NH Joint Development' mark on the packaging."

This would allow the Central Federation to retain a degree of brand control, while the smart farm households would benefit from increased consumer trust.

"Furthermore, we will allow one director recommended by the Central Federation to sit on the advisory board of the smart farm operating corporation. However, they will have no voting rights."

It was a political face-saving card, designed to make other regional cooperatives believe the Central Federation still held the reins of the project.

"We will also submit quarterly smart farm performance reports to the Central Federation through Mir Nonghyup and permit you to conduct regular audits."

This was only fair.

If they were going to invest nearly 10 billion won, they absolutely deserved to receive reports and conduct audits.

"So, you want to keep us as a nominal partner, take our capital without any of our interference, and put on a show for the public that we are working in close cooperation... Is that it?" Chairman Bang Se-hyun asked.

"I believe it is the best possible compromise," Yun-hyeok replied.

"I am well aware that among the leadership here, only the Executive Director comes from a farming background. The rest of you were originally in the financial sector."

Because of that, they knew better than anyone how absurd it was to use profits from their financial sector to plug the massive deficits in their agricultural business sector.

A normal corporation would have simply severed the unprofitable agricultural division, but Nonghyup was a political beast.

How could they cut off the very people who elected them—the two million farming members?

It was a perpetual headache for the Central Federation as well.

"Please make a bold decision so that Mir City's agriculture can become self-sustaining and prosperous."

"..."

Bang Se-hyun closed his eyes tightly, then opened them.

"I will convene the executive board."

"How on earth did you manage to get Nonghyup to actually lend us ten billion won...?"

Kim Min-cheol, the Planning Director, was so utterly shocked he could barely speak.

"And interest-free, at that...?"

"I targeted Nonghyup from the start precisely because I wanted it interest-free."

If they had pitched the high-sugar tomato branding well, they could have secured investment from commercial banks too.

But targeting the Nonghyup Central Federation yielded the highest possible margins.

"Nonghyup isn't a for-profit corporation; it's a cooperative for farmers. Because of that, they occasionally grant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠interest-free or low-interest loans to regional branches."

"But in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our case, we had the local government take the lead to establish a separate agricultural corporation, branded it independently, and bypassed their distribution network for direct supply. We did literally everything the Central Federation hates."

To Kim Min-cheol, it still felt less like a negotiation and more like magic.

"And yet, not only did the Central Federation approve it, they're giving us the money?"

"Mayor, do you happen to have some kind of hypnosis app on your phone...?" Jo Hyeon-seo asked with a dazed expression.

"Anyway, let's move on to the next step, Director Kim."

Yun-hyeok reviewed the project roadmap Kim Min-cheol had drafted for Doma-myeon.

Greenhouse construction was not something a single company could handle alone. It required a general contractor to oversee and coordinate subcontractors specialized in various fields.

Since AgroNex was a company that developed monetization models, they wouldn't handle the physical hardware installation directly.

Therefore, they needed companies to take charge of the basic structural construction, nutrient solution piping, heating, cooling, ventilation systems, sensor installation, and automated control systems.

"They are all located in Durim-myeon."

And there was one more crucial deep-tech company that would tie all of them together.

"It's been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a while, Doctor."

Yun-hyeok paid a visit to Dr. Kim Myeong-un.

"Welcome!"

Dr. Kim Myeong-un—the elite edge AI semiconductor designer who had once been a part-time lecturer at Hankook University, torn over a 5 billion won investment offer from China due to his family's objections—had now completely settled down in Durim-myeon.

"My family moved here too," Kim Myeong-un said proudly.

He was officially a citizen of Mir City now.

"A lot has changed in such a short time."

The 60 billion won project budget secured from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups wasn't disbursed in a single lump sum, of course. It was released in installments as each company met its milestones.

Even so, the funding was substantial enough to completely transform Kim Myeong-un's company (which had originally been a refrigeration equipment manufacturer).

Where the refrigeration unit assembly line once stood, a chamber line for chip testing had been installed. Over the concrete floor still marked by heavy presses, cables, server racks, and acoustic panels were neatly laid out.

There were youthful researchers, likely brought over from Hankook University, alongside middle-aged engineers recruited from all over Durim-myeon.

The total headcount was thirty-one. From chipset development and environmental sensors to manufacturing assembly and outsourced quality control, it had become a proper enterprise.

It had truly begun to look like a proper tech company.

"We're launching the smart farm project in Doma-myeon and Hawol-myeon, and we'll need small semiconductor chips to go inside the various automation systems."

"I heard."

While the city hall wouldn't contract directly with an AI chip manufacturer for the smart farm project, companies like Innostech and Cheonil Ventilation needed those chips to implement their remote control and automated management systems.

Kim Myeong-un was the perfect supplier.

"A few companies in Durim-myeon have already reached out to me, actually."

"Please look after them."

With that settled, Yun-hyeok raised the stakes and added one more piece to the puzzle.

HyperControl.

This company wasn't located in Durim-myeon, but was instead housed in the Mir Data Innovation Lab in Jungang-dong.

A subsidiary of a major heavy industries conglomerate, they specialized in creating remote control and real-time monitoring systems and software integrated with industrial automation equipment and hazardous material leak detection sensors.

They were tasked with developing the remote-control application for the smart farm project.

And just like that, presto!

The Mir Avengers, assembled to drive the Smart Farm Innovation Valley project, was complete!

Six manufacturing companies from Durim-myeon, a consulting firm, and an app developer from Jungang-dong.

Add to that the local farmers, the regional cooperative, and even the Nonghyup Central Federation itself.

Organizations that had once been fragmented, suspicious, or in direct conflict with one another were now seamlessly integrated under the leadership of the city hall.

Now, shall we add the final cherry on top?

Lim Jun-won, a heavyweight three-term National Assembly member of the Jayu Party whose constituency covered Doma-myeon and Hawol-myeon, warmly welcomed his long-awaited guest.

"Please, come in."

Guided by Lim, Yun-hyeok sat down on the office sofa.

"I heard you personally secured the investment from Nonghyup, Mayor. I was deeply impressed."

"It was nothing."

"As you may know, I've actually been doing quite a bit of work behind the scenes to ensure the success of this project."

Lim Jun-won was different from Assemblymen Park Dae-man or Mun Ji-hun.

Unlike Park Dae-man, whose district of Durim-myeon had been blessed with sudden, unexpected windfalls, Lim had time to prepare.

And unlike Mun Ji-hun, a clumsy freshman lawmaker, Lim was a seasoned three-term veteran who knew exactly how to position himself.

"I believe Director Kim Min-cheol was negotiating with KEPCO's Mir branch regarding the need for a new substation. I gave them a little push from behind."

Lim Jun-won made a sweeping gesture in the air with his hand.

"And when they were gathering signatures at Mir Nonghyup, I exerted a bit of my influence there as well."

Yun-hyeok was already well aware of that.

Some farmers, disgruntled by the cooperative presidents going around collecting signatures to secede, had gone to Assemblyman Lim Jun-won to beg him to stop it. Instead, Lim had persuaded them to cooperate, throwing his weight behind the city hall's project.

As expected of a three-term veteran, Yun-hyeok thought. He's quick to calculate profit and loss, and highly perceptive.

"So, what do you think?" Lim Jun-won asked. "With this level of contribution, would it be alright for me to show my face at the smart farm's completion ceremony?"

"Hmm."

Yun-hyeok sipped the coffee the chief of staff had served.

"It's a bit..." he said. "...a bit lacking, don't you think?"

Jun-won, my friend.

Did you really think building a substation and persuading a few cooperative members would be enough to buy your way in?