The Money-Burning Dream of Hope (3)
"Where do you think you're going, barging in without— Ouch!"
As the eraser struck his forehead dead center, the Grade 4 official who had been grumbling curled his body over the conference table, clutching his brow. The Mayor, who had thrown the eraser, turned to the Grade 7 official with a gentle expression, urging him to repeat what he had just said.
"Ah... yes! YK has sent a request to our City Hall, stating they wish to build an amusement park. They said they didn't just send it to us, but to every city hall in the country."
"An amusement park? You mean like that nature park in Yongin?"
"Yes, sir. They said if we're interested, they'd like to hold working-level discussions, so they requested a response. Since we were in the middle of a meeting, I thought this was an agenda item worth bringing up, so I risked the trouble of reporting it to you."
At the Grade 7 official's concise summary, Mayor Lee Dong-gil nodded as if satisfied. "Very well done! What's your name?"
"Yes, it's Park Cheol-yeong!"
"Good. I'll remember your name."
"Thank you!"
It is a fact that might surprise people today, but this was a time before local autonomy had begun. Local autonomy in South Korea didn't truly start until 1995. Originally, it should have been implemented following the April 19 Revolution, but P's May 16 military coup occurred, and P effectively banned local autonomy thereafter; JD also maintained this status quo. Therefore, Lee Dong-gil was not an elected mayor, but an 'appointed' one. Because of this, catching the eye of Lee Dong-gil was a massive advantage for Park Cheol-yeong. Unlike elected mayors who lose almost all their power if they lose an election, appointed mayors retained their status as high-ranking officials regardless.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Pardon? Ah, I apologize!"
Park Cheol-yeong, who had been about to leave since his report was finished, heard the Mayor's words and, with an awkward smile, subtly took a seat. In short, he had just secured a golden opportunity to voice his opinion on the YK-related agenda. Furthermore, the realization that Lee Dong-gil had begun to view Park Cheol-yeong favorably was firmly etched into the minds of the other high-ranking city officials.
"Now, let's start again. Tell me how we can turn Daejeon into a decent city."
While that was the grand theme, the sub-theme had effectively been decided: How can we lure YK's amusement park to Daejeon? Many officials had already grasped the situation, but there were always those who lacked situational awareness.
"Mr. Mayor, honestly, what's the point of YK building an amusement park? Instead of that, why don't we build a magnificent new city hall so the citizens can feel pride..."
Thwack!
"Argh!"
The eraser struck the Grade 4 official's forehead once more, and he curled back over the conference table.
"That bastard, I really don't know how he managed to climb to Grade 4," Lee Dong-gil clicked his tongue, and many officials in the room nodded in agreement.
"Hey, is there anyone else here who opposes the amusement park YK wants to build?"
Naturally, the officials all remained silent.
"Now, you know what the real agenda is, right? How can we make YK build their amusement park in our Daejeon?"
Lee Dong-gil grasped the intent behind YK's contact with more insight than expected. If YK had only contacted Daejeon, they could have played hard to get. But YK had sent the same request to every city hall. That meant they intended to build the park in the city that offered the best conditions. There was a high probability that mediocre conditions wouldn't win the auction.
"Given YK's nature, I don't think they'll build it through external investment."
The Grade 3 official also showed decent insight, expressing his opinion to Lee Dong-gil.
"That's right. Even though YK isn't a listed company, it's a monster of a firm that effectively holds the number one spot in the country."
If the general public were to hear the meeting the officials were having now, they might have been quite confused.
It was true that there were unexpectedly competent officials mixed in. This was because the systems related to the civil service examination kept changing. For Grade 7, a junior college degree was mandatory until the academic requirement was abolished in '73, and until '63, a high school diploma was required. How many people in South Korea had graduated high school as of '63? Since many people living at that time had only finished elementary school, graduating high school was enough to place one in the ranks of the elite. Park Cheol-yeong was also a Grade 7 official who had passed the general examination in '72 and was on the verge of becoming Grade 6. Thinking he had caught his chance, Park Cheol-yeong carefully raised his hand.
"Oh, Park Cheol-yeong. Do you have something to say?"
With Lee Dong-gil's support, Park Cheol-yeong opened his mouth carefully toward the other officials.
"If everyone is agreeable, I would like to ask if I may put forth an opinion."
"It's fine! It's fine! Who would oppose it when I say it's fine? Come on, if you have a good idea, let's hear it."
Who would dare oppose him? Thus, Park Cheol-yeong began to express his opinion in a polite and reverent manner.
"Unlike other companies, YK is famous for providing top-tier welfare to the employees who work for them."
"Yes, that's true."
Once it became clear that the Mayor favored Park Cheol-yeong, other officials began to chime in with agreement.
"That means we must consider the economic effects that will occur there while the amusement park is being built."
"Ah, right. You've thought that far ahead?"
At Lee Dong-gil's words, Park Cheol-yeong bowed his head slightly and continued.
"That is correct. Uniquely, YK even hires construction workers as contract employees rather than day laborers if they wish. If they live in Daejeon, the local lodging and restaurant businesses will boom."
"Indeed. It's not like one or two people will be mobilized for the construction of an amusement park."
"Furthermore, once the amusement park is completed, they will build housing for the permanent staff, and a welfare center for them will also be constructed. This will also bring additional economic effects. And above all else..."
"Above all else?"
"It will become very easy to discuss other business matters with YK. Where else in the country is there a company as friendly to the citizens as YK? Therefore, this agenda is not just an incident that ends with an amusement park; it will be the deciding factor that determines the future relationship between YK and Daejeon."
"Yes, that's an excellent analysis! In that case, you must have also thought about what we should do, right?"
Lee Dong-gil looked at Park Cheol-yeong with expectant eyes. When presenting a good agenda, one shouldn't just stop at analyzing the subject. One must also clearly define the action guidelines—what to do after the analysis. Otherwise, the analysis remains just an analysis, and the fruits are likely to be stolen by others.
"Of course."
"Good, how can we win?"
"The answer is 'speed'."
"Speed?" Lee Dong-gil asked, curious.
"Yes. The biggest reason officials get criticized is the speed of administrative processing. We should promise to grant permits so quickly that the YK request won't even take any time at all."
"Hmm... will that be alright?"
"Do not worry. If you give me two hours, I will prepare more detailed content on this and report it to you separately, Mr. Mayor."
What Park Cheol-yeong really meant was, 'This is not content that is easy to discuss in such an open place,' and Lee Dong-gil understood this quickly.
"Good! Then come to the Mayor's office two hours after the meeting ends. Now, does anyone else have an agenda to propose?"
Lee Dong-gil had already finished the analysis perfectly, and it was true that other agendas weren't easy to come up with on the spot. Thus, the officials, with looks of regret and envy toward Lee Dong-gil, agreed to end the meeting.
"No, I'm just saying we should build a luxurious city hall..."
The Grade 4 official's muttered words, unable to give up his opinion until the very end, echoed low in the conference room.
Thwack!
If one became a Grade 4 official starting as a Grade 9, it was truly a legend. However, since the difficulty was 'relatively' easier in the old days, it wasn't strange to have an existence like the Grade 4 official who got hit with an eraser. Of course, it would be a mistake to think that all Grade 9 officials in the 80s had it easy. Even in this era, the competition for national positions or general administration in Seoul was quite high. It was about half the level of the 2010s. One could assume that the 'lazy officials,' 'people who became officials through bribery,' and 'officials who sucked the blood of the young without ability' that the public of the 2010s understood were unlikely to be included among the national officials of the 80s. After all, one had to break through a competition rate of 10-to-1 to 20-to-1 just to get in.
Park Cheol-yeong was a figure who had entered through the Grade 7 general examination, which was even harder than those Grade 9 national positions. Thus, Lee Dong-gil read Park Cheol-yeong's personal file and waited for his visit with even greater trust.
'Ah, when is he coming?'
It was a truly anxious situation. Not knowing what actions other city halls might be taking at this very moment, Lee Dong-gil could do nothing but pace back and forth. It hadn't even been 30 minutes since the meeting ended. There was still an hour and a half to go until the promised two hours, but Lee Dong-gil already felt anxious.
Creak!
"Oh!"
At the sound of the door opening, Lee Dong-gil jumped up from his seat.
"Mr. Mayor, no matter how much I think about it, you should pay more attention to the traditional market and the city hall reconstruction than YK..."
Thwack!
"Argh!"
"Get out, you bastard!"
Only the innocent eraser rolled across the floor, and the Grade 4 official, with tears welling in his eyes, closed the door he had just opened.
'No matter how I look at it, that bastard must have bought a spot near the traditional market. If not that, he must have taken bribes from the companies that would apply if we put up a notice for the city hall reconstruction.'
Lee Dong-gil, who had quite sharply grasped the Grade 4 official's inner thoughts, calmed his temper and waited for Park Cheol-yeong again. And three minutes later, Park Cheol-yeong finally opened the door.
"Oh! Come in! Come in and sit down!"
Lee Dong-gil, who had quickly risen himself, sat on the reception sofa and offered a seat to Park Cheol-yeong.
"Hey! Bring two iced coffees with ice cubes in them!"
Even though it was cold January weather, Lee Dong-gil, whose body was burning with anticipation, ordered iced coffee, and a moment later, two glasses of iced coffee were brought into the Mayor's office.
"Ah! This is great!"
Lee Dong-gil, who downed the iced coffee in one shot, immediately asked Park Cheol-yeong.
"Good, tell me what you couldn't say earlier."
"Yes, Mr. Mayor. May I speak straight to the point?"
"Yes, I feel like I'm suffocating, so please talk quickly."
"Understood."
Lee Dong-gil nodded, and he immediately continued.
"We have absolutely no need to worry about whether YK will commit any corruption."