“At least a Finance Section Chief?”
We got out of the car at the same time, and Sin Chajang approached the vehicle first.
Sin Chajang crouched in front of the bumper and turned the license plate bolts.
It had not even been a full minute when Sin Chajang removed the front license plate.
“Here. After removing the license plate like this, write up a seizure receipt and wedge it under the windshield wiper.”
With practiced skill, Sin Chajang removed the license plate, filled out the seizure receipt, and wedged it under the wiper.
“How is it? Think you can do it?”
“Yes. It does not look difficult.”
Of course, the act of removing a license plate itself was not very difficult.
Whether a parked vehicle was delinquent could be checked instantly by querying the PDA, and removing the license plate was easier than expected if you simply turned the bolts. Writing the seizure receipt was also just a matter of recording the owner’s personal details and the delinquent tax amount, then wedging it securely under the wiper so it would not fall out.
The problem came after that.
When they returned from a brief errand to discover that city hall staff had removed their license plate, it was commonplace for enraged complainants to call in, or come to city hall hurling abuse and filing complaints.
Cleaning up after that was dozens of times harder than removing the plate.
“Heh heh heh, removing the license plate itself is not difficult. But the truly difficult part is resolving the grievances of complainants who discover their vehicle’s license plate has been torn off. Of course, far more people simply pay the delinquent taxes immediately and retrieve their plate, but there is no shortage of those who resort to violence or hurl abuse either.”
Before heading out, according to the materials Sin Chajang had sent, Haedong City Hall’s total delinquent automobile tax was 100.4 billion won, accounting for 9% of Haedong City’s overall delinquent tax amount of 1.124 trillion won.
“I see.”
“How about it? Do you think you can do this well?”
I was a newly appointed public servant who had his first day at work today.
From the perspective of a veteran like Sin Chajang, I might be a cause for concern.
But there was no need to worry. I was a public servant in name only; my actual work experience exceeded even Sin Chajang’s.
“Please do not worry too much. I shall conduct my work in a manner that causes no harm to Haedong City Hall.”
We placed the first removed license plate into a briefcase, then moved to find another delinquent vehicle.
“84 ga 2436.”
Sin Chajang called out the vehicle number again, and I quickly tapped at the PDA.
“Four delinquent cases, totaling 468,000 won.”
“If there are four delinquencies, this is a chronic delinquent. This time, Ganghan, try removing the license plate yourself and write the seizure receipt too.”
“Understood.”
I got out of the car and approached the parked vehicle.
A gray Sonata.
The bumper was scratched all over, and dust was caked thickly on the vehicle, perhaps because the owner had not maintained it for a long time.
“Hoo~”
It was the first automobile license plate I had tried to remove since returning.
But in my previous life, I had removed license plates dozens, hundreds of times.
Nevertheless, as the regressor I Ganghan, tension washed over me when I attempted to remove a license plate for the first time.
I twirled the license plate bolt around and around using my right thumb and index finger.
But…
The license plate bolt cap and bolt kept spinning round and round, merely freewheeling.
Then, Sin Chajang, who had been watching the scene from behind me, burst into laughter.
“Heh heh heh, I figured they were somewhat of a chronic delinquent with four cases, but I never thought they would resort to the trick of fixing the bolt and nut together.”
After letting out a guffaw, Sin Chajang lumbered over toward the Sonata.
“Ganghan. Do you understand what I just said?”
Sin Chajang was certain that I would not know.
But I already knew.
The phenomenon of the license plate bolt and bolt cap freewheeling occurs when the bolt embedded in the front of the plate and the nut connected at the back are fixed together. Even truly malicious delinquents sometimes weld the bolt and nut together.
“Yes. I know.”
“What? You know?”
Sin Chajang’s eyes went round like a rabbit’s.
“Yes.”
“Heh heh heh. In what case does that happen?”
Sin Chajang asked again with an incredulous expression.
“It is because delinquents fix the bolt and nut in place to prepare for license plate seizure. Depending on the case, I have heard there are also people who weld them.”
Sin Chajang flinched—his eyes widening as if he had taken a blow.
“No, how could you possibly know that, Ganghan?”
“I read the operations manual you sent this morning from cover to cover, not missing a single page.”
That it was in the manual was half true, half false.
My first life.
During my days working in local tax administration.
I had removed license plates until I was sick of them.
“Huh… is that really true?”
“Yes. It was in the back of the manual, in the ‘Precautions in the Field’ section.”
I answered evasively.
“How should we handle a case like this?”
“Yes. You use the tool kept at the city hall’s Finance Division to grip the nut behind the license plate and turn the bolt.”
“Hoo… our newbie, impressive!”
Sin Chajang shook his head and clicked his tongue in admiration.
“Then did you bring that tool too?”
“Of course.”
I went to the back seat and took out the chain nipper I had brought from the Finance Division toolbox.
“Wow! You even brought a chain nipper? Our Ganghan. Are you really a newly appointed public servant?”
“Hehe. Yes. I am a newly appointed public servant who received his first posting today.”
“Good. Then go ahead and tear off the plate that a malicious delinquent fixed in place.”
“Yep.”
I lay down under the bumper like an auto mechanic.
And using the chain nipper, I pressed down hard on the fixed nut. Then with my other hand, I removed the bolt cap and turned the bolt with all my strength.
As the bolt turned, the fixed nut came loose.
When I loosened the other side the same way, the delinquent’s license plate fell to the ground with a clang.
“Wow……”
Sin Chajang blinked his eyes and instinctively clapped like a seal.
“Well, I’ll be. I do not know how to describe this… A lucky charm has rolled into our city hall delinquency team. Hoo heo.. hoo heo heo.”
Sin Chajang approached me, patted my shoulder, and gave me a thumbs-up.
“Ganghan. You can be honest with me. Did you transfer here from another city hall?”
“No. I am really a newly appointed public servant.”
Sin Chajang, who had been aiming for a promotion by scoring well on the year-end performance review, could not hide his smile as he looked at me, the lucky charm who had rolled in.
“Team Leader Choe praised you so much that honestly, I just thought, ‘I guess he is okay.’ I mean, how much could someone do on his first day? But watching you, Ganghan, I am truly amazed. It is like looking at myself when I was a rookie. Heh heh heh. Very good. Now then, shall we move to the next location?”
Sin Chajang walked to the official vehicle first.
His steps looked unusually light.
“A new employee who printed and posted instructions for the new fax machine, then came out on his first field assignment having mastered the license plate seizure manual… Our Ganghan, you could go at least as far as Finance Section Chief. Heh heh heh. Then shall we try removing a more difficult vehicle?”
Sin Chajang muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard.
A cheerful hum escaped his nose.
But I could not agree with Sin Chajang’s words.
“‘At least a Finance Section Chief’?”
My goal is Commissioner of the National Tax Service.
I will become the Commissioner of the National Tax Service and aim the blade of a tax investigation at Goryeo Group, the final boss of tax evasion.
Haedong City Hall is a stepping stone toward becoming Commissioner of the National Tax Service.
I am taking the first step toward that grand plan.
***