Catching a Wanted Criminal with Quick Wits and Resourcefulness
I had finished intensively reading a total of fifty pages of the comprehensive constitutional law exam prep book covering economic fundamental rights and political fundamental rights when the clock struck midnight.
“Now, once I finish claim-based fundamental rights and social fundamental rights, I move on to the structure of government.”
The Grade 9 and Grade 7 civil service exams basically overlap in five subjects.
But for Grade 7, you have to study two more subjects compared to Grade 9.
Those are Constitution, Administrative Law, or one choice out of Economics.
Since I had already finished four rounds of reading Economics, if I just did two more rounds of Constitution, every subject would have been read four times.
“Since I have to go to work again tomorrow, I should call it a day now.”
It was when I was about to close my constitutional law prep book.
[Ding]
[Collection compensation will be awarded.]
[Out of the seized license plates, 6 individuals, totaling 24 cases, 6,100,000 won has been collected.]
[As collection compensation, 3,050P is awarded.]
“Ah…”
I nearly let out a cheer.
Based on the twenty-four-hour mark, out of the sixteen license plates I had seized yesterday, it seemed six people had voluntarily paid their delinquent taxes after seeing the seizure notice. Included among them would be the amount paid by I Geunbae.
Having obtained 3,050 points, I could enhance my specs through the system.
Without realizing it, strength surged into both my fists.
The steps I took returning home were lighter than ever.
***
The next day, from early morning, Haedong City Hall was turned upside down.
“Mayor, the tea time members are gathered.”
Mayor Jang Samcheol, having received the chief of staff’s report, moved to the small conference room.
Jang Samcheol skimmed the morning newspaper clippings prepared by the PR team and let out a peculiar smile.
“So, you’re saying that I Ganghan of the Finance Division, who received his first assignment yesterday, played a leading role in apprehending a wanted criminal on the scene by displaying quick wits and resourcefulness?”
While reading through the six sets of clippings regarding Haedong City Hall, Jang Samcheol quickly grasped the core of the news about I Ganghan.
“That is correct, Mayor.”
“No, I mean, both the advisory office and the Director of Planning and Audit—what’s the problem with this news about I Ganghan that you’re all making such a fuss about since morning?”
“Excuse me?”
At Jang Samcheol’s words, the policy advisor, the Director of Planning and Audit, and the General Affairs Division Chief blinked their eyes with bewildered expressions.
“Th…that is…since the founding of Haedong City Hall, this is the first time a news article revealing the real name of a Grade 9 new hire has come out…”
The General Affairs Division Chief trailed off.
It was truly unprecedented, but as Mayor Jang Samcheol said, it wasn’t something problematic.
Because it wasn’t a press release intended to promote Haedong City, but news delivering vivid facts from the field.
“Mayor, what kind of organization is the police? They should be busy claiming credit for themselves; why would they elevate our Haedong City Hall? And with a Grade 9 new hire at that? There must surely be a hidden motive.”
The Director of Planning and Audit was viewing the phenomenon through a conspiratorial lens.
Mayor Jang Samcheol of Haedong looked at the tea time members with eyes full of pity.
“Executives. Let’s talk only about what we can see. It is not a slanderous article targeting Haedong City Hall. It is a factual article stating that our employees worked hard and responded swiftly on the scene. What hidden motives could there be in that, and what does a Grade 9 civil servant matter?”
Jang Samcheol slightly furrowed his brow.
“As I mentioned in my inaugural address, my municipal administration policy is clear. Reward employees who work hard, and punish those who lie still and seek only their own safety and comfort while cutting corners.”
Seeing Jang Samcheol’s resolute expression, the tea time executives lowered their heads.
“Finance Division Chief.”
“Yes, Mayor.”
“The Finance Division has been having a hard time with the vehicle seizures, hasn’t it?”
“Not at all. It’s only natural.”
“As soon as the morning business meeting is over, come to the mayor’s office with I Ganghan.”
“Excuse me?”
“We have to give rewards to employees who work hard. Heh heh heh.”
***
10 AM.
After the executives’ tea time finished and each division’s business meeting was wrapped up, I went up to the mayor’s office together with Finance Division Chief Gwak Seungu.
“Please sit over there.”
Mayor Jang Samcheol did not sit in the seat of honor, but deliberately sat on an equal sofa with Division Chief Gwak and I Ganghan.
“Here, have a cup of tea.”
Honey dripped from Jang Samcheol’s eyes as he looked at I Ganghan.
“Division Chief Gwak.”
“Yes, Mayor.”
“Has there been any news lately that openly praised our Haedong City Hall like this?”
“I don’t believe there has been.”
“I don’t recall any in my memory either. Those reporters are always ready to jump in with bloodshot eyes looking for something to nitpick…but thanks to I Ganghan and the Finance Division Chief, I’ve been in a very good mood since morning.”
“You are too kind.”
Division Chief Gwak bowed his head.
“Since it was prepared in a hurry, the reward is rather modest.”
Mayor Jang Samcheol of Haedong held out the approval tray placed on the table to me.
“This is…?”
I looked at the approval tray and the mayor simultaneously.
“This is a personal reward from me. The commendation for outstanding service in the line of duty is still several months away…”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and express your gratitude to the Mayor.”
Gwak Seungu poked my side.
“Thank you, Mayor.”
Inside the approval tray was a 300,000 won cultural gift certificate.
“Gratitude? I am the one who should be grateful. I give my thanks to I Ganghan, who ran around diligently for our city hall and citizens.”
Jang Samcheol’s words were sincere.
In his second popularly elected term, having gone from county magistrate to mayor, Jang Samcheol was showing enthusiasm for city administration even in the final year of his term.
“Mayor, the amount is too great. If you do this, the morale of the other employees…”
“The morale of the other employees?”
“If you personally give such a reward to a Grade 9 new hire, the veteran employees might lose their motivation.”
Gwak Seungu, with only a few years left until retirement age, possessed a typical civil servant mindset.
Jang Samcheol rebuked such a Gwak Seungu.
“When it comes to clear rewards and punishments, there is no separate standard for Grade 9 and Grade 1.”
“Ah…yes…yes…”
Only then did Gwak Seungu realize Mayor Jang Samcheol’s sincerity and bow his head deeply.
“I Ganghan, please go back down and get to work. Division Chief Gwak, please talk with me for a moment.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After I left the mayor’s office, Jang Samcheol held onto Finance Division Chief Gwak Seungu and added a few more words out of concern.
“By any chance, please make sure to create an atmosphere, Division Chief Gwak, so that other employees don’t become jealous of I Ganghan. And, friends like I Ganghan are the type who work like crazy if you just set the stage for them. We must follow procedures and regulations, of course, but please create conditions where young friends can work energetically and without worrying about others’ moods. The mayor takes all responsibility. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mayor.”
In just a few months, the 3rd Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections would be held.
That Mayor Jang Samcheol was aiming for re-election was a fact widely known not only in the administrative world but also throughout the local community.
Gwak Seungu understood Mayor Jang Samcheol’s intentions and bowed his head.
***
Five days had passed since I started working at the Delinquent Tax Collection Section of the Finance Division at Haedong City Hall.
Whether it had been one day or five, the fact that I was a new hire hadn’t changed.
Nevertheless, the gazes of the Finance Division employees looking at me had changed considerably from before.
At first, when I was seizing license plates, I was a reckless greenhorn who didn’t know front from back and charged around like mad. There had been some negative evaluations, calling me reckless and half-cocked.
But now, most Finance Division employees gave positive evaluations—passionate, driven, a workaholic, an employee who works like crazy. No regard for appearances or connections, strictly by the book. Zero flexibility. Such were the many positive evaluations.
The fifth day of the mass seizure period for delinquent vehicles.
That afternoon, before heading out on field duty, the Finance Division employees gathered in front of the Division Chief.
“Ganghan. I heard the article about the wanted criminal arrest came out again today?”
It seemed the article about a Grade 9 civil servant apprehending a wanted criminal by displaying resourcefulness in an apartment complex had been published in the local daily again today.
Around the time the seizure team members were gathering, Gang Hyosang handed me the newspaper.
I looked at the newspaper.
Because it was a local community, reporters were desperate even for minor news. As a result, days-old news was often recycled, and the article about apprehending a wanted criminal together with Detective Ma was printed again.
It was then.
Finance Division Chief Gwak Seungu stepped forward in front of the employees.
“Alright, alright, please be quiet.”
Before they headed out on assignment, Finance Division Chief Gwak Seungu gathered the employees’ attention.
“Today as well, the Mayor called me and gave an earnest request. He said he would take all responsibility. Seize the license plates of all delinquent vehicles without exception. Do not turn a blind eye just because they are a distant in-law by marriage, or a local influential figure. The Mayor’s intention is for you to work like crazy. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Chief.”
“Up until yesterday, Seizure Team 10 is in first place with eighty-three plates. You all know why I’m saying this, right?”
“Yes, Chief. Today our team will take first place and overtake Seizure Team 10.”
When the leader of Seizure Team 4 spoke up loudly, everyone laughed out loud.
“Alright. Get out there. Go out and tear off those delinquent car license plates.”
The moment Division Chief Gwak’s command fell, the ten seizure teams exited the city hall in perfect order.
We too were packing documents and gear to go out on license plate seizure duty.
It was then.
Section Chief Choe Yeongpyo called out to Sin Jongho with a face full of worry.
“Deputy Sin, and I Ganghan. Come over here for a moment.”
“Yes, Section Chief.”
I went with Sin Jongho to where Section Chief Choe Yeongpyo had called.
There was an unfamiliar middle-aged man there.
“Deputy Sin, you know Chief Pak well, right? And I Ganghan, this is your first time meeting Chief Pak?”
The Chief Pak that Section Chief Choe Yeongpyo spoke of was a man I knew well too.
Of course, I knew thanks to my memories from a previous life; for I Ganghan on his second time through life, this was indeed his first meeting with Chief Pak.
Pak Yonggak, chief reporter of the Haedong Youth Daily.
A figure like a hyena who frequented City Hall, catching civil servants’ weaknesses or nitpicking to take bribes.
With the local elections only a few months away, he was the trashiest of trash reporters, rolling his eyes trying to stick a straw into Mayor Jang Samcheol.
“What are you doing? Greet him.”
Section Chief Choe Yeongpyo furrowed his brow with a tired face, clearly annoyed by reporter Pak Yonggak’s visit to City Hall itself.
“Hey, what’s with you, Chief Choe. How would a young new hire know me?”
Reporter Pak Yonggak smiled slyly and extended his hand to me while seated on the sofa.
“I am I Ganghan.”
I greeted him without taking Pak Yonggak’s hand. Pak Yonggak’s expression crumpled instantly.
“Hohoho, just as I heard, a friend overflowing with passion. So you’re quite hot at Haedong City Hall these days? Hitting it big day after day? What was it…you caught a wanted criminal by displaying quick wits and resourcefulness or something like that. Right? Chief Choe?”
Pak Yonggak was three years younger than Section Chief Choe Yeongpyo. Even so, he spoke down to him in banmal, clicking his tongue.
“I believe that’s roughly correct.”
Chief Choe answered shortly, as if he didn’t even want to exchange words with reporter Pak Yonggak.
“Chief Choe must have saved the country in a past life. To have such an excellent subordinate. So, what do you say, if you give me a little something, I might be able to put out a decent follow-up article about our Section Chief Choe Yeongpyo and this friend I Ganghan.”
Chief Pak rolled two fingers into a circle and held them out to us. He was openly demanding a bribe.
“Chief Pak. It would be better to speak with the PR team about such matters…”
Chief Choe stammered in confusion. No matter how he was a no-name reporter for a local daily, a thug famously known as a trash journalist in the local community, to come all the way to City Hall and openly demand money…
“Tsk tsk tsk, Chief Choe, that’s why you’ll never make Administrator. How can a person be so inflexible…”
Realizing the atmosphere was unusual, Sin Jongho took out ten 10,000 won bills from his wallet and tried to put them in Chief Pak’s inner pocket.
Chief Pak realized the amount was 100,000 won at a glance and scowled.
“Do these guys think I’m a beggar? Just you wait, Chief Choe. You’ll see how the news comes out soon.”
Chief Pak sprang up from his seat and left the Finance Division, heading to the parking lot.
‘Damn it.’
I intuitively felt that things had gotten tangled up in an instant.
Reporter Pak Yonggak was the leech of leeches who openly demanded bribes.
If my memories from my previous life were correct, it was obvious he would nitpick what just happened to harm City Hall.
Moreover, if my memory was correct, that bastard Pak Yonggak.
A chronic delinquent who treated tax evasion like eating meals.
Even so, using his title as a journalist, he was the slipperiest of slippery loaches who wriggled through City Hall’s administrative net.
‘If he comes out strong, we must strike back with a sharper knife.’
I quickly followed after Chief Pak.
“Hey, I Ganghan. Where are you going?”
Sin Jongho shouted in confusion.
“Oh no, I couldn’t control my emotions for a moment and offended Pak Yonggak. I’m crazy.”
Choe Yeongpyo clutched his head and plopped down.
“Are you alright, Section Chief?”
“For now, Jongho, go out on your field duty and come back. When you return, let’s discuss with the PR team about offending reporter Pak.”
“Yes, Section Chief.”
Reporter Pak Yonggak got into his car parked in the lot.
It was a Benz S-Class.
‘As expected. It was a Benz.’
I hid behind the front desk information booth and photographed Chief Pak’s car with my camera.
I pulled the zoom on the camera I had prepared for seizing delinquent vehicles and took photos so the license plate came out clearly.
“Hey. I Ganghan. Are you crazy? What are you doing right now?”
Sin Jongho, who had come out to the parking lot late to go on field duty, discovered my appearance and was shocked.
“Why? What did I do wrong?”
“You punk. It seems you don’t know what kind of person Pak Yonggak is. He’s famous in Haedong City as a leech. A hyena among hyenas.”
“Lions do not fear hyenas.”
“What? What kind of talk is that?”
“A local daily reporter driving a Benz S-Class parked in a disabled parking space. He’s subject to a 100,000 won administrative fine.”
“Hey. I Ganghan. Are you crazy? Why are you trying to poke a beehive? Did you really lose all sight just because you got some praise from the Mayor?”
Sin Jongho’s face flushed red, and his voice cracked and trembled.
“Deputy Sin. You said you need to be promoted to Grade 6 this year, right? I’ll get you promoted to Grade 6. And our Mayor, I’ll get him re-elected too. Well, if things go well, I think Section Chief Choe Yeongpyo might also be able to get promoted to Administrator.”
“Did you eat something bad at lunch?”
“I will take all responsibility.”
Pak Yonggak, a hyena who paraded as a local bigwig while leeching off the community.
A delinquent among delinquents who didn’t pay taxes yet drove two imported cars.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
News for news, I will catch Pak Yonggak.
And I will make Mayor Jang Samcheol and Haedong City Hall into stars.
That is my plan.