The meeting roomwas never a place for people with expectations.
Arms crossed—City Planning.Laptops half-open—Finance.Eyes on the clock—Culture and Tourism.And Safety, already prepared to say, No.
Doyoon knew it the moment he saw them.
Today wasn't about explaining.
It was about winning.
He didn't pull up his slides right away.
"Let me start with a question."
The air shifted.
"This land—how many years has it been sitting unused?"
City Planning answered,
"Strictly speaking… almost thirty."
"And investment proposals?"
"There were several,but all of them collapsed."
Doyoon nodded.
"And the reason?"
No one answered immediately.
"Because it doesn't make money,"Doyoon said for them.
"And because you assumed people wouldn't come."
Only thendid the officials lean back in their chairs.
"What I'm talking about todayisn't a new city."
He brought up the first slide.
〈A Fixed City vs. A Moving City〉
"Buildings don't move.
People do.
The problem is—cities are still designedaround buildings."
Next slide.
〈Why This Land〉
Adjacent to a metropolitan landfill.Odor.Noise.Poor accessibility.
Doyoon smiled.
"That's exactly why."
A low murmur ran through the room.
"This is landwhere no one comes—which meansanything is possible."
He pointed at the screen.
"No fixed commercial district.
No entrenched interests.
Complaints?Already at rock bottom."
The slide changed.
〈We Don't Build the City. We Operate It.〉
Truck icons appeared.
Medical.Food.Housing.Culture.Education.
"These aren't facilities.
They're functions."
His voice dropped.
"Only the necessary functions come first.
When people gather,the land follows."
Finance raised a hand.
"And the cost?"
Doyoon flipped the slide without hesitation.
〈Initial Investment Structure〉
"No fixed construction.
All mobile assets.
If it fails, we withdraw.
If it works, we expand."
He looked directly at Finance.
"This isn't a city that makes money.
It's a citywhere money doesn't run away."
Culture and Tourism asked,
"And the tourism angle?"
Doyoon smiled.
"A city where people actually liveis the strongest tourist asset there is."
Next slide.
〈Youth Inflow Structure〉
"Low housing costs.
Low startup costs.
And an exit if you fail."
"A citymust give young peoplea way out."
Safety spoke up.
"What about management and risk?"
This was whereDoyoon was most confident.
"I come from that background."
Industrial safety.Flow design.Risk manuals.
"Accidents aren't exceptions.
They're structural.
So we change the structure."
Then the mayor spoke.
"This—who was this presentation made for?"
Doyoon answeredwithout taking a breath.
"Mayor,this oneis for you."
The room fell silent.
"There are separate versionsfor staff,for citizens,for the media,for investors,and evenfor opponents."
Doyoon opened a folder on his laptop.
Dozens of file names filled the screen.
"I refined all of thisover three years."
The mayor didn't bother hiding his smile.
"So," he asked,"what do you want?"
This time,Doyoon spoke slowly.
"Lend us the land."
A pause.
"Not ownership.
Just the right to experiment."
The mayor looked around the room.
"Directors," he said,"is there any reasonwe can't do this?"
No one answered right away.
The mayor concluded.
"Prepare yourselves.
We're forming a task force."
Only thendid Doyoon exhale.
As he left the room,he knew—
The city had enteredthe administrative system.
And now,there was no turning back.