The remark became a headlinebefore he even left the chamber.
"There is no reason to buy votes.No need to.But there is a right to vote for you."
The parliamentary reporters quoted it verbatim.They didn't revise it.They didn't soften it.
Immediate Counterattack — "A Dangerous City"
That afternoon,17 conservative lawmakers held a joint press conference.
"Truck City is, in effect, a political experiment."
"A dangerous structure that pushes citizensto support a specific force through cash payments."
One lawmaker raised his voice.
"This is not a city."
"It's a factory that produces votes."
Camera flashes exploded.
An Instant Split — Fractures from Within
Same party.Different conference room.
A young lawmaker took the microphone.
"Then let me ask you this."
"The people who died in basement rooms,holding their children because they couldn't afford rent and utilities—"
"Who created that reality?"
The room stirred.
He didn't look at his notes.
"If Truck City is buying votes,""then what did existing cities receivein return for leaving despair untouched?"
That night,his name disappearedfrom the party's internal bulletin board.
Online — Citizens Spoke a Different Language
Politicians spoke in abstractions.Citizens spoke in specifics.
A 26-year-old job seeker who watched the fashion show video
"Honestly, at first I just thought the fashion show looked cool.But then I saw their hands,and for some reason I couldn't breathe.
I work part-time too.My hands are cracked just like that.But I've never once thought they looked 'cool.'
That was the first day I thought,'So I actually exist inside this city.'
Politics?I haven't voted for anyone yet.But I remember who treated me like a person."
A post from a family helped by the Doctor Truck
"Last summer, our child suddenly collapsed.The hospital was 40 minutes away.The Doctor Truck arrived in 12.
After that day,we started seeing the city differently.
The news talks in numbers.For us,those numbers were time."
A real Truck City resident's comment
"In Seoul,₩850,000 in rent,₩600,000 in loan interest.
Every month,₩1.45 million was handed over to a roof.
Private academies for our child? Gave up.Eating out? A luxury.The future? We didn't think about it.
After coming here,for the first time, money stayed in our account.
₩950,000?
That wasn't money.It was breathing room."
Voices of Opposition — More Blunt Than Ever
In real estate communities,a different tone appeared.
"This will crash housing prices."
"A city that makes hardworking people look like fools."
"Handing out cash is the fastest road to national ruin."
One post ended like this:
"That city must be stopped."
Doyoon Asks Again
Reporters crowded him once more.
"There's strong political backlash."
Doyoon answered briefly.
"That's the wrong question."
"It's not about what we can do—"
He looked straight into the camera.
"It's about who has been giving up on people."
And the Final Question
That night,a sentence appeared on the Truck City housing application site:
"Do you want to live in a city,or just endure it?"
The server crashedin three minutes.