TL: Skye
Two weeks since we started developing the corn farm at Tortilha Farm.
"...And so the first phase of Tortilha Farm is now over 70% complete."
"Hmm, that's excellent news."
Good news first thing in the morning.
Honestly, even I had my doubts about this whole thing when I proposed it.
I mean, hiring nearly 2,000 criminals to work a farm? That's no ordinary task.
There must have been people who didn't want to do it, and given their backgrounds as gang members, some must have put up a hell of a fight.
Yet for things to be going this smoothly...
'I guess seeing Mother Nature healed their hearts.'
The fresh air and natural beauty must have healed their darkened souls.
Makes sense. When you're getting paid well to farm in a place with clean water and fresh air, what is there to stress about? All you have to do is till the land.
"Ahem. Hmm!"
As the one who proposed this policy, I felt incredibly proud. Proud to have healed the hearts of 2,000 gang members, proud to have raised food self-sufficiency by having them build a large-scale farm, and proud to have reduced unemployment through mass hiring.
'This is what good policy looks like.'
On top of that, the moment the gangs disappeared, street crime vanished like magic. In the last five days, the number of incidents, including petty crimes, was zero.
It seemed that once the gangs left the streets, the public's law-abiding spirit went up.
'You watching this, South Korea?'
I wanted to show this to the politicians back home. This is what politics, policy, and governance look like.
There was more good news.
"The perpetrator turned himself in?"
"Yes. He confessed to his crimes three days after entering Tortilha Farm. He's currently been transferred to the detention center."
We'd caught the violent criminal who killed three Tortilha Seafood employees and fled with their money.
"That's wonderful. I couldn't face the victims' families before... You made sure to compensate them properly?"
"I had my doubts about whether compensation was warranted, but we settled on paying them ten years' worth of salary."
As Isabella pointed out, since they didn't die on the job, the company technically had no obligation to compensate them.
However.
"We'll make the murderer work in the mines and use his wages to cover it."
It's a different story when you make the perpetrator pay for it himself.
"True... That would be more productive than executing him. I'll assign him somewhere particularly grueling as punishment."
"Good idea. Hard labor will naturally lead to atonement and rehabilitation. Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"Since we're on the topic, what if we abolished the death penalty entirely?"
"That's quite bold."
"There are diplomatic considerations."
The EU, for instance, firmly opposes the death penalty and tends to avoid diplomatic relations with countries that carry out executions.
Isabella seemed to know this and nodded.
"Given the current atmosphere, it might not be a bad idea. It's not like we can't impose severe punishment otherwise. Shall I discuss it with the Ministry of Justice?"
"Please do. It's not an urgent decision, so take your time and gather various opinions before moving forward."
"Understood."
"And what's on the schedule for today?"
Isabella cleared away my empty coffee cup as she answered.
"I haven't scheduled anything for today."
"Oh, really? I can finally get some rest."
After nearly three months, the existence of a day off was more welcome than I could express.
'Finally, a break.'
A smile naturally spread across my face, and as I sat there grinning, Isabella asked.
"Do you have any plans?"
"It's a day off—what else would I do? Just grab some snacks, play with my phone, that kind of thing. Catch up on sleep too."
"...I see."
"What do you usually do on your days off, Isabella?"
"I've never had one, so I wouldn't know."
"What? You've never taken a day off?"
"No."
"...Isabella, how long have you been working in San Marcos?"
"Including my time at the SIA, it's been eight years and nine months."
Nearly nine years without a single day off.
"Wait, how old are you that you have nine years of service?"
"I turn twenty-nine this year."
That doesn't add up. Even if she started working right after graduating college, she should be at least thirty-two.
When I looked at her quizzically, she answered as if it were nothing.
"I entered university at seventeen and graduated early in three years. I was looking into Stanford for graduate school when my father passed away, so I came back home."
"I, I see."
I'd thought I was no slouch when it came to academics, but Isabella far exceeded my expectations.
"So you haven't taken a single day off since returning to San Marcos?"
"To be precise, I haven't had a day off since I was ten."
"What."
How can a human being not take a single day off? She's not a robot.
"This won't do."
"Pardon? What won't—"
"Spend the day with me. I'll teach you how to enjoy a day off."
"What? But I need to prepare tomorrow's schedule, check on Tortilha's progress, handle SIA matters..."
"Come on, leave all that to tomorrow's you."
"But there's also the Phase 2 supply budget for Tortilha Farm, the guard post expansion that Commander Pedro requested, and the draft of the special presidential succession bill from the Ministry of Justice that needs review today..."
"......"
She really does have a lot on her plate.
"Let's go out anyway. Get some fresh air, have a nice meal, drink coffee that someone else made for us, then come back."
"......"
"Are you going to let me go out alone? You're the Chief of Staff."
Isabella let out a small sigh and nodded.
"Alright. Let's do that. Please wait a moment while I call the security agents."
"Let's skip that and just go, the two of us. If we drag a bunch of bodyguards along, that's an inspection, not an outing."
"But for safety—"
"Come on, we shipped all the gang members off to the Central Basin for rehabilitation. What could possibly happen? As long as we wear hats and sunglasses, no one will recognize us."
After a moment's thought, Isabella nodded.
"...At least allow remote escort. I'll make sure they're as discreet as possible."
"Alright. Let's do that."
***
A short while later, Yu-jin waited for Isabella in front of the official residence.
Jeans and a short-sleeved t-shirt he hadn't worn in ages, along with a baseball cap and sunglasses. A bit young for someone approaching his mid-thirties, but it was the best he had.
'I don't look like some guy trying too hard to be young, do I?'
Soon, Isabella appeared.
Instead of her usual sharp suit, she wore a simple sky-blue sleeveless dress that reached her ankles and a wide white floppy hat covering her long, flowing hair. Yu-jin nearly stopped breathing.
"Uh... Isabella. Do you have other plans besides me today?"
"No. I only have formal wear, so I borrowed this in a hurry."
"Hmm, that explains it..."
Yu-jin nodded, privately thinking, So that's why it's tight around the chest.
Isabella made eye contact with Ricardo, who was handling security from fifty meters back, and tapped her thigh to signal that she was carrying a pistol before addressing Yu-jin.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
And so their peculiar day off began.
They got into the car Isabella was driving, passed through the Ministry of Defense's tight security, and headed toward the outskirts of the capital, Libertad. The open Caribbean breeze washed over them.
"Ah, it feels great to be outside!"
Yu-jin stretched as he gazed at the ocean.
Taking in Libertad's scenery again after so long, it really was beautiful. The emerald sea, the colorful Portuguese-style buildings.
"Isabella. Look over there."
Yu-jin pointed admiringly at the streets, now free of the litter that had been everywhere a few months ago.
"Doesn't it look wonderful?"
"...Huh?"
"It's clean. It might even be cleaner than the streets of Singapore."
Seeing Yu-jin's proud expression, Isabella felt slightly taken aback.
Libertad's current atmosphere was like a knife's edge.
Not long ago, 2000 gang members had been sent to the gulag in the Central Basin, and the word "crime" had vanished from Libertad. The streets were clean for the same reason. Terrified that their neighborhoods might be mistaken for criminal dens, residents weren't just avoiding littering—they were voluntarily forming groups to clean the streets.
'Does His Excellency not realize this atmosphere?'
But Yu-jin's next words made Isabella nod as if to say, Of course.
"You know, I'm confident this city could become a major metropolis like São Paulo or Mexico City."
"Just because... the streets are clean?"
"Just? This is only the beginning. Clean streets make road maintenance easier. Better roads improve industrial efficiency while simultaneously lowering unemployment, which raises national income..."
Watching Yu-jin chatter away, Isabella thought to herself.
'As expected, His Excellency sees higher and looks further ahead.'
Perhaps he'd suggested today's outing precisely to show her this broader perspective.
"How about we take a walk along the beach?"
"Yes...!"
After that, Yu-jin's "lessons" continued.
"How does it feel to walk here?"
"It just seems like... a beach?"
"Hmm, I think you're saying that because you haven't traveled much. Natural scenery like this is world-class. This is all tourism potential."
"Hmm, now that you mention it, it does seem quite nice."
"What do you think? Wouldn't it be perfect for attracting resorts?"
At the beach, he showed her the future of San Marcos's tourism industry.
"Now that we've had our walk, shall we go get something to eat?"
"Yes."
"Oh, there's a place selling marcosnos over there. Expensive food like steak is nice, but when you're out for fun, you should try local food like that. For example, in front of Incheon in Korea, there's a stretch of clam barbecue restaurants about 300 meters long, and the ajummas working there alone number around, no exaggeration, 500..."
He laid out a blueprint for job creation for locals.
"Food is something we eat every day, but in a way, it's also a form of culture. For example, we forget typical tourist trap food, but distinctive cuisine sticks with you even if it's an acquired taste."
"Like Brazil's churrasco or Argentina's asado?"
"Exactly! Food culture is the most significant cultural export a nation can have. If we learn from that and create our own distinctive culture, tourists will definitely come."
"......"
The more Isabella talked with Yu-jin, the more she couldn't hide her awe.
'Just how far ahead is he looking?'
She knew he was capable. His character was also upright, which was why she'd persuaded Pedro.
She'd thought there was no better option.
But watching Yu-jin now, she realized something.
Yu-jin wasn't merely an option. He was a savior sent from heaven to rescue San Marcos from the pit it had fallen into.
'I need to make His Excellency President for Life as soon as possible...'
Isabella's eyes began to shine as she gazed at Yu-jin.