TL: Skye
8:45 AM. Sophia arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office fifteen minutes early as usual, and immediately sensed something was off.
Her superiors, who normally lounged in their chairs putting on airs, were hunched over and glancing around nervously.
'What's going on?'
They weren't the type to act like this.
She didn't have to wonder for long before finding out the reason.
Bang!
The heavy office door swung open and the sound of military boots echoed down the corridor, and then...
"Attention, please."
Armed soldiers in olive drab uniforms marched in.
Cold gun barrels and razor-sharp gazes froze the air in the office instantly.
"Wh-what? Why are soldiers here..."
Behind them, SIA agents in black suits followed, carrying stacks of documents.
Thud. Thud.
They walked with rigid posture toward the Vice Minister's office at the far end.
Moments later,
"Let go of me! Do you know who I am?! I'm the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs!"
With that thunderous cry, Vice Minister Antonio was dragged out.
Sophia couldn't close her mouth at the sight.
'Good lord!'
The man who usually boasted a full head of hair was clutching a half-dislodged wig while flailing about.
His usual dignified demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Terrified and thrashing about, he looked like a drowned rat.
One of the SIA agents read from a document in a flat voice, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Vice Minister Antonio of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Your total score on the Job Performance Examination was 4 points, placing you in the bottom 5%. You are hereby demoted to Grade 10. Please be advised that your salary and protocol status will be demoted accordingly."
"What? Demoted?"
The man who had effectively been a Grade 0 official, the highest-ranking person in the Ministry, was demoted to the nonexistent Grade 10.
But Antonio's ordeal didn't end there.
"Furthermore, you are ordered to report for assignment at Tortilha Farm in the Central Basin. Here is your appointment letter. Please read it."
"Wh-what?! Tortilha Farm? You're sending me to a gulag?! No! I absolutely refuse! I'd rather quit!"
Antonio resisted with his entire body, but...
"Should I interpret that as a refusal of His Excellency's order?"
"W-well, that's..."
"Make your decision. Will you accept, or will you rebel against His Excellency's will?"
Seeing the agent's hand move toward the pistol at his waist, Antonio lowered his head. The weight of the word "rebel" and the terror of the real purge that would follow left him no choice but to submit.
"...I'll go."
That was just the beginning.
"Fernando, Director of the International Cooperation Bureau. Examination score: 12 points. You are demoted to Grade 10 and ordered to report for assignment at Tortilha Farm."
"Miguel, Chief of the Protocol Division. Examination score: 8 points. Likewise, you are demoted to Grade 10 and assigned to Tortilha Farm."
Each time a name from the death list was called, high-ranking officials who usually strutted around with their hands clasped behind their backs were dragged out one by one by the soldiers.
About an hour passed.
The transport truck parked at the entrance of the Ministry building was packed with people.
After confirming the truck had departed, the SIA agents turned to the remaining staff.
"We will now distribute personnel appointment letters. When your name is called, step forward."
Her name was called first.
"Junior Official Sophia."
Sophia gripped her trembling legs and stepped forward.
'It shouldn't be bad news.'
Three days ago during her interview, Isabella, one of the most powerful figures in the current administration, had mentioned a promotion. Right in front of His Excellency, the sun of San Marcos himself.
"Whew."
Calming herself, she accepted the envelope the SIA agent offered.
"Please open it now."
"H-here?"
"Yes. There should be good news inside."
Sophia opened the envelope. The moment she saw what was written inside, she couldn't help but stop breathing.
[Appointment Letter]
Name: Sophia is hereby appointed as Senior Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Grade 1) in the Presidential Secretariat.
Acting President Yu-jin Choi
"...Excuse me?"
Sophia rubbed her eyes and checked again.
A Grade 7 junior official becoming a Grade 1 Senior Secretary? She was dumbfounded by this exceptional promotion that skipped six entire grades.
No, looking more closely, the grade wasn't even the issue.
The fact that she was being assigned to the Presidential Secretariat was even more astonishing.
Who was the current Chief of Staff?
Isabella, one of the most powerful figures in the current administration.
Working alongside such a powerhouse meant she herself would become part of the inner circle.
Unable to believe it, Sophia rubbed her eyes again and asked the agent.
"Um, excuse me... I think this was printed incorrectly?"
"His Excellency personally reviewed and signed off on this."
The agent added with a slight smile.
"Congratulations, Senior Secretary."
Sophia stood there in a daze. It didn't feel real.
After that, these astonishing events continued.
"What? You're telling me I'm demoted to Grade 9? I've been a Bureau Director for twenty years!"
"If you don't like it, we can send you to Tortilha Farm instead."
"N-no, that's not what I meant..."
The Bureau Director, infamous for dumping work on others, held a demotion letter in his hands.
"I-is this real?"
Meanwhile, the Grade 8 employee at the next desk over, who had been stuck doing overtime every day, stared at his promotion letter to Grade 4 with a bewildered expression.
Watching this unfold, Sophia clutched the appointment letter to her chest.
'Something... something is changing.'
The stagnant water was draining away, and fresh water was flowing in to take its place.
***
Two weeks had passed since the personnel reform.
Slurp.
"Smells wonderful."
Maybe it was because I was at ease? Even though I brewed this coffee myself instead of Isabella, the aroma was excellent.
And for good reason. My mood was the best it had been in six months.
The incidents and accidents that used to erupt almost daily had vanished like magic.
Paralyzed government? Administrative vacuum? None of that. Quite the opposite, actually.
'We have fewer people working, yet things are getting done faster.'
It didn't seem possible, but it was true.
Approximately 1,200 incompetent officials, about 1.5% of the entire civil service, had their desks cleared overnight.
In corporate terms, it was as if all the department heads, directors, and executives had been fired. Normally, the entire workflow process should have collapsed.
Even a small business with five or fewer employees would grind to a halt the moment the boss disappeared.
But not in the great San Marcos.
A miracle occurred where efficiency and accuracy actually improved despite the reduced headcount.
The reason was simple. Once the main culprits of bureaucratic arteriosclerosis, who caused bottlenecks without doing any actual work, were removed, administration began flowing smoothly as if clogged arteries had been cleared.
'It's like a tumor was removed.'
Before, it took a week for a single approval document to reach my desk.
And even then, the content was nothing but empty flowery language with no substance.
But now things were different. The moment I gave an order, reports came directly to me.
Reports didn't exceed one page, with problems and solutions clearly stated. Practical efficiency had filled the space where pointless formalities and political maneuvering used to be.
Of course, this didn't mean the San Marcos bureaucrats had suddenly become incredibly competent.
Even though I'd discovered and promoted a few talented individuals, the entire organization hadn't transformed overnight.
It was just that when I assigned a task expecting result A, I now got B or B-.
But compared to before, when assigning task A meant getting C if I was lucky and D on average, this was more than enough.
'This is more than satisfactory.'
It was truly refreshing. Isabella, seizing the opportunity now that the organization had been streamlined, began work on a complete restructuring.
From what I heard, she planned to leave the Minister and Vice Minister positions vacant, have candidates compete internally, and appoint those who demonstrated outstanding performance.
What about Cabinet meetings, you ask?
I just abolished them.
Gathering everyone together was pointless anyway. They just wrote down whatever I said. Hardly anyone offered opinions, and they didn't know much either, so there was no point.
'It was all just for show.'
So since things had come to this, I decided to abolish Cabinet meetings for the time being and adopt a top-down approach where orders came from above.
Instead, I filled out the Secretariat, which had been nothing but an empty shell with only a Chief of Staff.
The newly appointed Senior Secretaries would convey Presidential directives to each ministry.
Well... the Presidential office's authority would grow beyond imagination, but...
'For quick decisions and action, I believe this is the best approach.'
Isabella said it was the right call, so I decided to proceed.
Anyway, there were other positive effects from this personnel reform.
"Your Excellency, the development work on Tortilha Farm's second field has been completed. This is two weeks ahead of the original schedule."
With the addition of 1,200 former officials, Tortilha Farm, which was set to become the cornerstone of San Marcos food production, had doubled in size.
I heard there was quite a lot of wailing at first.
And honestly, that was to be expected. Most of those 1,200 officials had been at the division chief level or above, Grade 5 or higher.
Their average age was mid-to-late forties, and the oldest among them, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, was 56.
Starting farm work at that age? Of course they were dying out there.
However, I, practicing the politics of belief, believed they could do it.
'In Korean farming villages, seniors in their sixties serve as heads of the youth association.'
In a country where people in their seventies till vegetable gardens and octogenarians harvest crops, surely our officials in their mid-to-late forties could manage.
Sure enough, when I announced that those who performed well would be returned to their original posts after one year, they all started digging like madmen and completed the second field in just three weeks. A remarkable feat.
When one lives in harmony with nature, the body and mind are healed.
Getting paid while also taking care of your health? I'd say this is the epitome of sustainable labor.
"Looking at the report, I'm quite pleased. At this rate, Tortilha Farm's harvest next year will exceed our targets."
"Yes, according to SIA agent reports, everyone is diligently shoveling away in an exemplary manner."
"We really should have helped them find their true calling sooner."
I took a sip of coffee and sank deep into my chair.
The country was stable, money was coming in, and systems were falling into place.
Perfect peace. The thought that I might be able to retire if things continued like this for just fifteen years brought a smile to my face.
That is, until I heard the unexpected news.
"...I'm sorry, is that really true?"
"Yes, it's definitely Anna Mitchell, Javier's younger sister."