In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, I struggled to get masks. As the demand suddenly surged, the government introduced a system to allow people to purchase them in order.(Photo by Milly)  In 2020, as the COVID-19 virus spread across the world, South Korea, too, faced an unprecedented situation. Streets emptied, companies shifted to remote work, and face-to-face encounters became rare. During that time, I also worked entirely from home, handling everything through phone calls and online tools. It was a quiet yet deeply chaotic period.   Small Enterprises and Local Businesses Faced a Fight for Survival   As in-person interaction became impossible, all businesses suffered operational disruptions. But among them, the hardest hit were small businesses and micro-enterprises. Most social economy enterprises in Korea, being small in scale, were pushed to the brink of collapse. Each day was filled with anxiety how to pay employees this month, and whether they could...