Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1062

“The word ‘approval’ is a bit strange.”

Lee Hyun-soo interjected, stopping Seok Dong-soo’s words.

“What we want isn’t approval, but cooperation.”

“Cooperation?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That very word is presumptuous,” Seok Dong-soo said, not hiding his displeasure.

“You seem to have quite a bit of pride in this thing called the Assembly, but from the government’s perspective, that Assembly and the Murim world [a hidden society of martial arts practitioners] are nothing more than large underworld organizations. And you’re saying we should cooperate with you?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“The cooperation I’m talking about is more like collaboration. The Assembly becoming a corporation and legalizing is clearly beneficial to the government and the country. First of all, as you mentioned, it can help secure tax revenue…”

“You seem to be mistaken.”

Seok Dong-soo waved his hand dismissively.

“If you want to talk about taxes, go see the head of the National Tax Service. The fact that you came to me means you know this isn’t just about tax revenue.”

“That’s correct.”

“What I’m talking about is that duality. I can’t condone you, who live outside the law, trying to legalize only your money. Life is all or nothing. If you want legalization, bring your people into the realm of law. If not, give up on legalizing your money.”

Lee Hyun-soo pressed his lips together. It was an unacceptable proposal.

Legalizing the Murim world was like telling them to give up living as Murim practitioners. None of their ways could coexist with the law.

‘He must know.’

Seok Dong-soo couldn’t be ignorant of that fact. Yet, the fact that he was saying this meant he intended to overturn the negotiation itself.

‘Is it possible?’

It was a strange situation.

Lee Hyun-soo and Seok Dong-soo were negotiating, but frankly, the two people present were not the main negotiators. They were merely representatives standing in for their superiors who were too important to be here.

No matter how much Lee Hyun-soo was called the chief of the Assembly and the de facto second-in-command, he couldn’t dare to represent the Assembly in place of Kang Jin-ho.

And no matter how high Seok Dong-soo’s position was as the Minister of Economy and Finance, ranked 9th in the Republic of Korea’s protocol, he couldn’t represent the entire nation.

In the end, both Lee Hyun-soo and Seok Dong-soo were just puppets of their superiors who couldn’t directly negotiate due to their circumstances.

But now, the puppets were cutting their strings and moving as they pleased.

‘This is troublesome…’

Lee Hyun-soo frowned.

His job here was to finalize the appropriate price for the already decided matter and adjust the details. But now, the matter he thought was already decided was starting to shake.

“You must know that’s impossible, Minister.”

“Then there’s nothing more to say.”

Seok Dong-soo picked up his glass and downed it.

“We have no choice but to break off negotiations.”

“Minister!”

Lee Hyun-soo’s voice rose slightly.

But Seok Dong-soo only wore a bitter smile.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’ve underestimated the government too much. Did you think the government would step in to clean up your dirty money just to make a few bucks?”

“If it were just a one-time cleanup, maybe. But you’ll keep doing the same thing in the future. I have no intention of continuing to be involved in such dirty business.”

“That’s a misunderstanding. We’ve cut ties with illegal businesses. That’s why we’re seeking legal…”

“Ah…”

Seok Dong-soo waved his hand.

“I’ve heard that story many times. There were countless others who said the same thing, not just you. Do you know what happened to them all?”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

One thing was certain.

This man had no intention of negotiating.

“May I ask you something?”

“Ask away.”

“Is this the Minister’s will, or the government’s will?”

“That’s a ridiculous question.”

Seok Dong-soo said with a sneer.

“Isn’t my will the government’s will? You underestimate the position of a minister too much. At that point, it’s not courage, but recklessness.”

‘So it’s the government’s will.’

Then, to what extent?

The very top? Or….

Lee Hyun-soo quietly looked at Seok Dong-soo and opened his mouth.

“What exactly do you mean by telling us to legalize?”

“It’s exactly as it sounds. It means we’re going to take back the privileges you’ve been taking for granted under the guise of custom.”

“What does that mean?”

“Do you really not know?”

Seok Dong-soo chuckled.

“Killing people and burying them quietly, mobilizing the military for your wars, looking down on the police, running all sorts of illegal businesses while cleverly using proxies to evade the law, and even getting involved in drugs.”

“I admit the earlier parts. But please take back the last part. That was the work of the previous leader. Since the new leader was elected, we haven’t touched drugs at all.”

“A tail-cutting?”

“That’s the truth.”

“Well, fine. Even if we take away that one charge, it doesn’t make what you’ve done any cleaner. You’ve been doing all these things in a country ruled by law, and now you want to sneak your faces into the sunlight and live openly?”

His words were becoming increasingly aggressive.

“I didn’t climb to this position to tolerate such things.”

“Minister.”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

“I fully understand what you’re angry about. But Minister, you have a term limit, but the Murim world doesn’t.”

“As long as the nation exists, the Murim world will exist. In order to create the clean nation you desire, shouldn’t you actively bring the Murim world into the light? If you can’t tolerate the Murim world and push us back into the darkness, wouldn’t it be no different from before?”

Seok Dong-soo silently filled his glass with alcohol.

“So please, reconsider. If you resolve this matter well, we will cooperate as much as possible.”

“Hahahaha.”

Seok Dong-soo burst into a hearty laugh.

After laughing for a while, Seok Dong-soo changed his expression and spoke in a cold voice.

“I’ve been too lenient, and you’ve become arrogant.”

“…Minister.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

Seok Dong-soo spoke as if grinding his teeth.

“You social parasites have made some money and don’t know your place. If the government sets its mind to it, we can wipe out the likes of you cleanly.”

“It’s not a threat, Minister. It’s just…”

“That’s enough.”

Seok Dong-soo stood up from his seat.

“Minister!”

Lee Hyun-soo tried to stop him, but Seok Dong-soo firmly gestured to stop him.

“I hope we don’t waste each other’s time on pointless things.”

“I…”

As his aide stood up, Seok Dong-soo turned away as if he had no regrets.

Lee Hyun-soo could only stare blankly at Seok Dong-soo as he left the room, unable to stop him.

“Ah, and…”

Seok Dong-soo turned his head.

With a sly look, Seok Dong-soo looked at Lee Hyun-soo and opened his mouth with a smile.

“I’ll take a good look at the data you gave me. I’ll be investigating any places that aren’t legal or have unclear ownership, so I hope you manage them well.”

“I…”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to just take what a criminal offered, so let’s call it the conscience of someone in public office. Hahahaha!”

With those words, Seok Dong-soo left the room.

Lee Hyun-soo trembled as he looked at the door where Seok Dong-soo had disappeared.

‘That pig bastard!’

An unbearable sense of humiliation washed over Lee Hyun-soo.

His face flushed, his breath quickened, and his vision blurred. Lee Hyun-soo clenched his fist tightly.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Lee Hyun-soo slowly opened his mouth.

“No.”

Although he was agitated, he hadn’t lost his reason. His reason was warning him.

‘There’s no reason for the minister to act like this.’

Although he had brought up a flimsy sense of justice, politicians move based on profit, not justice. If he was trying to block the cooperation between the Assembly and the government, it meant there was a profit to be gained from that situation.

But who could give him that much profit….

“Could it be…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s mouth fell open.

The name of one person came to mind.

But even so, to have pulled strings even in this situation….

Lee Hyun-soo urgently picked up his phone.

This wasn’t something he could think about alone. He had to inform the Assembly right away.

The black sedan carrying Seok Dong-soo sped down the road.

Inside the sedan, which was cutting through the pouring rain, Seok Dong-soo was politely taking a call.

“Yes, Chairman.”

Fluent Chinese.

The person he was talking to was not Korean.

“I did as you instructed. But I’m a little worried. The higher-ups have already given instructions to resolve this amicably, but to cut it off at my level… Yes. If you resolve it, Chairman, there’s nothing to worry about.”

A smile bloomed on Seok Dong-soo’s lips.

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. And I’m sorry to say this, but regarding the part you mentioned…”

Seok Dong-soo’s face brightened.

“Hahaha, of course. How could I not know your power, Chairman? If you use your power, it’s definitely possible. Yes, of course. I’m relying on you, Chairman. Then.”

Seok Dong-soo hung up the phone and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

‘He’s like a ghost.’

How did he know that he was meeting Lee Hyun-soo today and call at that exact moment?

But thanks to that, he was able to open a new path.

‘Support from a Chinese Standing Committee member….’

A bitter smile formed on Seok Dong-soo’s lips.

Even though Korea was a pro-American country, it was now an era where the power of China in Korea could not be ignored. In that situation, depending on how he thought about it, if he had the support of a Chinese Standing Committee member who had more power than the President of the Republic of Korea, he could rise to a position he could never have dreamed of before.

After all, wasn’t he classified as a representative pro-China figure? There was no hesitation.

‘But it’s unexpected.’

The price they offered in exchange for hindering the Assembly was too shocking. In other words, it meant that China was also keeping the Murim world of Korea in check that much.

‘I need to stay sharp.’

If they were being wary of those with great power, then they must also be powerful beings. Seok Dong-soo abandoned his contempt for the Assembly. From now on, it was war.

“Give me that data from earlier again.”

“Yes, Minister.”

Seok Dong-soo received the data from his aide, his eyes gleaming.

‘If we can’t go together, then I have to completely destroy them.’

That was the way Seok Dong-soo had lived his life.

Reading the data about the Assembly, Seok Dong-soo began to think about how to cut off the lifelines of these impudent bastards for good.

Without knowing who he was provoking.