Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1398

Reversal (7)

A wrinkled hand grabs the remote control.

[The police announced that drug use was detected in hair samples from Mr. Kim, who was arrested on suspicion of drug use. Mr. Kim is known to be the grandson of Kim Myung-chan, who served as Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. In response, the police stated that they cannot yet release the exact details.]

Pressing the button on the remote, he switches to another channel. But the face on the screen is still Kim Myung-chan’s.

[While the investigation into former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan continues, news has emerged that evidence of tax evasion and bribery by former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan has been discovered. It has been confirmed that former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan intentionally concealed profits from past real estate investments and did not pay a large amount of taxes. In response, the National Tax Service has announced that it will launch an investigation as soon as possible. In addition, it has been confirmed that former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan received illegal political funds while serving as a minister. In response…]

He switches the channel again.

[The irregularities and charges against former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan are being revealed one after another. This morning, the Blue House [the presidential residence in South Korea] abruptly announced the dismissal of former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan. The public is shocked by the true face of former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan, who was a pro-democracy activist in the past, and is expressing a moral distrust of the regime to which Kim Myung-chan belongs.]

His fingers nervously press the button.

[The prosecution plans to arrest former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan as soon as the warrant review is completed. There are suspicions that the fact that an arrest warrant has not yet been requested despite the fact that former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan is already facing various charges is a sign of leniency towards the powerful…]

“Ugh!”

The remote control flies and hits the TV. The remote, having shattered the screen, falls to the floor.

“Hoo…”

Kim Myung-chan, his face covered with both hands, exhaled a low breath.

The skin around his eyes, rubbed raw and red, trembled.

“I…”

There is nowhere left to run.

He had prided himself on living a relatively clean life.

Bribery? Tax evasion?

What a joke.

If those kinds of things are considered bribery and tax evasion, then not a single person who enters the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea would avoid prison.

This is something Kim Myung-chan can say with absolute certainty.

Isn’t that how humans are?

Obey the law?

If everyone could completely obey the law, there would be no need for laws in the world. The very existence of laws is proof that humans are beings who cannot obey them.

Huans make mistakes, big and small, throughout their lives. How many people live their entire lives without committing a single sin?

Yet, it is human nature to be lenient with one’s own mistakes and point fingers at the mistakes of others.

Kim Myung-chan prided himself on being an honest person. Unlike other politicians, he had not secretly amassed a huge fortune, nor had he ever tried to oppress ordinary citizens using his power.

Yet, the world now condemned and denounced Kim Myung-chan as if he were the most terrible corrupt politician in the Republic of Korea.

“I…”

Kim Myung-chan cried out.

“How did I live! How!”

Kim Myung-chan was the one who risked his life to resist during that terrifying military dictatorship. He trembled every night, fearing someone would come for him, and his heart would sink even at the sight of a stranger’s face in broad daylight.

It was a time when he lived only for democracy, even while trembling in fear of being dragged away and buried in the mountains at any moment.

A victory won by the people?

What a joke.

When he raised his voice and risked his life, the people were merely silent. What were the people doing when he was dragged to the Anti-Communist Investigation Office and tortured? What were the people doing when chili pepper water was poured into his nose and he was hung upside down from the ceiling?

Silence.

They were just silent.

The fruits that the people are enjoying now are all the result of the sacrifices of a few martyrs who risked their lives at that time.

Ironically, it is because Kim Myung-chan fought for and gave the people the right to denounce the corruption of those in power that they can now criticize and curse Kim Myung-chan.

Yes.

All of that is the achievement of people like Kim Myung-chan!

But now what?

“Corruption? I’m corrupt? Me? You bastards! Ughhhhh!”

Kim Myung-chan roared like a beast.

Losing his wealth is something he can endure. Losing his position is also something he can tolerate.

But…

He cannot bear to watch the collapse of the achievements he has built up over a lifetime, and the disappearance of the honor that has sustained him. It feels like a sharp razor blade is peeling away a layer of his heart every day.

“Heh heh.”

What has been reported is not everything.

Now, the revelations of his former colleagues are continuing. Perhaps by tomorrow, allegations that he killed and buried a detective who was chasing him in the past, as well as allegations of sexual assault, will surface.

Is it true?

‘That doesn’t matter anymore.’

If his colleagues, who fought alongside him, turn their backs on him, spit on him, and curse him, who would believe Kim Myung-chan’s excuses?

There is a lesson he learned from his long political career.

That truth can be fabricated, and that people only believe what they want to believe.

People value the truth, but deep down, they don’t really value it that much. Or, to be precise, they only want the truth that suits their tastes.

The downfall of a man who started from nothing, resisted the terrifying dictatorship, and finally rose to the position of Prime Minister.

What could be more interesting than this?

The more powerful the person who falls, the greater the cheers of the people. From that perspective, Kim Myung-chan is the perfect prey. There are few people in the history of the Republic of Korea who have fallen from a higher place than him.

That is why they tear him apart.

Until his whole body is tattered.

The piranhas, once they start biting, will not stop until only his bones remain.

No.

They won’t stop even if only bones remain. They will deny, curse, and trample on everything Kim Myung-chan has achieved. After Kim Myung-chan dies, they will even come to his grave to spit and mock him.

Nothing remained for him as he fell endlessly.

The cell phone, which would have rung several times by now, remains silent.

Just a week ago, even a single line of minor news would have brought a flood of calls and texts asking about his well-being, but now no one is trying to contact him.

No, they are probably desperately trying to avoid his calls.

“Heh heh heh.”

How did it come to this?

How?

Was it a mistake to step into politics?

Or was it a mistake to believe in our colleagues who were babbling about achieving true democracy in the Republic of Korea?

Or was it because he didn’t compromise enough?

Or was it something else?

“Heh heh heh heh.”

He knows.

Where things went wrong.

‘I shouldn’t have touched him.’

Everything happened because he antagonized Kang Jin-ho. If Kim Myung-chan had not tried to destroy Kang Jin-ho, and had just lived in cooperation with him, he would still be the proud Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, focusing on state affairs at this very moment.

But because he touched Kang Jin-ho, everything collapsed.

Everything.

Everything he had built up.

His life, his honor, and even his family.

Kim Myung-chan grabbed a cigarette with his trembling hand. He struggled to pull the last cigarette from the pack, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

The acrid cigarette smoke stings his eyes.

But right now, this cigarette is his only comfort. The reason he doesn’t reach for alcohol is because he’s afraid that if he drinks in this state of mind, he might do something he can’t handle.

‘What have I lived for?’

Everything was for the country.

To be precise, it was a life dedicated to the people living in this country. Although only ridicule remains now, Kim Myung-chan truly believed that he had lived that way.

But if that’s the case…

Why can’t he calmly accept the current situation?

If one person’s downfall could save others, he should be happy to accept it, but why is Kim Myung-chan unable to come to his senses due to anger and hatred?

“Heh heh heh.”

A laugh escapes him.

It wasn’t them who were denying his true life.

Kim Myung-chan himself was denying his own life.

If he had truly lived a life dedicated to this country and its people, and if he still believed that he had, then such anger would never have arisen.

Intolerable self-loathing.

The world denies him, and he denies himself.

As he frantically puffs on his cigarette, his cell phone starts ringing violently.

Kim Myung-chan looks at the cell phone with slightly unfocused eyes. Then, he reaches out, grabs the phone, and puts it to his ear.

“…This is Kim Myung-chan.”

[Prime Minister, this is your Chief of Staff.]

“…What is it?”

[What else would I call you for? He asked me to convey his intentions.]

He, he says…

That word sounds so unfamiliar.

Sometimes he was a senior he could rely on, and sometimes he was a friend he could talk to. But if he had to define him in a single word, he would say that he was a friend who had walked together towards the same goal.

Kim Myung-chan is not a person who cannot distinguish between public and private matters. No matter how close they are as friends, he has no qualms about using honorifics and treating him with respect, given their different positions.

Yet, today, the word ‘he’ feels so distant.

“…What did he say?”

[We can’t stop it anymore. An arrest warrant will be issued tomorrow. And he has decided to make a public apology to the nation.]

“A public apology… So, I’m practically a criminal now.”

[Since the situation has come to this, it’s time to face reality, Prime Minister.]

“I’m not the Prime Minister anymore.”

Because you dismissed me.

[Please make a decision.]

“Decision?”

[The appearance of things is always important. It would look better if you voluntarily surrendered and cooperated with the investigation before the arrest warrant is issued.]

“Appearance… Yes, it would look good.”

Kim Myung-chan chuckled softly.

Yes, that’s not wrong. Since he’s going to jail anyway, what difference would it make if he went in a day earlier? It might be better to go on his own two feet rather than being dragged in.

However, that is if you exclude one thing.

“Is that his intention?”

[Yes, Prime Minister. He is showing a lot of concern.]

“Yes, I see. Yes…”

Kim Myung-chan’s face slowly contorted.

Like a demon.

“Listen, Chief of Staff.”

[Yes, Prime Minister.]

“Do you know what my aide’s last piece of advice to me was?”

[Well, why are you suddenly talking about that…]

“He told me to die with it.”

There is no sound from the other side of the phone.

Low silence. An incredibly heavy silence.

“Or I’ll just end up dying anyway.”

Kim Myung-chan chuckled.

Death, death…

He always had to fight the fear of death.

“Kill me then.”

[Prime Minister?]

“I won’t kill myself, so if you want to shut my mouth, kill me. If not…”

Kim Myung-chan’s eyes are bloodshot.

“We’ll all die together.”