Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1409

“To our side?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

It was a question he had to ask.

Of course, Kang Jin-ho had previously mentioned that he would accept Lee Jong-wook into the General Assembly. But that was then, and this is now.

Back then, Lee Jong-wook was someone who was friendly to Kang Jin-ho, but now, anyone could see that Lee Jong-wook felt hostility towards Kang Jin-ho.

Whether that hostility was born from practical reasons or from a clash of ideals, the result was still hostility.

So, why would he bow his head and come to someone he didn’t like?

It didn’t make sense.

“It doesn’t seem like you like my methods very much?”

Lee Jong-wook sighed and said,

“There’s no point in lying in front of the Chairman. It’s true. I still think there are many things about the Chairman that I don’t agree with.”

“Then why are you so insistent on coming under me?”

“…Because I need to survive.”

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his brows.

“Survive?”

When Kang Jin-ho seemed not to understand, Lee Jong-wook gave a bitter smile.

“It’s strange for me to say this myself, but I’ve seen too much, and I’ve learned too much. Putting aside everything else, I’ve vividly witnessed the current regime’s leaders pushing their colleagues to the very depths of hell just to survive.”

The others listening nodded.

The only ones who knew the full story of all this were the government, the General Assembly, and Lee Jong-wook, who were involved in the incident.

And…

‘He has no backing.’

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue.

The government couldn’t touch the General Assembly, and the General Assembly couldn’t punish the government. But there was nowhere to protect Lee Jong-wook.

The NIS [National Intelligence Service]?

The NIS’s power was only effective against civilians or the military. In front of the government, the NIS was just another agency.

No, even without going that far, the NIS director was currently detained and living in solitary confinement like Kim Myung-chan. Who would protect whom?

“Is it a case of ‘the rabbit is cooked after the hunt’?”

“I’ll probably be boiled soon.”

Once the prey is caught, the dog is cooked [a Korean idiom meaning that once someone is no longer useful, they are discarded].

The reason the government was treating Lee Jong-wook well was because he was someone who could communicate with Kang Jin-ho. He was a valuable intermediary who prevented them from having to directly face the most troublesome and frightening person.

But what would happen once this negotiation was over?

Lee Jong-wook’s value would disappear.

Guaranteeing his life to talk to Kang Jin-ho again in the future was too risky. Too many people would be hurt if Lee Jong-wook opened his mouth.

“I’m partly to blame for this.”

“To blame?”

“…I went to see Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan several times. They won’t look kindly on that. They’ll suspect I might have heard something.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled and said,

“Sounds like you’re getting a ‘Matiz’ ride [a reference to a South Korean car model, implying a dangerous or precarious situation].”

The joke didn’t sound like a joke.

“To survive the government’s grasp, I have no choice but to seek the Chairman’s protection. Please, I beg you, save me.”

Kang Jin-ho smirked.

When someone said it so openly, it became difficult to refuse.

“Then…”

“I’m against it.”

Lee Hyun-soo cut off Kang Jin-ho’s words decisively.

“…I haven’t said anything yet.”

“You were going to accept him anyway. That’s why I’m saying it in advance. I’m absolutely against it.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a sulky expression.

“Why?”

“Why? Because I don’t like that bastard.”

Wasn’t that too trivial?

Well, trivial things could be important reasons, but still…

“Let’s be honest, when has that ba… I mean, Mr. Lee Jong-wook, ever mediated? He just used the government’s backing to demand, ‘Do this, do that.’ He took all the government’s benefits, and now that they’re trying to kill him, he wants us to take him in? A person should have some conscience.”

Lee Jong-wook couldn’t make any excuses.

Lee Hyun-soo’s words were sharp but close to the truth. Lee Jong-wook had only represented the government’s position and had never done anything for the General Assembly.

“He helped us before.”

“Traitors always receive a greater punishment.”

Lee Hyun-soo said firmly.

“Anyway, I’m against it. We’re not a collection of defeated soldiers, are we? Are we going to gather all the misfits from the neighborhood? Are you opening a rehabilitation center?”

“I don’t think you’re the one to say that.”

“Why not? I was still doing well in the Yeongnam Association until the end.”

“You were an outcast.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a genuinely hurt expression.

“You shouldn’t say that in front of a victim of bullying. You’re killing a person twice.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Kang Jin-ho sincerely apologized.

Then, he looked back and forth between Lee Jong-wook and Lee Hyun-soo before letting out a sigh.

“I’ll take him in.”

“I knew it.”

Lee Hyun-soo jumped up from his seat.

“No, Chairman.”

“Instead…”

“…Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho gestured towards Lee Hyun-soo with his chin.

“Keep him under you.”

“He’s a smart newbie who’s excellent at practical work. You’ll need him the most, right?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s brow furrowed.

In fact, someone of Lee Jong-wook’s caliber was a capable subordinate he had never had before. Even Lee Hyun-joo, who currently controlled MK, was inferior to Lee Jong-wook.

‘Besides, he’s a civilian.’

He wasn’t someone like Lee Hyun-joo who would raise a fist if things went wrong. In fact, although he didn’t say it, his heart would pound every time he scolded Lee Hyun-joo for not doing her job properly.

For Lee Hyun-soo, who was half civilian and half martial artist, Lee Hyun-joo’s martial prowess was also a burden. Every time he scolded her, he had to be prepared to have his jaw broken.

For Lee Hyun-soo, Lee Jong-wook could be the best subordinate.

First of all, he was good at his job, couldn’t fight, and had committed sins, so he wouldn’t feel any guilt even if he was worked like a dog.

The only thing that bothered him was…

“You.”

Lee Hyun-soo growled lowly.

“If you join the General Assembly, can you swear to work only for the General Assembly?”

“That’s a given.”

“You were talking about the nation just a while ago.”

Lee Jong-wook smiled self-deprecatingly.

“If that nation abandons me, why would I continue to be loyal?”

“Hmm.”

“And…”

Lee Jong-wook looked out the window with an inscrutable gaze.

“The method might have been wrong, and he might not have been a clean person, but Kim Myung-chan truly worked for the country.”

“There’s no value in a place that throws away someone like that.”

Lee Jong-wook turned his head and looked directly at Kang Jin-ho.

“At least the Chairman doesn’t abandon his people or stab them in the back. I want to work for a place where I won’t be abandoned.”

“Is it okay to change your values so easily?”

“It’s not easy, and I haven’t changed them. Didn’t I tell you? I work for the nation and the people, not the government.”

“And?”

“I realized this while going through the recent China incident. Isn’t supporting the Chairman and the General Assembly with my abilities also a way to serve the nation?”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head.

“If the Three Kings Alliance were to dominate the Korean Peninsula, it would be incredibly terrible. Preventing that is also a dedication to the nation.”

This bastard is a master of mental gymnastics.

But when you listen to it, it sounds right.

“Anyway, you’re saying you’ll work like a dog for the General Assembly?”

“No. I will work for the Chairman.”

There was a clear difference between being loyal to the General Assembly and being loyal to Kang Jin-ho personally. For Lee Hyun-soo to use Lee Jong-wook, it would be better if his loyalty was directed towards the General Assembly.

But…

‘Strangely, I like this answer better.’

Lee Hyun-soo, whose last line of resistance had crumbled, sighed.

Lee Hyun-soo, who had been glaring at Lee Jong-wook with eyes that showed he still didn’t like him until the very end, reluctantly nodded.

“Come to work.”

“Thank you.”

“Instead, from tomorrow, you’re going to be dead. I’ll make you regret coming to the General Assembly.”

“That won’t happen.”

Lee Jong-wook smiled faintly.

And Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Jong-wook with pity.

‘He doesn’t know anything.’

Everyone says that, and everyone is so confident.

And before three days pass, they’ll be on the floor, throwing up.

Well, that’s something he has to experience himself.

“If you’re done, go back. I’ll give you a week.”

“Huh, Chairman. I told him to come to work from tomorrow…”

When Kang Jin-ho glanced back, Lee Hyun-soo whimpered and lowered his head.

He was slowly starting to climb back up again these days.

Kang Jin-ho, who had suppressed Lee Hyun-soo with his gaze, turned his head back to Lee Jong-wook.

“Go and sort everything out in a week. If you can’t sort it out, at least hide it. That’s how people live.”

“…Thank you for your words.”

Lee Jong-wook got up from his seat and bowed politely.

“Then, I’ll see you next time.”

Lee Jong-wook turned and left the room, and Kang Jin-ho said to Lee Hyun-soo,

“Contact them and tell them not to touch him.”

“Now?”

“He won’t be safe even in the car on the way back. They’ll try to hear the conclusion.”

“Understood.”

After all, what kind of people were they?

Perhaps a bomb had already been installed in Lee Jong-wook’s car.

…Should I have checked?

“Then, I’ll go and contact them quickly.”

When Kang Jin-ho nodded, Lee Hyun-soo got up from his seat and went outside.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho, left alone in the room, put a new cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

The smoke that was released slowly spread throughout the room.

It wasn’t perfect, but this was roughly the end of the cleanup. The rest would be sorted out slowly with time.

He felt relieved, but also a little uneasy.

He was relieved that the situation had been resolved, but he was bothered that he hadn’t punished all those who had targeted him.

Kang Jin-ho closed and opened his eyes slightly.

But he had to carry this unease with him.

Because that was respect for the path Kim Myung-chan had chosen.

‘Could I have done that?’

Could he have rejected the opportunity for the sake of his beliefs at the last moment?

Somehow, it seemed like Kim Myung-chan would have done that. Whether he was good or evil was not important. He had followed the path he had lived until the very end.

Kang Jin-ho, who had already experienced death twice, wasn’t sure if he could do that.

That’s why he deserved respect.

Of course, respect and forgiveness were separate issues.

His beliefs had led him to a high place, and they had also pushed him into the lowest pit in the world.

So, would Kim Myung-chan be able to uphold his beliefs until the very end?

‘It would be interesting to watch.’ Someday…

Someday in the distant future, Kang Jin-ho would find Kim Myung-chan again. He was already curious about what Kim Myung-chan would say at that time.

However…

‘That’s a matter for the distant future.’

For now, it was just something that had ended.

Kang Jin-ho took a deep puff of cigarette smoke and walked to the window, opening it wide. The air, which had become warm, rushed into the room.

“Winter…”