Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1068

“Yes?”

[Seok Dong-soo has withdrawn his position. What on earth did you do?]

“Ah, no…”

Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t help but let out a flustered shout.

‘Why are you asking me…’

What am I supposed to say when I get a question like this from a phone call first thing in the morning?

‘Well, I do know.’

Kang Jin-ho.

He must have done something last night. But even if I know that, what can I say? I don’t even know what he did.

“I don’t really…”

[He’s changed overnight. Did you kidnap him and torture him or something?]

“We don’t do things like that.”

[I know. But no matter how much I think about it, I just can’t understand it.]

“No, what on earth happened…”

[From dawn, Seok Dong-soo went to the Prime Minister’s residence and caused a ruckus.]

“Yes?”

[He was acting like a madman, saying that what the General Assembly wants must be done right away.]

“No…”

What on earth did this guy do?

[He looked so desperate that the Prime Minister even wondered if someone had been kidnapped from Minister Seok Dong-soo’s house. He said that even if a three-year-old child was kidnapped and had a finger cut off, they wouldn’t look that bad.]

Lee Hyun-soo shut his mouth. This was no longer a laughing matter.

‘What the hell…’

I thought it would be resolved.

Kang Jin-ho has always produced results that exceeded Lee Hyun-soo’s imagination. To think ‘this time’ even after experiencing such things several times is something only a third-rate villain in a comic book would do.

Of course, he’d pull it off.

Since it was something Kang Jin-ho guaranteed, it was natural that it would be resolved.

The problem is…

‘He was acting like a madman?’

It feels strange.

Of course, I thought he would intimidate him to some extent. After all, Kang Jin-ho’s solutions are usually like that. He would probably grab the person by the neck right away.

I thought that far, but…

‘That much?’

I thought he would just scold him enough to change his mind, but this is almost like turning a person into a wreck.

Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head.

‘Was it really something that the Chairman would get that angry about?’

Of course, it’s a situation where he could get angry.

In a way, Seok Dong-soo was practically committing treason for his own gain. From a patriot’s point of view, he was trying to do something that deserved death.

The problem is that Kang Jin-ho, as Lee Hyun-soo knows him, is not a patriot at all.

‘Patriotism, my foot.’

Sometimes, Lee Hyun-soo even doubts whether the concept of a nation exists for Kang Jin-ho. He doesn’t seem to be attached to Korea at all.

And why would he be?

According to Kang Jin-ho, he spent more years in China than in Korea. Considering Kang Jin-ho’s tendencies, it doesn’t seem like he would be particularly more furious just because Seok Dong-soo sided with China.

Then why?

[Anyway, thanks to you, things seem to be going well.]

“Ah… right.”

Since the person who was holding things back has turned into the biggest supporter, the stalled work will proceed smoothly.

[The Prime Minister also seems to be thinking of taking this opportunity to clear up all the pending matters. That means there will be requests for data from your side. Please prepare them in advance and send them right away.]

“Of course.”

[However, there’s one problem…]

“Yes?”

[Seok Dong-soo, that guy… will he ever return to normal? He’s currently the Minister of Strategy and Finance, but he can’t do any external activities in that state. It’s difficult to dismiss him since he was only recently appointed as minister. It will damage the regime.]

“Ah…”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched the back of his head.

“Um… wouldn’t it be possible for him to resign voluntarily due to health issues?”

[He’s not in a state to communicate. To be honest, he should be hospitalized in a mental hospital right now. It’s just that we’re keeping it quiet because it would be a disaster if word got out that the minister went crazy and was hospitalized.]

That’s probably true.

For anyone interested in politics, that issue alone would be enough to talk about for a week. The regime would definitely not want to create such a scandal.

“Well, I’ll check that part out.”

[So, you guys did have a hand in it?]

Oops.

Lee Hyun-soo frowned.

“It’s not like that…”

He ran out of things to say, but thankfully, they didn’t press him further. Whether that could be called fortunate was another matter.

[Anyway, I understand. I’ll call you again if there are any problems.]

“Thank you, Congressman. You’ve been a great help. I’ll send you a small gift this time…”

[No, no. It’s okay! A gift? I’ve received so much already, it would be shameless to ask for more. It’s not like I did anything.]

“Ah, then at least to the Prime Minister…”

[It’s okay. The Prime Minister wouldn’t expect anything either. Then I’ll report the situation and contact you right away.]

“Please do.”

Lee Hyun-soo hung up the phone and sighed softly.

‘He seems really scared.’

Normally, the moment the word ‘gift’ came up, they would have been delighted. These guys now take eating the General Assembly’s money for granted.

Recently, they’ve stopped even pretending to be humble.

But the fact that they’re refusing a gift means that these guys also have something to worry about now.

‘I guess so.’

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

Lee Jung-geol tried his best to build connections with the political world. However, his approach was not much different from how gangsters with money make connections with the political world.

They would spend as much money as possible, and if there was something the other side found troublesome, they would solve it.

By continuing that process and building relationships, there would come a point when it would be difficult for the other side to cut off requests from this side. This was because they had accumulated a considerable amount of money and had been asked to do shady things.

But they never threatened politicians with that.

That’s something you can only do when you’re prepared to break off the relationship. Moreover, if such rumors spread, it would become difficult to form new relationships.

It’s just a threat that there’s a means to attack, like a knife kept hidden. They both know that the knife is rusty and can’t be drawn.

So, to put it nicely, it’s a business partnership…

‘A pushover, a pushover.’

They give money, they run errands.

Well, since they were so submissive, the General Assembly was able to expand its power without the regime really keeping it in check. When you think about it, Lee Jung-geol’s way of handling things was at a level that Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t even dare to follow.

During the military regime, he took on all sorts of dirty work as a lackey of the military regime, and after democratization, he laundered his past by pouring money into the regime.

When the military cliques within the military who had been flexing their muscles even after democratization were cut off, the General Assembly, which had been lying low, was recognized as a loyal pet.

But now, they’ve realized something.

That the teeth of that loyal pet are several times sharper than they thought, and that if those teeth sink into their jugular, they will die.

‘It’s a bit faster than I thought, but…’

It was something that had to be done someday.

Looking at their reaction, there doesn’t seem to be any negative side effects, so it might be a good thing. This will give the General Assembly a little more room to maneuver.

‘More importantly now…’

Lee Hyun-soo jumped up from his seat and went to the window.

A familiar sound reached his ears. He could see Kang Jin-ho’s sports car entering through the main gate.

“…First, I need to talk to him about what happened.”

It’s a little scary.

“Uh.”

“Why?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head slightly.

‘There’s definitely something…’

It’s not like I can pinpoint anything, but Kang Jin-ho’s feeling is a little different. That difference is also very subtle, but…

How should I put it?

‘This is a bit like the old days…’

Unpleasant memories come to mind.

I remember the time when Kang Jin-ho stormed into the Yeongnam Association, bringing all the members of the General Assembly and then single-handedly slaughtering all the martial artists of the Yeongnam Association.

Lee Hyun-soo swallowed hard.

‘Come to think of it, I was playing around with this kind of person.’

The image of Kang Jin-ho slowly walking towards him, covered in the blood of his enemies, vividly comes to mind.

At that time, if Kang Jin-ho had changed his mind even slightly, Lee Hyun-soo would have been torn to pieces on the spot.

It’s ironic.

He’s working under the person who gave him the greatest fear in his entire life.

Kang Jin-ho, sitting on the sofa and putting a cigarette in his mouth, had the same languidness as before.

A look that hasn’t been seen much recently.

‘What on earth happened yesterday?’

Going to see Minister Seok Dong-soo is quite a unique event, but it’s impossible for a minister like that to have a big impact on Kang Jin-ho.

That means Kang Jin-ho himself has changed his mind about something.

“Report.”

“Ah, yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo snapped back to his senses and opened his mouth.

“I’ve received news that Minister Seok Dong-soo went to the Prime Minister’s residence at dawn and was acting like a madman, saying that he would push forward with the meeting’s agenda right away.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a blank face, without answering.

I think I know for sure.

It’s a similar feeling to when he first joined the General Assembly. Lee Hyun-soo raised his tension level.

“The Prime Minister’s side doesn’t know what’s going on, but they’re planning to use this opportunity to finalize the incorporation.”

“Proceed.”

“Yes! And they asked if Minister Seok Dong-soo could return to normal. They said he’s someone who can’t be dismissed right now…”

“He’ll return to normal when the General Assembly’s work is done.”

“Ah, then maybe?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“There will be no more interference from that side.”

“Understood.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s mind began to spin rapidly.

‘So, Seok Dong-soo is taken care of…’

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo quickly raised his head.

“Secure the list of those who tried to pressure the Assembly in this matter.”

“Are you referring to the pro-China faction?”

“Yes.”

“I have secured it.”

“Tell them to get rid of those who can be eliminated right away. And tell them to let me know separately about those who can’t be eliminated.”

“…Are you planning to eliminate them completely?”

“I can’t leave those who have been influenced by Hong Wang’s faction alone.”

“But it won’t be easy. If that many people are suddenly removed from their positions, it will definitely become a hot topic…”

“Create a pretext.”

Kang Jin-ho said in a low voice.

“If you leave them alone, they’ll come back to hold you back. If you leave trash unattended because it’s annoying, flies will breed. Deal with the ones you can handle, and pass the difficult ones to me.”

“Ah…”

The moment Lee Hyun-soo was about to say something, Kang Jin-ho spoke first.

“In return, tell them that we’ll solve a few of the troublesome things for the regime. And give them some money.”

“I will do that.”

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit a cigarette.

Kang Jin-ho took a deep drag and slowly exhaled, the white smoke slowly scattering in the air.

“Go on a training trip as soon as things are settled.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Tell the directors to come in.”

“Understood.”

Lee Hyun-soo bowed ninety degrees and went outside, carefully closing the door.

‘Something has definitely changed…’

When he rolled up his sleeves, he had goosebumps on his arms. Lee Hyun-soo didn’t dislike this chilling feeling.

‘A friendly Chairman is good, but…’

In these chaotic times, charisma is more important than friendliness.

Thinking that there might be an interesting change, Lee Hyun-soo quickened his pace.

Others also need to feel this change.

So that they can tighten their loose minds.

Lee Hyun-soo quickly ran down the hallway.