Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1149

Kim Myung-chan stared at the report, his eyes heavy. He let out a low sigh and slowly placed the document on his desk.

“So, are all the other issues resolved now?”

“I’m not sure if ‘resolved’ is the right word. If someone wanted to make an issue out of it, they could at any time. There’s a consensus between the ruling and opposition parties, so it’s not a major problem, but there are always those who break agreements.”

Seok Dong-soo pushed up his thick-rimmed glasses. Kim Myung-chan frowned at the sight.

‘It’s creepy every time I see it.’

Minister of Economy and Finance, Seok Dong-soo.

He, who was once the most hostile to Kang Jin-ho and the Assembly, had now completely turned into Kang Jin-ho’s henchman. The word ‘henchman’ might be crude, but Kim Myung-chan couldn’t find a more suitable term.

People changing overnight?

It’s possible.

People can change at any time for the sake of profit. Especially in this world. It’s so common for someone who was fighting tooth and nail for freedom yesterday to suddenly shout that citizens have too much freedom today that there’s no need to give examples.

However, most of these changes and conversions can be explained by a single factor: ‘profit.’ Compared to the benefits one can gain, ideologies are trivial.

But Seok Dong-soo was different.

He had already secured support from China. Considering China’s power, he could have grown into a politician who could easily aim for a party representative position, if not the highest position. Perhaps even more.

But Seok Dong-soo threw all of that away and became a devout follower of the Kang Jin-ho faith.

‘That’s why it’s scary.’

What kind of trick did Kang Jin-ho use to turn Seok Dong-soo into his follower? And such a devout one at that.

“Prime Minister.”

Kim Myung-chan snapped his head up at Seok Dong-soo’s prompting.

“The data is fine. It’s roughly aligned for now, and it will all be lost in an accident soon enough.”

“When will it be discovered?”

“If it’s after five years, there won’t be any issues. If it’s revealed that the data disappeared within five years, a couple of staff members will have to resign, but we’ve already coordinated with them. They’ll be compensated well, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Five years…

That’s tricky.

With his power, he can prevent any problems from arising during his term. No, even after his term, there won’t be any issues until this regime changes. After all, this isn’t his will, but the will of those above.

But five years is a long time.

There’s no guarantee that the regime won’t change during that time.

“What about the Assembly? They must have their own plans?”

“They said they’ve also planted their own seeds on the other side, so it should be fine. I don’t know how well they understand the nature of this side…”

‘The nature of this side…’

Kim Myung-chan rubbed his chin.

Politics is like that from the start. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do to push your opponent down.

The world has changed, so you can’t kidnap influential politicians, grind them into pieces with machines, and scatter them into the sea like in the past, but there’s more slander than ever.

If the regime changes, someone will definitely try to bite this bait. The fact that the former regime’s leader colluded with a major corporation to manipulate accounting would be enough to drag the regime’s reputation to the depths of hell.

But…

‘There’s no need to worry.’

Based on his experience, the Assembly’s work is more meticulous than one might think. Especially when it comes to people. Those who converted Seok Dong-soo overnight and made him their puppet wouldn’t be incapable of managing even that much.

“But in my opinion, I think you still need to reassure them, Prime Minister.”

Kim Myung-chan quietly looked at Seok Dong-soo. Seok Dong-soo was staring back at him with unwavering eyes.

‘This is what they mean when they say fanatics are scary.’

They’re blind.

Right now, Seok Dong-soo probably thinks what he’s doing is perfectly natural. There’s not a hint of doubt in his eyes.

“Me?”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

“Is it really necessary? They’ll take care of it themselves anyway.”

“Of course. But if you step in, Prime Minister, it will be more certain. No matter how hard they try, they’re not politicians, are they? There’s no way they’d understand the nature of this side.”

Seok Dong-soo, who was saying that, was also a questionable person to call a politician.

They might all look similar on the outside, but there are purebloods in this game. Those who aren’t affiliated with a party and are brought in from the outside are bound to remain outsiders.

Seok Dong-soo was exactly that kind of person. He probably grabbed China’s hand because he knew his own limitations.

It was laughable that Seok Dong-soo was saying such things.

Well, if you were to nitpick, Kim Myung-chan couldn’t be called a pureblood either.

“It’s for the sake of the nation.”

“The nation…”

Kim Myung-chan nodded.

“I’ll arrange a meeting.”

“That’s a wise decision.”

“Alright. If there’s nothing else to discuss, let’s end it here.”

“Just one more thing…”

“What is it?”

Seok Dong-soo slightly adjusted his glasses again.

“How is the process of excluding pro-China politicians going? I’ve already provided you with the list.”

“As you know, it’s not an easy task.”

“Of course, it’s not easy. But isn’t that why we have to do it?”

Kim Myung-chan stared at Seok Dong-soo.

“Who are you working for?”

“Of course, I’m working for the nation.”

“I’m not sure if that’s true.

If we openly remove the pro-China faction, we don’t know how China will react, do we?”

“Isn’t it the job of politicians to mediate that?”

Kim Myung-chan bit his lip slightly. What he said was right, what he said.

“…There will be results soon.”

Seok Dong-soo smiled without answering.

Kim Myung-chan nodded with a blank face.

As Seok Dong-soo turned and left the room, Kim Myung-chan sighed deeply and took out a cigarette from the pack on his desk.

Click.

Kim Myung-chan slowly inhaled the cigarette smoke and then exhaled it nervously.

‘It feels like I’m being watched.’

And by a minister, no less.

Recently, the Assembly had been using Seok Dong-soo as a communication channel. Rather than contacting him directly, they would relay their messages through Seok Dong-soo. And Seok Dong-soo, a minister of a nation, would accept it and come running to the Prime Minister’s office.

Thanks to that, it had become impossible to avoid the Assembly’s contact and control the situation appropriately.

Perhaps the Assembly was using Seok Dong-soo without much thought. It was probably burdensome for them to contact the Prime Minister directly.

However, from Kim Myung-chan’s perspective, it wasn’t pleasant. It felt like the Assembly’s eyes were always on him.

“Hoo…”

Kim Myung-chan shook his head. It was an overthinking.

At least, based on what he had gathered so far, the Assembly wasn’t very interested in the political world. If they had intended to control the political world, there would have been more obvious movements.

Putting everything else aside, they would have chosen partners who could maintain a continuous relationship rather than him, who would lose influence after his term ended.

“For the sake of the nation…”

Seok Dong-soo’s words lingered in his mind.

Now, Kim Myung-chan couldn’t be sure either.

Was it really for the sake of the nation to accommodate the Assembly?

Or would it only result in protecting their interests?

He understood that the troublesome Murim world [martial arts world] had to exist.

The reason why the country doesn’t eradicate all organized crime is very simple.

Lack of manpower? Lack of information?

Those are just excuses. South Korea is not an easy country to deal with. If they were determined, they could make organized crime disappear from South Korea in a month.

The problem is what comes next.

After all, organized criminals are also human. When a position someone was filling becomes vacant, a new person fills it. If you eradicate organized crime, new organized crime will simply emerge.

The reason why organized crime exists is not because they like violence. It’s because there are illegal interests they can occupy. As long as those interests don’t disappear, organized crime will always reappear.

So, what should they do?

Keep arresting them as they appear?

Unfortunately, South Korea’s prisons are at full capacity.

That’s why the state tacitly acknowledges the existence of organized crime and turns a blind eye. Instead, they impose certain rules on them and demand that they abide by them.

It’s a hundred times easier to deal with seasoned organized criminals who know the rules than with new gangs full of nothing but recklessness.

The same goes for the Murim world.

In the first place, unless they eradicate all those Murim people, even if they disband the Assembly, a new organization will emerge. If they capture and isolate all the Murim people in South Korea, the riffraff from overseas will come pouring in.

So, they have to manage them.

The reason why Kim Myung-chan is backing the Assembly isn’t simply to increase tax revenue or receive favors. Anyone in his position would have made the same choice.

Cowardly?

Not at all.

If that’s cowardly, how would you explain why China, the United States, and Europe acknowledge the Murim world? This wasn’t something that could be controlled by the will of one or two people.

It’s better to sort things out now while someone who is at least reasonable is sitting in the position of the Assembly Head.

“Kang Jin-ho…”

Kang Jin-ho’s name slipped from Kim Myung-chan’s lips.

The Kang Jin-ho he had seen in person… well, what could he say?

He seemed ordinary. He was an endlessly ordinary-looking young man. If anything, Lee Hyun-soo, who was standing next to him, had a sharper and more intimidating impression.

If it weren’t for his slightly expressionless face, he was a man with a good enough impression to gain anyone’s favor.

But Kim Myung-chan knew.

The real monsters have faces like that.

Those who are called real heavyweights in the political world all have good impressions and are handsome. But inside them, there are dark things that ordinary people can’t even imagine.

The moment he saw Kang Jin-ho’s face, which was smiling normally, Kim Myung-chan felt an indescribable chill. It was as if he had stuck his head into the jaws of a monster.

But…

Kim Myung-chan slowly exhaled the cigarette smoke.

‘It’s a fait accompli [an irreversible action].’

Once you’ve ridden a tiger, there’s no option to get off. You have to go to the end, whether you live or die. Especially if what you’ve ridden isn’t a tiger, but a monster.

Above all…

‘My will doesn’t matter anyway.’

Kim Myung-chan stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up.

The person who will decide how to handle all of this isn’t him. Now, he has to listen to that person’s words.

In the spot where Kim Myung-chan had left, the cigarette that hadn’t been completely extinguished was quietly releasing white smoke.