Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1272

“Hey, senior, did you hear about this?”

“About what?”

“You know, that drug that caused a stir recently.”

Ha Gwang-shik frowned at Park Gyu-yeon’s words.

“You mean that new drug called TOD or something?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“A stir? You idiot. It hasn’t even become a real stir yet. If that stuff spreads properly, it won’t end like this.”

Ha Gwang-shik’s face contorted.

‘It really won’t end like this.’

Ordinary people understand drugs simply as ‘drugs.’ They see them as addictive and hallucinogenic substances, generally bad.

But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that there are many different types of drugs, each with different effects. They are broadly classified as hallucinogens, stimulants, and depressants, but this is just a convenient way to categorize them.

‘That’s not the important thing.’

What’s important about drugs isn’t what kind of effect they have. What determines the danger of a drug is how quickly it destroys the body and how addictive it is.

Because a hundred times more people die from drugs than cause accidents while on them.

The new drug, TOD, that has started circulating in Korea is dangerous precisely because of its addictiveness. It was said that even cocaine and heroin, which are considered synonymous with drugs, were just mild hallucinogens compared to TOD.

“But why are you bringing that up?”

“They say it’s all gone.”

“What?”

“All the drugs that were out there have disappeared.”

Ha Gwang-shik narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, isn’t it just that the supply hasn’t come in? Or maybe the drug squad caught a shipment and they’re keeping quiet about it.”

“It doesn’t seem like that. The police are also busy trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“Really?”

“Have you been living under a rock?”

Ha Gwang-shik shook his head.

‘What the hell is going on?’

The saying that South Korea is a drug-free country is a thing of the past. As those in the know are aware, a wide variety of drugs are circulating in South Korea. What’s been revealed is just the tip of the iceberg. Even at this moment, drugs are being traded, and someone is becoming addicted.

TOD was an anomaly in that situation.

Its low price, unbelievable addictiveness, and colorless, odorless nature that even evaded crackdowns.

‘It’s a subspecies, a subspecies.’

If it started circulating properly, even Ha Gwang-shik couldn’t guess what the end would be. That was TOD.

But that drug disappeared in an instant?

“Does that make sense? If the supply is cut off, the junkies would be going crazy with bloodshot eyes.”

“Yes. They are going crazy.”

“What?”

“Hospitals and drug rehabilitation centers are overflowing with junkies.”

Ha Gwang-shik’s eyes widened.

“There must be an embargo, of course.”

“Yes. They say an official notice came down.”

“Anyway, those bastards. What’s the point of hiding it? They should let people know so they can be aware and take action.”

“The government has its reasons.”

“Whose side are you on, you bastard!”

“The side with power.”

“…You’ll live well.”

Ha Gwang-shik, who nodded lightly, waved his hand.

“Okay, go away.”

“If you dig into this, there might be something to write an article about?”

“I’m not interested.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I said I’m not interested, you idiot. Go away.”

“No, you should be interested, senior…”

“Ah, is this guy for real?”

As Ha Gwang-shik was about to get angry, Park Gyu-yeon smiled and waved his finger.

“If you get angry now, you’ll regret it. A magic might happen where pork belly turns into beef.”

Ha Gwang-shik calmed his expression. When Park Gyu-yeon acted like this, it meant he had definitely brought something back.

As a reporter, his sense of duty was close to zero, but his abilities were undeniable. That’s why Ha Gwang-shik tried to work with Park Gyu-yeon.

“What? Spit it out.”

“What are you going to buy me?”

“Is this guy messing with me? I need to see what information you brought before I decide what to buy!”

“Make sure you settle the bill properly.”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me. What is it?”

“It’s about that Kang Jin-ho.”

Ha Gwang-shik’s eyes flashed open.

He was already frustrated because he couldn’t get any more information about Kang Jin-ho no matter how much he dug. But now that Park Gyu-yeon had mentioned Kang Jin-ho, he couldn’t help but get excited.

“Kang Jin-ho? What about Kang Jin-ho?”

“To be precise, it’s not about Kang Jin-ho, but about that man.”

“Who?”

“You know, Seok Dong-soo.”

“…Seok Dong-soo?”

The Minister of Economy and Finance.

According to Ha Gwang-shik’s investigation, he was classified as a pro-MK faction along with Kim Myung-chan, the Prime Minister of South Korea.

“Why Seok Dong-soo?”

“It seems that Seok Dong-soo is involved in this incident.”

“…What?”

Ha Gwang-shik frowned.

What nonsense is this?

“Are you saying Seok Dong-soo is involved with drugs?”

If Seok Dong-soo, a minister of South Korea, or someone around him was addicted to TOD, it would be a huge scandal. The regime could be shaken.

“No, no. You’re jumping to conclusions. It’s not like that.”

“…If it’s not that?”

“There are rumors that Seok Dong-soo is subtly blocking the investigation.”

“What kind of nonsense is that, you idiot! Even if Seok Dong-soo is the Minister of Economy and Finance, how can he block a police investigation?”

“It’s true, I’m telling you.”

Ha Gwang-shik’s eyes narrowed.

“I heard from an informant in the National Police Agency that pressure is coming from all sides. It seems they’re trying to cover it up.”

“…Cover it up?”

“Yes. Not only Seok Dong-soo, but pressure is coming from other sides as well. Anyway, those high-ranking officials mentioned Seok Dong-soo’s name several times.”

His head was getting complicated.

“Seok Dong-soo is trying to cover up a drug case.”

“Doesn’t it smell fishy?”

Ha Gwang-shik’s eyes gleamed.

‘It doesn’t make sense logically.’

There’s no reason for Seok Dong-soo to be involved in this. If he made a mistake, Seok Dong-soo’s political career, and even his life, could be ruined.

Yet, Seok Dong-soo is deliberately interfering….

“Someone around him is involved with drugs.”

“That’s right! And it’s someone so critical that if they get caught, his own life would be ruined. But after investigating, it seems there’s no one with a problem among Seok Dong-soo’s family or acquaintances.”

“Are you sure?”

“His sons are all in the United States.”

“…Why in the United States?”

“The eldest son works at a company, and the younger son is in college.”

“Those damn politicians, they must have put honey in the United States. They can’t stand to see their children in Korea.”

“Anyway, that’s how it is, and his wife has been spotted a few times. If she were suffering from withdrawal symptoms, she wouldn’t be able to move around like that.”

“That’s right.”

“So, if it’s not a family member, it’s someone else, but honestly, it doesn’t seem like a case worth risking his political career for.”

Ha Gwang-shik understood what Park Gyu-yeon was trying to say.

“So…”

“Yes. Doesn’t it smell fishy?”

“Hmm…”

“The money earned from TOD must be enormous. It easily exceeds tens of billions of won [tens of millions of USD]. If you consider all the money earned from the beginning until now, it would easily exceed hundreds of billions of won [hundreds of millions of USD].”

“If one person monopolized it, that would be the case.”

“Then where did all that money go?”

Ha Gwang-shik narrowed his eyes.

“Are you suspecting MK right now?”

“Hey, no. I can’t say that out loud. But something is fishy. Those guys, who we don’t even know what they do, have so much money that they’re building buildings in Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul]. And you confirmed it last time. Those buildings were built with cash, without any loans.”

“…That’s right.”

“They’re not even a major corporation, so how is that possible? How many people in South Korea have that much cash?”

Ha Gwang-shik looked at Park Gyu-yeon with serious eyes.

“Do you know that if we get this wrong, we’ll both be screwed?”

“Hey, no. I’m just giving you information. Whether you bite or not is up to you, senior.”

“You bastard.”

Ha Gwang-shik got up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going for a smoke, you idiot. Come with me.”

“Yes.”

As soon as they came down the building and entered the smoking area, Ha Gwang-shik took out a cigarette.

After quickly lighting it, Ha Gwang-shik took a deep drag.

“What do you think, senior?”

“What do I think?”

Ha Gwang-shik chuckled.

There were too many suspicious points.

An abnormally large amount of cash, a company whose business is unknown, the protection of powerful figures, and drugs.

‘The pieces fit together so perfectly that it’s almost not suspicious.’

Ha Gwang-shik’s brow furrowed.

“You’re getting wrinkles.”

“Hey, Gyu-yeon.”

“Yes, senior.”

“What will come out if we dig into this?”

“I don’t know. But did we ever start something with the certainty that something would come out? Sometimes you dig and find gold, and sometimes you find rocks.”

Ha Gwang-shik pictured Kang Jin-ho’s face in his mind.

A clean and handsome face, but….

‘That bastard, he’s definitely a piece of trash you shouldn’t associate with.’

His gut, which had seen countless criminals and villains, was telling him. He looked fine on the outside, but his insides were rotten to the core.

‘He’s not just a clueless third-generation chaebol [a wealthy family heir]. He’s not a thug, but a real villain.’

It felt like he had killed and buried one or two people. If it weren’t for that feeling, Ha Gwang-shik wouldn’t be so obsessed with Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho and drugs….

As Ha Gwang-shik continued to frown, Park Gyu-yeon, noticing Ha Gwang-shik’s expression, cautiously asked.

“Are you worried that things are getting too big?”

“No, it’s not that….

What should I say….

There’s a subtle sense of incongruity.

Kang Jin-ho and drugs don’t really seem to fit. Of course, it doesn’t mean that Kang Jin-ho is a nobody who wouldn’t touch drugs. It’s more than that….”

“Let’s dig into it for now.”

“It’s not ‘let’s dig into it,’ but ‘you dig into it.’ I’m not doing it.”

“If I’m about to die, I’ll just say you were the one who brought it up.”

“…Do you have even a shred of conscience?”

“So, stop playing tricks and dig deeper into Seok Dong-soo. I have a place to check separately.”

“I don’t know if this is the right thing to do.”

“That’s what a reporter is, you idiot. Move quickly.”

“You have to settle the bill properly before that. What are you going to buy me?”

“Here.”

“Huh?”

As Ha Gwang-shik handed something over, Park Gyu-yeon unconsciously took it.

Park Gyu-yeon’s face contorted as he looked at the ten thousand won bill [approximately 7.50 USD] in his hand.

“Don’t go hungry while reporting, buy yourself a convenience store lunch. I’m giving it to you because it’s you.”

“I guarantee you, senior, you’re going to hell.”

“Life is hell, you idiot. Stop playing tricks and go find out quickly.”

“Tch.”

Watching Park Gyu-yeon’s back as he walked back to the office, Ha Gwang-shik slowly took a drag of his cigarette.

‘Seok Dong-soo, MK, and Kang Jin-ho… There’s definitely a connection between this and Kang Jin-ho. This is a reporter’s intuition.’

‘If I dig into it, something will come out.’

If something is caught, that’s enough.

Then, based on that, he can dig in properly.

Ha Gwang-shik repeated Kang Jin-ho’s name several times as he walked into the office.