Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1287

“A coup?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s mind raced.

A coup in North Korea.

It didn’t quite fit.

‘No, it’s not that strange.’

It was something that almost happened just a few years ago. There was constant concern about a coup during the process of the previous chairman’s death and the current chairman’s succession to power.

‘It’s just how people are.’

“Even if the power structure is firmly established, bowing one’s head to a young child is not so…”

Suddenly, Lee Hyun-soo stopped talking and subtly turned his head.

“…Why?”

“I didn’t mean to imply anything about the Chairman.”

“No, come to think of it, the Chairman seems younger than him…”

“…Just continue what you were saying.”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t intentional, but the atmosphere had softened a bit because of it.

“So… there are signs of a coup, and China is subtly supporting it from behind?”

“It hasn’t been determined whether the chicken or the egg came first. And which came first isn’t that important right now.”

“That’s true.”

The important thing is that there’s an attempt at a coup, not who’s leading it.

“As far as I know, there have been several coup attempts in North Korea already. But weren’t they all suppressed?”

“That’s correct.”

Kim Myung-chan readily nodded.

“There were more attempts than were known. But as you know, they were all suppressed, and the hereditary succession continued. However, this time is different. Until now, the North Korean leaders have been subtly protected by China. So, those attempting a coup couldn’t go too far. But this time, China is actually supporting the coup attempt.”

Kim Myung-chan took a sip of water and continued.

“In fact, the current Chairman of the National Defense Commission in North Korea doesn’t have as firm a position as his predecessors. He’s young, and he’s lost a lot of public support due to various issues. As a result, the coup forces are gaining strength. If you add China’s support to that…”

Kim Myung-chan sighed and said,

“We assess that the probability of a successful coup is very high.”

“…How high?”

“At least 90%.”

Ninety percent.

And that’s the minimum…

‘That means it’s going to succeed.’

If the failure rate is 10%, it’s a probability worth betting everything on. If it’s gotten to that point, the coup is definitely going to happen.

“Does the other side know?”

“Even if they know, nothing will change. The only way to survive is to defect to another country, but the military won’t let them.”

Ooh…

M…

Lee Hyun-soo frowned.

According to Kim Myung-chan, even after detecting the coup attempt, the situation has already tilted so much that resistance is impossible.

‘Has the situation gone that far?’

Feeling that the tables had turned, Lee Hyun-soo subtly opened his mouth.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Yes.”

“Is it really necessary to be so sensitive about this coup? Isn’t it already a mess? That pig bastard isn’t some kind of saint, and he kills people whenever he feels like it.”

“Of course, I can’t say he’s a good person. This isn’t something we can say publicly, but… politics isn’t about choosing who you like or dislike. It’s about choosing who benefits you and who doesn’t.”

“Benefits?”

“The government believes that the current Chairman of the National Defense Commission is necessary for the relationship with North Korea. Ri Gwang is a very radical person, and his perception of South Korea is very negative. Moreover, he’s a prominent pro-China figure.”

“He’s got all the elements that South Korea would hate.”

“Yes. Ri Gwang is too difficult to deal with. If he takes control of North Korea, not only will all the relationships we’ve built so far be ruined, but the tension on the Korean Peninsula is likely to escalate.”

“War?”

“If they have any sense, it won’t go that far. But increased tension on the Korean Peninsula means a decrease in overseas investment. Ordinary people will pay the price.”

Lee Hyun-soo quietly nodded.

‘Indeed.’

Is it worth protecting the current ruler of North Korea?

Frankly, Lee Hyun-soo doesn’t think so. But having an even worse person take control of North Korea would be a burden in many ways.

Kim Myung-chan slightly lowered his head.

“This is the situation. Chairman, I know this is something that could make you feel bad. But please understand that I’m not saying this just to serve the government’s interests.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a soft sigh.

He understood the situation. And he also understood that the situation wasn’t as bad as it sounded at first.

But whether he would do it himself was a separate issue.

“So…”

Kang Jin-ho took out a new cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it. Blowing out smoke, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.

“You want me to infiltrate North Korea, kill this Ri Gwang guy, and come back?”

“Absolutely not.”

Kim Myung-chan firmly shook his head.

Kang Jin-ho was the one who was taken aback.

“…Not?”

“Yes. We wouldn’t ask you to do something so absurd. That’s something that even North Korean agents who have received specialized training would find impossible. I’m not doubting your skills, Chairman… but this isn’t about killing him, it’s about not getting caught. We don’t want to take such a reckless risk.”

“…Then what do you want to ask of me?”

Kim Myung-chan smiled slightly.

He recognized that Kang Jin-ho had become a bit more cooperative.

“Fortunately, there’s an opportunity. According to the information we’ve obtained, Ri Gwang is likely to visit China next week.”

“China?”

“Yes. It seems he wants to directly contact high-ranking Chinese officials before the coup to get their approval.”

O…

W…

M…

He seemed to understand.

“If Ri Gwang dies in North Korea, it would be a problem, but if he dies in China, it would be difficult to shift the blame to another country?”

“I can’t say for sure, but it would be a much better situation than if he died in North Korea.”

“But will that solve the problem? The coup forces will still be there, won’t they?”

“Basically, those involved in a coup don’t know each other. They operate in a cell-like structure until right before the execution. That way, even if one side is caught, they won’t be completely wiped out.”

Kim Myung-chan drank some more water, as if his throat was dry.

Kim Myung-chan placed the water cup on the table with a thud and wiped his face with his sleeve.

Sweat was beading on his face. Anyone could tell how important he considered this matter.

“Therefore, if the central axis collapses, the coup will lose its power at once. We believe that by eliminating Ri Gwang, we can completely neutralize their attempt.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

He roughly understood the situation.

To summarize, there are signs of a coup in North Korea, and the person trying to start the coup is someone South Korea cannot welcome. So, it would be good to eliminate him if possible, and it just so happens that he’s visiting China next week.

The idea is to take that opportunity to go to China, eliminate Ri Gwang, and come back.

Lee Hyun-soo subtly sought Kang Jin-ho’s agreement with his eyes.

Kang Jin-ho nodded in agreement, and Lee Hyun-soo cleared his throat slightly and opened his mouth.

“I understand what the Prime Minister wants. But before that, I’d like to confirm a few things.”

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to use the special forces rather than us?”

“The risk is too high.”

Kim Myung-chan shook his head.

“Regardless of whether it’s actually possible or not, sending soldiers to another country’s territory and attempting an assassination is unacceptable.”

“When you get caught, you mean?”

“That’s right.”

Kim Myung-chan smiled awkwardly.

“In fact, killings are probably being carried out by states all over the world at this very moment. Ordinary people just don’t know about it. I don’t want to pretend to be clean either. However, the risk is too great compared to the benefits we could gain, so we can’t even think about trying it.”

“And we’re civilians, right?”

“Exactly.”

“That means… if we get caught, the government will wash their hands of us?”

“…That’s also correct.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Hyun-soo stroked his chin.

It was a very brazen statement, but it was ironic that he understood it. From the government’s perspective, they had no choice but to deny it. Otherwise, it could lead to a situation where war wouldn’t be surprising.

“So, in the end, we can’t expect any support, and we have to go to China on our own, assassinate a North Korean, and make it look like a natural death, then get out of China and return to South Korea on our own?”

Kim Myung-chan smiled awkwardly without answering.

Kim Myung-chan knew very well how unreasonable this request was.

“We refuse.”

But he didn’t expect the answer to come back so quickly and decisively.

“Chief Lee.”

“It’s an unreasonable request. There’s no reason to accept it.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“We’ll take responsibility for the issues related to drugs. We’ll protest if there are excessive disadvantages, but we’ll try to understand and accept them as much as possible. That’s the end of it. Exchanging this matter for that matter is not a trade.”

Lee Hyun-soo narrowed his eyes slightly.

“It’s blackmail.”

Kim Myung-chan flinched, looking flustered.

“That was absolutely not my intention.”

“When someone in power makes an unfair demand, it’s called blackmail.”

“…You’re overestimating me. I’m not as powerful as you think, and I’m not in a position to blackmail the General Assembly.”

“That’s for the person receiving it to decide.”

There was a knife hidden in his soft words.

Kang Jin-ho let out a soft sigh.

This kind of thing didn’t suit his temperament. And…

“Let’s stop here for today.”

Kang Jin-ho cut off the two men’s conversation.

“We all need time to organize our thoughts, so let’s meet again next time.”

“Chairman.”

Kim Myung-chan urgently called out to Kang Jin-ho.

“This isn’t for my benefit or the government’s benefit. If you’re suspicious, we can have the leader of the opposition party present. This is solely for the sake of patriotism.”

“So?”

“…Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Kim Myung-chan with indifferent eyes.

“So, what changes?”

Kim Myung-chan couldn’t say anything.

The words he finally managed to come up with after thinking for a long time sounded pathetic even to him.

“This is for the people of South Korea. If you make a decision, Chairman…”

“I’m sorry, but…”

Kang Jin-ho cut off Kim Myung-chan without listening to the end.

“Patriotism and sacrifice have meaning when they come voluntarily. The moment someone forces patriotism, it disappears.”

“A deal should be clean. Come back with a balanced offer. Then I’ll consider it one more time.”

Kang Jin-ho turned and walked out, and Lee Hyun-soo bowed his head to Kim Myung-chan before following Kang Jin-ho.