Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1402

“Your grandson will be on trial soon. A guilty verdict is almost certain.”

“I suppose so.”

“The bribery charges seem to be escalating beyond expectations. It’s like a string of beads, with more and more people getting implicated.”

“Won’t they stop at some point? If they dig too deep, they’ll have to expose the Blue House [the presidential residence and office] and the National Assembly. Surely they won’t go that far… You can’t burn down the whole house to catch a few fleas.”

“We’ve also uncovered evidence of your son’s embezzlement.”

“It’s been a long time since I cut ties with him.”

“And…”

Lee Jong-wook bit his lip slightly before speaking.

“The charge of ordering a murder is almost certain. The Chinese side is continuously leaking related information through the media. We’re trying to contact China through every possible channel, but they’ve practically cut off all communication with us, as if they’ve declared a state of severance. It seems they’ve made up their minds.”

“If they hadn’t made up their minds, they wouldn’t have started this in the first place.”

Although all the issues were related to Kim Myung-chan and not Lee Jong-wook, Kim Myung-chan was relaxed and composed, while Lee Jong-wook couldn’t hide his anxiety.

“Prime Minister…”

Lee Jong-wook bit his lip slightly before speaking.

“Everything you’ve built will crumble. You’ll no longer be remembered as a proud democratic activist, and your achievements as the Prime Minister who developed South Korea will be denied. And everything you’ve done in the political world…”

“I know.”

Kim Myung-chan nodded calmly.

“But what can I do about it?”

“Prime Minister.”

“You must know who’s behind all this. If it’s internal information, no one knows more than you do right now.”

Lee Jong-wook lowered his head slightly.

Kim Myung-chan was right. He knew very well who was orchestrating this.

The very people who, until recently, were trying to destroy Kang Jin-ho with Kim Myung-chan, those he should call colleagues, were now pouring all their efforts into burying Kim Myung-chan.

“Tell me, did Kang Jin-ho offer them a way out?”

“…Yes, he did.”

“I thought so.”

Kim Myung-chan stubbed out his finished cigarette in the ashtray and took out a new one, placing it in his mouth.

“Maybe it’s a good thing. At least they’re people I thought were walking the same path as me, not stabbing me in the back of their own volition.”

Isn’t that the same as acting of their own volition?

He wanted to ask, but he couldn’t.

“They’re terrified.”

“By bringing you down, they’ve realized that they could be next. That fear is driving them to destroy you even more thoroughly. They’re doing anything to escape Kang Jin-ho’s gaze.”

“Chuckles.”

Kim Myung-chan chuckled softly.

“The South Korean government has become a laughingstock. Begging a single individual for their lives.”

Kim Myung-chan took a sip of his coffee and leaned back on the sofa.

“Well, I’m the one who created this mess, so I can’t really say anything.”

Kim Myung-chan gave a bitter smile.

“Prime Minister, they…”

“Enough.”

Kim Myung-chan waved his hand, cutting off Lee Jong-wook.

“I know. How could I not know? I’m not an idiot. Information that only I and they know is being openly reported in the media. How could I not know?”

“When have I not stabbed someone in the back myself?”

“But they’re not just anyone.”

“Look here. Colleagues, friends, those are words for people with time to spare. There are no colleagues or friends in hell. The only difference is that I’ve fallen into hell, and they’re only halfway in.”

Kim Myung-chan laughed as if he found it amusing.

“What difference does it make if I know I can’t escape hell no matter what I do?”

“Prime Minister.”

Lee Jong-wook bit his lower lip tightly.

He had been debating whether to say this since he came here. But in the end, Lee Jong-wook had no choice but to say it.

“It’s not that there’s no way out.”

Kim Myung-chan looked at the ceiling without answering. And Lee Jong-wook didn’t wait for Kim Myung-chan’s reply.

“You haven’t completely collapsed yet. There’s someone who can resolve all of this at once.”

Kim Myung-chan’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Who can resolve what even the President can’t?”

“There’s one person who has more influence than the President when it comes to this matter. You must know who I’m talking about.”

Kim Myung-chan stared at Lee Jong-wook silently.

“Are you talking about Kang Jin-ho?”

“Yes, I am.”

Kim Myung-chan silently picked up his tumbler and took a sip of coffee. After staring at the coffee in the tumbler for a long time, Kim Myung-chan let out a low sigh.

It was incredibly heavy.

“That’s a bad joke.”

“It’s not a joke.”

“Look here, Lee.”

Kim Myung-chan said with a smile.

“He and I are enemies.”

“Prime Minister, in this world…”

“I know. There are no eternal friends, and no eternal enemies. It’s common in politics. But, you see, that’s only true when each side can benefit the other. What benefit can I possibly offer Kang Jin-ho now?”

“There is one.”

“…What did you say?”

“I said there is one.”

Kim Myung-chan’s gaze met Lee Jong-wook’s in the air.

Lee Jong-wook opened his mouth, looking at Kim Myung-chan with determined eyes.

“It’s precisely because of this situation that you can do something.”

Lee Jong-wook’s tone was laced with determination.

“Even Kang Jin-ho can’t fix everything that’s happened to you. What he can resolve is not your surroundings, but the charges against you.”

“…I suppose so.”

“With just that, you’ll lose everything. In the end, all you’ll have left is your remaining assets and your freedom.”

Kim Myung-chan laughed hollowly.

It was a fact he already knew, but hearing it from someone else made him feel utterly empty.

“So, you’re saying that if I want to crawl out of this with my body intact and live out my remaining years in peace, I should bow my head to Kang Jin-ho and beg for forgiveness?”

“…Prime Minister.”

Complex emotions flickered across Kim Myung-chan’s face.

Whether it was anger, sadness, or some other emotion, Lee Jong-wook couldn’t tell. What was clear was that Kim Myung-chan was in a whirlwind of intense emotions that Lee Jong-wook couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“Do you think he’ll forgive me if I do that?”

“Probably not. But you have something to offer in return, don’t you? Information worth trading for your life.”

“Aren’t you resentful?”

“You didn’t do this alone. You were just the one who took the fall. If you had succeeded in destroying Kang Jin-ho, everyone would have shared the spoils. But when things went wrong, they avoided responsibility and let you fall into hell. No. They’re pushing you into hell.”

The cigarette smoke dissipated into the air.

Kim Myung-chan’s already haggard face seemed to have aged several years in that short time.

“If you expose their corruption and destroy them, you can survive. Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t want to leave them alone either. This is a deal.”

Kim Myung-chan looked at the ceiling without answering.

It was falling.

The ceiling was falling, he was falling, the world was falling.

“Before…”

“…Yes.”

“Didn’t you say that the reason you were trying to persuade Kang Jin-ho was to prevent the country from collapsing? That you didn’t want the people to suffer because of me and the regime?”

“It’s not that I don’t want it, but I can’t understand it. There’s no reason why they should suffer for your sins.”

“Whatever. Then why are you saying this now?”

Lee Jong-wook’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…Because I thought there was no future if we left them alone.”

“Because they’re corrupt?”

Kim Myung-chan chuckled.

“Do you think anything will change if we replace them? The reason we were able to seize power was because we were slightly cleaner than the opposition.”

“I know. I think so too.”

“Then aren’t we just making things worse by trying so hard?”

“I was afraid of that too. But not anymore.”

“Why not?”

Lee Jong-wook said with a calm gaze.

“Because I realized that what’s more terrifying than changing for the worse is not changing at all. Being slightly better than others shouldn’t be an excuse for everything. Those who hold power should fear their own power. They need to know that holding power isn’t the end, that they can be destroyed at any time. That’s the only way to prevent corruption.”

Kim Myung-chan stared at Lee Jong-wook silently.

Looking at the passion in his eyes, he kept thinking of the past.

‘Was my gaze like that in the past?’

There was a time when he was fearless.

What would the Kim Myung-chan of that time say if he saw the Kim Myung-chan of now?

Kim Myung-chan nodded slowly.

“I understand what you mean.”

“Prime Minister.”

“I’m not trying to be vague. I understand what your words mean. But this isn’t a conversation for you and me.”

“I understand that you want to mediate, but don’t overstep your bounds. This is something that Kang Jin-ho and I have to do.”

“You can’t meet Kang Jin-ho here, can you?”

“Why do you think that?”

Kim Myung-chan smiled faintly.

“Look here, do I look like I have anything left to lose?”

“…What?”

“I have nothing left to lose. I’m ruined. Now, I’ll just grow old in this small prison cell.”

“Don’t you understand?”

Kim Myung-chan’s eyes slowly turned red.

The capillaries in his eyes, strained to the limit, began to burst.

“I’m at the bottom of hell right now.”

His face flushed.

“You can’t even imagine what I’m going through. Every day, my life is being destroyed, my soul is being shattered. And everything I’ve built is collapsing. How do you think it feels to watch this happen while still alive?”

“…I understand.”

“Understand? Ha, haha!”

Kim Myung-chan laughed hysterically. Seeing the madness in his eyes, Lee Jong-wook closed his eyes tightly.

“You don’t understand. You’ve never been to hell. Do you know how I feel right now? If I could just get out of this situation, I could walk into the Agency for National Security Planning [a South Korean intelligence agency] with a smile. I feel like I could joke around with the torturer, that human butcher, whom I’ve hated my whole life.”

“Prime Minister…”

Lee Jong-wook’s eyes were filled with pity.

“Do you know why I’m still alive?”

“Because he’ll come for me soon.”

Kim Myung-chan’s expression was beyond description. As if he had all the emotions of the world on his face, Kim Myung-chan muttered in a low, chilling voice.

“He’ll come soon, soon. Because this is hell. He said he’d come when I fell to the bottom of hell. Hehe, hehehe.”

Lee Jong-wook raised his hand and covered his face.

Why did it turn out like this?

Only Kim Myung-chan’s low laughter and Lee Jong-wook’s low breathing echoed softly in the room.