Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 173

Betrayal’s End (3)

Oseonghoe [Five Stars Society, a private military organization] members arrived.

There were seven in each group.

Before the Oseonghoe entered the 7th-floor hall, the Taeyang Group security guards warned them.

“Entry is not allowed! Turn back!”

The Oseonghoe members pointed their guns.

“Who are these bastards?”

Some of them recognized the guards.

“These guys used to be under Lieutenant Colonel Kim Gwang-rok. They’re the ones who traded their military uniforms for suits.”

“That special forces unit that took down the North Korean army?”

“That’s right. That guy over there is a classmate from the Military Academy.”

“Why are these guys here?”

‘Did North Korean spies appear?’

“Just our bad luck.”

The skills of Kim Gwang-rok’s subordinates are well-known in the military.

The problem is that those guys are fully armed and have properly established a defense line.

‘It’s going to be hard to break through.’

The Taeyang Group security guards gave a final warning.

“Put down your guns! If you don’t turn back, you’ll die!”

At that moment, one of the Oseonghoe members spotted Jeon Du-ho in the VIP room.

“The Chief of the Security Command is over there!”

“He seems to be injured!”

“Rescue him!”

The Oseonghoe tries to force their way inside.

Kim Gwang-rok shouted loudly.

“Don’t be lenient. Confirm their affiliation.”

You are now affiliated with the Taeyang Group.

Forget the camaraderie you shared in the military.

“Yes, sir!”

Bang- Bang- Bang- Bang-

The Taeyang Group security guards quickly subdued the seven Oseonghoe members.

‘Aren’t they elite agents personally trained by Kim Gwang-rok?’

The skills they used to take down North Korean elites shone.

“Disarm them and get rid of them.”

They rush in, knock the Oseonghoe guys to the ground, and take their guns.

They quickly remove the bullets and search for hidden daggers and throwing weapons.

One of the Oseonghoe members secretly tries to pick up a military dagger that fell on the floor.

A Taeyang Group security guard pinned his hand to the floor with the dagger.

“Argh!”

No one could even set foot in the 7th-floor hall.

Kim Gwang-rok nodded.

“Good.”

The seven Oseonghoe members were thrown out into the hallway, but this commotion attracted other Oseonghoe members.

“Something happened on the 7th floor!”

“We’re going to the 7th floor!”

Hearing that, Park Jeong-hwan looked at his wristwatch.

“It’s about time.”

The entire Capital Defense Command is moving.

With tanks in the lead, military transport trucks will be mobilized and will rush into the Cheongil Hotel.

If that happens, the 70 armed forces of the Oseonghoe will be subdued in an instant.

Park Jeong-hwan looked at Tae-soo.

Tae-soo was still sitting in his chair, remaining calm and composed.

“You’re so relaxed.”

“It’s not something I need to step in for.”

“Yeah, it’s my fault for not managing my subordinates properly.”

Tae-soo’s subordinates are occupying the 7th-floor hall and doing their part properly.

“Two divisions and one brigade of the Capital Defense Command are coming. Can you hold off the Oseonghoe until then?”

‘Isn’t there something you need to take care of first?’

Tae-soo pointed to Jeon Du-ho.

“Are you going to let that guy live like that? Are you going to hand him over to the judiciary [court system]?”

“There’s one bullet left in this gun. Even if I hand him over, I’ll shoot him first.”

Either in the mouth or in the head.

The outside is noisy.

That’s because Oseonghoe members are flocking in.

Park Jeong-hwan looked at Kim Gwang-rok.

“You look strong. Grab that bastard by the collar and lift him up, so the kids can see him well.”

Kim Gwang-rok turned around, and Tae-soo nodded.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

Kim Gwang-rok lifted Jeon Du-ho by the collar.

Park Jeong-hwan said, without taking his eyes off Jeon Du-ho.

“Open the door.”

Kim Gwang-rok kicked the VIP room door open.

The door was torn off and flew away.

Jeon Du-ho struggled, but Kim Gwang-rok didn’t budge.

“Shit.”

Oseonghoe members and Taeyang Group security guards all focused on the inside of the VIP room.

Kim Gwang-rok grabbed Jeon Du-ho by the collar and lifted him up, and Park Jeong-hwan was smiling in front of him.

Park Jeong-hwan shouted loudly.

“I am Park Jeong-hwan!”

The president of this country.

He was also the dictator of absolute power who had been in military dictatorship for 10 years.

“Everyone knows who this bastard is, right?”

Why wouldn’t they know?

Isn’t he Jeon Du-ho, the Chief of the Army Security Command and the head of the Oseonghoe?

Park Jeong-hwan pointed the gun at Jeon Du-ho’s head.

“Do you know what this means? Throw away your weapons and surrender. You’re finished.”

It means the rebellion has failed.

Park Jeong-hwan, who should have been dead long ago, is alive and well, and Jeon Du-ho, who should have been enjoying victory, is captured and covered in blood.

‘It’s over.’

‘It’s done.’

The future of the rebels naturally comes to mind.

The hands of the Oseonghoe members trembled.

Then Jeon Du-ho shouted loudly.

“It’s not over yet! Shoot! Kill him!”

Yes, it’s not over yet.

Park Jeong-hwan has revealed himself, so just kill him.

An Oseonghoe member pointed a gun at Park Jeong-hwan.

The Taeyang Group security guards also pointed their guns at the Oseonghoe members.

Park Jeong-hwan shouted loudly.

“Put down your guns!”

Park Jeong-hwan looked at the Oseonghoe and smiled.

“If you don’t, I’ll kill not only your wives and children but also your parents and in-laws, and even your distant relatives.”

Park Jeong-hwan has the power to make this threat a reality.

The Oseonghoe’s agitation grew.

“Shoot! Shoot that bastard! It’s okay if I die, just shoot!”

“I’ll even give you a way out. If you piss on Jeon Du-ho’s head, I’ll spare you. Put down your guns.”

It’s the last betting time.

The conflict among the Oseonghoe members reached its peak.

Will they betray Jeon Du-ho, or will they go all the way to the end?

“If Park Jeong-hwan is alive, you’ll all die for treason! They say they’ll kill your families too! So shoot!”

The Oseonghoe members gritted their teeth.

“The dead can’t retaliate! Let’s die together!”

Then someone else took the lead.

“If you want to die, die alone, you bastard.”

Pow!

It was Kim Gwang-rok.

He instantly punched Jeon Du-ho in the face.

Jeon Du-ho’s teeth flew into the air.

It was such a powerful blow that you could see his nose turn.

“This bastard is still pouring shit on other people’s lives until the end?”

He incites the Oseonghoe to assassinate Park Jeong-hwan.

‘Isn’t even Kim Gwang-rok, who is caught in the middle, about to become a beehive [target of attack]?’

“Subdue them.”

The Taeyang Group security guards fired at the Oseonghoe all at once.

The scattered Oseonghoe couldn’t even respond properly and fell helplessly.

Jeon Du-ho bit his lip as he watched the scene.

‘Damn it! Is this really the end?’

He missed the golden last chance.

A smile leaked from Jeon Du-ho’s lips.

It was a self-deprecating smile.

“Heh heh. Heh. Heh heh heh.”

The Oseonghoe members who came from other floors stood blankly in the hallway on the 7th floor.

Several Oseonghoe members were lying dead on the hallway floor.

It was a situation that couldn’t help but cause agitation.

Park Jeong-hwan also smiled.

It was the smile of a victor.

“Du-ho, say it with your own mouth. That everything is over.”

“Kill me if you want.”

“If that’s your wish, I have to grant it.”

“I refuse to end up as a hunting dog.”

He gave up on the idea of buying time somehow.

So Jeon Du-ho’s mind became comfortable.

Park Jeong-hwan put the gun to Jeon Du-ho’s head.

“Shoot! Don’t worry about me, kill this bastard! That’s my last order!”

“Are you going to let your subordinates die like dogs again?”

“Usurped after the hunt. I just refused that fate. What’s wrong with that? It’s your fault for treating me like a hunting dog.”

Usurped after the hunt (兎死狗烹) [a Chinese idiom meaning that once someone has outlived their usefulness, they will be discarded or eliminated].

A hunting dog is boiled and killed after the rabbit hunt is over.

He couldn’t accept a fate with a predetermined end.

The result is what he achieves himself.

That’s how Jeon Du-ho has lived.

“Thanks to me, haven’t you been living in luxury and wielding power? There were plenty of hunting dogs to replace you. You should be honored.”

“The sense of accomplishment I get on my own is more valuable than the glory given to me by others.”

“Sense of accomplishment, my ass. Would you have even been able to get the position of Chief of the Security Command if I hadn’t given it to you?”

“Chief of the Security Command? It’s not enough. So I challenged the throne, and it just failed.”

He thought it was already wrong anyway.

He’s bleeding a lot from being shot.

In addition, he used up all his remaining strength fighting Park Jeong-hwan at the risk of his life.

As the hope he had been enduring with evil faded, even the energy he had been enduring with guts began to fade.

“You lost, Jeon Du-ho.”

“Hahahaha! But you don’t look happy to have won.”

Park Jeong-hwan’s face became even more distorted.

Even though the winner and loser were clearly divided, that bastard looks more relieved.

Right now, Park Jeong-hwan’s insides are rotting.

That’s why.

“Will the Oseonghoe members surrender to you, or will they follow you to the end with a desperate fight?”

He wanted to make Jeon Du-ho’s insides rot as well.

The loser should be upset and run wild, but it’s against the rules to have such a comfortable expression.

“I already said that I would only spare those who piss on your head.”

“That’s good. Very good. It’s the best. Hahahaha!”

“Laughing?”

“To think that I can be useful even as a corpse, what could be better than this.”

“I’m going to feed you piss in your mouth. You’ll be able to drink as much piss as you want before and after you die.”

“If my comrades, who are already destined to die for treason, can survive like that, there’s nothing better.”

The more he did, the more distorted Park Jeong-hwan’s expression became.

“You’re still laughing? There’s nothing better? Are you out of your mind?”

Cha Gi-beom and Jeon Du-ho must have all gone crazy.

“Hahaha, it doesn’t matter if you betray me. I’ll remember the hearts of those who decided to do this with their lives on the line.”

Suddenly, Park Jeong-hwan remembers what Jeon Du-ho used to say often.

-Once I decide to believe, I believe to the end.

There, Cha Gi-beom’s words overlapped.

-You’ve always doubted me for 15 years.

Jeon Du-ho’s words from earlier also came to mind.

-Betrayal? What was the end of those who offered their loyalty? Can’t you see that corpse over there?

-You’re the one who killed Cha Gi-beom in the end. The traitor is not Cha Gi-beom but Park Jeong-hwan.

I don’t want to hear it.

I don’t want to remember.

“The one who is worse than a traitor is the one who even mocks sincerity. The one who put Cha Gi-beom and my loyalty to the test, that’s not Han Cheong-ho but you, Park Jeong-hwan.”

I want to shut that mouth.

“Shut up! You should have passed the test and remained loyal to the end. Why do you have so much to say, you traitor?”

It’s all cowardly excuses.

He shoved the gun roughly into Jeon Du-ho’s throat.

Bang-

“I kept my word.”

He personally punished Jeon Du-ho’s three ends [likely referring to Jeon Du-ho’s past actions or betrayals].

He also kept his word to kill him.

Even the promise to shoot the last bullet.

Because the words of the supreme commander of this country are heavy and carry weight.

“Get out of here, you son of a bitch.”

Jeon Du-ho died without closing his eyes.

But his eyes were still mocking Park Jeong-hwan to the end.

-Jeon Du-ho’s time of death. May 18, 1975, 11:41 PM.

Park Jeong-hwan did not close Jeon Du-ho’s eyes.

Instead, he just shouted loudly.

“Drag this bastard out! I’ll only spare those who threw away their guns and piss on this bastard’s head!”

The words of the supreme commander must be kept.

Even if it was a provocation to turn the other person’s insides out.

“Kill all those who held guns to the end, not only their wives and children but also their parents, in-laws, and distant relatives!”

Even if a few die, it must be done unconditionally.

Because that is Park Jeong-hwan’s pride and face.

Park Jeong-hwan raised his head.

Tae-soo, sitting on a red, ornate throne, is propping up his chin and watching all of this closely.

Park Jeong-hwan gritted his teeth.

“Kang Tae-soo, how far are you going to watch?”

“To the very end of your bottom.”

Tae-soo reached out his hand.

He is offering the chair opposite Tae-soo.

He is overflowing with the composure as if to say that the final winner is not Park Jeong-hwan but Tae-soo.

Park Jeong-hwan glared at Tae-soo with a crumpled face.

“Yes, we still have a conversation left.”

Park Jeong-hwan walks over and sits in the chair.

Kim Gwang-rok picked up the overturned table and put it back in its place.

Kim Gwang-rok placed a pair of cigarette cases and a lighter with the Blue House mark on it in front of Park Jeong-hwan.

Park Jeong-hwan turned his eyes away when he saw the blood-stained lighter.

“Did you take it out of Gi-beom’s pocket?”

It’s the lighter that Cha Gi-beom had.

“Don’t if you don’t like it. There’s no one else who smokes here.”

Park Jeong-hwan opened the cigarette case nervously.

Inside, there was a yellowed piece of paper instead of cigarettes.

It was the written oath that Park Jeong-hwan wrote to his father-in-law.

Click.

Kim Gwang-rok finds Park Jeong-hwan’s cigarette case and puts it back on.

Park Jeong-hwan put a cigarette in his mouth.

No one lights Park Jeong-hwan’s cigarette.

“Kang Tae-soo, do even you look down on me? You saw the bottom, huh?”

Tae-soo took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

It was the letter of indemnity [guarantee of protection from legal consequences] that Park Jeong-hwan had written himself.

Tae-soo looked at his wristwatch and said.

“There’s still time left.”

The current time is 11:43 PM on May 18, 1975.

There are still 17 minutes left until the letter of indemnity expires.

Park Jeong-hwan lit his cigarette and asked.

“What did you use the money you stole from my safe for?”