Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1412. Closure (2)

“Sir, your grandson’s trial will begin soon. But his guilty verdict is all but a certainty at this point,” said Yi Jong-Wuk.

Kim Myeong-Chan lifelessly muttered, “I’m not surprised to hear that.”

“As for your bribery charges... The situation is escalating only further, sir. The more the investigators dig in, the more improprieties they discover, you see.”

“Really? I figured they would stop at a certain point, though. Digging any deeper might lead them to certain people in the Blue House and the National Assembly, so they shouldn’t let it go that far... Can’t really afford to set the house on fire just to catch a few lice, now can they?”

“Sir, they also found signs of your son’s fraudulent activities, as well.”

“I don’t care. We’ve been estranged for years, anyway.”

“Also...”

Yi Jong-Wuk subtly bit his lip before finishing his impromptu briefing session.

“You will most certainly be tried for the attempted assassination and found guilty, sir. The Chinese have been using their media to continuously release damaging information to the public, you see... We’ve been trying to reach them via every available channel, but they are ignoring our attempts as if they want nothing to do with us. It seems they are quite determined to see this through.”

“Indeed. They wouldn’t have started this thing without that level of resolve, anyway.”

Even though all these things concerned Kim Myeong-Chan and his future, he remained frustratingly unperturbed. Meanwhile, it was Yi Jong-Wuk who fretted anxiously instead.

“Prime Minister...”

Yi Jong-Wuk bit his lip again.

“Everything you’ve achieved will be trampled on, sir. You won’t be remembered as a proud fighter who fought for this country’s democracy. And your legacy, everything you’ve done to change this country into something better, they will be struck off the records, too. All the good work you’ve done in the political sphere, they all will...!”

“Yes, I already know,” said Kim Myeong-Chan with a calm nod. “But so what? What does it matter?”

“Sir!”

“I’m sure you already know who’s behind this situation. As far as information regarding the government is concerned, surely no one knows more than you.”

“...”

Yi Jong-Wuk lowered his head, his words faltering.

Kim Myeong-Chan was on the money. It was true that Yi Jong-Wuk knew who instigated this situation. The people who worked together with Kim Myeong-Chan to destroy Kang Jin-Ho, people who should have been allies, were now hell-bent on burying the former Prime Minister out of existence.

“Now, speak. Has Kang Jin-Ho given them a lifeline?”

Yi Jong-Wuk replied without looking up. “Yes... That is so.”

“I see. I had a feeling that’s what happened.”

Kim Myeong-Chan stubbed the burnt-out cigarette on the ashtray, then mouthed a new one.

“I guess it’s something to feel relieved about. I used to think those people and I shared an ideal, after all. At least now I know they aren’t voluntarily stabbing me in the back.”

Wasn’t this voluntary, though? Yi Jong-Wuk wanted to ask that, but that question refused to leave his throat. Instead, something else crawled out of his mouth instead.

“Sir... They are terrified right now.”

“...?”

“They must’ve realized something while trying to destroy you. They must’ve realized that... The next one to get destroyed might be them instead. It’s this fear that’s driving them to destroy you so thoroughly. So that they wouldn’t get on Kang Jin-Ho’s bad side again.”

“Kuk... kukuku...!”

Kim Myeong-Chan cackled quietly.

“The Korean government has become so pathetic lately, hasn’t it? To think the higher-ups of this country would beg one of its citizens to spare them.”

He then took a swig of the coffee, before leaning against the couch again.

“Then again, whom am I to judge? When I was the one responsible for creating this situation in the first place?”

Kim Myeong-Chan chuckled wryly.

Yi Jong-Wuk raised his head. “Prime Minister, we...”

“No, it’s fine,” said Kim Myeong-Chan with a dismissive hand wave to cut Yi Jong-Wuk off. “I’ve figured it out already. How could I not? It’s not like I’ve suddenly become a moron. The information only I and the ones at the top knew got leaked to the media, after all.”

“...”

“Of course, it’s not like I’ve never stabbed someone in the back before.”

“Sir, we’re not talking about some random strangers here.”

“Look, Yi-gun. Only the folks with enough leeway can talk about having friends and allies. In hell, there are no such luxuries. What’s separating me from them is that I’m already in hell, while they have a foot through the door.”

Kim Myeong-Chan suddenly burst into a refreshed guffaw.

“I can never escape this hell no matter what I try, so knowing who’s doing this to me won’t change anything, no?”

“Sir...”

Yi Jong-Wuk chewed on his lips, hard.

He kept agonizing about whether to say this to Kim Myeong-Chan or not while driving up to this place. However, now that he sat here... He knew he must get it off his chest.

“Sir, it’s not like you don’t have any options left.”

Kim Myeong-Chan stopped guffawing and stared at the ceiling in silence.

Yi Jong-Wuk didn’t wait for the former Prime Minister’s response and carried on. “You have not been brought down completely yet, sir. Because there is still one person left who can fix this situation for you.”

Kim Myeong-Chan furrowed his brow. “Even the President can’t do anything here, so who are you even talking about?”

“You know there’s one other person with even greater influence than the President, sir.”

Kim Myeong-Chan glanced at Yi Jong-Wuk, his eyes narrowing. “Are you talking about Kang Jin-Ho?”

“Yes.”

Kim Myeong-Chan wordlessly reached out toward the tumbler again. He took a sip, then stared into the dark liquid for a long, long time.

Eventually, though, a lengthy sigh left his lips. And it was an incredibly weighty sigh, too.

“That was not funny, Yi-gun.”

“I wasn’t trying to be, sir.”

“Look,” Kim Myeong-Chan forced a bright smile on his face. “That man and I are enemies. So it’s not going to happen.”

“But sir! You know there is no...”

“Yes, yes. I know. There are no eternal enemies or friends in this world. Which is pretty common in politics. But the thing is... Such a thing is only possible when each party has something to offer to the other side. Look at me, Yi-gun. What can I possibly offer to Kang Jin-Ho?”

“But you do have something, sir.”

“...Say what?”

“I’m saying you do have something of value.”

The two men’s gazes collided in mid-air.

Yi Jong-Wuk remained unfazed as he explained himself. “Sir, it’s precisely because you’re in this state that you now have this option available to you.”

A hint of wrath and determination could be spied in his voice just then.

“Even Mister Kang wouldn’t be able to fix every problem trying to drown you right now. The best he can do is get rid of the allegations against you, but not against the people in your life.”

Kim Myeong-Chan slowly nodded. “Sure... I guess that sounds logical.”

“That alone would mean the end of your story. You’d have lost everything by then. And what you’re left with would be your freedom and a bit of money that hadn’t been taken away.”

Kim Myeong-Chan hollowly chuckled just then. He already knew all that, but hearing someone else say it to his face left him with a crippling, hollow feeling.

“Oh, so... If I want to crawl out of here and spend the rest of my life in relative comfort, you want me to kowtow to Kang Jin-Ho and beg for his forgiveness? Is that it?”

“Sir...!”

A complicated expression filled Kim Myeong-Chan’s face. Was that rage or sorrow? Maybe something else? Yi Jong-Wuk had no way of figuring it out. But one thing was for certain: the former Prime Minister must be under an intense storm of emotions right now.

“Do you really think Kang Jin-Ho will forgive me?”

“No, he won’t. However, don’t you already have something of value? Something you can use as a bargaining chip? Yes, I’m talking about information you know. Information that should be worth your life.”

“...”

“Aren’t you angry? Don’t you think this is unfair?”

“...”

“You did not do this alone, sir. No, you merely executed everyone’s mandate, that’s all. If you had succeeded in destroying Kang Jin-Ho, everyone would have shared the fruits of your labor. But now that things went sideways, they don’t want to take the responsibility and instead shoved you into hell as their patsy. No, let me correct that. They are still shoving you deeper into hell!”

The cigarette smoke scattered into the office’s air. Kim Yeong-Chan’s already aged face seemed to get several years older as he sat there and listened.

“As long as you expose their corruption, you can survive this, sir! Mister Kang won’t let them be, after all. Yes, what I’m proposing is a trade with him.”

Kim Myeong-Chan silently stared at the ceiling. It seemed to be coming down. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The ceiling was sinking lower, and so did he. No, the whole world must be sinking instead.

“Before all that...” Kim Myeong-Chan quietly asked.

“Sir?”

“Didn’t you once tell me that you wanted to persuade Kang Jin-Ho to prevent the catastrophe of this country’s destruction? That you hated the idea of your fellow citizens going through untold hardship after I, along with the rest of the administration, fell?”

“Rather than hate, it’s more like I couldn’t understand, sir. I didn’t see why the rest of us must suffer because of your misdeeds.”

“Yes, sure. Whatever it is, it’s all good. So, then. Why are you telling me this now?”

Yi Jong-Wuk’s expression crumpled a little. “I... It’s because I now believe this country won’t have a good future with those people still in charge.”

“Oh, really? Because they are corrupt?”

“...”

Kim Myeong-Chan cackled again. “What do you think will change by getting rid of those people? Our side only managed to seize the power because we were slightly less corrupt than the opposition. That’s all.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Then, you want all your hard work to result in this country’s leadership becoming even more corrupt than now?”

“Initially, I was also afraid of that. But not anymore, sir.”

“Oh? And why not?”

Yi Jong-Wuk’s expression became much more withdrawn. Cold.

“That’s because now I know that what I’m afraid of isn’t things getting worse, but things potentially not improving, sir. The so-called wisdom of choosing the lesser of the two evils shouldn’t be used as an excuse to avoid facing the problem head-on.

“Those wielding power must learn to fear this power. They need to remember that having power does not make them untouchable. That they can be brought down at any time. Only then would they think twice about being corrupt.”

Kim Myeong-Chan listened while studying Yi Jong-Wuk’s passion-filled eyes. For some reason, he kept remembering his past self.

Did the light in his eyes back then also burn as passionately as Yi Jong-Wuk’s now?

There was a time many, many years ago when Kim Myeong-Chan was not afraid of anything. What would that version say after taking one gander at his current self?

Kim Myeong-Chan slowly nodded. “I understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Prime Minister...”

“No, listen. I’m not trying to brush you off. I get what you’re saying. Really. It’s just that... I shouldn’t be having this conversation with you, Yi-gun.”

“...”

“I understand your desire to help. To be the middleman. But don’t get too full of yourself. This matter is something Kang Jin-Ho and I should discuss on our own.”

Yi Jong-Wuk frowned again. “But sir, how do you expect to speak to Mister Kang from here?”

“What makes you think I can’t?”

“...?”

Kim Myeong-Chan faintly smirked. “Let me ask you something. Do I look like I still have things left to lose?”

“I... I don’t follow, sir.”

“No, I don’t have anything left to lose. I’m completely finished. Destroyed. And I’ll spend the rest of my life rotting away in a tiny prison cell.”

“...”

“Don’t you get it?”

Kim Myeong-Chan’s eyes quickly grew bloodshot as vessels in his eyeballs burst one after the other.

“I’m wallowing in the pits of hell, Yi-gun!”

Even Kim Myeong-Chan’s face had gotten flushed red.

“You have no idea how I feel in this place! My life, my soul, is being destroyed every single day! My legacy, everything I’ve built up! They are being ripped to shreds! Do you know what it’s like to watch that happen right before your eyes?!”

“No... But I think I can imagine it, sir.”

“You can imagine? Hah! Hahaha!”

Kim Myeong-Chan cackled ominously. The madness now evident in his expression even made Yi Jong-Wuk squeeze his eyes shut.

“You understand nothing! Because you’ve never been in hell before. Do you know what I’m feeling right now? If I can overcome this situation somehow, I will happily waltz right into the Anti-National Activities Investigation office with a smile on my face. Hell, I’ll probably share a banter or two with that goddamn butcher who tortured people for a living! Even though I hated that man all my life!”

“Prime Minister...”

Yi Jong-Wuk’s expression crumpled as pity and lament filled his heart.

“Do you know why I’m still alive, Yi-gun?”

“...”

“It’s because he will come for me soon!”

Kim Myeong-Chan’s expression could no longer be described by mere words now. It was as if every emotion imaginable flooded his heart. He muttered in a low, eerie voice.

“Soon, he will come for me. Soon! Because this place is hell. He said he’d come for me after... after I’m in the pits of hell! Ehehehe... Heh... Heh... Heh!”

Yi Jong-Wuk slowly covered his face with his hands. How... How did a once-proud man end up this way?

Kim Myeong-Chan’s eerie cackle and Yi Jong-Wuk’s quiet sigh echoed weakly within the office.