Free Web NovelFor Kim Hakgwon, the word coup d’état was itself a trauma.
He was of the generation that had lived through two coups, and he had endured a grueling political life under the cold, watchful eyes of the military regime.
He had been dragged multiple times to the Central Intelligence Agency and the Agency for National Security Planning, suffering greatly.
He was brutally tortured then, and even now he still lived with the aftereffects.
But in the end, Kim Hakgwon had become the president he had dreamed of being.
And by pardoning Choi Sunman, who had sentenced him to death for treason, he had believed he was closing the chapter on their ill-fated history.
So when he heard that Choi Sunman—the man he himself had pardoned—was plotting another coup, a faint tremor flickered at the corner of his eye.
“Is... is that true?”
Even his voice shook. Staring calmly at his face, which was caught between shock and disbelief, I replied,
“I thought, Mr. President, that you already knew.”
Kim Hakgwon shook his head firmly.
“Of course, I knew Choi Sunman still had influence within the military. But a coup? That’s the first I’ve heard of it! That’s treason. We must arrest them all immediately!”
He wasn’t wrong—but could Kim Hakgwon really handle that?
“Mr. President, the repercussions will be immense. Can you withstand them?”
“...Still, it must be done.”
“It is something that must be done—but it shouldn’t be your hand that does it.” ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
At those words, his hand slammed down on the table.
“Why the hell not?!”
“You’re the one who pardoned Choi Sunman, sir. If it becomes public that the man you personally freed from prison went on to orchestrate a coup... the backlash will fall entirely on you. The nation will divide again, the people will fight each other. That’s why I asked, Mr. President—can you bear it?”
Kim Hakgwon bit his lips tightly.
He wanted to finish his term quietly and step down from the presidency with dignity.
From his position, the bigger this scandal grew, the heavier the burden would become.
“...I see.”
After gathering his thoughts, he sighed and nodded slowly.
“Well... that may be your opinion, but if I decide to do it, I must. I am the president. I’ll handle it. I can have the media release favorable articles, or even move Chairman Yoon Chang-ho to back me.”
If he intervened personally, there would be backlash—but it was precisely because of that that this was something Kim Hakgwon had to face himself.
After all, it was he who had pardoned Choi Sunman, who had once been sentenced to life imprisonment for treason.
And now, the same Choi Sunman had conspired again to overthrow the state.
The cursed tie he thought he had severed was now tightening around his ankle once more.
Only Kim Hakgwon could break this chain. Both justification and authority lay in his hands.
But could he truly bring himself to end it with his own hand?
Instead of pressing him further, I decided to give him the choice—to see what he would do. If he chose to resolve it, I was willing to help.
But the Kim Hakgwon I knew would not.
He was a seasoned politician—one who feared the collapse of his image more than anything. Above all, he was a man obsessed with his own honor.
Letting out a weary sigh, he closed his eyes in deep contemplation. He clearly didn’t want to dive into a political quagmire at the end of his term.
“...Are these all the men who planned the coup together?”
Opening his eyes, he looked over the paper carefully.
On it were twelve names of high-ranking generals.
“Yes. That’s everyone we’ve identified. There could be more, but stripping those listed of their ranks will be enough— the rest will fall in line on their own.”
After hearing my explanation, Kim Hakgwon folded the paper solemnly.
“Mr. President, if you’re going to dance with a blade, then do it properly. Of course, the ruling and conservative parties will protest. But the Centrist Party will likely stay neutral.”
By custom, an outgoing president refrained from making personnel changes outside the Blue House before retirement.
But this time was different. And with my help, the backlash could be muted.
To push him a little further, I deliberately mentioned Choi Sunman again.
“I met with former President Choi Sunman yesterday. I’ve already neutralized every card he held. I’m only bringing this up because I believe you should be the one to finish it.”
At the mention of that meeting, Kim Hakgwon’s brow furrowed.
“...You met him?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me everything. How did you find him? What did you talk about? He didn’t try to harm you, did he? That man would never let you walk away unscathed.”
At his barrage of questions, I deliberately looked troubled.
“It’s... a bit of a long story.”
“Didn’t I cancel all my appointments for the day? I have time. Tell me everything—wait, no, hold on. I’ll need a drink for this.”
Standing abruptly, Kim Hakgwon called out for Mrs. Lee Seonkyung.
Moments later, the dining room door opened and Lee Seonkyung entered.
“You called for me?”
“Sorry, but could you set out some drinks?”
“Oh my, did I not prepare enough? There’s only soju left... I’ll bring some side dishes too.”
As she moved toward the kitchen, Kim Hakgwon quietly closed the dining room door.
“Go on then. What did you two talk about? And how did you even learn all this?”
Where should I start? To answer his questions properly, I’d have to begin with Koizumi.
“At first, I didn’t know either. I only learned about it because Prime Minister Koizumi came to see me.”
“Koizumi? Why the hell is that man’s name coming up here?”
At the mention of Koizumi, Kim Hakgwon visibly flinched.
Understandable—throughout his presidency, the two who gave him the most grief were Kim Jongil and Koizumi.
“Actually, we had already noticed signs that Choi Sunman was trying to interfere with the upcoming election. I thought it was just the ambition of an old man. But when Prime Minister Koizumi came to see me, he told me about a group called Daedonghoe—Japan’s hidden organization that spans both politics and business. That was the first time I heard of it.”
I then explained to Kim Hakgwon what Daedonghoe was and the delusional dream it pursued.
“Koizumi told me Daedonghoe had a plan to mobilize the Self-Defense Forces and occupy Dokdo.”
“What? Dokdo? Those lunatics...! Are they trying to start a war?!”
His voice rose sharply; he gulped down a full glass of water to soothe his parched throat.
“And I also learned that Choi Sunman was involved with them—that naturally led to the coup plot. I conducted my own investigation afterward, and all evidence pointed to a very high probability.”
My mouth was dry from talking so much.
Just as I paused to wet my lips, there came a knock on the dining room door.
“Honey, I’m coming in.”
Mrs. Lee Seonkyung entered again, carrying a tray.
Clearly practiced, she had managed to put together an impressive spread in just a few minutes.
Without a word, she laid out the dishes and soju neatly on the table and glanced at Kim Hakgwon.
When he shook his head slightly, she gave me a faint smile and turned to leave.
“He says I should give you two privacy. Please, talk freely.”
Once she was gone, silence settled again.
Clearing his throat, Kim Hakgwon poured soju into both our glasses.
“Go on, Mr. Kim.”
I lifted the glass, barely wetting my lips before continuing.
“The reason I stopped you from visiting Japan was because of this. I didn’t have time to explain then, and I apologize for that. It was urgent.”
“Ah... so that’s why. Yes, if I’d been away at that time, things could have turned disastrous.”
He nodded, taking a drink.
“If you’d been absent, they wouldn’t have missed their chance.”
“...”
From his expression, he seemed doubtful—but even I couldn’t say with absolute certainty.
Still, if there was even a small chance of it, why take the risk?
“You’re aware of how unstable Japan’s public order has been because of the ongoing gang war, correct?”
“How could I not be? I’ve been watching closely, worried that the chaos might spill over into our country.”
I chuckled. “As long as I’m alive, that won’t happen in Korea.”
He gave a faint, knowing smile.
Even an old dog learns a few new tricks—he understood perfectly what I meant.
“So that was your doing.”
“It was coordinated with Prime Minister Koizumi. To prevent the Self-Defense Forces from mobilizing, we had them redeployed for public security duties—and replaced the Chief of Staff.”
“...But many innocent civilians were injured.”
“Some losses were inevitable. Daedonghoe’s roots ran too deep in Japan.”
Kim Hakgwon frowned, fiddling with his empty glass.
“Still... those citizens were innocent. What was their fault?”
“Mr. President, I handed Japan—not Korea—over to those criminal syndicates. Would you rather Korea become the battlefield instead? Do you know why foreign crime organizations don’t dare to step foot into Korea right now? Because they’re afraid of our police?”
At that, Kim Hakgwon’s lips moved soundlessly.
“Behind those Yakuza stood Daedonghoe itself. When the syndicates started suffering heavy losses, their leader summoned all the bosses into one place. That’s when Russian and Chinese mafia forces raided the meeting.”
“...Yes, I’ve already received that report.”
Everyone there was killed—except one.
For some reason, the body of Daigo Tadashige’s successor, Araki, was never found.
“In any case, Daedonghoe’s leader is dead, and the Self-Defense Forces won’t be invading Dokdo. The biggest card Choi Sunman held has been destroyed.”
“In the end, that bastard Koizumi is the only one who benefits.”
He muttered bitterly. Outwardly, yes—but not truly.
“Even if he controls Japan, he’ll never escape my influence. If the Japanese people ever learn that I helped him, could Koizumi really stay in office?”
Koizumi was effectively leashed by me.
Kim Hakgwon nodded slowly.
“When a politician owes a debt, he always pays it back—and you know exactly how to collect.”
He gave a short ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ laugh and finished his half-drunk glass.
But there was still more to say.
“Oh, and Heaven’s Church was another of Choi Sunman’s cards.”
“I knew it. When the prosecutors suddenly moved against that church, I sensed something strange. You should have told me earlier.”
“I couldn’t. There was a risk of leaks. Heaven’s Church holds great influence in both Japan and the U.S., doesn’t it? If the coup had succeeded, they were planning to use that influence to persuade Washington to recognize the new regime.”
Pouring himself another glass, he drained it in one shot, then spoke bitterly.
“...I was blind. Sitting in the presidential chair, yet I knew nothing.”
He could have known—if only he’d wanted to.
But he’d chosen to close his eyes and ears, just to finish his term peacefully.
I didn’t point that out.
“When morning comes, I’ll summon the Minister of Defense and dismiss these men from their posts. A blade I’ve never once drawn—I’ll wield it properly at the very end.”
Kim Hakgwon had chosen dismissal.
For generals, dismissal from post was tantamount to death.
Rather than openly crush Choi Sunman and stir chaos, this was a clean, quiet solution.
“Twelve generals dismissed all at once—there’ll be backlash from the military.”
“That much I can bear. The evidence is solid, yes?”
“Yes. A search of their offices or homes will reveal everything.”
Thirsty, Kim Hakgwon downed several shots of strong soju in a row.
“If the evidence is airtight, they’ll have no choice but to resign—or face a lifetime in prison for treason.”
“I agree. This way, there’ll be minimal chaos.”
He nodded again, lips twitching as if hesitating over unspoken words.
I poured him another glass and waited silently.
Watching the liquid rise to the brim, Kim Hakgwon finally spoke, voice trembling slightly.
“...If it weren’t for you, I would’ve gone down in history as the worst president Korea ever had. Thank you.”
