Free Web NovelThe words that came out of Luo Gan’s mouth were not the answer Li Feng wanted. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
“We cannot stop now. Even if the Premier orders us to stop, we cannot.”
It was such an unexpected response that Li Feng felt momentarily at a loss for words.
“Premier. For our China, if not now, there will be no opportunity. If we fail to discipline Korea now, it will be far more difficult later. This is the right time.”
Luo Gan could not meet Li Feng’s eyes.
Even as he spoke, he kept staring at the teacup resting on the table.
When he finished, silence filled the room.
But only for a moment. Soon, Li Feng burst into loud laughter.
Startled, Luo Gan snapped his head up—only for Li Feng to laugh even louder.
“Good! That’s more like it. It’s not good for you either to keep following my orders forever. Luo Gan, you’ve finally become a politician.”
“Thank you.”
“But...”
Li Feng pushed his slipping glasses back up and crossed his arms.
As if he had never laughed, he spoke with a cold face.
“You do know that next time, there won’t be a seat for you, right?”
“......”
“Neither Jiang Zemin nor Hu Jintao can abolish the rules Deng Xiaoping set. No matter how much you’ve lived as Jiang Zemin’s fixer, cleaning up his messes.”
Luo Gan would have to step down at the next Party Congress. That was because of the rules Deng Xiaoping had established.
Deng Xiaoping had limited all Party positions to ten-year terms and codified that no one over sixty-five could assume a new Party post.
It was meant to minimize one-man dictatorship and interference from elders, and to ensure continuous generational transition.
Deng Xiaoping himself followed the principle first, so no one could openly object. Of course, that was only on the surface.
Until his death, Deng Xiaoping ruled China in practice without holding any official Party position.
But thanks to his efforts, the transition of power from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao proceeded without major friction.
Luo Gan would be forced to step down from the Standing Committee and all Party posts at the next Congress due to age restrictions.
“I am aware.”
“I expect Jiang Zemin to be pushed out at the next Congress. Even Jiang Zemin cannot maintain influence indefinitely without an official post.”
“......”
“They say you should dig several rabbit holes. So don’t be so certain.”
“My apologies.”
The firm momentum from earlier was gone. Bowing his head toward Li Feng, he sought guidance.
“What should I do? Should we stop at a moderate line?”
“No. We cannot yield to threats. Press Korea harder.”
Luo Gan’s eyes widened. Li Feng curled one corner of his mouth upward.
“Did you think I would yield to such trivial threats?”
“This may not be the end.”
“I’m already a man waiting for death. I have no honor left to protect. I’m already called a butcher. What difference would a few more cuts make?”
His tone was self-mocking, but his expression was utterly dignified.
“Press the Korean government harder. I will support you from behind. What is Jiang Zemin’s thinking?”
“The elders wish to negotiate at a certain level.”
Li Feng clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“No, no. That won’t make them bend. You have to go stronger. For example... export-import restrictions.”
“That will be difficult.”
“Difficult, yes. But not impossible, is it? It would take that much to startle the man who dared to threaten me so contemptuously. If targeting the whole country is too much, focus on companies related to Kim Muhyuk.”
“I will look into it.”
Only after hearing that satisfactory answer did Li Feng nod.
“Good. For your own future, you’ll need achievements that are yours alone. You can’t keep being dragged around by the elders and Jiang Zemin forever, can you?”
“......”
“That will be all. I’ve held up a busy man for too long.”
Li Feng rose and slightly bowed.
“I will visit again.”
Instead of answering, Li Feng nodded. Luo Gan bowed once more and left the study.
Left alone, Li Feng stared silently at the door through which Luo Gan had exited.
* * *
I left the Myeongdong office and arrived at the meeting place.
Led in by the manager, I entered a private room where Oh Hyunwoo was waiting.
“Long time no see. I mean actually seeing your face like this.”
“Yeah. We should meet more often.”
Hyunwoo grinned first, and I couldn’t help but smile in return.
As soon as I sat down, the food was brought in. We ate while talking about ordinary things.
“Your wife’s doing well, right?”
“What do you mean ‘your wife’? She’s the same as ever. If anything, she’s more of a workaholic than I am. Though she’s getting recognition for it... You know, right? The things people whispered when I married Minkyung?”
“Those types would’ve talked no matter who you married. Jealousy and envy exist everywhere. Don’t mind it.”
Hyunwoo nodded slightly and raised his glass. We lightly clinked and emptied them in one go.
The harsh Andong soju slid down my throat.
“I know. I know. But sometimes hearing that makes me work even harder... and sometimes I wonder if I’m becoming a burden on Minkyung’s future...”
He wasn’t someone who would get drunk from a single glass. Yet he spoke as if he were intoxicated. I smiled and asked,
“Are things bad between you two?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then? Is Minkyung struggling?”
“No.”
“Then why are you moping alone? Ask her directly. If you’re going to think alone and worry alone, why get married? You move forward together. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s true, but...”
“Minkyung is strong. You know that ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ better than anyone.”
Hyunwoo gave a bitter smile and refilled his empty glass.
“She is. She smiles well. But the problem is... I don’t even know anymore if that smile is real. I wish she’d say she’s tired if she’s tired.”
“She’s always been like that. If you want to change it, keep talking. Make it so you can lean on each other.”
“I should.”
We talked about this and that while eating.
How we’d been, what had happened—every kind of story. Except work.
After roughly filling our stomachs, we began drinking in earnest and finally turned to business.
“What about Heaven’s Church?” ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
“Probably wrapped up by next week. For now, all charges against that woman Kim Sunja have been dropped. Han Hyunjin and Han Hyunwoo are wanted. We’ll summon Han Sungjin soon for questioning. As for Han Hyunsoo, internally it’s already decided we’ll indict him without detention.”
“No pressure from above?”
Hyunwoo smiled mischievously.
“Who would dare do that to me? Besides, the President’s will is too strong. President Yoon Changho isn’t just any president. He’s loved by the people. You know how it is—approval ratings are everything for politicians. Even though his numbers dropped because of the recent bloodshed, he’s still above fifty percent. That means half the country supports him. At this rate, I bet he keeps that approval even when he steps down.”
So that’s how the public sees Yoon Changho. I felt a strange sense of distance and said,
“I heard there’s a lot of dissatisfaction inside the prosecution.”
“Wow, is there anything you don’t know? Of course there’s dissatisfaction. You know where he’s from. But resisting is impossible when everyone knows exactly who’s sitting where on the President’s side. Who wants to tie a bell around a cat’s neck? I can’t do that either.”
After taking office, Yoon Changho declared prosecution reform.
The public welcomed it, and reforms were being implemented one by one.
The first move was downsizing the Central Investigation Department.
“It doesn’t affect you?”
“Me? I just do what I’m told. What power do I have?”
Yoon Changho’s reform was a shiny shell.
The reduced authority of the Central Investigation Department was transferred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and much of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s authority was moved there as well.
It meant controlling both the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the Central District Prosecutors’ Office.
“Don’t act pitiful. What do you have to worry about?”
For Hyunwoo, it was a distant concern.
“I also hear talk about a Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials?”
“That’s the biggest issue. They’re talking about creating an institution that can investigate judges, justices, even prosecutors. Naturally there’s dissatisfaction. It’s only because President Yoon Changho is so firm.”
“And you? What do you think?”
Hyunwoo shrugged.
“Hard to say. It doesn’t matter while Yoon Changho is President. But who knows who becomes President afterward? What if they wield that power for themselves?”
“So you don’t look at it favorably either.”
“Prosecutors can’t help but be negative about it. Politicians keep singing about it, though.”
“I’ll talk to President Yoon Changho once.”
Hyunwoo shook his head.
“Forget it. Why step in even for this? Let’s keep talking about Heaven’s Church.”
He went over the progress of the investigation.
The long explanation was clear and neatly summarized.
“...We plan to wrap it up like that. Any other thoughts?”
“Do as you see fit. It’s worth trusting you. As long as Han Hyunsoo isn’t detained, I don’t care about the rest.”
“Okay. Then that’s how we’ll close it.”
“By the way, you look good on camera during briefings.”
“I’ve got the looks.”
We clinked glasses jokingly when someone opened the door.
Both Hyunwoo and I turned toward it.
“What? You’re done already? I came early.”
Lee Myungsoo grumbled as he walked in.
I hadn’t called him. I glanced at Hyunwoo.
“You called him?”
“Yeah. We were talking and I mentioned I was meeting you. He said he’d come too. How do you stop that stubborn bastard?”
Myungsoo grinned and slapped my shoulder before sitting down beside me.
“Surprise! I told him not to say anything. Pour me a drink.”
I smirked and filled a fresh glass.
“Wow, Andong soju? See? You have to drink with Kim Muhyuk to get the expensive stuff.”
He downed it in one go and shuddered.
“Ha! That’s good. Haven’t been drinking lately, so it tastes sweet.”
He’d become even more shameless. I raised one eyebrow.
“Don’t you have the party convention tomorrow?”
“I’m not the one running. What does it matter?”
“Must be nice.”
“Whoever wins, the Secretary-General seat is mine.”
He said it confidently. The internal arrangement was already done.
“He’s bigger than you think.”
As Hyunwoo said, Myungsoo’s weight in politics had only grown over time.
In political circles, he was called a “Little President.” Depending on his choice, the entire balance of the convention could shift.
Since the President could not intervene directly, Myungsoo’s importance had grown even greater.
“Little President my ass. I’m just cleaning up after old men. Enough of this headache stuff. We’re friends. Let’s just drink. By the way, you wrapped things up?”
He held out his glass again. I filled it and nodded.
“More or less finished. The schedule got longer than expected, which is the problem.”
“Good that you handled it. I heard you were in Busan for a week? Turned off your phone and rested like a king?”
“Yeah. It felt good. Been a while since I rested without thinking about anything.”
“Good for you. Sometimes you seem like a serious work addict. Grandma must’ve liked that.”
We drank without talking about complicated things.
Just university memories and ordinary life until late into the night.
By the time we broke up, it was nearly midnight.
“Hey! Kim Muhyuk!”
Myungsoo, face red, called my name before getting into his car.
“If you’ve got nothing tomorrow, come to the convention.”
“The convention? Why would I go? I’m not even a party member.”
“That’s why I said if you’re free.”
“Why all of a sudden? Something going on?”
He shook his head.
“No. Just show your face for a bit. The President will be there too.”
I didn’t know the reason, but if Myungsoo called, I would go.
“Fine. I’ll come tomorrow.”
“Okay. See you then.”
He waved both hands widely and got into his car.
The car carrying Myungsoo quickly disappeared from sight.
I turned to Hyunwoo.
“Is something happening at the convention?”
“How would I know?”
That made it even stranger. He wasn’t the type to call me for no reason.
After sending Hyunwoo off, I got into my car.
“I’ll attend the Centrist Party convention tomorrow. Please prepare in advance.”
“Yes, sir.”
Soon, the car carrying me began to move slowly forward.
