Free Web NovelKorea’s situation was even worse than Guinea’s after the coup.
The two opposition parties that had once split apart from each other joined hands and formed a united front to attack the government and ruling party.
When President Yoon Changho’s approval ratings had been high, even the opposition had found it difficult to criticize him recklessly.
But what happened in Guinea had given them an opening.
They appeared on every broadcast they could, criticizing the government by any means necessary.
In particular, they targeted Lee Myungsoo, who had led the special delegation.
“What are you going to do?”
Yoon Changho summoned Lee Myungsoo to the Blue House.
“I will step down from the secretary-general position.”
“Does it really have to come to that?”
“I can endure the opposition’s attacks. But the internal dissatisfaction is serious. Even lawmakers close to you, Mr. President, are raising their voices.”
“I can stop them.”
Yoon Changho could not easily abandon Lee Myungsoo.
No one knew better than Yoon Changho how close Kim Muhyuk and Lee Myungsoo were.
If he cast Myungsoo aside, there was no predicting how Kim Muhyuk would react.
“No. If you step in and try to protect me, it could throw everything into even greater chaos.”
“What happened in Guinea was an act of God. Secretary-General Lee, this is not something you should take responsibility for.”
Everyone knew it.
No one could have predicted the coup in Guinea, and it had been a disaster that erupted without warning.
“I know that too. But Captain Kamara was driven out. The interim government our administration formally recognized has also collapsed.”
“That’s true. But isn’t it already over?”
Despite Yoon Changho’s desperate attempts to dissuade him, Lee Myungsoo answered firmly.
“That’s exactly why someone has to take responsibility. I was the one who led the delegation to Guinea, so it’s only right that I step down. First, we need to calm the internal dissatisfaction and fight the opposition.”
Yoon Changho knew that was the orthodox answer.
But he still could not bring himself to say yes so easily.
Knowing exactly what Yoon Changho was worried about, Lee Myungsoo spoke first.
“I’ll talk to Muhyuk myself.”
“...Will that friend really stay still?”
“We made a promise. He said he wouldn’t step into my affairs first unless I asked for help.”
At those words, Yoon Changho finally nodded.
“If President Kim made that promise, then he’ll keep it.”
“I plan to use this opportunity to clearly sort out who is truly on my side. Your term has already passed the halfway mark, hasn’t it?”
“...I’m sorry.”
At Yoon Changho’s apologetic voice, Lee Myungsoo gave him a gentle smile.
“It’s alright. Neither you, nor I, nor anyone else could have predicted this. No one was hurt, and we all returned safely, so I intend to be satisfied with that.”
“The Blue House is also planning a cabinet reshuffle. Including the prime minister, we’re thinking of replacing about half the ministers. If you have anyone to recommend, pass it through the chief secretary for political affairs.”
“Yes. Understood.”
After talking with Yoon Changho at length, Lee Myungsoo left the Blue House.
He immediately held a press conference and announced that he was resigning as secretary-general to take responsibility for what had happened.
At the same time, all appointed party officials responsible for internal party affairs submitted their resignations as well.
After Lee Myungsoo’s resignation, the ruling party, which had been splintering, pulled together tightly and began defending itself against the opposition’s attacks.
At the same time, the Blue House announced a sweeping cabinet reshuffle that would replace half of the central ministries, including the prime minister.
At the very moment South Korea was sinking into chaos, Kim Muhyuk arrived at Incheon Airport.
* * *
“So it ends up like this after all.”
After returning to Korea, I rested for a full day before going to the Myeongdong office.
As I sat in the office reading the newspapers, I narrowed my eyes.
The flames had died down somewhat after Myungsoo stepped down and took full responsibility, but the ruling and opposition parties were still in sharp confrontation.
“Boss.”
While I was reading the paper, Chief Ma entered.
“This is the report on the Sierra Leone mining matter.”
I had decided to dig deeply into the MOU made in Sierra Leone and had asked Chief Ma to investigate it thoroughly.
I had told him there was no need to report unless something unusual turned up.
So if he had brought documents in person like this, it meant there was something suspicious.
“Did you find something strange? Let me see.”
As I held out my hand, Chief Ma passed over a tightly sealed document envelope.
I broke the seal and checked the contents inside.
With every page I turned, my mood worsened.
“These bastards planted a time bomb.”
At the MOU stage, it was nothing that would cause major problems.
But once the main contract was signed and a full investigation began, there were several empty-shell mines included that were guaranteed to explode into scandal.
I threw the documents onto the table with a hardened face.
“Set an appointment with the prime minister for this evening. And let him know that if he starts spouting nonsense, he’d better be prepared.”
“Yes, Boss.”
I had no intention of intervening in the political warfare taking place above the surface.
But this was an obvious trap designed to kill Myungsoo.
I couldn’t let this slide.
After giving Chief Ma the order, I immediately called Myungsoo.
— Oh, Muhyuk.
“I saw the press conference. Are you okay?”
— Well, I’ve held that seat long enough. Maybe it’s about time I took a break.
“This wasn’t something you should have taken responsibility for.”
— Still, someone had to. So it’s only right that I step down as the delegation leader. It’s not my National Assembly seat anyway. Secretary-general is just an appointed party position, so it’s also a relatively painless way to settle the controversy.
He spoke calmly, but the exhaustion in Myungsoo’s voice was unmistakable.
“Is the factional fighting inside the party that fierce?”
— Of course it is. Even people claiming to be from the president’s faction were attacking me. Saying I should throw away the secretary-general seat instead of burdening the president.
“Really? What did the president say?”
— He told me not to step down. But this is the right move. Don’t go whispering anything unnecessary to him. That way I can still save face too. I made a pretty stylish exit on my way out.
The fact that he was even joking lightly told me both of them had been worried I might interfere.
What pointless worrying.
“...Alright.”
— I trust you. Don’t step in and try to clean this up. It’s right for me to bear the political burden this time. That way the president won’t enter lame-duck territory.
“Fine. Let’s grab a meal next time. Did you visit your mother?”
A deep sigh came through the receiver.
— Ha... hey. At my age, I still got smacked across the back.
“Hahaha. Your mother really never changes.”
I could vividly picture the auntie with tears in her eyes smacking Myungsoo’s back while he screamed dramatically and ran away.
I let out a laugh without realizing it, and Myungsoo immediately snapped.
— You’re laughing right now?
“Well, if it ended at that, it’s a relief. Alright then. See you later.”
— Hey! Hey!
As soon as the call with Myungsoo ended, Chief Ma, who had been waiting, reported.
“Boss. I’ve set it for seven.”
“The location?”
“He asked that you come to the prime minister’s residence.”
There was still a little time left.
I nodded and unfolded the newspaper I had been reading.
When the appointed time came, I arrived at the prime minister’s residence.
“Welcome, President Kim.”
The prime minister greeted me with a smile.
“Thank you for inviting me. I felt awkward coming empty-handed, so I brought this.”
I handed Han Dongsik a box of whiskey.
“Oh!”
Han Dongsik’s face visibly brightened when he checked the whiskey I had brought as a gift.
“I seem to remember hearing in passing that you like whiskey.”
“Haha, I do. This is something difficult to get your hands on. Thank you.”
With the whiskey still in one hand, Han Dongsik led me straight into the living room.
“It seemed like you wanted to talk quietly, so I sent everyone away.”
I nodded, and Han Dongsik naturally sat in the seat of honor and gestured.
“Go ahead and sit.”
Well, look at this.
Without a word, I sat down on the sofa.
“So then. Why did you want to see me? We’ve spoken on the phone, but we’ve never sat face to face like this.”
As if he were in a hurry, Han Dongsik got straight to the point.
“I heard you’re about to resign as prime minister. Have you thought about your future after stepping down?”
“...I didn’t know President Kim would be so worried about me. I thought you disliked me. Otherwise, how could you say such things to me so bluntly?”
It seemed Han Dongsik was still holding onto what I had said at the NSC.
“At that time, Lee Myungsoo’s life was on the line. Even I ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) think I was a bit sharp.”
“Hahaha. I envy the friendship between Representative Lee and President Kim. I’ve never had a friend like that, so I don’t really understand the feeling.”
“Then think of it as if your family had gone through something like that. Lee Myungsoo is that kind of existence to me.”
“Heh.”
Han Dongsik smiled leisurely and asked again.
Despite his tone, only his eyes were cold.
“So you came because you’re worried about my future? The busy President Kim? As for me, I can simply return to academia, so there’s no need for concern.”
“Are you planning to leave politics?”
“My role is over, so wouldn’t it be right for me to return to academia and foster the next generation? That is my true calling.”
This man really had become a politician through and through.
Watching Han Dongsik smile while hiding his true thoughts, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
How had an intellectual who once led the democratization movement with students become this ugly?
“I hope you hold firmly to that resolve. Don’t come back into this filthy world of politics.”
“What did you say?”
“I say this because I still remember the prime minister who once protected students and led the democratization struggle.”
Han Dongsik’s expression naturally turned fierce. His tone changed in an instant as well.
“I’ll take care of myself, so you needn’t worry about that. I haven’t lived my life so meaninglessly that I need that kind of advice from President Kim.”
“Yes. Your life must have been even more of a path through thorns than mine. So I understand wanting compensation for walking that thorny road. But this is as far as my patience goes.”
I do not hate this man. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
That’s why I’m giving him this warning.
“Patience? Hahaha. President Kim, you truly are arrogant beyond measure. Did I take political funds from you like others did? And what if you don’t endure it?”
Han Dongsik laughed at me loudly.
Then, glaring sharply at me, he threw away all pretense and snarled.
“Do you think I’ll die alone? No—if I open my mouth, even the president won’t come out safely. Do you think just because the media is being blocked I won’t be able to say anything? With my connections, do you really think there isn’t even one foreign press outlet that would write down my words?!”
“Prime Minister, I respect you. That is why I’m asking you to remain as a respected scholar.”
“I said I’ll take care of it myself. If that’s all you came to say, then leave.”
“Do you want politics? Or do you crave power?”
“...I told you to leave.”
Han Dongsik even turned his head away, making it clear he no longer wished to continue speaking.
But I had no intention of leaving like this.
“The bomb you planted for Representative Lee Myungsoo was too much.”
Han Dongsik whipped his head back toward me.
“No one besides me knows yet. But once this gets out, that bomb will injure you and all your people. I am someone who can make that happen.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The president of the Korea Mineral Resources Corporation, President Park, is your university junior, isn’t he? If I leave here tonight without getting anything, the attacks on him will begin tomorrow.”
The corner of Han Dongsik’s eye twitched.
I didn’t miss it and immediately continued.
“Was it Vice Minister Seo? The one who planted the bomb for Representative Lee Myungsoo?”
“What exactly are you talking about? I know nothing about it.”
“Really?”
I threw the documents I had brought in front of him.
“Let’s see if you can still say you know nothing after reading them.”
Han Dongsik looked back and forth between the envelope and my face, then finally picked it up.
His expression changed moment by moment as he read through the materials inside.
“If you were going to do it, you should’ve done it properly. Why leave traces all over the place and get caught like this?”
Han Dongsik’s eyes were visibly trembling after he finished reading everything I had brought.
“And I have a few more weaknesses of yours besides this.”
“Weaknesses?”
“Yes. Weaknesses. I want to protect your honor. So go back to being a scholar. I’ll take care of the rest of the people involved in this matter myself.”
“President Kim.”
There was still lingering attachment in his tone.
I wiped the smile from my lips and spoke.
“Kim Hyeonju. Do you remember that name?”
Han Dongsik’s hands trembled violently as his eyes widened as if they would tear apart.
“Who could have ever imagined? That this was the kind of person you were.”
To everyone, Han Dongsik was a scholar worthy of respect, the symbol of the democratization struggle.
Kim Hyeonju was the one person who could drag that honor and reputation into the abyss in an instant.
