Chapter 1296. Making Deals (1)

Eerie silence descended on the room.

Kim Myeong-Chan didn’t continue and held his breath for a little while. His gaze was glued to every movement Kang Jin-Ho made and every twitch on Kang Jin-Ho’s expression.

Kang Jin-Ho slowly got up before staring at the Prime Minister in utter, complete silence. His expressionless face and withdrawn eyes made it impossible to guess what was on his mind right now.

Kim Myeong-Chan cautiously spoke up. “Assembly Master?”

“I think now is a good time to conclude today’s meeting.”

Lee Hyeon-Su got up to leave as well, prompting Kim Myeong-Chan to stop the two urgently.

“P-please wait! I know it’s not a pleasant thing to hear, but please be patient and listen to me till the end!”

However, Kim Myeong-Chan immediately flinched and clamped his mouth shut. That was because Kang Jin-Ho was staring right back with unclouded eyes.

There wasn’t any hint of hostility in those eyes, but Kim Myeong-Chan was no fool. He instantly understood the meaning behind that look.

“Although I have some things to say to you...” Kang Jin-Ho spoke flatly. “It’ll be better to continue another day.”

“But, Assembly Master...!”

When Kim Myeong-Chan didn’t give up, Kang Jin-Ho sighed under his breath.

“Prime Minister.”

“...”

“Right now, I’m showing the maximum level of respect for this country’s Prime Minister.”

“...!”

Kim Myeong-Chan could imagine what might have followed after those words. His brain automatically did that, even though that was not what he wanted.

If he hadn’t been this country’s Prime Minister, his head would’ve gone flying already! That was what Kang Jin-Ho was implying.

“However, my patience is finite. Isn’t it better for us to avoid a situation where we end up harming each other irrevocably?”

Kang Jin-Ho spoke in a calm and rational manner. But his reasonable tone still hid boiling anger.

Kim Myeong-Chan nervously swallowed his saliva. Lee Hyeon-Su would’ve usually stepped in right about now to play the peacemaker, but not this time. Even he couldn’t intervene.

After all, the Prime Minister had crossed a line here. Even if Lee Hyeon-Su wanted to be charitable... What Kim Myeong-Chan said was tantamount to using Kang Jin-Ho, no, the Martial Assembly, as an assassin. A hitman.

It was already a minor miracle for Kang Jin-Ho to hold himself back this much.

Kim Myeong-Chan cautiously addressed Kang Jin-Ho. “Assembly Master. I understand why you’re angry. However, do you believe I’m a thoughtless man who would say such things without a reason?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow a little.

“Please, I implore you to listen to me first. If you still can’t cool your anger afterward, I will unhesitantly apologize to you. As many times as you deem necessary.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at Kim Myeong-Chan before nodding away. Not because he had faith in the man occupying the position of South Korea’s Prime Minister, but because he believed the man in that position wouldn’t carelessly utter things like that in this volatile situation.

After sighing softly, Kang Jin-Ho sat down on his spot again, prompting Lee Hyeon-Su to park his butt on his chair, too.

“Here.”

Kim Myeong-Chan took out a cigarette and offered it to Kang Jin-Ho. The latter wordlessly accepted it and mouthed it. Lee Hyeon-Su smartly lit it up for him.

“

Fuu-woo

...”

Kang Jin-Ho exhaled the cigarette smoke, then nodded contemplatively.

“Very well. Please speak, Prime Minister.”

“Thank you.”

“However...!” Kang Jin-Ho warned quietly. “If you say something I cannot accept, I must warn you that my thoughts regarding this arrangement will have to change.”

For a warning, he sounded affable enough. But it still did its job. Kim Myeong-Chan felt a chill run down his spine. However, as befitting a politician of his caliber, a smooth smile remained etched on his face.

“I promise you, you will understand once you hear me out.”

Kang Jin-Ho subtly nodded once.

Kim Myeong-Chan mouthed a cigarette and wordlessly lit it up. He sucked in the smoke slowly and methodically, as if he was trying to calm down his pounding heart.

Eventually, he forced his lips to part. “Assembly Master?”

“Yes?”

“What’s your opinion on South Korea’s state of affairs?”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho flinched before suddenly turning his head toward Lee Hyeon-Su.

“...” Lee Hyeon-Su sighed as quietly as possible to prevent Kim Myeong-Chan from noticing anything. “The state of affairs of this country, sir?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smartly redirected the Prime Minister’s attention toward himself instead.

The Prime Minister should think about whom he was asking such a question! To think Kim Myeong-Chan would throw such a high-concept term like ‘state of affairs’ in Kang Jin-Ho’s face, who didn’t even know the name or face of the mayor of the very city he lived in!

Was this a new way of pressuring Kang Jin-Ho or something?

“Yes. This country,” Kim Myeong-Chan replied immediately. It seemed he was fine with Lee Hyeon-Su, not Kang Jin-Ho, answering him.

“Apologies, Prime Minister, but we’re in no position to speak of the country’s state of affairs. A grown man should know what to say and what to hold back depending on who he’s talking to,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

“Hahaha... I see. Forgive me for my embarrassing gaff.”

Kim Myeong-Chan chuckled energetically as if he wanted to lift the mood in this room somehow.

“I’ll be honest, the state of affairs for us doesn’t look so good at the moment. Unlike previous years, the situation in the United States is progressively spiraling out of control. Meanwhile, the tension between China and us is getting worse with every passing day. And our relationship with our island neighbor has gone beyond the point of return, too...”

“Still, didn’t we profit from that affair?”

“Of course. I’m speaking diplomatically.”

Kim Myeong-Chan was pointing out that the war between Shinichi-kai and the Martial Assembly had completely paralyzed the diplomatic relationship between the Japanese government and its South Korean counterpart. However, Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t just let that slide.

After all, South Korea stood to earn so much from the collapse of the Japanese martial society. Even after excluding all the unofficial profits, the tax from MK’s business ventures in Japan alone should be astronomical.

Kim Myeong-Chan also acknowledged this, and that was why he readily backed off this time.

“In any case, that’s not important...” Kim Myeong-Chan chuckled awkwardly before continuing on. “Our situation is seemingly getting worse every passing day. Still, we could count on a bit of good news coming from our northerly neighbors, but even that has...”

“...?”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression stiffened. The northerly neighbors, was it...?

He didn’t even have to think about who the Prime Minister was referring to. After all, the once-frosty relationship between two Koreas had been thawing in recent times.

Kim Myeong-Chan had regained most of his mental leeway at this point in the explanation.

“The only place we consider as a bundle of mystery is our northerly neighbors. But then, a problem has been developing over there that may require our attention.”

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned. “But, sir. When was the last time they didn’t give us a problem?”

“Unfortunately, this time it’s much more serious.”

“...?”

The frown on Lee Hyeon-Su’s face deepened. A politician’s definition of ‘serious’ heavily depended on the situation at hand. Since that was the case, how was Lee Hyeon-Su supposed to evaluate this claim now?

“I’m sure you find it difficult to understand. After all, our northerly neighbors are known for their penchant for causing trouble over the years.”

At least the two sides weren’t shelling each other’s territories, so there was that. Still, trying to figure out what’s not problematic with North Korea should be easier than finding a needle in the proverbial haystack.

“However, trust me when I say that the current problem is quite different from the previous ones. So much so that we, as the government, are genuinely nervous.”

Kim Myeong-Chan sucked in a deep puff of the cigarette for one last time before stubbing it in a nearby ashtray. As he did so, a lengthy groan left his lips.

“As you might have heard on the news, the relationship between the two Koreas is fairly civil these days. Actually, it’s not an exaggeration to say the atmosphere is perhaps the best it has ever been since our peninsula was divided in two by the foreign forces.”

Kim Myeong-Chan pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Of course, not everything is as it appears on the surface, including the atmosphere we perceive. As long as we both want something from each other, and as long as we can get those through negotiations, the atmosphere will remain cordial. You could say it’s incredibly encouraging to see the atmosphere of both sides hoping to make some things happen through dialogue despite various factors at play.”

Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t respond and continued to listen to the Prime Minister. The way he saw it, Kim Myeong-Chan’s feelings or thoughts weren’t as important as confirming what his stance was regarding this matter.

“In short, you can say that the current North Korean regime holds an amiable-enough opinion of us. Regardless of whether they have been compensated under the table or not, at least they are willing to show up at the negotiation table. That’s already a significant development, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Okay, so...” Kang Jin-Ho calmly cut the Prime Minister’s words off. “Now, I would like you to stop beating around the bush and tell us the main point of this story. Do you want us to go to the Presidential Palace up there and take the leader’s head off or something?”

“Of course not!” Kim Myeong-Chan hurriedly waved his hands in alarm. “No, Assembly Master. Our problem isn’t with him, but a certain faction that has taken a rather dim view of the North getting friendlier with us.”

“Internally within the North? Or external players?”

“According to our investigation, you can say it’s the internal players, but... It’s safe to say it’s both.”

“So, external players...?”

Kim Myeong-Chan grimaced while scratching his chin. “Don’t forget that we have a certain neighboring country that will be in a slight bind if North Korea doesn’t keep up its belligerent act. Considering all the issues that country is facing both domestically and internationally, well...”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “I see. China, then.”

“

Huhuhuh

...”

Kim Myeong-Chan didn’t confirm nor deny, instead choosing to laugh.

Lee Hyeon-Su took that as a confirmation, however, and groaned loudly. “Seriously?! Whether it’s the surface world or its martial society, those Chinese bastards just can’t give it a rest, can they?!”

Merely recalling Cai Kechang’s mug was enough to reawaken Lee Hyeon-Su’s heartburn. Since the Martial Assembly had to go through all that trouble with the Japanese, all thanks to Cai Kechang’s involvement, Lee Hyeon-Su could at least understand Kim Myeong-Chan’s sentiments a little.

Kim Myeong-Chan gravely stared at Kang Jin-Ho. “Didn’t we suffer from their interference in the past, too?”

“Indeed...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded.

MK almost didn’t happen because of the Chinese intervening at the last minute.

South Korea was a fully independent sovereign nation, yet its political sphere had already been this heavily influenced by China. Since that was the case, it was easy enough to guess how much worse things were in North Korea, as that place was practically China’s vassal state these days.

“So, the external players are Chinese. Then, the internal players are?”

Instead of answering right away, Kim Myeong-Chan produced a slender folder containing some documents and presented it to Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su.

The latter received the documents and spread it open for him and Kang Jin-Ho to peruse.

In the meantime, Kim Myeong-Chan resumed his explanation. “His name is Vice Marshal Rhee Ki-Gwang, Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army. Ranked third in the military.”

“Hmm...!”

After perusing the documents, Lee Hyeon-Su shifted his gaze back to the Prime Minister. He didn’t see a need to memorize this Rhee Ki-Gwang’s personal details.

Kim Myeong-Chan pointed at Rhee Ki-Gwang’s photo. “He’s known as heavily pro-China within the North Korean military.”

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “Pro-China? Is that even allowed in North Korea? In that military dictatorship?”

“Of course. North Korea is still populated by humans, after all. Loyalty toward their supreme leader is a must, but the officers are still split into various factions. The obvious ones are pro-China and pro-Russia factions. And, although few, there are some pro-Japan and even pro-USA factions.”

“

Huh

...” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled hollowly. “Are you saying that the North Korean regime has not eliminated them yet?”

“It’s not that they haven’t, but more like they can’t,” said Kim Myeong-Chan with a shake of his head. “China obviously knows who wishes closer ties with it, after all. Openly purging them would send a message that North Korea doesn’t mind duking it out with China.”

“

Oh

... That makes sense.”

Lee Hyeon-Su scratched his head while thinking that politics and the martial world could be so similar and yet also disparate. This was why he didn’t want to get involved in politics.

Obviously, factional wars to gain more power also happened frequently within the martial world. Lee Hyeon-Su was a central player in those wars, after all, so he should know better than anyone about this. But the surface world’s politicking could be so, so different from how the martial artists did their politicking.

Kang Jin-Ho leaned forward. “Then, what is China trying to achieve by mobilizing the North’s pro-China faction?”

“We have gleaned this information recently, but...”

“Yes?”

Kim Myeong-Chan licked his lips while taking his time.

He didn’t seem to be doing this deliberately to heighten the tension. He did come here with the full intention of revealing this information, but now that Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su were staring at him, Kim Myeong-Chan was getting second thoughts. At least, that was what his expression seemed to convey.

That could only mean this information was incredibly sensitive.

“From this moment on, please treat everything I say as top secret. In fact, this information must not leave this room. Please take everything we discuss to your grave.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded briefly. Kim Myeong-Chan still hesitated for a while, however. Eventually, though, he sighed grandly.

“From the look of it, we believe Rhee Ki-Gwang is planning to use China’s backing to overthrow the current regime. In other words, we’re looking at a possible coup d’état.”

“I’m... sorry? A what?”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s eyes powerfully quaked.