Chapter 1326. Exploding (1)

“Forcing through, eh...?”

Kim Myeong-Chan swung his golf club with some force. The dimpled golf ball scythed through the air from the impact.

“Well? What do you think?”

Yi Jong-Wuk replied, “Your arm swing doesn’t look natural, sir.”

“...I wasn’t talking about that.”

“...!

Oh

.” Yi Jong-Wuk sheepishly looked away. “We’ve already known that they wouldn’t care about our recommendation or the circumstances, sir.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Kim Myeong-Chan muttered while shoving his club inside the golf bag. He frowned a little while looking at where his ball had landed. It seemed he had completely sliced that shot.

His swings weren’t so good today. But that made sense, since his focus was elsewhere. Besides, he obviously hadn’t come to this golf course during such a critical period to enjoy a round of golf.

No, his purpose for being here was to put on a show. A show that the Korean government wasn’t doing anything in particular. And this show was specifically for the intelligence operatives dispatched by other nations, currently tasked with monitoring his movements.

“Sir, you seem a little more relaxed than before,” said Yi Jong-Wuk.

“Really?”

Kim Myeong-Chan chuckled wryly.

Many high-ranking government officials frequenting golf courses didn’t do so because they were fans of the sport. Of course, some did enjoy playing golf, but for Kim Myeong-Chan, he enjoyed being on the courses more than swinging golf clubs around.

Officials always had to be mindful of the public’s eye, as well as the threat of wiretapping. To such people, a wide-open golf course where approaching people could be seen from miles away, figuratively speaking, and no conversations could be eavesdropped was the best safe haven they could ask for.

“Jong-Wuk... How many telephoto lens cameras do you think are trained on me right now?”

Yi Jong-Wuk rubbed his chin. “I wonder... Maybe around two?”

“That’s fewer than I thought.”

“That’s because they know they won’t learn anything by photographing you from a distance, sir. Still, those hoping for something out of nothing will still try their hardest to keep their eyes on you.”

Yi Jong-Wuk smiled wryly while saying that.

Just like how NIS had dispatched agents to China, other countries also had sent their agents to South Korea. NIS had already identified quite a few of them, but many more they hadn’t noticed must be freely roaming the country even now.

When the diplomatic relationships between countries soured, and the threats of international crises were afoot, it’d be these hidden agents who would have to go through the wringer for their respective nations.

Kim Myeong-Chan muttered, “What a relief it is that no one has invented a long-distance listening device yet.”

Yi Jong-Wuk grinned wryly. “It’s only a matter of time, sir.”

“Now don’t jinx me like that. If that happens, I won’t be able to speak freely anywhere.”

Kim Myeong-Chan slowly shook his head.

All thanks to wiretapping and cameras of the spy satellites, the private lives of high-ranking government officials had all but disappeared these days. So, the invention of long-distance listening devices on top of all those things would be akin to broadcasting one’s life to the world 24/7.

“So...” Kim Myeong-Chan asked while leisurely walking toward his ball. “What are the odds of success if they push ahead?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, sir,” said Yi Jong-Wuk with a sigh. “We still haven’t quantified their strengths and capabilities.”

“

Mm

...”

“Also, the enemy strength is unknown to us, sir. We know so little that I can’t help but wonder what we’ve been doing all this time after learning about the existence of the Martial Assembly and the martial world.”

“

Mm

, yes. Me, too.”

Kim Myeong-Chan also made a wry expression.

South Korea used to develop at a breakneck pace. But the limits of such development had begun manifesting themselves in recent times.

This country rode on luck, the state of affairs around the world, plus the industrious and honest nature of its people, to get to where it was right now. But the rate of progress had slowed down noticeably. With that, the previously unseen limitations of the country’s foundation began surfacing.

Nations deserving of the title,

global powerhouses

, had been acquiring and analyzing information on other countries going back decades and even centuries. As a matter of fact, the agencies handling intelligence work had gotten so famous over the years that pretty much everyone around the world had heard of their names by now.

However, South Korea had only recently gone through the process of establishing an agency to handle information coming from other nations. Which made sense, as it already had its hands full trying to figure out the situation in North Korea, as well as within its own borders.

While other nations had already analyzed their martial societies and put various countermeasures in place, only a few Korean politicians knew of the Korean martial society’s existence. The government itself had spectacularly failed to analyze and prepare against the martial artists, in other words!

This was the outcome of a single dictator, not the government, wielding all the power. No, it’d be more correct to say a small group of people wielding all the power and information, rather than the proper system of governance, led to this outcome.

“Even so, we can make reasonable assumptions based on the information we have, can’t we? You shouldn’t be telling me that we don’t have enough information at this stage.”

“You’re right, sir,” Yi Jong-Wuk nodded. “In my opinion, the mission itself will be successful.”

“Is that right?” Kim Myeong-Chan turned his head, his expression unreadable, to stare at Yi Jong-Wuk. “And you based your opinion on what?”

“I judged that the individual named Kang Jin-Ho is definitely not someone who makes empty promises.”

“How extremely biased judgment that is, one affected by, perhaps, your awe. You shouldn’t say that in your position.”

“My apologies.”

Kim Myeong-Chan dismissively waved his hand. “No need to apologize. We are all humans here. I don’t expect you to make objective decisions like a machine all the time.”

Besides, Yi Jong-Wuk’s opinion wasn’t exactly wrong, either.

“So, then. When you said it’ll be a success, you didn’t sound all that positive about it. Why?”

“Actually, sir. I wanted to ask you about something related to this topic.”

Kim Myeong-Chan frowned slightly and glanced at Yi Jong-Wuk. “Yes? What is it?”

“According to our analysis, the odds of the assassination succeeding are quite high. However, we believe that safely leaving China will be incredibly difficult.”

Kim Myeong-Chan didn’t say anything as he kept walking, his eyes glued to the green grass ahead. Both men walked in silence for a while.

Eventually, though, Kim Myeong-Chan broke his silence.

“I don’t get it. You think escaping from China, not the assassination itself, will be difficult?”

“Yes, sir. Once your position is exposed, the enemy will start pursuing you. As you already know, China’s surveillance network easily surpasses that of South Korea. Our method is to monitor various streets and analyze the movement patterns of the suspects once a crime has been committed to track them down. But China’s method is to monitor the entirety of the country in real-time.”

“

Mm

...!”

“The odds of escaping such a meticulous and tight surveillance network unscathed are fairly minimal, to say the least, sir.”

“But I know that Assembly Master Kang Jin-Ho has already escaped China once.”

“Yes, but his opponent back then wasn’t the Chinese government, sir. And his confrontation occurred at the coast, which made his escape possible. But he’s in Beijing right now. That’s easily the most monitored city in China by far.”

Kim Myeong-Chan let out a soft groan. It wasn’t as if he agreed with everything Yi Jong-Wuk had said, but even he couldn’t deny that the failed escape was a genuine possibility.

“Then... What is it that you wish to ask me?”

Yi Jong-Wuk cautiously wet his dry lips, then spoke in a grave voice. “Sir. It’s about when the situation I speak of happens for real.”

“

Mm

?”

“Officially, we have no ties to Mister Kang Jin-Ho’s activity. As far as the world is concerned, he and the Martial Assembly are operating independently of us.”

“Yes, that is so.”

“Then, what will you do if the Chinese government requests us not to interfere?”

“...”

Kim Myeong-Chan resumed his silent walk. Eventually, they reached where his ball was. He couldn’t help but frown, however; his ball had rolled past the rough and into a pond next to it. Hitting that ball meant he’d have to get his pants wet.

“Jong-Wuk... No, Manager Yi. Tell me, do you like playing golf?”

“Honestly? No, sir. Not really.”

Kim Myeong-Chan chuckled while eyeing the ball in the pond. “When someone is new to golf, they’ll try to save their shot somehow. Even when their ball is in the middle of a pond like that. They think making their shot from such a position is what makes golf, golf.”

“...”

“Maybe they are right. But there’s one more thing to consider here. You know what that is? It’s none other than risk.”

“...”

“Imagine you step into that pond and hit the ball, but you miss it, and the ball sinks deeper. What then? You’re soaked through and through, yet your score just got worse for your troubles. Isn’t that the very definition of the worst outcome?”

“You’re right, sir.”

“So. When that happens...”

Kim Myeong-Chan took out a new ball from his pocket, then dropped it near where he stood.

“It might not be a bad idea to choose

stability

instead, even if it means you must pay the penalty for it. That is how well-adjusted adults should act. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I do, sir.”

“Well, then. Have you found your ball, though?”

“Yes, sir. It’s over there,” said Yi Jong-Wuk while pointing to a spot not too far away.

“Since we’re here, let me go first. Let’s have some fun while we’re playing a round on this gorgeous eighteen-hole course.”

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Yi Jong-Wuk wordlessly nodded. Although he didn’t get a straight answer, he got what he wanted. Kang Jin-Ho was the golf ball stuck in the pond; carelessly trying to save him could potentially worsen South Korea’s relationship with China.

If that golf ball had rolled on to the fairway on its own, there would be no reason to push it out of the way. On the other hand, there was no need to pick it up from the dirty water when the associated risks were too great. There were replacement balls in the golfer’s pockets, anyway.

Yi Jong-Wuk frowned ever so slightly while observing Kim Myeong-Chan get into a stance. Was this the right choice, though?

He wasn’t trying to argue that Kim Myeong-Chan was wrong for prioritizing effectiveness and avoiding risk as much as possible. The stuff about challenging themselves or being courageous and whatnot were the arguments of people with nothing to lose, after all.

For those in the position to determine not just their future but countless other lives with a single choice, it was rather obvious that they would prioritize stability and security above all else.

Even so...

What if

we stand to lose more than a golf ball? What then?

The golfer could easily abandon their ball because they had plenty of replacements available. However, could Kang Jin-Ho be compared to a common golf ball?

Yi Jong-Wuk subtly furrowed his brow. The Prime Minister’s analogy seemed pretty good on the surface, but a closer scrutiny revealed how ill-fitting it was to this situation.

Anyone who had met Kang Jin-Ho would agree that he could never be replaced by another martial artist.

But the problem with that analogy was...

There’s no way that the Prime Minister isn’t aware of that point.

This wasn’t some random person but Kim Myeong-Chan. The Prime Minister Yi Jong-Wuk knew would’ve easily noticed this minor error in his analogy.

That was why Yi Jong-Wuk hesitated. He knew he should point this error out, but couldn’t. More correctly, how should he go about pointing out a deliberate error?

What was even more important, though, was why Kim Myeong-Chan made such an error in the first place. Could it be...?

“Manager Yi? You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

Yi Jong-Wuk flinched awake from his thoughts and hurriedly bowed his head. “My apologies, sir. I was thinking about how to handle the aftermath...”

“It’s not your job to worry about that.”

“...”

“The most common mistake government officials make is butting into a matter that’s none of their concern. That’s nothing more than the arrogance of a man who thinks that without him, things will go wrong. Even though the important thing to remember is for him to do his job well first and foremost. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, sir.”

Yi Jong-Wuk subtly closed his eyes. Yes, he understood that going any further than this was overstepping his boundaries. His job was to fulfill the orders coming his way. Nothing more. Even then...!

He opened his eyes again and watched Kim Myeong-Chan take another swing at the golf ball. His expression was withdrawn, still.

People tasked with running a country sometimes had to make heartless decisions. Ordinary populace could only care about their morals and whatnot, and there wouldn’t be a problem with that. But the people in the leadership positions had no choice but to think about the greater good of his group.

Being morally upstanding was not enough to complete a leader. A leader must know when and how to disregard morality and righteousness for the sake of improving the group’s fortunes.

In that sense, Kang Jin-Ho’s existence was simply too dangerous. He was not someone the Korean government could effectively control or suppress. Worse still, the impression Yi Jong-Wuk got was that Kang Jin-Ho was beyond the restrictions of the Assembly and even the Korean martial society.

In fact, not just Korea, but even other nations would have a hard time controlling someone like him.

A power that could not be controlled would pose a significant threat to the country’s system of governance.

Even if that was all true, the Prime Minister’s decision could...!

Yi Jong-Wuk bit his lower lip hard enough to almost draw blood.

Sir, your choice might lead to an outcome akin to setting the fuse on fire.

Kim Myeong-Chan sliced the golf ball, sending it flying in the wrong direction.

“Damn. That’s another poor shot, isn’t it?”

Kim Myeong-Chan wryly shook his head, then leisurely walked toward his ball.

Yi Jong-Wuk watched his boss for a little while longer before finally taking a step forward.

A hint of determination was visible in his expression.