Chapter 1404. Reversal Of Fortunes (4)

“Mr. Prime Minister! Please give us your statement!”

“Do you have anything to say regarding the allegations leveled against you?”

“Who did you order the hit against, Prime Minister?”

“Were you alone, or were you acting under someone’s orders?”

Kim Myeong-Chan squeezed his eyes shut as questions flooded his hearing and continuous camera flashes nearly blinded him.

He seemed to have aged by at least a decade in the last few days. That should have been enough to rouse anyone’s pity, but not a single person escorting him looked at him with sympathy today.

Then again, this was what the fall of a man in power always looked like, anyway.

Those without power could earn the public’s sympathy depending on the circumstances of their crime, but not the ones who used to wield considerable power. When they fell, they did so with the added interest from all the power they wielded.

The higher one’s standing was, the steeper one’s fall would be. That was the nature of power.

Kim Myeong-Chan kept his eyes shut for a while, before forcing them open. “I will... fully cooperate with the investigation. I sincerely apologize for disappointing all of you, the citizens of this country.”

As soon as he said those pained words, though... Another flood of questions tried to drown him.

“Does that mean you admit to your guilt?”

“Why did you do it, Mr. Prime Minister?”

“Don’t you think you’ve set a dangerous precedent by using your power to order a hit on someone?”

Questions pummeled Kim Myeong-Chan without mercy, but he remained stiff-faced while wordlessly entering the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office HQ.

The mic-wielding reporter used the building as the backdrop while addressing the camera.

“As you just saw, Prime Minister Kim Myeong-Chan has handed himself over to the prosecutors. He’s currently under suspicion of colluding with a Chinese Central Military Commission member to assassinate an as-of unknown Korean citizen. What’s bizarre in this situation is that the Prime Minister has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations.

“As you can imagine, the South Korean media is trying their best to figure out who this individual was, and if the allegation is proven true, why a sitting Prime Minister would go to such great lengths to assassinate this person.

“The prosecuting authorities have indicated that, once they have credible evidence of any crime committed, they will consider Prime Minister Kim a serious flight risk and issue an arrest warrant immediately.”

***

“That... son of a b*tch!”

Choi Yeon-Ha swore under her breath while watching the TV. However, despite the coarse language leaving her lips, her expression was one of pure

refreshment

.

Han Eun-Sol curiously asked. “Was that Prime Minister guy behind Mister Jin-Ho’s false accusation thing?”

“Yeah, he was.”

“Wow, really? He can rot in hell for all I care, then.”

One shouldn’t casually badmouth their own prime minister, but not these two. For obvious reasons, their feelings toward Kim Myeong-Chan couldn’t be called nice.

As a matter of fact, they wouldn’t have minded ripping the skin off Kim Myeong-Chan’s face for what he made them go through!

“Then...” Han Eun-Sol cocked his brow. “Was he also responsible for our ordeal back in China?”

“Yup, that’s right.”

“Seriously? That insane son of a...”

Han Eun-Sol stared in dismay at Kim Myeong-Chan’s face plastered all over the TV screen. That guy was the prime minister of this country whose job was to protect and guide his fellow citizens. Yet he paid off a foreign politician to kill his countryman instead! Who in their right mind wouldn’t get angry after hearing that? Worse still, Han Eun-Sol was one of the victims directly impacted by Kim Myeong-Chan’s scheme.

“Noona, does this mean Mister Jin-Ho will go free soon?”

Choi Yeon-Ha nodded. “I guess it’ll depend on what the investigation uncovers, but according to what Chief Lee told me, it’s only a matter of time.”

“Good. He’s finally cleared his name, then.”

“That’s right.”

Han Eun-Sol sneaked a quick glance at Choi Yeon-Ha. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was glowing right now. As a matter of fact, a halo of light might suddenly burst forth from behind her at any second now!

Holy cow...

Han Eun-Sol had been on Choi Yeon-Ha’s side for many years, but this was his first time seeing her make such a... gentle, peaceful face. So saintly was her gentle smile that he suddenly had a hunch. Not too long ago, he carelessly misplaced her expensive famous-brand handbag but kept mum about it. But what if he confessed now...? Maybe she’d forgive him in her current mood? With a smile, no less?

“N-noona?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s,

uh

... It’s nothing.”

Nope, he shouldn’t unnecessarily create trouble for himself. He should carry this secret to his grave!

Han Eun-Sol shifted his attention back to the TV, then sighed deeply.

Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow. “Why are you sighing at this good news? You wanna jinx it or something? Stop it, or I’m gonna hit you.”

“No, it’s just that...” Han Eun-Sol ruefully smacked his lips. “Mister Jin-Ho clearing his name is great, but that won’t help fix your public image, noona.”

“So what?”

“What do you mean, so what? It’s a seriou...”

“It’s fine. Actually, this is good for me. Being too famous was beginning to weigh down on me, anyway. Look, I couldn’t even eat out without a mask on until now, right? I’m not gonna miss that life, I can tell you that much.”

Han Eun-Sol carefully studied Choi Yeon-Ha’s expression. She genuinely looked happy, as if she regretted nothing. But that didn’t make much sense, though?

Two primary causes were behind the depression and panic disorder suffered by most celebrities. One, the

feeling

of being watched wherever they went, and two, gnawing anxiety of their popularity vanishing into thin air some day.

Of the two, most celebrities would argue that the second cause was worse than the first. If being a center of attention bothered them so much, celebrities could just quit the entertainment industry and do something else. Of course, only an extreme few were willing to do that. The majority stayed put.

Here was the “cross” those living in the entertainment industry must bear. An industry where one had to pursue fame as if their life depended on it!

But Choi Yeon-Ha genuinely looked unperturbed.

“Noona, are you sure?”

“

Ng

? About what?”

“I mean... It is as you said. We’ve taken care of the urgent fire called Mister Jin-Ho, right?”

“We didn’t do much, but sure. That’s true.”

“Then, shouldn’t we think about how to fix your problem? We’ve been putting it off until now, and that’s starting to worry me a bit...”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled nonchalantly. “You’ll kill yourself with worries at this rate. Listen, Eun-Sol. You think I’m amazing because I’m an actor?”

“Sorry?”

“Whether I’m an actor or not doesn’t change how capable and pretty I am, okay? Besides, I’ll still have my looks even if I’m no longer famous.”

“...”

“Who cares about other people’s recognition and whatnot? Did you forget that my aim has always been to survive as long as possible in this industry as an actor, not a celeb? If fame is all I care about, I’d be busy shooting commercials and trending shows and acting all cutesy and stuff.”

Choi Yeon-Ha dismissively waved her hand off.

“Sure, it’d be a lie to say I’m not gonna miss the fame. But nothing will change even if you rack your brain to figure out how to fix the past.”

She then stared straight at Han Eun-Sol.

“Yeah, I get that you’re my manager. I do.”

“Of course I am your manager.”

“And what’s your job as a manager? It’s managing your talent, and helping them become more famous, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“What’s done is done. There isn’t a lot we can do to change that. Maybe some fans will never forgive me. But that doesn’t mean we should just kick ourselves in regret, right? We’ll just win everyone back, that’s all.”

What a... positive mindset that was.

Of course, Han Eun-Sol couldn’t readily tell if Choi Yeon-Ha genuinely thought this way, or she merely said all this to make him feel better. Whatever the truth was, though, he

did

feel better, so that should be considered a job well done.

“Yes, you’re right, noona. We gotta win everyone back. You’re the one and only Choi Yeon-Ha, after all.”

She harrumphed. “That’s right.”

“Besides, you’re unrivaled in putting on a facade, anyway. And in some cases, no one can do a better job than you, so even the showrunners and producers won’t be able to ignore you forever.”

“...? Hold on? What do you mean by ‘facade’, Eun-Sol?”

“Let it go, noona. Let it go.”

Choi Yeon-Ha gave her manager a sharp side-eye before standing up. “I’ll let it go this time. Instead, I’m going to see Mister Jin-Ho.”

Han Eun-Sol groaned in dismay again. “

Ehh

? Again?”

“What’s wrong? Don’t want to drive me there? That’s fine, I can drive myself.”

“That’s not it, noona. I don’t mind driving, okay? It’s just that it feels like we’re visiting him way too often.”

“It’s not too often, okay? Mister Jin-Ho is stuck behind bars unjustly, so how dare I relax at home?”

“

Wooooow.

You’re setting an example for all women to follow, noona. Congrats.”

“If you don’t wanna get beaten up by this exemplary woman, get a move on, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Han Eun-Sol chuckled at the sight of Choi Yeon-Ha entering her bedroom to change. It had been such a long time since he last saw her walking around so cheerily like that.

***

“It’s been a while,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Indeed. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d speak to you ever again.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled at the person sitting before him. “I have to say, you don’t look so good, Mister Yi.”

Yi Jong-Wuk chuckled back while scratching his head. “Aren’t you the same as well?”

“Right. You’ve become a bit more cynical as well.”

“My apologies. With everything that has happened, I don’t think I can act like my old self.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded. He wasn’t surprised to hear that. After all, the “country” didn’t just betray Kang Jin-Ho, but Yi Jong-Wuk as well, didn’t it?

“Looks like you’ve gone through a lot, too.”

Yi Jong-Wuk shook his head. “Don’t even mention it, sir. I never knew you could imprison someone in the basement of an office building. At least it would’ve been better to get locked up in the NIS holding cell.”

“So you’ve been locked up until now?”

“No, sir. I was under house arrest for a while now. But that wasn’t any better, either. The TV was playing the same nonsense about your news, but I couldn’t do anything to change it. Meanwhile, all my phones were bugged...”

Yi Jong-Wuk chuckled wryly.

“Usually, I’d be the one doing that to other people, but now that the shoe is on the other foot... Now I know how much of a torture it is.”

Kang Jin-Ho and Yi Jong-Wuk stared at each other and chuckled wryly together.

From Kang Jin-Ho’s perspective, he had no reason to be antagonistic toward Yi Jong-Wuk. After all, this man was the only person who tried to help him when the administration tried nearly everything in its power to kill him.

If Yi Jong-Wuk hadn’t betrayed the administration, Kang Jin-Ho’s situation would have been so much worse.

Yi Jong-Wuk sighed softly. “How is my subordinate doing, by the way?”

“Not sure,” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged. “Since no one mentioned anything about him, I assume he’s doing okay.”

“I’m relieved to hear that. Chang Piljae’s situation weighed heavily on my mind, you see?”

Another sigh left Yi Jong-Wuk’s lips.

“I’m glad to see you again, Assembly Master. On the other hand, it’d be a lie to say I’m looking forward to this meeting.”

Kang Jin-Ho subtly narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings. They were currently in the same office he used to meet with Kim Myeong-Chan.

However, the Prime Minister wasn’t here, his place now taken up by Yi Jong-Wuk.

That could only mean a powerful figure, someone like Kim Myeong-Chan, now backed Yi Jong-Wuk. One didn’t have to be a genius to guess who that could be.

Kang Jin-Ho fixed his gaze on Yi Jong-Wuk. “Then, what brings you here?”

“It’s to negotiate with you, sir.”

The two men stared in silence at each other for a while.

“You’ve become their proxy in this negotiation? I guess you don’t have any bad feelings toward those responsible, then?” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Please don’t misunderstand me, sir. I’m not here as a dog of the administration. Since the very beginning, my goal was to avoid the absolute worst situation. That’s why I helped you, and my goal has not changed since then.”

“So, you wish to play a mediator now? Is that it?”

Yi Jong-Wuk chuckled helplessly. “I’m not important enough for that, sir. At least, not originally. It’s just that the administration has no one in their ranks beside me who can speak to you face to face without getting killed on the spot. That’s why I’m ushered in here.”

Kang Jin-Ho and Yi Jong-Wuk chuckled again. This situation certainly had turned in some unexpected directions, hadn’t it?

“Fine. I’m listening.”

Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a cigarette and lit it up.

He didn’t feel the need for a lengthy preamble with Yi Jong-Wuk here. After all, he owed

some

debt to his visitor, didn’t he? Besides, Yi Jong-Wuk was here to deliver a message, anyway.

So, Kang Jin-Ho should listen, then respond accordingly. That should be enough.

“The administration’s offer is simple, sir. They will restore your reputation.”

“My reputation?”

“Yes. It’s inevitable that you’ll get freed soon. But restoring your reputation is a different matter altogether. The government publicly acknowledging that Kim Myeong-Chan had falsely accused you would surely help with your acquaintances welcoming you back, no?”

“Well, sure.”

“That’s what they are offering, sir. In return, they only want one thing from you. And that is your word. A promise that... You’ll close the book on this matter. That you won’t go after anyone else afterward.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. That was straightforward enough. Very much so.

After deeply inhaling the cigarette smoke, he lazily exhaled it into the office air. Then, a bright smirk spread on his lips.

“I should thank you for what you did for me.”

“No need to mention it, sir.”

“And that’s why I’ll forgive you this once.”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho bared his fangs in a ferocious smirk.

“If you’re planning to talk about nonsense, you better get out of my sight right now. My patience has limits, after all.”