Chapter 1407. Released (2)

Lee Hyeon-Su asked curiously. “So, what happened afterward? Did you go home with your family?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Well, yeah.”

“

Hoh-oh

?” Lee Hyeon-Su grinned deeply. “I knew it. Miss Choi was an old hand at this sort of thing.”

“

Huh

?”

“Imagine you and Miss Choi going on a date in that situation. Your mother wouldn’t have been happy about it despite what she said. Didn’t you say she had prepared a feast for her now-free son?”

“...You think so?”

“Yes, I do. In my opinion, Miss Choi had made the right call, sir. In return, I’m sure she scored quite a lot of points with your mother.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned. “I don’t get it, though?”

Lee Hyeon-Su shook his head while wagging his index finger. “And that’s why you’re the problem in this situation, sir. A woman’s heart can be quite fickle, you see? However! Do as I tell you, and you will never have a bad day with women ever again.”

That was when Wiggins entered the office. He smirked after catching the last part of Lee Hyeon-Su’s declaration. “

Oh

, really now? Is that why Miss Lee has you thoroughly under her thumb?”

“W-what do you mean, I’m under her thumb? Master, you’re totally mistaken! I’m merely letting her!”

“That’s what men in your situation usually say, Mister Lee.”

“S-so what! Is it wrong to let your woman be the boss of the house for the sake of peace at home?!”

“No one said it’s wrong,” Wiggins smirked deeply. “I’m just amused by your attempt at offering advice, that’s all.”

“

Urgh

...”

Lee Hyeon-Su groaned. Before he could say something in his defense, however, Wiggins beat him to the punch.

“So? What’s your advice on relationships? Let’s hear it, so we can see if you know what you’re talking about.”

“Nope. No thank you. I don’t know anything, anyway.”

“

Tsk, tsk

... How disappointing.”

Lee Hyeon-Su sneakily turned his head away. If he was being honest, though...

Whether it was him or Kang Jin-Ho, both of them were absolute morons when it came to women.

“My lord, congratulations on regaining your freedom,” said Wiggins.

“It’s not like I’m a freedom fighter who cleared his name or something, so no need for congratulations,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a dismissive wave of his hand, although he still made a sheepish face.

“Having said that, I must apologize sincerely to you as well. We were of no help to you whatsoever this time.”

Wiggins sighed deeply. Not only did he fail to help Kang Jin-Ho out this time, he also didn’t show up when his lord was released from prison. He would’ve loved nothing more than rushing over to Kang Jin-Ho’s house back then to offer his congratulations, but he had his own business to deal with at the time.

“That’s enough useless banter,” said Kang Jin-Ho, his expression stiff.

Slurp, slurp...

“...”

However, the sight of the Iced Americano relentlessly entering Kang Jin-Ho’s mouth made it a bit too challenging to take him seriously.

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned deeply. “That’s your third cup of coffee in a row, sir...”

Kang Jin-Ho casually replied, “I know. It’s just that I keep getting the craving now that I’m free.”

“I... I guess I understand? Kinda?”

Kang Jin-Ho used to drink several cups of coffee every day, but his circumstances prevented him from indulging in his habit for the past several days. No wonder his coffee addiction was acting up right now.

Wiggins curiously asked. “What about cola, sir? Have you had your fill now?”

“

Oh

, that? It’s weird, but I don’t want it anymore now that I’m free.”

“...”

Wiggins couldn’t help but remember that Kang Jin-Ho could get rather eccentric in things like this.

“Okay, so...” Kang Jin-Ho scanned everyone in the office. “Everyone’s here, then?”

He sighed while studying the faces of the Martial Assembly’s directors sitting to his left and right.

“It’s good to see you all outside the prison visitation room.”

“It was a pretty memorable experience, sir,” Bang Jin-Hun cackled. “I never imagined I’d get to see our Assembly Master in a prison uniform, you see? Geez, that was totally like a scene from a gangster movie. Any thoughts on taking part in a crime epic?”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “Get out.”

“I’m sorry.”

The directors all chuckled gently away.

They usually wouldn’t have laughed at this exchange, but even a little random thing would trigger a round of laughter today. Simply having Kang Jin-Ho back here set their minds at ease, after all.

“Alright. For now, we will...”

Sluuurp.

“

Argh

! Please! Stop drinking that coffee!”

Someone in this office seemed rather dissatisfied with something, but Kang Jin-Ho roundly ignored that person and leisurely finished his coffee.

How could a bunch of people who had never spent time behind bars understand his feelings, anyway?

Kang Jin-Ho put the empty cup down on the table with a

clack!

and leaned against his couch. “Let’s hear your reports. I’m sure you haven’t told me everything while I was in prison.”

It wouldn’t be smart to tell everything to a person rotting away behind bars. That would only worsen their stress level, after all.

Thanks to Kang Jin-Ho breaking the ice first, it became easier for others to speak.

Wiggins fake-coughed and spoke first. “There was a minor commotion in the Round Table.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, my lord. When they realized you wouldn’t be able to come to Europe on short notice, some Knights began opposing the Master’s rule. Of course, it wasn’t a vocal opposition but more like creating minor inconveniences along the way...”

“Flush them out. Get rid of them.”

“As I’ve said before, they weren’t being openly hostile, my lord. As their opposition only amounts to minor inconveniences, making them pay might be a little...”

“No, it’ll be fine.”

“My lord?”

Kang Jin-Ho took out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, then mouthed a cigarette while smirking weirdly. “This is exactly what we need.”

“...?”

“I think I’ve told you this before. If you’re too principled and do everything by the book, people you haven’t disciplined yet won’t fear you. Fear is terrifying because it’s unpredictable.”

“But, my lord...?”

“Once you establish the baseline used to determine who gets punished or not, people will stick to it on their own. But flip that notion around, and it means they believe they are safe as long as they don’t cross the line. Which will make them fearless.”

Wiggins weightily nodded. Kang Jin-Ho might seem a little senseless most of the time, but in moments like this, he’d demonstrate the wisdom and charisma befitting the leader of the Demon Cult and its numerous believers.

“You say those Knights only put up minor inconveniences?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Then let’s cut off their hands to ensure they will never do it again.”

Wiggins subtly chewed his lips. “Understood. It’ll be done, my lord. I’ll go ahead and analyze the Round Table’s situation before reporting back to you.”

“Got it. Next.”

Lee Hyeon-Su quickly stepped in.

“All the pressure and restrictions on trading placed on MK have vanished, sir. I’ve received their report earlier, which stated that the business should return to normal within three days.”

“You received their report?”

“Of course, it was meant for you. I’m not important enough for them to submit reports, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled. “Any other issues?”

“Other than the problem of our chairman being in prison, we didn’t have other serious issues to deal with, sir. Besides, even the minor issues went away when you were freed.”

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded at that report.

This battle never had been the Martial Assembly versus the Korean government, but Kang Jin-Ho versus the current administration. The other side wouldn’t have dared to harm the Assembly in that case, since they knew they would still have to co-exist even after Kang Jin-Ho had been removed from the picture.

“Which means...” Wiggins narrowed his eyes. “Our next move will depend on how the other side responds.”

Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked. “What do you think they’ll do?”

“Well, they won’t have a choice but to do as told, but...” Wiggins smirked weirdly. “My lord, you’ve given them a task that’s undoubtedly too simple for their capabilities.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. You most likely thought that destroying their long-time comrade with their own hands could be a cruel and painful punishment for them.”

“...”

“Unfortunately, that is an incorrect assumption. The way I see it, those people will destroy Kim Myeong-Chan more cruelly and systematically than you can imagine. After all, politicians will shake hands with their enemies and smile at the cameras if doing so benefits them. And unhesitantly stab their allies in the back for even minor benefits.”

“

Mm

...”

“My lord, don’t you think this punishment is too lenient?”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head to stare outside the window. “You think it’s lenient?”

“Yes, I do.”

Kang Jin-Ho finally lit his cigarette up, then lazily puffed away at it. But then, the corners of his lips curled up weirdly again. “Really? But I have to disagree with you on this one.”

“My lord?” Wiggins quizzically stared at Kang Jin-Ho after noticing that strange smirk.

“That wasn’t my intention, anyway.”

“Then... what was it, my lord?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced back at Wiggins. “Yes, I’m sure they will systematically destroy Kim Myeong-Chan. Because they will assume it’s the only way to survive.”

“Of course.”

“And it’s as Yi Jong-Wuk said. Even I will run into issues when trying to get rid of the holder of the highest office in this country.”

Wiggins slowly nodded. He agreed that the burden, the cost, of doing that would be too great to bear.

Bang Jin-Hun suddenly butted in with a voice full of dissatisfaction. “Can’t we just, you know, wreck them or something?”

Wiggins frowned deeply. “What about the aftermath, Mister Bang? Who will deal with the consequences?”

“Why should we care about that, Mister Wiggins? When this is patently unfair! Those bastards can poke us all they want, but we gotta sit here and do nothing? We can’t even punch back now?”

“But we are fighting back, aren’t we?”

“

Oww

, come on! How could you call that fighting back when we haven’t even hit them once? If things end like this, isn’t it the same as caning the serf of the guilty noble instead? What era are we even living in? Are we back in the kingdom of Joseon or something?”

Wiggins frowned deeply again. “I didn’t know Korea used to practice such a custom in the past?”

Bang Jin-Hun tutted. “What the... Mister Wiggins, you are more

Korean

than most Koreans I know. So I’m shocked that you didn’t know.”

Lee Hyeon-Su was dismayed by what he heard just then. “Excuse me, sir? My master is still an Englishman, you know? How would he have known that?”

“Englishman, my ass! Look at him! Are you sure he’s from England?! How about we check his national ID card to make sure he’s not an undercover Korean?”

Lee Hyeon-Su cried out inwardly,

Why would Mister Wiggins have a bloody ID card?! When he’s not even a South Korean citizen!

“In any case!”

Bang Jin-Hun forcefully changed the subject back to the original topic.

“I don’t like this one bit, Assembly Master. I’m willing to take on some pain if it means we can hit them where it hurts the most just once.”

Wiggins tutted. “At least you didn’t suggest killing them. You’ve grown up a little, Mister Bang.”

“What do you mean, kill them? What about the consequences, then? How will we handle the blowback and stuff?”

“...”

Hearing that from Bang Jin-Hun left Wiggins feeling aggrieved for some reason.

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly responded. “Don’t worry. That’s what will happen.”

Bang Jin-Hun turned to look at his boss. “...Eh? Sorry?”

“I’m saying we are hitting them back.”

“

Oh

? Do you have a plan, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “It’s as you said. We can’t touch them. Not directly, anyway. The blowback will be too severe for us to handle, after all.”

What Kang Jin-Ho feared wasn’t the administration’s revenge, but the critical glare of the public. Bringing down the Prime Minister might be okay, but what about the person above him? Attacking someone like that would come with serious risks.

After all, the public’s...

interest

in the President of their country would be on another level compared to the Prime Minister.

Prime Ministers resigning or getting removed from their post for various reasons happened often enough throughout history, but that didn’t apply to Presidents. Even the smallest event concerning the country’s top leader would inevitably lead to an outpouring of public interest.

Bang Jin-Hun nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”

“In that case, we stay out of punishing them. Wouldn’t that work?”

“

Eh

? Are you thinking of using the Chinese government again?”

“That’s also not a good idea.”

Bang Jin-Hun tilted his head. “Then, how?”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned and glanced at Wiggins. “Remember what Wiggins said just now? About how politicians will stab their allies in the back without remorse or hesitation if doing so benefits them.”

“Yes, I do remember.”

“That means the administration will destroy Kim Myeong-Chan in the cruelest manner imaginable just to fix this situation. Right?”

Bang Jin-Hun groaned. “

Urgh

. Come on, sir! Stop building suspense and tell me straight. Please!”

“Do you think Kim Myeong-Chan will sit back and do nothing?”

“...!

Ah

!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s grin deeply. “People he thought were his dependable allies have turned on him. So, would Kim Myeong-Chan remain loyal to them? I don’t think so.”

“Right. He probably wouldn’t have started this whole thing if he was such an upright person.”

“I... Yes, my lord, I agree with you. Yeees, I can see it now...”

The directors of the Assembly all nodded away animatedly.

“The crueler they get toward Kim Myeong-Chan, the more chaotic Kim Myeong-Chan’s thoughts will become. And he’ll become more and more blinded as things around him crumble down. Taking the fall? That’s a choice only someone with a future can make. However, when you’ve lost everything, why would you protect the ones attacking you?”

Rather than taking the fall alone, he’d take everyone else down with him. At least, that was what Kang Jin-Ho would do.

In that case, what about Kim Myeong-Chan?

I’m guessing he’s not too dissimilar from me in that regard.

As far as one’s malicious character was concerned, the “Kim Myeong-Chan” Kang Jin-Ho had observed wouldn’t lose out to anyone. Someone like that wouldn’t let others bury him somewhere deep without a fight. He’d try everything in his power, and... Once he ran out of ways to fight back? What then?

“Let’s sit back and enjoy the show as those in power try to rip each other apart. It’s not every day we get to witness something this entertaining, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho reclined relaxedly against the couch while puffing away at his cigarette.

Wiggins grinned subconsciously at this sight. As he thought, that pose suited Kang Jin-Ho just so well.