Chapter 1417. Straightening Out (2)

“I... I...”

Kim Myeong-Chan dazedly muttered.

The unavoidable death swiftly approached, his sentence already decided.

He had no escape from this situation. How could there be any escape when the devil like Kang Jin-Ho existed! When he was a creature that could slip into a prison’s solitary confinement without raising alarm to stare down at his victim, when no one could enter here without permission!

“I...!”

Kim Myeong-Chan chuckled lifelessly.

“

Heh

. That’s right. I started it...”

Everything began with him. He had initiated this catastrophe.

None of the stories and rumors doing the rounds out there were made up. They were not baseless lies. Kim Myeong-Chan had indeed requested the Chinese government to kill Kang Jin-Ho. And he certainly had paid the North Korean regime off and demanded they kill Kang Jin-Ho!

Soon, the truth of what he had done would spread to all corners of South Korea. Not only that, but things he had done over the years, too.

Whether it was the allegations of bribery, corruption of his family members, even all the dirty dealings he had made in the past... All of them were true!

As for Kang Jin-Ho, all he did was merely exposing those shameful misdeeds to the world.

“Was I... wrong?”

Kim Myeong-Chan asked in a daze. Even Kang Jin-Ho stopped moving at that question.

“Answer me, Kang... Jin-Ho. Was I wrong? And is that why I’m being punished?”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked deeply. What a laughable question was that?

“No, you weren’t wrong.”

“...?”

“But you were weak.”

Kim Myeong-Chan shuddered slightly just then.

Kang Jin-Ho ignored that reaction and chewed his words out. “If you had the sufficient strength, or at least strong enough to finish this war perfectly, you would’ve been outside this prison, busy sipping on the champagne of success by now. So, yes. You were simply not strong enough.”

Kim Myeong-Chan chuckled helplessly. What he heard just now was more effective at consoling him than any criticisms and words of comfort he received until now. Ironically, it came from the man he feared the most. The man who came to kill him like the messenger from the netherworld!

Kim Myeong-Chan’s eyes swayed. “Yes. This world, it’s... It’s...”

“The weak will fall to the strong in this world,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Yes, that’s it... I was weak. And that’s why I’ve become a prey. Now I... understand. I do.”

It didn’t matter what the explanations or reasons he could think of. At the end of the day, they were all meaningless things of the past that couldn’t change anything now.

Kang Jin-Ho’s assertion had succinctly broken down the truth of the world and made it simple enough to understand.

Had Kim Myeong-Chan been a little stronger, he would’ve been sleeping soundly in his own bed while Kang Jin-Ho would’ve rotted away inside a prison. But he was weak, and that was why he ended up here instead.

Because he was weak!

Suddenly, a strange, wide-eyed expression formed on Kim Myeong-Chan’s face as he stared at Kang Jin-Ho. “Yes, I admit that I was weak.”

“So you finally get it.”

“Then what? What about them?”

“...”

Kim Myeong-Chan’s expression distorted even more bizarrely. “Why are those weaklings still enjoying a charmed life outside? If I’m weak, surely they are just as weak as me? So why am I the only one stuck in here, facing death? Even though those bastards haven’t sacrificed anything?! Why only me! Why?!”

Kang Jin-Ho stared back at Kim Myeong-Chan in silence before cocking an eyebrow. “Do you really don’t know the answer to that?”

“...”

“Yes, they are weak. At the same time, they are stronger than you. That’s why. The first one to get hunted down in a group is usually the weakest among them. Whether that’s a newborn pup or the old and infirm.”

“

Heh

...”

Kim Myeong-Chan was about to say something, only for him to clutch his gut urgently.

“

Cough

,

cough

!

Keuh

-

euuh

...!

Cough

!”

His saliva got caught in his windpipe, causing him to cough and wheeze violently away. After almost coughing his lungs out, Kim Myeong-Chan wiped his mouth clean while glaring at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Then... That means they are not safe yet?”

“Who knows?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked his head back a little. “When a predator’s satisfied, it wouldn’t have a reason to continue hunting, no?”

“Don’t make me laugh!” Kim Myeong-Chan muttered, his glare now regaining its madness. “You will never be satisfied! No, you are perpetually hungry, aren’t you?! My only mistake in this whole affair was... was not realizing sooner than you’re a demon always thirsting after bloodshed! Are you going to deny that?”

“Who knows?” Kang Jin-Ho smirked weirdly. “What does that matter, anyway? When your story is about to end in this place?”

“Matter, you say? What does it matter...?

Kek

.

Kekekeke

...!”

Kim Myeong-Chan cackled like a madman. His unkempt hair shook about even more messily.

“I... I spent my entire life for a cause greater than me.”

He slowly got up while shivering unsteadily.

“But now, I have nothing left to show for it. Things I’ve tried to set on a righteous path all spat on my face and turned their backs on me! All I have left now... are my decaying, ugly body and the hatred burning down my flesh!”

Kim Myeong-Chan’s face contorted hideously as twisted anger gushed out from him. It was like looking at a vicious flame setting the trash heap alight.

“Since that’s the case, it should be fine to let myself go this once, right? To lose myself to this... this trivial hatred?”

Kim Myeong-Chan forced his unwilling legs to move. He headed to the desk by the corner of his lonely cell. After taking out a pile of papers from below the desk, he returned to where Kang Jin-Ho was.

Kang Jin-Ho studied the papers with a hint of interest. “What’s this?”

“It’s everything,” Kim Myeong-Chan cackled like a villain. “All of my dirty little secrets. Every skeleton hidden in my closet! Every gory detail I still remember about them is written here. With this alone, destroying the bastards out there should be a child’s play!”

“...?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s gaze grew colder.

“Were you thinking of making a trade with this?”

“Trade? You think I want to trade?

Hah

!

Hahahaha

!”

Kim Myeong-Chan guffawed like a madman again. Such was the intensity of his laughter that tears began flooding down his cheeks next.

“You think I want to trade? Really? You must’ve gone insane, Kang Jin-Ho! Insane! Me, trading with you?! When I have nothing left to make a trade with?! You can’t return anything to me, anyway! Fine, then! Let’s make a trade, Kang Jin-Ho! I’ll give you all these, so... kill me! Please, just... just kill me...”

As more tears flooded down his cheeks, Kim Myeong-Chan crumbled to his knees again. He clutched the papers as tightly as possible and sobbed pitifully away.

“I can’t... I can’t sleep. But I can’t keep my eyes open, either. I’m... scared. Yes, I’m afraid, Kang Jin-Ho. I’m scared about what tomorrow will bring. Whenever I force my eyes close and beg for some sleep, I pray to the heavens to take me away. So that I will never wake up again... I’m... I’m too afraid to go on, Kang Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at Kim Myeong-Chan.

The South Korean Prime Minister he used to know was no longer here. Gone for good. What remained was yet another frail human being who had gotten old disgracefully.

Here was a broken human that anyone looking at him would be forced to turn their heads away after being reminded of the uncomfortable truth. Indeed, this man was probably the rawest example of a human being one could imagine!

Kang Jin-Ho finally broke his silence after a long while. “You can have it all back.”

“...?”

Kim Myeong-Chan slowly raised his head.

Kang Jin-Ho grinned brightly at him. “I can make it happen.”

“You... can?”

“You underestimate me, Kim Myeong-Chan. I can flip this situation on its head at any time I feel like. You can have your honor and position back if you want. I’m sure you can guess how?”

Tears of blood now began trickling down Kim Myeong-Chan’s cheeks.

The devil was trying to seduce him. This vile creature was whispering the sweetest temptation into his ear!

It was telling him to throw everything away and fall even further from grace. It told him to morph into an avaricious beast that had buried the name of Kim Myeong-Chan into a pit of manure!

“Give me that information.”

“...!”

“Then, you can have everything back. All you have to do is plunge all those people into the same depth of despair as you.”

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

“Humans are supposed to step on each other to survive, anyway. Those people have thrown you away. They have abandoned you. In that case, you can also abandon them, no? If you do, you will get to monopolize their glory and wealth for yourself. It’s simple, really. Don’t you agree?”

Kim Myeong-Chan tearfully looked up at Kang Jin-Ho. As if something in him had snapped, his jaw fell lower and lower in sheer sorrow.

“You... knew. You knew, Kang Jin-Ho...!”

It felt like his heart was withering mercilessly.

Kim Myeong-Chan began sobbing again.

“You knew... You knew I would never do this! That’s why you gave me this illusion of choice! Because you knew I would throw away the only lifeline to escape from this hell with my own hands! Because you knew nothing would be more painful than this to me!”

Kim Myeong-Chan had figured out why Kang Jin-Ho was making this offer now. Despite knowing that, Kim Myeong-Chan could only cast himself deeper into hell's conflagration.

Should he remain as Kim Myeong-Chan while withering away from all this soul-crushing pain? Or should he morph into someone who wasn’t Kim Myeong-Chan and enjoy everlasting glory and wealth?

He couldn’t speak for other people, but for himself? There was only one choice he could make here.

Rip!

Riiip!

Kim Myeong-Chan ripped the papers in his hands into shreds.

“

Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah

!”

While screaming, while howling like a beast, while dripping tears of blood... He ripped the proof apart. His nails broke and blood scattered, yet he kept ripping the papers up as if he wanted to destroy everything about them.

“

Uwaaaaaaahk

!”

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

And then, the torn bits and pieces of paper danced in the air like the falling snow.

Once nothing remained within his grip, Kim Myeong-Chan completely collapsed to the floor. The last thing propping him up had finally abandoned him, too.

Yet he... He still managed to hold on to this one thing. And that was his pride!

“I... I won’t sell anyone out.”

His voice was faint enough to be almost inaudible. Someone other than Kang Jin-Ho might not even catch what Kim Myeong-Chan was saying.

“I won’t... do it. Even if I fall to the depths of hell...!”

Kim Myeong-Chan looked up and glared at Kang Jin-Ho with his bloodshot eyes.

“Even if no one recognizes it, I am still me. I’m still Kim Myeong-Chan! Even you will never corrupt me.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “How admirable. Excellent.”

He wasn’t being sarcastic here. No, he genuinely wanted to express his respect for Kim Myeong-Chan.

Even though the entire world insulted and cursed at him, even if his crimes would stain the heavens above... Kang Jin-Ho had no issue with respecting Kim Myeong-Chan for making this decision. Unfortunately for the former prime minister, however...

“You know, I was wondering about something not too long ago,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“...?”

“I wondered if I had gotten soft recently. Because I’ve been forgiving people more often lately, you see? So I got curious. Curious if I’d be willing to forgive you, too.”

A gentle grin floated up on Kang Jin-Ho’s face.

“But it looks like... I haven’t changed at all.”

He leisurely walked toward Kim Myeong-Chan before grabbing the trembling man’s head and lifting it up.

“Since I don’t want to forgive you. Not even close.”

The smile on Kang Jin-Ho’s face became eerier. Like that of the devil!

“Look at me, Kim Myeong-Chan. I still haven’t done anything to you yet. The hell I wish to show you will begin now.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes began glowing in an eerie crimson light.

“Now, look at me!”

Kim Myeong-Chan dazedly stared into Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes. Those eyes glowing in the color of blood gradually grew larger and larger. Eventually, they got impossibly large and dyed the entire world in crimson.

Am I finally dead?

But this seemed a little different from what he imagined? So different, in fact, that he even felt relieved and comfortable right now.

However, so what if it’s different?

He didn’t care about the pain, as long as his life would finally end. Since he couldn’t end himself with his own hands, nothing could be better than someone else finishing the job for him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know. He didn’t know what true malice was!

He had no idea how cruel human beings could get.

Plop!

The abrupt pain shooting up from his rear-end woke Kim Myeong-Chan up from his thoughts. When he looked up in confusion, he saw the normal-looking Kang Jin-Ho staring back at him.

...With a faint smirk etched on his lips, no less!

Kim Myeong-Chan muttered strangely. “I... am still alive? How?”

“That’s right, you’re still alive.”

The smirk deepened on Kang Jin-Ho’s face. Now, it looked indescribably cruel!

“I’m not going to kill you.”

“...?”

“No, let me correct myself. You won’t die from this moment on, Kim Myeong-Chan.”

Kim Myeong-Chan’s eyes powerfully quaked just then. What was Kang Jin-Ho even talking about?

“I’ve placed a restriction on your mind. Now, you can’t even take your own life. And I’ve extracted all the turbid qi from your mind. Which means I’ve stopped you from going insane, too. Can’t you feel it?”

Kim Myeong-Chan’s eyes opened wide. Indeed, it... felt so clear?

The world around him felt so vivid, and his mind had become even sharper than before. He could

feel

everything so much more vividly than back when he was a young man!

“W-what...? What is this...?!”

“I shall give you another chance,” Kang Jin-Ho said while laughing uncontrollably. “One day, I’ll come back to you again. And then, I’ll give you the same opportunity as today. Until then, stay alive, Kim Myeong-Chan. But now, with the regret of throwing away possibly the only chance to regain everything added on top of the pain you’ve been experiencing already.”

Kang Jin-Ho turned around to leave.

“Although even I can’t tell you when I’ll be back.”

Only then did Kim Myeong-Chan figure out what had happened to him. He screamed in alarm and rushed toward Kang Jin-Ho. While clinging to Kang Jin-Ho’s pants, he howled desperately.

“N-no! You can’t do this! Not this! Please! Not this! Noooo!”

He’d rather die than go through this again. And he’d rather go insane, too!

Enduring each and every day locked up in here with a sane mind?! That had to be an even worse punishment than being thrown inside hell to Kim Myeong-Chan!

On top of that, Kang Jin-Ho even gave him...

hope

?!

This “hope” of Kang Jin-Ho potentially coming back one day to give everything back to Kim Myeong-Chan... He was now supposed to hold on to this false hope, too?!

Worse still, he now had to torture himself with the regret of throwing away his chance?!

How could anyone be so cruel?

Pow!

Kang Jin-Ho casually kicked Kim Myeong-Chan away, forcing the latter to tumble backwards. However, Kim Myeong-Chan could only scream and howl in despair, his brain unable to process the pain.

“Kang, Jin, Ho! Kang Jin-Hooooo! I, I’m sorry! I was in the wrong! Yes, I am! Don’t go! Just kill me instead! Don’t leave me alone here! Kang Jin-Ho?! Noooo! Kang Jin-Hooooooo!

Uwaaaaaaah

!”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head away to ignore the wailing man and took out a fresh cigarette before mouthing it. He lit it up, then casually tossed the remaining packet of cigarettes and the lighter at Kim Myeong-Chan.

“Here. A gift. From me.”

Kang Jin-Ho stood there and leisurely smoked before turning around to leave, an odious smirk etched on his face.

“Next time, I might come to forgive you. Who knows when that will be, though?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s figure gradually melted into the darkness.

Now left alone in this cell, Kim Myeong-Chan continued to scream and wail loudly enough to almost tear out his vocal cords.

...And he did so throughout the night.