Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1282. Punishing (2)

“Senior, did you hear about this?”

“About what?”

“I meant the story about that new drug causing all the chaos lately.”

The veteran reporter, Ha Gwang-Sik, frowned deeply at what his junior reporter, Bak Gyu-Yeon, said. “Are you talking about that TOD thing?”

“Yes, that one!”

“Chaos, my ass! It’s not chaotic just yet. If that drug had really spread around the country, things wouldn’t have ended like this.”

Ha Gwang-Sik frowned deeply. He knew he was right about this situation being too mild to qualify as chaos.

Ordinary people simply lumped all the drugs together as “narcotics.” As in, a terrible substance that turned you into an addict and made you see nasty hallucinations.

However, once one started digging more into this subject, they would soon realize that there were plenty of different types of drugs boasting different effects. There were three major classes used to denote different drugs, namely hallucinogen, stimulants, and depressants. But this categorization was done for the sake of convenience more than anything else.

Besides, that wasn’t really important, anyway.

What mattered in drugs wasn’t the effects they would have. No, the danger level of a drug was determined by how addictive it was and how quickly it destroyed a human body.

That was because people who died from drug-related crimes numbered at least a hundred times higher than those who got hooked on drugs and created problems.

The new drug circulating in Korea, TOD, was seen as especially dangerous because of how addictive it was. It was so strong that even the most famous narcotics of them all, cocaine and heroin, were like a child’s play in comparison.

Ha Gwang-Sik tilted his head. “Okay, so why bring that up?”

Bak Gyu-Yeon spoke excitedly. “I heard that all of it just disappeared.”

“Say what?”

“As in, all the TOD in circulation vanished. Into thin air!”

“...” Ha Gwang-Sik furrowed his brow. “Isn’t that because the dealers didn’t get their shipments? If not, the cops in narcotics must’ve intercepted a huge shipment, but are keeping their mouths shut for some reason.”

The junior reporter, Bak Gyu-Yeon, didn’t give up and continued to explain. “I don’t think that’s it, senior. I checked, and even the cops were confused by what happened.”

“Really?”

“Gee whiz. Did you get lied to your whole life or something?”

Ha Gwang-Sik ignored Bak Gyu-Yeon’s retort and simply shook his head. If true, then what was going on here?

The notion of South Korea being a drug-free country stopped being applicable a long time ago. Those in the know knew that a massive variety of drugs were in circulation within the country already. What was revealed to the public was like a tip of a gigantic iceberg. Even at this very minute, someone somewhere was busy dealing in drugs, and someone else was busy falling into the vile clutches of drugs.

As for the TOD, though? That was like an invasive, unidentified foreign species muddying the waters even further. Not only was it “affordable”, but it even boasted nonsensical addictiveness on top. And owing to it being colorless and odorless, evading detection was fairly easy, too!

Ha Gwang-Sik thought the best way to describe the TOD was... a mutant. A mutant among the species known as narcotics! Even he couldn’t estimate how much damage TOD would cause if it was allowed to proliferate.

But to hear that such a dangerous drug vanished from circulation in the blink of an eye?

“That makes no sense, man!” Ha Gwang-Sik frowned at his junior reporter. “All the junkies should have gone absolute batsh*t insane if their supply got cut off like that!”

Bak Gyu-Yeon nodded. “Yessir. As I said, it’s absolute chaos out there.”

“...Huh?”

“From what I heard, various hospitals and rehab centers around the country are paralyzed from all the influx of junkies going through withdrawal.”

Ha Gwang-Sik’s eyes opened wider. “Huh. That means there’s an embargo?”

“Yes, senior. My contact told me that all hospitals received an official gag order from The Big Brother.”

“Gimme a f*cking break, man. Do they think hiding it will solve the problem? Shouldn’t we let the public know so that they can be more vigilant?”

Bak Gyu-Yeong casually shrugged. “Well, the government has its position to consider, I guess.”

“What the hell, man! Whose side are you on?”

“The one with power, obviously.”

“...Yup, you’ll live a long life, Gyu-Yeong.”

Ha Gwang-Sik groaned with a weighty nod, then dismissively waved his hand at his junior reporter.

“Okay, I got it now. So leave me alone.”

“Eh? Even though we might get a juicy story out of this if we dig for a bit?”

“Not interested.”

Bak Gyu-Yeon looked somewhat stunned. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, not interested. So, go away, will ya?”

“No, this is wrong. Senior, you gotta be interested...”

“What the hell, man?”

Ha Gwang-Sik was about to blow his top, but when he turned around to look at his junior reporter, Bak Gyu-Yeon was grinning suspiciously while wagging his finger.

“Senior, you will regret saying no to this one. If you do, you might witness a magic trick of a plate of cheap pork belly morphing into Korean beef.”

“...”

Ha Gwang-Sik’s expression grew more somber. Whenever Bak Gyu-Yeon behaved this way, it meant he had uncovered something big.

This youngster had close to zero dedication to being a reporter, but his abilities still demanded some respect. Wasn’t that why Ha Gwang-Sik tried to bring this kid along for his assignments most of the time?

“Fine. What is it?”

Bak Gyu-Yeon smirked. “And what are you buying, senior?”

“Are you shooting a prank video or something? How can I decide what’s for dinner if I don’t know the information you’ve brought home?!” 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Is it? Do you promise to compensate me honestly and fairly?”

“Stop winding me up and tell me already. What’s going on?”

“Do you still remember Kang Jin-Ho?”

Ha Gwang-Sik’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Actually, he had been trying his hardest to dig into Kang Jin-Ho’s background, only to fail repeatedly for a while now. So how could he not feel his anticipation bubble up when his junior reporter suddenly muttered that name?

“Kang Jin-Ho? What’s that guy have to do with this?”

“More correctly, it’s not Kang Jin-Ho, but that other politician dude.”

“...? Who?”

Bak Gyu-Yeon lowered his voice to a whisper-like level. “You know. Seok Dong-Su.”

“...Seok Dong-Su?”

That was the name of the minister in charge of South Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance. And, according to Ha Gwang-Sik’s investigation, a man in the same pro-MK faction as Kim Myeong-Chan, South Korea’s Prime Minister.

“Okay? What did Seok Dong-Su do?”

“It sounds like he’s involved in this situation in some way.”

“...Say what?”

Ha Gwang-Sik frowned deeply. What nonsense was this?

“Are you seriously telling me the Minister of Strategy and Finances is involved in drug dealing?”

If a government minister or someone in his inner circle was addicted to TOD, that would lead to a massive scandal. A scandal destabilizing enough to potentially destroy the current administration!

“No, no, senior! You’re jumping the gun way too early. It’s not that,” said Bak Gyu-Yeon in a hurry.

“...Oh. Then, what?”

“What I heard was that Seok Dong-Su is blocking the investigation from behind the scenes.”

“What nonsense are you spewing now?! Even if he’s a government minister, how can he stop the cops from doing their job?”

“I’m being serious, senior!”

Ha Gwang-Sik narrowed his eyes as Bak Gyu-Yeon explained.

“I heard it straight from my source inside the National Police Agency. They told me pressure has been coming in from various angles. The higher-ups want to close the book and look the other way.”

“...Wait, what? Look the other way?”

“Yes, senior! It’s not just Seok Dong-Su, but other high-ranking individuals are pressuring the cops. But the commonality here is that all those folks have mentioned Seok Dong-Su.”

Ha Gwang-Sik’s thoughts grew more complicated the more he listened.

“Seok Dong-Su... wants to cover up this drug incident?”

Bak Gyu-Yeon nodded. “Yup. Don’t you think something’s fishy here?”

Ha Gwang-Sik didn’t say anything, but the light in his eyes burned even fiercer.

Logically speaking, this situation didn’t make much sense. Why would Seok Dong-Su want to get involved in this matter? If something went wrong somewhere, never mind his political career, even his entire life would go down the drain in an instant. Even then, for a career politician to wade into this situation so willingly like this...

“...It could only mean someone in his inner circle is involved with TOD.”

“That’s what I think, too!” Bak Gyu-Yeon clapped his hands. “Not only that, but someone so close to him that if they get popped by the cops, even Seok Dong-Su’s career will be over! So I did a bit of digging around, but... I didn’t find anyone suspicious among his family or close acquaintances.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes, senior. For one, both of Seok Dong-Su’s sons are in the United States.”

“...Why there?”

“The eldest son is working for a company there. And the youngest is attending a university.”

Ha Gwang-Sik tutted. “What the f*ck, man? Did all Korean politicians stash all their honey in the States or something? How come none of their kids stay in Korea?”

“In any case. As for his wife, she was seen actively attending social gatherings several times. She wouldn’t be so active if she was going through withdrawal symptoms.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“That means it’s not his family. If I’m being honest, I don’t think most politicians would risk their career over this matter unless it was to protect their family. Or...”

Ha Gwang-Sik figured out where Bak Gyu-Yeong was going with this. “Oho. So, what you’re saying is...”

“That’s right, senior. It stinks, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm...!”

“Imagine how much money one would make by dealing in TOD. It has to be astronomical. I bet you it’s well over several dozens of millions of dollars. Hell, if we consider every cent those people must’ve made since the beginning? Forget dozens, it’s gotta be close to a hundred million!”

“Right. If one bastard has been monopolizing this sh*t, that is.”

“My question is... Where did all that money go?”

Ha Gwag-Sik furrowed his brow. “Are you... suspecting MK right now?”

Bak Gyu-Yeon theatrically shook his head. “Eiii, of course not. We shouldn’t throw accusations like that around without proof, no? Still, it stinks, right? We don’t know what those people do, yet they are still wealthy enough to build their shiny-new HQ in Gangnam? Really? Besides, didn’t we confirm this already? They didn’t even get a loan or whatever, they paid for the entire thing out of their own pocket!”

“...Yeah, they sure did.”

“They aren’t some massive global corporation, so how is that even possible? And how many entities in South Korea do you think have that much capital lying around?”

Ha Gwang-Sik grew somber as he stared at Bak Gyu-Yeon. “If we’re wrong about this, both of us will be finished. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Eii~, that’s not right. I’m merely providing you with information. It’s entirely up to you if you want to take a bite or not.”

“You son of a b*tch...”

Ha Gwang-Sik groaned, then got up to leave.

“Eh? Where are you going, senior?”

“To smoke, you fool. Come with me for a sec.”

“Yessir. Coming.”

The two reporters left the newspaper building and slipped inside the smoking booth. Once inside, Ha Gwang-Sik mouthed a cigarette. He lit it up before sucking in a deep puff of the unhealthy smoke.

Bak Gyu-Yeon curiously asked, “What do you think?”

“You really want to know?”

Ha Gwang-Sik chuckled helplessly.

Far too many things about this situation seemed suspicious to him. The whereabouts of all that money, a company with no discernible revenue source, the protection from powerful people, and now, the new type of drug, too?

The puzzle pieces fell so conveniently into their slots that Ha Gwang-Sik wasn’t sure where to even begin.

When he furrowed his brow some more, Bak Gyu-Yeon jokingly said, “Senior, you’re gonna get more wrinkles that way.”

“Hey, Gyu-Yeon?”

“Yes, senior?”

“What do you think we’ll find this time by digging around?”

“I dunno. But when did we ever start digging while knowing what’s at the bottom? Sometimes we’ll get gold, other times we’ll find more rock. That’s how it is, isn’t it?”

Ha Gwang-Sik recalled Kang Jin-Ho’s face. Although that was a clean-cut and handsome face...

That bastard. I’m pretty sure he’s one of the worst sons of b*tches imaginable.

Ha Gwang-Sik’s instincts, honed through countless encounters with criminals and villains, told him as much. That Kang Jin-Ho might look perfectly presentable on the surface, but deep inside? He must be rotten to the core.

Nope. He’s definitely not some third-gen chaebol airhead. And he’s no mere gangster, either. He has to be a boss-level villain. I’m sure of it!

It felt like Kang Jin-Ho had buried more than a few dead bodies in his life. If it hadn’t been for this feeling, Ha Gwang-Sik would not have obsessed about that man to this degree.

Kang Jin-Ho and drugs, is it...?

When Ha Gwang-Sik’s face remained stuck in a deep frown, Bak Gyu-Yeon cautiously asked while trying to gauge his senior’s mood. “Are you nervous? Knowing that things are now much bigger in scale?”

“No, it’s not that, but...”

How should he describe it? In a way, it could be described as a strange disharmony. Discrepancy, maybe?

Kang Jin-Ho and drugs didn’t seem to go hand in hand, after all. Of course, Ha Gwang-Sik wasn’t implying that Kang Jin-Ho was some small fry too dumb to deal in drugs. No, rather than that, he seemed too big to...

“...You know what? Let’s dig and see what comes out,” said Ha Gwang-Sik.

“It’s not ‘let’s’, senior. You will be the one digging, not me.”

“But when the sh*t hits the fan, and I’m inches away from death, I’m gonna confess to everything being your idea, though?”

“Senior... Have you no sense of morality left in your heart?”

“Stop trying to be clever and dig more into Seok Dong-Su, okay? I have something else to check up on.”

Bak Gyu-Yeon shook his head. “Gee whiz. Now I’m not so sure if we’re doing the smart thing here.”

“Too bad, that’s the story of a reporter, you brat. Get moving.”

“Nope, senior. Before we start, it’s time to calculate my compensation. What are you buying?”

“Here we go.”

“Eh?”

When Ha Gwang-Sik pulled something out of his pocket and handed it over, Bak Gyu-Yeon reflexively accepted it. However, his expression crumpled hideously after realizing that it was nothing more than a ten thousand won note.[1]

“While snooping around, don’t forget to buy something to eat. I guess you can afford a convenience store lunchbox with that, eh? I’m only giving you that much because I like you, Gyu-Yeon,” said Ha Gwang-Sik.

“I’m telling you, you are going straight to Hell, senior.”

“But life is Hell already, you brat. I told you, stop trying to be smart and get going.”

“Tch.”

Ha Gwang-Sik watched the back of Bak Gyu-Yeon trudging toward their building and took another long puff of his cigarette.

Seok Dong-Su, MK, and finally, Kang Jin-Ho...

Without a doubt, this whole drug business had some kind of connection to Kang Jin-Ho. Ha Gwang-Sik’s hunch as a reporter told him as much.

Well, we’ll get something if we dig deep enough.

As long as they uncover something, that would be enough. They could use that as the springboard to dig even deeper.

While mouthing the name of Kang Jin-Ho over and over again, Ha Gwang-Sik also headed back inside the office.

1. 10,000 Won is around $7 US at the time of TLing. ☜