Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1294. Discussing (4)

Bang!

Kang Jin-Ho pushed the door open and briskly strode inside the Assembly Master’s office. Lee Hyeon-Su was waiting for him.

“You’ve here, sir.”

“What’s going on?”

Lee Hyeon-Su hesitated slightly when Kang Jin-Ho got to the main topic right away.

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes slightly. Lee Hyeon-Su hadn’t acted like this in a long while. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even bat an eyelid while reporting on the news of the Assembly members dealing in drugs. Which meant this news must be something worse than that, but what could it be...?

“Don’t waste our time and get to it,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Understood, sir,” Lee Hyeon-Su sighed softly before explaining the situation. “Prime Minister Kim Myeong-Chan’s office has called us directly.”

“Did they?”

“Yes, sir. And the Prime Minister wishes to speak to you face-to-face.”

“Regarding what?”

“Well, that’s...” Lee Hyeon-Su grimaced slightly. “It’s regarding the drug dealing situation.”

“Okay? What about it?”

“...It sounds like the police have uncovered evidence of our people’s involvement.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression stiffened a little. “The police did that?”

“Yes, sir. My apologies, it was a slip-up on my part. I should’ve paid more attention.”

“No, don’t say that. It’s not your fault,” said Kang Jin-Ho while waving his hand dismissively.

Now didn’t seem like the right time to blame someone for this situation. After all, this issue might balloon in scale if the police really had uncovered evidence of the martial artists’ involvement.

“So, the Prime Minister wants to talk to me?” Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly.

“Yes, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su apologetically while bowing a little.

“Got it. Call him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su swiftly took out his phone and dialed Kim Myeong-Chan’s number.

-Hello, this is Kim Myeong-Chan speaking.

“Prime Minister, sir. This is Lee Hyeon-Su. It’s about the matter you—”

-My apologies, but can I call you back in a minute?

“Oh... Of course.”

Lee Hyeon-Su could only stare at his phone and frown slightly when the line went dead.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the couch. “For now, let’s take a seat.”

“Understood.”

Once Kang Jin-Ho took up his usual spot and mouthed a cigarette, Lee Hyeon-Su quickly lit it up for him.

He then wordlessly stared at the phone again.

“...Chief Lee. You smoke, too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply when Lee Hyeon-Su remained standing and cigarette-free.

“Chief Lee.”

“Yes, sir?”

“What did you do wrong?”

“Uh, I...”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “If you want to blame yourself, we can also say it’s my fault for not predicting this development, too.”

“No way, sir. You don’t have to worry about minor matters like this.”

“It’s the same story for you, too.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho relaxedly puffed away. “Mm... It doesn’t matter what, things won’t go according to your plan all the time. Rather than wasting your energy thinking about the past, focus on how to resolve this situation.”

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply again, but when he raised his head, his expression had softened a tad.

“Let’s smoke,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su mouthed a cigarette. After lighting it up, he took a deep drag only to chuckle helplessly.

“Haaah. I know I should quit, but...”

He jokingly muttered while scratching his head. He was trying in his own way to lift the dour mood inside the office.

He glanced at his phone again. “The... Prime Minister isn’t calling us back, sir.”

“Mm...”

“I think that old man sees today as his chance to assert his position.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at the phone resting on the coffee table.

The Prime Minister could have delayed this conversation because he really had something urgent to take care of. However, neither Kang Jin-Ho nor Lee Hyeon-Su believed that was true.

Without this drug dealing matter hanging in the air, Kim Myeong-Chan would’ve put aside whatever his “urgent” situation was and tried to speak to Kang Jin-Ho, no matter what.

The Prime Minister’s plan to drag things out, since he held the upper hand, and make the other side more impatient, was plain to see.

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “This is why dealing with politicians can be so much hassle.”

“Yes, sir. There’s a bit of that, too.”

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled bitterly.

Politicians had this unconscious desire to try to be in a superior position, regardless of who they were dealing with. That applied even when doing so wouldn’t benefit them. They would still subconsciously try to be ahead, even if by a little bit.

That was the ingrained habit of those who survived the cutthroat world of politics. Kim Myeong-Chan might escape the label of a dyed-in-the-wool politician, but he still had climbed up to the lofty office of South Korea’s Prime Minister. As such, he wouldn’t want to relinquish this superiority.

Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at the doorway. “Should I notify the directors and...”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “No. Let’s listen to what the Prime Minister has to say first.”

“Understood, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su stared at the phone as anxiety built up in his heart.

A lot of time passed, and just as he was about to blow his top in dissatisfaction, the phone finally went off. Before he answered the call, however, Lee Hyeon-Su pressed his chest down while regulating his breathing.

Any hints of anger from this side would raise one hell of a cheer on the other side of the line. And Lee Hyeon-Su wanted to avoid that, at the very least!

“This is Lee Hyeon-Su speaking, Prime Minister.”

—Ah, Chief Lee. My apologies. I was in the middle of an urgent meeting, and it couldn’t be helped. Please forgive me.

“No, it’s fine, sir. You’re looking after our country’s affairs, after all. It’s not a problem for us. Thankfully, we also had something to take care of.”

—I see. What a relief it is to hear that.

Needles and thorns transformed into words and traveled through the phone’s speaker.

—Can I speak to the Assembly Master now?

“Yes. Good timing, because he’s in the office right now.”

—Aha, I see. Then, can you pass the phone to...

As the Prime Minister spoke, Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at Kang Jin-Ho, but the latter shook his head, then pointed to the side with his thumb.

Lee Hyeon-Su instantly understood what that gesture meant and replied to the Prime Minister. “Let’s not do it that way, sir. We’ll speak to you directly.”

—Directly, you say?

“Yes. Discussing important matters over the phone isn’t right, after all. Where should we meet?”

—Unfortunately, I don’t have any free time today due to prior engagements lasting throughout the day.

“Then, give us a call once you’re through with those engagements. It doesn’t matter what time it is. We’ll visit you at your residence if we have to.”

—Mm, is that so? Mm...!

When Kim Myeong-Chan sounded like he was pondering his options, the corners of Lee Hyeon-Su’s lips subtly curled up on their own.

Chatting on a phone with the person holding the upper hand wasn’t the best idea. Especially if the matter required Kang Jin-Ho’s presence.

After a lengthy deliberation, Kim Myeong-Chan finally broke his silence.

—Asking the Assembly Master to come late at night would be inappropriate, so I’ll cancel my evening engagement instead.

“Will that be fine with you?”

—It can’t be helped, as this is more urgent.

“Then, the time and place?”

-Our side will confirm those details. My secretary will send you the confirmation via text. Then, until later.

“Of course, Prime Minister. Farewell.”

Lee Hyeon-Su ended the call, then wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “What do you think?”

“Hmm...” Lee Hyeon-Su organized his thoughts based on the phone call just now before replying. “The Prime Minister is aware of having an advantage over us. He must be certain that we’ll be in a bind over this matter.”

“Mm...!”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply.

For sure, this was not a simple matter. A serious crime was perpetrated by the members of the Assembly, and ordinary people were harmed as a result. To top it off, the Assembly dealt with the criminals unilaterally even before the cops had a chance to investigate the crime more thoroughly.

From the government’s perspective, they must not be happy about how this event turned out.

“However...” Lee Hyeon-Su cautiously spoke. “It didn’t sound like the Prime Minister was interested in worsening the situation any further. Judging from his tone over the phone, he might be interested in making a deal, sir.”

“Isn’t that par for the course for a politician?”

“No, sir. It’s...”

Lee Hyeon-Su scratched his head as if explaining it was trickier than he thought.

“As part of the deal, the odds of him asking us to do something only we can do are uncomfortably high, sir. The upcoming meeting won’t be a session of the Prime Minister’s side pointing out our problems and telling us to do better.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. Something only his side could do...?

He could think of a few things that fit that narrow category. However, none of them sounded like something a high-ranking government official like Kim Myeong-Chan should demand from the Martial Assembly.

“I see. Then we need to hear from him first.”

“Yes, sir. That’s what I think.”

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed softly.

Politicians could be persistent. And they would try to squeeze out any and all available benefits from an advantage they had gained, regardless of how insignificant and ultimately meaningless that advantage was.

The meeting with the Prime Minister would obviously be an uncomfortable affair, but Kang Jin-Ho knew he couldn’t avoid it.

“Fine, then.”

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips curled up.

“Let’s hear what he has to say.”

***

Kim Myeong-Chan tugged at his shirt collar in slight discomfort.

Knock, knock...

“Come in,” said Kim Myeong-Chan.

The door to a private room in a fancy traditional Korean restaurant silently slid open, and a woman in Hanbok cautiously entered.[1]

“Sir. Should we get the dishes ready now?”

“No, wait a little while.”

“Understood. Then, I shall return a little later, sir.”

The door slid shut again.

Kim Myeong-Chan’s gaze drifted toward the wall-mounted clock.

Thirty minutes of waiting? He couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.

He made Lee Hyeon-Su wait for thirty minutes over the phone. And now, he was made to wait thirty minutes in this restaurant, the location of their meeting.

It wasn’t as if Kim Myeong-Chan was dealing with the President of Russia, though! What an obvious ploy this was.

‘However, it’s also rather effective, isn’t it?’

Kim Myeong-Chan was a man of abundant patience, yet even he felt anxiety creeping into his heart now.

He anxiously glanced at the clock again before picking up his phone. However, he put the mobile device firmly on the table. Losing his patience and calling first would mean he had played right into their hands.

A wry smirk floated up on Kim Myeong-Chan’s face.

So, you want to play a game of politics with a politician?

Kim Myeong-Chan didn’t think he’d receive this kind of retaliation, considering Kang Jin-Ho’s personality. Which meant this must be Lee Hyeon-Su’s idea.

...And that also meant Lee Hyeon-Su’s influence over Kang Jin-Ho’s decision-making was far stronger than Kim Myeong-Chan had bargained for. Or Kang Jin-Ho was far more easy-going than the Prime Minister had previously thought.

My money is on the former, unfortunately...

Kim Myeong-Chan just couldn’t put “easy-going” in the same sentence as Kang Jin-Ho. At least, that was from what he knew.

Maybe he should consider changing how he approached Lee Hyeon-Su and Kang Jin-Ho moving forward...?

Just as his thoughts reached that far, someone knocked on the door to sober Kim Myeong-Chan up.

“Come in.”

The door slid open, allowing Lee Hyeon-Su to step inside with a face full of smiles. Right behind him was Kang Jin-Ho, waltzing in with an expressionless face.

Kim Myeong-Chan got up right away. “Welcome, Assembly Master.”

Lee Hyeon-Su stepped aside a little, and the smiling Kang Jin-Ho reached out for a handshake. “Good to see you again, Prime Minister.”

Kim Myeong-Chan briefly, very briefly, glanced at the offered hand before shaking it. And so, the two men shared an innocuous-looking handshake.

However, it was anything but innocuous.

A handshake like this was shared between equals. Until now, Kang Jin-Ho had bowed a little toward Kim Myeong-Chan in a show of courtesy. But not today. He offered his hand first.

This gesture meant that Kang Jin-Ho had acknowledged Kim Myeong-Chan, or the Office of the Prime Minister, as his senior until now. But today, he wanted to have this chat as equals.

In a way, this could be a veiled protest at Kim Myeong-Chan for trying to press home his advantage.

“Shall we take a seat now, Assembly Master?”

“Of course.”

Two men sat on the opposite side of a large table. Lee Hyeon-Su cautiously sat next to Kang Jin-Ho.

Kim Myeong-Chan tried to regulate his breathing as subtly as possible while studying Kang Jin-Ho’s face.

It felt like a lump of iron was weighing down on his chest. This pressure... It was indescribably heavy!

Kim Myeong-Chan had the experience of talking face-to-face with the world’s movers and shakers like the President of the United States and the Premier of the People’s Republic of China. As such, he could proudly say he was used to intense pressure, but the one he felt coming from Kang Jin-Ho was on a whole other scale altogether.

“Then, shall we enjoy some delicacies first?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yes, let us.”

Kim Myeong-Chan summoned a server and ordered the food to be brought in. Then, he forced the corners of his lips to curl up.

“Assembly Master, I have to say... It’s rather difficult to have an audience with you, isn’t it?”

“Prime Minister.”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned subtly.

“We’re both busy people. Let’s not waste time and get to the main topic, if you don’t mind.”

Kim Myeong-Chan smoothly smiled.

“Yes, I don’t mind at all. I also prefer that.”

A war fought with not weapons but words commenced in this room.

1. Hanbok is the traditional clothing of the Korean people; the term is primarily used by South Koreans. ☜