Choi Sunman’s mouth hung open, as if in shock.
A man who had trampled countless others to seize power through a coup.
Even after retirent—when one might assu his influence had faded—he still held enormous sway.
All that arrogance, soaked in the glory of his titles and fa, drained from his eyes.
He must never have imagined that anyone would dare to threaten him.
“Do not cling to any regrets anymore. The influence you still hold—and everyone connected to you—will be driven away from power. Think of it as penance, and live the rest of your days as though you were already dead.”
I checked the ti on my wristwatch as I waited for his answer.
Even rotten fish have a bit of flesh left, and they say even a fallen rich man lives comfortably for three years.
Once seized, power never fades easily.
And it’s human nature to hate letting it go.
“All your subordinates will be cut off. Whether generals in the military, politicians in the Assembly, or chairn in the business world—those who served you and enjoyed wealth and authority will either resign or end up in prison.”
Once I cut off all his limbs, he would be nothing more than a powerless old man in a backroom. Whatever he tried, he wouldn’t be able to do anything anymore.
After a long silence, Choi Sunman finally spoke.
“Daigo Tadashige dead, Daedonghoe destroyed... and you’re saying the one who did it is standing right in front of ? Ha ha...”
A powerless laugh escaped his lips.
“And you expect to believe it was that easy? I didn’t hear wrong, did I?”
“You heard right.”
There was a trace of lingering regret in his voice.
“If such a thing truly happens, then I’ll step down cleanly.”
What trick was this? His voice was almost relieved as he continued.
“If you’ve done that, then maybe you really can make this country strong. To have crushed Daedonghoe... that’s sothing even the U.S. and Japanese governnts couldn’t do.”
“...”
I watched his eyes to see what he was truly thinking.
“No need to look at like that. When a soldier loses a war, he steps down. I was just unlucky.”
“Luck? What luck are you talking about? You underestimated , Mr. President. You always called just a loan shark, didn’t you? I’ve been preparing for this long before I ca to et you. I was ready to remove Japan’s Daedonghoe, Heaven’s Church, and every last one of your remaining subordinates. You thought you could beat with luck alone?”
To be honest, we were on different levels entirely. His influence was limited to South Korea, while mine reached across all of East Asia.
And unlike him, I never underestimated my enemies. I had carefully prepared to eliminate every one of them, while he, drunk on the glory of the past, ca to empty-handed.
Of course, his move to have Se Shin Daily prepare an exposé about wasn’t a bad idea—but could that article even be published now?
I had already stopped it. With the public’s attention fixed on Heaven’s Church, all of their planned special reports had been frozen.
“No amount of luck would have saved you. Fortune only favors those who prepare. That is your limit—and your downfall.”
“...”
“You ca ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ to face with no preparation. The outco was decided before we even t.”
“You... you’re a cruel man.”
And now he tries to look pitiful.
“You, of all people, know what happens to those who lose the fight. That’s how you maintained power yourself, didn’t you?”
“Heh... heh heh.”
At my blunt words, he gave a hollow laugh before speaking again.
“What exactly do you want to do, then? Stop my campaign announcent? Block the rger between the Centrist and Progressive parties?”
Even now, he was desperately clinging to his last bit of influence. I couldn’t help but smirk. The old man really didn’t know when to quit.
“I told you—do nothing. There’s nothing left for you to do, so why keep trying? Just stay still.”
“...”
“If you move carelessly, you’ll only tighten the noose around your own neck. Surely you don’t think you’ve already paid for all your sins? I could send you back to prison anyti I wish. Just know that I’m not doing it now only to avoid unnecessary chaos.”
Unfortunately, there were still plenty of people who supported Choi Sunman.
When he was arrested on charges of insurrection and sentenced to death, his supporters had staged protests in front of the courthouse.
The court, swayed by public sentint, had commuted his sentence to life imprisonnt on appeal.
Even then, he hadn’t served long. Not long after, he was pardoned under the excuse of “national reconciliation.”
The whole thing had been a play—every act staged for his absolution.
“Refrain from making any political statents. Don’t et anyone for advice. Disappear from the public eye. This is your final warning.”
“You must really despise . You never even suffered at my hands directly...”
“You’re stating the obvious. Because of you, I had to take the long way around when there was a shorter path. I don’t show rcy to losers. Even if you do nothing, those who lived off your na and clung to your shadow will vanish.”
Half-hearted rcy only causes trouble later. When removing obstacles, I always make sure they’re gone for good.
“If you plan to keep fighting, then go ahead. But I’ll say this again—I don’t run, and I don’t fear you.”
“...”
Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and glanced at the screen.
[Operation complete.]
The best words I’d heard all day. I smiled faintly and slipped the phone back in.
It was about ti to end this. Maybe one last question before I left.
“Mr. President, may I ask you one thing? Pure curiosity, nothing more.”
He looked puzzled. Fair enough—being questioned with a smile by the sa man who’d just threatened him was bound to be confusing.
“Curiosity? Go ahead.”
“Why did you help Ilseong Group?”
“Ilseong Group? Why bring that up now?”
His expression grew darker with confusion.
“You know what I an. You know I’ve been squeezing Ilseong dry. If you hadn’t stepped in to help them, they would have been torn apart and left as a second-rate company by year’s end.”
“I know well the feud between you and Chairman Seo Yonggeon. But if Ilseong falls, so does our economy. That’s sothing I couldn’t allow.”
I sighed quietly. Do people who lie all their lives lose the ability to tell the truth, even at the end?
“Mr. President, let’s be honest for once. The national economy? What’s that to you now? If you hadn’t protected Ilseong Group, perhaps you and I might have t under better terms.”
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I didn’t give him the chance.
“I know you supported Chairman Seo Yonggeon even during your presidency. I get that—you received slush funds from him. But this ti, you helped him without taking anything in return. Why? I truly can’t figure it out.”
“Is that really important?”
“No. Not anymore. It hardly matters now. If you don’t want to answer, don’t.”
You can’t turn back the past anyway. It was just a question born of curiosity.
He didn’t seem inclined to answer, so I nodded slightly and tossed one last grenade.
“Daigo Tadashige is dead.”
“What? Tell more.”
I had no intention of wasting my breath to satisfy his curiosity.
“You’ll find out tomorrow. I’ve given you my warning. The next ti we et, either you or I will be dead.”
With that, I stood. There was nothing left to say.
“I’ll take my leave.”
I bowed slightly, then raised my head again to see his bewildered expression.
“Wait, Mr. Kim—”
He called out in confusion, but I turned away.
As I reached for the doorknob, Jang Minhyuk reached out, as if to grab my shoulder.
I slapped his hand away roughly. Turning, I looked him straight in the eye and spoke in a chilling tone.
“Do not ever reach for from behind.”
The murderous glint in my eyes froze him solid.
Without waiting for a reply, I opened the door and left.
On my way back alone, I ran into Madam Han Heeja.
When she saw , she smiled warmly.
“Leaving already?”
I gave her a polite nod. No reason to bare my fangs at soone who knew nothing.
“Yes. I’ve finished my business.”
“You’re Mr. Kim Muhyuk, right? What could a young man like you have talked about with my husband, who’s practically halfway into his grave?”
Even for soone who disliked small talk, her bluntness caught off guard.
She lightly brushed my shoulder and continued casually.
“Hoho, next ti, have a proper talk with too. It’s too late tonight, but that’s all right, isn’t it?”
Watching her cover her mouth and laugh softly, I answered,
“...Yes. Contact when you have ti. I’ll be going now.”
Definitely the kind of woman you don’t want to get entangled with. Before she could say anything else, I quickly left the house.
As I stepped outside the gate, Ma, my chief aide, ca running up.
“Boss.”
“Let’s go.”
I spoke wearily, and Ma opened the car door for .
The mont I sat down, I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.
I felt him turn toward from the passenger seat.
I opened my eyes and smiled faintly at his curious expression.
“He called in without any preparation. Thought I was just so rich loan shark—that was Choi Sunman’s fatal mistake. He ignored my power, assud I’d bow if pressured. Which made things easier, honestly.”
Even n of power share the sa delusion—Choi Sunman was no different.
After I summarized what had happened inside, Ma finally let out a small smile.
“Withdraw the people we placed around Choi Sunman’s family.”
“Are you sure? We don’t know what he might still try to pull.”
Not a wrong concern. But he no longer had the ans to cause trouble. I shook my head slightly.
“He’s not that foolish. With all his limbs cut off, and knowing Daigo Tadashige is dead, he’ll realize he can’t move the military anymore. Still, just in case, I’ll et with Kim Hakgwon tomorrow and dismiss every general connected to him.”
“Understood. Then I’ll inform the teams to start everything we prepared.”
“Do that. I’m exhausted—I’ll rest.”
I spoke lightly, but truthfully, I had been tense the entire ti.
It had been almost too easy to make him yield. That ant I couldn’t afford to relax.
To clear my mind, I closed my eyes—and soon fell asleep.
* * *
The terrorist attack in Japan made headlines in Korea the next morning.
All the major Yakuza bosses across the country had been killed at once.
But that was a story from across the sea—little more than gossip.
In Korea, sothing far more shocking broke.
Heaven’s Church was exposed in the Koryo Daily for murder and sexual cris.
The three-page special feature, written by a forr Se Shin Daily journalist, was styled as an internal whistleblower’s confession.
A journalist from Se Shin Daily, owned by Heaven’s Church itself, had begun the article with a statent of conscience—stirring the people’s outrage.
It wasn’t just murder—the cris had been committed by Han Hyunjin, the eldest son of Heaven’s Church’s president, Han Sungjin.
And as news spread that multiple riot officers had been injured while arresting him, public opinion turned fiercely against Heaven’s Church.
“At least Prosecutor Jeong Taehun handled it well.”
“He seems competent.”
“Apparently he’d been sidelined because of his background, but he clearly has backbone. I didn’t think he’d actually use his firearm, even though I told him he could.”
Using a gun in Korea wasn’t simple.
The mory of police and soldiers shooting civilians still lingered. Even with justification, it always caused problems.
But Jeong Taehun had carried out my orders faithfully.
“He deserves proper backing. His origins may be an issue, but we can solve that by connecting him to Oh Hyunwoo’s faction.”
When we arrived at the Blue House, I folded the newspaper I’d been reading.
Passing through the familiar main gate, I headed for the main building, where the President’s office was located.
When I opened the door, Kim Hakgwon sat alone, looking anxious.
“What on earth are you doing?”
That was the first thing he said when he saw .
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