The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 132



132 – Weasel #1

132 – Weasel #1

“The 7th Republic of Korea is Nam Tae-geon’s kingdom!”

“A dictator Nam Tae-geon who uses the country as his private property─.”

President Nam Tae-geon smiled satisfactorily as he watched the sharp criticism from the media.

Because their stories were accurate.

Since amending the constitution to allow for presidential re-election and succession, Korea had already become virtually Nam Tae-geon’s private property.

He was enjoying absolute power, and there was nothing he couldn’t achieve within Korea.

For example, like this.

“Minister Kim, you know someone at this newspaper, right? Find the guys who wrote this article and send their families to Ulleungdo.”

“Yes.”

The power to decide a person’s fate with a single word.

Power.

Nam Tae-geon stood at the pinnacle of that power.

However, there was one thing that even Nam Tae-geon couldn’t control at will.

‘My bloodline.’

It was his own family.

‘Why do all the people in the world bow to my words, but you don’t?’

Nam Tae-geon thought of his son who had left home.

Twenty years ago, on the day they severed ties, he had destroyed and burned all the photos, so he had to rely on his memory to recall his son.

He couldn’t remember well.

They were never a close father and son to begin with.

‘Incompetent fool.’

Then what about the grandson?

Nam Tae-gun couldn’t hide his genuine joy despite being bewildered by the sudden appearance of his grandson.

To safely continue the lineage.

To pass on his achievements to his descendants was what all rulers desired.

The problem was that the grandson did not acknowledge or like him.

“Seo Do-cheol, are you there?”

Nam Tae-gun asked towards the outside of his office.

Soon, the door made of high-quality wood creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man.

“Your Excellency, it’s been a while.”

“You and I are both busy people, so let’s get straight to the point. I reviewed what you told me before, and it seems like a pretty good idea.”

“Are you talking about making City D an extraterritorial jurisdiction to bring in foreign capital and forces? If so, the ‘New Order’ guys are already executing it as they please.”

Currently, City D was being prepared by foreign forces.

This was because Nam Tae-gun’s adopted son, Nam Ba-da, had joined hands with foreigners, including the CIA.

Seo Do-cheol recalled that Nam Tae-gun had bad relations with the great powers like the United States and China.

Rumor had it that he was at odds with the ‘Council of Sages,’ who were said to be operating behind the scenes of the world stage.

Did Nam Ba-da’s alliance with such foreign powers mean he betrayed Nam Tae-gun?

The fact that Nam Tae-gun personally called Seo Do-cheol, whom he had once discarded, might indicate how deeply he felt the betrayal of his trusted adopted son.

“No, not that story. Recently, I noticed that Ga-eul has grown up very beautifully, resembling her mother. Didn’t you want to connect my child with Ga-eul? That seems like a good idea.”

Crack.

A vein popped out on Seo Do-cheol’s forehead.

When did he ever treat him and his daughter like servants and now he was extending his hand again?

If it were the old Seo Do-cheol, he would have nodded here.

For the future of the South.

If he swallowed his pride and joined hands with President Nam Tae-gun, many things would have gone smoothly.

“Nam Tae-gun. You underestimate me too much.”

“Underestimate?”

But the current Seo Do-cheol had changed.

Because there was a man living inside him.

That man would never flatter or bow to power.

“Nam Tae-gun. Even a dog that has been beaten continuously will eventually bite the hand that feeds it.”

It was exhilarating to finally speak out against someone he couldn’t defy until now.

Was Han Nam-jin enjoying this fun all by himself?

It felt addictive.

Nam Tae-gun, who had treated Seo Do-cheol like a servant, seemed flustered by the sting of Seo Do-cheol’s words, like an angry wasp, and kept touching his chin.

A rough chin.

Unlike the meticulous Nam Tae-gun, his beard was unkempt.

‘The presence of Han Nam-jin is so important to that man that he even forgets to shave. I understand. What could be more important to an old king than power, honor, or money? In the end, it’s his own bloodline.’

No flower blooms forever.

The power of kings who once ruled the world crumbles with their lifespan.

So they endlessly desire wealth and glory to be passed down from descendant to descendant.

Nam Tae-gun was no different.

In the end, he was human too.

Seo Do-cheol felt a strange sense of kinship with the superhuman he had admired all his life, finding similarities between them. He even felt a bit of pity.

He seemed to understand why Nam Tae-gun was so obsessed with Han Nam-jin.

‘Was that rumor true?’

While Seo Do-cheol was organizing his thoughts, Nam Tae-gun spoke.

“Even a dog that has been beaten will eventually bite its master’s hand. But Seo Do-cheol, you are not a dog, are you? You are human. Think carefully. This is your chance to achieve the dream you’ve always wanted.”

Seo Do-cheol’s dream.

It was to make Seo Ga-eul live like a princess.

It was also his wife’s dream.

‘Han Nam-jin seems to be like a prince of a fairy kingdom, so if I marry my daughter to him strategically, she could actually live like a princess.’

Seo Do-cheol disliked Han Nam-jin, but he acknowledged his manliness.

That guy would protect and make his daughter happy for the rest of her life.

That’s what a man is.

But Seo Do-cheol had already learned from the engagement of Nam San-ho and Seo Ga-eul.

It was not right to impose his dream on his children.

With that thought, Seo Do-cheol’s mind found a bit of peace.

“President Nam Tae-geon, it’s not good to impose the will of adults on children. Especially when it comes to things like marriage. I will refuse that proposal.”

“Even if that guy is supposed to inherit everything from me someday? Seo Do-cheol, I didn’t know you were such a selfless person.”

“President, if you plan to pass on power to Han Nam-jin, why not stop? Nam Bada won’t stay still.”

Nam Tae-geon’s left arm, Nam Bada, the real power behind the current regime, was sure to look unfavorably at the suddenly appearing Han Nam-jin.

He had been loyally handling all sorts of dirty work for Nam Tae-geon, so if the suddenly appearing grandson were to seize everything, he would naturally be furious.

Of course, Nam Tae-geon didn’t care at all.

“If he doesn’t stay still? He should be grateful that I took in an orphan, fed him, raised him, and brought him to this position. Anyway, Seo Do-cheol, think carefully about my proposal.”

“I won’t think about it. And besides, Han Nam-jin is not someone who would follow just because I decide.”

Whoosh-.

Seo Do-cheol left the president’s office, having nothing more to discuss.

Clatter-.

Slurp-.

In the hallway in front of the office, Nam Bada was sipping an iced Americano through a straw, having surely heard the entire conversation.

Seo Do-cheol thought that Nam Bada and Nam Tae-geon would soon start tearing each other apart.

However, Nam Bada just smiled slyly.

“In the end, a dog can’t dine with its master, right?”

Nam Bada shrugged his shoulders.

He added,

“Chairman Seo Do-cheol, do you know what ‘Cheongsolmo’ is?”

“Cheongsolmo? Something like a squirrel?”

“No, it’s not like that. They say ‘Cheongsolmo’ took our ‘witch’. I can’t figure out what it is. Anyway, if you know anything, please let me know.”

Witch.

At that word, Seo Do-cheol recalled the top-secret project.

Something that delved into the birth, aging, illness, and death of humans.

Cough, cough-.

At that moment, a deep, resonant cough was heard from beyond the door of the president’s office.

‘So that’s why Nam Tae-geon is in such a hurry.’

Seo Do-cheol had many thoughts but decided not to care.

# # #

“The house is incredibly spacious and nice…!”

Mibbangi darted around here and there.

Wang Ja-hyun was at his wit’s end because of the noisy little kid.

“Hey, stay still for a bit.”

“No way…! Huff…! What is this car anyway!”

“Hey, that’s the limited edition Porsche figure piggy bank I bought yesterday….”

Snap-.

Crash-!

“…was.”

“Hit it too! Money comes out!”

Dart dart dart-.

Wang Ja-hyun sighed deeply, wondering why he had brought such a kid.

How did it come to this?

Wang Ja-hyun had clashed with Geum Tae-sung early on.

After that, Geum Tae-sung turned out to be better at fighting than expected, so he retreated for a while and kept monitoring his every move.

Then one day, he witnessed Geum Tae-sung and a strange fairy trying to kidnap a young girl, and after interfering, he brought the girl to his house.

“This Baek Yeoul had lived in a lab for a long time, so it was a dream to live in such a big house…! Huff…! There are all kinds of ice cream in the fridge…!”

The girl who introduced herself as Baek Yeoul.

Her talk about labs and such was highly suspicious, but Wang Ja-hyun recalled that Korea had conducted secret biological experiments at the national level.

So he was angry.

“Using a kid like you as a test subject?”

“Baek Yeoul is not a kid! Ripe as ripe (濃)! Growing tall like bamboo (竹)!”

“What, no matter how you look at it, you’re just a kid.”

To Wang Ja-hyun, childhood was important.

The lack of it left a big scar that couldn’t be healed by anything.

So he couldn’t forgive Geum Tae-sung and the group behind him even more.

How dare they use children.

But the kid who introduced herself as Baek Yeoul seemed to dislike being treated as a child.

“This Baek Yeoul is not a kid but amazing! Can cure most diseases!”

“Really? Cure diseases?”

Cure diseases-.

Wang Ja-hyun thought of a few awakened ones who could do such things.

Wasn’t it the man called ‘Gu Se-jun’, who was once hailed as the Messiah of the 21st century?

If this kid had a power similar to Gu Se-jun, then it was no wonder that bad adults would target him.

“Can you heal people with injured legs too?”

“Possible!”

“Hmm.”

Nothing to lose.

Wang Ja-hyun wondered if he should take this girl named Baek Yeoul to his new friend.

“Wang Ja-hyun! If this Baek Yeoul heals someone with an injured leg, take this Baek Yeoul to Hanamjin! Cough, cough, cough-!”

# # #

“We need to find Mi-bbang. Mi-bbang is not well and needs to take the medicine my mom brews to get better. By now, the effect of the previous medicine would have worn off.”

Bbang-daengi was trembling terribly.

Even someone thrown out naked in winter would tremble less than this.

I patted Bbang-daengi’s shoulder.

“Then let’s go with a two-track approach. Bbang-daengi, you and Seo Ga-eul look for Mi-bbang. I’ll go to the headquarters of ‘Genesis Holy War’. This was my problem from the beginning.”

Negotiating with Hugi Old Man.

This was purely my problem.

Borrowing the hands of Baek Yeoul and Seo Ga-eul was actually not a manly thing to do.

However, what I am worried about is that since Mi-bbang is called a ‘witch’, there is a high probability that there is an unusual background behind this disappearance.

Can Seo Ga-eul and Bbang-daengi solve it alone?

It would be good if Yoo Yeoreum was here.

That guy hasn’t been looking well recently.

Yoo Yeoreum of light and darkness is having a dark duel over his body, so it’s no wonder he’s not in good condition.

Should I ask Chang-sik or Deok-soon for cooperation?

That would be good too, but I thought of someone who could provide a more reliable background.

“How about contacting Wang Ja-hyun? That guy likes children, so he’ll help find Mi-bbang.”

“Wang Ja-hyun likes children?”

Bbang-daengi frowned.

Seo Ga-eul also cursed as if he was about to vomit.

“That perverted b*stard! I knew he liked women, but kids too!? That kind of guy isn’t even a man!”

…No, I didn’t mean that he liked kids in that way.

The situation where “Cheongsolmo,” who was called the Bang Jeong-hwan of the apocalypse, was being accused of being a pervert.

Before I could explain, Bbangdaengi shouted.

“Maybe Wang Jjahyeon kidnapped Mibbangi! Bbangdaengi is as cute as me!”

“If that b*stard really has Mibbangi, I’ll kill Wang Jjahyeon myself.”

Dududududu-.

Seogaeul and Baekyeoul, who rarely agreed on anything, joined forces and ran off somewhere.

Well, the misunderstanding will clear up on its own.

The truth is stronger than the biggest lie.

So, I headed alone to the headquarters of “Creation Holy War.”

Their headquarters was a very small church located in D City.

A man, Gu Sejun, sat alone on a long church bench.

He opened his mouth while still in the praying position, as if he knew I had entered.

“My father was a pastor.”

“Excuse me, I’m not here to listen to your past. Let’s settle this like men.”