Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 184

Su-ho had spent about six hours with Pi Seong-yeol.

And in that time, the world had turned upside down.

– Vice-President of Daehun Corporation’s confession! Shock Project truly existed.

– List of members involved in the redevelopment cartel revealed...

– The mastermind behind it all was former Seoul District Prosecutor Pi Seong-yeol?!

Everything was following the expected course.

Su-ho had given all the materials related to the redevelopment gate to Jo Jin-hwi, who, with his team of reporters, was on standby to release the articles immediately.

Moreover, the key figure in this scandal, Pi Seong-yeol, was now completely helpless and had even betrayed his closest allies. The redevelopment cartel, which had always been in control, was now defenseless and exposed.

– Among the members of the redevelopment cartel, the current ruling party leader Son Kwon-ho is involved, causing shock...

– The Blue House has recognized the severity of the situation and immediately launched an investigation...

– A special prosecutor’s bill for the redevelopment gate has been proposed!

Everything was moving rapidly.

The evidence was clear, and there were no loopholes left for anyone to escape.

Even those who thought they wouldn’t be implicated because they received so little were now named and mentioned.

Especially Pi Seong-yeol’s direct subordinates had been working fiercely.

They had gathered all the evidence they could according to Su-ho’s instructions and sent it directly to Jo Jin-hwi.

Jo Jin-hwi, living on coffee and energy drinks, was working tirelessly without showing any signs of fatigue. He felt more alive than ever before.

And Pi Seong-yeol...

“....”

After being mutilated and burned in the space house, Pi Seong-yeol woke up to find himself alone in an empty house.

There was no sign of anyone.

It felt as though nothing had changed from the very beginning; he woke up in the middle of the living room, completely alone.

And the first thing he faced, the moment his mind cleared, was...

“...Ugh!”

An inexplicable pain.

His chest hurt.

Breathing was difficult, and his vision was limited to just one side.

But that wasn’t all.

Whether standing, sitting, or even lying down, a strange pain gripped him, and everything felt uncomfortable.

His heart pounded.

It all felt like a dream.

So, he tried to drink some cold water to snap out of it. But as soon as he took a sip, Pi Seong-yeol realized something.

“Ah...”

He couldn’t taste the water.

He always drank Hogea tea at home, his favorite herbal drink, but now, it had no taste.

It was then that the words from his fevered memories came flooding back.

“Live your whole life in atonement. You’ll only see half the world from now on and hear from only one side. You won’t be able to speak properly, run, sit, lie down comfortably, and even breathing will bring you pain.”

Ah.

Right.

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His junior had said those words.

At that moment, Pi Seong-yeol’s hand went limp, and he dropped the water bottle.

Water leaked onto the floor.

Without a word, he poured the spilled water back.

Su-ho hadn’t said anything else to him.

No, Su-ho hadn’t talked to him about the redevelopment or anything else.

He had just suddenly appeared and scolded him, as if he knew everything.

‘Does he know everything?’

That was when Pi Seong-yeol’s eyes widened.

Now that he thought about it, wasn’t that the case?

How did Su-ho know all of this and do this to him?

Had they ever discussed the Shock Project?

No.

Not once.

But Su-ho had appeared, like someone who knew everything, to pass judgment on him, talking about his wrongdoings and sins.

Like the King of Hell.

“....”

Pi Seong-yeol closed his lips.

No one had told him the answer to why Su-ho visited, but Pi Seong-yeol instinctively knew.

Perhaps... No, he was certain.

Everything that was happening to him now was because of Su-ho.

But so what?

Knowing that, Pi Seong-yeol realized he could do nothing.

He also realized that the only thing left to do was remain silent.

Ignoring the water bottle he had dropped, Pi Seong-yeol walked over and sat down on the dining chair.

Even sitting down, his whole body hurt.

But at least, it wasn’t the same pain he felt in the flames.

Now, his brow furrowed, and he bit his lip like someone holding someone else’s hand—he could bear it to some extent.

At that moment, his phone rang.

Coincidentally, it was on the dining table.

Had he put his phone on the table?

That didn’t matter.

Pi Seong-yeol grabbed the ringing phone and checked the messages.

“....”

There were so many messages piled up.

The Chairman of the Association, members of the redevelopment cartel he had been involved with, people he trusted, and even the police, prosecutors, and reporters were all contacting him.

Among them, there were texts from unknown citizens criticizing him, wondering how they got his contact details.

“....”

Pi Seong-yeol silently scrolled through the messages and placed the phone back on the table.

It was over.

Just as Kim Seung-hwan had said, everything was truly over.

So, what could he do now?

At that moment, Pi Seong-yeol’s eyes widened again.

Yes.

In that instant, Pi Seong-yeol realized something.

Su-ho had done all those horrible things to him, yet he had never made a demand.

“Heh... Heh...”

It was absurd.

No, not just absurd—it was terrifying.

Su-ho had delivered such a severe punishment, and yet, unbelievably, he had made no demands.

He just inflicted hellish pain on him, then vanished like a dream.

When Pi Seong-yeol realized this, many thoughts flooded his mind.

What did Su-ho want from him?

What was Su-ho’s true intention?

He pondered for a long time, but in the end, the answer became clear.

“Right... In the end, that’s all he wants from me.”

Pi Seong-yeol stood up.

As Su-ho rose, sharp waves of pain hit him once more due to the pressure points he had set, but Pi Seong-yeol only slightly narrowed his eyes, walking slowly and deliberately as usual.

He passed through the kitchen and headed toward the living room, where he opened the largest window.

It took a lot of effort to open the window.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Normally, he could open it with just the press of a button, but because Su-ho had pressed his pressure points, he could only use less than half the strength he usually would.

Furthermore, the window was a double-glazed one.

After opening both windows and pulling up the mesh screen, a chilling breeze poured into the house.

Whooosh!

The wind was cold.

Normally, even winter winds would make him laugh, saying how refreshing they were, but today, the wind felt unusually cold.

The sun had yet to rise.

So, the world was dark.

This was probably the darkest moment.

The darkness of the world is always deepest just before dawn.

Pi Seong-yeol stared blankly at the Han River.

Along Han River Road, cars, as if they had something urgent to do, were speeding by with their headlights on.

It was laughable.

There was a time when he lived desperately just to see the Han River and the cars speeding by.

He had thought that there was no greater power in Seoul than the right to view the Han River.

That’s why he started in real estate.

The Han River view that everyone coveted, and the absolute sense of security that no Gate would ever appear again, became the symbol of wealth anyone living in this era would desire.

Of course, Pi Seong-yeol valued power more than wealth.

He wasn’t interested unless it was the greatest power of all.

That’s why, among all the Han River-view properties, he chose the "Future Apartment" in Apgujeong.

Since the establishment of South Korea, whether it was redevelopment or reconstruction, any place that began with the intention of becoming the best would, without a doubt, become the most valuable apartment. Future Apartment was one such place.

So, with the wealth he had accumulated, he moved into this place, which was falling apart, only the interior renovated.

But now, it was all over.

If the Special Prosecution Law were passed after this incident, the Shock Project or whatever would be of no use, and even the Future Apartment, which he had painstakingly obtained, would be taken away.

At the same time, he would be buried, faster than anyone else, at rock bottom... no, deeper, in the underground.

‘Rather than live to see that, it would be better to die.’

Desire is truly laughable.

When half a day burned in the fire, he wished he could just be killed, but when his body was fine, he wanted to live.

But now, once again, he wanted to die, so if this isn't ridiculous, what is?

Pi Seong-yeol turned his head and looked around the empty house.

The house was empty.

There was nothing left.

Various awards and certificates hung on one side of the living room, but, well... they wouldn't save him.

After completing his thoughts, Pi Seong-yeol placed his foot on the safety rail.

He was about to close his eyes and jump to the other side.

Boom!

In an instant, his body was hurled into the air.

Someone had grabbed him and thrown him.

But the direction his body flew was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) not outside the window, but into the house.

His vision blurred as he fell, and Pi Seong-yeol soon found himself rolling in the living room.

“W-What’s going on?”

So shocked, he unconsciously shouted.

There shouldn’t have been anyone in the house!

Was it a ghost?

But the sensation of someone gripping his body was too real to be ignored.

Then, it happened.

"Ah...!"

Pi Seong-yeol’s eyes widened, as though he had seen a ghost.

It couldn’t be helped.

His gaze fell upon Su-ho, who was staring at him with a blank expression.

"You... You’re...!"

It was then.

Ssss...

Su-ho’s body began to dissipate from his feet, as if turning into mist.

It wasn’t a mistake.

Like vapor turning into steam, Su-ho’s body slowly disappeared.

But even as he vanished, Su-ho never stopped staring at him.

In that strange scene, Pi Seong-yeol could only stand frozen in place, awkwardly, without a word, until Su-ho was completely gone.

And when the two eyes that had been watching him also vaporized and disappeared, only then could Pi Seong-yeol finally take a breath.

“T-This... what is this...”

At that moment, a realization struck his mind like a lightning bolt.

“You’re alive, but you’re not truly alive, and you want to die, but you won’t be able to. I will make sure of that.”

A blurry memory of a phrase he couldn’t quite recall came to him.

Remembering those words, Pi Seong-yeol broke into a cold sweat.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the empty house again.

There was no one in the house.

But instinctively, he felt it.

This place wasn’t empty.

And at the same time, he realized with certainty.

Now, the only thing that could kill him was time.

The moment he realized this, Pi Seong-yeol couldn’t help but let out a scream, almost close to a sob.

It was a desperate cry.

***

‘So, he thought about jumping after all.’

Su-ho felt the movement of his clone and shook his head.

He had anticipated it and placed the clone, but he didn’t think it would happen so soon.

But it didn’t matter.

Even if it meant spending his magical power for the rest of his life, Su-ho would make sure a clone stayed beside Pi Seong-yeol so that he could never die.

‘Well, it’ll only last until we reach Cheongok though.’

At that moment.

Screech!

A car quickly entered the parking lot.

The car owner got out, and as soon as he saw Su-ho, he shouted.

“Hey, An Su-ho!”

The person urgently calling Su-ho’s name was none other than Jeong Cheol-min.