Devil Returns to School Days - Chapter 184: The Long-Awaited Moment (4)

Leaving the party.

It was a declaration that should not have been spoken.

The conference room turned icy, as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

“…Are you serious about this?”

It was Yang Min-goo, his expression a mixture of surprise and frustration.

He had intended to provoke Kim Pan-ho with a few jabs but had never anticipated he’d play the resignation card.

Kim Pan-ho spoke up.

“If I, as a representative of the people, lose the weight of my words, then I should step down. When my convictions differ from those of my party, how can I continue?”

“You must realize leaving the party won’t end with simply walking away. Representative Kim, you’ve already switched parties once. If you do it again without clear achievements, the public will start seeing you as a turncoat. I won’t stop you, but remember this.”

The development wasn’t entirely unfavorable.

To Yang Min-goo, Kim Pan-ho was a thorn in his side.

An interloper who had been eyeing his position, someone he intended to remove sooner or later.

Yet now, he was handing himself over on a silver platter.

Instead of dissuading him, Yang Min-goo wanted to emphasize the implications of his choice.

“Everyone here understands that the Golden Circle issue isn’t something we can tackle lightly. We’re not standing by out of stupidity but out of necessity. If Representative Kim rejects the party’s stance and resigns, it implies that he’s willing to stake his career to uncover the truth. Are you prepared for the consequences of such a decision?”

It was blatant.

Yang Min-goo was a pawn of the Golden Circle.

No one knew exactly when he joined, but as the Golden Circle’s influence grew, he stepped into its ranks.

Was Kim Pan-ho prepared to face the wrath of the Golden Circle?

Such a stance meant aligning himself against Yang Min-goo, the representatives receiving benefits from the Golden Circle, and the powerful allies of Taeyang Group’s Yoon Hyeon-min. The decision would brand him either as a fool or a public enemy.

Either way, it was a thorny path.

Kim Pan-ho’s expression did not falter.

He had anticipated this outcome the moment he mentioned leaving the party.

“Representative Yang Min-goo, you’ve dismissed me as an amateur ever since I joined Byeonyoung Party. But I’ve been in politics long enough to understand the implications of my decision. If this is how the public perceives me, then that’s my responsibility to bear. I’m not the kind of person to back down over threats. Yes, I will resign. And if anyone feels the same, they’re welcome to join me.”

He rose from his seat.

As he walked toward the door, Yang Min-goo stared in disbelief.

Who would possibly follow Kim Pan-ho in such an atmosphere?

And yet—

Thud.

“I—I will follow!”

“Are you serious? You’re joining him?”

Several individuals stood.

Despite the surprised reactions of the other representatives, they followed Kim Pan-ho out of the conference room.

It was only a handful.

But the fact that there were people willing to support him was enough to alert Yang Min-goo to an impending shift.

* * *

Kim Pan-ho walked down the hallway.

Trailing behind him, a young representative caught up, looking visibly anxious as he spoke.

“…Are we really doing this? It’s one thing to leave the party, but now we’ve turned the entire Byeonyoung Party against us. If this fails, our political careers will be over.”

“I know.”

It was a dangerous decision.

With both ruling and opposition parties opting for inaction, Kim Pan-ho was now an exposed nail, bound to be hammered down.

He would certainly face retaliation.

From Yoon Hyeon-min and the forces allied with him.

Even knowing that, Kim Pan-ho had accepted the risks. In hindsight, it was remarkable. At first, he had only intended to use a high school student to his advantage. But after his conversation with Kim Hyunsung six months ago, he realized he’d have to stake his political career.

Back then, Kim Hyunsung had said,

“Soon, the Golden Gate will be forced open. When Yoon Hyeon-min’s identity is revealed and the Golden Circle rises to the surface, the fire I’ve started will be impossible to smother. I promised you, didn’t I? I offered you a story that would help you win the presidential race. Now I’m fulfilling that promise. Reach out to the lawmakers uninvolved with the Golden Circle. When the secrets come to light, those affiliated with it will face public outrage. Meanwhile, you, Representative Kim, who took a stand, will hold a commanding lead in public opinion. When the time comes, there will be no serious competition to challenge you in the race.”

It was an enticing proposal.

He hadn’t accepted it impulsively.

After calming his racing heart, Kim Pan-ho had listened to the outline of Kim Hyunsung’s plan.

And he became certain.

This wasn’t just an ambitious youth. This was a meticulously crafted, extensive plan, one that even the Golden Circle’s Yoon Hyeon-min might struggle to evade. It was worth the gamble. As a candidate with slim odds in the presidential race, he was prepared to go all-in for even a 1% chance.

The die had been cast.

By declaring his departure, he had begun to build a new support base.

Not only from a few members of Byeonyoung Party, but other lawmakers from various parties would soon rally to his cause.

Kim Pan-ho spoke.

“That’s the nature of a presidential race. To reach the peak, you have to risk it all. If I want to stand at the pinnacle of this country, I can’t worry about the consequences of failure. Trust me. This time, I’ll make it as a presidential contender.”

His eyes glistened with ambition.

It was a transaction.

Not one rooted in heartfelt concern over issues like school violence, but a calculated trade for his goal.

Which only strengthened his resolve.

For his dream to come true, Kim Hyunsung had to succeed.

Led by Kim Pan-ho, the lawmakers headed somewhere.

Upon arrival—

Flash, flash, flash.

Journalists, gathered in advance, unleashed a barrage of camera flashes.

* * *

The stage had been carefully prepared.

Dozens of reporters, including those from Jeongan Ilbo, captured images of Kim Pan-ho, announcing a new beginning.

“Representative Kim Pan-ho, we heard you left Byeonyoung Party. You’ve also appeared with a group of lawmakers from various parties. Could you tell us the reason?”

It was a planned question.

He saw him at the edge of the crowd.

Bang Hyun-tae.

The more he thought about it, the more remarkable it seemed.

How had Kim Hyunsung managed to recruit Bang Hyun-tae?

It’s no easy feat to convince a journalist to stake their career.

Ironically, for Kim Pan-ho, Bang Hyun-tae’s presence gave him confidence, and vice versa.

Kim Pan-ho began to speak.

“It’s simple. Like me, these lawmakers left their parties because their convictions didn’t align with their party’s stance. Thanks to Kim Hyunsung’s exposé, we are now facing an unprecedented issue in our country’s history. Under the name Golden Circle, the elite of our society have come together to exploit the powerless and share power among themselves. Whether this is true remains to be seen. However, when a nineteen-year-old boy and so many victims are crying out that the Golden Circle exists, can we, the representatives chosen by the people, afford to simply stand by?”

With a deft turn of phrase, he aimed his criticism at his former party.

The reason for his departure.

Other representatives, he implied, had abandoned the public, choosing inaction, leaving him no choice but to leave.

Yang Min-goo had misjudged.

Though Kim Pan-ho was an outsider who had planted his roots in Byeonyoung Party, with a story like this, the public would never see him as a turncoat. People admired those who challenged power. Kim Pan-ho’s actions would be respected by the people as righteous.

“Here and now, I make a promise to the people of South Korea. I, Kim Pan-ho, will never turn a blind eye to the injustices in this country. I will uncover the truth, and if guilt is proven, no matter if it’s Taeyang Group or someone even higher, I pledge to see justice done, even at the cost of my political career.”

This wasn’t just an act of independence.

A new party was born, with Kim Pan-ho at the helm.

The reporters and Bang Hyun-tae, watching the historic moment, gulped, fully aware of the gravity.

Beyond the cameras.

“I, Kim Pan-ho, as a servant of the people, will see this through!”

Watching from their homes, the citizens of South Korea would surely erupt in applause.

* * *

At that very moment.

Yoon Hyeon-min was watching television.

In the breaking news report, Kim Pan-ho’s impassioned face filled the screen, his voice resolute.

[I, Kim Pan-ho, as a servant of the people, will see this through!]

This development.

Rather than anger, he felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief.

‘How is any of this even possible?’

The enemy was just a high school student.

He had tried not to underestimate him, but logically, a high school student should have limited power.

Yet nothing about this situation was ordinary.

It was one thing for Choi Seung-pil, the School Violence Prevention Committee, and the victims to mobilize.

But getting Jeongan Ilbo and even a major politician like Kim Pan-ho on board was entirely different. For someone of Kim Pan-ho’s stature to trust a high school student and risk his political career was astonishing. Some might claim there was no connection, but that would be naive considering that Jeongan Ilbo had already aligned with Kim Pan-ho on previous issues.

At times like these.

It felt surreal.

He had acknowledged Kim Hyunsung’s tenacity, but the boy’s reach extended beyond anything he could have imagined.

Right after the broadcast.

Yoon Hyeon-min received calls from members of the National Assembly.

[We apologize. We tried everything to rein in Kim Pan-ho, but he seemed possessed, charging ahead regardless of what we said. Please, rest assured that Byeonyoung Party will do everything it can to suppress him. There’s no need for concern.]

[We’ll make sure to handle this.]

[The lawmakers who resigned acted against the party’s wishes…]

Calls flooded in.

Led by Yang Min-goo of Byeonyoung Party, lawmakers from other parties expressed regret to Yoon Hyeon-min.

Each of them owed favors to him, and the actions of Kim Pan-ho and his allies clearly put them in an awkward position. It was a scene that reflected the reality of power in South Korea. Though one lawmaker had declared his intent to bring out the truth for the people, Yoon Hyeon-min was now inundated with dozens of apologetic calls.

They all acknowledged him.

Yoon Hyeon-min was at the center of power.

Not only backed by Taeyang Group but supported by a tangled web of power structures he could no longer escape. The Golden Circle, once a small group, now wielded tremendous influence.

And thus.

Reality began to feel distant.

When even the nation’s top lawmakers were rallying around him, the idea that he might fall to a mere high school student seemed inconceivable. He remained certain of his victory. No matter how much Kim Hyunsung exposed, how many victims came forward, or how many lawmakers sided with Kim Pan-ho, the structure of the Golden Circle guaranteed his safety. Even if the organization were revealed and torn apart, no one would trace it back to him.

It was a certainty.

Yoon Hyeon-min, who had created the Golden Circle and risen to his position, had no doubt of this fact.

But then—

“May I come in?”

“Enter.”

His secretary.

A foreboding feeling crept over him.

One incident after another.

The sense that this was still not over lingered.

Sure enough.

“Prosecutor Kang Dong-chul of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office has announced he will be taking on the Golden Circle case.”

Once again.

Something unexpected had reared its head.