Chapter 91 – Subversion [Regime Change]

“In the name of the people, we declare the end of the Hyeon Woongryeol regime and demand the resignation of President Hyeon Woongryeol and all members of the National Assembly by 17:15 on December 10th, the establishment of a provisional revolutionary government composed of representatives from all walks of life, and the formation of a constitutional assembly for constitutional revision. If our demands are met within the deadline, we will voluntarily disband. However, if not, we hereby notify that the responsibility for any subsequent bloodshed lies solely with President Hyeon Woongryeol and the 300 members of the National Assembly.”

The ultimatum delivered by Nam Hanseok, the representative of the National Resistance Army, from the speaker’s seat in the National Assembly’s main chamber was immediately broadcast nationwide through the media.

“In accordance with the will of the people, this National Assembly hereby announces the resignation of all 300 members, including myself as the Speaker, effective December 7th.”

The National Assembly responded immediately.

They had no choice.

Because the Speaker and the leadership of both ruling and opposition parties, who had failed to escape in time, were being held captive by the National Resistance Army.

However, the Blue House offered no response.

Soon, the National Resistance Army surrounded the Blue House.

The latest tanks had completed preparations, their main guns aimed at the Blue House, ready to fire at any moment.

Embassies of major countries located in Seoul made contact with the leadership of the National Resistance Army.

The specifics of what was discussed were not disclosed.

Only a statement announcing that the four countries of the US, China, Japan, and Russia, along with the three countries of the UK, France, and Germany, had recognized the National Resistance Army as an official dialogue partner was broadcast worldwide through the media.

And so, along with the bleak winter wind, the end of the Hyeon Woongryeol regime was approaching.

December 9, 2029, 22:00.

The President’s Office, Blue House.

“Phew…….”

Hyeon Woongryeol exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke.

“Cough, cough.”

Perhaps because it was a cigarette smoked after nearly 20 years of quitting, he kept coughing incessantly.

“…….”

Gu Seongguk and the Presidential Chief of Staff watched him with pitying expressions.

“I used to burn through two packs of 8mm cigarettes a day in the past. Even then, my lungs and bronchi were fine.”

Staring into empty space with eyes filled with regret, Hyeon Woongryeol muttered.

“I quit smoking after entering politics. I accepted a consultant’s advice that meeting voters reeking of cigarette smoke would only damage my image.”

Hyeon Woongryeol took another drag from his cigarette and exhaled smoke.

Now he no longer coughed.

“When I was young, a school teacher said this. Don’t even associate with someone who quits smoking, they’re real bastards. So I thought I was a bastard. Because I didn’t touch a cigarette for 20 years.”

Hyeon Woongryeol laughed weakly, watching the cigarette gradually shrink.

“But not anymore.”

Hyeon Woongryeol stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. Then, looking at Gu Seongguk and the Chief of Staff in turn, he continued.

“Who will seize power after I’m gone?”

To that question, the Chief of Staff answered in a subdued voice.

“……The rebel leader Nam Hanseok is the most likely.”

Hyeon Woongryeol nodded.

“Yeah. Haha…… Really. A guy I’ve never even heard or seen seizing power……. Truly a revolution, a revolution. A people’s revolution.”

Hyeon Woongryeol laughed despondently for a while.

After a moment, he stopped laughing and spoke while looking at Gu Seongguk.

“The Association must hold the center even more at a time like this. Do you understand what I’m saying, Association Chairman?”

To that question, Gu Seongguk nodded.

“Exactly at midnight. Precisely at the moment December 10th begins, Chief of Staff Yu, notify Nam Hanseok. That we surrender.”

“……Mr. President.”

The Chief of Staff finally burst into tears.

Seeing that, Hyeon Woongryeol gave a bitter smile.

“Still, I’m truly grateful that you, Chief of Staff Yu, are here at the end. While all the others are busy finding their own escape routes, you alone stayed to finish things, so I feel at ease.”

“…….”

“Handle the handover well. I don’t know what kind of guy Nam Hanseok is, but the country must not be ruined.”

The Chief of Staff only bowed his head and sobbed silently.

Hyeon Woongryeol turned his gaze to Gu Seongguk.

“Association Chairman, do your best to help Nam Hanseok too. If Nam Hanseok tries to use my relationship with you as a pretext to drive you out, package me as the bad guy and yourself as the good guy as much as possible.”

“……I understand.”

After hearing Gu Seongguk’s answer, Hyeon Woongryeol looked up at the ceiling with a somewhat brighter expression.

“……You two should leave now. I want to be alone at the end.”

Hesitating briefly at Hyeon Woongryeol’s words, the two soon bowed to him in a final farewell and left the office.

Left alone, Hyeon Woongryeol just stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.

“…….”

After staring into space like that for 20 minutes, Hyeon Woongryeol suddenly burst out laughing.

“……Still, it’s less shameful at the end.”

Hyeon Woongryeol put his hand into his inner pocket.

When his hand emerged again, it held a pistol.

Click-!

After checking the chamber, Hyeon Woongryeol quietly placed the muzzle under his chin.

Remaining still like that for a while, Hyeon Woongryeol soon closed his eyes.

A single tear streamed down from his closed eye.

And then.

Bang-!

With a gunshot that shook the office, he thus put a period on his life.

Shortly after, at 00:00 on December 10, 2029, the Presidential Chief of Staff delivered the surrender document to the leadership of the National Resistance Army.

December 10, 2029, 00:30.

The National Assembly Speaker’s Office, serving as the temporary office and residence of Nam Hanseok, representative of the National Resistance Army.

Siguk and Nam Hanseok were sitting at a wide round table, drinking coffee and talking.

“Thirty minutes ago, the Blue House Chief of Staff delivered the surrender document.”

At Nam Hanseok’s words, Siguk nodded and took a sip of coffee.

Watching that, Nam Hanseok continued.

“And Hyeon Woongryeol is said to have committed suicide.”

For a moment, a cold sneer flickered across Siguk’s lips.

Siguk put down his coffee cup and spoke while looking at Nam Hanseok.

“It would have been better if he had lived to show the public a pathetic, excuse-making figure to the end, but this isn’t bad either.”

“That’s right. Anyway, officially, the Republic of Korea is now practically in a state of anarchy. It will be easier for us to take over the country…….”

Instantly, Siguk glared at Nam Hanseok with a hardened face and explosively emitted Mana.

Nam Hanseok trembled violently in that state and bowed his head.

“Us?”

“S-s-s-sorry. I, I misspoke…… F-forgive…….”

Siguk soon withdrew his Mana.

Nam Hanseok was sweating and panting.

Looking at that figure with cold eyes, Siguk spoke.

“Don’t get cocky. You’re just a chess piece, after all. Words and actions that cross the line will only shorten your lifespan. Understand?”

“Y-yes. U-understood.”

Looking at the utterly frozen Nam Hanseok, Siguk took a sip of coffee.

It was no coincidence that armed protest groups from various regions united into a nationwide National Resistance Army.

『Nam Hanseok. A D-Rank Villain, but his ability to conceal his presence and snipe opponents is exceptional.』

Based on top-secret materials on Villains, unseen even by Gu Seongguk, received from Yeo Jeongyeon, Siguk gathered individuals who could become the focal points of the armed protest groups.

In Nam Hanseok’s case, he decided to become Siguk’s loyal dog without even putting up much resistance, and it was no different for other Villains.

Thus, the revolutionary army leadership, composed of those not yet officially declared Villains but destined to become them soon, succeeded in instantly transforming regional armed protest groups into a nationwide National Resistance Army with the help of slush funds from chaebol conglomerate heads and the human network of the National Hunter Federation.

Since a significant number of Hunters belonging to the National Hunter Federation had already infiltrated the armed protest groups under concealed identities, there was no difficulty in organizational integration.

Thus, the National Resistance Army, a mix of civilians and soldiers united around a leadership core of Nam Hanseok and Villains, marched on Seoul while receiving Siguk’s orders.

『You can rest assured about the forward divisions. They probably won’t move.』

With the help of the Chairman of Woosung Group, who had maintained defense industry companies and built connections in the military over many years, they were able to tie the feet of the forward divisions.

Just in case, they also contacted the Najin Security Department—now more familiar as North Korea—to induce unusual activity at the Military Demarcation Line.

With the forward units thus tied down, Siguk mobilized chaebol conglomerates like Samhwa, Hyeonseong, and Signiel, which had extensive overseas human networks, to get major countries to recognize the National Resistance Army.

Not only that, he even contacted Ivan Ivanov to borrow some of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s power.

Thanks to this, the National Resistance Army was easily recognized as a dialogue partner by major powers.

In this way, Siguk was deeply involved in every step of the revolution.

Everything was accomplished through him, and the National Hunter Federation, the chaebols, and the National Resistance Army leadership could only communicate with each other through him.

And today, the revolution finally succeeded.

‘This isn’t the end.’

Looking at Nam Hanseok, who was calming his mind while breathing roughly, Siguk thought.

‘The revolution only ends when the new system is perfectly rooted and the National Hunter Federation stably seizes control of state affairs.’

Thinking that, Siguk slowly opened his mouth.

“Don’t have useless thoughts and just focus on the policy announcements starting tomorrow.”

“Yes, yes. U-understood.”

A subtle emotion of exhilaration rose on Siguk’s face as he tamed Nam Hanseok, who would remain his frontman for the time being, and perhaps continuously from now on.

December 10, 2029, 12:00.

At noon, the leadership of the National Resistance Army issued a national address.

“Fellow citizens. We have finally achieved victory.”

The national address, which began with that sentence, announced to the world Hyeon Woongryeol’s death, the Chief of Staff’s surrender, and the acceptance of the National Resistance Army.

“Now it is time for us to take the first step towards building a new system, a new Korea. We appeal to all 50 million fellow citizens to participate in this glorious revolution.”

With those words, the address by the National Resistance Army leadership ended.

And from that day on, the National Resistance Army leadership daily leaked policy ideas to the public through the media.

Most of those policies were for managing the chaotic situation, but some were also for the new system.

“The Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly will select 500 individuals from among the citizens through random lottery.”

Among them, the one that caused the biggest stir was the selection of Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly members by lottery.

This system, reminiscent of ancient Athens, immediately became a hot potato, dividing public opinion into pros and cons.

“Honestly, did the politicians before properly represent us? This is better. Now that it’s come to this, selecting by random lottery would at least adhere to the principle of proportionality.”

“No, politics should be done by experts in the first place. It shouldn’t be left in the hands of ignorant people wandering the streets. And, who decides what criteria and how for this lottery anyway?”

Since both sides had their own logic, the controversy did not easily subside.

Especially regarding who and how would constitute the Revolutionary National Assembly by lottery, opinions were divided even within the National Resistance Army.

Regarding this, Nam Hanseok presented a very simple solution.

“We plan to entrust the United Nations with the lottery process for constituting the Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly.”

With that statement, the controversy instantly died down.

And the new year of 2030 dawned.

The large-scale armed struggle triggered by the Hyeon Woongryeol Impeachment Rally transformed into a constructive struggle for building a new system.

Of course, at the center of that struggle were Nam Hanseok and the leadership, and behind them was Siguk.

February 20, 2030.

Under the supervision of the United Nations Electoral Monitoring Committee, a nationwide lottery using A.I. computers was conducted, and 500 Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly members were selected.

Those selected in the real-time lottery could choose acceptance or refusal, and 57 out of the 500 chose refusal, leading to a re-lottery.

On February 22nd, the list of all 500 members was finally confirmed, and on March 2nd, the opening ceremony of the 1st Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly was held in the main conference room of the National Assembly Building.

“Since everyone probably has their own livelihoods, right? So, we plan to select 50 standing committee members from among us through another lottery.”

As Nam Hanseok, elected as the Chairman of the Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly, said, 50 standing committee members were soon selected by lottery.

These professional legislators, representing the other 450 members busy with their livelihoods, began deliberating on the constitutional amendment bill.

But they didn’t focus solely on deliberating the constitutional amendment bill.

All 50 standing committee members of the Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly met with Siguk without exception, and among them, those who particularly caught Siguk’s eye were elected as members of the Standing Committee Representative Group representing the standing committee members.

Thus, after about three months of deliberation, a new constitution draft emerged.

After final wording revisions with advice from externally invited experts in various fields, the new constitution was passed in the reconvened Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly plenary session nationwide with 498 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstention.

The constitutional amendment bill, centered on a bicameral system where an upper house elected by direct public vote as in the past and a lower house selected by lottery like the Provisional Revolutionary National Assembly would review and pass legislation, and a cabinet system where a cabinet approved by lower house standing committee members would form the executive branch, was soon put to a national referendum.

And finally, on July 17th, it passed even the national referendum with 96% approval, and the Republic of Korea entered the era of the 7th Republic.