I laughed as I looked down at the shattered teacup rolling across the floor.
So, I thought he had guts, but he’s got a liver the size of a pea.
“Why are you so shocked? You must’ve expected this. Otherwise, why would I have bothered to et you?”
“Th-that... Mogilevich is working with the governnt...”
“You don’t have to worry about that. The conversation’s already over. Neither the police nor the FSB will intervene in a war between the mafias.”
Only then did a glimr of light return to Usayan’s eyes, which had been filled with fear.
“Is that true?”
“What would I gain by lying to you? Let’s move sowhere else. This place is an eyesore.”
I got up first and started walking. Usayan hesitated for a mont before following after .
We left the office and continued our conversation in the reception room.
“So, is it possible to eliminate Mogilevich?”
“...”
“No answer? You were so eager to kill , yet Mogilevich seems to be too difficult for you.”
I crossed my legs and gave him a cold look.
He chewed on his lips for a while before hesitantly opening his mouth.
“The power gap is too large. Even if Ivanov’s organization and mine joined forces, we’d barely reach half of Mogilevich’s strength. Most of the mafia are under his influence...”
“I’m not asking you to start a war. You just need to remove Mogilevich. The organizations below him aren’t loyal because of devotion—they follow him because of his influence. Once Mogilevich dies, they’ll scatter on their own. So what are you afraid of?”
Putin didn’t want a mafia war either. And I had no intention of letting things get that ssy.
“I heard Mogilevich moves around openly, without hiding. And yet you still can’t kill him?”
“If we fail, there will be an all-out war. He’s not the type of man to forgive anyone who aims for his life.”
“If you can’t take that level of risk, how do you plan to accomplish anything significant? Yet you still tried to kill . You must’ve heard the rumors that I’m Putin’s friend, didn’t you?”
“I... dismissed it as nonsense. It was hard to believe that President Putin would have an Asian friend.”
His words revealed, without a shred of sha, the racist thoughts he held deep inside. My brow furrowed before I even realized it.
Usayan, oblivious, continued speaking.
“Even now, it’s hard to believe. You look young in person. Though, seeing ard police escorting you... it doesn’t seem like a lie.”
When he noticed my expression harden, he realized his mistake and trailed off.
“Go on.”
“...My apologies.”
I sighed deeply. He knew perfectly well that I was above him, yet he still couldn’t help but belittle because I was Asian.
Should I even bother working with this idiot?
The thought flickered through my mind—but not for long. He was disposable anyway.
“Let ask you sothing. What does race have to do with business? Arms trafficking, drugs, prostitution—you’ve spread your reach across multiple Asian countries, yet you keep saying ‘Asian this, Asian that.’ If you despise Asia so much, why don’t you stay out of the Asian market altogether? You want Asian money but look down on Asian people—isn’t that ridiculous?”
My voice was calm, but the words were sharp. Usayan’s face stiffened.
“Fine. Let’s assu you are a racist and truly think that way. Then why did you co to , an Asian? You must have heard sothing from Igor. You ca here because you saw profit, didn’t you? Yet here you are, in front of , talking about my race and my age. It’s been a while since I’ve been treated like this—it’s almost refreshing. Is this how business is done in Russia?”
“...It was a mistake.”
“I don’t feel like wasting ti on useless talk, so I’ll let it slide this ti. But if you really want to work with , watch your mouth.”
He was a tool, nothing more. There was no point arguing with a tool.
All I needed was to make sure he understood who held the upper hand before throwing him away later.
“It’s not that you couldn’t believe it—it’s that you didn’t want to. You probably have ties with soone in the governnt, and that person must’ve told you about my relationship with Putin.”
“...”
“And yet, you still tried to have killed. Then you saw ard police escorting from the airport and decided to drop the plan, didn’t you?”
The sarcasm slipped out without even trying.
“Well, fine. Since you’re saying it’s too difficult, should I just get rid of Mogilevich myself? You can sit back, watch, and reap the benefits afterward. But tell —if that’s the case, why should I bother joining hands with you?”
The reason I wanted to work with Usayan and Ivanov was that they already had sufficient power.
There was no need to build a new ship when a sturdy one already existed.
But seeing the holes in this ship leaking water didn’t make feel particularly pleased.
“In that case, wouldn’t it be easier for to just build my own organization with my own n? Don’t you think?”
Usayan couldn’t even answer, his face frozen stiff.
If the information he received from governnt insiders was accurate, he knew my words were true.
The only reason I hadn’t built a new organization yet was because I didn’t want the hassle. With enough ti, it wouldn’t be difficult to build a force strong enough to crush both Ivanov and Usayan.
“Choose. Will you eliminate Mogilevich yourselves, or shall I?”
No answer ca. Usayan clenched his fists tightly, biting his lips in frustration.
I took a leisurely sip of tea and looked toward Igor.
“Igor.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Can you eliminate Mogilevich?”
“If the Russian governnt stays out of it, it’ll be easy.”
He understood exactly what I ant and answered imdiately.
“If Usayan and Ivanov refuse, proceed at once.”
“Yes, understood.”
I nodded in satisfaction. Then Usayan spoke in a rush.
“W-wait a mont.”
“Have you made up your mind?”
“What do we gain from this? From eliminating Mogilevich, I an.”
“You take control of Russia’s underworld.”
“Even now, by working with Mogilevich, we already control most of the underground world. Calling that a gain seems...”
“All the profitable businesses go to Mogilevich while you feed on the scraps he leaves behind, and you call that control?”
At my insult, Usayan’s face flushed red with anger. His voice, restrained until now, finally turned rough.
“Hey! You’ve been looking down on since earlier, but my patience has limits! You’re the one who proposed working together in the first place!”
Good. That’s better.
It wouldn’t be any fun if the leader of the Russian mafia groveled too easily.
I smiled faintly, which only made him angrier.
But I paid him no mind and continued.
“Your patience, huh... I’m the one calmly talking face-to-face with the man who tried to have killed. Who do you think’s been more patient here?”
“That’s...”
“What? Did I hurt your pride? I only stated the truth. If your business distribution were fair, you’d have no reason to turn against Mogilevich.”
If Mogilevich’s way of doing business hadn’t been a problem, Usayan and Ivanov—both known as his close allies—wouldn’t have had any reason to try killing .
“Tell —aside from the scraps Mogilevich leaves behind, do you have even a single legitimate business under your control?”
“...”
“I don’t like people who stay silent when I ask a question. So answer —will you eliminate Mogilevich, or shall we?”
Usayan closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath, as if trying to calm himself.
After a while, he opened his eyes and spoke in a steadier tone.
“Please, show so respect. I didn’t co here to serve under you. I ca after hearing Igor’s words—to make a deal.”
“I know. But it’s ti to make a choice, Usayan. Answer .”
“...If we eliminate Mogilevich, what do we gain? And don’t give so abstract line about taking over Russia’s underworld. Just because Mogilevich dies doesn’t an we get all his assets and businesses.”
I raised an eyebrow. At least he had so sense.
The mont Mogilevich died, Putin would surely move to seize most of his assets.
“I’ll give you a foothold to enter Japan. You’ll have to go to war with them, but if you win, you can take over the entire Japanese drug market.”
“That’s absurd—”
“Also, soon there will be a war between China’s Triads and the Yakuza. Just securing Mogilevich’s smuggling routes will make you an enormous amount of money.”
Putin would take the businesses in the light.
They would take the ones in the shadows—and in return, act as Putin’s loyal hunting dogs.
“Taking Russia’s underworld and expanding into Japan—there isn’t a more lucrative deal than that, is there? The businesses you can run in Russia are shrinking by the day. It’s about ti you figured out what kind of man Putin really is.”
“Are you sure the governnt won’t interfere?”
“I can promise you that.”
“Then we’ll do it. But keep your word. I’m asking you to protect us from the governnt.”
Instead of answering, I picked up the phone beside .
Switching it to speaker mode so everyone could hear, I dialed a number.
After a few rings, a familiar voice answered.
— Hello.
“dvedev. This is Kim Muhyuk.”
— Oh, President Kim! You’re awake? Hahaha, your alcohol tolerance is weaker than I thought.
“I’m not weak. You and Putin just drink too damn much. I don’t usually get called a lightweight.”
— I know, I know. Just a joke. Still, it’s been a long ti since I saw Putin laugh like that. You should visit Moscow more often—keep him company.
As the conversation went on, Usayan’s face began to change in a strange way.
“I’ll drop by whenever I can. But the reason I called is about Mogilevich.”
— Ah, I’ve already been inford. No matter what happens, the police and FSB won’t make a move. Do you need assistance?
“No. Have you ever seen rely on Putin for help in Russia? I’ll handle it myself.”
Every ti dvedev’s hearty laughter ca through the receiver, Usayan’s face grew paler and paler.
— Hahaha, of course. That’s exactly why Putin likes you. Once Mogilevich is dead, we’ll take care of things on our end.
“Understood. Then I’ll contact you again later.”
— Good. Let’s et before you return to Korea.
“Sure. I’ll hang up now.”
I ended the call and turned back to Usayan. Seeing his pale face gave a certain satisfaction.
“Was that enough of an answer for you?”
“Th-that was really Chief of Staff dvedev?”
He stamred, unable to believe what {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} he’d just heard.
“I doubt you don’t recognize dvedev’s voice.”
“...Unbelievable. So all those rumors were true?”
“Rumors can be exaggerated, but they can also be downplayed. At least now you’ve confird the truth for yourself. That’s not a bad takeaway, is it? Anyway, if you join hands with , you won’t be oppressed like the other mafia groups.”
“Fine. We’ll do it. We’ll eliminate Mogilevich.”
The call with dvedev had the intended effect. For Usayan, dvedev’s word probably carried more weight than mine.
“Don’t make a mistake. If you fail to kill him in one strike, there won’t be a second chance. You know Mogilevich is already looking for you and Ivanov, right?”
“Yes, that’s why we left Moscow for now.”
“If you fail, you’ll die. End his life completely. After that, work with Igor to absorb Mogilevich’s remaining forces.”
I rose from my seat and extended my hand first.
“eting will be the greatest stroke of luck in your life.”
Usayan didn’t hesitate—he grabbed my hand with both of his and smiled broadly.
“Thank you. Please put in a good word with President Putin and dvedev.”
“If you finish this job properly, good news will co your way.”
Usayan left the reception room with Igor. Once the door closed, Manager Ma spoke quietly, just loud enough for to hear.
“Can we trust him?”
“There’s nothing to trust. He’s just different from Mogilevich—he knows where real power lies. That’s why I’ll use him.”
The Mogilevich I t was an arrogant man who fancied himself the Tsar of Russia.
Putin knew that too, which was why he didn’t oppose getting rid of him.
As I rembered Mogilevich overlooking the Kremlin and Red Square, a faint smirk crept across my lips.
A few monts later, Igor returned to the reception room after seeing Usayan off.
“Igor.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“If Usayan and Ivanov don’t screw up, they should be able to kill Mogilevich easily—he’s not on guard right now. But I don’t trust them completely. Keep in touch, and if they miss him, move in imdiately.”
“Yes, I will. Should we capture him alive, or kill him outright?”
Igor’s question implied that failure wasn’t even an option. I paused to think for a mont.
I was curious about the whereabouts of the nuclear weapons, but there was no way I could take them.
“Just kill him.”
“Understood, Boss.”
“And once Mogilevich is dead, kill Ivanov too. Two heads are too hard to control. Let’s take one off as a warning to Usayan.”
One godfather of the Russian mafia was more than enough.
“Understood.”
I smiled in satisfaction at Igor’s dependable reply.
User Comments
0 comments from readers