Several days had passed since the eting with Usayan.
While I was sitting in my office reading, a knock ca at the door.
“This is Igor, Boss.”
“Co in.”
Igor carefully stepped into the office. Seeing reading, he lowered his voice to report.
“Boss, they’re going to execute the plan tonight.”
I closed the book I was reading and lifted my gaze.
“Really?”
“Yes. They found out Mogilevich will be going to his villa on the outskirts of Moscow tonight.”
“Hmm... Good. I’ll be leaving Moscow tomorrow, so at least I’ll get to see the end of it before I go.”
It was much better to see it with my own eyes than to hear later from Korea that it had been handled.
I stood up and walked over to the sofa. Pouring two cups of tea, I gestured.
“Sit down.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Igor imdiately sat.
I slid one of the cups toward him.
“This job must not fail. If we fail once, there won’t be a second chance.”
“Yes. We’ll be on standby nearby, and if Mogilevich sohow escapes, we’ll shoot him on the spot.”
“Can I trust you with this, Igor?”
“Please do, Boss. I understand perfectly—there will be no second chances.”
Seeing the resolute look on his face, I smiled slightly and lifted my cup first.
“Good. I’ll trust you, Igor. Try the tea—it’s good.”
Once I gave permission, Igor lifted his cup and drank.
“I trust you, but don’t let your guard down.”
“Understood, Boss.”
“What about Ivanov?”
“The mont Mogilevich’s death is confird, we’ll take the shot.”
“Do it when he’s with Usayan. That way, Usayan will feel fear.”
I had no intention of bringing Usayan under —he’d beco Putin’s dog anyway.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to plant so fear in him, so he’d never dare to ignore once he took control of Russia’s underworld.
He needed to rember exactly where the power lay, how insignificant he really was, and that I could kill him at any mont.
“Once it’s all over, you’ll handle Usayan as well.”
“Understood.”
“You can go.”
At my dismissal, Igor set down his cup and bowed his head.
After confirming he’d left, I picked up the phone beside .
“dvedev.”
— President Kim. What’s the matter...?
“Are you free to talk? If you’re busy, I can call back later.”
— No, no. I’ll always make ti for you. Go ahead, President Kim.
“Usayan’s going to strike Mogilevich tonight.”
— Hmm...
dvedev’s sigh carried a subtle tone of concern.
Knowing what he was worried about, I quickly added,
“Fortunately, it’ll happen outside of Moscow, so there shouldn’t be too much chaos.”
— Will they be able to finish the job? Mogilevich is close to Zyuganov. If they fail, Putin will have to bear political consequences.
If they failed to eliminate Mogilevich—protected by Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Communist Party—and it beca known that I was involved, even Putin would face political backlash.
“Don’t worry, dvedev. I’ve stationed Igor and our rcenaries nearby just in case.”
— Ah, that’s reassuring. If Igor and his n are handling it, the job will be done right.
“As I told you before, once it’s over, Igor will contact you. That’ll be your cue to move.”
After a brief silence, dvedev’s voice dropped to a lower tone.
I heard the faint rustle of fabric on the other end, as if he was checking his surroundings.
— You an to arrest everyone involved? I’ll prepare in advance.
“Be careful not to let any information leak. If even a word slips out, Mogilevich will vanish.”
— Understood. Ah, I should get going now. You’re flying back to Korea tomorrow, yes?
“Yes. I’ve taken up too much of your ti already. I’ll hang up now.”
— Hahaha, not at all. Let’s et again in Korea.
After ending the call, I picked up my teacup again.
The thought of Mogilevich getting torn apart by the very trash who used to tremble before him made smile.
The clock’s hands had already passed midnight.
“Wonder how it’s going.”
“We should be hearing from them soon.”
I was in my office, drinking vodka with Manager Ma.
“They’d better not let him slip away...”
“Igor won’t make a mistake.”
“Hmm...”
I swirled the glass and fell into thought.
Igor was smart—he wouldn’t repeat the sa mistake twice.
Even so, a vague anxiety lingered.
Sensing it, Manager Ma asked in his usual calm tone, probably to ease my nerves.
“Boss, why did you tell them to arrest Usayan and his n too?”
“Oh, that? To show the other organizations.”
“Show them?”
“If Usayan cos out unscathed, they’ll realize he has soone watching his back. Then we’ll be able to absorb all the organizations that used to serve under Mogilevich without much trouble.”
“Ah...”
“Manager Ma, you don’t like complicated operations, do you?”
He fell silent, looking a bit embarrassed.
He always executed orders flawlessly, but he preferred action over sches—complicated plans weren’t his thing.
I set down my glass and smiled.
“Hearing rumors and witnessing sothing are two completely different things. Why do you think I called dvedev in front of Usayan? Sotis the complicated way is the most effective.”
People rarely believe what they haven’t seen themselves.
We talked a bit more about Usayan, and then drifted to lighter topics.
Just as the tension started to fade, the phone in Manager Ma’s inner suit pocket began to ring.
“Answer it. It’s probably Igor.”
Manager Ma nodded and picked up the call. After a short exchange, he handed the phone.
“Boss, it’s Igor.”
“So it’s over.”
I took the phone. Harsh breathing ca through the receiver.
“Igor, what happened?”
— Calling to report, Boss.
“Report? What is it?”
Had sothing gone wrong? I’d told him over and over not to screw this up.
My brow furrowed instinctively.
“Did the job fail, Igor?”
— No, sir. Usayan struck at the right mont. A firefight broke out, both sides shooting, but there were more guards than expected, so they couldn’t subdue them right away.
“I told you the key was to finish it quickly. So—did you lose him?”
Sensing the irritation in my voice, Igor hurried to respond.
— No, sir. We ambushed Mogilevich as he was trying to escape after being shot. When we approached to confirm the kill, sohow—lucky or unlucky—he was still alive. What should we do?
“He’s alive? Is he in any condition to talk?”
— Yes, he’s begging for his life right now.
Even over the receiver, I could faintly hear Mogilevich’s groaning voice.
I tapped my fingers on the armrest, thinking.
What to do. Kill him outright? Or et him once?
“Bring him to .”
— Understood. What about Ivanov?
“Leave him for now. Contact dvedev and tell him to arrest everyone.”
— Yes, sir.
“And... no, I’ll call dvedev myself. Just bring Mogilevich here quickly.”
Claiming he’d died on-site would only be a lie—and a short-lived one.
It would’ve been better to tell dvedev the truth from the start.
After hanging up, I handed the phone back to Manager Ma, then picked up the receiver and dialed dvedev’s number.
The call connected before the first ring even finished. His voice ca through urgently, far different from his usual calm tone — he was clearly anxious.
— Mr. Kim, is it done?
“Yes. You can arrest them all now.”
— Understood. One mont. Hey! Call the Director and tell him to deploy everyone. If anyone resists, kill them all.
I could hear dvedev giving orders to his subordinates on the other end of the line.
— Is Mogilevich dead?
“That’s why I called you directly. There’s been a slight complication...”
— Don’t tell you let him get away?
He cut off before I could even finish speaking.
His tone was so sharp that I had to answer firmly to ease his concern.
“No. They say they captured Mogilevich alive. They’re bringing him here right now.”
— Mr. Kim, he cannot be left alive. He must die.
“Of course, I’ll kill him. I just want to et him first — have a little talk before I do.”
— ...
dvedev didn’t respond. It seed he didn’t like the idea that Mogilevich was still breathing.
“And Ivankov — send him straight to prison. As for Usoyan and his n, release them after a day or so.”
— If Mogilevich lives, this operation is a failure.
“I know. I’ll kill him, dvedev. You have my word.”
dvedev repeated several tis that Mogilevich had to die, his voice laced with unease.
And each ti, I repeated the sa answer: that I would kill him.
— ...Then I’ll trust only you, Mr. Kim. Once he’s dead, you must hand over the body to us.
“I ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) will. That’s all for now.”
For the first ti, I could truly sense the weight of Mogilevich’s existence.
If even dvedev insisted that this would all remain unfinished unless the man died, then the rumors were no exaggeration.
No wonder the so-called Godfather of the Russian mafia had slipped past the FBI’s relentless pursuit.
“Manager Ma, they’re bringing Mogilevich here. Get everything ready.”
“Yes, sir.”
Manager Ma rose from his seat, bowed slightly, and left the office.
I stood and opened the window. The night air was cold.
As the chill brushed my face, I gathered my thoughts.
‘Could there really be a nuclear weapon?’
If Mogilevich truly had a warhead in his possession, could I take it for myself?
I shook my head without hesitation. That would only put at odds with Putin — not a wise move.
Still, if Mogilevich did have one, he might also know where the missing warheads had gone.
I didn’t know how long I’d been thinking when a knock sounded at the office door.
“Boss, they’re almost here.”
“Let’s go wait.”
I left the office and walked toward the building beside the mansion.
Opening a hidden door by the side, I found a staircase leading underground.
After descending for a while, a heavy iron door blocked the way. When I pushed it open, I found nothing but a wide, empty space — except for a single chair placed in the center.
I sat down. Soon, footsteps echoed down the stairs — several people approaching.
Igor ca in first, followed by his n, dragging soone whose eyes and mouth were covered.
When Igor spotted , he bowed.
“Boss, we brought him.”
“Good. Everyone but Igor, leave.”
At Igor’s gesture, the others forced Mogilevich to his knees in front of , then shut the door behind them.
His condition was miserable.
Bandages wrapped his arms and legs, his once-expensive designer suit shredded into rags.
“Untie him.”
At my command, Igor removed the cloth covering Mogilevich’s eyes and mouth.
“Ha... haah.”
Gasping for breath, Mogilevich lifted his head with effort and stared at .
Despite his wretched appearance, his eyes still burned fiercely.
“You... you bastard...”
“Mogilevich.”
I called his na in a cold, flat tone instead of wasting words.
Realizing where he was, he looked around the empty room anxiously, then closed his mouth.
“I told you that you’d regret refusing my offer. So, how does it feel now — kneeling in front of like that?”
“You... you think you can get away with this in Russia? If you spare , this can all—”
Whether it was denial or desperation, he still tried to bargain even now.
I gave a faint, derisive laugh.
“Whether you live or die depends on how you behave from here on. You’re smart — I’m sure you understand the situation.”
“...”
“So let’s not waste energy pretending otherwise.”
“Why... why are you doing this to ? What did I ever do to you?!”
Mogilevich suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the basent.
The effort made his gunshot wound throb; his breathing grew ragged.
I stared down at him quietly.
“Well, you didn’t do anything wrong. If you did, it was only refusing my offer. I simply joined hands with Usoyan — the man who accepted what you rejected. No reason to feel too wronged.”
“You insane... Do you really think Usoyan and Ivankov will listen to you? Those snakes—!”
“I know. But they’re stupid snakes — easy to wield, even easier to discard.”
“...”
I recalled Mogilevich back at the hotel, looking out over the Kremlin and Red Square, boasting that all of Russia was in his palm.
He surely hadn’t imagined it would end like this.
I turned to Igor.
“Igor, give him a cigarette.”
Igor placed one between Mogilevich’s lips and lit it.
“Sorry it’s not a cigar. Smoke it slowly — we have plenty of ti to talk.”
I let him finish it at his own pace.
He said nothing, perhaps collecting his thoughts, until the cigarette burned down to the filter.
When he finally dropped the butt to the floor, he raised his head, resolve hardening in his eyes.
“Spare . I’ll do anything you ask.”
“That depends on what you say next.”
I smiled faintly, laced my fingers together, and leaned forward until only he could hear.
Then, in a whisper, I asked,
“You... have a nuclear weapon, don’t you?”
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