“Boss, Korea has been wrapped up.”
At Manager Ma’s report, I lowered the newspaper I had been reading.
“Sounds like it ended cleanly.”
“Yes. Black Bear submitted a report on Han Hyunsoo’s movents. I’ll forward the related docunts as well.”
“Do that. The investigation and trials are still technically ongoing, but there shouldn’t be any more noise over Heaven’s Church. Make sure everything is ready to be handed over once I return to Korea.”
“Understood, Boss.”
In the end, Han Hyunsoo killed his entire family with his own hands.
I had wondered if he might waver—but that was unnecessary concern.
The mont he learned that Han Hyunjin had gathered ethnic Korean Chinese thugs to kill him, it seed his resolve hardened completely.
“Han Hyunsoo may be stupid, but this ti he made the right decision. I’m glad we won’t be seeing more blood.”
If he had gone soft again, I would have taken care of him personally.
Just then, my private phone rang.
The caller ID displayed Pri Minister Koizumi.
“Yes, Pri Minister.”
— President Kim, let’s stop here.
Koizumi skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“Stop what, exactly?”
— Stop feeding information to the press. If you keep adding firewood, this will spiral out of control. Even if we stop now, the flas won’t die easily.
It seed he was displeased that I had been continuously supplying suspicion-based reports through the Yomiuri newspaper.
“Well... I haven’t obtained the outco I want yet.”
— And what is it you want? Hiroyuki is dead. Isn’t that enough? What more are you trying to gain by pushing this so far? The Cabinet is shaking. This is no longer just about Hiroyuki—it’s destabilizing the entire Liberal Democratic Party.
When I remained indifferent, Koizumi raised his voice.
“Pri Minister, why haven’t the leadership of Heaven’s Church been arrested? Evidence is already being published in the press. You announced a strict investigation, yet the leadership remains untouched. What choice do I have but to keep adding fuel?”
— That’s...
“Do you perhaps share Hiroyuki’s thinking?”
My tone turned cold.
Koizumi’s response ca half a beat late.
— What are you implying?
“I’m asking whether you intend to seize control of the Japanese branch of Heaven’s Church through this opportunity. If not, your actions make little sense.”
— ...Touching a religious organization carries considerable burden.
Of course.
Koizumi had his own calculations.
“Don’t be greedy, Pri Minister. Arrest the leaders who colluded with Hiroyuki, and the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° faction that takes control of the church will naturally support you.”
— Are you certain? They will back us?
Instead of agreeing, he interrogated .
Typical.
You intimidate them and they wobble almost imdiately.
“What exactly are you hesitating over? The suspicions between Hiroyuki and Heaven’s Church leadership are beyond concealnt. Even if you tried to bury it now, could you? If you won’t conclude it properly, I’ll continue feeding the press. And if that still isn’t enough, blood may once again flow in Japan. Is that what you want?”
— ......
“Penny wise, pound foolish. Of all people, you should understand that. I’m disappointed. I shared the plan with you beforehand. Yes, you opposed putting Heaven’s Church on the chopping block. But I am not soone who backs down. The blade has been drawn. At this point, sothing must be cut.”
My voice was firm.
Koizumi sighed.
“You asked to stop? Then settle everything first. I don’t intend to remain in Japan indefinitely either. Postponing all other schedules to focus on this is already costly. I’m willing to bear that loss for one reason: if you don’t untangle a knotted thread, it only tightens further. You know what kind of man I am. So stop testing . Tell what you want—and what you can offer.”
— ...President Kim. I want Heaven’s Church to support .
There it was.
Political animals, all of them.
I gave a faint laugh.
“Very well. I’ll ensure both the Korean main sect and the Japanese branch support you.”
— Then we’ll wrap this up within a few days. So let’s stop here.
“It’s not difficult. But can you handle it? The normalization issue with North Korea remains. Can you bury that?”
— It may be better to redirect attention outward. So in the Cabinet are even suggesting extre asures—like shifting focus to Takeshima.
More internal turmoil than I expected.
Hiroyuki wasn’t just another LDP lawmaker—he headed a faction. Naturally there would be fallout.
No matter how hard the LDP tried to cut off the tail, it couldn’t escape responsibility entirely.
But that didn’t an he could test my nerves.
“Choose your words carefully. It’s Dokdo—not Takeshima.”
— ......
Koizumi cleared his throat instead of responding.
I hadn’t asked for an answer.
I was drawing a line.
“I’d prefer not to hear the word Dokdo misused in front of again, Pri Minister Koizumi.”
— ...Very well.
Whether it was probing or subconscious habit, I shut it down firmly.
Sensing my irritation, Koizumi changed the subject quickly.
— Then you’ll stop feeding information to the dia?
“If this is handled swiftly, the materials I hold will not reach the press. I’ll pass them directly to you. It’s not just Hiroyuki’s data—it includes darker aspects of his faction. How you use it is your decision. I’ll hang up now.”
I ended the call before hearing his reply.
“When will Pri Minister Koizumi ever grow up? That probing nature of his will never change.”
He had called to secure future support from the Japanese branch once the Korean Heaven’s Church situation cooled.
But true to form, he circled the subject until he stepped on my nerves.
Ridiculous man.
I shook my head and turned to Manager Ma.
“Stop feeding the press for now. Koizumi said he’ll handle it personally. We’ll observe for a few days. Then we’ll decide whether to release more—or hand everything over to him.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Fatigue washed over suddenly.
When I return to Korea, I really need to rest.
Suppressing the sigh threatening to escape, I picked up the newspaper again.
* * *
Several days passed.
In Korea, Kim Sunja’s death was ruled a suicide. All charges against her were quietly closed.
More than half those charges had actually been committed by Han Hyunsoo—but most people would never know.
Han Hyunjin and Han Hyunwoo were “cleanly handled” by Chunha Group.
In Japan, the forr leadership of the church was arrested en masse on charges ranging from kidnapping and solicitation of murder tied to Han Hyunsoo to various financial cris.
The main-sect faction moved swiftly, coordinating closely with the Korean headquarters and seizing control of the Japanese branch.
Everything was ending.
With no new revelations, public attention shifted toward the North Korea–Japan summit.
“You don’t look well.”
At my remark, Yamamoto pressed his brow.
“...The damage is significant. Pri Minister Koizumi went all in on shaking us.”
He looked years older than when I’d last seen him.
“My close aides were arrested. My arms and legs have been cut off. If soone suddenly rises up...”
He wasn’t worried about his subordinates.
He feared rebellion.
“That won’t happen. Even if it does, Koizumi won’t discard you.”
Koizumi wouldn’t abandon Yamamoto.
He was rely teaching his trained dog what happens when it tries to bite its master.
Yamamoto nodded faintly. He understood.
“I know. But dissatisfaction is spreading internally. Many businesses have closed.”
He continued lanting.
“Did you receive the money from Han Hyunsoo?”
“...It ca in a few days ago.”
“Distribute it to your n. Calm the unrest. Things are nearly settled. It’s ti to stretch again. I ca today because I felt you suffered unnecessarily because of . I’m here to compensate you.”
“Compensate?”
At my glance, Manager Ma placed an envelope on the table.
I slid it toward Yamamoto.
“A service fee. There were mistakes along the way, but it was resolved smoothly thanks to you.”
Yamamoto looked between the bankbook and my face.
He seed unsure whether he should accept.
“You may take it. It’s been properly laundered—no traceable source issues. Inside are the Swiss bank account number, client ID, and password. It may seem modest compared to your losses, but it’s far from a small sum. This is not organizational money—it’s yours personally.”
The Yamaguchi-gumi generated trillions of won annually.
Even after heavy losses, stabilization would co quickly.
But that was organizational money.
What I handed him was personal reserve.
Yamamoto picked up the envelope and set it beside him.
“I’ll use it well.”
Creating off-book funds wasn’t easy, even for soone who kept separate pockets.
His expression brightened slightly.
“By the way, I heard sothing curious through Chunha Group.”
“What did you hear?”
“That drugs from Japan are circulating in Busan.”
“What? That makes no sense. We never bring drugs into Korea. That was our agreent with Chunha Group.”
“Is that so? Can you guarantee it?”
“Well...”
Yamamoto trailed off.
“Don’t try to recover your losses through Korea. And Busan is my hotown. I trust you understand what that ans.”
“...It’s unlikely one of our direct affiliates.”
“Affiliate or not, drugs entering Korea through Japan is what matters.”
“I’ll investigate imdiately and take action.”
Finally, he understood.
If the Yamaguchi-gumi committed to it, they would quickly trace the responsible group.
“Good. I trust you.”
“Thank you.”
Business concluded.
I set down my teacup and stood. Yamamoto followed.
“No need to see out.”
“I must. Are you returning to Korea?”
“Yes. The schedule ran far longer than planned.”
At last.
Ti to leave Japan and return ho.
* * *
An old man sat in a rocking chair, eyes closed.
A knock sounded.
He opened his eyes.
“Pri Minister.”
“What is it?”
Li Feng rose slowly from the chair. His wrinkled face showed clear signs of illness.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look like that?”
“You need to see this.”
The aide opened a laptop and turned it toward him.
“What is this? Why is my photo here—”
Li Feng stopped mid-sentence.
The headline pierced his eyes.
[The Butcher of Beijing. The Two Faces of Li Feng.]
“What? Butcher of Beijing? These bastards! Where? Which outlet published this?!”
“The United Kingdom.”
“Britain? Why are the British suddenly targeting ?!”
“I don’t know. I saw the article and ca straight here.”
“I’ll find out what this is—”
He froze.
The na Murdoch flashed in his mind.
And with it—
“Kim Muhyuk! That bastard!”
“What are you saying?”
The aide looked confused at the sudden outburst.
“It’s him. It’s definitely him! How dare he—!”
Li Feng ground his teeth, recalling Kim Muhyuk’s face from their eting in Shanghai.
“Pri Minister! You must calm down. This is bad for your heart. Please, steady yourself.”
The aide grabbed him as he shouted.
“Whatever this is, breathe first. You need to calm down.”
After repeated pleading, Li Feng gradually regulated his breathing.
“Hah... Hah...”
Once sowhat composed, he spoke weakly.
“I refused a eting and he attacks like this? Contact Luo Gan imdiately. Tell him to co at once.”
“Yes. I’ll contact the Standing Committee mber. Please try to relax—”
“That’s enough. Don’t treat like an invalid.”
His anger cooled—but his eyes remained icy.
“Call Luo Gan. Now.”
“Yes!”
The aide hurried out.
Li Feng’s gaze remained fixed on the laptop screen.
Grinding his teeth once more, he muttered,
“Kim Muhyuk...”
User Comments
0 comments from readers