Chapter 707: Thinking of Other Things in the Background

Heaven Church Headquarters.

In preparation for the joint wedding ceremony held annually, Han Hyun-soo was changing clothes with the help of the female believers.

“Master, something feels off with the atmosphere in the Japanese branch recently.”

As he spoke, his secretary stood stiffly by his side, flipping through her notepad.

“What? What’s wrong with the Japanese branch?”

“They are openly showing their intention not to recognize you, Master.”

“What? How dare those punks!”

Han Hyun-soo suddenly twisted his body toward the secretary.

Thanks to his abrupt movement, the believer assisting him was shoved aside.

Yet Han Hyun-soo ignored the fallen believer and shouted angrily.

“Which punks dare to disrespect the headquarters!”

“Most of the key leaders of the Japanese branch have officially sent a message to the Korean headquarters expressing their desire to reinstate Han Seong-jin. Otherwise, they’re ready to withdraw and become an independent church just for Han Seong-jin…”

Han Hyun-soo’s face twisted in anger. He furrowed his brows and grumbled.

“What did you say? What do they mean by independent? How am I supposed to reinstate my father? Why am I getting dragged into this mess?”

“I apologize.”

Han Hyun-soo scratched his head and cursed for a while.

The secretary and the believers kept their heads down, unable to say a word, just avoiding his gaze.

“Find out who’s pulling strings behind my father. Aren’t you watching my mother and brothers’ movements?”

“Yes. They haven’t left the holy site in Gapyeong. Both of your brothers and your mother are all there.”

“Holy site, my ass. Each time they go out, I want reports, and make sure to send watchers along.”

“Yes, Master.”

Han Hyun-soo’s demeanor was anything but that of a religious leader.

One could mistake him for a thug with his oppressive and violent attitude.

“Japan is the core region of our Heaven Church. If we lose it, we’re finished—you’re aware of that, right?”

“Yes, Master.”

“The ordinary believers probably don’t know about this situation… It seems the Japanese branch’s leaders are scheming something.”

Heaven Church was a religion founded by Koreans on Korean soil.

However, oddly enough, it had more followers abroad, particularly in Japan and the U.S.

Among them, the branch in Japan was the largest.

“My father will never come out of prison alive. Set up a meeting with the leaders of the Japanese branch. If they want something, we must accommodate them.”

Mentioning his father made Han Hyun-soo’s head throb.

Han Seong-jin! Han Seong-jin!

Although he sat in the successor’s position, his father, the founder, was still in prison and he hadn’t fully seized control of the church yet.

The shadow of his father, the founder of Heaven Church, loomed large over the organization.

“To secure my legitimacy, I have to do anything necessary. If not me, then who will protect this church?”

“That’s right. You are the Messiah, and you are the truth.”

As Han Hyun-soo glared at the flattering secretary with a sinister look, he told the believers.

“You all go now. Come back when I call for you again.”

Once the believers left the room, Han Hyun-soo headed to his bed along with his secretary.

* * *

I spent a night at the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters.

When morning came and I opened the door, the garden, illuminated by the morning sunlight, greeted me.

“Looks wonderful.”

The beauty of the garden made me feel as if all the unpleasant experiences from yesterday had vanished.

A refreshing breeze blew among the tall trees scattered throughout the garden, brushing against my face as I stepped outside.

I sat on the floor and began to admire the garden.

Colorful flowers and lush green grass blended harmoniously with well-tended trees.

“Please enjoy some refreshments while you admire it.”

At that moment, the woman who had escorted the bodyguards yesterday brought out a tray of snacks and spoke to me.

I nodded and smiled at her friendly Korean greeting.

“I’ll prepare tea for you, so just enjoy the refreshments while you wait.”

She knelt beside me and began to prepare the tea.

Wearing a yukata, she looked somewhat awkward while moving.

‘She said she’s a Korean resident in Japan, right?’

I suddenly wondered how this woman ended up working here.

What could a Korean resident possibly be doing in the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters?

“What’s your name?”

At my question, she paused and looked straight into my eyes as she answered.

“Masako.”

“You say you’re a Korean resident. Don’t you have a Korean name?”

“It’s Kim Sun-kyung.”

“Sun-kyung. What brought you here?”

“……”

Kim Sun-kyung didn’t respond.

Either she didn’t want to talk or had some deep reasons. I figured it wasn’t necessary to pry any further, so I offered a warm smile.

“I’m just glad to meet someone like you here. If you need any help, just let me know. We are of the same ethnicity. I imagine it’s not easy living as a Korean resident in Japan.”

Kim Sun-kyung’s eyes flickered for a moment, but she remained silent.

I turned my attention back to admiring the garden.

A moment later, Kim Sun-kyung offered me tea, and I enjoyed the refreshments she had prepared.

“Boss.”

I don’t know how much time had passed, but Manager Ma, who had been sleeping in the next room, emerged.

“Did you wake up, Manager?”

“I woke up a while ago. I was checking the documents from Black Bear which took me a bit longer.”

“Really? You arrived early.”

I reached out toward Manager Ma, and he came closer, handing me the laptop he had been holding.

I placed the laptop on my lap and opened it.

“Use it like that on your knees.”

When I awkwardly leaned in to use the laptop, Kim Sun-kyung brought a small table and placed it next to me.

I quietly thanked her and set the laptop on the table, checking the monitor.

Manager Ma had already organized the files so I could see them right away.

I began to read through them slowly. About halfway through, a warm mug of tea was set beside me.

It was Kim Sun-kyung placing it there without a word.

She stayed kneeling beside me, silent and waiting, not wanting to disturb my concentration.

‘She has good awareness.’

The tea smelled nice. After taking a warm sip, I continued reading the remaining files.

By the time the hot green tea had cooled down, I had read all the documents sent by Black Bear.

“Han Seong-jin is just a pawn, and ultimately they are having a food fight among themselves.”

As I closed the laptop and chuckled, Manager Ma nodded beside me.

The internal situation of Heaven Church was a complete mess.

Although the headquarters were in Korea, the Japanese branch was the strongest.

It was massive, with over 500,000 members.

Because of this, Japanese politicians couldn’t afford to ignore Heaven Church.

They were believers of a cult, and they shouldn’t be considered normal people.

They were the kind of fanatics who would follow orders to die from the church.

Right now, the leaders of the Japanese branch were scheming to break away from the Korean headquarters and pursue an independent path.

Now I understood why Hiroyuki had made such absurd suggestions to me.

He was backed by the leaders of the Japanese branch.

“Acting like loyal believers, but scheming in the background.”

As I stood up, Kim Sun-kyung followed suit.

She retrieved the slippers I could wear comfortably from under the floor and placed them on the stone steps.

I said to her,

“I need to sort my thoughts, so please don’t follow me.”

I slipped into the slippers and moved toward the artificial pond in the garden.

I soon arrived at the pond, looking down at the koi swimming and lost in thought.

‘Are they trying to use me?’

I was irritated by Hiroyuki’s actions.

I previously thought he was a mere fanatic worshipping Han Seong-jin, but realizing it was all premeditated made me feel ill.

It sent chills down my spine to think even the looks he sent my way were all an act. This is why you can’t trust the Japanese, not even a little.

“Manager.”

“Yes, Boss?”

“What should we do about Hiroyuki?”

“Proceed as you wish, Boss.”

Manager Ma answered earnestly from behind me, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his response.

“Proceed as I wish, huh…”

Thud.

The shishi-odoshi installed at the pond made a sound as it splashed water.

The sound broke my thoughts.

“I should do something nice for Prime Minister Koizumi.”

Unintentionally, I found myself relieving Koizumi’s burden.

After staring at the koi for a while and planning in my head, I turned back.

Returning to the annex, I spotted Kim Sun-kyung still waiting, kneeling on the floor.

Keeping my gaze on Kim Sun-kyung, I asked Manager Ma.

“Manager, what do you think of that woman, Kim Sun-kyung? Do you think she would do well if I took her back to Korea?”

Manager Ma’s gaze moved from me to Kim Sun-kyung.

“I will look into her.”

“Is that really necessary? We can just ask the owner coming over there.”

From a distance, Yamamoto was walking toward us.

Unlike yesterday, Yamamoto was dressed comfortably.

“How did you sleep, President Kim Mu-hyeok?”

“Thanks to you, I rested well, Yamamoto.”

I replied with a smile at his banter, then looked around and said.

“When I woke up this morning and opened the door, it was pleasant to be greeted by the serene garden. I thought I could make one too, but compared to this garden, mine feels embarrassing.”

“You’re too humble. If you wish, we can create something larger and more magnificent than here, can’t we?”

That’s true. When I didn’t respond and quietly listened, Yamamoto cleared his throat and suggested.

“Let’s get started right away.”

At his suggestion, I shook my head a little and pointed to the room.

“Let’s eat later. For now, let’s talk a bit.”

I took Yamamoto to the room where I had slept.

As we entered, Kim Sun-kyung followed in with the tray of refreshments.

“Kim Sun-kyung, please step outside for a moment.”

“Yes.”

She took a step back and closed the door.

I immediately asked Yamamoto.

“How did that woman end up here?”

Yamamoto let out a loud laugh at my question.

“Did you take a liking to Masako? You should have just said so. I could have brought her in last night.”

No, what the hell is this guy thinking right now?

“What are you talking about? I’m asking why a Korean resident is working in a yakuza den. Don’t make assumptions, just answer my question.”

As I spoke with a stern face, Yamamoto smirked and replied.

“If we were to talk about the sad lives of the women here, it would take half a day or more.”

“Just hit the key points.”

“She was sold here to cover her parent’s gambling debts. Though she looks that way, she was quite the scholar at Tokyo University.”

“Tokyo University?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard.”

A woman who attended Tokyo University is now serving the yakuza.

“But why is that so?”

“She has good awareness and seems to work well.”

Yamamoto nodded at my reply.

“That’s right. She’s smart and very capable. She can speak five languages, so we always have her welcome guests at headquarters. She’s an invaluable asset.”

“I want her.”

“Excuse me?”

“I will take her back to Korea with me.”

“……”

Yamamoto looked taken aback, seemingly not expecting my request.

Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but smile.

“What? You don’t want to?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Let’s go ahead with that.”

After scaring him a bit yesterday, he’s become agreeable. I nodded in satisfaction and asked again.

“What about her parents?”

“They’ve all passed away. She’s practically an orphan. She was the daughter of a successful Korean resident businessman in Japan. After losing their entire fortune to gambling, her mother committed suicide, and she ended up here.”

“Hmm. Life is indeed…”

You can never predict what’s ahead in life.

And neither can Hiroyuki. Can he even predict what awaits him?

“Let’s do it that way and get to the main point.”

“Sure.”

“Let’s kill Hiroyuki.”

“Excuse me?”

Yamamoto asked back in a dumbfounded voice.

“Let’s eliminate Hiroyuki and Takayama. Both of them.”