Chapter 711: I Will Hear and Judge

Kobe Port.

Once known as the gateway to Japan, it was a bustling harbor of immense power.

While it still boasts a significant volume of trade, its influence has certainly waned compared to the past.

Moreover, Kobe Port marked the beginnings of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Thus, its symbolism remained unscathed despite the passage of time.

Yamamoto, who dominated the Yamaguchi-gumi, had poured considerable effort into Kobe Port.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everyone working at the port was under the influence of Yamaguchi-gumi.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,”

Yamamoto murmured as he arrived at the Yamaguchi-gumi-owned warehouse tucked away in a corner of Kobe Port.

This space also served as a workspace for the organization.

With the sea just ahead, making someone disappear forever was no challenge at all.

“Welcome!”

Dozens of Yakuza members guarding the warehouse greeted him boisterously and bowed their heads.

Receiving their greetings casually, Yamamoto inquired.

“Where’s Takayama?”

“He’s inside.”

“Alright? Open the door.”

At Yamamoto’s command, the heavy iron door creaked open noisily.

Inside was surprisingly well-decorated, a stark contrast to the shabby exterior.

Upon seeing Yamamoto, Takayama and the waiting Yakuza sprang to their feet.

“Welcome, Chairman!”

Nodding, Yamamoto asked Takayama.

“Where’s that bitch?”

Takayama shot a glance at his subordinate, who then brought a woman forward.

The woman appeared to be unharmed and under no restraints.

“Is that you? The traitor?”

Yamamoto asked, and the woman looked at him defiantly.

“Yeah, it’s me. Now just go ahead and kill that bastard.”

She pointed towards Han Hyun-soo.

He glared at them, tied to a chair.

“Mmmph!”

Han Hyun-soo squirmed, trying to say something.

But with his mouth tightly bound, all that escaped were muffled sounds.

“Kill him? Why should I do that?”

“You promised! If I brought that bastard, you’d kill him!”

With venomous eyes, she shouted.

Yamamoto chuckled dryly before warning her in a chilling tone.

“You don’t know who I am? Do you really think you can look at me like that before he dies? This is Kobe Port. Even the Prime Minister of Japan wouldn’t dare disrespect me here. Are you that eager to die, ignoring your own position?”

Even though Yamamoto threatened her, she didn’t flinch.

“You said you’d kill him. I distinctly heard that!”

“Who said that? Who made that promise to you? Is there anyone here who promised this bitch anything?”

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow and asked the Yakuza.

No one opened their mouths.

A secretary, biting her lip in anxiety, finally spoke angrily.

“Kitamura said that. No matter the means, bring Han Hyun-soo to Japan. Then they’d take care of the rest…”

“Kitamura? Who’s that?”

At the unfamiliar name, Yamamoto interrupted her and frowned.

At that moment, Takayama leaned in and whispered information.

“Chairman, he’s the head of the Heaven Church’s Japanese branch.”

“Those religious folks can so easily play with life and death? The world truly is going to hell.”

Yamamoto muttered in disbelief, then turned to Han Hyun-soo.

Their eyes met.

Han Hyun-soo frantically shook his body, desperately wanting to say something.

“Loosen his mouth. He seems to have something to say.”

As Yamamoto gave the command, a Yakuza nearby untied the cloth covering Han Hyun-soo’s mouth.

“You bitch! How dare you betray me?!”

As soon as his mouth was free, Han Hyun-soo cursed in Korean.

“You! How dare you do this to me! I took someone from the bottom and brought you up! How could you treat me like this! I did so much for you! I’m going to kill you!”

Han Hyun-soo yelled, unleashing his curses.

The secretary trembled involuntarily. The fear of Han Hyun-soo still lingered; his raised voice sent shivers down her spine.

“Hah. This guy… right off the bat, it’s curses.”

The Yakuza, though they couldn’t understand Korean, knew enough curses to get the gist.

Yamamoto shook his head, then instructed another Yakuza.

“Looks like he still doesn’t realize where he is. What are you waiting for? How long will you let him curse? Cover his mouth again.”

As a subordinate attempted to gag him once more, Han Hyun-soo urgently spoke up.

“Are you the boss here? Let me live! I don’t know what you’re being paid, but I’ll give you ten times! No, a hundred times what you’re worth, so please spare me!”

At those words, Yamamoto raised a hand to halt his subordinate.

“Hey, do you really have that much money?”

Han Hyun-soo nodded vigorously.

“I’m the leader of Heaven Church. Even our Church’s assets are in the billions. How much do you need? How much will it take to send me back?”

“Sounds like you’d be regretting it… You wouldn’t be able to spend all that money if you die, and that would be a waste.”

Yamamoto felt a surge of greed.

It was a situation where he could squeeze an immense fortune as payment for letting him live.

However, this also involved Kim Mu-hyeok. He couldn’t mess things up for money.

Yamamoto swallowed his regret and replied.

“But what can I say? This isn’t about the money.”

With nothing more to hear, Yamamoto gestured to his subordinate.

Han Hyun-soo’s mouth was gagged again, and Yamamoto turned to Takayama.

“Make the call. It’s all been settled now.”

“…Won’t that create problems later on?”

Instead of answering, Takayama asked Yamamoto his concerns.

Yamamoto shot him a cold glare.

“Takayama. Since when did you start questioning my orders? You’ve been hanging around Hiroyuki, and now my commands seem funny to you?”

“N-no, Chairman. I was just worried in case something went wrong…”

“Shut up and make the call as I instructed. By now, Han Hyun-soo is likely meeting with the Dragon King. Understood?”

Takayama quickly nodded and pulled out his phone, turning away.

“Hey, where are you going? Do it here.”

“What?”

“If you question my orders again, I will genuinely kill you. Talk in front of me. Switch to speaker mode while you’re at it.”

“…”

“What? Is it something I shouldn’t know?”

“N-no, it’s not.”

Takayama hurriedly nodded and made a call somewhere, soon connecting.

— This is Hiroyuki.

“Hello, Chief Cabinet Secretary. This is Takayama.”

— …

No response came through.

“I was getting in touch to tell you that the job has been handled. He’s probably enjoying himself with the fish in the water, so we may not see him again.”

— …

Even mentioning killing Han Hyun-soo earned no reply from Hiroyuki.

This wasn’t the first time, and with no reaction, Takayama continued speaking.

“Please keep your promise. I’ve done your ‘favor’ after all.”

— I told you not to contact me first.

“I’m contacting you out of necessity since this is important. My apologies.”

— Keep your promise. So don’t worry, just wait. The world is about to change soon.

“Sure. Thank you. I’ll wait for your call.”

Without formalities, the call ended abruptly.

“What a bothersome fellow.”

Yamamoto muttered discontentedly before turning to Takayama.

“Hey, are you sure you made a reliable connection? After all, he treats you like some nobody?”

“It’s always like this on the phone. When we meet, it’s a completely different story.”

Yamamoto glared at Takayama disdainfully and turned away.

Checking his watch, Yamamoto looked toward the entrance and mumbled.

“It should be about time he arrives…”

Yamamoto was waiting for Kim Mu-hyeok.

* * *

He arrived at Kobe Port.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, the salty air hit him, reminding him of Busan. To him, it didn’t seem much different from Busan Port.

The warehouse Yamamoto spoke of was not a place anyone could enter easily.

“Where’s Yamamoto?”

He asked the Yakuza guarding the entrance.

“He’s inside.”

The Yakuza quickly opened the door. I stepped inside with Manager Ma and Kim Sun-kyung.

Inside, Yamamoto and Takayama were waiting.

As the door swung open, all eyes turned toward me as I entered.

“Mr. Yamamoto, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Haha. The same goes for me. I’m glad to see you like this.”

Only then did I look over at the woman beside Yamamoto.

Yamamoto introduced her right away.

“This is Han Hyun-soo’s secretary. She’s also a traitor who turned him in.”

It was a face I had never seen before.

Before he became the leader, I remembered Han Hyun-soo’s secretary as a man.

Did he change people after taking over Heaven Church?

But it seemed this woman knew who I was.

“What’s your name?”

“Seo Jin-joo.”

A Seo, huh.

Not a surname I’m fond of.

It might not mean much, but because I don’t have good memories with that name, my first impression was certainly tarnished.

“So, Seo Jin-joo. Is it okay for a believer of Heaven Church to betray the leader like this?”

“…”

“What’s your reason? If I’m to decide your fate, I’d like to know. I want to spare you, but if I do, word will get out that Han Hyun-soo is still alive, right?”

Seo Jin-joo gazed at me intently, without responding. Her eyes glinted with malice.

Slowly, she opened her mouth.

“It’s fine if you don’t spare me. Just make sure to kill Han Hyun-soo along with me.”

I shook my head.

“You’re suggesting we trade your life for Han Hyun-soo’s? The value of something can differ based on the one judging it. Life is no different. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll save or kill Han Hyun-soo. Killing you instead of Han Hyun-soo isn’t at the top of my list.”

At that, Seo Jin-joo bit her lip and glared at me.

I simply smiled.

I dislike those who don’t know their place, yet I’m not against someone who dares to gamble their life.

“Explain to me why I must kill Han Hyun-soo. I’ll listen and judge.”

After hesitating for a moment, she began to speak.

Her lengthy tale concluded with the claim that her entire family had been killed due to Heaven Church.

And she had lived as Han Hyun-soo’s toy.

To achieve her revenge one day, Seo Jin-joo meticulously obeyed Han Hyun-soo’s wishes and deceived him.

Then one day, she received a message from Japan. They promised great money if she brought Han Hyun-soo to them.

Seo Jin-joo requested to kill Han Hyun-soo instead of money, just as she had asked me.

I couldn’t understand and asked.

“Who pressured you to believe in Heaven Church?”

“…”

“It has to be that someone forced you to believe in Heaven Church. Didn’t you and your family choose it yourselves? It’s a sad tale, yet it doesn’t give me a reason to assist your revenge.”

If you want revenge, you should have sought it yourself.

Seo Jin-joo seems to have wagered her life, but perhaps she lacked resolution. No matter her circumstances, taking a life isn’t clean work; did she think it could be so straightforward?

“Alright. Regardless, I’ll let you live. But you’ll have to remain here until everything is settled.”

I then turned away, losing interest.

“No! No! Just kill me!”

Seo Jin-joo lunged at me like a madwoman but couldn’t reach me.

Struggling against Manager Ma’s grip, she shouted desperately.

“Kill me! Kill Han Hyun-soo! Kill him!”

Yamamoto told me.

“It seems Han Hyun-soo is still a source of fear for her.”

I glanced at Han Hyun-soo again.

To my surprise, he appeared slightly pleased to see me.

While Manager Ma shouted, knocking Seo Jin-joo unconscious, I approached Han Hyun-soo.

He was tied with ropes and tape.

A sigh escaped my lips.

“Han Hyun-soo. You really are a fool?”