Chapter 715: Handle the Situation Effectively

Watching the unfolding situation, Kim Mu-hyeok spoke with disbelief.

“Mr. Yamamoto, what’s going on?”

“······.”

Yamamoto, who was monitoring alongside him, appeared to be in a state of panic.

Suzuo was a renowned assassin within the organization, known for following assassination orders to the letter.

“What the hell is this?!”

It was rare for Kim Mu-hyeok to raise his voice, but he did so now, applying pressure.

Yamamoto felt a rush of fear. How did things go so wrong?

Meanwhile, on the monitor, Takayama was trying to persuade Suzuo.

“Hey! Suzuo! Snap out of it! It’s the Chief Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Cabinet Secretary! It’s not just anyone! If you stop now, we can salvage this. I can handle it! I’ll make sure you’re not implicated!”

At Takayama’s words, Kim Mu-hyeok shook his head in disbelief.

The moment of hesitation could lead to a failed assassination; any sign of doubt would leave traces at the scene.

Just then, Yamamoto stood up.

“I’ll go in person. I’ll take my subordinates with me······.”

“Stop! That’s enough. Just in case, I’ve prepared some mercenaries.”

Kim Mu-hyeok halted Yamamoto with a commanding gesture and shot a glance at Manager Ma.

Manager Ma immediately took out a small radio and contacted someone.

Meanwhile, the scene on the monitor was utter chaos.

“Suzuo! It’s me, Takayama! Who would I betray? Tell me—who ordered you?”

“The Chairman told me······.”

Yamamoto’s face twisted in stark horror.

Takayama had just discovered that he was the one who issued the order.

Now, there was no choice left. Takayama, Hiroyuki, and Suzuo all had to die.

“What? The Chairman? ······He ordered me to kill you?”

“······.”

With Suzuo unable to respond, only silence flowed through the monitor.

At that moment, Hiroyuki stepped forward, slamming his hand on the table.

“What the hell are you doing? Do you know who I am?”

Surprise swiftly gave way to anger, and flames of rage ignited in Hiroyuki’s eyes.

Both Takayama and Suzuo turned their attention to Hiroyuki.

“I don’t care what you two fight about, but what the hell is happening in front of me?”

Hiroyuki’s fierce demands made the two flinch.

Suzuo had no idea that the person he was meeting was the Chief Cabinet Secretary.

In a whirlwind of confusion, Suzuo was at a loss.

‘What should I do? Should I really kill the Chief Cabinet Secretary? If I don’t follow the Chairman’s orders, what will happen to my family?’

And if he stopped now, would it all just go away?

Hiroyuki read the hesitation in Suzuo’s eyes.

Believing that pushing harder was the answer, he raised his voice even further.

“Drop the gun.”

“······.”

“Hey, Suzuo! Drop it! Just drop it!”

Takayama had left his gun outside to enter the restaurant.

If Suzuo decided to kill them all, both he and Hiroyuki would be dead.

Knowing this well, Takayama shouted at Suzuo to drop the weapon.

Blood continued to trickle down his arm, but he had no time to worry about that.

In desperation, Takayama brought up Suzuo’s family, hoping to convince him.

“Suzuo! Think of your family. Remember your mother who did everything for you······.”

“Shut up!”

Angered by the mention of family, Suzuo aimed his gun at Takayama.

“Suzuo!”

This time, Takayama didn’t back down as he had before. It was a battle of wills now.

“Are you really going to kill me? Go ahead, kill me! Give it your best shot, you bastard!”

Takayama shouted without a hint of fear.

Having survived for decades in the dark underworld, he showed no signs of backing down.

Suzuo was torn, while Takayama remained resolute.

In the midst of this chaos, Hiroyuki quickly gathered his thoughts.

‘If I play this right, I can deal a heavy blow to Prime Minister Koizumi. Bring down both Yamamoto and Koizumi!’

Hiroyuki slammed the table again, catching Suzuo by surprise, making him turn toward Hiroyuki while still holding his gun.

“Was it Suzuo?”

Yet Hiroyuki continued staring directly into Suzuo’s eyes as he spoke.

“You know who I am, I’m Hiroyuki, the Chief Cabinet Secretary. Don’t pretend you don’t know me.”

“······.”

“Let’s make a deal. Put down the gun, and accept my proposal. I think that would be better for you.”

Hiroyuki didn’t wait for a response from Suzuo.

“You came here to kill me under orders from Chairman Yamamoto, right? If you say that Prime Minister Koizumi is the one who ordered Yamamoto to kill me, I can help you.”

Both Takayama and Suzuo were stunned. But Hiroyuki continued without regarding their shock.

“If you do that, you won’t have to serve a long prison sentence. I’ll keep your family safe in the meantime. By the time you’re out, I’ll be the Prime Minister of Japan, so it won’t be hard for you. What do you say, isn’t my offer compelling?”

As Hiroyuki finished speaking, Takayama chimed in.

“That’s right, Suzuo! How long are you going to live as a dirty assassin? Grab the hand the Chief Cabinet Secretary is extending. It’s a golden opportunity! Think of your family, Suzuo!”

Though he still held the gun, Suzuo was deeply troubled.

Perhaps it was the chaos of the moment, but Hiroyuki’s offer sounded surprisingly appealing.

“Can you really······ protect my family?”

“I’m a man of my word.”

With Hiroyuki’s assertive answer, Suzuo slowly lowered his arm.

However, before he could fully lower his gun, a masked intruder burst in.

“Hey, let’s go according to plan.”

It was a mercenary that Kim Mu-hyeok had prepared.

“What the hell! Who are you guys?”

The masked man grinned as he answered Hiroyuki’s bewildered question.

“Who else? The Grim Reaper.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged at Suzuo and aimed his gun at Hiroyuki.

Bang!

With a single gunshot, thick gunpowder smoke billowed into the air.

Once the smoke cleared, Hiroyuki lay slumped on the table.

He met his demise, his forehead pierced as he tried to speak.

In the blink of an eye, Suzuo struggled but couldn’t escape the grip of the masked man.

“You idiot! We took action because of you.”

The masked man condemned Suzuo and then turned his gun towards Takayama.

Another gunshot rang out, puncturing Takayama’s forehead as he collapsed with a bewildered look.

Kim Mu-hyeok observed the entire situation on the monitor.

The masked mercenary gazed at the camera’s location.

“Manager, it’s time to end this.”

At those words, Manager Ma nodded and gave a command through the small radio.

“The order has been given, now you can leave.”

“Wait a second.”

One last gunshot rang out. Suzuo staggered, blood pouring from his chest as he fell down.

The mercenary had placed the gun, which Suzuo used, into the hands of the already dead Takayama.

They began to manipulate the scene to make it look like Hiroyuki had been killed in a crossfire.

Once everything was done, Kim Mu-hyeok stood up.

He turned to Yamamoto, who was staring blankly at the monitor with an expression of despair.

“I’m disappointed, Mr. Yamamoto. This is your last chance, so handle this properly. If you fail to satisfy me even this time, our relationship will end here.”

Leaving that chilling remark, Kim Mu-hyeok exited the scene.

* * *

The next day.

Japan was in turmoil.

Three bodies were discovered in a restaurant in Kyoto, one of whom was identified as Hiroyuki, the Chief Cabinet Secretary.

“The Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.”

Every media outlet in Japan halted regular broadcasting to report live from in front of the restaurant.

Officers from the police department cordoned off the area and controlled the journalists and spectators, but that wasn’t enough; the Self-Defense Forces were called in as well.

All of this was being broadcast live across Japan.

I was watching the news from my hotel.

“What’s Yamamoto’s move?”

In response to my question, Manager Ma answered.

“The police department has already sent officers to the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters. Yamamoto is complying with their orders.”

One of the people found dead alongside Hiroyuki was the Vice Chief of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

The police department certainly had enough grounds to raid the Yamaguchi-gumi’s headquarters.

No matter how powerful the Yamaguchi-gumi was in Kobe, the death of Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary was a significant incident.

The police department couldn’t be silent on this; they acted swiftly, unlike the usual pace of Japanese law enforcement.

“Yamamoto will be arrested soon.”

Even if he wasn’t incarcerated for long, the police department had no choice but to detain him for now.

They needed to investigate what the Vice Chief had said at the scene and whether their meeting was ordered by Yamamoto.

However, since he had a script ready, Yamamoto would likely cooperate without issue.

At that moment, my personal phone rang. When I picked it up and saw the name on the screen, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey! You in Japan right now?”

Myeong-su’s bright voice came as soon as I answered.

“Yeah, I’m in Japan.”

“Isn’t there chaos in Japan right now? Come back to Korea immediately. Don’t get hurt over there.”

His tone was brusque, but the concern was evident in his words.

“What could hurt me? I haven’t even finished what I need to do. I’ll wrap everything up and head back.”

My indifferent reaction made Myeong-su question me with a skeptical tone.

“What’s with that response? Is this your doing as well? Is this related to you in any way?”

“I don’t get what you mean. Just because something happens, doesn’t mean I did it.”

“The timing is odd. Of all times, you’re in Japan when the Chief Cabinet Secretary dies, shot no less.”

“I didn’t do anything. By the way, did Japan contact our government about the Seven Islands?”

As I tried to change the subject, Myeong-su muttered suspiciously.

“Hmm······. That’s strange. I feel like this is your doing.”

“Forget it. Just answer my question.”

“Oh, they reached out. I’ll probably lead a team to Japan next month.”

“Is the government really out of people? They keep sending you.”

“This is all your fault! You’re the one who keeps causing trouble, so the President sends me. Where are you? I’ll come immediately, just wait for me!”

Myeong-su shouted with frustration. I laughed out loud.

“Isn’t it a good thing? If oil and natural gas are found in the Seven Islands, we’ll also become an oil-producing country. Not everyone can benefit, though.”

“That’s true. Anyway, I just wanted to check on you. We’ll have a proper chat later.”

Myeong-su hung up, and I placed the phone down with a smile.

I shared with Manager Ma the questioning gaze that seemed to ask what was happening.

“Myeong-su is wondering if it was me.”

Manager Ma nodded as if to say he already knew that. It’s amusing how nothing changes with them.

I couldn’t help but grin as I fell into deep thought.

Hiroyuki was dead, and now only the Heaven Church remained.

The Heaven Church’s Japanese faction would likely be in shock as well.

“How’s the situation with Korea?”

I was curious about how the Heaven Church was managing without their leader.

“Kim Seon-ja made the first move, followed by Han Hyun-jin and Han Hyeon-woo. They’re meeting with followers to expand their influence.”

Now that Han Hyun-soo was missing, Kim Seon-ja had taken the lead, and her two sons were stepping up just like in their previous life.

If left unchecked, the Heaven Church would undoubtedly split into three factions.

“Think of a way to bring Han Hyun-soo back to Korea. Not through normal means.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare for that.”

After a moment of contemplation, I added to my statement.

“Send a team from the Black Bear for Han Hyun-soo. Make sure they can wrap everything up this time. A team composed of Koreans would be best.”

“Got it. How far should I instruct them to go?”

“How far······? That’s unclear.”

“Tell them to assist with whatever Han Hyun-soo aims to do. I’m curious if he’ll choose to kill his family or keep them alive.”

Whether Han Hyun-soo would heed my advice was entirely up to him.

I intended to determine how to utilize Han Hyun-soo based on his choices.

“Ah, there will be a special address by Prime Minister Koizumi shortly.”

The announcer’s voice transitioned the broadcast from the restaurant to the press conference stage.

Moments later.

Prime Minister Koizumi entered the stage with a stiff expression.