Chapter 721: Let These Be My Demands

People are more selfish than any animal.

That’s why I don’t trust anyone who claims to have no desires.

“Is that really important?”

“Absolutely. It’s a crucial factor in deciding whether we’ll help Pastor Shoji take control of the Japanese denomination or not.”

“…You’re saying you would help me take control of the Japanese denomination?”

“Yes, if you’re honest about everything. Han Hyun-soo will also take action regarding the Japanese denomination as soon as things stabilize in Korea. Despite the Japanese denomination’s considerable size, they can’t escape the influence of the main church. That’s why even the separatists are suggesting a split from the main group.”

Shoji quietly bit his lip, hesitating to respond.

If he couldn’t express his true feelings after everything laid out on the table, I’d consider pushing someone else instead.

“Let me ask one last thing: do you truly have no hidden agenda?”

Shoji met my gaze directly before letting out a deep sigh.

“You’re trying to see through me, huh? Fine. Separating my respect for President Han Seong-jin from the fact that I don’t see him as a living Messiah isn’t easy. I believed it at first, but as time passed, reality set in. He’s not a Messiah, just a mere man claiming to be one. Yet, my respect for him doesn’t vanish.”

It was a wordy prelude. I raised an eyebrow, urging him to cut to the chase.

“So?”

“I don’t want to separate the Japanese denomination from the main church. It’s a good cause. The leadership might not agree, but the majority of the congregation sees President Han Seong-jin as their Messiah.”

“So, you intend to use Han Seong-jin to take control of the Japanese denomination?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way. Having the Japanese denomination under the Korean main church is definitely more advantageous. No matter what, Japan isn’t the largest branch of Heaven Church?”

That was a valid point.

That’s why Han Hyun-soo, without a shred of suspicion, would have entered Japan after hearing the Japanese denomination’s words about considering a split.

“Did you know about Han Hyun-soo’s plans?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… You knew but did nothing?”

“I couldn’t do anything. As long as Hiroyuki was holding his ground, there was nothing I could do, even if I tried my best to find a way.”

“Even as the Chief Cabinet Secretary, you’re way too submissive. Since when does religion bow to politicians? It should be the other way around.”

Shoji shook his head slowly, speaking.

“Before being a politician, Hiroyuki is a key figure in Heaven Church. Among the leadership in the Japanese denomination—no, within Heaven Church itself—there’s no one more devout to its teachings. He holds power now, and you know better what that means than anyone else, right, Kim Mu-hyeok?”

Someone with worldly power also wielded power within the church.

Those standing against Hiroyuki would likely have been too paralyzed to even breathe.

“Even if I take over the church, I have no intention of splitting from the main church. There’s no reason for that. The congregation wouldn’t want it either.”

With those words, Shoji kept his silence, yet I still waited for the answer I wanted to hear.

“The core of your desires is missing here. What do you want?”

“…Are you forcing me to say it? Fine. I want to grasp the Japanese denomination in my hands. The rest will naturally follow if I gain control of the denomination.”

Finally, he laid it all out. While many in society consider hiding their desires noble, he wasn’t doing that in front of me.

I decided to probe him one last time.

“What if to achieve that goal, you need to abandon Han Seong-jin?”

At my question, Shoji flinched. After a moment of hesitation, he asked,

“What do you mean by abandoning President Han Seong-jin?”

“Literally. What if you have to deny Han Seong-jin? What then?”

“…Do you really believe that’s possible?”

“Well, if I were Han Hyun-soo, I think I would. News has spread in Korea that he’s already made a comeback.”

Shoji said nothing. But judging by the way his eyes darted around, his mind seemed quite busy.

“In terms of reality, Han Seong-jin, who’s locked up in prison, is no match for Han Hyun-soo, who’s resurrected. You know who embodies the Messiah more closely than anyone else. Power is not something you can divide, even between parents and children. Thus, the opportunistic Han Hyun-soo will deny Han Seong-jin, claiming he is the Messiah. His priority now is to break free from Han Seong-jin’s shadow.”

“Then he’ll have to follow along with a new Messiah.”

I stifled a chuckle. He claimed to respect Han Seong-jin, yet he was ready to cast him aside so easily.

It’s not like he was searching for a fervent zealot, and as long as he fell under the influence of Han Hyun-soo, there’d be no need for him to save another.

“Alright then. Let’s converse.”

I settled into a comfortable position, flashing a friendly smile.

“What’s the biggest obstacle in your way to controlling the denomination?”

“It would have to be the separatists.”

“With Hiroyuki dead, they should be lacking a central figure.”

“First, if we separate from the main church, they’ll all fight to seize power. They’re not fools to cause an internal conflict before achieving their goal.”

“What if I were to eliminate them?”

“Are you suggesting killing them?”

Even a cult must know such a discussion is severe. I smirked and shook my head.

“Is there really a need to kill? Besides, it’s not so easy to take a life.”

Disappointment flashed across Shoji’s face. He seemed to expect I would take care of them myself.

“Soon, news regarding Hiroyuki’s relationship with Heaven Church will break in the media.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“I’ll make the evidence I have public. When Hiroyuki’s ties to Heaven Church come to light, things will get pretty chaotic for them.”

“That can’t happen. We can’t afford our name to be dragged through the media…”

Shoji protested urgently, but I raised a hand to cut him off.

“If you have a better solution, let’s hear it.”

“…”

“It’s an issue that must be addressed eventually. Even without me, Koizumi wouldn’t let it slide.”

Of course, Koizumi would hesitate to provoke a religion, but discussing it here was unnecessary.

“Outside attacks are one of the best ways to unite the inside.”

“That alone won’t shrink the power of the separatists.”

“True. But what if various sexual scandals and illegal activities occurring within Heaven Church were made public?”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

This bastard was pretending not to know. I locked my gaze onto Shoji’s eyes.

“Don’t play dumb. A person of your caliber can’t be unaware. If you committed those acts together, then you’re an accomplice; if you didn’t know, it shows incompetence. And I despise incompetence the most.”

“…”

“Just tell the truth. Didn’t you know?”

No one would take insults about incompetence lightly. Shoji bit his lip, finally admitting,

“…I knew.”

“Were you involved in any illegal activities?”

“To some extent, yes.”

My choice to engage him stemmed from the fact that he wasn’t completely innocent.

Being less than pure would make it easier to control him.

“Alright. Everything related to you will be omitted from the articles.”

“Is that even possible? The separatists will clearly turn on me and drag me into this mess.”

“They won’t have the energy for that. And no one will believe them. Once they’re dealt with, it’ll all quiet down again.”

“You think that makes any sense?”

Shoji looked at me with a look full of disbelief.

I was already accustomed to reactions from those who didn’t know me well.

“I can make it happen. Unlike others, I have the power to pull it off. If they’re handled, the separatists’ influence will dissolve naturally. Heaven Church’s power might shrink too, but it will endure.”

If the scandals regarding the cult were reported, Koizumi would undoubtedly act swiftly. Despite every reluctance toward the religious matter, he’d need to deal with this situation, as it crossed paths with the Yakuza.

The Liberal Democratic Party and Koizumi would have no choice but to navigate this path.

“But even if their power lessens, Heaven Church is still Heaven Church. Won’t the believers eventually grow in number again?”

“That’s…”

Shoji neither affirmed nor denied. But I knew the reality: over time, the Japanese denomination of Heaven Church would grow weaker still.

Cults could lose followers, yet new ones would always appear. It was like a multi-level marketing scheme.

That’s why cults never truly vanished.

“What do you think? Will you lend me your hand?”

“If you assist me, what will Kim Mu-hyeok gain?”

“Nothing.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The Japanese denomination won’t offer me anything.”

That was the truth, no less.

I sought to drain everything from Han Hyun-soo instead.

Yet Shoji couldn’t easily trust my words.

“I can’t believe you. You expect me to cooperate without wanting anything in return?”

“That’s because it’ll help Han Hyun-soo take control of Heaven Church. If the Japanese denomination splits, Han Hyun-soo’s power will diminish.”

“Is Han Hyun-soo that important?”

“Not particularly. I’m only helping him because it benefits me. Since I can’t eliminate him, having Han Hyun-soo take control is the most convenient outcome for me. He’s terrified of me. He probably won’t step outside of Heaven Church now. That’s what I want. So, operate within the church’s main umbrella while managing the Japanese denomination well.”

“…”

“Let these be my demands.”

Shoji pondered briefly before nodding.

“Alright. Let’s do it your way.”

“Act as you normally would. Even if you prepare, it won’t take long for the articles to come out. Move quickly when the time comes.”

Shoji swallowed hard and nodded. With nothing more to say, I stood to leave.

Shoji also got to his feet.

He bowed deeply, expressing gratitude as I turned to leave.

“Thank you for your assistance.”

“No need for thanks. You’re helping me, after all.”

I turned right around.

Until I closed the door behind me, Shoji didn’t lift his head.

* * *

Han Hyun-soo stepped outside the church for the first time in a while.

Heading to meet Han Hyun-jin and Han Hyeon-woo, he grumbled the entire way.

“What’s up with this room salon? I can’t believe they still exist at our age.”

Even upon reflection, he couldn’t believe it.

Laughing only at the ridiculousness of scheduling an important meeting at a room salon, he continued to grumble.

“I’ve already placed my subordinates around here.”

At that moment, the mercenary leader sitting in front spoke.

“Alright. Thanks for that.”

Upon arriving at the meeting place, Han Hyun-soo descended the underground stairs leading to the room salon.

It appeared no customers were inside as not even a note of music reached his ears; all seemed eerily quiet.

“You must be Han Hyun-soo?”

A woman, presumably the madam, approached him. Han Hyun-soo nodded in response to her query instead of speaking.

“This way, please.”

The madam led Han Hyun-soo to the innermost room.

When the madam opened the door, Han Hyun-jin and Han Hyeon-woo were already waiting inside.

Han Hyun-soo entered the room with confidence, followed closely by the mercenary leader.

“It’s been a while, brothers.”

Han Hyun-soo said with a slight smirk on his lips.

“Indeed. I heard you came back to life.”

Han Hyun-jin greeted him casually, as if it was nothing special.

“Yeah. Sorry for not dying back then—it would’ve made things easier for you.”

“Shut up and sit down already.”

Han Hyeon-woo shouted in irritation. Han Hyun-soo shot him a look, his face contorting in surprise.

“Little bro, are you raising your voice at me?”

“Today, I’m calling you as a brother, not a pastor, so sit down and shut up.”

With a click of his tongue, Han Hyun-soo took his seat.

Han Hyun-jin glanced over at the mercenary leader, who was standing like a statue by the door.

“Should we also send him away?”

“Why? Are you trying to kill me with your own hands?”

“That’s not what I…”

“Unless that’s what you’re planning, just leave him be. He’s getting paid to be here; why should I stop him?”

“Hey! Han Hyun-soo! Seriously?”

Han Hyeon-woo raised his voice in complaint. However, Han Hyun-soo continued regardless.

“Take it easy, lil bro. The Han Hyun-soo you knew is dead. I’m not the same guy as before. What made me spare you? After I died, it became clear to me that I lived too carefree.”

“…I would never have expected my mother to do such a thing. If I had known, I would’ve stopped it.”

Han Hyun-soo scoffed at Han Hyun-jin’s bland tone.

“Stop it? You’d have certainly blocked my big brother? You knew damn well and just pretended to be unaware and took advantage of mother’s weakness, right? Oh wait, you already did that once before?”

“That was evidence aided by Hyeon-woo, not me.”

Han Hyun-soo turned to Han Hyeon-woo, who made a pouty face as he murmured,

“What could I possibly do?”

“Yup, that’s exactly how little bro always was—coasting through life while relying on others. Guess it’s no different now. If you had that evidence, rather than just keep clenching your fists, you should’ve run straight to big brother instead of shaking things up with mother.”

“…This little punk.”

“I made sure big brother can’t even step foot in the church, while you just left him be, right?”

“…”

“Because you hold no threat against me. Whatever you do doesn’t frighten me at all.”

Han Hyeon-woo shot up from his chair and slammed his fist on the table in fury.

The impact knocked over the drink that stood before him, causing it to spill onto the floor.

“How dare you disrespect me?!”

“Sit down. If not…”

Han Hyun-soo grinned, directing his gaze toward the mercenary leader.

“That man will forcibly sit you down.”

Han Hyeon-woo flinched at the mercenary leader’s stare. But he, still concerned about his pride, didn’t immediately sit.

“Sit. Hyeon-woo.”

Only when Han Hyun-jin added his voice did Han Hyeon-woo finally take his seat.

Watching his brother, Han Hyun-soo let out a chuckle.

“By the way, why did you call for me today? It’s not to ask me to spare your lives, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

Both Han Hyun-jin and Han Hyeon-woo responded in unison.

“Are you really expecting me to leave you alive again?”

Han Hyun-soo laughed coldly.