Despite seeing Oh Gil-seok and Shin Sung-il being dragged away, Moon Tae-beomās eyes did not show any sign of fear.
I donāt know if he trusted the Cheongpung-hoe behind him or if he believed that they wouldnāt kill him because he had Japanese nationality.
"Moon Tae-beom, Fune Toshiro."
But when I said Moon Tae-beomās Japanese name, his eyes began to waver sharply.
"Action squad leader of the Hira-guri-gumi, a second-tier organization of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Adopted son of Choi Jae-soo, the leader."
"...How did you know that?"
That was as far as I had figured out in my previous life.
It was just personal information, but it was certainly not something a mere college student could have found out.
Moon Tae-beom must have thought the same.
I smiled at him as if I knew everything.
"Who are you, really?"
Moon Tae-beomās voice was trembling.
"Kim Mu-hyuk. You know, right? Wasnāt my elimination your goal?"
Everything changed when I completely eliminated the Cheon brothers and stood firm as the successor.
Originally, Moon Tae-beom was supposed to come to Korea in 1997 and, starting from when the usury law was abolished in 1998, gradually take over Myeongdong Market while waiting for the main force from Japan.
"...What do you know?"
"Youāre not in a position to ask. Tell me everything you know. Then I might just take one arm."
"Stop talking nonsense and kill me. I choose honor."
"Ha ha ha."
I laughed for a while.
"Honor?"
"As a subject of the Great Japanese Empire... if I can die with honor..."
"You were treated so poorly in Japan, and yet you talk about being a subject. No, donāt say anything. Iām going to let you go."
"What?"
Moon Tae-beom looked at me in confusion.
A chilling smile appeared on my face.
"And Iāll spread a rumor quietly. That you told me everything and begged for your life. You donāt need to dirty my hands, if you want to die honorably."
Moon Tae-beomās face lost all color.
"Go back to Japan and die there. Manager Ma, donāt touch him and take him back to Myeongdong."
"Understood."
I got up from the chair without hesitation and turned around.
Moon Tae-beom, who had been dazed, suddenly came to his senses. He tried to crawl towards me, still bound.
"Please, please... kill me."
I turned around again at the sound of his desperate voice.
I looked at him with disdain, but Moon Tae-beom couldnāt say anything, even as he met my eyes.
His earlier arrogance was gone, and his eyes were filled with sheer terror.
"Tell me everything you know. Then Iāll kill you. An honorable death? A subject of the Great Japanese Empire? Sure, I can do that."
"...Alright. Iāll tell you everything."
One of Manager Maās subordinates dragged him to a chair and sat him down.
I turned around and walked out of the factory.
The rain that had been falling when we arrived had turned to snow.
"The weather, huh."
As I extended my hand, the snowflakes that had been gently falling landed on my palm.
The cold of the snow brought me back to my senses.
"Report everything you found out about Shin Sung-il and Moon Tae-beom, the Japanese yakuza. If thereās nothing more to find out, deal with them as you see fit. Leave Oh Gil-seok alive. We might need him later."
"Understood."
"Letās go, itās cold."
Manager Ma held an umbrella over my head and walked slowly, matching my pace.
Upon arriving at Pyeongchang-dong, I went straight to Grandfatherās study.
"Grandfather, itās Mu-hyuk."
"Come in."
When I opened the door and entered, Grandfatherās face was full of curiosity, like a childās.
"Thank you for your hard work. Sit down first."
"Yes."
I sat down on the sofa with Grandfather.
It seems he had high expectations.
"Tell me."
"Mr. Shin approached Grandfather intentionally from the beginning."
"Hmm... ."
Grandfather swallowed hard at my words.
"Manager Ma will report the details. For now, Mr. Shin and Moon Tae-beom, a Japanese yakuza, and the Baekho faction in Gangnam were involved."
"Baekho faction? Baek Jeong?"
"Yes. When we went to suppress them, Baek Jeong-giās right-hand man came to Myeongdong to save Mr. Shin. Or rather, he was waiting around from the beginning."
Grandfatherās expression became a bit more serious.
"Hmm... . So theyāre no longer going to follow the unwritten rule of not touching each otherās territories."
"One of the three major organizations in Gangnam broke the agreement first, so I plan to boost Park Dong-suās power and attack."
"The news reported a fight between gangs in Myeongdong. There must be some scapegoats."
"Park Dong-su is preparing them. The Baekho faction will likely prepare their own scapegoats. For now, letās wrap it up to this extent."
Grandfather nodded.
"For the time being, avoid a full-scale war. The president is not an ordinary person, and we donāt know what he might do."
"Iāll gradually tighten the noose. A full-scale war would mean both sides are prepared to die. The Cheongpung-hoe wonāt have much to say about this."
"Do as you see fit. But donāt put yourself in the front. Use Myung-hoonās power if you need it."
"Iāll talk to Director Ha if necessary."
Grandfatherās expression seemed to ease a bit at my firm words.
"By the way, Shin Sung-il approached me intentionally. Since when? I chose him. On the wrestling mat."
"He said he served someone from birth, passing it down through generations."
"Hmm... . So he quit wrestling and came to me. No matter how much we investigated, there was nothing unusual... He was a spy for the Cheongpung-hoe."
A sound of despair, whether a hollow laugh or a sigh, echoed in the study.
"Iāll report the details later. When we investigated, we didnāt find any connection to the Cheongpung-hoe. If it werenāt for Moon Tae-beom, I wouldnāt have noticed either."
At the mention of Moon Tae-beomās name, Grandfather looked at me with interest, demanding an explanation.
"So, how did you find out about him?"
I couldnāt tell the truth.
I made up a reasonable excuse.
"Mr. Park and I had a connection in Busan. Thatās how I found out."
"Wow... . You really canāt predict human actions. Getting help from a gangster."
"Heās a good person. Iāve known him since I was young, and heās never made a mistake. Heās too kind for a gangster, but in a way, thatās also a strength."
Grandfather, who had been nodding, leaned back on the sofa.
"Is there something wrong with your health?"
"Recently, my body has been... ."
"Go to the hospital."
"Alright. I already scheduled an appointment for next week."
"Rest. Iāll leave now."
I bowed and walked out.
Director Ha, who had been waiting outside the door, bowed to me.
"Grandfatherās health seems to have worsened. Please take care of him, Director."
"Understood."
A few days passed.
In the end, one of Park Dong-suās action squad leaders and ten members turned themselves in.
The Baekho faction was in a similar situation. With too many witnesses, they couldnāt cover it up.
"Iāve taken care of everything."
I was sitting on the bed, listening to Manager Maās report as he stood straight.
"Mr. Shin knew almost nothing. He said they always contacted him, and he didnāt know what to do. For this matter, he only received an order to connect Moon Tae-beom with the boss."
"Hmm... ."
"Perhaps it was a preparation for after the chairmanās passing. Even if Shin Sung-il got close to the chairman, he couldnāt act without Director Haās approval."
I had similar thoughts.
No matter how close Shin Sung-il got, it was a well-known fact that Grandfather didnāt trust people easily.
The Cheongpung-hoe couldnāt have been unaware of this.
"Mr. Oh was in charge of protecting Moon Tae-beom. He was always nearby, but when we suddenly appeared, he rushed in without thinking."
"Imagine, the right-hand man of the biggest organization in Gangnam was just protecting a Japanese yakuza action squad leader. Breaking the agreement with Myeongdong like that clearly shows whoās in charge."
"Is there anything else?"
"He said he was only told to protect Moon Tae-beom."
"Wrap him up nicely and throw him in front of a big nightclub in Gangnam. The Baekho faction will pick him up."
"Understood."
The important part is this.
"He confessed everything when I mentioned the bossās name."
Indeed, it would have been better for Moon Tae-beom to die by my hands.
At least his family in Japan would be safe.
But if I let him go and spread the information I knew, not only Moon Tae-beom but also his family would suffer.
"Japan wanted to work the Korean loan market but couldnāt gain much power due to the chairman. Recently, Moon Tae-beom came in first to slowly establish a foothold."
I already knew this.
"Then, suddenly, they received a call from Japan, and Mr. Shin was ordered to introduce the boss. He said he would receive further instructions after the introduction."
This was a changed future.
Their actions had been altered by my actions.
"The boss said to gain his trust at all costs. If the order came to kill, he was to kill."
So, he must have been frustrated when things didnāt go as planned.
I smiled slightly.
This could be an opportunity.
A chance to create a connection with the Cheongpung-hoe, which had been hard to pin down.
"After Mr. Cheon was chased out of the country, the plan changed. He doesnāt seem to know much about what was supposed to happen after the boss was eliminated."
One wrong move, and everything could have collapsed again.
I wouldnāt have kept Moon Tae-beom around, but I hadnāt suspected Mr. Shin, who had been unwaveringly loyal to Grandfather.
"Hmm... ."
Manager Ma bowed his head at the sigh.
"We need to increase the security detail for the boss."
"...Thatās inconvenient."
"Even if we move in a different car, we need more people."
Manager Ma spoke as if he wouldnāt budge.
"Iām not someone who can be easily taken down. Manager Ma is enough."
"I beg you, boss."
I sighed and nodded.
"Fine. But only Manager Ma will be close. Others will provide support from the perimeter."
"Thank you, boss."
"What about the injuries to your men?"
"No one was seriously hurt, so itās fine."
I nodded slightly.
"Understood. Go ahead. And inform Director Ha. He needs to report to the chairman."
"Understood."
Manager Ma left, and I was left to my thoughts.
'Already making moves to eliminate me.'
I needed to investigate the situation in Japan more.
I wanted to see if there were any forces that could rival the Yamaguchi-gumi and consider using them.
I wasnāt going to sit idly by.
If they attacked, I would counter.
Ultimately, Oh Gil-seok was thrown into the Baekho factionās territory with one arm and one leg in a state that couldnāt be recovered.
Shin Sung-il and Moon Tae-beom didnāt report to me, but they were probably somewhere in the waters off Incheon.
The cold winter was coming to an end.
In Japan, the Great Hanshin earthquake occurred, and insurance companies that had invested in dollars recalled their funds from overseas to pay claims, causing the yen to strengthen.
"Bro, letās settle the yen. Liquidate everything by the end of March, and bet on a decline with a maturity of around September. The volume will be large."
ā Okay. This will be a good profit.
"After this investment, there wonāt be any major investments for a while. Leave half to Dream and split the other half into a few paper companies."
ā What? Paper companies? Ghost companies?
"Yes. Make it as complex as possible so no one knows who the owner is. There are professionals who specialize in this. No matter the cost, create them properly and disperse them into several corporations in various tax havens."
ā ...You know this is a crime, right? If I get caught, Iāll be in an American prison for life?
A firm voice came from the other end of the phone.
I chuckled.
"Then donāt worry about the fees and use multiple companies. That way, no one will know who the owner is, and the money can be laundered."
ā Okay. Understood. Iāll start the dispersion process as soon as the Japan matter is resolved. By the way, I found the people you mentioned. Should I recruit them?
"Wait for now."
ā Phew... . Working with you is like a roller coaster every day, really.
"Ha ha ha ha ha. Itās going to be even more exciting. Look forward to it."
As I hung up the phone, Ma Seok-dae, as if waiting, stopped the car.
"Weāve arrived, boss."
When I opened the car door and got out, a cold wind still blew.
Myeong-su was going to enter the Judicial Research and Training Institute next week. Today, we had planned to have dinner before that.
When I went inside, there was someone I hadnāt expected.