Genius Grandson Of The Loan Shark King

It was rare for both my phone and Chief Ma’s phone to ring at the same time.

I felt an uneasy premonition. I picked up my phone first.

“Chief, you can take your call outside.”

After checking the name on the screen, I said that to Chief Ma.

“Yes, Boss.”

Chief Ma left the study, and I sat back down heavily on the sofa.

“Hey, Myungsoo.”

― Hey, hey, hey!

Before I could even greet him, Myungsoo’s voice, anxious and urgent, burst through.

“What’s wrong? Something happened?”

― Turn on the TV right now.

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

― Hurry! Quick!

At his relentless urging, I grabbed the remote beside me and turned on the TV.

The news channel that appeared wasn’t showing its regular broadcast — it was an emergency bulletin.

“What the hell? Is this for real?”

― You turned it on? Damn it, why you asking me! You know something about this?

“······.”

― Hey! Muhyuk!

[Prime Minister’s Residence in Japan Attacked.]

My eyes were fixed on the subtitle.

― Hey! Kim Muhyuk!

Myungsoo’s voice shouting my name snapped me out of it.

“Is this real?”

― ······You don’t know anything either, huh?

“Yeah. I’ll check and call you back. Are you with President Yoon?”

― No, I’m on my way back to the headquarters.

“Okay. Share whatever intel you get. We’ll talk later.”

I hung up and focused on the TV again. The reporter’s voice grew more urgent, and my eyes widened.

― Tokyo is literally a war zone right now. Gunfire has broken out between armed assailants trying to enter the Prime Minister’s Residence and the Self-Defense Forces attempting to stop them.

No footage was shown, but the tension was clear.

Since World War II, there had never been an assault on the Prime Minister’s Residence.

“Boss, may I come in?”

Chief Ma knocked on the door, pulling my attention away from the TV.

He entered the study, glanced between me and the screen, and spoke.

“It was Director Lee Chanchong of Black Secret. The Prime Minister’s Residence has been attacked, and the National Diet, the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters, and even the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department were all assaulted by the Self-Defense Forces.”

“The Self-Defense Forces?”

“Yes. He said it looks like a coup d’état.”

“······Should we believe that?”

The Self-Defense Forces attacking the Prime Minister’s Residence — was this a civil war?

“What about Prime Minister Koizumi’s status?”

“That hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

Of course, it would be hard to gather intel from streets filled with gunfire.

“First, tell our people in Tokyo to focus on their safety. No taking risks just to gather information. Call them now.”

While Chief Ma made the call, I thought about who might have the clearest grasp of the situation.

‘Putin? Or the U.S.?’

I toyed with my phone, hesitating. I couldn’t be sure.

“Boss, they said they’ll prioritize safety above all.”

Chief Ma reported after finishing his call, and I nodded lightly.

Then I slowly dialed another number.

― Hello.

“This is Kim Muhyuk, Jessica.”

The person I’d chosen was Jessica.

― Ah, are you calling about Japan?

“Yes. I figured the U.S. would have the best grasp of what’s going on.”

― Hmm······.

Jessica hesitated, buying time. I found myself urging her.

“Jessica.”

― Hold on. Too many ears around here. I’ll go back to my room and then tell you.

I waited quietly. There were noises in the background — footsteps, doors — then silence.

― I’m back now, Charlie. What do you want to know? The situation in Japan? Or who’s behind it?

“Everything. Who the hell was insane enough to move the military, and whether Prime Minister Koizumi is alive.”

Jessica let out a sigh.

― We can’t confirm Koizumi’s status yet. The fiercest fighting is around the Prime Minister’s Residence. But we do know who’s behind it.

“Who is it?”

― Before that, you should know this — it’s all the butterfly effect from your actions, Charlie. The coup was led by Inamoto Junichi, the former Chief of Staff of the Ground Self-Defense Forces who was dismissed by Koizumi. The lieutenant colonels under him are leading the rebellion.

So the Chief of Staff hadn’t stepped down quietly after all.

The Self-Defense Forces had been under Daigo Tadashige’s influence anyway, so this wasn’t surprising.

But he was dead.

“Daigo Tadashige is dead. Who could’ve given the orders for this?”

― We haven’t confirmed that. But we do know the commander of their special forces unit met with Daigo shortly before it happened.

“Special forces? The Self-Defense Forces have something like that?”

― Not officially yet, but their capabilities rival other nations’. They were about to be promoted to a formal unit — and they’re the ones who stormed the Prime Minister’s Residence.

If the special forces attacked the residence, Koizumi must be in grave danger.

At least it was fortunate that the Self-Defense Forces had been stationed in Tokyo for public order.

If the U.S. military moved, the coup could be suppressed without issue.

But since there was still no report of it being quelled, an uneasy feeling crept in.

“Isn’t the U.S. moving? This is an ally we’re talking about.”

― You know how it is. We don’t interfere in internal affairs.

Her words made me laugh bitterly.

The U.S. doesn’t interfere in internal affairs? What nonsense.

“Jessica, you promised you wouldn’t lie to me.”

― Ha, talking with you always costs me, Charlie. We’ve decided to wait and see. If Koizumi requests aid, we’ll help, but since his status is unconfirmed, we have no justification to mobilize.

“I see······. Fine. Then who’s the special forces commander?”

― First Lieutenant General Arimoto Eiji.

Arimoto Eiji. A name I’d never heard before — not in my past life, not in this one.

“If anything significant comes up, contact me.”

― ······Shouldn’t we be careful? If this gets traced, neither of us will get out of it alive.

“I’ll handle it. Just please, keep me posted.”

Jessica sighed — her way of agreeing.

I ended the call and set down the now-hot phone.

My head was spinning.

Sometimes, small things trigger massive waves.

No one can predict their direction — not even me.

“This isn’t what I wanted.”

Everything had been going so well. I sighed, rubbing my temples hard. Chief Ma offered a word of comfort.

“You didn’t mean for this to happen, sir.”

“Well, true. If the coup succeeds, it won’t be good for us. I just hope they can suppress it.”

It was better for me if Koizumi stayed in power.

If the military seized control, there was no telling what they’d do — and since I was the one who killed Daigo Tadashige, they’d surely see me as an enemy.

Things were getting complicated.

The long night dragged on with my sighs.

I hardly slept.

I dozed off briefly on the sofa now and then, but the constant phone calls kept me from real rest.

Early in the morning, a call came from Kim Hakgwon.

“Yes, Mr. President.”

― Was this your doing too?

I couldn’t help but laugh at his blunt question.

Nowadays, whenever something happened, everyone asked if it was me.

“No, sir. It wasn’t in my plans either — I couldn’t sleep all night. I had no hand in it.”

― I see······.

His voice trailed with suspicion.

“Mr. President, have you heard anything about Prime Minister Koizumi’s condition?”

― We haven’t confirmed it yet. But they say the coup has been suppressed.

So it failed, as expected. A successful coup in a developed nation like Japan was near impossible.

“That’s a relief.”

― Whether it’s a relief or not, we’ll have to see. If Koizumi’s alive, he’ll probably make a public statement soon. fгeewebnovёl.com

“Probably. The Blue House must be in chaos right now — I didn’t want to bother you.”

― Haha, true. I didn’t get any sleep either. After what you told me, I was worried they might attempt an illegal landing on Dokdo.

He had a point. If the coup had succeeded, Japan’s next moves could’ve been unpredictable.

“The coup failed. I doubt they’ll try anything like that.”

― Still, we can’t be sure. There’s no precedent for this.

“There have been coup attempts in Japan before, haven’t there?”

― That was when the whole world had gone mad······. For something like this to happen in today’s well-structured Japan — it makes no sense.

I nodded. True, Japan had been a remarkably stable country — until I’d shaken things up.

“Come to think of it, there’s never been a coup in a developed nation.”

― Exactly. Economic power, political stability, civic awareness — all of it must balance. That’s what makes a developed country.

I pondered his words. Even now — and in the future I remembered — coups were frequent only in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Southeast Asia.

― That’s why we have to watch this closely. Even if the coup failed, the factions that supported it won’t vanish overnight. This could be the spark that brings hidden forces to the surface.

That hadn’t occurred to me. As someone who’d lived through a coup himself, he clearly understood how such things unfolded.

“I see. I’ll keep a close eye on it.”

― Then I’ll let you go. I have another meeting soon.

“Yes, sir. Take care.”

After he hung up, I turned the TV back on. There was still no report of the coup being suppressed.

Leaning deep into the sofa, I closed my eyes and organized my thoughts.

‘Confirm Koizumi’s condition... and find out who gave orders to Arimoto Eiji.’

I didn’t know how long I sat there thinking until Chief Ma knocked again.

“Boss. Director Lee Chanchong has arrived.”

I opened my eyes.

“Let him in.”

The door opened, and Lee Chanchong entered, bowing politely.

“Sir. It’s been a while.”

I rose from my seat, smiling as I extended my hand.

“It has. I’ve given you tough work to handle and haven’t visited often.”

He shook my hand with a smile.

“Not at all. Everyone knows how busy you are, sir. Having you visit at all is an honor.”

“You’re generous, Director. That’s why I like you. It means I trust you, so don’t take it the wrong way. Please, have a seat.”

After the handshake, we both sat. Despite his age, Lee Chanchong’s posture was perfectly straight.

“Would you like some coffee? We just got a great new roast — the aroma’s excellent.”

“Yes, I like coffee.”

I glanced toward Chief Ma, who nodded and left the room.

“How’s Black Secret doing these days?”

At my question, Lee Chanchong spoke with pride.

“Excellent. For former NIS agents and special forces soldiers, it’s considered a dream workplace — great pay, unbeatable benefits. All thanks to you, sir.”

Black Secret was in charge of my personal security and that of my close associates.

They also handled security for my affiliated companies.

But most importantly, they ran an intelligence division.

“Haha, all I can offer is money and trust. Anyone working for [N O V E L I G H T] me deserves at least that.”

“Not everyone sees it that way. There are plenty of security companies in Korea, but their conditions are poor. Naturally, military veterans end up in private service work instead.”

I nodded slightly. I knew well just how capable he was beneath that pleasant smile.

“I trust you’ll manage everything well.”

“Of course. Within a few years, we’ll gather better intel than the NIS itself. We may have stronger material resources, but the human network they’ve built over decades is formidable.”

“Is that so?”

He scratched his head modestly.

“Yes, their web of connections is their greatest weapon. HUMINT provides high-quality intelligence — you can’t build that overnight. My apologies.”

“No need to apologize. I know it takes time. We’re people who look toward the future.”

Chief Ma returned with coffee, placing cups before us, then quietly stood beside me.

That made me feel like a tyrannical boss. I patted the seat next to me, and he sat down.

I had asked for coffee to ease the mood, but there was no need.

Because the news anchor’s urgent voice cut through the room — a red banner flashed across the screen.

[Prime Minister Koizumi to Deliver Statement]

Without realizing it, my gaze shifted straight to the TV.