Free Web NovelAlthough the sun had already set, Prime Minister Koizumi, still working in his office, flinched at the sudden sound of gunfire close by.
“What, what the hell?”
Gunfire near the Prime Minister’s Residence?
His trembling hand reached for the intercom to check the situation. But before he could finish dialing, the office door burst open and his secretary rushed in.
“Prime Minister! It’s an emergency! Armed assailants have attacked the Residence!”
“W-what did you say?”
“Please, sir, you have to take cover.”
Koizumi stared blankly, unable to process it.
Who would be insane enough to attack the Prime Minister’s Residence?
“Prime Minister! Please, sir, get a hold of yourself!”
“Hu, huuh······.”
Only after being called several times did Koizumi finally come to his senses.
Breathing roughly, he stood from his seat.
“What’s the situation?”
“They haven’t breached the interior yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“What? The guards at the Residence are being overrun? That’s absurd!”
Koizumi shouted, veins bulging on his neck.
“Who are they! Who the hell would do this!”
“We don’t know yet, sir. Ground Self-Defense Forces stationed nearby are on their way for support. But for now, you must secure your safety—”
“You’re telling me to turn tail and run? Do you have any idea what that would mean?”
If he fled the Residence, he was finished.
A head of state abandoning his post—if that happened, even survival wouldn’t save his political career.
“I’ll go to the underground bunker.”
“Prime Minister, that place might not be safe either.”
“Enough. You said the Self-Defense Forces are coming, didn’t you?”
Ignoring his secretary’s protest, Koizumi fiddled with the bookshelf in his office.
Moments later, the shelf split apart, revealing a steel door behind it.
He entered the password, and the heavy metal door slid open with a low groan.
“This way.”
Relying on dim emergency lights, they descended deep underground until they reached a large chamber.
Koizumi fumbled through his memory until he found the light switch.
Click—bright light flooded the room.
“Let’s go to the conference room first.”
He stopped before the largest door, entered another password, and the reinforced door creaked open.
Seated inside, Koizumi gestured to his secretary.
“Let’s have some coffee.”
The secretary nodded and entered the adjoining room.
But Koizumi wasn’t calm at all.
“Damn it! Who is it? Daedong Society? No, can’t be. Daigo Tadashige’s dead. Then where the hell did that bastard Araki disappear to? Ah! Kim Muhyuk, you damn fool! How could you let Araki slip away! Damn it, damn it!”
Left alone, Koizumi muttered curses under his breath, his nerves unraveling.
His leg trembled; he bit down hard on his lip.
“No, no. Who could have killed Daigo Tadashige in one blow? He did well. Now it’s my turn—to show my power, who I am. Yes, that’s right.”
Muttering ominously, Koizumi grabbed the phone. A tone sounded, and soon the line connected.
“This is Prime Minister Koizumi. I don’t care if the Residence collapses—kill them all! Use everything—tanks, whatever it takes—crush them!”
Madness flickered in his eyes.
The secretary returning with coffee froze at that expression.
* * *
The news screen cut to the press conference room where the official statement was to be delivered.
Koizumi hadn’t appeared yet.
― Please wait just a moment. The Prime Minister will be here shortly.
Voices of reporters filled the air while a sweating government official tried to calm them.
A sudden military uprising in Japan had left the Prime Minister’s Residence half-destroyed.
The symbol of the nation had been struck down. The shock rippled through Japan—and the world.
Naturally, foreign correspondents fired questions.
― I can’t answer that right now. The Prime Minister will speak for himself in the address.
Journalists ignored the officials’ attempts to silence them. Domestic media could be controlled, but not the foreign press.
― Please, just a moment. The Prime Minister will be here soon.
The officials repeated the same line like parrots; the crowd roared back. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
“What chaos,” I muttered.
Lee Chanchong nodded.
“At least it seems the Prime Minister survived. If he’d died in that mess, not only ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Japan but all of East Asia would’ve been thrown into turmoil.”
“True. I’m curious how Koizumi will move now that the coup has been suppressed.”
I turned my focus fully to the broadcast.
― The Prime Minister is entering.
Camera flashes erupted in unison.
Koizumi walked in with a rigid expression, not even squinting at the lights.
He stood on the podium, gazing at the reporters for a long moment.
Then suddenly, he bowed deeply. Straightening, he began to speak.
― Citizens of Japan, this is Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Yesterday, we experienced a tragic event.
Koizumi calmly recounted the events.
― The rebellion has been suppressed, but the damage is beyond words. The Prime Minister’s Residence has been half-destroyed; our pride has been shattered. I cannot forgive them, nor anyone who shares their ideals.
His tone hardened.
― I will now reveal the truth about an organization that has long lurked in Japan’s shadows: the Daedong Society.
My eyes widened. To name that group publicly—he was risking his own exposure.
Koizumi dragged the Daedong Society, the shadow organization, into the light before the entire world.
― The Daedong Society dreams of returning to the past—to militarism, to imperialism. They are the masterminds behind this atrocity.
A bomb far greater than Hiroshima had just detonated in the middle of Tokyo.
“Sir, Koizumi just played his trump card,” Lee Chanchong said.
I nodded, masking my shock.
“Indeed. I didn’t expect this.”
I had thought he would settle things quietly, not detonate this political nuke.
― I will disclose the full list of the Daedong Society’s members to every media outlet—who they are and what they’ve done.
Koizumi’s eyes blazed into the cameras.
― I will never bow to them. I will not let Japan regress into the past. My beloved citizens, please watch over me. I ask for your faith, once more.
He stepped back, bowed deeply again, and continued.
― Members of the Daedong Society have infiltrated not only the Diet and the corporate world but also the bureaucracy—and even our Cabinet. Yesterday’s tragedy and the countless deaths were their doing. The destruction of the Prime Minister’s Residence is Japan’s current reality. Citizens of Japan, believe in me and follow me.
In Koizumi’s eyes, I glimpsed a flicker of madness.
“······He’s changed.”
“Sir?”
“Nothing. Let’s keep watching.”
― Japan must change. We must cleanse politics of factionalism and break free from the past. Never again shall such organizations eat away at this nation. Citizens, I need your help.
Koizumi kept repeating himself—casting the Daedong Society as evil and himself as the nation’s savior.
To the public, it would sound righteous. To me, it was hypocrisy.
Finally, Koizumi concluded his address.
― You may ask your questions now.
He pointed to a reporter who had raised his hand.
― Prime Minister, Sam Cleon from The Washington Post.
The journalist immediately fired off his questions.
― Are you saying the Daedong Society orchestrated this uprising? Then who led it? What exactly happened?
Koizumi stayed composed.
― I’ll answer in order. Yes, the Daedong Society planned this. Its leader is Daigo Tadashige—he is already dead, killed recently during the yakuza conflict.
What the hell—he even revealed that? ƒrēewebnovel.com
― The one who directly commanded the operation was former Chief of Staff Inamoto Junichi, and the man who led the assault on the Prime Minister’s Residence was First Lieutenant General Arimoto Eiji, commander of the Special Forces. The Diet and several key facilities were also attacked.
For another hour, Koizumi fielded questions before finally closing.
― That will be all. We will send full documentation to every outlet. Please, report it exactly as it is.
After seeing him bow once more, I turned off the TV.
With my eyes closed, I replayed his words.
‘This wasn’t part of the plan······.’
Unexpected, yes—but I had no intention of sitting idle.
I would turn the tide to my advantage.
When I opened my eyes again, my thoughts were clear.
“Director Lee, focus all personnel on Japan. Track every move — government, corporations, bureaucrats, media, civic groups. I want daily morning reports.”
“Yes, understood.”
“I can’t yet say whether this benefits us or not, but it could be an opportunity. The longer Japan remains unstable, the more openings we’ll have.”
The small stone I’d thrown had created enormous ripples. Even I couldn’t foresee how far they’d spread.
My memories of the future were useless here.
“I’ll meet Koizumi soon. We’ll decide our next move after that. Not right away—maybe next week.”
“Boss, entering Japan now is dangerous. Araki’s whereabouts are still unknown, and Daedong Society remnants could still be active.”
Chief Ma was right. I accepted his caution.
“Fine. We’ll decide based on the situation.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Still, Koizumi’s changed. He’s not the type to seek solutions like that.”
That gleam of madness in his eyes lingered in my mind.
Days passed.
President Kim Hakgwon was deeply shaken by Japan’s coup attempt.
The atmosphere in Korea shifted — people began to wonder if the same could happen there.
He ordered the arrest of the previously dismissed generals linked to secret factions within the military, launching a full investigation.
Soon, colonel-level officers were also under scrutiny.
A storm swept through the Korean military.
The earlier purges under the previous administration had been a mere breeze; this time, armed with justification, Kim Hakgwon wielded the blade in earnest.
The press exploded with headlines.
[The Ghosts of Hanahoe Return.]
The military faction scandal, erupting just before the presidential election, threw the nation into chaos.
The conservative party faced annihilation once again, while the progressive party used the momentum to condemn both conservatives and centrists.
“As expected, Choi Sunman’s name isn’t mentioned.”
I set the newspaper down and picked up my phone from the table, idly turning it in my hand.
I dialed a short code. Calm classical music played for a few moments before the line connected.
― Mr. Kim.
“Yes, Chairman. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
It was time to deal with the traitors who had turned their backs on Yoon Changho.
