Free Web NovelEven after watching Oh Gilseok and Shin Seongil get dragged away, there wasn’t the slightest flicker of fear in Moon Taebeom’s eyes.
Maybe he believed in the Cheongpunghoe backing him from the shadows—or maybe he thought there was no way we’d kill a Japanese citizen.
“Moon Taebeom. Fune Toshiro.”
But when I spoke Moon Taebeom’s Japanese name aloud, his expression wavered sharply.
“Enforcer of the Hiragurigumi, a second-tier affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Adopted son of boss Choi Jaesu.”
“...How do you know that?”
That was as far as I had gotten in my previous life.
Just background info—basic identity. But nothing a mere university student like myself should’ve been able to find out.
And Moon Taebeom clearly thought the same.
I smiled at him with an expression that said I knew everything.
“What the hell are you?”
Moon Taebeom’s voice trembled at the end.
“Kim Muhyuk. You already know that, don’t you? Wasn’t eliminating me your goal?”
Once I completely removed the Cheon Sooman brothers and secured my place as successor, this guy’s fate had shifted too.
Originally, Moon Taebeom would have entered Korea in 1997 and, starting in 1998—after the interest rate cap law was repealed—begun gnawing away at the Myeongdong market, laying the groundwork for his real bosses from Japan.
“...How much do you know?”
“You’re in no position to be asking questions. Tell me everything you know. If you do, I might settle for just an arm.”
“Stop talking nonsense and just kill me. I choose honor.”
“Hahahaha.”
I laughed for a long time.
“Honor?”
“If I can die as a subject of the Great Japanese Empire...”
“Even though you were treated like garbage in Japan? Whatever. Don’t say another word. I’ve decided—I’ll let you go.”
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Moon Taebeom stared at me in confusion.
A cold smile crept onto my lips.
“And then I’ll quietly spread a rumor... that you told me everything and begged for your life. No need for me to dirty my hands when you say you want to die with honor, right?”
All color drained from Moon Taebeom’s face.
“Go back to Japan and die there. Chief, don’t touch him. Take him back to Myeongdong.”
“Understood.”
I stood from my chair without hesitation and turned away.
Moon Taebeom, stunned for a moment, suddenly snapped back to his senses. Still bound, he crawled across the floor toward me.
“Please, please... kill me.”
His desperate voice made me turn around again.
I stared down at him with contempt. Even so, he couldn’t say anything.
Gone was the proud arrogance—his eyes were clouded with pure terror.
“Tell me everything you know. Then I’ll kill you. An honorable death? A subject of the Great Japanese Empire? Sure, I’ll give you that.”
“...Fine. I’ll tell you everything.”
One of Ma Chief’s men dragged him over and forced him into a chair.
I turned and walked out of the warehouse.
When I’d first arrived, it had been raining—now it had turned to snow.
“What a day.”
When I held out my hand, a delicate flake landed on my palm.
The chill sobered me.
“Get everything you can out of Shin Seongil and Moon Taebeom, then report. If there’s nothing left, dispose of them as you see fit. Leave Oh Gilseok alive—we’ll need him later.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s go. It’s cold.”
Ma Chief opened an umbrella above my head and matched my pace as we walked slowly.
When we reached Pyeongchang-dong, I went straight to Grandfather’s study.
“Grandfather, it’s Muhyuk.”
“Come in.”
When I entered, the expression on Grandfather’s face was one of boyish curiosity.
“Well done. Sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
I sat on the sofa across from him.
He looked quite eager to hear the results.
“Let’s hear it.”
“President Shin intentionally approached you from the beginning.”
“Hmm...”
Grandfather swallowed hard at my words.
“Ma Chief will have the full details. For now, all I can confirm is this: President Shin, a Japanese yakuza named Moon Taebeom, and the Baekho faction from Gangnam ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) were involved.”
“Baekho? Baekjeong?”
“Yes. When we went to apprehend them, Baekjeong’s right-hand man showed up in Myeongdong to rescue Shin. In fact, he may have been stationed nearby from the start.”
Grandfather’s expression darkened.
“...So they’ve abandoned the unspoken rule of staying out of each other’s turf.”
“One of Gangnam’s three major factions broke the rule first. We plan to use Park Dongsu’s influence to strike back.”
“I saw the news. A gang fight broke out in Myeongdong. They’ll need a scapegoat.”
“Park Dongsu is preparing one. Baekho faction probably is too. Please ensure it wraps up at that level.”
Grandfather nodded.
“No full-scale war for now. The president’s not your average guy—hard to predict.”
“I’ll tighten the noose gradually. If things escalate to open war, both sides will bleed. Even the Cheongpunghoe won’t have anything to say if we handle it like this.”
“Do as you see fit. But don’t get involved directly. Use Myeonghun’s people if needed.”
“I’ll speak with Secretary Ha if I need them.”
When I said that with conviction, Grandfather’s expression softened a bit.
“So, Seongil intentionally targeted me. Since when? I chose him—back when he was still a wrestler.”
“He said his family has served a certain bloodline for generations. Since birth, essentially.”
“...So he quit wrestling and came to me for that reason. No matter how much we investigated, nothing ever came up... Cheongpunghoe’s agent, huh.”
A sigh—or maybe a bitter laugh—echoed through the study.
“I’ll report the details later. Even in our investigation, we couldn’t find his link to Cheongpunghoe. If not for Moon Taebeom, I might never have noticed either.”
When I mentioned Moon Taebeom, Grandfather looked intrigued.
“So, how did you recognize him?”
Of course, I couldn’t tell him the truth.
I gave a plausible excuse.
“President Park recognized him from Busan. That’s how I found out.”
“Phew... You never know how life goes. To think I’d be thanking a gangster.”
“He’s a decent man. Someone I’ve known since I was young. Never once failed me. He’s a bit too kind for a gangster, which is a flaw—but also a strength.”
Grandfather nodded and leaned back against the sofa.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Lately, I just haven’t felt right...”
“You should see a doctor.”
“I have an appointment next week.”
“Please rest. I’ll take my leave.”
I stepped out and found Secretary Ha waiting outside.
“Grandfather’s health doesn’t seem good. Please keep an eye on him.”
“I will.”
Several days passed.
In the end, one of Park Dongsu’s lieutenants and ten of his men turned themselves in and took the fall.
The Baekho faction did the same. With too many witnesses, it couldn’t be covered up.
“Everything has been handled.”
As always, I received the report from Ma Chief while seated on my bed.
“President Shin knew very little. All communication came from their side, and he never received detailed instructions. In this case, he was only told to connect the boss with Moon Taebeom.”
“Hm...”
“My guess is this was preparation for after the Chairman’s death. No matter how close Shin Seongil was, he couldn’t bypass Secretary Ha to act.”
I agreed.
It was well-known that Grandfather didn’t easily trust people—Cheongpunghoe wouldn’t have ignored that.
“Oh Gilseok turned out to be Moon Taebeom’s bodyguard. He was always nearby. When we stormed in, he likely rushed in without thinking.”
“To think that the right-hand man of the biggest Gangnam boss was babysitting a Japanese enforcer.”
I clicked my tongue in disbelief.
Not even the boss of the Yamaguchi-gumi, just an enforcer of a sub-branch—yet they broke the Myeongdong pact for him.
Their hierarchy was clear.
“Anything else?”
“No. He said his only instruction was to protect Moon Taebeom.”
“Wrap him up nicely and dump him in front of a major nightclub in Gangnam. Since it’s Baekho’s turf, they’ll pick him up.”
“Understood.”
We continued discussing Moon Taebeom.
This part was important.
“Your words seemed to strike a nerve. He spilled everything without resistance.”
Yeah, to Moon Taebeom, dying by my hand would’ve been the better option.
That way, his family in Japan might at least be spared.
But if I let him go—and if I leaked a few pieces of intel I held—both he and his family would be doomed.
“They were planning to move on the Korean loan market, but couldn’t gain traction due to the Chairman. Only recently did Moon enter first to prepare the ground.”
That much, I already knew.
“But then he suddenly received orders from Japan, telling him to approach the boss through President Shin. After making contact, he’d be given new instructions.”
This was the altered future.
Because of my actions, their plans had changed.
“They told him: earn his trust no matter what—and if ordered, kill him.”
They must’ve been furious that things didn’t go their way.
I smirked.
This might be an opportunity.
A chance to finally catch a thread leading to Cheongpunghoe.
“After Chairman Cheon was exiled abroad, the plan was rushed. Moon didn’t seem to know anything about what came next.”
One wrong step, and everything could’ve collapsed again.
I would never have kept Moon close—but I hadn’t truly suspected Shin Seongil, who had shown unwavering loyalty to Grandfather.
“...Haa.”
Hearing my sigh, Ma Chief lowered his head.
“We should also increase your security detail, boss.”
“...It’s inconvenient.”
“Even if we’re riding in separate cars, we need more men.”
He said it like it was non-negotiable.
“I’m not easy to take down. You’re enough, Chief.”
“Please, boss.”
If he put it that way, I had no choice.
I sighed and nodded.
“Then you handle close protection. Everyone else supports from the outside.”
“Thank you, boss.”
“What about your men who were injured?”
“No one was seriously hurt.”
I gave a small nod.
“Alright. You’re dismissed. And let Secretary Ha know too—so he can report to Grandfather.”
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Once Ma Chief left, I sat alone in thought.
So they’re already making moves to eliminate me...
I needed to investigate the situation in Japan further.
If there were factions opposed to the Yamaguchi-gumi, I’d look into using them.
I had no intention of sitting quietly.
If they came at me with a knife, I’d answer with a sword.
In the end, Oh Gilseok was tossed back into Baekho territory, with an arm and a leg permanently ruined.
As for Shin Seongil and Moon Taebeom... I wasn’t given a report, but they were probably somewhere off the coast of Incheon.
Winter was coming to a close.
In Japan, the Great Kobe Earthquake struck, and Japanese insurers—having invested in U.S. dollars—began recalling funds from abroad to pay claims, causing the yen to surge.
“Hyung, let’s liquidate the yen. Close everything by the end of March and short it with a September expiry. There’ll be a lot of volume.”
― Okay. Looks like another profitable one.
“When this investment’s over, we won’t make any big moves for a while. Leave half in Dream and divide the rest among a few shell companies.”
― Huh? Shell companies? You’re talking about setting up ghost corps?
“Yeah. Make it as complicated as possible so no one knows who the real owner is. Use professionals. I don’t care how much it costs—disperse them across multiple tax havens.”
― ...You know that’s illegal, right? If I get caught, I’ll rot in a U.S. prison for life.
A cold voice came through the phone.
I chuckled.
“Then don’t worry about fees. Use multiple firms. That way no one can ever trace the real owner.”
― Fine. I’ll start the split once the Japan stuff wraps up. Oh, and I found those people you asked about. Do I bring them in?
“Put them on standby for now.”
― Sigh... Working with you is a damn rollercoaster every day.
“Hahahahaha. It’s gonna get even more fun. Look forward to it.”
As soon as I hung up, Ma Seokdae stopped the car as if on cue.
“We’ve arrived, boss.”
When I opened the door, the cold wind rushed in.
Myungsoo was set to begin the Judicial Training Institute next week. We’d arranged to grab a meal before that.
But when I walked inside, someone I didn’t expect was waiting.
< Please, Please... Just Kill Me. > End.
