Free Web NovelAt Yamamoto’s roar, Takayama flinched—but he did not immediately move.
That hesitation only made Yamamoto angrier. The veins in his forehead bulged.
“What are you doing?! Get your head to the floor in front of him, you bastard! Do you need to die before you come to your senses?”
His shout thundered through the room.
Takayama glanced at me and bit down hard on his lip. The humiliation was obvious.
Still, he obeyed.
He stepped back slowly—five measured steps.
Then he lowered one knee to the floor.
Then the other.
Even as he knelt, he kept his eyes fixed on mine. Anger and humiliation burned openly in them.
He placed both hands on the floor—
And slammed his forehead down in one motion.
Thud!
The impact echoed through the room as if he meant to crack the floor itself.
He remained in that position without moving.
I simply watched in silence.
No one spoke.
The quiet grew suffocating.
When the heavy silence stretched too long, Yamamoto spoke first.
“President Kim Muhyuk. I apologize.”
Still sitting upright facing me, Yamamoto lowered himself to his knees as well.
“My subordinate’s fault is my fault. Please forgive us. It will never happen again.”
He bowed his head. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
I shook mine.
“I have no intention of accepting an apology.”
With a full dogeza, one remains prostrate until the apology is accepted.
At my firm response, Yamamoto hurriedly said,
“Whatever you command, we will do. So please—”
“If the task I assign is carried out properly, then I will consider accepting your apology. Until then, I have no intention of doing so.”
“...President.”
“By the way, are you going to leave him like that? He looks rather uncomfortable.”
“If you do not forgive him, he will not rise.”
“Is that so? Then tell him to stay like that for the rest of his life.”
I dismissed Takayama from my thoughts and locked eyes with Yamamoto.
I stared without emotion.
Yamamoto lowered his gaze.
Only after confirming his momentum had fully collapsed did I speak again.
“Let’s continue the conversation.”
He no longer insisted I accept the apology.
But he did not order Takayama to rise either.
He treated him as if he did not exist.
“I came to see you because of Heaven’s Church. Are you aware of the religion called Heaven’s Church operating in Japan?”
“Heaven’s Church? I believe some of our members follow it.”
It had taken root deeply in Japan.
I knew that much.
But perhaps it had burrowed in even deeper than I thought.
Deep enough that even yakuza members believed in it.
“I had the President imprisoned and pushed his third son forward as successor. Then suddenly, a Japanese politician approached me and asked that he be released.”
Yamamoto nodded slowly, as if he understood.
“It’s an open secret that Liberal Democratic Party politicians attend Heaven’s Church events.”
“If I refuse, I was told my work here would face obstruction.”
“What? They said they would oppose your work? Has your relationship with Prime Minister Koizumi deteriorated?”
I shook my head slightly.
“Not him. I was discussing multiple matters with Prime Minister Koizumi just today. Yamamoto-san, are you familiar with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki?”
The moment I said Hiroyuki’s name, Yamamoto’s eyes flickered.
A man who knew LDP politicians attended Heaven’s Church events, yet he reacted to Hiroyuki’s name.
Interesting.
I feigned ignorance and asked again.
“You don’t know LDP’s Hiroyuki?”
He quickly nodded.
“I do. He is the current Chief Cabinet Secretary.”
“You know him, then. He was the one who demanded the President’s release.”
“...Is he a believer?”
Believer? His eyes were practically spinning the moment Heaven’s Church came up.
“Yes. Deeply. Like a fanatic. Even I had not fully grasped that. Did you know this information?”
“I did not.”
“And you have no connection to him?”
I asked lightly on purpose, watching his reaction.
He did not answer.
There is something.
I met his eyes directly.
“I am asking whether Yamaguchi-gumi and Hiroyuki have any connection.”
Yamamoto let out a long breath.
“...He is a politician we have been investing in recently.”
I let out a dry laugh.
This is why you never raise a black-haired beast.
“You’re investing in Prime Minister Koizumi’s rival? Do you understand what that means?”
I had left them alone, and they were scheming behind my back.
This is why you never do business with the Japanese.
“So you were entertaining other thoughts without my knowledge.”
Yamamoto bowed his head deeply.
“It was a choice for survival. For now, Prime Minister Koizumi’s influence is stronger. But the future is uncertain. So we approached him first.”
“Did you personally handle it?”
“No. The Vice Captain beside me handled the Hiroyuki faction.”
I shifted my gaze to Takayama, who still hadn’t moved from his prostrate position.
“So you handle Koizumi, and behind the scenes your Vice Captain builds ties with Hiroyuki. That’s low. Even street punks operate cleaner. Ah—I see now. You were testing me. Or was Hiroyuki the one who told you to?”
Yamamoto answered quickly.
“No! We are only at the stage of establishing contact. We are not close.”
I did not need excuses.
I needed answers.
I raised a hand and stopped him.
“I would rather hear from Takayama.”
Only then did Yamamoto turn.
“Takayama. Raise your head. Answer the President.”
At his command, Takayama slowly lifted his head.
Blood had beaded across his forehead. The earlier impact must have split the skin.
Without meeting my eyes, he spoke in a low voice.
“...Hiroyuki did not order this.”
I watched his eyes carefully.
Humiliation still clung there.
“Hiroyuki had no involvement in today’s incident?”
“....”
“Takayama!”
When he hesitated, Yamamoto snapped.
“No, right?”
At that prompting, Takayama answered.
“No, Chairman. However, Hiroyuki did contact me. He said Kim Muhyuk was in Tokyo and suggested I meet him. But today’s incident is unrelated to Hiroyuki.”
“Are you insane...”
Yamamoto pressed his hand to his forehead.
I lifted one corner of my mouth.
“And you still call this a misunderstanding?”
I had not expected Hiroyuki and Yamaguchi-gumi to be directly connected.
Politicians and yakuza often had a crocodile-and-plover relationship.
But rarely did one organization plant feet on both sides of opposing politicians.
“It truly was a misunderstanding, President. We have not yet established a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) deep relationship with Hiroyuki. We only attempted to open a line. Nothing more. Takayama. Explain clearly what was said. The disrespect shown today was not entirely at Hiroyuki’s instruction, was it?”
Yamamoto’s voice was no longer loud.
It had grown colder.
“...He did not order it. He told me to meet you and secure what he wanted. If handled smoothly, he said that should he become Prime Minister in the future, he would extend us the same protection.”
“You’ve lost your mind. Completely.”
“Wasn’t that what you wanted, Chairman? You told me to build a line with Hiroyuki by any means necessary. We are yakuza. What could be easier than granting a politician’s request?”
Yamamoto, who had been sighing, suddenly shouted.
“You idiot! I told you about President Kim Muhyuk!”
“....”
“Between Hiroyuki and Koizumi—no, between Hiroyuki and President Kim Muhyuk—do you not understand who matters more?”
“Today’s incident had nothing to do with Hiroyuki. I merely...”
Takayama trailed off.
Then looked at me.
“I only wanted to see what kind of man the Chairman praised so highly.”
An absurd excuse.
I let out a short laugh.
Yamamoto’s face turned pale.
“Takayama! One word from President Kim Muhyuk and the public authority shielding us disappears. It is not because I am great that Prime Minister Koizumi protects us—it is because President Kim Muhyuk requested it, you idiot!”
“W-What do you mean? The Prime Minister listens to him?”
“Ha... That’s my fault for not explaining properly.”
How Yamamoto had described me to his subordinates was none of my concern.
Perhaps this was theater.
Either way, I had no intention of listening further.
“Yamamoto.”
I dropped the honorific.
He turned toward me immediately.
“How long am I expected to listen to this nonsense?”
“I apologize. This matter has nothing to do with me personally. I will cut ties with Hiroyuki immediately.”
“Chairman!”
Takayama shouted in alarm.
Yamamoto ignored him.
I stared coldly at Yamamoto while mapping out possibilities in my head.
This situation could be useful.
Depending on how deep Hiroyuki and the Vice Captain’s relationship ran.
I organized my thoughts.
“To what extent are you entangled with Hiroyuki?”
Yamamoto turned to Takayama.
“When the President asks, answer exactly.”
Takayama bowed again.
“We have reached the point of private meetings.”
“A Chief Cabinet Secretary holds private meetings with a yakuza Vice Captain?”
Even I couldn’t hide my surprise.
Even for Yamaguchi-gumi, that was not easy.
“Yes. We invested effort for a year.”
No wonder Yamamoto valued him.
Takayama was capable.
“If I give instructions, can you arrange another private meeting?”
“...Yes.”
There was a slight delay.
But the answer was yes.
This might unfold more smoothly than expected.
“Good. If you carry out the task I assign properly, I will forgive today’s mistake. Repay it through my work.”
Takayama said nothing.
The answer came from Yamamoto.
“It will be done, President. I will order him to complete whatever you command.”
That was enough.
I nodded and shifted my gaze away from Takayama.
“Very well. Send the Vice Captain out. The two of us will speak.”
Yamamoto turned.
“Takayama. Wait outside.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
As Takayama rose, he swayed slightly.
His legs must have been numb.
Neither Yamamoto nor I paid him further attention as he backed out of the room.
The door closed.
Yamamoto bowed.
“President Kim Muhyuk. I apologize.”
“It’s fine. This may actually make things easier.”
I smiled faintly—the smile I am sometimes told looks wicked.
“What are you planning?”
“Politics and religion entangled. That’s not a good thing in Japan either, is it?”
“No. It is not.”
“In Japan, it’s especially problematic. It was so even a hundred years ago.”
The Japanese once worshiped the Emperor as a god.
Fanaticism runs in their blood.
