Free Web NovelFor Hiroyuki’s operation, I decided to remain in Japan for the time being.
Yamamoto wanted me to continue staying at the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters, but the very next day I left the compound and headed to Kyoto.
That was where Heaven’s Church’s Japanese branch was located.
I intended to personally oversee this matter in Kyoto until the very end.
Yamamoto is too sloppy in certain areas for me to trust him completely.
Without turning fully, I slightly tilted my head toward Kim Seonggyeong, who was seated beside me, staring straight ahead.
“Are you all right?”
“...I’m fine.”
Her tension was obvious.
“I don’t know much about your past. But I pride myself on being a good judge of people. That’s why I asked Yamamoto to give you to me. Does that make you uncomfortable?”
“...”
Being treated like an object could wound anyone’s pride.
But she did not answer.
Then again, she was not someone who had grown up in an environment where trust came easily.
“I don’t expect anything from you. You’re capable, so I assume you’ll eventually find what you want to do on your own. Or is there something you already want to do?”
“Just give me any order.”
The reply came out mechanically. I shook my head.
“I prefer people who work proactively. Of course, what I order comes first. But start by thinking about what you want.”
I had impulsively brought her out because it seemed wasteful for someone like her to rot under the Yakuza. But I had not yet decided what to assign her.
So I wanted her to choose for herself.
“I heard you attended the University of Tokyo.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you want to go back?”
At my question, Kim Seonggyeong gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
“What I learned at school turned out to be useless. I don’t want to go back.”
A university student thrown into a Yakuza den overnight—her cynicism was understandable.
Like many others, she had worked herself to the bone to enter Japan’s top university, only to be sold off to the Yakuza because of her parents’ gambling debts.
She must have received elite education of the highest caliber. But that did not mean it helped her survive reality.
Watching her bite her lip silently, I thought to myself.
If it were me, I would not have reduced her to a mere maid at headquarters.
The Yakuza’s business was not entirely illegal. There were certainly areas where high-level talent was necessary.
“What was your major?”
“Fine arts.”
Ah. That explained it. Not exactly useful in the Yakuza’s line of work.
Now I understood why Yamamoto had kept a five-language speaker like Kim Seonggyeong as a translator at headquarters.
And why she had said what she learned was useless.
“Eastern art? Western art?”
“My major was Eastern art, but I was also interested in Western art and studied both. Though I suppose it doesn’t matter now.”
As she spoke, longing briefly flickered across her face.
I could tell. She still wanted to study. She still wanted art.
“Then would you like to study art further?”
For the first time, she turned to look at me.
I did not avert my gaze and let a faint smile touch my lips.
“...What do you want from me?”
Suspicion filled her eyes.
“What do I want... How much do you know ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) about me?”
“Yamamoto only said you were an important person. That I must serve you and your attendants well. That if you wanted something, I was to grant it.”
“Something.”
That word contained everything she could offer.
“And today he simply told me to follow you. What exactly do you want from me?”
I swallowed a sigh. So he had treated her entirely as a tool.
If he was going to send someone away, he could at least have explained it properly.
“Kim Seonggyeong. I’m a businessman. I run many businesses. But I only have one body. I cannot handle everything alone. So I place capable people in the right positions and entrust them with work. And from what I saw, you seem very capable. That’s why I asked Yamamoto to send you to me.”
Even as I explained calmly, she did not lower her guard.
I met her gaze directly and smiled gently.
“The moment you came to me, your debt to the Yakuza disappeared. You are free now.”
“The creditor has simply changed. Nothing is different.”
Her voice sounded hollow. She misunderstood deeply.
“No. I have no intention of binding you with debt. If you don’t want to work with me, you may leave immediately.”
“...Is that truly so?”
A flicker of hope surfaced in her eyes. I nodded firmly.
“I do not make promises I cannot keep. Of course, if you decide to work with me, leaving afterward will require my permission. So choose carefully. Coming to me is freedom. Leaving is not. But I will promise you one thing.”
“A promise?”
“If you help me, you will gain tremendous wealth. Wealth so vast that no one will ever look down on you again. Even Yamamoto—whom you had to serve not long ago—would have to bow to you.”
At Yamamoto’s name, she inhaled sharply. A trace of fear entered her eyes.
“To work for me means stepping inside my fence. Whether you cross fully and become one of mine depends on your ability. I may not look it, but my fence is stronger than anyone’s. Anyone within it—I protect, no matter what it takes. I can promise both wealth and safety.”
When I finished, her lips moved slightly, but no words came out.
I was curious about her choice. Neither of us trusted the other fully.
How long had we known each other?
Perhaps I was meddling—trying to take in someone who had slipped past my notice in my previous life.
After a moment of thought, she asked carefully,
“You only saw me recently. Why are you doing this for me?”
A fair question.
But what answer could I give?
“Think whatever is most comfortable for you. Whatever you believe is the answer.”
“Please tell me. I want to know.”
“Well... There’s no grand reason. I was intrigued that someone who didn’t belong there was a Zainichi Korean. The way you spoke and carried yourself suggested awareness and competence. I thought I might train you to assist in my household, since the person currently working there is quite old. After hearing you attended the University of Tokyo, I reconsidered.”
“...Did I look pitiful to you?”
Her question was so naive that I laughed out loud.
“Seonggyeong. Let me tell you one thing. I do not pity anyone. I only look at ability. People’s life stories are none of my concern. Of course, if you work with me, I will investigate you thoroughly. Your past. Your family. Every grudge and debt. I will dig up everything. I’m sorry, but that cannot be avoided.”
If she joined me, I would uncover every detail of her life.
No one knows whether a person brought in by chance might become a butterfly that triggers a storm.
“My life isn’t much. I lived happily in a wealthy family, then fell into ruin overnight. There aren’t many grudges...”
Her voice trailed off.
“I heard a rough version from Yamamoto. Your parents accumulated massive gambling debts. Gambling can destroy a life in an instant.”
At my words, she bit her lip hard.
So hard that blood ran down.
The more she bit down, the sharper her gaze became. It was the first time I had seen that look from her.
There must be someone she hates enough to kill. freeweɓnøvel.com
Sometimes resentment becomes the fuel for survival.
That is why I like such people.
Give them the power for revenge, and they will be more loyal than anyone.
As we spoke, the scenery outside the car changed. We had entered Kyoto.
“President Kim Muhyuk.”
I turned at the quiet sound of my name.
“You promised wealth earlier. Then can you give me the power to take revenge on the person who made me like this?”
“Why go the long way? I could resolve it for you.”
I offered deliberately. She shook her head firmly.
“No. I want to take revenge with my own hands.”
Good mindset. The more we spoke, the more I liked her.
Yes. Revenge must be done personally.
I lifted one corner of my lips and nodded.
“Very well. I’ll help you gain the power for revenge. But only that. I will create the conditions. Climbing upward is your responsibility. Can you do it?”
“Yes! I can. What should I do?”
“Seonggyeong, will you work with me?”
“Yes, President. I will gladly follow you.”
“You remember what I said earlier. Once you decide, you cannot turn back. Think carefully.”
Even under warning, she did not retreat.
She looked straight into my eyes and answered firmly.
“I’ve already decided. If I can take revenge, I would even give my life to the devil. But you promised me something, didn’t you? And Yamamoto sent me without protest. That means you’re someone he cannot treat lightly. If I build my strength under someone like you, I will surely succeed.”
Ambition and venom—both passed.
I nodded in satisfaction.
“Let’s work well together. May I speak more casually from now on?”
“Please do, President. What should I do now?”
“Let’s see. It would be a waste to leave you in charge of household management. Is there anything you especially want to do? No—what are you good at?”
“...”
She hesitated.
Suddenly thrown from university into a Yakuza den—she probably hadn’t even had the chance to understand her own talents.
“Then for now, stay with me in Japan and observe what I do. If you find something you want, tell me. Personally, I’m thinking of putting you in charge of something related to art.”
“You’re in the art business?”
“Not exactly. If you work in that field, you would manage my art and antique collection. But there’s much you’d have to learn.”
“Are you telling me to go back to university?”
I shook my head. The gap between university learning and real-world practice was enormous.
“This isn’t something you learn at university.”
Especially auctions. No classroom could prepare you for that.
“You’ll go to auction houses. Learn on the ground.”
“Auction houses?”
“Can you survive at Sotheby’s?”
Her eyes widened. Then she smiled brightly.
“Yes! I’ll learn everything I can! If you send me, I’ll learn it all!”
Now she looked her age, unlike when she shuffled in a kimono with her hair tightly pinned.
I smirked.
“Do you have anything to settle in Japan?”
“No.”
“Good. Once things are wrapped up here, we’ll go to Korea together.”
“Yes.”
I nodded and spoke to Chief Ma, who had been listening from the passenger seat.
“Contact Sotheby’s. Tell them I’d like them to train someone. I doubt they’ll refuse.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“And find an officetel where Seonggyeong can live. Contact Black Bear and have them investigate everything about her. I’ll receive the report once we return to Korea.”
“Yes, Boss.”
After issuing the orders, I turned back to her.
“Watch how I work in Japan. I never let people who underestimate me walk away. If you intend to step inside my fence, your mouth must be heavy. Do you understand?”
“Yes. That’s what I do best.”
I smiled faintly at her confident reply.
The moment we arrived in Kyoto, I summoned everyone necessary for this matter.
A week passed.
And I realized an unexpected variable had emerged.
