Free Web NovelLooking at Han Hyunsoo’s face only reinforced the thought that he truly was an idiot.
No matter how much power or wealth a person has, the moment a close aide betrays them, falling into the abyss happens fast.
The same could happen to me. If either Manager Ma or Han Gyeongyeong betrayed me, the damage would be severe.
But I trusted that they wouldn’t.
If someone is close enough to stand at your side, you build a proper foundation of trust.
Even after being insulted to his face, Han Hyunsoo didn’t seem to care at all. His eyes were filled with hope.
“Yamamoto-san. Remove the gag.”
At Yamamoto’s signal, one of the yakuza tore off the cloth and tape covering Han Hyunsoo’s mouth.
“President Kim! Thank you, truly. Hah... I thought I was going to die. Please, untie this too.”
He let out a relieved sigh and gestured with his chin toward the tape wrapped tightly around his torso.
He assumed, of course, that I would save him.
“Me? Why should I save you, Han Hyunsoo?”
“Pardon?”
His eyes trembled violently.
“You seem to be under a serious misunderstanding. Were we ever close enough to save each other? I wanted Han Sungjin to fall. You wanted Heaven’s Church. Our interests aligned temporarily — that’s all.”
“N-No, President Kim Muhyuk, please...”
I shook my head, cutting him off.
“If you have a brain, use it. Where are we right now? Japan. Not Korea — Japan. What were you thinking, coming here without a single security detail? This isn’t tourism.”
I had already decided to keep him alive.
But thinking about how badly he had disrupted my plans irritated me from deep inside.
“I didn’t know that woman would betray me. I...”
Not worth listening to.
“That’s how cultists are. No different from your so-called father. You kill people, treat women like toys, and never once consider that someone might betray or kill you? How does someone this stupid become a cult leader?”
“Th-that’s...”
“I thought even human trash like you might be useful. But why should I save a man whose brain doesn’t function?”
I glanced toward Seo Jinju, still unconscious on the floor.
“If you’re useless, maybe it’s better to at least grant her revenge.”
Han Hyunsoo shook his head desperately.
It seemed he finally understood the situation.
“N-No! I can fix everything. I’ll restore it all.”
“Restore what? How? Do you even know why I’m angry?”
“......”
“What can someone like you possibly fix? If you were dead, at least you wouldn’t be flapping your useless mouth. A corpse might be better.”
I would keep him alive.
But not just like this.
“I’ll do anything you tell me. Please just spare me.”
Perhaps because he had accumulated too much resentment from others, Han Hyunsoo seemed particularly terrified of death.
“Anything?”
“Yes. Just let me live. Please... please...”
If his hands were free, he would’ve already thrown himself to the floor in supplication.
I let out a deep sigh.
His shoulders twitched.
I deliberately stalled, pretending to hesitate — until his flushed face drained from red to blue, then to pale white.
“...If you fail at whatever I tell you to do, you’ll wish you had died today instead. Understood?”
He nodded so violently it looked like his neck might snap.
I wasn’t sure yet how to use him.
But Heaven’s Church wasn’t a small organization. He would be useful someday.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
I turned to Yamamoto, who had been listening to our conversation.
“If we don’t kill Han Hyunsoo, will that cause trouble for your organization?”
Yamamoto hesitated briefly.
If he couldn’t even grasp the intent behind my question, I’d be disappointed.
“Well... many people are involved. It would certainly cause complications.”
He found the answer I wanted.
“Because this is your request, President Kim, we’ll do our best. But the losses would be significant.”
Yamamoto had good instincts.
I intended to compensate the Yamaguchi-gumi.
Not with my money — but with Han Hyunsoo’s.
“You hear that? Even if I want to save you, they say it’s difficult.”
“Th-Then what should I do?”
Han Hyunsoo’s eyes darted between us nervously.
I turned back to Yamamoto.
“Then he’ll have to cover the losses. If we quantify the damage your organization would suffer, how much would it be?”
“We’d likely have to abandon several operations. It’s difficult to calculate precisely, but...”
He paused, pretending to think.
“Easily over one billion yen.”
“I-I’ll pay it! As soon as I return to Korea, I’ll transfer it. Just spare me... I’ll prepare one billion yen immediately.”
He offered over ten billion won without hesitation.
I mocked him internally.
“Yamamoto-san. What do you think?”
“Must he live?”
“There’s no profit in killing him. Better to gain something.”
Yamamoto glared at Han Hyunsoo with a dark expression, then sighed as if reluctantly conceding.
His acting was impressive.
“If it’s your request, President Kim, then we have no choice.”
I nodded.
“My apologies for the difficult favor. We’ll discuss things separately next time.”
Still tied up and anxious, Han Hyunsoo’s face brightened with relief.
I smiled down at him.
“For now, you’ll stay here. Publicly, it will be announced that you are dead.”
“Th-That...”
Han Hyunsoo’s death would benefit many people.
Nearby, his siblings and mother. Farther away, the leadership of the Japanese branch.
“I believe your siblings were involved in this. Otherwise, how would the Japanese branch know about Seo Jinju and approach her?”
Han Hyunsoo hadn’t even known she held resentment toward him.
She had performed the role of loyal secretary flawlessly.
He was stupid, yes — but if she fooled him, it wouldn’t have been easy to detect.
But someone close to him...
Someone observing him constantly with the intent of eliminating him...
An insider of Heaven’s Church who could watch both him and Seo Jinju up close...
And who stood to gain most from his death?
The answer was obvious.
“It can’t be. I never stopped monitoring my mother and brothers.”
“Who handled that monitoring? Who reported to you?”
Han Hyunsoo fell silent.
Of course he never suspected Seo Jinju.
He would’ve assigned the most loyal and closest secretary to oversee surveillance. Probably told her to report anything unusual.
“...She did. That’s right. Whenever I asked about my family, she said nothing was wrong.”
Only then did anger appear on his face.
I merely nodded.
“Now do you understand what happens when a close aide betrays you? Just because your followers treat you like a god doesn’t mean you are one. Never trust something 100% without verification.”
“Yes. Yes, you’re right.”
I didn’t believe for a second he would change.
“Settle it completely while we’re at it.”
“My support base is still weak.”
“It’s been this long, and you still haven’t consolidated power?”
“I focused more on business operations than religious control...”
Han Sungjin had never truly considered Han Hyunsoo his successor. Originally, Han Hyunsoo had only managed the corporations founded by Heaven’s Church.
Still.
“When you die, who takes your position?”
“Most likely Han Hyunjin. It could be Han Hyunwoo, but internally, Han Hyunjin’s faction is stronger. Though it depends on whom my mother supports...”
“Complicated.”
Passing down religious leadership through hereditary succession was already absurd.
Then again — it’s a cult.
“So I...”
“You were planning to rent the U.S. Senate and give a speech?”
His eyes widened.
“How did you know?”
“It’s already circulating in American political circles.”
When Han Sungjin was leader, he once gave a speech at the U.S. Senate — proof of his lobbying power.
Han Hyunsoo intended to replicate that spectacle to prove his authority.
“Considering who arranged it, I doubt it would’ve succeeded anyway.”
If Seo Jinju handled it, proper lobbying was unlikely.
“It won’t be easy. Not for you.”
The Heaven’s Church I remembered fractured after Han Sungjin's death.
Three brothers each founded new sects claiming legitimacy.
The official second leader — at least by name — became Kim Sunja, Han Hyunsoo’s mother.
Han Sungjin had gone to prison before his death.
Han Hyunsoo moved faster than others and seized control first.
But that was it.
Was he always this incompetent?
Or does being a cult leader rot a person?
“There’s only one method. You know it without me saying ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) it.”
Kill all competitors.
It was the only way he would survive.
As long as they lived, his position would remain unstable.
And if he died, Heaven’s Church would fracture just as I remembered.
Knowing the consequences, I preferred it remain unified.
If it couldn’t be eradicated, better to consolidate and control it.
“...I know.”
His face darkened.
Killing blood relatives — mother and brothers — was no small matter.
And he lacked sufficient power.
“Shall I help you?”
“Really?”
He looked up in shock.
“Once news of your death spreads, we’ll see who moves. It’s not as if your siblings would be indifferent about succession.”
“No. They’re not that kind.”
“Good. While they fight among themselves, and when the followers grow exhausted... that’s when you return. A man declared dead resurrecting himself — there’s no better narrative.”
He began calculating.
“Resurrection... yes. It must be spectacular. The problem is... power.”
Not entirely brainless.
“I’ll erase them from the world.”
He looked at me with expectation.
I smiled coldly.
“In return, half of the companies under Cheon Guk Group.”
Many of the corporations owned by Heaven’s Church were solid.
Privately held, entirely owned by the church and the Han family.
“Wh-What?”
“I choose which half.”
“Th-that...” freeweɓnovel.cѳm
“Not worth more than your life.”
His face stiffened.
“...Understood. Half. I’ll give half.”
I nodded.
“Stay here until preparations are complete. I’ll make sure you’re accommodated comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
“One more thing.”
I grabbed his shoulder.
“Do nothing to Seo Jinju.”
“....”
“This isn’t a request or negotiation. It’s a warning. I trust you understand the consequences.”
I had no intention of aiding her revenge.
But I also had no intention of discarding a useful blade.
Someone constantly aiming a knife at Han Hyunsoo’s back was valuable.
Who knows? I might need her later.
Perhaps even to kill him myself.
“Yamamoto-san. I’ll leave him to you.”
“Understood.”
Without waiting for Han Hyunsoo’s response, I exited the warehouse with Yamamoto.
Once alone, Yamamoto thanked me.
After all, he had unexpectedly gained one billion yen.
“President Kim Muhyuk, thank you. You even considered us.”
“Why not? If someone offers money, there’s no reason to refuse. The Yamaguchi-gumi will handle the difficult part. The plan changed slightly, but let’s push forward with the meeting.”
“Agreed.”
We both turned to look at Takayama in the distance.
Did he know?
That in the future, he would die alongside Hiroyuki?
