Free Web NovelAt Hiroyuki’s proposal, Takayama’s eyes wavered.
“Yamamoto rebelled against the previous Oyabun too. He split the organization and created one of his own. In the end, he devoured that Oyabun and became the master of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Is there any reason you couldn’t do the same? If I back you, I think you could go even further.”
“...Chairman Yamamoto is like a father to me.”
Hiroyuki twisted his lips in a sneer.
“Is that truly how you feel? Then I won’t press you further. I thought you and I could make good partners.”
“....”
“It’s not difficult. Yamamoto trusts you. That makes it even easier.”
Takayama opened his mouth to say something.
But Hiroyuki raised a hand to stop him.
“Think carefully before you answer. I don’t make the same offer twice. If it’s no, then it’s no. Don’t try to test both sides. I have no intention of watching the Yamaguchi-gumi grab my line after already clinging to Koizumi’s.”
Takayama hesitated, unable to answer.
As he deliberated for a long time, Hiroyuki’s lips curled even more viciously.
* * *
The restaurant where Hiroyuki and Takayama met maintained absolute security.
Phones were confiscated at the entrance. Guests were thoroughly searched to block any recording devices.
It was an unbreakable rule of the establishment, applied equally to all figures in politics and business.
That was precisely why those figures used the place.
Since its founding, not a single conversation held inside had ever leaked outside.
Perhaps that was why Hiroyuki spoke so freely about his plans.
But did I have to follow their rules as well?
There was no reason to.
I had already installed cameras and listening devices in the room where the two were meeting.
I was watching everything.
Yamamoto sat beside me.
“Th-that bastard! How dare he!”
At Hiroyuki’s proposal to create a new organization instead of using the Yamaguchi-gumi, Yamamoto shot to his feet.
He looked ready to storm the restaurant immediately.
“Sit down. Don’t ruin this.”
I didn’t take my eyes off the monitor as I spoke in a flat voice.
“President Kim! That bastard is plotting to kill me!”
Yamamoto raised his voice. His agitation wouldn’t subside.
Only then did I glance up at him.
“Do I need to say it twice? Sit.”
Seeing my cold gaze, Yamamoto flinched. He gritted his teeth and sat back down.
“I warned you what would happen if we left Hiroyuki alive. Do you understand now?”
“....”
“Hiroyuki is a man who tried to use me. Do you think someone like that would leave you alone, knowing how closely you’re tied to me? Of course not.”
Yamamoto bit his lip, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
“Will Takayama reject that offer to the end? Let’s watch. If he refuses it outright, I’ll spare him.”
“Is that true?”
I nodded instead of answering.
A man with that kind of loyalty deserved one chance.
But that was unlikely.
Takayama was yakuza. In their world, sons killed fathers, and those sons were later killed by their own.
In a world flooded with betrayal, no one held loyalty to the end.
And even to me, Hiroyuki’s bait sounded sweet.
If Takayama defied my expectations, I would respect him.
Yes. If he did.
— Chairman Yamamoto is like a father to me.
Takayama finally answered.
Yamamoto’s face brightened.
“You see? He’d never betray me. He knows how much I value him.”
If hypocrisy were art, this would be a masterpiece.
He had already agreed to kill Takayama to save himself, and now he was acting like this.
Yamamoto didn’t notice.
But I did.
Even through the grainy footage, I saw Takayama’s eyes trembling.
Hiroyuki continued speaking. Takayama said nothing.
— Think carefully before you answer.
Hiroyuki tossed the ball back one final time.
Takayama hesitated.
Yamamoto’s expression twisted.
“What are you doing! Tell him to stop talking nonsense!”
Whether Takayama knew Yamamoto was burning alive inside or not, he delayed for a long time.
I lifted my teacup and spoke calmly.
“Care to make a bet? On what will come out of Takayama’s mouth.”
“....”
“He’ll ask about the method. How exactly you intend to do it. He’ll ask about the plan. And if the plan sounds feasible, he’ll betray you.”
Yamamoto glared at me, eyes bloodshot.
“No. Takayama would ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) never betray me.”
He spoke through clenched teeth.
I shrugged.
Watching the outcome of his faith would be interesting.
Finally, Takayama spoke.
— Tell me the plan. If the plan is solid... and if the Chief Cabinet Secretary’s promise is certain... I will do everything I can. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Just as I expected, he couldn’t resist the temptation.
“That bastard dares betray me?!”
Yamamoto leapt up again and moved toward the door.
But Manager Ma blocked him.
“Return to your seat.”
“Move. Unless you want to die.”
Yamamoto, blinded by rage, confronted Manager Ma.
He had probably never seen Manager Ma move properly before.
“Mr. Yamamoto. Let’s follow the plan. If we kill him, it’s over.”
At my voice, Yamamoto turned.
“I need to ask him myself! Why he betrayed me! How he could do this to me!”
Unbelievable. He’d forgotten everything he had done and now talked about loyalty.
I smirked openly. Yamamoto flinched.
“You overthrew the previous Oyabun yourself, didn’t you? What do you think Takayama learned from? He’s simply walking the path you walked.”
“What did you say?”
“Am I wrong? When you were pushed out of the succession race, you split the organization in half and built your own.”
He couldn’t refute me.
“If not for my help, you would have died alone on Korean soil. So you have no right to resent Takayama. He’s choosing survival, just like you did. Let’s follow the plan. Don’t complicate this. If you insist on going out there, I’ll have no choice but to force you down. Let’s not do that. I’d like to respect Takayama.”
Yamamoto was known as a fighter even among the yakuza.
But no matter how fierce he was, he was still just a street brawler of the underworld.
He was nothing compared to Manager Ma, who had crossed battlefields and survived countless wars.
Yamamoto glared at Manager Ma, then turned back to me.
“President. The yakuza have their own way. I can’t let him die comfortably like this. I will kill Hiroyuki myself.”
He continued, trying to persuade me.
“As long as Hiroyuki dies, that’s enough, isn’t it? I’ll go personally and kill him. What does it matter who does it?”
He was so consumed by anger he couldn’t think clearly.
“Kill him yourself? Have you forgotten your position? What happens later when questions are asked?”
“There are plenty who would serve prison time in my place. No one will know.”
I understood why he was reacting like this.
If Takayama, his most loyal subordinate, could be swayed so easily, what about the others?
He must feel insecure.
But I had no reason to indulge him.
“Let’s keep it simple. I don’t want new variables in something that can be handled cleanly. So sit and watch.”
Even as we spoke, the two men on the monitor continued.
— Do you have a subordinate you trust? One who would die if you ordered him to?
I said quietly,
“Last warning. Sit.”
“....”
Yamamoto trembled with rage but didn’t move.
I signaled Manager Ma with my eyes.
Manager Ma placed a hand on Yamamoto’s shoulder.
Yamamoto shoved it off violently.
“Don’t touch me. Not unless you want to die.”
Then he deliberately strode toward me.
“President Kim Muhyuk.”
“Go on.”
“This time, we’ll do it your way. But remember one thing. I am not your subordinate.”
I chuckled.
“I know. I’ve never considered you my subordinate. If I had, you wouldn’t be alive after your mistake.”
“....”
“Sit. I have a headache. And this is important. Hiroyuki’s confidence likely means there’s already a traitor inside the Yamaguchi-gumi—or he’s recruited another organization.”
Yamamoto exhaled heavily and collapsed into the chair beside me.
— Can you trust that subordinate?
— Yes. He follows my orders alone. Not the Chairman’s.
As expected.
Hiroyuki nodded.
— Have him carry out a terrorist attack on one lawmaker aligned with Prime Minister Koizumi.
— What?
— If he succeeds, something interesting will follow. Yamamoto won’t escape the tight net that will fall over him. Then the subordinate organizations will rally behind you.
So there were already internal collaborators.
Yakuza treated betrayal like a daily meal.
I glanced at Yamamoto.
Blood seeped from where he’d bitten his lip.
“My prediction was correct, wasn’t it? We’ll need to clean house internally. Quite a few of them can be handed over to Prime Minister Koizumi. I don’t think there’s any reason to keep listening. Make the call.”
Yamamoto took out his phone and dialed.
He put it on speaker.
“...Go in and kill everyone in there.”
— Yes, Chairman.
“Suzue. Your family will live with wealth they could never have touched in their lifetime. You’ll go, but I promise your family will be taken care of.”
— Yes.
“Move.”
After giving the order, Yamamoto stared at the monitor.
Inside, Takayama and Hiroyuki were finishing their discussion amicably.
Then suddenly—
The door burst open.
— Takayama! You traitor! Die!
A man stormed in and fired immediately.
Takayama ducked, but couldn’t avoid the bullet.
It hit his arm.
— Suzue! What are you doing?!
— You traitor!
Hiroyuki froze, stunned.
— You idiot! Do you know who’s here?!
Takayama pressed his bleeding arm and shouted.
Suzue’s eyes wavered.
Takayama seized the moment.
— The Chief Cabinet Secretary! If he dies, not just you—but your family and our entire organization are finished! Get a grip! Who told you to kill me?!
Suzue couldn’t fire again.
