Free Web NovelHuman beings are more selfish than any other animal.
That is why I never trust anyone who claims they have no desire.
“Is that important?”
“Of course it is. It determines whether or not I help Pastor Shoji take control of the Japanese branch.”
“...You’re saying you would help me seize control of the Japanese branch?”
“Yes. If you tell me everything honestly. Once matters in Korea are settled, Han Hyunsoo will take action against the Japanese branch as well. No matter how large the Japanese branch is, it cannot escape the influence of the main headquarters. That’s why the separatists are pushing for independence in the first place.”
Shoji didn’t answer right away. He merely bit his lip.
If he still refused to speak the truth after all this, I had every intention of backing someone else instead.
“I’ll ask one last time. You don’t have any other hidden agenda?”
Shoji met my eyes directly and let out a long breath.
“So you want to see how ugly I really am. Fine. Separate from the respect I hold for Chairman Han Sungjin, I do not believe he is a living messiah. No... at first, I did believe. But as time passed, I began to see reality. He is not a messiah. He is merely a man who calls himself one. That doesn’t mean my respect for him has disappeared.”
He was rambling, padding the preface while carefully avoiding the core. I raised one eyebrow.
“So?”
“I do not want the Japanese branch to separate from the main headquarters. It is useful as a banner. The leadership may know better, but most ordinary believers still regard Chairman Han Sungjin as a messiah.”
“So you intend to use Han Sungjin to take control of the Japanese branch.”
“I wouldn’t call it use. It is better for the Korean headquarters if the Japanese branch remains under it. No matter what anyone says, the largest branch of Heaven’s Church is Japan, isn’t it?”
He wasn’t wrong.
That was likely why Han Hyunsoo had foolishly entered Japan without suspicion when they hinted they might consider separation.
“Did you know about what happened to Han Hyunsoo?”
“Yes.”
“...You knew and did nothing?”
“There was nothing I could do. As long as Hiroyuki stood firm, no matter what I tried, I couldn’t defeat them.”
“For someone who ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) held the position of Chief Cabinet Secretary, that’s awfully submissive. Since when does religion take cues from politicians? It should be moving them, not the other way around.”
Shoji slowly shook his head.
“Hiroyuki was not merely a politician. He was one of Heaven’s Church’s core figures. Among the entire leadership of Heaven’s Church, no one was more immersed in its doctrine than he was. And that man gained political power. I believe you understand what that means better than I do, President Kim Muhyuk.”
A man who held secular power and ecclesiastical power at once.
No wonder those who opposed Hiroyuki could barely breathe.
“Even if I take control of the branch, I have no intention of separating from the headquarters. There is no reason to. The believers would not want that either.”
Shoji fell silent after that. But he still hadn’t said what I wanted to hear.
“You’re leaving out the most important part. Your desire.”
“...You’re going to make me say it myself in the end, aren’t you? Fine. I want the Japanese branch in my grasp. Everything else follows once that is secured.”
There it was. Finally.
Society may call it virtue to conceal ambition. But not in front of me.
I decided to test him one last time.
“What if you had to discard Han Sungjin to achieve that?”
Shoji flinched.
“Discard Chairman Han Sungjin? What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly that. What if you had to deny him? What would you do then?”
“...Do you truly believe that’s possible?”
“If I were Han Hyunsoo, I would. Korea is in an uproar because he has supposedly returned from death.”
Shoji said nothing, but his eyes moved restlessly. His mind was clearly racing.
“A Han Sungjin who lost to secular power and ended up in prison... versus Han Hyunsoo who ‘died,’ returned, and came back stronger. I don’t need to tell you which appears more messianic. Power works like that. It cannot be shared—not even between parent and child. Han Hyunsoo, having seized his opportunity, will deny Han Sungjin. He will declare himself the messiah. Breaking free from Han Sungjin’s shadow is his most urgent task.”
“Then we would follow the new messiah.”
I suppressed a dry laugh.
He claimed respect for Han Sungjin, yet he was ready to abandon him this easily.
Perhaps it didn’t matter. As long as he could stand under Han Hyunsoo’s shadow, there would be no need to rescue anyone else.
“Good. Now we can talk.”
I adjusted into a more comfortable posture and smiled pleasantly.
“What is the greatest obstacle to you taking control?”
“The separatists.”
“Hiroyuki is dead. They’ve lost their center of gravity.”
“They will first push for separation from headquarters. Only after that will they fight each other for control. They are not foolish enough to start internal conflict before achieving their goal.”
“Secure the objective first, worry about the rest later. Then what if I remove them for you?”
“Remove them... you mean kill them?”
For a supposed religious man, he spoke without hesitation. I smirked and shook my head.
“Is that necessary? And killing people isn’t exactly simple.”
Disappointment flashed across Shoji’s face. So he had expected me to eliminate them outright.
“Soon, the relationship between Hiroyuki and Heaven’s Church will be exposed in the press.”
“What...?”
“I will release the evidence I possess. Once the connection between Hiroyuki and Heaven’s Church becomes public, things will get noisy.”
“That cannot happen. We appearing in the media—”
He tried to object urgently, but I raised my hand and cut him off.
“If you have a better method, suggest it.”
“....”
“This issue will have to be addressed eventually. Even if I don’t act, Prime Minister Koizumi won’t let it go.”
In truth, Koizumi was reluctant to touch religion. But there was no need to mention that here.
“External attacks are the most effective way to unify an organization internally.”
“That alone won’t reduce the separatists’ influence.”
“Perhaps not. But what if the sexual scandals and illegal activities within Heaven’s Church are exposed at the same time?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
I stared straight into his eyes.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Someone of your rank couldn’t possibly be unaware. If you participated, you’re an accomplice. If you didn’t know, you’re incompetent. And I despise incompetence most of all.”
“....”
“Answer honestly. Did you not know?”
No one takes being called incompetent lightly. Shoji clenched his teeth.
“...I knew.”
“Were you involved in any of the illegal activities?”
“To some extent.”
The reason I chose him was precisely because he wasn’t clean.
A man with stains is easier to leash.
“Good. Anything tied to you will be excluded from the coverage.”
“Is that even possible? The separatists will drag me down with them. They won’t die alone.”
“They won’t have the presence of mind. And no one will believe them anyway. The separatists will be purged, and the matter will settle.”
“Do you honestly believe that makes sense?”
Shoji looked at me with open doubt.
I was used to that expression by now.
“I can do it. Others may not, but I can. Once they are removed, the separatists’ power will collapse naturally. Of course, Heaven’s Church itself will shrink.”
If sexual scandals and illegal acts of a pseudo-religion hit the headlines, Koizumi would move immediately.
No matter how reluctant he was to touch religion, he now understood that if he framed this as an issue between religion and the yakuza, he could survive.
The Liberal Democratic Party—and Koizumi—had no other path to escape.
“But even if its influence shrinks, Heaven’s Church is still Heaven’s Church. Won’t believers return over time?”
“Well...”
Shoji neither agreed nor denied it. freewēbnoveℓ.com
But I already knew the answer. Given time, the Japanese branch of Heaven’s Church would grow even larger.
Cults don’t disappear. Even if members leave, new ones are always recruited—like a pyramid scheme.
That is why they never die.
“So? Will you take my hand?”
“If you help me, what do you gain, President Kim Muhyuk?”
“Nothing.”
“...What do you mean?”
“The Japanese branch has nothing to offer me.”
That was exactly what I meant.
There was nothing to gain from the Japanese branch. I intended to squeeze everything out of Han Hyunsoo instead.
But Shoji could not easily believe me.
“I don’t believe it. If you expect nothing, why would you help me?”
“Because it helps Han Hyunsoo take control of Heaven’s Church. If the Japanese branch separates, his power weakens.”
“Is Han Hyunsoo that important?”
“Not at all. I help him because there is something for me to gain. If he cannot be eliminated, then it is far more convenient for one man—Han Hyunsoo—to control Heaven’s Church. He fears me. Most likely he will bury himself inside the church and never step outside again. That’s what I want. So just remain affiliated with the main headquarters and manage the Japanese branch well.”
“....”
“Let’s call that my condition.”
Shoji pondered briefly, then nodded.
“Very well. We will do as you say.”
“Act as you normally would. Prepare quietly in advance. It won’t take long for the article to break. When it does, move quickly.”
Shoji swallowed dryly and nodded again. There was nothing more to say, so I stood.
Shoji rose as well.
He bowed deeply.
“Thank you for your help.”
“No need for thanks. I’m helping because it benefits me.”
I turned without another word.
Until the door closed behind me, Shoji did not lift his head.
* * *
Han Hyunsoo stepped outside the church for the first time in a while.
On his way to meet Han Hyunjin and Han Hyunwoo, he muttered irritably.
“A room salon? Seriously? What are they thinking at their age?”
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
For two older brothers to choose a room salon as the venue for a “serious conversation” made him scoff.
“I’ve already stationed men around the area.”
The mercenary captain seated in front spoke.
“Good. See that everything’s handled.”
When Han Hyunsoo arrived, he descended the basement stairs leading into the room salon.
There was no music. No customers. Only silence.
“You are Han Hyunsoo, correct?”
A woman who appeared to be the madam approached him. He nodded without speaking.
“This way, please.”
She guided him to the innermost room.
When the door opened, Han Hyunjin and Han Hyunwoo were already waiting inside.
Han Hyunsoo strode in confidently. The mercenary captain followed.
“Long time no see, brothers.”
Han Hyunsoo spoke with one corner of his mouth curled upward.
“So I’ve heard. Word is you came back from the dead.”
Han Hyunjin greeted him casually.
“Yeah. Guess I should apologize for surviving when it would’ve been more convenient for you if I hadn’t.”
“Cut the crap and sit down.”
Han Hyunwoo snapped irritably. Han Hyunsoo’s expression hardened as he looked at him.
“Second brother. Did you just raise your voice at me?”
“Today, you’re not the cult leader. You’re our brother. So shut up and sit.”
Han Hyunsoo clicked his tongue and took a seat.
Han Hyunjin glanced at the mercenary captain standing like a statue by the door.
“Shouldn’t he step outside?”
“Why? Planning to kill me with your own hands?”
“What are you talking about—”
“If that’s not it, then leave him. He’s paid to do a job. Why should I stop him?”
“Hey! Han Hyunsoo, you little—”
Han Hyunwoo’s temper flared, but Han Hyunsoo ignored him.
“Speak carefully, second brother. The Han Hyunsoo you knew is dead. I’m not that man anymore. Do you know why I left you both alive? After dying once, I realized something. The old me lived in a flower garden.”
“...I didn’t know Mother would do something like that. If I had known, I would’ve stopped her.”
Han Hyunjin’s calm voice only made Han Hyunsoo sneer.
“Stopped her? You? Don’t make me laugh. If you’d known, you would’ve pretended not to and used her weakness against her. Oh wait—you already did that once, didn’t you?”
“That wasn’t me. Hyunwoo secured the evidence.”
Han Hyunsoo turned toward Han Hyunwoo.
Han Hyunwoo’s lips twisted.
“What? What was I supposed to do about it?”
“Typical of you. Whenever it’s time to step forward, you lean on someone else. Same now. If you had that kind of evidence, instead of running to our eldest brother, you should’ve held onto it and shaken Mother down yourself.”
“...You bastard.”
“Do you know why I completely blocked eldest brother from setting foot in the church, but left you alone?”
“....”
“Because you’re no threat to me. No matter what you do, you don’t scare me.”
At the taunting remark, Han Hyunwoo shot to his feet and slammed the table.
The impact knocked over his glass, liquor spilling onto the floor.
“You dare look down on me?!”
“Sit down. Or...”
Han Hyunsoo slowly raised one corner of his mouth and glanced toward the mercenary captain.
“He’ll make you sit.” ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Han Hyunwoo flinched and looked at the mercenary captain. Pride kept him standing for a moment.
“Sit down, Hyunwoo.”
Only when Han Hyunjin intervened did Han Hyunwoo finally sit.
Han Hyunsoo smirked at the sight.
“So. What did you call me here for? Don’t tell me it’s to beg for your lives.”
“What?”
Han Hyunjin and Han Hyunwoo asked in unison.
“You didn’t think I’d spare you again, did you?”
Han Hyunsoo let out a chilling smile.
