Chapter 157
Chapter 157: Gangster Vs. Yakuza (2)
Chief Han's explanation went like this.
Kim Mu-ok, who had become the minister of Gukmubon, and his son Kim Do-han had their eyes on the Black Market funds flowing into political circles and Gukmubon.
It was because of their initiative that the current situation was unfolding.
Minister Kim Mu-ok was well-known for being incompetent and greedy, and his son Kim Do-han was no different.
Having been buried in the military for so long before making his full debut in politics, it was inevitable that such enormous funds would tempt him.
Now that Park Jae-yeol was in disarray because of me, they must have seen this as their opportunity.
[Kim Tae-yang's eyes gleam, saying this is ‘a chance to get one over on Kim Do-han’. +100 Happiness]
Chief Han raised a 2nd finger.
"On top of that, a major Korean organization is involved."
Without immediately giving the answer, she watched my reaction, as if waiting for me to figure it out.
To manage the Black Market, they would have to be Climbers.
And it was an organization already deeply connected to Park Jae-yeol and Pyeon Jae-yeong.
"……!"
One place flashed through my mind.
"It seems you've found the answer."
Click—.
Chief Han's eyes lit up as she placed something on the table.
"That's a necklace engraved with the Bell Tower Sect's symbol."
It was something I recognized.
I'd seen it before, when Seong Chu-hyeon had used it as a disguise during his attack on the Choi brothers' home.
"Yes. We found it when we set fire to Senzo-gumi's drug warehouse."
"The Bell Tower Sect has jumped in as well."
"Yes."
"To think they'd use a pseudo-religious cult on top of the yakuza—it's like calling in a tiger to ward off wolves."
"They already had deep ties with the Bell Tower Sect. Having already formed that connection, they probably figured there was no undoing it, so they might as well keep going."
Chief Han shrugged.
Tracing back through my memories, the cause and effect became even clearer.
Long ago, when Hwang Mu-yeol died, a cold jade elixir had been found on his person.
One of the Bell Tower Sect's 3 sacred medicines.
The Bell Tower Sect had been backing Hwang Mu-yeol, and the backroom dealings had started from that point.
The Bell Tower Sect's goal was clearly the Black Market.
"Gutsy bunch, aren't they. They know I'm behind Red Dragon Gate, so—"
I stopped mid-sentence.
"It's because I went to France."
"Yes."
Chief Han nodded.
Red Dragon Gate had grown stronger on the inside because of my presence, but on the outside, it had come to be seen as somewhat weakened.
From a brutal criminal organization to a warm, community-contributing group.
Its combat personnel had also been significantly reduced.
Partly because I'd weeded out the worthless thugs myself.
But also because I was the one who had wiped out Hwang Mu-yeol and his 60-some elite fighters.
Word had spread through the underworld.
That Red Dragon Gate had lost its old strength.
Then, with the Nameless Hero—who had served as their bulwark—leaving Korea for France, this mess had erupted.
"So once they knew I was gone, the hyenas came running."
"I wish they were all hyenas."
"Why?"
"There are lions. 2 of them, no less."
Chief Han's expression turned bitter.
"It seems the Japanese government is behind Senzo-gumi."
I'd anticipated this, so it wasn't much of a shock.
"I don't know how deeply Japan has gotten involved. But it's clear they helped Senzo-gumi enter Korea."
"Hmm."
"Apparently Japan recently sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saying that our fighting with Senzo-gumi could be treated as a diplomatic dispute."
"Minister Han Seung-pyo stepping away from his post must also be because of Japan picking a fight."
"Yes. And since Father isn't what he used to be, things aren't going smoothly."
Well, having stepped down from a sitting minister's position, people would naturally treat him differently.
"We need your 'magic', Hero!"
"Pardon?"
At my baffled expression, she gave a light laugh.
"You've always solved my problems, Hero. A few points of your finger, one phone call. And poof! Ta-da! Magic."
‘……Had I?’
The truth was, the current Chief Han was already managing things quite well on her own.
And Lee Won-ryong was working hard too.
But what had my attention now, was the scheme Hwangbo Geom was plotting through Murim Tower.
Therefore, dealing with Hwangbo Geom and Changbai Sect first was the priority.
The 2 women looked at me with faces full of expectation, like children who'd come to find their mother, hoping for my help, but—
I had a mountain of things to do, and I only had one body, so I couldn't handle every matter myself.
I'd leave the yakuza and the Bell Tower Sect to them and Lee Won-ryong.
Just as I'd resolved to do that, Chief Han made her plea with earnest eyes.
"Please help us!"
"You're already doing well."
"Hero! I told you. There are 2 lions that have come for the Black Market."
Her expression hardened even further than when she'd mentioned ‘Japan’.
I grew curious.
"And who is the other lion?"
Chief Han let out a heavy sigh and dropped her head.
A name I never would have expected came from her lips.
"Hwangbo Geom. My master."
"Hwangbo Geom!"
……Now that changes things entirely.
If things went well, everything I'd been aiming for might just be resolved in one fell swoop.
"Of course I have to help."
At those words, both women's faces brightened.
[The eyes of the 2 women who had been hoping for the Nameless Hero's 'magic' light up before them. +2,000 Happiness]
Hwangbo Geom, who had been quiet until now, suddenly coveting a share of the Black Market.
It didn't sit easily in my mind.
‘It's because of me, after all.’
The appearance of the Nameless Hero and Ghost had irritated Hwangbo Geom.
Word must have spread that Red Dragon Gate—which managed the Black Market—belonged to me, so he'd want to put me in my place.
"Let's lay this out."
Those who were trying to take my Black Market.
"Japanese yakuza who've moved in under the name Senzo-gumi, the Bell Tower Sect, Hwangbo Geom and Changbai Sect, and a Korean power player. That's 5. And they're all in on it together."
"Yes."
"The reason you temporarily shut down was because you learned of Hwangbo Geom's involvement?"
"That's one of the reasons."
"Now that I'm back, Park Jae-yeol and the others will lie low, won't they?"
"I thought so too, but no. It seems Senzo-gumi and affiliated groups have already gotten their hooks into them—paid them off or found leverage—so they're being dragged along."
"They'd willingly march into hell knowing it's hell?"
"They didn't know it was hell when they walked in. Until you returned, it must have felt like heaven for a little while."
‘So their plan is to somehow put out the fire at their feet right now, and then find a way to apologize to me after the fact.’
The air grew heavy.
I said nothing.
Im Ye-rin opened her mouth as if to lighten the mood.
"Shall I pour more tea?"
"No."
The already heavy atmosphere grew heavier still.
"Heh."
Then I chuckled, and both women looked at me with puzzled eyes.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because things are falling into place nicely, and I'm in a good mood."
"Pardon?"
"When it becomes possible to sweep everything away all at once—how could I not be pleased?"
"What do you mean?"
"Let's start hunting the 1st lion."
I took out my phone and dug through my pocket to pull out a single business card.
On the card was—
A phone number and a name written in Japanese.
'Itakura Hajime.'
The Prime Minister of Japan.
* * *
Beep-beep—.
—Nameless Hero!
The Japanese Prime Minister answered the phone in a delighted voice.
"Yes. I trust you've been well?"
—Oh! Don't even get me started. Thanks to you, Hero, I've finally gotten some relief.
He had broken through the 39th floor thanks to the antidote I gave him, and had quelled the public criticism.
On top of that, the hair that had all fallen out was growing back thick and fast, so he seemed to be in very high spirits.
The Prime Minister had originally lost all his front and top hair, with only some of the sides and back growing long.
That was how he'd earned the nickname ‘Jellyfish’.
By contrast, the nickname of Japan's young politician was ‘Young Wolf’.
Wolf vs. Jellyfish.
He'd become a laughingstock and a meme to be mocked—but lately, with his newly lush hair, he had reclaimed the image of a seasoned lion.
"By the way, it seems the journey back to Japan must have been quite long for you, Prime Minister."
—What?
"You told me you'd send the Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land the moment you returned."
—Ah, my apologies. The national heritage designation has been lifted, but the university holding the painting has been protesting.
He answered in an apologetic tone.
I'd never expected him to fulfill the promise right away, but—
His manner of making excuses displeased me.
"This is taking longer than expected, Prime Minister."
—My apologies. The procedures have been completed, so it should arrive in Korea by tomorrow morning.
Since I had it on speakerphone—
Chief Han and Im Ye-rin, who had been listening, looked utterly stunned.
Both of them understood some Japanese, it seemed.
I reached out a hand to calm them and continued the conversation.
"And the Seven-Branched Sword?"
—It's stored at the shrine, and the priests are in an uproar.
"The Seven-Branched Sword is different from the Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land. It was a gift from Baekje in the first place. I'm not even asking you to return it—you can keep it as a Japanese national treasure and still send it."
—That's true, but since it's a treasure of the shrine, the priests are throwing themselves on the floor in protest…… I'm working on persuading them. Ha-ha. And it wasn't a gift from Baekje—
"This isn't what we agreed on, Prime Minister."
I cut him off.
—I will resolve it promptly.
"Aren't you going to issue an apology on the comfort women issue?"
—That is currently being coordinated among the Diet members—
"Your hair must be growing in as lush as a lawn by now, Prime Minister. Why not make another TV appearance while you're at it?"
—Ha-ha-ha. I'm grateful for those words, but it is quite a sensitive matter, you see—
Swish—. Swish.
The Prime Minister must have been proudly running a comb through his hair.
The sound of brushing came drifting through the receiver.
‘I knew this would happen.’
The Prime Minister was a master of politics.
A man who had reached an unparalleled level of skill in lies and excuses.
Even back then, when the Prime Minister had readily agreed to every one of my requests, I'd already harbored suspicions.
Negotiation begins after you understand what the other party wants.
At the time, the Prime Minister had only just met me.
He hadn't known what I wanted.
Now that he did, he was scheming to use things like the comfort women issue and the Seven-Branched Sword as bargaining chips to extract more from me.
He'd also gotten a generous supply of antidote, so he was probably thinking of reproducing it through a pharmaceutical company.
Just as Park Jae-yeol had done.
It was a transparently obvious scheme.
And so it was pathetically amusing.
"I'm afraid—"
I told him in a weighted tone.
"I'm going to have to take the antidote back."
The Prime Minister was startled.
—H-how?
"I made certain… Modifications to the antidote, just in case."
—……!
"By now the color has turned yellowish, hasn't it?"
—Hero!
"In a few days, it'll be completely unusable."
A groan from beyond the receiver.
Then silence.
The Prime Minister answered.
In a composed voice, different from just moments before.
—I will immediately issue a statement tomorrow when I send over the Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land.
"Hmm."
—I will also send the Seven-Branched Sword as quickly as possible.
"When will you announce the Dokdo statement?"
—I will do that soon as well. So please, send the antidote back!
‘He only listens when you pick up the rod.’
"By the way, Prime Minister—the yakuza have entered Korea's Black Market. They call themselves Senzo-gumi."
—I will look into it.
"Looking into it isn't going to be enough."
A weighted pause.
The Prime Minister answered in a hurried voice.
—Senzo-gumi is under Ichiro-gumi! I will meet with the Ichiro-gumi oyabun.
"Hmm."
—Our government is not involved. So I cannot make promises.
‘He means that after Murim Tower, the yakuza no longer listen to the government.’
I'd have to pick up the rod once more.
"Prime Minister, are you aware?"
—Of what?
"The hair growth elixir I gave you—it only lasts a month."
—What!
The Japanese Prime Minister's shocked cry.
"You came to see me and it all grew back so beautifully…… I suppose it'll get sparse again."
The Prime Minister said nothing.
It wasn't merely a matter of a few strands of hair.
It was the same as saying I would sever the connection he had painstakingly built with the Nameless Hero.
A few seconds later, his voice came back tense.
—Please give me 1 hour. I will call you right back.
"I'm busy, Prime Minister. I'm about to book a flight to Japan."
—T-twenty, 20 minutes! I'll reach you within 20 minutes!
It wasn't even 10 minutes later.
The call came right back.
—The Ichiro-gumi oyabun says he knew nothing about this matter.
"And?"
—He says he will excommunicate Senzo-gumi.
Excommunication.
Meaning Senzo-gumi would no longer receive Japan's support.
"In that case—"
Grin.
I smiled and told the Prime Minister,
"I can kill them all, then?"
The Prime Minister paused briefly, and an answer that sounded almost like a groan came out.
—Yes.
"……!"
"……!"
Chief Han and Im Ye-rin clapped their hands over their mouths.
The final exchange with the Prime Minister.
—H-Hero. The, the antidote—
"Once everything you've promised has been fulfilled, we can talk then."
A brief hesitation, then—
—And the hair growth elixir?
The Prime Minister's voice—embarrassed yet desperate.
I told him in a heavy, deliberate tone.
"Wear a wig, Prime Minister."
Click—.
I ended the call.
Now, then. 1 cunning lion was down.
[The 2 vigilantes, witnessing the 'magic' that had just unfolded before their eyes, cannot close their mouths, muttering ‘Is this real?’ +3,000 Happiness]
I looked at Chief Han and asked.
"What is the vigilante's next plan?"
"W-we need to blow up more drug factories!"
"You already set one on fire, didn't you?"
"That was the 2nd factory. The main one is separate."
"And where is that?"
Chief Han's expression became troubled.
"That's information only Senzo-gumi's upper brass know. We'd have to capture one and interrogate them. However……"
Chief Han let her words trail off.
"They've gone into hiding, and it's proving extremely difficult to track them down. We've been combing through everything for 2 weeks and haven't even caught a tail."
Im Ye-rin raised both hands and added:
"That's why we're on temporary hiatus, Hero."
I smiled and rose from my seat.
"Don't worry about that."
Step. Step.
I walked over and grasped the door handle of the secret room, sealed with a steel door 40 millimetres thick.
"Actually, it's the Chamber of Truth."
Creak—.
Inside was a Senzo-gumi high-ranking officer, hanging with drips from multiple IV bags inserted into his arms, bound tight, unable to come to his senses.
[Master. That one was captured and locked away.]
Someone Lee Won-ryong had brought in.
I smiled at Chief Han.
"Magic."