I have no intention of accepting an apology.
Takayama flinched at Yamamoto's shouting, but did not take action right away.
Yamamoto's forehead became red as he became even more angry at the sight.
"What are you doing! Put your head in this guy's ass right now, you punk! Do you really think you'll only come to your senses if you die?"
Yamamoto's anger poured out.
Takayama glanced at me and bit his lip. He looked quite angry.
Still, I followed the instructions and slowly took five steps back.
He quickly got on the floor with one knee and then the other knee.
Even while kneeling, Takayama was looking straight into my eyes. His eyes were filled with anger and humiliation.
He put his hands on the floor and slammed his head into the floor in one fell swoop.
puck!
The sound echoed throughout the room as it hit the floor with such force that it seemed to shatter it.
Takayama remained in that position for a while without moving.
I watched the scene without saying a word. When no one opened their mouths, an awful silence descended.
As the heavy atmosphere continued, Yamamoto spoke first.
"President Kim Moo-hyuk. I'm sorry."
Yamamoto, who had been sitting upright and facing me, also knelt down.
"Your mistake is my mistake. So please forgive me. I will make sure that this never happens again."
He bowed his head, but I shook my head.
"I have no intention of accepting an apology."
Dogeza had to maintain a humble attitude if the other party did not accept the apology.
Yamamoto spoke urgently in response to my firm answer.
"I will do whatever you ask me to do. So······."
"If you do what I ask you to do smoothly, then I will accept your apology. Before that, I have no intention of accepting an apology."
"······president."
"By the way, are you going to leave that guy in that position forever? He looks like he's having a hard time."
"I won't let go of that posture unless you forgive me."
"Really? Then tell me to stay in that position for the rest of my life."
I took my mind off Takayama and focused my gaze on Yamamoto.
Yamamoto lowered his eyes, looking at her without any emotion.
Only after I confirmed that his momentum had subsided did I bring up the matter.
"Let's continue with what we were talking about earlier."
Yamamoto also did not ask for any more apologies.
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However, he did not order Takayama to relax his posture.
It was like treating Takayama as if he didn't exist.
"The reason I came to see you, Mr. Yamamoto, is because of the Heavenly Church. Do you happen to know about the Heavenly Church in Japan?"
"Are you talking about the Church of Heaven? I understand that there are some believers among our organization members."
The Church of Heaven was a religion that had taken root quite deeply in Japan.
I had a rough idea, but it seemed to dig deeper than I thought.
There are even some believers among the organization members.
"I put the head of the Church of Heaven in prison and supported my third son as his successor. But then, all of a sudden, a Japanese politician asked me to release him."
Yamamoto nodded as if he understood what was going on.
"It is an open secret that LDP politicians attend Church of Heaven events."
"He said that if I don't let him go, he'll interfere with what I'm doing."
"Huh? What do you mean? You said you were against what the president was doing? Has the relationship between Prime Minister Koizumi and the president become strained?"
I shook my head slightly.
"It's not him. I discussed various issues with Prime Minister Koizumi today. Mr. Yamamoto, do you know Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki?"
When Hiroyuki's name was mentioned, Yamamoto's eyes shook slightly.
It's surprising that someone who knows that Liberal Democratic Party politicians often appear at Tengoku Church events is surprised to hear Hiroyuki's name.
Is it possible that Yamamoto joined hands with Hiroyuki?
I pretended not to know and asked again.
"Don't you know Hiroyuki from the Liberal Democratic Party?"
Yamamoto quickly nodded and answered my question.
"No, I know. Aren't you the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the current cabinet?"
"You know, that guy demanded that I release the president."
"······Was that person a member of the Church of Heaven?"
Shintodamada. When the topic of the Church of Heaven comes up, my eyes start to wander.
"Yes. He seemed very obsessed with it. He was almost like a fanatic. I didn't even realize it. Did Mr. Yamamoto know about this information?"
"I had no idea."
"It has nothing to do with you?"
I asked lightly on purpose to gauge Yamamoto's reaction.
But Yamamoto didn't answer.
There is something. I looked straight into his eyes and asked again.
"I am asking now whether Yamaguchi-gumi and Hiroyuki have any relationship."
Yamamoto sighed deeply at the cold question.
"······He is a politician who has been putting in a lot of effort in our organization lately."
Look at this? I let out a laugh without realizing it.
That's why black-headed beasts are not slaughtered.
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"This is driving me crazy. You're putting effort into Prime Minister Koizumi's political opponent. Do you know what that means?"
I left it alone and it started to do tricks secretly.
That's why I'm telling you not to do anything with the Japanese.
"I was secretly thinking of something else."
Yamamoto bowed his head deeply.
"It was an inevitable choice for our survival. Prime Minister Koizumi still has more influence, but who knows what will happen in the future? That's why we approached him first."
"Did you do it yourself?"
"No. The deputy chief next door took charge of the Hiroyuki faction."
I turned my gaze to Takayama, who was still motionless in the pose where he had put the dogeza.
"Yamamoto, you took charge of Koizumi, and behind the scenes, you had the deputy chief of staff take care of Hiroyuki. It's so low-class for someone who's not even a local punk. Ah, I understand now. You were testing me? Or did Hiroyuki order you to do it?"
Yamamoto answered urgently.
"No! We're still at the line-up level. We're not close."
I needed an answer, not an excuse. Yamamoto was about to say something more, but I raised my hand and stopped him.
"Not you, Takayama, but I want to hear that person's answer."
Only then did Yamamoto turn his gaze and look at Takayama.
"Takayama. Raise your head. Answer the boss."
As Yamamoto urged him, Takayama slowly raised his head, which had been bowed.
Blood was dripping down his forehead. It seemed like it had been torn open by the impact when he had hit his head on the floor earlier.
Takayama lowered his eyes and spoke in a hushed voice.
"······It wasn't Hiroyuki who told me to do it."
I asked, looking into Takayama's eyes. There was still a sense of humiliation in his downcast eyes.
"Hiroyuki wasn't involved in this?"
"······."
"Takayama!"
When Takayama just bit his lips and didn't answer, Yamamoto called out to him in a panicked voice.
"No?"
Takayama answered Yamamoto's question.
"No, Mr. President. However, Hiroyuki was contacted. He told me that there was a man named Kim Moo-hyeok in Tokyo and that I should meet him. However, what happened today has nothing to do with Hiroyuki.
"This is crazy."
Yamamoto touched his forehead.
I raised one corner of my mouth and said to Yamamoto.
"Is this still a misunderstanding?"
I never expected that Hiroyuki and Yamaguchi-gumi would be connected.
Although the relationship between politics and the yakuza is said to be like that between a crocodile and a crocodile bird, it was rare for one organization to side with both sides of opposing politicians.
"It's a real misunderstanding, boss. I haven't had much contact with Hiroyuki yet. I just tried to get in line just in case, but I haven't done anything yet. Takayama. Tell me exactly what was discussed. The reason I was rude to boss Kim Moo-hyeok today wasn't all because that guy Hiroyuki told me to do it, right?"
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Now Yamamoto was not excited.
With an even colder voice, he turned to Takayama, who still had his head up.
"······I didn't order him to do it. He told me to meet him and make him do what he wanted. If I handled it smoothly, he said that if he ever became prime minister, he would look after us in the same way."
"You're crazy. You're crazy. You're really crazy."
"Isn't that what the President wanted? To create a line with Hiroyuki by any means necessary. We are the Yakuza. What could be easier than granting their request?"
Yamamoto, who had been sighing deeply, suddenly shouted.
"You crazy kid! I told you about President Kim Moo-hyuk!"
"······."
"Don't you know that Koizumi, no, President Kim Moo-hyuk, is a more important person than Hiroyuki? Do you do such a thing knowingly?"
"Today's work has nothing to do with Hiroyuki. It's just······."
Takayama, whose voice was trailing off, looked at me and said:
"I just wanted to know what kind of person the president praises so much."
It was an absurd reason. Yamamoto's face turned pale as he let out a snicker.
"Takayama! With just one word from President Kim Moo-hyeok, the public power that protected us will disappear. Prime Minister Koizumi is not protecting us because I am good, but because President Kim Moo-hyeok here asked him to, you idiot!"
"What, what do you mean? Prime Minister Koizumi is accepting that man's request."
"Ha······. It's my fault for not explaining it properly."
I don't know how Yamamoto explained me to the members of the organization, but it wasn't my business.
It was as if he was deliberately putting on a show for me.
But I had no intention of listening to their conversation any longer, as it made me feel stupid just listening to it.
"Yamamoto."
When I called him without the polite title he had been using, Yamamoto hurriedly turned to look at me.
"How long do I have to listen to this nonsense?"
"I'm sorry, but this has nothing to do with me. I will immediately cut ties with Hiroyuki."
"Mr. President!"
Takayama called out to Yamamoto in surprise.
Yamamoto also realized that he was no longer at a level where he could stop Takayama, so he ignored Takayama's call.
Instead of looking at him with cold eyes, I drew a blueprint in my head.
I felt like I could use this situation to my advantage if I did it right.
'It depends on how deep the relationship between Hiroyuki and the vice-captain is.'
I gathered my thoughts and opened my mouth again.
"How far are you involved with Hiroyuki?"
In response to my question, Yamamoto said to Takayama.
"If the boss asks you a question, just answer."
Takayama bowed his head again and answered obediently.
"It has gotten to the point where we have exclusive conversations."
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"A person called the Chief Cabinet Secretary is having an exclusive meeting with the yakuza? And with the second-in-command?"
I couldn't help but be surprised by this.
Even for the Yamaguchi-gumi, which has the greatest influence in Japan, it was a difficult task.
"Yes. Because I put in a year of effort."
"No matter what, it won't be easy to have a monopoly."
There was a reason Yamamoto cherished Takayama. Takayama seemed to be quite resourceful.
"Then, if I give you instructions, can you make a separate meeting place?"
"······yes."
Although it was a beat late, the answer came back that it was possible.
This might work out pretty easily, I said with a soft smile.
"Okay. If you do a good job of completing the tasks I ask you to do this time, I will forgive you for the mistakes you made today. Repay me by doing what I tell you to do."
"······."
Takayama just lowered his head without saying anything.
The answer came back from Yamamoto.
"I will do so, sir. I will give instructions to complete whatever you ask."
Whatever it was, the goal was achieved. I nodded and looked away from Takayama.
"Okay, then let's kick the boss out and talk between you two."
Yamamoto spoke to Takayama.
"Takayama. Go out and wait."
"Yes, sir."
Takayama, who was getting up, stumbled for a moment.
My legs seemed to hurt, perhaps because I was in such an uncomfortable position for so long.
But neither I nor Yamamoto paid any attention until he started to back away.
As he left and the door closed, Yamamoto bowed his head.
"President Kim Moo-hyuk. I'm sorry."
"Well, that's okay. I think things will get easier thanks to this."
I raised one corner of my mouth and smiled, a smile that was often described as evil.
"What do you plan to do?"
"Isn't it a bad thing in Japan for politics and religion to be intertwined?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Japan is an even more problematic country. It was the same a hundred years ago."
The Japanese regarded the emperor as a god.
They were a people with a natural tendency to be fanatics.
< I don't intend to accept an apology > End
< I was thinking of something else later >