It's over when you kill me
Takayama's eyes wavered at Hiroyuki's suggestion.
"That guy Yamamoto also rebelled against the previous Oyabun. He split the organization and created his own organization. In the end, he took over the Oyabun and became the master of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Why wouldn't you do the same? If I push you, you could probably do even more."
"······President Yamamoto is like a father to me."
Hiroyuki twisted his lips in a mocking tone at Takayama's words.
"Is that really what you mean? If so, I won't advise you any further. I thought we could be good partners."
"······."
"It's not that difficult. Yamamoto trusts you, so it's actually easy."
Takayama opened his mouth and tried to say something.
But Hiroyuki raised his hand and stopped Takayama, saying:
"Think carefully before you answer. I'm not the kind of person who makes recommendations twice. Or, no, don't think about looking around for no reason. I won't stand by and watch Yamaguchi-gumi try to grab my line because even Koizumi isn't enough."
Takayama hesitated and could not easily open his mouth.
As he watched him ponder for a long time, Hiroyuki's lips twisted into an even more vile expression.
* * *
The restaurant where Hiroyuki and Takayama meet is a place with strict security.
From the entrance, they remove cell phones, thoroughly search people's bodies, and completely block any equipment that could record them.
That condition was a rule unique to that restaurant that no one in politics or business could avoid.
And that was the reason why people from both political and business circles sought out that restaurant.
Since the restaurant was built, not once has a conversation inside leaked outside.
Perhaps that's why Hiroyuki seemed to be comfortable talking about his plans.
'But do I have to follow those rules too? I don't have to.'
I had already installed cameras and listening devices in the area where the two were conversing.
Their conversation was being watched by everyone, and Yamamoto was next to me.
"Hey, this kid! How dare you!"
Yamamoto got excited and jumped up from his seat at Hiroyuki's suggestion to create and grow a new organization instead of the Yamaguchi-gumi.
It looked like he was going to head to a restaurant at any moment.
"Sit down. Don't even think about messing up your work."
I spoke in a emotionless voice without taking my eyes off the monitor.
"Mr. Kim! Isn't that kid trying to kill me right now?"
Yamamoto raised his voice. Yamamoto's excitement did not subside easily.
I looked up at Yamamoto, who had just stood up, and said.
"Do I have to tell you twice? Sit down."
Yamamoto flinched when he saw my cold gaze. He who had been grumbling quickly sat down.
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"I told you, if you let Hiroyuki live, you never know what will happen. Do you understand what I mean now?"
"······."
"Hiroyuki is someone who tried to use me. Do you think that someone like that would leave you alone while you are in such a close relationship with me? No way."
Yamamoto was chewing his lips as he listened to me. He was so angry that his hands were clenched into fists and turned pale.
"Will Takayama really reject this offer? Let's see what choice he makes. If he rejects this offer, I will spare Takayama's life."
"Is that true?"
I nodded instead of answering.
A man with that much loyalty would be worth forgiving once.
But how could that be? Takayama is a yakuza. It is their nature for a son to kill his father, and for that man's son to grow up and kill his father.
In a world rife with betrayal, there was no one who remained loyal to the end.
Even from what I heard, the bait Hiroyuki threw out was so sweet.
If he breaks my expectations and makes that choice, I have decided to respect Takayama.
Yes, if you do that.
― President Yamamoto is like a father to me.
Takayama opened his mouth to answer, and Yamamoto's expression brightened along with it.
"Look. He's not the one who would betray me. He's the one who knows how much I think of him."
Isn't this level of nonsense a work of art?
It was funny how he agreed to kill Takayama so that he could live, and now he's doing this.
And Yamamoto, who was just so happy, didn't notice, but I saw it clearly.
Even if you answer like that, Takayama's eyes are still shaking even in the poor quality video.
Hiroyuki continued talking, and Takayama made no reply.
- Think carefully and answer.
Hiroyuki threw the ball to Takayama for the last time.
Takayama mumbled without answering.
Yamamoto frowned at the sight.
"What are you doing! I need to tell you to stop talking nonsense right now!"
Takayama didn't answer for quite a while, whether he knew or not what Yamamoto was thinking.
I spoke to Yamamoto while drinking from the teacup placed in front of me.
"Would you like to make a bet? What are you going to say out of Takayama's mouth?"
"······."
"I will ask you how. How do you plan to do it? I will ask you about the plan. And if the plan is feasible, the author will betray you."
Yamamoto glared at me, biting his lips tightly.
He was so angry that his blood vessels burst and his eyes were bloodshot.
"No. Takayama will never betray me."
I shrugged my shoulders as I watched him chew on each word as he spoke.
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It will also be interesting to see how Yamamoto's faith returns.
And finally, Takayama's mouth opened on the monitor.
- Please tell me your plan. If the plan is certain, and if the Chief Cabinet Secretary's promise is certain, I will do everything I can.
As I expected, Takayama could not resist the temptation.
"This kid dares to betray me?!"
Yamamoto jumped up from his seat again and tried to turn around to leave.
But he was blocked by Director Ma, who was standing guard in front of the door.
"Go back."
"Get out of the way! Unless you want to die."
Yamamoto confronted Director Ma, who was unable to see anything.
No, maybe he's acting like that because he's never really seen Director Ma move.
"Mr. Yamamoto, let's go ahead with the plan. It'll just end with killing him."
Yamamoto turned his head at my voice.
"I have to ask you myself. Why did you betray me? How could you do this to me?"
Me, Won. You completely forgot what you did and are talking about loyalty to your subordinates.
I raised one corner of my mouth and smiled. It was such an obvious mockery that Yamamoto flinched.
"You too have surpassed the previous Oyabun and are now in this position. What did Takayama see and learn? Yamamoto, you are trying to follow the same path that he walked."
"what?"
"Am I wrong? It was Mr. Yamamoto who split the organization in half and created a new one after losing the competition for the Yamaguchi-gumi's successor."
He had no answer to my continued speech.
"If it weren't for my help, Mr. Yamamoto would have died alone in Korea. So there's no reason to blame Takayama. He also chose his own way of living. Let's go ahead as planned. Don't make it difficult. But if we have to leave, we'll have to force Mr. Yamamoto to sit down. Let's not do that. I want to respect Mr. Takayama."
Yamamoto was also known as a martial artist within the yakuza.
But no matter how successful he was, he was just a fighter from the underworld, and he couldn't compare to Chief Ma, who had fought countless battles while crossing the line of death on the battlefield.
Yamamoto glared at Director Ma and then turned back to me.
"Boss. The yakuza have their own methods. I can't kill you so easily. I will kill Hiroyuki myself."
Yamamoto continued to speak in an attempt to convince me.
"Shouldn't you just kill Hiroyuki? I'll go and kill him myself, for sure. Who cares who kills him?"
Yamamoto was so angry that his head didn't seem to be working properly.
"Kill me yourself, Mr. Yamamoto. Have you forgotten where you are now? What will you do if it becomes a problem later?"
"There are many people who would serve prison time in my place. No one will ever know."
I thought I knew why Yamamoto was so excited.
If Takayama, his most loyal subordinate, was swept away so easily, then the other subordinates would be the same.
So I guess he must be anxious. But I had no reason to tolerate his tantrums.
"Let's take it easy, take it easy. I don't want to create another variable in something that can be easily handled. So come and take a look."
Even while Yamamoto and I were talking, the two people on the monitor were continuing their conversation.
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- Do you have a subordinate you trust? A subordinate who would die if you told him to.
I continued to listen to their conversation and said to Yamamoto.
"This is your final warning. Take your seats."
"······."
Yamamoto didn't move, but just trembled with anger.
After seeing Yamamoto like that, I looked at Director Ma.
Director Ma, who had read my intention to bring him here by force, placed a hand on Yamamoto's shoulder.
Yamamoto shouted, roughly pushing away Director Ma's hand that was grabbing his shoulder.
"Don't touch me! Before I kill you for real."
Yamamoto, who had been glaring at Director Ma while warning him, came towards me while deliberately making a loud noise.
"President Kim Mu-hyeok."
"Go ahead."
"I will do exactly as you say in this matter. But, please keep this in mind. I am not your subordinate."
I have pride in my appearance. I nodded with a smirk.
"I know. I never thought of Mr. Yamamoto as a subordinate. If I had thought of him as a subordinate, I would have already ceased to be a human being when he made a mistake toward me."
"······."
"Sit down. My head hurts. And I have something important to talk about right now, so you have to listen. I think the reason Hiroyuki is so confident is because there is already a traitor within the Yamaguchi-gumi, or there is a high probability that he has recruited another organization."
Yamamoto sighed and sat down next to me.
- Can you trust that subordinate?
- Yes. He is a friend who only follows my instructions, not the President's.
As I expected, Hiroyuki nodded at Takayama's answer.
― Have that friend choose a member of Prime Minister Koizumi's party and commit terrorism.
- yes?
― If you successfully complete that task, then something fun will happen. Yamamoto will be surrounded by a tight net that he can never escape. Then, the subordinate organizations will support you from within and support you at the same time.
Of course, there was an organization that sympathized with them internally. The yakuza betray as easily as they eat rice.
I turned my head slightly to look at Yamamoto, and blood burst out from his clenched lips.
"I guess I'm right? I need to do some internal reorganization. There are quite a few friends I'll be handing over to Prime Minister Koizumi this time. I don't think there's any reason to listen any longer. Contact me."
Yamamoto took out his cell phone and made a call to someone.
I heard the other person's voice as I switched to speaker mode.
"······Go in and kill everyone there."
- Yes, sir.
"Suzuo. Your family will live their entire lives with money they will never be able to touch. You will go, but promise to take good care of your remaining family."
- yes.
"Then move."
Yamamoto finished his instructions without saying a word and stared blankly at the monitor.
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Having almost finished their conversation, Takayama and Hiroyuki were happily organizing their plans.
Then, suddenly, the door opened.
- Takayama! You traitorous bastard! Die!
The man who burst in fired a gun at Takayama without warning.
Takayama was startled and hurriedly ducked, but was unable to avoid the bullet.
But it wasn't a fatal wound, Takayama said, glaring at the man who came in.
- Suzuo! What are you doing!
- This traitor!
Hiroyuki also couldn't move with a surprised expression on his face.
― You idiot! You know who's here and you're shooting!
Takayama screamed, pressing his hand against his bleeding arm from where he was shot.
Suzuo's eyes wavered. Takayama shouted again without missing a beat.
― The Chief Cabinet Secretary! If this guy dies, not only you, but your family, and our entire organization will be ruined! Come to your senses! Who are you? What kind of punk ordered me to kill him?!
Suzuo failed to fire his gun again.
< It's over when you kill me > End
< Make sure to take care of it >