You should also keep in mind the withdrawal.
"He is the most unusual politician I have ever seen."
After reviewing Luogan's data for hours without stopping, my eyes started to hurt.
I closed my eyes and put the documents down. As I pressed my forehead, Director Ma brought me artificial tears.
"Thank you, sir."
After putting in a few drops of artificial tears and blinking, my dry eyes felt a little better.
I said this while taking a sip of the tea that Director Ma had brought along with the artificial tears.
"Oh my, it wasn't like this before, I guess I'm getting older."
As I was whining, Director Ma smiled faintly.
"By the way, the more I dig into this guy Luogan, the more difficult it becomes to understand him."
Although he was a politician who did not stand out, that did not mean he had no power at all.
As he concurrently held the positions of Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and Member of the Standing Committee, his actual power was comparable to that of Hu Jintao.
In China, where a collective leadership system exists, absolute power cannot exist.
This was because, since Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist Party has insisted on a thoroughgoing collective leadership system.
It was a peace maintained through agreement between those in power who keenly felt the harm that would result when all power was concentrated in one person.
"He is a person who has great power in China, a collective leadership system, but he does not have any particular weaknesses. He was in the forefront of the persecution of Falun Gong during the Falun Gong incident, but that is something I should not touch······."
He is a man who is difficult to suppress with money or power. How should we conquer this man?
"I must first meet with Premier Li Peng."
The person who brought Luo Gan into central politics.
An unfortunate politician who fell out of favor with Deng Xiaoping during the suppression of the Tiananmen Square incident and ultimately failed to become General Secretary.
I had already met him once in Shanghai.
"If you go through Boshilai, you'll probably be able to make an appointment easily."
"Yes, I will try to contact you."
After seeing Director Ma bowing his head, he got up from his seat.
"Oh, and please keep adding firewood so that the issue of the Church of Heaven never dies down."
People's interest tends to evaporate over time.
However, if you keep adding firewood, the fire will not be easily extinguished and will continue to burn.
I was thinking of keeping my interest to a level where I could moderate it.
"What about Yamamoto?"
"I am currently staying at headquarters."
"I think we should meet up and talk before I go back to Korea."
"I'll prepare that too."
As soon as Director Ma left, the room became quiet again.
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It was a brief moment of respite.
I felt like I wouldn't have time to close my eyes if I didn't do this, so I quickly headed to bed.
* * *
The net of investigation into the Church of Heaven was closing in, and the internal strife within the Church of Heaven in Japan was coming to an end.
Suspicious articles also continued to pour in without a break.
The eyes of not only Japanese politics but also the citizens were all focused on the Church of Heaven.
Now, the Japanese branch of the Church of Heaven was at a crossroads of survival, not a question of whether to remain with the main branch or separate and stand alone.
"It's been a while, President Kim Mu-hyeok."
Moon Kyung-deok bowed his head slightly and greeted me.
Last time he visited unofficially, but this time he visited Japan officially, leading a special delegation.
"It's been a while. I didn't know you would come looking for me as soon as you entered the country."
"To convey the message of Comrade Chairman."
It was a message from Jang Song-taek. I was a little curious about what kind of news he had brought.
"Let's go in and see."
"He said he was grateful for this incident. He said that he was able to improve relations with Japan on better terms than he had expected."
"It was possible because of the great decision of Chairman Jang Song-taek. The abduction issue is something that exposes North Korea's corruption."
"Still, there was some internal dissatisfaction."
"I guess so. There must be many authors who are afraid to admit their 'mistakes'."
Those who had spearheaded the abduction of Japanese citizens still remained in key positions.
"Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission has decided to merge the relevant organizations."
It wasn't surprising since it was something I had already expected. However, when I pretended to be surprised out of courtesy, Moon Kyung-deok smiled awkwardly.
After that, he continued telling the story in detail.
He was talking too long. I raised my hand to cut him off.
"The introduction is too long. Let's get to the point now."
Moon Kyung-deok took note of my expression, sighed deeply, and said.
"······China is pressuring Comrade Chairman of the State Council."
"In China? For what reason?"
"They are using the development of the Sinuiju Special Economic Zone as an excuse, but in the end, they are shaking up Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission with aid supplies to support our republic."
Look at this? While China was pressuring South Korea, it was also pressuring North Korea.
It seemed as if they were moving with determination, fearing that China's influence on the Korean Peninsula would disappear.
"I have a rough idea of what is going on. What does China want?"
"There are no demands. That makes me even more frustrated. Do you know anything?"
"There were no requirements?"
Moon Kyung-deok continued speaking, frowning as if he was frustrated.
"Yes, that's right. If you make demands, we'll try to negotiate, but there's no promise. If the aid coming from China is cut off now, the Republic will fall into great chaos."
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"That will never happen. They are just trying to pressure us. Even if they cut off support, it is not something that China decided on its own. It is something that was agreed upon by six countries, including the US, Russia, and Japan, so they cannot unilaterally break it."
"but······."
Moon Kyung-deok sighed again, trailing off.
I knew what he was worried about.
If there are problems in relations with China, there will be more people questioning Jang Song-taek's abilities, as there are no real results yet.
"The most urgent thing is oil, right?"
"Yes."
"I will support that through Russia."
Moon Kyung-deok's face brightened noticeably at my words.
"Thank you. As expected, President Kim Moo-hyuk is a hero of the Republic."
He chuckled at the routine greeting.
Heroes, no. I just don't like what China is doing.
"It's nothing. Tell the State Council Chairman not to be dragged around by China. If you make a concession once, China will want more. That's the kind of people they are."
"I know that, but······. It's not easy. Because pro-Chinese people occupy key positions."
"Well, the Chairman of the State Council was pro-China. But it's not good to be dragged around once you've seized power."
"Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission also has the same thoughts as Chairman Kim Moo-hyeok, so he will gradually regain his balance."
I could understand why Moon Kyung-deok deliberately brought up the topic of China.
Jang Song-taek must have thought of receiving the necessary supplies through me.
Since Korea was also under pressure from China at the time, it would have been an appropriate time to bring up the issue.
"And I think you should cooperate more closely with the Korean government. What China wants is influence over the Korean Peninsula. If the two countries are tightly united, it will not be easy to pressure China."
"Comrade Chairman, you also said so."
It was a huge learning experience just to learn that China was pressuring both South Korea and North Korea at the same time.
Knowing the situation made it a simple matter of how to respond.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"Is there any problem with the Church of Heaven?"
"The Church of Heaven? Why are you suddenly asking that?"
"Story related to the Heavenly Church came out in both Korea and Japan at the same time. And President Kim Mu-hyeok is still staying in Japan. Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission thinks this is related to the president. He told me to help if there is anything I can do."
Why? I didn't want to create a variable now.
I just smiled.
"What can I help you with?"
"There is a Church of Heaven in our Republic too. If you wish, I will close it."
"Oh, come to think of it, Chairman Han Sung-jin was quite enthusiastic about North Korea. No. Leave him alone."
Moon Kyung-deok nodded as he spoke in a soft but firm tone.
"I will take care of the issue of the Church of Heaven, so this time, you should definitely negotiate the North Korea-Japan relationship. This visit will be the cornerstone for the North Korea-Japan summit, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
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"It would be better for both countries to deal with this quickly while Japan is distracted by the scandal. Don't drag it out, and wrap it up as agreed upon at that time."
Moon Kyung-deok continued the conversation for about thirty minutes and then left.
"China is pressuring South Korea and North Korea at the same time. This is much more difficult than I thought."
"What do you want to do, boss?"
"We must also consider withdrawing from China."
For me, letting go of the Chinese market, which has great potential for growth, was a decision that required a lot of bleeding.
But it would have been more damaging to have been dragged on like this.
"This is not the time to trust Hu Jintao or Wen Jiabao. If Jiang Zemin had taken action himself, Hu Jintao or Wen Jiabao would not be able to stop him. Not yet. And we can't say for sure that Hu Jintao has different ideas from Jiang Zemin."
"Okay, boss. I'll get it ready."
"What about your promise with Li Feng?"
"They are refusing to meet you."
"Can I contact you through Boshirai?"
Director Ma answered, slightly bowing his head as if he was ashamed.
"The only answer I got was that there was no reason to meet."
I frowned involuntarily. There was no way Li Peng would have reconciled with Jiang Zemin.
Li Feng might think the same thing about this incident.
"There's nothing we can do. Let's leak some of Li Feng's weaknesses through Murdoch. Then he'll contact us on his own."
"Yes. I will contact Murdoch."
"Let's take our time to resolve that… What about the Japanese church?"
"The main faction has seized the opportunity."
"That's great. If there's anything you can support, please support it."
It was finally time to end the long journey.
At that moment, news began to flow from the TV that was turned on.
― A North Korean special envoy visited Tokyo. This visit was for preliminary negotiations for the establishment of diplomatic relations between North Korea and Japan.
I was lost in thought as I listened to the news about the visit of the North Korean special envoy.
* * *
Han Hyun-soo broke his hold on the main unit and moved to the port where Han Hyun-jin and Han Hyun-woo were being held.
As planned, the investigation into the Church of Heaven flowed in the direction of blaming Han Sung-jin, Kim Sun-ja, and the disappearance of Han Hyeon-jin and Han Hyeon-woo for all the accusations.
"Power is so great, isn't it?"
The mercenary captain made no answer.
But Han Hyun-soo continued talking, as if he was expecting an answer.
"I can blame everything I did on someone else. I can take this opportunity to let it all out and start over."
As the work was large, the size of the Church of Heaven will decrease.
But if you organize everything neatly, increasing the size is not a problem.
"It's time to end it now. So that we can start something new."
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Han Hyun-soo's face, as he spoke calmly, was not bright at all.
A harbor covered in thick darkness as clouds obscure the moon.
Han Hyun-soo got out of his car and headed to the port late at night to avoid people's attention.
As he walked slowly, the warehouse door opened.
Everyone inside turned their attention to Han Hyun-soo.
The three people who had been lying on the floor tied up and seemingly unharmed also moved their bodies rapidly when they saw Han Hyun-soo.
"I want everyone to leave."
The mercenary captain approached the Cheonha Group manager after hearing Han Hyun-soo's monologue.
"I would like you to leave for a moment."
The manager, who had been smoking a cigarette, raised one corner of his mouth.
"Why should we do that? Our orders were simply to guard those three and not kill them."
"I didn't come here to start a pointless fight. Isn't it time to wrap things up now?"
The manager's face crumpled at the mercenary captain's words, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and extinguished it with his shoe.
"Wait. I'll contact you upstairs."
He took out his cell phone and made a call to someone.
"Yes, sir. Han Hyun-soo has come to see you. Yes, yes. Understood."
"After a brief conversation, the manager said:
"You want us to take care of the rest. Wait outside. Call me when you're done."
Before even hearing the mercenary captain's answer, the manager took the Cheonha Group employees out.
The heavy iron door closed.
Inside, only the mercenaries, the mercenary captain, and the three men who were captured along with Han Hyeon-su remained.
Han Hyun-soo, who had dragged a chair and sat down, threw the newspaper he had prepared in front of the tied up men.
"See this? All the illegal activities that happened in the Church of Heaven have been passed on to my brothers. Even the things I did."
"Ugh, ugh."
"If my brothers were alive, I would be in trouble, right?"
"Ugh! Ugh!"
"So I came here to finish it now. But I wanted to see it with my own eyes at the end. So······."
Han Hyun-soo closed his mouth as he spoke. He tried to speak calmly, but he was annoyed by the trembling voice.
"Why did you make me do this?"
At that time, Han Hyun-jin and Han Hyun-woo crawled along the ground like caterpillars and came to Han Hyun-soo's feet.
"Ouch!"
It seemed like he was saying something, but I couldn't hear him clearly because of the gag in his mouth.
But Han Hyun-soo spoke as if he knew what he was trying to say.
"It's too late to turn back. Me, my brothers, and my mother… I gave up too much to get here."
After finishing speaking, Han Hyun-soo stood up from his seat.
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"Let's wrap this up now. Big brother. Little brother. See you later in hell."
Han Hyun-soo turned around and walked towards the entrance.
"Oww, eww!!"
The iron door opened, and the Cheonha Group manager who had been waiting outside approached.
"Is the story over?"
Han Hyun-soo didn't answer, so the mercenary captain answered instead.
"You can just clean it up now."
"Okay."
As soon as Han Hyun-soo left the warehouse, the employees of Cheonha Group went inside.
The iron door closed with a heavy sound.
Han Hyun-soo said, looking up at the moon that was hidden behind clouds.
"······Now I have to send my mother away too."
The next day.
Kim Seon-ja was found dead at the headquarters of the Church of Heaven.
< You should also keep in mind the withdrawal > End
< It's a small thing, a big problem >