บท 371: Chapter 371: Show Your Sincerity
On the surface, Koizumi, the Prime Minister of Japan, seemed to be the highest authority. But a closer look revealed the truth was quite different.
Due to Japan's political structure, if one can achieve stable power, they could hold the Prime Minister position for decades.
It was obvious how much Koizumi must have felt like a failure after realizing the existence of the Dae Dong-hui, thinking he had ta taken Japan under his control.
Eventually, yielding to their demands, Koizumi paid his respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, pouring cold water over the previously warming Korea-Japan relations.
However, since Koizumi wasn't a member of the Dae Dong-hui, they likely hadn'tn't shared all their information with him…
To defend himself, he would have struggled in his position while keeping an eye on the Self-Defense Forces as they prepared for military action.
Then suddenly, he must have recalled me, who had joined forces with him a few years ago.
I could see his thoughts clearly when he came looking for me under the pretense of the World Cup festival, seeking contact.
He hoped that by giving me this information, I would take care of dealing with the Daedong Society myself.lf.
""Present your price."
With that statement, I fell silent. I crossed my arms and leaned back into the sofa as if to hide.
I wanted to give Koizumi time to think, but I too needed some time to sort through my thoughts.
The sudden appearance of the Dae Dong-hui and its connection on to Choi Seon-man was a shock.
I even suspected it might be related to the Cheongpung Group, but after their collapse, there had been no movement from them.
'The game has already been set, if I need to play on this board, I must lead.'
I had no intention of being used as someone else's pawn.
"What could I possibly present as my price?"
After some time, Koizumi finally opened his mouth. He spoke with a tense expression.
"Do you have something you desire?"
What did I want from Koizumi? Nothing came to mind. I had never really considered it.
"You should find what I desire, Prime Minister. You don't expect to just give me whatever you feel like, right?"
"Hmm…"
Koizumi sighed, troubled. It seemed the situation had thrown off his plans.
"I didn't think you would demand a price. You probably thought that if I just provided the information, I would come running at any cost to deal with the Daedong Society, right?"t?"
"…"
"Honestly, from your perspective, it probably doesn't matter either way. It's fine whether the Society and I perish in our conflict, or if I prevail. If the Society wins, surely you have a counterplan prepared too, right?"
Deciding to end this meeting, I realized I had to play along with the board that Koizumi had set without adequate information.
I absolutely hated that.
"Think about what you can offer me. I set the deadline for before the World Cup ends. The Dae Dong-hui or the Ilhwa Associociation likely won't make any moves while the tournament is ongoing. I will visit Japan on the day of the finals."
"Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok, that seems a bit.. if you suddenly come to Japan, the Dae Dong-hui will surely suspectect something."
"I'll go with Congressman Song Chan-hyeok. One of my club's payers will be in the finals, and as the club owner, I should be there personally."
"The finals?"
Koizumi questioned my previous statement, but I changed the topic.
"If the Dae Dong-hui disappears this timtime, the biggest beneficiary will essentially be you, Prime Minister. So shouldn't the compensation you give me match that? It has to be enough to motivate me into action."
I rose from my seat. Now that I had pressed him, perhaps I should also resolve the issues that were bothering me too.
"But first, show your sincerity. Finish the acquisition of Ilseong Electronics' semiconductor division, which Toshiba and the Japanese government are currently pushing for."
"No, what do you mean by…"
"Can you do it?"
I looked down at Koizumi with an expression devoid of emotion.
"I can't just do that without adequate considerations…"
"If you can't even show me that level of sincerity, what do you expect to achieve? Do you think I'd want to collaborate with someone who once betrayed me? Do I seem like a pushover?"
"Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok, wait a moment… jst a bit more talk…"
I raised my hand to cut Koizumi off.
"Will you do it? Or will you take care of it yourself? If it's difficult, I can help you figure out an excuse. I see that hedge funds are trying to team up with Dream High, who are eager to capture Ilseong Electronics. Wouldn't this scenario make it easier for you to maneuver? No matter how powerful the Ministry of Finance is, if we participate, you can predict how the situation will unfold."
A chill rose in my eyes. Koizumi flinched at what he saw.
Did he think I might actually do it? He nodded anxiously.
"Alright. I will do my best. However, regarding the Daedong Society…".."
"Consider it until our next meeting. Think about what you can offer me and how to deal with them. I will also devise a strategy for dealing with them. That way, we can discuss some good approaches together next time."
My mind was a jumbled mess, but I didn't show it.
I merely maintained a cold smile, masking my feelings under a gentle expression.
As I extended my hand, Koizumi, with a sour look, grasped it.
"Ah, but is the current head of the Dae Dong-hui perhaps Abe Shinzo?zo?"
"…"
Though Koizumi didn't answer, I could read the answer from his firm grip.
Upon hearing the name Kishi Nobusuke, the name Abe Shinzo immediately came to mind.
The grandson of Kishi and the one who would become Prime Minister after Koizumi's retirement, Abe Shinzo.
Wasn't it possible for him to have become Japan's youngest Prime Minister thanks to the power of the Daedong Society?ty?
Someone claimed that Abe succeeded due to being Koizumi's political disciple. But after his retirement, Koizumi had a strained relationship with Abe.
If the Dae Dong-hui were involved in al all these happenings, the grinding gears of the machine would finally align.
I spent several days gathering information on the Daedong Society.ty.
I mobilized the information team at the Black Bear headquarters instead of the Korea branch, even reaching out for assistance in Russia.
I had to come up with a plan within a short time of one month.
And…
Though I couldn't trust America, it was likely they had the most information on the Daedong Society.ty.
Ultimately, I reached out to Jessica, someone I could at least consider a friend.
Jessica, working in the Homeland Security Department, would likely have ve access to all intelligence agencies' information.
While casually asking how she was, I moved straight to the point.
"Jessica, I have a small favor to ask."
— A favor? From Charlie?
"Yes. There is a group called the Dae Dong-hui in Japan. I need in information on the key members associated with them."
— …
Silence flowed from the other end of the receiver.
"Jessica."
— Are you asking me to be your informant, Charlie?
Jessica's voice was icy as midwinter.
Given her love for America, I could fully understand her reaction.
But I didn't have the luxury of time to empathize with her feelings.
"That's not it. Jessica, I want to propose an exchange of information. I heard you thwarted the Kabul attacks. You must have identified the perpetrator through the information I provided at that time. Yet, for the Bali attacks, you haven't found any concrete evidence or leads, correct?"
— That's true… but…
"Moreover, you used me in that recent Bad Cop, Good Cop scenario."
I reminded her of the recent incident.
The good cop who appeared immediately after the bad cop was a typical strategy exploiting human psychology.
—That wasn't my will. I truly went to find you, Charlie. I didn't know.
Nonsensical. Jessica's trembling voice betrayed her fabricated story.
"There was no direction from above?"
— …
"Of course, I believe there was no direct order. They probably just meant for you to catch up with me after all this time. If you were given the directive to deceive me, you'd have certainly noticed it by now. But you were genuinely upset and treating me sincerely."
Once again, no answer came.
Yet, I could sense her wavering through the intermittent sound of her biting her nails.
"So, that's why I'm asking you now. If you provide me with the information you want, I will give you the details about the Bali attack perpetrators."
— You know something.
I added lightly, to prevent any unreasonable misunderstandings.
"After the recent attack in Afghanistan, I learned about them while pursuing leads. If I give you a hint, it's Al-Qaeda."
— Al-Qaeda?
"Yes. The main culprit behind the American terrorist incidents, Al-Qaeda. This should suffice and even be overextensive."
— It's true.
Though my memories of my past life were biased, I could recall that something had happened, yet I couldn't pinpoint who had done it.
However, if I had minor pieces of the puzzle, cracking the whole case was comparatively easier.
Although Eric is my subordinate, he has deep ties to the U.S. government, thus I could obtain necessary information through Igor.
— Can you really provide that information?
"Of course. I want to have a good partnership with you, Jessica. I'm not asking for top-level intelligence from the U.S. I just need a bit of info about the Dae Dong-hui in Japan. It wouldnldn't be betraying your country. In fact, it's something beneficial for the U.S., right? After all, Al-Qaeda is a priority target in America. Although it's not information regarding Bin Laden."
The U.S. had missed out on two chances to capture Osama Bin Laden.
The very reason for the war in Afghanistan was to eliminate or capture him. Yet they had neither caught nor killed him.
At the beginning of the Afghanistan invasion operation, there was a moment to detain Bin Laden.
However, due to confusion in the command structure, he had smoothly slipped away.
Not long after that, Bin Laden was detected by an unmanned drone that was in trial operations.
Nobody recognized him at that moment, and when the U.S. administration found out a few days later, chaos ensued.
The drone was armed with Hellfire missiles, and pressing a single button could have meant Bin Laden's death.
Since then, there had been no trace of Bin Laden.
Of course, I did not know his whereabouts either.
If I could secure the location of Bin Laden, it would have been obvious the U.S. would have given me anything. Regrettably, I couldn't figure it out.
"Will you make a deal?"
— I'll let you know. First, I'll report to the higher-ups and get permission.
"No. My trust lies with you, Jessica. I want to make a deal with you, Jessica. I can't trust anyone else but you."
— …
Jessica fell silent again.
Without communicating with the upper rung, she was about to learn high-level information, so naturally, she'd feel greedy.
"If it's an organization spanning Japan's political and business sectors, it's highly likely there has already been a significant lobby within the U.S. So please inquire discreetly on your own, Jessica."
— You truly…
I could hear Jessica's deep sigh over the receiver.
— Alright. I'll quietly look into it myself. I should have access to most information. However, information only accessible by the President or department heads would be difficult for me.
"Please check first. If it's inaccessible information, we can discuss it again later."
— I wonder if this is really okay… when should I look into it?
"The sooner, the better."
— Understood. I'll contact you.
After finishing the call with Jessica, I let out a long sigh.
The prolonged call had heated up my phone. I fiddled with it absently, trying to cool my tangled thoughts.
"Ugh… what a mess."
Manager Ma served me some refreshing cold water.
"Thank you, Manager."
"Is everything not going well?"
I offered a faint smile. His stern face showed signs of concern.
"Not at all. I just need to take my time. There's still a bit of time left. By the way, the newspaper advertisement has been placed for tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, Boss."
"Then that's all good. Please bring me the documents I need to process."
Manager Ma bowed his head and left the study. The list of tasks was as overwhelming as my tangled thoughts.
The next day.
A massive advertisement appeared on the front page of all daily newspapers in Korea.
[Celebrating Korea's First Victory in the World Cup.]
And on that day, Korea's first match took place.
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