Chương 111: Chapter 111: I’ll Take Care of It, I’m Sorry.
Manager Ma's voice was trembling.
"Pyeongchang-dong was attacked. And… Myung-hoon got shot."
"What?"
The ominous feeling I had was right after all.
"More people showed up than we expected, but fortunately, the situation's under control now."
"What about Grandfather? Is he safe?"
"Chief Ha shielded him with his body. The shooter's dead."
Manager Ma seemed to regain his composure, his expression returning to normal. His tone when mentioning Chief Ha also shifted.
"He's on his way to the emergency room. Both sides used guns in Pyeongchang-dong, including Chief Ha."
"And Grandfather?"
"We tried to escort him home, but he insisted on going to the hospital with Chief Ha. All the security personnel had to move with him. Team Leader Jin turned himself in to the police."
When firearms are involved, someone has to take responsibility. Even if the police were trying to help us, this wasn't something that could just be ignored.
Especially not in a place like Pyeongchang-dong.
"Hahaha!"
Lee Yong-hyun, who had been silently listening to our conversation, suddenly burst into crazed laughter.
"Has he lost it because things didn't go his way?"
"It's hilarious. Isn't it funny? Only Ha Myung-hoon got hurt? After I clashed with Cheon Tae-san? Ha, I can't even fe out where it all went wrong."
His eyes, devoid of any life, spoke as if he had already given up.
"No matter how I think about it, there's no way that bastard Cheon Tae-san has this kind of po I thought I knew every bit of Myeong-dong's strength, but it seems I missed something. What the hell did he do?"
"Your first mistake was killing my parents. The second was trying to hand over Myeong-dong to the Yakuza. And the third was being nothing more than a lapdog for Japan."
"Don't underestimate Japan. Even if I die here, my comrades in Japan will avenge me."
Was this loyalty to Japan or just foolishness?
I couldn't help but sneer.
"Watanabe, who came to Korea, is already waiting for you on the other side."
"…What?"
"Japan? That mighty Japan is too busy dealing with its own problems to care about you. Ever wonder why?"
Lee Yong-hyun shook his head.
"You're saying this was your doing? You think you shook the economy of Imperial Japan? That's absurd."
"And what about the Yamaguchi-gumi's internal strife?"
"You're full of it."
"Believe what you want. Doesn't it seem strange, though? Ever since you handed me over to the prosecutors, everything's been falling apart. You were too arrogant, thinking you could control everything in tiny Korea. That was your downfall."
"…"
Lee Yong-hyun stared at me, unwilling to accept the truth.
"Don't carry any false hopes with you into the afterlife. Japan? Yakuza? They don't scare me. Manager, give me the gun."
"Boss, let me do it."
"No, this is something I have to do myself. It has to be me for it to mean anything."
"But…"
"I know what you're worried about."
He was probably afraid this would become my weakness.
"Just give it to me."
Manager Ma squeezed his eyes shut as he stared at me.
"I'm sorry, Boss."
Before I could stop him, he grabbed Team Leader Oliver's gun.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots rang out, smoke still drifting from the barrel. Lee Yong-hyun tried to say something, but the bullets were faster.
"Hah…"
Manager Ma bowed his head to me.
One bullet to the head, one to the heart. Both precise.
I looked back and forth between Lee Yong-hyun's lifeless body and Manager Ma, shaking my head.
"Don't ever disobey my orders again. I know you acted with my best interest in mind, but don't do it next time."
"Understood."
Even though Lee Yong-hyun was dead, I didn't feel any satisfaction. I thought I'd feel a sense of relief, but it didn't hit me as hard as I expected.
Killing him didn't bring my parents back, nor did it compensate for the life I'd lost.
"Check in on the Dong-soo faction. It seems there's an issue with Park Dong-su's safety."
"Understood."
"And here…"
The gunshots must have alerted the police—there was a commotion outside as the patrol cars arrived.
"I'll take care of it."
I nodded at Manager Ma's words.
Oliver's team and Manager Ma's men threw down their weapons and raised their hands as they walked out of the mansion.
* * *
The news of Lee Yong-hyun's death reached the Blue House faster than expected.
President Kim Hak-gwon, who had been asleep, was woken by a call from his chief secretary.
Kim Hak-gwon quickly summoned his closest aides to the office.
"Is it true? That old man Lee Yong-hyun is dead?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
Kim Hak-gwon frowned.
"That tenacious bastard is really dead? And it was Kim Mu-hyeok's doing? He personaly killed him?"
"The investigation hasn't properly started yet. The Gyeonggi Police just informed us. I've asked Director Lee to gather more intel and report to the Blue House."
At Chief Secretary Park Won-seop's words, Kim Hak-gwon fell into deep thought.
'This is my chance. I can wipe out the remnants of Cheongpung and put a chain around Kim Mu-hyeok's neck…'
As he listened to the report, a sly smile spread across his face.
"There was also an attack on Chairman Cheon's mansion. His secretary was shot, but they retaliated, killing the assailant."
"What? Since when was it so easy to get guns in Korea? Lee Yong-hyun was shot too, right? What the hell is going on?"
"The Yakuza group that infiltrated on Cheongpung's orders has been wiped out."
With a displeased expression, Kim Hak-gwon clicked his tongue.
Chief Secretary Park, equally frustrated, shook his head and added:
"Park Dong-su, head of the Dong-soo faction, and Watanabe, the Yakuza boss, are both dead. Guns were involved again—apparently, Watanabe used one."
"Hah, it's like we're back in the military regime days, with all these armed groups running around."
Just then, the phone rang.
Chief Secretary Park answered.
Director Lee Chan-jong of the National Intelligence Service is here.
"Send him in."
Yes, sir.
After hanging up, Chief Secretary Park turned to the president.
"Director Lee is here."
"Good."
The office door opened, and Director Lee Chan-jong entered, bowing his head as he stepped in.
"My apologies for being late, Mr. President."
"No problem. Take a seat."
As soon as Director Lee sat down, he began his report.
There was a lot to cover.
"Lee Yong-hyun's death is confirmed. Two shots—one to the head and one to the heart. He died instantly, without even realizing what had happened."
"What about Chairman Cheon?"
"The team leader from the security firm who used the gun has turned himself in. The attackers have all been captured, and one is dead."
"Who was the deceased?"
"We haven't identified him yet. But we've confirmed he was working for Lee Yong-hyun."
President Kim Hak-gwon frowned as he listened to the report, letting out a deep sigh.
"Kim Mu-hyeok went after Lee Yonghyun, and Lee Yong-hyun aimed for Cheon Tae-san. But Kim Mu-hyeok seded, and Lee ong-hyun failed?"
"That's what we've gathered so far."
"What about the Yakuza boss, Watanabe? Do we know anything? Is there any chance this could cause diplomatic issues with Japan? If our relations with Japan worsen, it'll be a huge problem."
"We've been monitoring Watanabe since he entered Korea. He's the heir to Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest crime syndicate, with significant political influence. It's hard to predict how things will unfold."
Kim Hak-gwon's expression hardened noticeably.
Biting his lip, he turned to Chief Secretary Park.
"If we don't cooperate with Japan now, who knows how much longer it'll take to recover from the IMF crisis? Handle this carefully, Park."
"Understood, Mr. President."
But there were more pressing matters than Watanabe's situation.
The shooting incident in Pyeongchang-dong would shake Korea starting tomorrow.
"Can we contain the situation in Pyeongchang-dong? Is there any way to prevent the media from reporting it?"
"The media isn't the issue, sir. The problem is that many major corporate chairmen and politicians live there. The opposition party might hold a press conference tomorrow."
Kim Hak-gwon groaned, rubbing his forehead.
"Right, this isn't the military dictatorship anymore. We can't just sweep things under the rug."
He already knew that.
He was just voicing his frustration.
"What's the plan?"
"I've come up with a rough scenario on the way here."
"Tell me."
Director Lee cautiously began to explain.
"The public already despises Cheongpung Group. We can shift all the blame onto them. Announce that they were behind the Pyeongchang-dong incident and launch a major investigation into Cheongpung."
"There are people in the Progressive Party connected to Cheongpung, right?"
"The Conservative Party will take a bigger hit. Two of their presidential candidates were already linked to Cheongpung in the news. If you negotiate with the opposition quickly, they'll cut ties to save themselves."
"Hmm…"
Seeing Kim Hak-gwon hesitate, Director Lee pressed on.
"There's no better option. This is a golden opportunity. You can weaken your political rivals and tighten your grip on the Progressive Party's dissenters. Announce measures to prevent this from happening again, and have the Supreme Prosecutors' Office launch a full-scale investigation into Cheongpung. Your approval ratings will soar."
As he weighed his options, a slight smile crept onto President Kim's face.
"Once you've finalized the scenario, send it to the press by morning. I want to make a public statement by noon."
"Yes, Mr. President."
Kim Hak-gwon seemed relieved, but there was something else on his mind.
"We'll deal with Pyeongchang-dong like that, but we also need to handle Lee Yong-hyun's death. I want to use it to tighten the noose around Kim Mu-hyeok's neck. What do youthink? With his weaknesses exposed, we can control Han Gyeong-yeong and Eva Zhu."
"That's a good idea."
Chief Secretary Park quickly agreed with the president's plan.
But Director Lee looked worried.
"It would be great if everything went according to plan, but there's a chance this could backfire."
"Come on, Director Lee. It's a murder case. Whether Kim Mu-hyeok pulled the trigger r not, he was there. That's a fact."
"That's what I've been told as well."
"Exactly! If we can't get him for murder, we'll charge him with incitement. Isn't this the kind of thing the National Intelligence Service has been doing for years? Guns were fired on both sides, so we can take this over immediately."
The atmosphere in the office grew tense.
Director Lee remained hesitant, but the president had already made up his mind.
"Find something, anything, to pin on him. Whatever it takes."
"Understood, sir."
Bowing his head, Director Lee's face was hidden in the shadows.
Kim Hak-gwon nodded, satisfied.
"Director Lee, go back to the Intelligence Service and draft the scenario. Take over the case from the police."
"Yes, sir."
"Chief Secretary Park, make sure everything's ready for tomorrow's press conference. Send out the press release."
As Chief Secretary Park and Director Lee left the office, President Kim Hak-gwon sat alone, a grin spreading across his face.
"The perfect hand has been dealt to me."
* * *
Sitting quietly at the police station, I waited, lost in thought.
"Are you alright, Boss?"
"I'm fine. This was expected. The shootout is a problem, but Black Bear is an American mercenary company. We can use U.S. influence to deal with it."
Manager Ma's phone rang.
I could hear the voice on the other end of the line even from where I was sitting.
Manager Ma, Kim Hak-gwon is up to something. He's ordered the case to be handed over to the National Intelligence Service.
"Understood."
Please explain this to Kim Mu-hyeok. This isn't my doin. The case will be transferred to the NIS soon.
"Got it."
Manager Ma hung up.
"That was Director Lee. The president's planning something."
"I heard."
I couldn't help but chuckle as I ran a hand through my hair.
"That's politicians for you."
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