Chương 243: Chapter 243: Is This Really the End?
A tumultuous year had come to a close, and a new one had begun.
As the new year kicked off, a visitor arrived from Japan.
The person accompanying the Japanese ambassador to Pyeongchang-dong was an entirely unexpected man.
Before the ambassador could introduce him, the man reached out his hand.
"I'm Kim Mu-hyeok. Nice to meet you fr the first time."
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Koizumi Junichiro."
Koizumi Junichiro had personally come to Korea.
Though unfamiliar to Koreans, he was a powerful political figure in Japan from the Liberal Democratic Party.
No one had anticipated he would become the next Prime Minister, not even in Japan or abroad.
Moreover, Koizumi was known to take a political stance opposite to the current Prime Minister.
"Please, have a seat."
I led Koizumi and the ambassador to my study.
After showing them to their seats, I naturally claimed the main seat myself.
Noticing this, the Japanese ambassador glanced at Koizumi, his lips moving as if he wanted to speak.
However, Koizumi stopped him and sat down casually, a broad smile on his face.
"I've heard a lot about you."
"Is that so?"
"I never imagined someone would dare confront Japan personally. Hearing the details was both astonishing and surprising, especially since you are Korean."
As he praised me, Koizumi smoothly guided the conversation in a direction comfortable for him.
His years in Japanese politics were evident, but to me, he seemed like a man striving to protect his pride.
"Of course, I was familiar with Dream High. I haven't forgotten the events a few years ago that shook the Japanese economy, moved by Wall Street. But I only learned this time that you were behind it all."
Manager Ma entered the study, accompanied by a staff member carrying drinks. Concern was evident in their eyes.
I spoke to Manager Ma as he placed the drinks down, prepared to leave with the staff member.
"Could you call Boss Han to the study?"
Manager Ma bowed his head and left, crossing his legs and wearing a soft smile.
His demeanor revealed discontent with the idea of a Korean leading an assault against Japan.
"What does being Korean really matter? We're in an age of globalization here, aren't we?"
"That may be true, but…"
"Are you upset because a Korean dared to attack Japan, hurting your pride? Did you think I would back down after receiving such a protest from your government? If I'd planned to do that, I wouldn't have started at all."
I got word that the ambassador, alongside Japan's Prime Minister, had reached out to President Kim Hak-gwon directly.
Though Kim Hak-gwon had brushed it off, claiming he had no legal basis to stop me, diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea were deteriorating day by day.
"We had to gather every resource at our disposal. It's not a bad thing, is it? Just like you mobilized everything you could, we did the same."
Koizumi spoke without any change in expression, regardless of my provocation.
The ambassador's face, however, told a different story.
"It seems you have a different opinion, Ambassador."
Koizumi shifted his attention to the ambassador, who seemed taken aback.
Suddenly the spotlight was on him, and though he initially appeared flustered, he quickly regained his composure and responded.
"Not at all."
As the ambassador met Koizumi's gaze, he quickly bowed his head, and the atmosphere in the study grew chilly.
At that moment, the door opened, and Han Gyeong-yeong entered.
Sensing the awkward tension in the air, he hesitated briefly before slowly walking over to my side.
"Did you call for me?"
"Yeah, take a seat. I thought it might be good for you to be here too."
At my urging, Koizumi and Han Gyeong-yeong took seats facing each other.
"You know the Japanese ambassador, don't you?"
"Yeah. I saw his face once before."
"This is the person who has come from Japan this time."
Once the introductions were over, Han Gyeong-yeong stood up again to shake Koizumi's hand.
"Hello, I'm Han Gyeong-yeong."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Koizumi Junichiro."
Koizumi stood up to clasp Han Gyeong-yeong's hand.
After their handshake, the two men returned to their seats.
Thanks to that brief greeting, the cold atmosphere had slightly eased.
"I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Han Gyeong-yeong."
"Thank you."
"How did you manage to achieve such success in the U.S. as an Asian?"
"That question sounds a bit odd. I'm an American, not an Asian. Koizumi, why emphasize that when you're also Asian?"
Han Gyeong-yeong replied confidently to Koizumi's remark, clearly having changed a lot since then.
"Ah… that wasn't my intention. I apologize if I caused any misunderstanding."
As if he had any other intention. The tactics politicians use to belittle others and elevate themselves are all too familiar.
Yet Han Gyeong-yeong had met so many influential figures in the U.S. that he was no longer intimidated by anyone.
"Alright, let's move on. Koizumi, why have you come all this way?"
I suggested we skip the pointless power play and get to the point.
"You didn't come here just for small talk. The fact that you personally came instead of just sending the ambassador means you must have something substantial to discuss. So, go ahead."
"Before that, can I ask a question?"
I nodded slightly toward Koizumi as he met my gaze.
"Was a confrontation truly the only way to resolve this matter?"
"Confrontation?"
"Yes, I heard the Russian military got involved. I don't know how you managed that, but it could have easily escalated into a larger conflict."
Both Japan and the U.S. seemed to think I'd mobilized the Russian military.
I hadn't expected Russia to deploy its troops at all; that was solely due to Japan's ego being trampled, prompting Putin to take action.
While I told the U.S. it wasn't my doing, I saw no need to clarify that for Japan.
"Clearly, I was quite enraged. Let's think about it from your perspective. What would you do if an ambassador representing Japan were attacked in Korea?"
"That's a completely different scenario. You can't compare a mere investor with an ambassador representing Japan in Korea."
"No, Eva is an even more valuable asset. Is it the right approach to let such a person be attacked and then urge both the U.S. and Korean governments to just let it slide?"
Koizumi tried to interject, but I interrupted him.
"I believe you came here without knowing the full story. I made it clear to the Japanese government that they had an opportunity, a warning. But the one who rejected it was the ambassador next to you. Or rather, it was the Prime Minister, right? Isn't that correct, Ambassador?"
When the spotlight shifted to him, the Japanese ambassador couldn't hide his embarrassment.
"Was my statement incorrect? I clearly told you before that I wanted you to relay my intentions to the Japanese government. Hand over the individuals involved, or at least some information. But the Japanese government rejected that."
Through various channels, I had made my intentions clear to the Japanese government.
However, they ignored my appeals and even intensified their pressure.
So I demonstrated my resolve to them. They surely didn't expect me to risk astronomical losses to carry out an attack.
"It seems I've answered your question sufficiently. Now please tell me why you are here. I don't want to waste time on trifles."
"I see. I was completely unaware that such events had transpired."
Koizumi's intentions were becoming clearer.
Recently, a coup dubbed 'Kato's Rebellion' occurred in Japan. Some factions within the opposition party had supported a motion to dismiss the Prime Minister.
Ultimately, the rebellion ended in failure, leading to the downfall of Kato's political career.
And now, Koizumi was poised to ascend as the leader of that faction.
"Sending me to negotiate without being informed of anything means they intend to shift all the blame onto him, no matter the outcome."
Japanese politics were for them to manage; I just wanted to achieve the results I desired.
Now, tell me what you've brought. Share the thoughts of the Japanese government.
Is this an offer of surrender? Or are they here to threaten me?
I was curious about Japan's choice.
"I will provide the information you desire. I will tell you who attacked Representative Eva and who was involved. However, I cannot hand over our own."
His audacious stance left me momentarily speechless.
"You can't hand them over? Surely you have more to say than just that?"
"…"
Could this really be the end?
Seeing the stunned expression on Koizumi's face, it appeared that indeed, this was how it ended.
"Are you playing games with me, or trying to provoke my anger?"
"Did you really think we would hand our citizens over to you? We will mete out our own punishment. I hope you can understand that this is as far as we can concede. This is our maximum concession."
His tone was so ridiculous, I found myself too stunned to even feel angry.
The financial losses from this operation had been astronomical. And now they were asking me to wrap everything up over just a few pieces of information?
Turning my head to glance at Han Gyeong-yeong, I found a matching expression on his face.
"If this is truly the end, then you can leave now."
"Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok, this is an unpreceented concession from the Japanese government. They have never offered this much to Korea before. It's time to call it quits."
It seemed Koizumi wouldn't become Prime Minister this time.
Clearly, the Prime Minister was determined to eliminate any political rivals through this incident.
I shook my head at his obliviously confident demeanor, unaware of his fate.
"It seems you're still not grasping the situation. Do you have any idea how much money I've mobilized for this operation? If this is your idea of stopping, I would never have started in the first place."
"That's exactly why you should stop. Ultimately, the one who suffers greater losses will be you, Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok. Why do you insist n prolonging a situation where both sides suffer? Let's wrap this up now."
"Prioritizing pride while ignoring the bombshell right in front of you is a classic Japanese trait."
"What did you say?"
If I had launched my attack against Korea instead of Japan, they wouldn't have lasted this long.
Japan had the economic strength to endure, coming second only to the U.S.
Whether they were naively trusting in that resilience or desperately clinging to their pride, I couldn't tell.
However, I was sure of one thing: they were undeniably a stubborn bunch.
"If you're going to surrender, you might as well bring a surrender document. Otherwise, I'm not going to stop. Even if I have to lose all my wealth to do it. See if I do. Either my wealth disappears or Japan's economy collapses beyond recovery. It's one or the other."
"Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok."
"If you have nothing more to say, please leave."
Despite my sharp tone, Koizumi merely stared at me, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, the ambassador looked flustered, glancing between Koizumi and me.
"Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok, if Koizumi leaves ow, this will genuinely be the end. There won't be room for negotiation anymore."
The Japanese ambassador desperately sought to mediate, but I refused to reply.
"Can we take this as you're determined to follow through to the end? No matter how much money you have, we still have options left."
"I can consider that down the line."
Responding firmly, I and Koizumi locked eyes for a long moment.
With a deep sigh, he finally shook his head and spoke.
"Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok, let's clear the rom and talk one-on-one. Is that acceptable to you?"
"Senator."
The Japanese ambassador called out to Koizumi, but he only focused on me, ignoring the ambassador's plea.
"Fine. Han, go talk with the Japanese ambassador outside for a bit."
Han Gyeong-yeong nodded to my directive and stood up.
"Ambassador, you should step outside too."
"Orders have come down to include me in every negotiation back home. I can't allow that."
At that, Koizumi glared at the ambassador with evident contempt.
"Do you think I'm unaware of your connection to the Prime Minister? You were sent along to keep an eye on me."
"Senator…"
"Step outside. I'll manage the negotiations, and I'll take responsibility as needed. Just as the Prime Minister desires."
Watching Koizumi speak contemptuously to the ambassador, I couldn't help but admire him inwardly.
He was indeed onto the Prime Minister's dark intentions.
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