The First Mission: Using the Enemy Against The Enemy (9)
In a vast mansion tucked deep within the mountains of Japan stood one of the private villas owned by Katsuyama Junichi, the boss of the Katsuyama-gumi. Around the villa, yakuza stood guard with assault rifles and submachine guns at the ready.
A short while later, a Lexus LS500 pulled to a stop near the villa. From the driver’s seat emerged a man roughly 185 centimeters tall with broad, powerful shoulders. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with a medium-length hush cut and strikingly sharp eyes.
A yakuza carrying an AKM slung across his chest approached and greeted him with respectful formality.
Sakaguchi Taiki. First Division Leader of the Katsuyama-gumi.
The yakuza led Taiki into the mansion. Inside, more yakuza in suits stood guard. They walked through the interior until they reached the second floor. The guard stopped before a door and knocked slowly.
A moment later, a deep, charismatic voice drifted through the crack in the door.
The yakuza slid the door open slowly. Once Taiki stepped inside, the guard closed it behind him.
Before Taiki stood a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties, wearing a navy T-shirt and black cotton pants while sipping tea. At first glance he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, yet his eyes carried a subtle, flowing charisma. He looked at Taiki and slowly set his teacup down on the table.
Behind him stood a folding screen painted with a yellow background, a black dragon, and gray clouds, which only amplified his distinctive presence.
Katsuyama Junichi. Chairman (Boss) of the Katsuyama-gumi.
Japan’s Greatest Assassin.
Taiki bowed deeply with formal respect. Junichi gestured to the seat across from him.
Taiki took his seat. Junichi poured tea into Taiki’s cup and asked,
Junichi’s expression gradually darkened. Taiki took a sip of tea and spoke with concern.
The moment Junichi called him by both family and given name, Taiki set his teacup down and tensed immediately. It was a sign that Junichi was angry.
His gaze was so fierce it seemed he might grab Taiki by the throat at any moment.
Junichi took another sip of tea. After a brief silence while lost in thought, he asked Taiki,
Junichi set his teacup down on the table and emphasized to Taiki,
Taiki bowed his head respectfully.
Taiki rose from his seat and left the room. Junichi let out a heavy sigh, his heart troubled.
As Taiki walked outside the villa, a man came up the stairs toward him.
Kojima Ryunosuke. Fourth Division Leader of the Katsuyama-gumi.
Ryunosuke greeted him in a thick Kansai dialect.
Ryunosuke, dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans with a dandy cut hairstyle that made him look like he was in his late twenties, flashed a grin that revealed his gold tooth.
Ryunosuke let out a sigh.
Ryunosuke frowned and asked,
Taiki placed a hand on Ryunosuke’s shoulder and spoke as if to soothe him.
Taiki patted his shoulder, walked past him, and continued down the corridor.
Meanwhile, at the Busan branch of the Crown Hotel.
Park Jaehyuk, who had been sleeping facedown on the bed, slowly opened his eyes. He checked the time on his phone.
“Ugh… It’s already three in the afternoon… Damn, I’m tired…”
Having barely slept since yesterday while gathering information on both the Gangryonghoe and the Katsuyama-gumi, Jaehyuk buried his face in the pillow.
I couldn’t sleep properly because I was organizing the wiretap recordings from yesterday. On top of that, working while so tense made me even more exhausted… I want to rest more, but…
After lying there with his face in the pillow for a while, Jaehyuk thought of his mission and purpose and forced his tired body upright.
What can I do? I have to do what needs to be done.
He got up, changed his clothes, and checked the messages on his phone. He opened the attached file.
The file password… was my resident registration number backwards.
Jaehyuk opened the file and skimmed its contents.
Huh? Hakuro of the Katsuyama-gumi attacked the Gangryonghoe’s lower organizations? I don’t know why, but the timing is perfect.
He slipped the phone into his pocket and left the room.
As Jaehyuk walked down the corridor, he observed the hotel’s atmosphere. Because of the news that Honda Hideki had been killed outside, the yakuza’s mood was far from good. Still, it wasn’t bad enough that they were directing any unnecessary hostility toward the undercover agents like Jaehyuk.
Killing just one of their mid-level executives isn’t enough to fully provoke them. Based on the information that just came in, it might be better for our side to stir things up instead.
At that moment, someone tapped Jaehyuk on the shoulder from behind. When he turned around, it was Jeonghan.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Just walking around.”
Jeonghan glanced around briefly before speaking.
“Let’s go out for lunch, just the two of us. I’ve got some things to talk about… regarding our uncle’s business.”
“Okay.”
A short while later, the two friends were eating beef-and-rice soup at a local restaurant.
“Anyone behind me?”
At Jaehyuk’s question, Jeonghan looked over his shoulder while scooping up some soup and answered,
“Nope. Behind me?”
“Clear there too.”
After confirming no one connected to the Gangryonghoe or the yakuza was nearby, they began discussing their mission.
“Did you receive the document from our uncle?”
“The document? The one about that Hakuro guy attacking the lower organizations?”
“So you got it.”
“But what if they ask how we obtained that information?”
Jaehyuk set his spoon down and replied,
“I doubt they’ll grill us that thoroughly. Do you really think there’s a reason to hide the source of the information?”
“It’s obvious the conflict with the yakuza is only going to get bigger. Do you think low-level grunts will even care how we got the information?”
“Hmm… Was I overthinking it?”
“Yeah. So instead of worrying about the source, just keep a close eye on how those gangsters behave, report it, and focus on our job.”
“Got it.”
While eating, Jeonghan asked,
“By the way, did you watch that CCTV footage?”
“The footage? Yeah, I did. Why?”
“That wolf-masked guy fights insanely well. I always thought overwhelming multiple opponents like that only happened in movies.”
“He just used his weapons and techniques perfectly. Those gangsters didn’t even have guns, but he did. And he didn’t hesitate for a second when killing.”
“Plus, his brutal fighting style created a sense of terror—like if you fight this guy, you’re definitely going to die.”
Jaehyuk took a sip of water from his cup and continued.
“No matter how many life-or-death battles you’ve been through, everyone still fears death. That wolf bastard simply took advantage of that fear.”
“Hmm… Are you scared of dying too?”
“Of course I am. To be precise, I’m more afraid of the process of dying than death itself. What about you?”
“……I’m scared too. People say special forces guys aren’t afraid of death, but we’re only human.”
“When a bullet whistles past right beside me or I hear a sharp crack near my ear, my life flashes before my eyes.”
“Why the crack?”
“It’s the sonic boom from a supersonic round passing right next to me. It means if it had been off by just a little more, I’d be dead.”
Jeonghan changed the subject.
“So what are you going to do when this mission is over?”
“When everything’s finished? Hmm… I don’t know about anything else, but I’d like to date someone.”
“You had that foreign girl you were texting, right? Did you cut contact because of work?”
“Well… yeah.”
“She hasn’t reached out again?”
“……No, she hasn’t.”
“That’s a shame. She seemed to like you quite a lot…”
Jaehyuk recalled Alina, the last time he had seen her at the café before leaving for Busan.
Jeonghan sighed and spoke as if to encourage his friend, who now wore a somewhat troubled expression.
“Hang in there. Once the job is done, you can date all you want. Just tell yourself she wasn’t meant to be and forget about her.”
But Jaehyuk said nothing. He simply downed the water in his cup like a shot of soju until the glass was empty.
In the manager’s office at the Busan branch of the Crown Hotel.
Manager Kim Jong-tae stood fidgeting nervously. On the sofa sat Cha Jun-kyung, Ha Seongjun, and Seo Taeyang.
“So? What do you have to say?” Jun-kyung asked Seongjun. Taeyang also pressed him.
“What could possibly be so important that you’d call us together at a time like this?”
“……Do you remember the attacks on our lower organizations in Mokpo and Daegu last time?”
Jun-kyung answered,
“Of course I remember. Over a hundred of our guys died, right?”
“And that the ones behind it were the Katsuyama-gumi?”
Both Taeyang and Jun-kyung were visibly shocked. Taeyang asked,
“What evidence makes you so sure it was them?”
“Hakuro was there. Katsuyama Junichi’s first disciple, Hakuro.”
“Hakuro…? The one who’s been missing for several months… why would he…?”
“I have no idea.”
Seongjun then showed them CCTV footage of Hakuro attacking the Gangryonghoe’s lower organizations.
In the video, the figure wearing a white wolf mask wielded a dagger in his right hand with dazzling skill, slaughtering the Gangryonghoe members. When enemies swung their weapons, he dodged with inhuman flexibility that made one wonder if he was even human, then immediately counterattacked with pistols or daggers.
He rarely used fist strikes. Instead, he mainly relied on grappling techniques from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, sambo, and judo, along with elbow strikes and kicks aimed at vital points.
“It really is Hakuro…?”
Jun-kyung asked Taeyang,
“Couldn’t it be someone disguised as him? Taking advantage of the fact that Hakuro’s identity isn’t widely known…”
“No. It’s definitely Hakuro. I saw him once when I was in Japan. He took out a group of assassins who had crashed a party. It’s the exact same movements. No one else can replicate that.”
“Then it’s confirmed that the Katsuyama-gumi attacked our lower organizations?”
“We can’t say it’s one hundred percent certain… but with Hakuro moving, I’d say there’s about a ninety percent chance the Katsuyama-gumi is responsible.”
“That’s basically certain!!”
Seongjun spoke up.
“I think so too. I’ll be meeting with Haneda Shinichi soon to discuss this.”
“They’ll definitely deny it,” Jun-kyung said. Taeyang nodded in agreement.
“That’s possible. Hakuro is the only one in their organization who can act independently without direct orders from Katsuyama Junichi.”
“But would Hakuro really act so recklessly without considering the damage it would cause his own organization? There may have been influence from Katsuyama Junichi or other high-ranking executives behind it.”
“For now, I’ve called in reinforcements just in case.”
At that moment, someone knocked on the manager’s office door. A loud, booming voice rang out from the other side.
“What the—? Seongjun, did you call him?” Jun-kyung asked in a disgruntled tone.
Taeyang raised an eyebrow and asked Seongjun,
“Hoo… If things go wrong, does this mean we’re going to wage full-scale war against the Katsuyama-gumi right here in Busan? Baek San, of all people…”
Seongjun rose silently from his seat and opened the door.
A massive man roughly 193 centimeters tall appeared before him. He wore a white suit with brown leather shoes, had his hair dyed pure white, and sported sunglasses.
When he saw Seongjun, he broke into a wide grin that showed his gums and extended his hand.
“You’ve been well? It really has been a while.”
Seongjun gave a small chuckle and shook his hand. The man then greeted Cha Jun-kyung and Seo Taeyang with his booming voice.
Baek San. Executive Director of Crown Holdings.
Former Action Leader of the Gangryonghoe.
Baek San sat down beside Jun-kyung. Once Seongjun returned to his seat, Taeyang asked,
“Did you call Director Baek here?”
“Yes. If we end up clashing with someone on the level of Haneda Shinichi or Hakuro, we’ll need someone like him.”
Baek San, sitting with one leg crossed, asked Seongjun with a slightly more serious expression.
“I heard about it. The attack on our boys in Mokpo and Daegu. That Hakuro or Hakuna or whatever the hell that dog-like bastard is called?”
“That’s right. I’ll hear what Haneda Shinichi has to say first, but if it’s confirmed that they attacked our people…”
Seongjun’s eyes gleamed as he addressed everyone gathered.