The Five-Fold Strategy (4)
After finishing the not-so-long phone call, Yoon-gi looked at Seo Jong-hoon, who was wearing a bewildered expression. "I think JSD was mentioned in that call just now... do you happen to have some kind of relationship with JSD?"
"Ah, yes. I'm the private tutor for the JSD household. The frequency has dropped significantly compared to before, but I still visit them from time to time."
Since JSD's sons were comfortably ranking first or second in their class, Yoon-gi had reduced the number of visits to JSD's home quite a bit. Of course, he had reduced them on the condition that he would continue irregular tutoring activities and switch back to regular sessions the moment their grades dropped.
"My god... I've never heard anything about that..."
"My father is a cheerful man, but he isn't loose-lipped."
At Yoon-gi's smiling remark, Seo Jong-hoon nodded, his expression clearly agreeing with the sentiment.
"That's true. But, what exactly did you talk about? It didn't sound like you were talking to JSD directly..."
"You probably gathered as much from listening to me, but that was my second uncle. My second uncle is also close with JSD. So, JSD reached out, and it seems the news of what happened in Japan has already reached him."
"I had a hunch, but I didn't know that Watanabe fellow had that much power..."
Even until the 80s, private exchanges between Korea and Japan were almost non-existent, but it was a different story for the upper echelons. It was an era where if you had power in Japan, you could exert influence in Korea, and if you had power in Korea, you could exert influence in Japan. Of course, the former was more dominant than the latter, but if you were JSD, the crown prince of the new military regime, it was possible to ignore most Japanese influence.
"It seems he even reached out to me, but JSD was actually apologetic. My uncle's message was that he would at least remain neutral, and that I should contact him anytime if there was any physical threat."
"So, in any case, he's on our side."
"That's right."
Yoon-gi didn't bother with further explanation. The background behind JSD offering active help was clearly because the U.S. military was already helping him. There was no reason for JSD to step in when the U.S. military was already providing protection. However, just by saying those words, JSD had done enough to save face for Yoon-gi. Of course, explaining this would only make things look petty and might dilute the emotional impact of having JSD as an ally, so Yoon-gi kept his mouth shut.
"By the way, Yoon-gi. Is it okay for you to tell me these things? Except for Mr. Guster, it seems like no one else knows..."
As Seo Jong-hoon said, Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Cheol-kyu were not included in the current trip to Japan, and since Jo Cheong-woo wasn't part of the inner circle, there was much he didn't know about Yoon-gi's secrets. Yet, Yoon-gi had revealed such top-secret information to Seo Jong-hoon, so Seo Jong-hoon was curious in many ways, and at the same time, it was true that he felt a bit of 'fundamental anxiety.'
"Because I had to show you that I trust you that much."
"Huh?"
Seo Jong-hoon asked back, looking puzzled.
"I intend to make you the vanguard of my Japanese business. But what happens if the vanguard has doubts? Can they fight with peace of mind?"
"Hmm..."
"If the vanguard has doubts, naturally the other soldiers won't be able to fight properly either. They'd be filled with thoughts like, 'When are the reinforcements coming?', 'Will the rear guard arrive on time?', 'Will the supplies be handled correctly?' If it comes to that, what will happen to the battle?"
Yoon-gi made a gesture of slicing his own throat with the edge of his hand.
"It's game over. In that sense, I needed to instill a sense of trust in you."
"So that's why you showed me all of that."
In fact, even Jo Cheong-woo had been excluded from the visit to the *yojung* (high-end traditional restaurant). Only Seo Jong-hoon. Because of that, Seo Jong-hoon had been able to see the dozens of armed U.S. soldiers who had swarmed in to protect Yoon-gi, and he had indirectly confirmed the connection to JSD.
"Wow... now that I think about it, you really have the ability to be trusted and followed..."
Yoon-gi smiled as he watched Seo Jong-hoon click his tongue in awe.
"And you asked earlier, right? If it was okay to go that far with Watanabe."
"Ah, right. I was a little worried about that, but seeing your power, honestly, it doesn't seem like something to worry about."
Seo Jong-hoon's expression was now filled with stability and trust.
"That's right. But, that was also something I induced."
"To crush him even more later?"
"That too, but it was to expand the list of targets to be weeded out."
"Expand the targets to be weeded out...?"
Seo Jong-hoon looked as if he had absolutely no idea what that meant.
"Yes. To Watanabe, you would appear to be my close aide. However, Watanabe won't be able to touch you. Because he's confirmed the fact that if he touches you, a yakuza or two would easily be turned into a beehive."
"That's true. Now that I think about it, it would have been a disaster if you hadn't shown me the U.S. military... In Japan, the yakuza are truly powerful, unlike Korean gangsters. These days in Korea, JD sends all the gangsters who don't listen to the police and prosecution to the *Samcheong Education Camp*. But Japan doesn't have anything like that, so..."
The *Samcheong Education Camp*. On the surface, it advocated for social reform, but it was a famous facility created to turn gangsters who were effectively 'private' into 'state-owned' ones. Because the vacancies left by the gangsters taken to the *Samcheong Education Camp* were filled by gangsters under the influence of the police and prosecution. Of course, through this process, the superficial crime rate in Korea decreased, but in Japan, the yakuza's influence was so strong that they could sway the nation, so Seo Jong-hoon's concern was well-founded.
"You feel confident thanks to the U.S. military, right? Since I have influence over the U.S. Forces in Japan, I can also arrange for U.S. soldiers to visit your home from time to time."
"Well, that's good for me. I saw the U.S. military myself, but my family hasn't seen them yet."
Yoon-gi nodded.
"Then I'll do that for you. Anyway, the yakuza won't be able to touch you or your family, but if it's someone with Watanabe's power, they could interfere with your 'business'."
"Ah...!"
Seo Jong-hoon gasped as if he were starting to understand something.
"For the next few years, pretend you're trying to do business in Japan. Then, interference will definitely come."
"Certainly, it would."
"Then, record everything about who is doing the interfering. Later, when I enter Japan in earnest, I will join hands with their enemies."
Entering Japan itself was for the capital gains on land through the bubble, but for global business in the future, it was necessary to distinguish friends from enemies. Of course, it was too early to tell Seo Jong-hoon about this stage, so he omitted it.
"You're truly... amazing!"
Seo Jong-hoon's mouth hung open as if he were excited just imagining it, and he wore a look of pure ecstasy.
"Can you do it?"
"I have to. I came to Japan promising to do so in the first place."
"If you carry out the task properly..."
"If I carry it out?"
"I will make sure you grasp enough wealth for three generations to live without working."
It was a statement that didn't quite feel real to Seo Jong-hoon yet. But regardless of reality, Seo Jong-hoon felt that the boy named Yoon-gi was worth betting his remaining life on.
* * *
"I really thought my eyes were going to pop out when my daughter first brought her husband-to-be home! I was thinking, 'Where did she bring a man older than her father from?'"
At the hearty laughter of Seo Jong-hoon's father-in-law, Maekawa, Yoon-gi also burst into laughter.
"When I shouted, 'Where did you bring such an old man from to get married!', this guy took out his resident registration certificate right in front of me."
"Not even his ID card, but the certificate?"
"That's what I'm saying! So I looked at it while I was still excited, and I was first puzzled when I saw his age. No matter how I looked at him, his face looked like he was in his late 40s or 50s, but the person inside was in his late 20s."
"You must have been very flustered."
At Yoon-gi's chuckling response, Maekawa became even more excited and continued.
"I was incredibly flustered! But the story that's even more of a kicker is what happened right after."
"What was that?"
Yoon-gi asked, pouring a drink for Maekawa.
"When I asked, 'No, why did you bring the certificate? I could understand if you brought it a few days later, but why do you carry it around?', do you know what this guy said?"
"What did he say?"
"He said, 'I prepared it because I thought you would naturally misunderstand.' Hahahaha!"
Seo Jong-hoon sat quietly with a bitter smile as he watched Maekawa burst into laughter, even shedding tears. Sitting next to Seo Jong-hoon was a cute Japanese woman with a round, pleasant face, who looked to be in her mid-20s to Yoon-gi.
'They really do look like father and daughter just by looking at them from the outside.'
Of course, Yoon-gi wasn't the type to blurt that out.
"That aside, Satoshi-kun, you said you were going to do business in Japan?"
Seo Jong-hoon was using the stage name 'Satoshi,' taking the last character of his name, *Hun* (訓), so his father-in-law called him Satoshi.
"Yes, Yoon-gi's father is a fairly well-known businessman in Korea and is on close terms with me, and he wanted to run a small business in Japan. In the process, I became the corporate representative."
"Wow, my son-in-law has more impressive connections than I thought. You'll be able to settle down in Japan right away, won't you?"
Maekawa excitedly poured another drink, and Seo Jong-hoon laughed as he clinked his glass with his father-in-law.
"Still, it seems I have good luck with people. But because of that, I need your help a little, Father-in-law."
"My help? What is it?"
"For now, it doesn't matter where we set up the corporate office, but since we're still discussing what kind of business to establish, they said we need to scout for land all over Japan. Besides, when Yoon-gi's father heard what I had to say, he also mentioned that he wanted to trade land through you, Father-in-law."
"Trade through me?"
"Yes. It will probably be mostly in the metropolitan area including Tokyo, but I think finding decent land there will be the real work. Of course, he said he would definitely pay a commission."
"If that's the case, I have no reason to refuse. It's not a son-in-law, it's a gold nugget that's rolled into the house!"
Watching Maekawa burst into laughter, Yoon-gi judged that the bridgehead for entering Japan had been established without a hitch.
* * *
Until the 70s, Koreans really had to live boring lives. Because the suppression of popular culture by the P-regime was at a truly murderous level. Long hair, mini-skirts, nighttime curfews, color TVs—things that are taken for granted now were all forbidden. After the emergence of the new military regime, which lacked legitimacy, many of these were relaxed as JD implemented the 3S policy to win over public sentiment. Of course, not all regulations were lifted, and since the 3S policy only started in '82, it was still a time when the remnants of P remained, as it was the autumn of '81.
"You little brat. Who told you to bring something like this to school?"
The student disciplinary committee member tapped the head of the kid known as the 'merchant' in class with a rolled-up magazine.
"Is it this guy again?"
The homeroom teacher, who had been watching the disciplinary committee's inspection of belongings from the podium, approached and took the magazine from the student.
"You little... this is even a Japanese magazine? Hey, who told you to look at Japanese magazines?"
"No, it's just that there was a kid who asked me to get it for him..."
"What? Who? Which brat asked you to get a magazine with Japs in it?"
The teacher, who tapped the merchant's head just like the disciplinary committee member, seemed curious about the content and began to flip through the magazine quickly.
"It's not much different from a Korean magazine... huh?"
The teacher's gaze began to shift back and forth between the magazine and Yoon-gi, who was sitting in the back row.