CH 176

Secretary Choi Mi-Seon silently poured Americano into her mug while listening to the commotion coming from the FRC president's office.

She glanced at the doorway, then muttered, “...I guess it's chaos in there.”

From the get-go, this whole thing was nonsensical. Kang Se-Ah was one of the rare idols possessing not just good looks but also a clean personal image. No wonder Code had gone all-in with promoting her. Most idols worked in groups, but she bravely chose to forge a solo career while staying true to herself. All things considered, it was safe to call Kang Se-Ah a true bigshot in the industry.

'But then, that idiot Jun Yeong wants to sink his fangs into a girl like that...?'

Even though Choi Mi-Seon worked for the company managing the idol group, the Voice, she had no good opinions of those men. When nicely put, they seemed like a bunch of wild young men, but when not-so-nicely put—they were practically a group of thugs.

One of them even dared to touch a female idol treasured by Code, so there was little wonder that a crisis had broken out. Of course, saying he 'touched' Kang Se-Ah was already pushing the truth to the breaking point, but still.

A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.

'I didn't expect Jaegyeong's man to personally show up here, though.'

Choi Mi-Seon thought this situation would get resolved with Code's involvement, but a man from the Jaegyeong Corporation actually showed up. It seemed that the rumor about Jaegyeong managing Kang Se-Ah's affairs was true, after all.

'Ng? Stupid... son of a b*tch?'

Did the visitor in the office really throw around insults like that? Even if that man in black was from Jaegyeong, was he allowed to insult other people like that? Unless President Han Seon-Gu did something worthy of getting beaten up, he shouldn't be insulted like that, no?

'Maybe I misheard it?'

Choi Mi-Seon pondered a bit more and realized that the insult-throwing thing didn't really matter at the end of the day. She didn't have to be a genius to figure out the situation in the office from all that hoarse yelling going on in there, anyway.

“Gee whiz. Really putting him through a wringer, isn't it...”

Choi Mi-Seon kind of felt a little refreshed about her boss getting grilled like that, but she also sensed her mood souring a little bit. Since Han Seon-Gu was a role model for all the terrible bosses out there, Choi Mi-Seon was deriving much pleasure from watching him getting wrecked like this. However, he was still her boss. Seeing some random person telling off her boss roused up an unexplainable sense of pity in her.

'Goodness, have I gone insane?'

Was this what people called the mindset of a slave?

Just as Choi Mi-Seon was starting to have a serious internal debate over whether to go see a shrink or not, the office's door slowly opened, and Jo Gyu-Min making a very refreshed face waltzed outside.

“Well, then. I'll leave it to you, gentlemen.” Jo Gyu-Min bade farewell while holding the door. He put the outpouring of warm goodbyes coming from the office behind him and promptly exited FRC's premises.

Choi Mi-Seon sneaked a glance inside the office through the open doorway. And then, she had to cover her mouth to hide her grin at the sight of her boss now resembling a soulless corpse.

Unaware that he was being watched right now, Han Seon-Gu slowly turned his head and muttered to Lee Hyeong-Min, “...Director Lee.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Go and bring Jun Yeong here. Right now!”

“...Yes, Boss.”

Unfortunately for Jun Yeong, it seemed that he would have to bear the brunt of the boss's anger today.

***

“It's done, Mister Jin-Ho.”

- Are you sure?

“Yes. Soon, you'll see press releases from all sides explaining that Miss Eun-Yeong was not involved in any of this nonsense.”

- Good. Thank you for dealing with this, Mister Gyu-Min.

Jo Gyu-Min grinned deeply. He never had a chance to trample on someone while enjoying the full backing of Jaeygeong. He did flex a bit during the corporation's board of directors debacle, but back then, all he did was do some paperwork. He wasn't physically involved, so things felt quite different this time.

If he was to accurately explain his current mood...

'This is why people are trying so hard to become successful.'

The wealth... No, to be more precise, it was the addictive quality of power afforded by wealth. This 'thing' was truly irresistible. Even though Jo Gyu-Min knew this power wasn’t his, it still felt dangerously addictive and alluring. This was probably why those with power would do anything to keep holding on to it.

'One thing's for sure, I have definitely relieved my stress.'

It felt like the frustration and stress caused by this scandal were taken care of in one go.

“...Yeah, it's definitely not because I couldn't finish my shopping.”

- Mm? Did you say something, Mister Gyu-Min?

“A-ah, no. It's nothing.” Jo Gyu-Min coughed to clear his throat. “In any case, I'm on my way back to HQ. By the way, Mister Jin-Ho?”

-Yes, I'm listening.

“This crisis has been more or less averted, but we still haven't talked about that creep yet. What do you want to do with him?”

- That creep? Who?

“You know, that Jun Yeong or whatever his name was. We shouldn't let him off the hook, Mister Jin-Ho. He dared to drool all over our Miss Eun-Yeong, after all! If we let him be, other creeps like him will think it's okay to approach Miss Eun-Yeong in the future as well. She may still be an adorable little sister to you, but there's no mistaking the fact that Miss Eun-Yeong is already overflowing with womanly charms. That's why we must set a clear example to warn the others!”

- You think so?

“Yes, I do! At the very least, we must ensure that that creep will never get another job in this industry. That is the only way to minimize any future harm,” Jo Gyu-Min exaggerated his explanation a little.

His words also had another meaning to them. Jo Gyu-Min was hinting that he would like to deal with Jun Yeong as well. Since he knew Kang Jin-Ho's methods of dealing with those who dared to antagonize him, Jo Gyu-Min wanted to step up and prevent the same thing from happening again.

- Mm. Leave him alone, please.

“...I'm sorry?” Jo Gyu-Min's expression crumpled. It couldn't be helped, though, since he interpreted Kang Jin-Ho's response as, “I'll deal with that creep myself.”

However, what Kang Jin-Ho said next was rather unexpected.

- He must've done that because he likes my sister. We can't fault him for that now, can we?

“W-well, yes. That's true.”

- Well, he did go a bit overboard with his methods, but I think it’s nothing a good scolding can't fix. Being unable to continue his dream as a singer because of something like this is a bit too cruel of a punishment.

“I... guess so?”

- Just warn him not to approach Eun-Yeong again. It's not a big deal, anyway.

“But, Mister Jin-Ho. That might be enough to deal with this guy. However, we won't be able to stop any creeps trying their luck with Miss Eun-Yeong in the future.”

- That'll be entirely up to Eun-Yeong. Others shouldn't be doing that for her forever, after all.

Jo Gyu-Min wordlessly nodded.

'Not bad.'

Recently, Kang Jin-Ho seemed to have become a little more extreme than before. However, he still hadn't lost his equilibrium. His thought process, at least on this matter, had perfectly aligned with Jo Gyu-Min's thoughts.

'Jin-Ho is an amazing man, isn't he...?'

Jo Gyu-Min nearly got seduced by the sweetness of the power even though he was wielding it for only a brief moment. Compared to him, Kang Jin-Ho had enough abilities to attain all the power and wealth any person could ever dream of if that was what he wanted. Even now, his wealth had entered the territory most people alive couldn't even come close to.

Despite all this, Kang Jin-Ho hadn't become lost in his power.

'I don't think I can do that...'

Jo Gyu-Min couldn't imagine himself doing that. He shook his head, then asked another question, “In that case, I'm guessing Miss Eun-Yeong will make her return pretty soon?”

- I'm sorry?

“Mm? But, didn't you say this isn't a big matter? After the agencies issue their press releases, she needs to get back on the road as quickly and flashily as possible to reduce any unnecessary chatter, Mister Jin-Ho. Even now, I have been deploying an army of paid posters to spread around the footage of you everywhere, you know!”

- I have no idea what any of that means. However, Eun-Yeong will need a little more time.

“...May I remind you that you said it's not a big deal only a minute ago, Mister Jin-Ho.”

- Yes. Not a big deal for that man. It's not the same for Eun-Yeong, obviously.

'What kind of double standard is this sh*t?!'

Jo Gyu-Min was wrong. This young man, he—he was dangerous in a different sense!

He might have staved off the seduction of power, but he was still pretty much a bloody stalker to his own family! Jo Gyu-Min was abruptly reminded of that fact he had briefly forgotten. He asked the next question in a trembling voice, “I-I see. In that case... What will happen to Miss Eun-Yeong now?”

- Our father has decided, so for now, she'll have to work in his cafe for the next few days.

Kang Jin-Ho's voice was dripping with disappointment as he said those words. Considering how he usually never expressed his emotions, he had to be really, really, disappointed by being unable to punish his own little sister.

“Ah, I see.” Jo Gyu-Min sighed. What a relief this was. It sounded like Kang Yu-Hwan ably stopped Kang Jin-Ho's wicked scheme in its tracks. “Then, what will you be doing, Mister Jin-Ho?”

- Me?

“Yes, you.”

- I'm currently at a parcel delivery service warehouse.

“...I'm sorry?” Jo Gyu-Min asked back in a daze.

***

Kang Jin-Ho stood tall and asked, “That means I can start my shift later tonight?”

“Sure thing,” said the manager of the warehouse in a rather rude manner. “I can tell you got a pretty robust physique there, fella. However, don't run off in the middle of work and make a mockery of yourself, you hear me? Geez, kids nowadays just don't have any sense of responsibility. If they don't think they can keep working here, they should just be upfront about it. Why run away without saying anything? Who's gonna take over and clean up their mess then?!”

Park Yu-Min standing next to Kang Jin-Ho felt sweat drops trickle down his forehead.

'Dear manager, you're worrying about the wrong thing, sir. Rather than worrying about this friend running away, it'll be more productive to worry about the destruction of the planet Earth first...'

Kang Jin-Ho remained expressionless as he replied, “That won't happen, sir.”

“Hah. That's what they all say in the beginning.” A mocking grin formed on the manager's face. “You better not be here to 'broaden your horizon' or some crap like that, kid. Looks like you come from a pretty good family. Kids like that don't last long in this place.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in slight confusion. “Sir, in cases like this, aren't you supposed to encourage me and say I should work hard?”

The manager smirked meaningfully. “You'll find out once you start, kid. So, I will see you later tonight. There's nothing for you to do now, after all.”

“I see…” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then turned around to exit the manager's office.

Park Yu-Min followed his friend outside, then asked a question when they hit the pavement, “Why are you working part-time all of a sudden?”

Kang Jin-Ho replied in his usual flat voice, “I was told to.”

“By whom?”

“My father.”

“Hmm…” Park Yu-Min let out an unconvinced groan.

They said that the hardships of youth were invaluable. Park Yu-Min could sort of understand the intention behind Kang Yu-Hwan sending his son off to a tough working environment, but...

'Father, your son Jin-Ho isn't a human in a normal sense...'

Logs resting on the ground would be obstacles to ordinary people, but they would be toys to an elephant. Telling Kang Jin-Ho to do physical labor was like a duck taking to water.

'Then again, it makes sense that he has no idea about it.'

Park Yu-Min knew the truth, but Kang Yu-Hwan probably didn't. The whole family most likely had no idea. Wasn't it always the darkest under the lamp, for instance?

'I guess this is the birth of the world's strongest part-timer, then?'

Park Yu-Min suddenly became interested in seeing what kind of an expression that rude manager would make after clapping his eyes on Kang Jin-Ho's—work ethic.

***

Later that evening...

“Oh, so you came, eh?” The manager cackled while glancing at Kang Jin-Ho. “I guess you have some guts since you're a man and all, eh? Seeing how you didn't run away and still showed up here. I hope you can maintain your spirit and not run away until the end of your shift, though!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “That's my plan, sir.”

“Talk is cheap, kid.” The manager dismissively shook his head.

Usually, most parcel delivery service warehouses like this would hire so-called day laborers. There weren't many workers with perseverance these days, so most employees would only stick around for a few hours at the shortest, up to a few months at the longest, before they would move on to greener pastures.

And then, there was the problem of weirdos as well. The word had gotten around that this job was tough, prompting weirdos to show up to test their mettle as men. The number of these dumbasses wanting to take up on this 'challenge' was far too high for the manager's liking. And Kang Jin-Ho came across as one of those weirdos.

It was pretty simple to tell apart those dead-serious about this work and those who just came here to play. People with experience in this kind of work wore different attire from those unfamiliar with it.

Kang Jin-Ho showed up in a pair of jeans and sneakers, so the manager could already tell. At first, this young man would put on some airs, saying it wasn’t as tough as he thought. In three, maybe four hours, though? His complexion would surely become deathly pale from the pain and cramps akin to his spine snapping in half.

No matter how fit a person was, muscles honed through actual physical labor and those sculpted in a fitness center served two different purposes, after all!

'Heh. Enjoy your time here, kid.'

The manager cackled evilly after assigning Kang Jin-Ho the hardest job in the warehouse. Out of the trio of jobs available here—sorting, loading, and unloading—he chose to throw the young man in the deep end of unloading cargo from the delivery trucks.

However, his wish had to remain just that, a wish. Once the shift began, workers went to their assigned posts to unload the cargo from the trucks arriving at the warehouse and place them on the moving conveyor belts.

“W-what the hell is up with that kid?!”

“M-mm?” The manager heard a panicked voice coming from somewhere behind him and urgently turned around to look. That was when his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his jaw slowly fell to the floor. “W-what the hell is that kid doing?!”

The manager freaked out and hurriedly ran toward the conveyor belt.