CH 298

“Sir, I don't think getting older doesn't necessarily mean you become shortsighted. However, I still can't understand what scared you to the point of acting this way,” said Bang Jin-Hun.

“Are you trying to ridicule me, Bang Jin-Hun?” Lee Jung-Geol painfully chewed his words out.

“Assembly Master, sir...” Bang Jin-Hun spoke in a calm, gentle voice. “Do you still believe the position of the Assembly Master holds any meaning in the current situation?”

“...”

"Me becoming the next Assembly Master... It's nothing more than a front, sir. You know as well as I do that none of us can go against that man's orders now."

“Yes, that is true. You'll be in for a rough ride, then...” Lee Jung-Geol replied lifelessly.

Bang Jin-Hun could only chuckle bitterly at that. "Sir, I can see that you've become a bona fide politician."

“What do you mean?”

“It seems the 'Assembly Master Lee Jung-Geol' I used to know is no longer with us.”

Lee Jung-Geol frowned deeply, unable to understand where Bang Jin-Hun was going with this. “What is it that you want to say to me?”

"Sir, what do you think or feel when you look at that man? When you look at Kang Jin-Ho, who has pretty much conquered the Martial Assembly?"

“I...”

"Are you frightened? Scared?" Bang Jin-Hun asked, and his expression rapidly crumpled. He looked if he would start swearing very soon. Until now, he never held Lee Jung-Geol in contempt, simply viewing the latter as an enemy to overcome. However, Bang Jin-Hun couldn't help but glare at the old man in genuine disappointment. "If you were still the same person I used to look up to as a child... You'd have said Kang Jin-Ho excites you."

'...Excite me?' Lee Jung-Geol stared back in total confusion.

“Because that's what being a martial artist is all about!” Bang Jin-Hun shouted in frustration. “Sir, we are not politicians! And we're certainly not merchants struggling unsightly every day to earn an extra buck! We’re martial artists! Since when did martial artists become so obsessed over their status and positions?! Tell me, since when!?”

"At the very least, the Assembly Master I used to know hasn’t been like this! Didn't you take over the Assembly Master position to advance and develop Korea's martial arts society? Or was it to get drunk in your authority?! I only managed to rebel against you because you've steadily weakened the Assembly Master's powers over the years!"

Bang Jin-Hun's voice was hoarse enough that he sounded like he would start spitting out blood anytime soon.

"Sir, the world is changing! And that man, Kang Jin-Ho? He's the type to incite conflicts! Which means I will have to deal with an endless series of conflicts!"

“...!”

"Even so, I can still welcome them all with a smile on my face because... that's what being a martial artist is all about, is it not? So, yes! Kang Jin-Ho excites me. Thinking about just where that man will take me next gets my heart racing! But now, sir. You just lost your meaningless position of Assembly Master, yet you're making the face of a man who had lost everything." Bang Jin-Hun tutted, then mouthed a cigarette. "The position of the Korean Martial Assembly Master does not belong to you. Isn't your true self not the Assembly Master but a martial artist named Lee Jung-Geol? If you can still remember that you are one of the top martial artists representing this country, stop showing us an unsightly side like this."

Lee Jung-Geol quietly stared at Bang Jin-Hun as he listened.

"I'll leave open a spot in the advisory position. An executive director is also fine. Who cares about the name of the position anyway? The truth is, I still need someone of your caliber, sir. So, it'd be nice if you stop thinking that it's the end of the road for you simply because you were forced to give up on the Assembly Master's seat. There is still plenty of work left to do in South Korea's martial arts society, after all!"

Bang Jin-Hun bowed deeply, then exited the room right afterward.

Lee Jung-Geol continued to stand there in silence and stared at the empty doorway for a long time. Then, a hollow little chuckle leaked out of his mouth. “A martial artist is it...”

‘That's right, I was one, wasn't I?’

‘When did I forget that? When was it?’

“Grandfather...?” Lee Hyeon-Ju making a stiff face cautiously stepped through the doorway and entered the room.

“...Is that you, Hyeon-Ju?”

“It's over now, Grandfather.”

"Yes, it is..." Lee Jung-Geol chuckled weakly. "However... it's not the end."

“G-grandfather!”

"I'm just saying, I won't give up here, child. I have eyes, you know. And I certainly still have a brain. I know that protesting at this stage will only get me a blade to my gut," Lee Jung-Geol replied to her while chuckling affably.

Lee Hyeon-Ju sensed that her grandfather seemed to have changed a little just now. No, to be more precise, it wasn't that Lee Jung-Geol had changed, but he seemed to have reverted back to his old, kind self.

“Grandfather?”

“Mm? What is it?”

"You've worked hard, Grandfather."

“Mm...”

“Other people might not know, but I do. I know how hard you've worked for the sake of the Assembly,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju.

“Yes, indeed...” Lee Jung-Geol responded with a slightly bitter voice. “However, I was wrong.”

“I'm sorry?”

"I thought everyone would acknowledge me and thank me for my work, but I was wrong."

“Grandfather...”

"Indeed, I was wrong all this time. My dedication to the Assembly was for the betterment of all the martial artists, but I... I've forgotten about that goal, and the Assembly itself became my focus."

Lee Hyeon-Ju didn't say anything. She simply listened.

As for Lee Jung-Geol, Bang Jin-Hun's passionate words were still ringing loudly in his head. Especially the question of where did the 'martial artist' Lee Jung-Geol disappear to echoed noisily and incessantly in his ears.

'I used to be a martial artist, so just when did I...'

Just when did he start getting so hung up over power, wealth and possession? He always thought he hadn't changed—that he remained pure and noble to his goal. But now, there was a clear mirror in front of him reflecting what he had become.

The person in that mirror wasn't a noble martial artist but a pitifully-trembling old man corrupted by power.

'Can I... go back to how I was?'

Back to those days when he was still pure and noble? Perhaps wishing for that at his age was asking for too much. Even so...

"Grandfather, please don't be so disheartened like this. Those guys will soon learn how challenging it is to lead the Assembly, anyway."

“Yes, it is a challenge, indeed.” Lee Jung-Geol contemplatively nodded. “That is why I must help.”

“I'm sorry?”

"Kang Jin-Ho is a terrifying person who also lacks self-restraint sometimes. Bang Jin-Hun alone will be insufficient to assist him. Not only does Bang Jin-Hun lack experience, but his own personality is also like a raging inferno. There is a danger of him going completely out of control, perhaps even worse than Kang Jin-Ho himself."

“That's why you want to help them?” Lee Hyeon-Ju asked back incredulously.

“What's wrong? Am I not allowed?” Lee Jung-Geol looked back at his granddaughter with a bright grin.

Lee Hyeon-Ju was left speechless by that expression, though.

'Did you just ask me if it's not allowed?'

Weren't they enemies? Those people came here to snatch away everything in Lee Jung-Geol's possession. So how could he even think about helping them out?

“G-grandfather...”

Lee Jung-Geol shook his head and quietly explained himself. “Getting older doesn't mean you become wiser, child. I didn't know this until now.”

“Sorry?”

“When you're carrying a heavy load on your back and shoulders, you can't raise your head to look up. That’s why I couldn't see the sky above me.”

“...?”

“In other words, my horizon became narrower. But now, after thinking that I've finally put all my load down? I can see more clearly now.”

“If that's your choice, I'll accept it, Grandfather. However...” Lee Hyeon-Ju clenched her fist while making a stiff expression. “I'll help out, too.”

“But, Hyeon-Ju...”

“Grandfather, I'm also a martial artist. More importantly, though, I'm Lee Jung-Geol's granddaughter, too. So, please don't try to stop me.”

Lee Jung-Geol smiled wryly at her.

'But, this path won't be a gentle one, child...'

His estimation was, most likely, on the money. That returner named Kang Jin-Ho was the type to summon bloodbaths and deaths wherever he went. As proof, just take a look at what happened tonight. Not only did he dare to antagonize two of Korea's biggest martial arts organizations—the Martial Assembly and the Yeongnam Group—but he even dared to clash against the Japanese, too.

Since the chessboard had gotten larger, the looming battles would also grow in scale. If Kang Jin-Ho continued to behave this way, there was a good chance that unprecedented chaos would descend upon this world sooner than later.

Even though Lee Jung-Geol knew he should be doing his best to stop that possibility from becoming a reality, something about it oddly excited him. Judging by this tumultuous emotion, it seemed the spirit of a martial artist hadn't fully abandoned Lee Jung-Geol yet.

“Very well. We'll see later,” Lee Jung-Geol muttered, “Let's see how much will change.”

***

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely left the mansion.

No one stopped him as he walked outside. Then again, Lee Jung-Geol had restricted access near his mansion, which meant there wasn't anyone around to stop Kang Jin-Ho in the first place.

A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled.

Kang Jin-Ho tried to wipe his face. He caught the dense whiff of blood from his fingertips.

'Is it familiar?'

Or was it unfamiliar?

It was both. Familiar, yet also unfamiliar. After causing one hell of pandemonium, Kang Jin-Ho felt refreshed, but this bitter aftertaste also lingered around him.

How... complicated. That was what Kang Jin-Ho would say if he were forced to sort out his current mood and the situation he had found himself in.

Kang Jin-Ho could no longer go back to a simple life. And no, he couldn't also keep thinking that outright killing enemies would solve all of his problems. This world, and this situation, didn't permit him to be that simple-minded.

In the past, the only thing he could potentially lose was his life if things went wrong somewhere. But now, he had many more 'things' to protect and a ton of things to do.

Now, his death wouldn't simply end as his death alone. Some would grieve for him, and his death would mess up the lives of some others, too.

Knowing that his life wasn't simply his alone felt kind of... burdensome, but at the same time, inexplicably warm and comforting, too.

Duality. That seemed to be the aptest description of Kang Jin-Ho's current life.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head to empty his mind of complicated, entangled thoughts. While mulling over things wasn't such a bad thing, he wanted to stop thinking about them, at least for the time being.

In times like these...

Honk, honk!

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head when he heard a car's horn. Next to a group of cars Bang Jin-Hun and his subordinates had brought was a familiar sedan. It switched on its headlights and glided over to where Kang Jin-Ho was.

"Dear customer!" The driver's side window rolled down, and the driver smirked in Kang Jin-Ho's direction. "You're heading to Seoul, yes?"

Kang Jin-Ho faintly grinned. “How much for the trip?”

“It's pretty late, you know? You gotta be prepared to pay more, dear customer.”

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin. “I see. How much more are we talking about here?”

“I'm thinking along the lines of beer, sir! How about it?”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “You got it!”

Jo Gyu-Min grinned while watching Kang Jin-Ho head to the front passenger's seat. A night like tonight was the perfect time to get drunk.

***

“Does that mean the business with the Martial Assembly is over?” Jo Gyu-Min asked.

Currently, by the riverside...

With simple snacks in between them, Kang Jin-Ho and Jo Gyu-Min sat facing each other. The original plan was to find a bar, but it was too late by then, so they simply bought some snacks and beer at the first convenience store they found and came to the riverside.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded while munching on the snacks. “It seems that way, yes.”

“I see. You must've worked hard, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“It wasn't much.” Kang Jin-Ho picked up a beer can, then emptied it in one go.

'Huh. That was good enough to pass off as a beer commercial...'

The way Kang Jin-Ho's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he drank looked straight out of a big-budget commercial. Then again, anything Kang Jin-Ho did would look cool, so...

Jo Gyu-Min shook his head, then sipped his own beer before asking once more, "Which means the only thing remaining is the final showdown with the Yeongnam Group, doesn't it?"

“Well, not exactly. You see...” Kang Jin-Ho started explaining what happened.

At the end of that, Jo Gyu-Min's brows shot up high. “Japan, you say?”

“Yes.”

"What the... Japan? Really...?" Jo Gyu-Min held his head in despair. Why was it that Kang Jin-Ho always did something like this? He was supposed to solve a problem, yet he created another one instead! The whole point of gaining control of the Martial Assembly was to have an easier time when dealing with the Yeongnam Group. So, wouldn't creating friction with the Japanese worsen the situation by a huge deal?

“Mister Jin-Ho, does this mean we now have to fight off Japan, too?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “...Well, yes. If they come at us, that is.”

“How many Japanese showed up tonight?”

“I'd say around thirty.”

“How many among them managed to go back home?”

“...No one, I guess,” Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly replied.

Even though one of them was still alive.

Jo Gyu-Min's eyes trembled powerfully. What the heck was up with this situation?! It wasn't as if Kang Jin-Ho was a human butcher, so why did he have to kill so many people tonight?!

Had the other world always been this violent?

‘No, hang on a minute. It's not the 'other world' anymore, is it? I have also become a part of it, after all.’

"Keuh-hmm. It seems we will have to meet with Mister Bang Jin-Hun later to discuss how to deal with the issue regarding the Japanese."

"Yes, it seems so." Kang Jin-Ho nodded while munching on more snacks.

"Urgh..." Jo Gyu-Min facepalmed, thinking that his workload had ballooned once again. "Well, still..."

Since it was fun, he didn't mind it at all. Jo Gyu-Min popped open his beer can and coolly emptied it in one shot.

“Keuh~euh!”

Might as well forget about stuff like anxiety and planning until tomorrow! For now, it was time to quench their thirst with a few cold beers!

Jo Gyu-Min took out a new beer can and handed it over to Kang Jin-Ho.

For a while, the only sound quietly echoing on the riverside covered in the veil of darkness was the popping of beer can lids.