CH 318

“Constraint, you say?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yes.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu looked confused as he stared at Kang Jin-Ho. “What do you mean by constraint? Are you suggesting my stance on trying to live righteously is wrong?”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed in frustration and shook his head. “It feels like I'm repeating myself again. No, Chairman, I'm not saying you're wrong. No one in this world would dare to call your way of life wrong or incorrect. Your life so far has been more straight-arrow than anyone, and I'm sure you'll continue to live that way into the future, too.”

“So? What's the problem, then?”

“This is why it's gotten harder for you. And lonelier, too.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu clamped his mouth shut, unable to argue back. Kang Jin-Ho had accurately pointed out Hwang Jeong-Hu's issues once more.

There were thousands of things Hwang Jeong-Hu wanted to say swimming in his head, but he couldn't voice a single one. The weight of what Kang Jin-Ho had said was too heavy for him to do that.

“Humans can't keep living on while sticking only to the righteous paths, Chairman. Since we can't do that, those who can are often referred to as saints.”

“Huh. Sounds oddly like a devil is trying to seduce me here. And this role, it kind of suits you rather well... Did you know that?” Hwang Jeong-Hu coughed sheepishly and tried to sneakily change the subject.

It didn't work on Kang Jin-Ho, however. "Chairman, I don't really care how you choose to live your life. It's just that... I can't help but notice how your strictly no-nonsense, fastidious personality has made your life so much harder than necessary."

"Say what? Fastidious? Think about what those idiots have done! If you hadn't woken me up in time, Jaegyeong would've gone down the drain!"

“That could have happened, yes...”

"Jaegyeong isn't mine alone. It's built on the foundation of blood, sweat and tears of everyone who dedicated their youths and worked together to achieve a common dream. Do you have any idea how many mouths Jaegyeong feeds? Those bastards almost managed to destroy their lifeline, yet you want me to forgive them?!"

Kang Jin-Ho asked back, sounding as if he just couldn't understand it. “What is the reason for not forgiving them?”

“Listen here, Jin-Ho!”

“What have they done wrong, exactly?”

“Say what?”

Kang Jin-Ho stared deeply into Hwang Jeong-Hu's eyes. “Murder and attempted murder are not treated the same in the eyes of the law. In that sense, attempting to ruin Jaegyeong and successfully ruining Jaegyeong are two different things.”

“If it hadn't been for you, the end result would've been pretty obvious!”

"If the police weren't called to the scene of the murder, the culprit would avoid getting charged with murder. Since your sons haven't done anything illegal, the only responsibility they have to face relates to the morality of their actions. And how much punishment they deserve depends on you, Chairman. No matter what you decide, others have no right to criticize or whine about it."

Hwang Jeong-Hu's expression became stupefied. “What? It's... It was my choice?”

“Yes.”

“Look here, Jin-Ho. I have already made my decision. And it was to sever my ties with those bastards.”

“Yes, you have.” Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a fresh cigarette. “Honestly, I don't care about any of that.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Kang Jin-Ho released cigarette smoke into the air. “All I'm trying to tell you now is this one thing. Whatever you decide to do, it's your burden to carry and yours alone. It's up to you if you want to accept your kids again and re-educate them mercilessly. And it's also up to you if you don't want to forgive your guilty children. However...”

Kang Jin-Ho took his time before continuing on from where he left off.

"I don't want to see your choices being swayed by the other thing."

“Other thing? Like what?”

"The way you've been living until now." Kang Jin-Ho muttered in a heavy voice. He spoke leisurely, with absolutely no hurry whatsoever. Yet, his words sounded so clear and unmistakable. "Humans carry the burden of the life they have lived. We all think living this way is what we're supposed to do. But... When we realize what we truly want cannot be obtained while sticking to our original path, we inevitably hesitate, unable to make up our mind."

“...”

“I live with the goal of being happy, Chairman. My reason for trying to live as an ordinary person is as simple as that. I've already experienced living a different life from everyone else until I'm sick of it, you see. Trying to live a life like that means you must carry a burden far greater than what an ordinary life would saddle you with. Although... I've learned that living an ordinary life can also be rather tough lately." Kang Jin-Ho grinned refreshingly. "If something becomes a hindrance in my pursuit of happiness, I'm prepared to throw away anything and everything. As long as I'm not harming other people, I don't see a reason to stick to one principle or the other. However, you're tangled up in way too many principles, Chairman. So, it could be worth the trouble to stop doing that to yourself at least once."

Kang Jin-Ho stubbed the cigarette out and slowly got up.

“My apologies for all these insolent words. I won't bring this matter up again in the future.”

“Hold on, Jin-Ho.” Hwang Jeong-Ho quietly called out to Kang Jin-Ho just as the latter turned around to leave. “...Why are you telling me all this?”

Kang Jin-Ho looked back at Hwang Jeong-Hu. He stared at the latter’s solemn expression and explained, “I wanted to see you happy, Chairman.”

“Happy?”

"Yes. Happy. I seem to have found enough leeway to worry about other people's happiness, not just mine. And when I thought about who was the unhappiest around me, you were the first person who came to mind."

Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled hollowly at that. Unhappiest? Really? Didn't that mean he was an unfortunate and sad idiot?

Only Kang Jin-Ho would brazenly say that to one and only Hwang Jeong-Hu. Nobody in this world would have the balls to say anything even remotely close to his face.

"So, the point of all this talk was that... I'm sad and pathetic? Me, Hwang Jeong-Hu?" Hwang Jeong-Hu glared sharply at Kang Jin-Ho as if his pride was wounded. What Kang Jin-Ho said just now could be interpreted as denying Hwang Jeong-Hu's everything.

"Chairman, achieving lots of things does not guarantee happiness," Kang Jin-Ho curtly replied. "Sometimes, it's the exact opposite. Achieving too many things can lead to unhappiness instead. That's because you've been trying to fill the unfillable void with something else."

“Why am I unhappy, then?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly closed his eyes and reopened them a few seconds later. “Once upon a time, I used to think I had everything in the world.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu silently listened, even his breathing quietening down from the heavy rumbling of Kang Jin-Ho's voice.

“Back then, I could have anything as long as I wanted it. But... But what I truly wanted couldn't be mine no matter how much I wanted it.”

As Kang Jin-Ho spoke, bitter wryness dominated his expression.

That was indeed his story. Despite the entirety of Zhongyuan prostrating before him, Kang Jin-Ho had never been happy back then. That was when he learned that achieving something didn't automatically translate into one's happiness.

"Chairman, the answers you seek might be different from what I've managed to find. However, at the very least, this is what I've learned." Kang Jin-Ho chuckled a little.

However, that smile on Kang Jin-Ho's face was... probably the brightest Hwang Jeong-Hu had ever seen Kang Jin-Ho make until now.

“Some things can only be filled by one's family, Chairman.” Kang Jin-Ho kept his smile and bowed at Hwang Jeong-Hu. “Well, then. Have a good day.”

A part of Kang Jin-Ho wanted him to stay and explain a lot more than this, but Hwang Jeong-Hu didn't need that. The chairman of the Jaegyeong Corporation was capable of adding two and two together by himself, after all.

As such, Kang Jin-Ho figured this much was enough.

“Uhm, excuse me...!”

Kang Jin-Ho heard someone calling out to him as he neared the mansion's exit and looked back. "Yes?"

It wasn't Hwang Jeong-Hu, of course. No, it was his housekeeper who had chased after Kang Jin-Ho. “Excuse me. Here...”

The housekeeper auntie presented Kang Jin-Ho with a bottle of juice.

"I don't understand." Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion.

"It's to thank you," The housekeeper auntie cautiously spoke as remorse filled her expression. "Chairman Hwang's children are not bad people, you know? It's just that they were starving for his affection. Since their father would never acknowledge them unless they achieved something, they were constantly under pressure to become successful. Even toward the end, they... they must've thought they simply had no choice but to take over the company by any means possible."

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “This story doesn't sound like it has anything to do with me.”

“Yes, that is true. Still, I just wanted to thank you for speaking to Chairman. Please accept it.”

Kang Jin-Ho looked at the bottle of juice in his hands one more time, then bowed his head at the housekeeper. "I'll be on my way, then."

“Drive safely.”

“Thank you.” Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly left through the doorway. Once he was outside, he glanced behind him to take in the sight of the large mansion.

“...”

The image of Kang Jin-Ho's former palace seemed to overlap with Hwang Jeong-Hu's mansion in his eyes. Outwardly, both were huge and imposing, but inside were empty and cold.

After recalling that desolate palace with not a trace of warmth anywhere, Kang Jin-Ho ruefully shook his head.

'...Anyway. I've done all I can here.'

This was what family was like. Regardless of what sins they might have committed, families could understand and forgive. On the other hand, families could also be split apart irreparably from an insignificant little problem.

The longer the time spent apart, the harder it would be to repair the split caused by such issues. This thing called time was a funny little monster that made it difficult to do anything if you let it grow.

That was why... Sometimes, someone needed to give a little push. Kang Jin-Ho was that someone today. And it was up to Hwang Jeong-Hu to decide how unforgivable his sons' crime was and if he was prepared to never forgive them.

Even if Kang Jin-Ho didn’t try to 'push' again, as long as Hwang Jeong-Hu got to untangle the knot in his heart by even a little, it would be considered a decent result.

Kang Jin-Ho withdrew his gaze and slowly walked toward his car. He'd respect whatever Hwang Jeong-Hu decided to do.

'Still...'

Kang Jin-Ho was genuine about what he said before leaving. There were some voids only family could fill.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed under his breath while taking out his car key.

***

Ju Yeong-Gi suddenly called out to his friend. “Hey, Jin-Ho...”

“Mm?”

“Other people might think you're a successful young entrepreneur.”

"...Okay. Where is this coming from, though?"

"Aigoo~~~, what can a measly little employee say to his boss who wishes to commute to work late when he feels like it? I mean, we're just a bunch of dunces who won't complain, like ever, as long as we can get our salaries on time, anyway! So, please don't worry about anything, boss."

Kang Jin-Ho stumbled back a little at Ju Yeong-Gi's 'joking' tone. “B-but I was late only by half an hour today.”

“Uh-huh! Listen to this guy!” Ju Yeong-Gi's brows shot up in barely-controlled anger. He stared at Kang Jin-Ho in annoyance before asking Park Yu-Min. “Hey, Yu-Min?”

“Yeah?”

“What happens to a normal salaryman if you're thirty minutes late to work?”

Park Yu-Min tilted his head while tapping his lips with his finger. “Mm, not sure. I've never worked in a regular company before. But... Back in the pro-gaming team, if someone arrives thirty minutes late to their practice session, it's okay to assume it'll be a funeral for the late dude.”

“Huh! But now, we have someone in our midst who says it's 'only' half an hour! Take a good look, Yu-Min. That is the owner. Our boss! This is the power of the original gold spoon!”

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

“Kuh-huh~! It's so bright, I might go blind!”

Kang Jin-Ho progressively shrunk back at his friends' bantering and slowly backed off toward the corner of the store.

He knew he had no excuses here. There was no denying the fact that lately, he had been frequently leaving the store unattended to deal with external matters.

This was his pizzeria. He started this business, yet it was Ju Yeong-Gi and Park Yu-Min giving it the attention it deserved, not Kang Jin-Ho!

“I'm really sorry about this, you two. And I'm grateful for...”

"No, don't do it, man! It's too cringey!" Ju Yeong-Gi shuddered theatrically. "Gee whiz, have you been eating expensive sh*t all this time? Look how silvery your tongue looks, dude!”

Even Park Yu-Min joined in. “Stop it, Jin-Ho. Look at our goosebumps, will you?”

“...My bad.” Kang Jin-Ho groaned.

Park Yu-Min chuckled a little before patting Kang Jin-Ho on the shoulder. “Come on, let's get ready. It's almost opening time.”

“Mm. By the way, Yu-Min?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it fine not to practice? It feels like you've been preparing for a while, doesn't it?”

"There is time and place for everything, Jin-Ho."

“Is that right?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.

"The next preseason is still some time away. When the day comes, I'm not gonna come back here no matter how much you beg me to stay, so don't worry about me. Anyway, let's get ready already."

“Got it.” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled as Park Yu-Min pushed him from behind toward the staff room.

'I see. So, there was one more, then.'

One more thing to fill the void, that was.