CH 358

Bang Jin-Hun seemed to be openly making fun of Yi Myeong-Hwan. People wouldn't usually say rude things like that to the face of the person in question, even if that was what they believed. Since that was the case, Yi Myeong-Hwan had to assume he wasn't summoned to this office for a friendly chat over a cup of coffee.

Once he recognized that fact, Yi Myeong-Hwan's eyes squeezed shut all on their own.

'Yup, I'm finished.'

Even if he wouldn't leave this place as a corpse, a reprisal of some kind was definitely in store for him.

'But, I'm a nobody, you know...'

Yi Myeong-Hwan shouldn't have pushed his luck and taken advantage of the other party's friendly attitude. Lee Jung-Geol used to be the Assembly Master, while Bang Jin-Hun was the current Assembly Master. In that case, both men needed to be respected equally.

Since Bang Jin-Hun was more diplomatic and willing to listen, small fries like Yi Myeong-Hwan should've thanked him and been more respectful, but he... He stupidly tried to jump on the imaginary chance and bring the Assembly Master down a notch. And this was the end result.

As Yi Myeong-Hwan swam in his misery, his ears picked up Kang Jin-Ho's rebuking voice meant for Bang Jin-Hun. “Mister Jin-Hun, how could you say that?”

“Huh? What do you mean? I was only telling the truth, no? I mean, come on. That was embarrassing back then.”

“Even if you only want to speak the truth, you still should refrain from saying that directly to the person.”

“Why should I when I’m merely exercising my freedom of speech?”

“You could get away with that in the past, but you're the Assembly Master now. You must never forget that everything you say now carries weight, Mister Jin-Hun. Even if you're joking, other people won't take it that way.”

“Eiiiing!” Bang Jin-Hun tutted in unhappiness.

Yi Myeong-Hwan carefully cracked open his eyelids.

'What... is even this situation?'

Kang Jin-Ho was actually covering for Yi Myeong-Hwan and Gong Yeong-Gil? Truth be told, the one under the verbal attack earlier wasn't Bang Jin-Hun but Kang Jin-Ho. So, the logic said Kang Jin-Ho should be the one feeling upset.

However, Kang Jin-Ho was sticking up for two nobodies of the Martial Assembly instead of losing his temper. Feeling thoroughly dazed now, Yi Myeong-Hwan raised his head and stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Besides, you've summoned them here to ask a favor, so how could you start by criticizing them first?”

“Yes, I know. I know! It's just that I'm getting frustrated over here, you see…” Bang Jin-Hun grumbled quietly to himself.

This situation would've made the observers chuckle aloud at its absurdity at any other time. However, Yi Myeong-Hwan was still too dazed and could barely keep up with this situation. Just... Just what the hell was going on here?

“My apologies, gentlemen,” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly apologized on behalf of Bang Jin-Hun.

Yi Myeong-Hwan desperately waved his hands. “N-no, that's not necessary, sir! If anyone needs to apologize, that should be us! I-I mean, we stupidly ran our mouths earlier, so we should be asking for your forgiveness instead!”

“...Sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

'Huh? Is he... serious?'

It didn't look like Kang Jin-Ho was faking his confusion. He was already blessed with that face, and if he could also act so naturally like that, Kang Jin-Ho might as well head straight to the entertainment industry and forget about martial arts and whatever. However, he was currently sitting inside the Assembly Master's office. That seemed like pretty good proof that Kang Jin-Ho wasn't acting.

“I'm sorry! Please forgive us!” Yi Myeong-Hwan shot up to his feet and urgently bowed his head.

Gong Yeong-Gil jumped up to his feet as well and bowed deeply. “I must've lost my head just now, sir! Please forgive me, too!”

“W-wait a second. Why are you two…” While making a troubled and confused face, Kang Jin-Ho got up and gently pushed both men back to their seats. “I don't think you guys did something that requires you to apologize to me?”

“But, what we said was…”

“Even I thought everything you said was correct as well. It's absurd for me to suddenly become a director of the Assembly, after all.”

Bang Jin-Hun muttered, “He's even complaining about a freebie?” while pouting, but Kang Jin-Ho cleanly ignored him since trying to respond to everything the big man said could take the whole night.

“I understand very well that people will get upset when some random guy suddenly becomes their director. If you see anyone still under that wrong impression, please clear the misunderstanding for me if you can. Tell them I had never asked for the position in the first place.”

“Oh, uh... We will,” Yi Myeong-Hwan carefully replied while sensing something cold slowly creeping up his spine.

'He's... actually normal?'

Not only that, but Kang Jin-Ho seemed exceedingly sensible, too. However, that realization only made Yi Myeong-Hwan even more terrified.

If he hadn't heard about what Kang Jin-Ho did before arriving at the Martial Assembly, Yi Myeong-Hwan would have been genuinely impressed by this young man's gracious heart and ability to respond logically. Unfortunately, Yi Myeong-Hwan did hear the truth.

If Kang Jin-Ho really did all those horrifying things, then... Then, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't just a madman. No, he was utterly, completely batsh*t crazy!

Yi Myeong-Hwan cautiously piped up. “By the way, the favor...?”

“Oh!” Kang Jin-Ho turned his head and stared at Bang Jin-Hun.

Bang Jin-Hun glared in dissatisfaction at Yi Myeong-Hwan and Gong Yeong-Gil before growling quietly. “You two smoke?”

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“Sir?”

“I said, do you smoke?”

“...Yes, sir, we do.”

“Then, how about a smoke break before we get down to business? I gotta get some nicotine in me or I might croak from this frustration.”

“Yes, sir. Please go ahead,” Yi Myeong-Hwan faltered slightly and nodded.

“You dumbass, nothing is more uncomfortable than smoking in front of a fellow smoker just sucking on their fingers. Hurry up and grab some cigarettes yourselves.”

“Uh…” Yi Myeong-Hwan frowned slightly, wondering if he should do as ordered or continue to mind his manners. However, his dilemma was swiftly resolved when Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a cigarette and lit it with his lighter.

Yi Myeong-Hwan thought, 'Dang it, I don't know anymore!' and mouthed a cigarette. Gong Yeong-Gil also followed suit and sneakily lit one up for himself.

Not too long afterward, the Assembly Master's office was filled with dense cigarette smoke.

“Argh, what the f*ck? What is this, a den of raccoons or something?” Bang Jin-Hun shot up from the couch. After opening the office windows wide, he returned to his spot and began addressing the duo. “Okay, so. I called you here because…”

“Yes, sir.”

“It's not announced yet, but... Looks like there will be a major event happening tomorrow.”

“A... major event, sir?” Yi Myeong-Hwan cautiously asked.

“Yeah. With the Yeongnam Group.”

“...Ah!” Yi Myeong-Hwan gasped out loudly without even realizing it.

The rumors of the Assembly going to war with the Yeongnam Group had been doing the rounds recently, but Yi Myeong-Hwan didn't think the decision would be made so soon.

Until now, higher-ups kept saying they'd go to war with the Yeongnam Group, only for their bravado to fizzle out every single time. That was why Yi Myeong-Hwan thought it'd be the same story this time as well. But now...

'Are they serious about it this time?'

The Martial Assembly going to war with the Yeongnam Group would be a major event, indeed. The two powerful factions of the South Korean martial world had been mocking and criticizing each other and trying to keep the other in check over the years, but they had never fought head-on before. That was because they knew a war would create ripples too big for them to deal with.

Bang Jin-Hun knew better than anyone about their situation but still talked about going to war against the Yeongnam Group. What could that mean?

“S-sir, are you serious?”

“Yeah, I am.” Bang Jin-Hun nodded.

“...Sir, this ain't gonna be a walk in the park.”

“Most likely,” Bang Jin-Hun muttered disinterestedly while leaning against the back of the couch. “You think I'm happy about this? War is crap, and I don't wanna do it if I can help it. But we no longer have a choice in the matter. I can't give you a full explanation yet, but know this. Lots of Jap bastards have already entered our country. By exploiting the schism between the Yeongnam Group and our side, those bastards are planning to devour everyone in one go.”

'Holy sh*t, so it was true...!'

Yi Myeong-Hwan's body was instantly covered in goosebumps at the mention of the Japanese.

The clean-up crew was indeed speaking the truth. The Japanese did target Kang Jin-Ho and Bang Jin-Hun, but Kang Jin-Ho turned them all into bits of bloody meat instead!

Yi Myeong-Hwan didn't think the clean-up crew members weren't lying. But, now that he got his confirmation, Yi Myeong-Hwan's fear of Kang Jin-Ho suddenly grew even bigger. “S-sir, if that's the case, shouldn't we try to cooperate with the Yeongnam Group instead?”

“I wouldn't be talking to you if that was possible,” Bang Jin-Hun tutted.

“That... is true.”

“Since that's the situation, it's better to fight them and unify everyone under one banner.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan stared at his Assembly Master in stupefaction. If unifying everyone was as easy as that, why would they be in this office discussing this situation in the first place?

In terms of combat strength, the Yeongnam Group was superior to the Martial Assembly. Wasn't that why the Assembly members had to avoid direct confrontation until now despite their anger and irritation? But now, Bang Jin-Hun was talking about unification?

“Assembly Master, sir. It won't be easy.”

“Nah, not really. The problem is with the time, actually.”

“...Sir?”

“I don't need to explain the nitty-gritty to you, but... Don't worry, our side will definitely win when the fighting breaks out eventually. I'm more worried about what can be done to minimize the casualties as much as possible.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan nodded away even though he had no idea what they were even talking about anymore. He couldn't understand nor accept what Bang Jin-Hun was yapping about. Unfortunately for him, Bang Jin-Hun was the Assembly Master. Since the leader of the Martial Assembly sounded that confident, Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't bring himself to retort, 'What bullsh*t are you talking about, sir!?'

Didn't he do that once before and nearly got himself tumbling down the path to Hell? No, wait. Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't be sure he was safe just yet.

Having recognized the situation he was in, Yi Myeong-Hwan was extra cautious while asking the next question. “Sir... What do you want us to do...?”

“Ah, that's right. When did I get sidetracked and end up here? Anyways. The favor I wanna ask of you is actually pretty straightforward. If I am to make it simple for you to understand... Well, kinda like acting as a GPS?”

“...Sorry, sir?” Yi Myeong-Hwan stared in stupefaction at Bang Jin-Hun.

“That's not right, is it?” Bang Jin-Hun rubbed his chin. “Forget GPS, your role will be similar to a traffic sign. Or, kinda like those yellow police tapes.”

“Huh? You mean those tapes that prohibit entry?”

“Right, that!” Bang Jin-Hun snapped his finger and pointed at Yi Myeong-Hwan while nodding in satisfaction.

Yi Myeong-Hwan blinked his eyes. “Uh... So... Where do you want us to block off?”

Bang Jin-Hun pointed with his chin... at Kang Jin-Ho. “Riiiight here.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan's confused gaze landed on Kang Jin-Ho. “I, uh... My apologies, Assembly Master. But I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, sir. I won't understand anything if you, uh, beat around the bush like this.”

“I'm not beating around anything, fella. It's as exactly as I said. Your job will be to stop any of our guys from wandering too close to this gent.”

What on Earth was Bang Jin-Hun saying this time? Yi Myeong-Hwan's expression crumpled as he failed to understand.

Bang Jin-Hun looked at that expression of torment on Yi Myeong-Hwan's face and smirked softly. “From what I saw earlier, you seem reasonably popular with the guys. They seemed to know you, and you seem to know most of the members downstairs, too.”

“Y-yes, sir. That's true.”

“Let me be blunt here. It's not like we're a historical kingdom waging war with another kingdom, no? And we ain't gonna be wearing matching uniforms and stuff like that, either. We'll probably be wearing tracksuits or business suits, so how are we supposed to tell apart our allies from enemies?”

“...Ah!” Yi Myeong-Hwan gasped in realization. He had never thought about that before. Even though he was a member of the martial world, Yi Myeong-Hwan had never been in a fight with over twenty participants before. “You have a point there, sir.”

“So, I figured we need a sure-fire sign board that can alert the others that this gent is on our side. I'd rather avoid the whole thing of people failing to identify who's friend or foe and causing problems. If some random fool mistakes Mister Jin-Ho as an enemy and attacks him, that's gonna create a huge headache for me. You get what I'm saying, don't you?”

“Oh, uh, yes, sir. I do…”

“And the plan is for Mister Jin-Ho to move around in a group. So, I want you to pick a few handy guys to accompany him. And stick close to Mister Jin-Ho when the sh*t starts. Easy enough to understand, right?”

“Yes, sir.” Yi Myeong-Hwan nodded, still feeling stupefied by this conversation.

'Do we need to go this far for something like that?'

Bang Jin-Hun wasn't wrong, of course. Identifying friends from foes would be tough in the heat of the battle. Even if that were true, just who came up with the idea of having escorts around Kang Jin-Ho to help others identify him as an ally?

It wasn't as if Kang Jin-Ho was some dangerous loose cannon...

That was when an arc of bone-chilling electricity ran down his spine.

'No, wait. He is a dangerous loose cannon!'

And to both the allies and enemies, no less!

Bang Jin-Hun was worried about the Assembly members mistaking Kang Jin-Ho for an enemy and attacking him, only for them to end up as unrecognizable chunks of bloodied meat. And that was why he resorted to this absurd-sounding idea to prevent that situation from coming to reality.

Yi Myeong-Hwan finally understood Bang Jin-Hun's intentions. And when his thoughts reached this far, he realized something else.

'Okay, so... He wants me to act like a bomb disposal unit, doesn't he?'

The correct term in this case would be 'bomb transportation unit', but that would be splitting hairs.

Yi Myeong-Hwan's expression crumpled hideously. As it turned out, Bang Jin-Hun hadn't forgiven him. Like, not at all. This was Bang Jin-Hun's way of punishing Yi Myeong-Hwan and Gong Yeong-Gil. That hateful smirk etched on Bang Jin-Hun's face was all the proof Yi Myeong-Hwan needed to confirm his fears.

'I guess... The most dangerous place during the war will be next to Kang Jin-Ho, won't it? In more than one meaning, too...!'

Yi Myeong-Hwan instinctively knew. He must refuse this job. Even if refusing meant he'd end up in Bang Jin-Hun's bad books, he definitely had to say no. If Yi Myeong-Hwan wanted to live a long, healthy life, he must avoid getting tangled up in Kang Jin-Ho's business!

Just before Yi Myeong-Hwan could steel his resolve, though...

Gong Yeong-Gil shot up to his feet and shouted loudly. “It'll be our honor, sir! I promise you, we'll do our absolute best!”

“Ah…” Yi Myeong-Hwan gasped in despair as his chance flew out the window. He held his face in sorrow and groaned softly.

'I'm f*cked...!'