CH 361

“So, like... How should I describe this?” Gong Yeong-Gil muttered while feeling a bit weird about this situation. “We are going there to wage war, right?”

“Sure.” Yi Myeong-Hwan nodded matter-of-factly.

“In that case, why does it feel like we're going on a picnic instead?”

“...”

Yi Myeong-Hwan would've tried to bite Gong Yeong-Gil's head off for talking nonsense... if they had been in a different situation. However, he didn't. The truth was, Yi Myeong-Hwan had also been feeling something similar to Gong Yeong-Gil for a while now.

'Right. It's not like we're going on a class field trip or something...'

These many people rushing inside buses to travel somewhere was a spectacle Yi Myeong-Hwan had not seen since his schoolboy days. The solemn determination he made with himself got ever-so-slightly eroded by this weird sight.

The familiar smell of the bus and the sight of all these black-haired roughnecks packing the interior like sardines forced Yi Myeong-Hwan to remember the must-have school trip snacks, boiled eggs and a bottle of cider. He thought that maybe, he should've brought them with him just for fun. Although, his current age meant he wouldn't have experienced such traditions during his school days as they were long out of fashion by then!

The thing was, though, Yi Myeong-Hwan shouldn't even be thinking about such things considering what they were about to do soon. After all, Yi Myeong-Hwan and his comrades were about to get involved in the biggest conflict since the inception of the Martial Assembly.

The Assembly boasted a long history, so it had experienced many events of varying significance. But Yi Myeong-Hwan was sure about this. He was sure that nothing would be greater in scale or in importance than the operation he and his comrades were about to partake in.

The Martial Assembly had never gone to war with another organization of a similar size before, yet here it was, about to fight a group even bigger than itself.

Yi Myeong-Hwan grabbed his knees and stopped his shaking legs. A large-scale conflict involving martial artists? That kind of event didn't happen every day. He did think the war was inevitable considering the steadily-worsening relationship between the Martial Assembly and the Yeongnam Group. However, he never imagined it'd happen for real.

It was similar to the situation between South Korea and its northern counterpart. The relationship was deteriorating, and it seemed a war would break out in not too distant future, but the majority of Korean citizens secretly believed nothing would happen between the two countries. Yi Myeong-Hwan's sentiment was similar to that.

He thought he was mentally prepared for this situation. However, now that he had to live through it, none of this situation felt real to his senses. As if he was wading in his dream, Yi Myeong-Hwan felt stupefied and couldn't come to grips with this reality.

Gong Yeong-Gil must've been subconsciously influenced by Yi Myeong-Hwan's sentiments since he was also feeling weirded out by the current situation.

“We gotta sober up, man.”

“...Yeah, we do.” Yi Myeong-Hwan clamped his mouth shut.

'I can't even imagine what kind of spectacle will unfold once we get there...'

There never had been a conflict of this scale in South Korea's history where every combatant was a martial artist. No wonder Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't predict how the war would unfold and what the conclusion would look like.

Yi Myeong-Hwan sensed that everyone on the bus was feeling anxious. Nervous. Unlike them, though, Yi Myeong-Hwan's anxiety had an extra wrinkle.

Gong Yeong-Gil cautiously asked, “Is Mister Kang Jin-Ho traveling in the bus up front?”

“...Most likely.” Yi Myeong-Hwan covered his face and groaned at length.

'I shouldn't have run my mouth...'

Gong Yeong-Gil merely wanted to confirm that Kang Jin-Ho was riding in the bus at the front of the traveling group. However, Yi Myeong-Hwan's sentiments weren't as simple as his comrade's.

He knew that the bus in front was carrying the core members of the Martial Assembly, including the former Assembly Master Lee Jung-Geol. And the fact that Kang Jin-Ho naturally joined them on the bus meant that the higher-ups of the Assembly had already acknowledged Kang Jin-Ho.

In other words, Kang Jin-Ho was being protected by Bang Jin-Hun.

'F*cking hell. Gimme a break...'

Yi Myeong-Hwan grabbed at his hair. What on Earth was he thinking when trying to provoke such an individual!

Worse still, according to Yi Myeong-Hwan's analysis, Kang Jin-Ho... was insane. Just the idea of dealing with the mess left behind by that lunatic was already giving Yi Myeong-Hwan indigestion!

He groaned and muttered to Gong Yeong-Gil. “We gotta worry about tonight, man.”

“...Why?”

“We're supposed to stick to that man, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“And that's easier said than done…” Yi Myeong-Hwan groaned again.

Bang Jin-Hun probably had an ulterior motive while forcing Yi Myeong-Hwan and Gong Yeong-Gil to... 'chaperone' Kang Jin-Ho.

As Bang Jin-Hun said, Kang Jin-Ho should have trouble differentiating friend from foe, so it made perfect sense to assign someone to help him out in that regard. However, Yi Myeong-Hwan had a feeling that wasn't the whole story.

If Kang Jin-Ho were to continue working with the Martial Assembly into the future, a middleman acting as a connection between the two was necessary.

Everyone here interacted with each other from a young age and even became friends through their affiliation with the Martial Assembly. Martial artists possessed the baseless pride of being superior existences than ordinary people. However, that meant they could not enjoy a regular lifestyle. And a bond of sympathy would form from the grief of this situation, helping the martial artist to band together even more.

However, Kang Jin-Ho was different. He showed up literally out of nowhere to get involved in the Martial Assembly's operation. Obviously, no one shared a bond with him, and it'd be rather tricky to get friendly with him, too.

If it was Bang Jin-Hun, he should be smart enough to predict such things, and he probably wanted to create a buffer zone where Kang Jin-Ho could enjoy trouble-free interactions with the members of the Martial Assembly.

The unfortunate point about this situation was that Yi Myeong-Hwan had no choice but to act as that buffer zone!

'And they say when you're unlucky, you'll break your nose even if you fall backward...'

The animosity toward Kang Jin-Ho must be overflowing among the Martial Assembly's members right now.

In the Martial Assembly, one might receive some benefits from their factions, but they still needed to prove their strength to avoid getting kicked to the curb. However, here was Kang Jin-Ho, the very first... 'gold spoon' of the Martial Assembly. He showed up practically out of the blue, and the higher-ups were already talking about making him a director!

What happened during last night's introduction was proof of people's ill feelings toward Kang Jin-Ho. But now, Yi Myeong-Hwan and Gong Yeong-Gil were tasked with acting as shields against such animosity...!

“Gimme a freaking break, man...!” Yi Myeong-Hwan spat out yet another groan.

Gong Yeong-Gil leaned in closer and whispered quietly. “By the way, Myeong-Hwan...?”

“What now?”

“When you think about it... Don't you think this is an opportunity for us?”

“An... opportunity? What?”

“Yeah. So, uh…” Gong Yeong-Gil hesitated slightly before lowering his voice even more. “Whatever is going on, Kang Jin-Ho receiving protection from the higher-ups is true, right? And the Assembly Master seems to be supporting him wholeheartedly, too. Doesn't that mean he's like the most important player in the Assembly?”

“Oh? But, so what? You wanna give him a nickname or something? Like, Bang Jin-Hun's Heir Apparent?”

“Come on, man. Don't be so sarcastic and listen…” Gong Yeong-Gil nervously swallowed his saliva, then scanned their vicinity. “If you take it the other way, isn't this like... Like, we're riding the coattails of a gold spoon?”

“...Say what?”

“Aren't I right about this?” Gong Yeong-Gil meaningfully nodded.

Yi Myeong-Hwan was slightly taken aback and stared at Gong Yeong-Gil in stupefaction.

'This guy... is really pure-hearted, isn't he?'

Yi Myeong-Hwan hadn't thought of that before. More correctly, he didn't have the leeway to think about it. He couldn't imagine any benefits tumbling in his way just because he became Kang Jin-Ho's close aide.

He grunted and turned his head away from Gong Yeong-Gil. “Listen, Yeong-Gil. It's an opportunity only if there is something in it for us.”

“The spots next to the folks in power are where all the good stuff happens, you know? Even if Kang Jin-Ho isn't giving us a dime, wouldn't something still fall in our laps merely by sticking close to him? If that's not it, why would so many people try to kiss the authority's ass?”

Yi Myeong-Hwan cocked an eyebrow. Now that he heard this argument, it... sounded plausible.

Gong Yeong-Gil continued to speak his mind. “Since it's come to this, I'm gonna risk it all and join Kang Jin-Ho's camp, man. I looked at this whole thing objectively, and the situation doesn't look so bad in my eyes. We know Kang Jin-Ho is strong. And our current and former Assembly Masters are supporting him, which means no one should question his authority. Best of all, Kang Jin-Ho's still young, isn't he? I'm pretty sure he will stay in power for at least another twenty, no, thirty years. So? Do you think you can find a better lifeline than that?”

“...Never knew you had it in you to think all that stuff up, Yeong-Gil.”

“Hah. Let me tell you something, okay? I've always had the nose for this kinda thing.”

“Get the f*ck outta here…” Yi Myeong-Hwan ignored Gong Yeong-Gil and closed his eyes. However, his brain was already clicking into gear by then.

Gong Yeong-Gil frowned deeply. “What? You think I'm wrong about this?”

“Dude. If we lose tonight, forget about power and whatever, the Martial Assembly will be finished! Who cares about what happens in thirty years! Stop wasting my bloody time, and worry about how we're gonna survive tonight first, okay!”

“...Eii, bloomin' hell. Man, you're such a killjoy…” Gong Yeong-Gil grumbled unhappily. He crossed his arms and spun his head away.

Yi Myeong-Hwan sighed under his breath and also turned his head to look outside the bus's window.

'Well, Yeong-Gil isn't exactly wrong...'

As long as they could safely negotiate tonight, the odds of Gong Yeong-Gil's 'prediction' coming true were high. Even if Kang Jin-Ho was not the type to look after his underlings, Yi Myeong-Hwan figured that he could still gain benefits by utilizing his position as one of Kang Jin-Ho's close confidantes.

However...

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'Everything depends on how Kang Jin-Ho performs tonight...!'

The war against the Yeongnam Group could easily be seen as the battle for the Martial Assembly's future. If Kang Jin-Ho could display the kind of martial prowess tonight that people would talk about for years to come, then the dissent of the naysayers would be silenced for good. However, if Kang Jin-Ho merely spectated from behind, people would call him a coward who was too afraid to step forward during the Assembly's hour of need.

This meant Kang Jin-Ho must go wild in some dangerous places tonight, but that also meant...

“God dammit...!”

If Yi Myeong-Hwan were to unpack their situation, he and Gong Yeong-Gil would be put in harm's way, too! Finally realizing what it felt like to get stuck in a rock and a hard place, Yi Myeong-Hwan groaned before leaning his head against the bus's window.

The weighty rumbling and the coldness of the glass seeped into Yi Myeong-Hwan's head.

***

“...Looks like we've arrived.”

The rows of buses entered dark mountain roads. The tension in the air grew taut and palpable. Everyone knew that once they get off the bus, it'd be time to wage war.

Even those with mischievous streaks in them were looking around nervously, tension stiffening their expressions.

'Well, I do understand how they feel...'

Yi Myeong-Hwan groaned while cracking his muscles a little. Since they were all martial artists, fights were an unavoidable part of their lives. Even so, a large-scale battle like this, with their lives on the line, was an extremely rare event even in the martial world. Besides, he shouldn't forget who their opposition was this time.

It had been a decade since people started estimating that the Martial Assembly's strength lagged behind the Yeongnam Group's. Obviously, the gap between the two should have grown even wider since. And now, the Martial Assembly shouldn't have the wherewithal to wage an all-out war with the Yeongnam Group.

'In that case, what are the higher-ups even thinking?'

According to Bang Jin-Hun, the Assembly had an ace up its sleeve, but the majority of the Assembly's members had no idea what that ace could even be. So, they should all feel like they were about to enter a slaughterhouse on their own feet.

And, depending on the... 'quality' of the yet-to-be-shared plan, there could even be mutiny among the members.

The buses came to a stop. Yi Myeong-Hwan waited for his turn to disembark, and after touching the solid ground, he glanced to the front of the group. He could see that the first bus's door hadn't opened yet.

'Mm? Maybe they haven't finalized everything yet?'

That was when the bus's door suddenly opened with a subtle hiss. The first person to step outside was Bang Jin-Hun. Yi Myeong-Hwan's eyes narrowed while observing the Assembly Master's demeanor.

'...Did something happen?'

Bang Jin-Hun's expression was not that great. No, that was downplaying it significantly. His face was distorted in dissatisfaction as if he wanted to kill somebody right now!

Still, Yi Myeong-Hwan was ready to take that as a sign of Bang Jin-Hun butting heads with other directors during the strategy meeting. However, Lee Jung-Geol climbing out of the bus next also had a not-so-great expression.

“...What's going on here?”

Everyone leaving that bus had a similar distorted, crumpled expression. Their faces looked bad enough that Yi Myeong-Hwan began wondering if it was okay for the executives meant to lead the battle to make such expressions.

“What's wrong with them?”

“Not sure myself…”

The last person to leave the bus was Kang Jin-Ho. However, his expression wasn't crumpled like his fellow passengers. It was still expressionless like last night when Yi Myeong-Hwan saw him for the first time.

'...Don't tell me, did they have a fight amongst themselves?'

Folks about to wage war were having an internal conflict? After discovering this ominous sign, Yi Myeong-Hwan desperately tried to rack his brain, but his attempt was interrupted by a loud voice of a very irritated man. “Yi Myeong-Hwan! Where are you, Yi Myeong-Hwan?!”

“H-here, sir!” Yi Myeong-Hwan sobered up instantly when Bang Jin-Hun shouted his name and rushed toward the Assembly Master.

Bang Jin-Hun glared sharply as Yi Myeong-Hwan dashed to where he was. He continued to scan the younger martial artist before chewing his words out. “You! Do not ever lose sight of that wackjo—Cough, I mean, Mister Kang Jin-Ho! You hear me!”

“...Yes, Assembly Master, sir.”

That was when Yi Myeong-Hwan instinctively realized the 'wackjob', AKA Kang Jin-Ho, had done something insane.