CH 363

“I'm sorry?!” Yi Myeong-Hwan gasped loudly in stupefaction. “H-h-hold on for a second, please! Wait!”

Obviously, he knew who he was talking to. And his conversation partner was none other than Bang Jin-Hun, the Master of the Korean Martial Assembly. Not to forget, Bang Jin-Hun already didn't have a good impression of Yi Myeong-Hwan, thanks to the events from last night!

When stuck in this sort of situation, one should do whatever their boss demands from them without asking any questions. If the Assembly Master said turning mud into a custard was possible, Yi Myeong-Hwan should agree wholeheartedly. If Bang Jin-Hun wanted the elixir of eternal youth, Yi Myeong-Hwan should be prepared to dive into the dark depths of eBay or something to find it!

Yi Myeong-Hwan was no dummy, so he knew full well that making a 'What kinda dogsh*t is this?!' face in front of his boss would make his future very bumpy.

He knew that, but... But Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't help it. He simply had to ask the question!

“What did you say, sir?!”

What a rude thing this was. Not only did Yi Myeong-Hwan fail to restrain his tone, but even the volume of his voice was too loud. He was now muttering whatever words that came to his mind.

However, Bang Jin-Hun could only make an apologetic face as if he understood and sympathized with Yi Myeong-Hwan's reaction. “Well... That's what he said. What can we do?”

“N-no, Assembly Master. Hold on! Let me... Holy cow! What the fu...!”

Some swear words threatened to jump out of Yi Myeong-Hwan's mouth, but Bang Jin-Hun didn't try to stop the younger martial artist.

Even he thought this whole thing was ridiculous, so it should be even worse for Yi Myeong-Hwan. Bang Jin-Hun had some degree of understanding of how absurd Kang Jin-Ho was, which meant he could accept some of the ridiculous things Kang Jin-Ho might do with a mindset of, 'Well, he's that kind of a man, isn't he?'

However, that wasn't the case with Yi Myeong-Hwan. In other words, his reaction shouldn't be frowned upon.

'I do pity you, Yi Myeong-Hwan. I really do...'

Bang Jin-Hun sighed under his breath.

Things went out of whack only after Bang Jin-Hun assigned Yi Myeong-Hwan to act as Kang Jin-Ho's 'chaperone'. Even though the situation had changed, someone still had to stay with Kang Jin-Ho. That meant the poor Yi Myeong-Hwan had no choice but to continue with his assignment.

“Sir, you're joking, right?”

“Nope. I'm serious.”

“It must be a joke, right? Sir?”

“...I'm sorry.” Bang Jin-Hun scratched his head. “However, know this. I'm not using you like a disposable pawn. You know Cheon Tae-Hun, right?”

“...Y-yes, sir. I know who he is,” Yi Myeong-Hwan replied while recalling Cheon Tae-Hun's details.

Cheon Tae-Hun suddenly began gathering attention recently as Bang Jin-Hun's right-hand man. He kept himself under the radar and avoided getting noticed right up until Bang Jin-Hun rose to the Assembly Master's position. Then, he started getting all these essential tasks of the Assembly. No wonder people started thinking of him as a talent Bang Jin-Hun had secretly raised. A secret weapon, as some might say.

As Cheon Tae-Hun had already taught a bunch of jealous clowns a painful lesson for trying to pick a fight with him, Yi Myeong-Hwan even knew how strong he was.

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Bang Jin-Hun nodded. “Cheon Tae-Hun will be joining you, too.”

“...Sir, is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“No, that's not what I... Listen, man. If this was really a road to the netherworld, I wouldn't be sending one of my most trusted subordinates, Cheon Tae-Hun, with you. You get what I'm saying, don't you?”

‘Nope, sir. I don't. I really don't have a bloody clue.’

‘Why are you doing this to me, Assembly Master?!’

Yi Myeong-Hwan's pleading eyes protested this unfair treatment, but Bang Jin-Hun avoided meeting that gaze. He could only smile awkwardly.

“Assembly Master, do I have to go?”

“...Well, yeah. Someone has to.”

“Why does it have to me?”

“Listen, Myeong-Hwan.” Bang Jin-Hun tightly squeezed Yi Myeong-Hwan's shoulder. “Take care of this nicely, and I promise you, I will never forget about your contribution tonight. No matter what it takes to make it happen, I promise to look after you and support you. You know I keep my word, don't you?”

“Hah... Haha…” Yi Myeong-Hwan hollowly chuckled.

Some random people might think he and Bang Jin-Hun's relationship went back decades. Two decades, at least! Even though they had never chatted with each other before until last night!

Considering the gap in status between the Assembly Master and a regular Assembly member, Yi Myeong-Hwan should not whine and do as told, even if all Bang Jin-Hun did was use his chin to point something out.

However, this matter, it... It was too insane for Yi Myeong-Hwan to keep his mouth shut!

“Holy sh*t...!” Yi Myeong-Hwan gasped while holding his head filled with chaotic thoughts.

'What... What am I supposed to do about this?!'

Biting his tongue to kill himself might be a better option. However, if he managed to survive tonight...!

Yi Myeong-Hwan would get to enjoy a wonderful future filled with riches and prestige.

The opportunity Gong Yeong-Gil talked about on the bus wasn't just presenting itself to Yi Myeong-Hwan, but it had actually transformed into a rope and was tightening around Yi Myeong-Hwan's waist like a snake! The 'problem' with this rope, though, was that someone had coated it with plenty of gasoline, and sparks were constantly going around Yi Myeong-Hwan at the moment!

As long as those sparks didn't ignite anything, he'd get to hold onto this robust rope till the end. However, once the rope was set on fire, he'd be dead alongside... Well, everyone, basically!

'F*ck! What the hell am I supposed to do here?!'

As Yi Myeong-Hwan held his head, unable to rein in his confusion. That was when Bang Jin-Hun landed a decisive blow. “Think about this for a second, okay? That dude is not a dumbass. So, he must've thought of a way to survive, right? I'm sure he's only gonna do it up to a point before backing off.”

“...That makes sense, yes.”

“So, this is an opportunity, fella. An opportunity! The way I see it, it's a huge opportunity. I mean, let's be real here, okay? You're gonna do something absolutely huge for us. How can I not trust you afterward? And it won't just be me, okay? Other directors and even our former Assembly Master will have no choice but to acknowledge you for your courage, man! If I suddenly say, 'Yeah, let's promote Yi Myeong-Hwan to a cushier post!' one day, no one's gonna challenge me on that!”

“Sir, it feels like you're selling me snake oil…”

“And it's good oil. Excellent oil. Just close your eyes and take the plunge.”

It would've been nice if Bang Jin-Hun stopped there as a snake oil salesman. However, Yi Myeong-Hwan felt like he was listening to a drug dealer. At this rate, Bang Jin-Hun might drag Yi Myeong-Hwan into a deserted alleyway and start sliding to him a bag of suspicious white powder!

Yi Myeong-Hwan squeezed his eyes shut.

'Well, you only get to die once... Right?'

Wasn't that what life was like? A natural-born mud spoon had no choice but to go on a dangerous adventure if he wanted to get ahead of others in life. If he continued to tread the same paths others have already walked through, he might live a worse life than his peers until his final breaths.

“...Assembly Master, do you promise that you will look after me after this?”

“I, Bang Jin-Hun, can't guarantee that I've lived a righteous life until now. However, I can confidently declare I am a loyal and honorable man. Let's be honest here, you and everyone else know that's true.”

“Alright, I'll believe you, Assembly Master.”

“Sure, sure.” Bang Jin-Hun noisily pounded on Yi Myeong-Hwan's back.

'Gee whiz. No matter what, this looks like a damn suicide to me...'

Yi Myeong-Hwan groaned lifelessly. He knew that anyone sane would've run for the hills by now.

However, human minds didn't work like that. Even though they knew they would never win, people still bought lottery tickets. The sweet temptation of knowing his life would change for the better was too hard to ignore for Yi Myeong-Hwan.

Even though he was aware of how extremely risky this gamble was!

“Well, then. You know what you gotta do, right?” Bang Jin-Hun asked in a solemn voice.

“Yes, Assembly Master.”

“Good. Go and stay with Mister Jin-Ho. No one can tell when he's gonna start, after all.”

“...Understood, sir.” Yi Myeong-Hwan sighed deeply, then turned his head to stare at Kang Jin-Ho sitting on some piles of backpacks.

'...Insane bastard.'

He figured out that Kang Jin-Ho was insane some time ago. But this 'insane' had a different meaning from his previous assessment.

Yi Myeong-Hwan kept thinking, 'He's insane. Insane!' But to think that Kang Jin-Ho's insanity was actually this bad!

Kang Jin-Ho wanting to do this crazy thing was insane, while Bang Jin-Hun not stopping him was just as insane.

'And me agreeing to go along with this crap is the craziest of the lot! What right do I have to call others insane...?'

Yi Myeong-Hwan swore at himself for failing to say 'No!' until the end and looking like a cow getting dragged to an abattoir. Despite his inner turmoil, Yi Myeong-Hwan still stood next to Kang Jin-Ho.

Sizzle...

The cigarette dangling between Kang Jin-Ho's lips burned and hissed. Yi Myeong-Hwan thought his own heart was burning and hissing, too.

“H-hey, man. Are you really going?” Gong Yeong-Gil sneaked closer and whispered to Yi Myeong-Hwan.

“Yeah.”

“Seriously?!”

“...Yeah.”

“Woah. Dude, you…” Gong Yeong-Gil was about to say Yi Myeong-Hwan had lost his mind but noticed Kang Jin-Ho sitting next to them and hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.

Yi Myeong-Hwan groaned and shooed Gong Yeong-Gil away. “Stop distracting me and go away, will ya? You ain't coming with us, right?”

“Yeah. No way I can go with you.”

“That's why I'm telling you to go away. And if I die tonight, give me a nice funeral, okay?”

“...” Gong Yeong-Gil stared at Yi Myeong-Hwan awkwardly before walking away in silence.

'You disloyal son of a...!'

Shouldn't they ride together and die together? To think that fool would slink away like a coward just because things were a bit dangerous! Yi Myeong-Hwan suddenly felt like an idiot for thinking Gong Yeong-Gil was his friend all these years.

“...What now?” Yi Myeong-Hwan on standby frowned when he sensed a figure walking up to him. This individual didn’t waste any time and muttered coldly in a voice filled with contempt. Naturally, Yi Myeong-Hwan’s expression crumpled in displeasure.

“...The escort, obviously.”

“Escort?” Yi Myeong-Hwan turned back to look and discovered the owner of that voice was Cheon Tae-Hun.

Cheon Tae-Hun, with his gigolo-like looks, was sneering at Yi Myeong-Hwan. He didn't even bother to hide his 'What can a little punk like you do as an escort?' expression.

Yi Myeong-Hwan's frown got deeper. “Don't blame me. The Assembly Master made me do it, after all.”

“Indeed. Sometimes we need people like an interpreter or tour guide, anyway.”

“...Watch your mouth.”

“Mm? If I don't? What then?”

“...”

“Stop trying to act like a tough guy. I've already seen way too many punks get their asses beaten for doing that. Get my drift?”

Yi Myeong-Hwan clamped his mouth shut. He knew his abilities and influence were simply not enough to contend against Cheon Tae-Hun, arguably the core of the younger generation in Bang Jin-Hun's faction.

Still, Yi Myeong-Hwan tried to find the right words to retort back that wouldn't agitate Cheon Tae-Hun's temper too much. Before he could, though, Kang Jin-Ho tossed his cigarette on the ground, stubbed it out, then stood up.

'...Eh? What's this?'

That was when Yi Myeong-Hwan was treated to a strange spectacle.

Cheon Tae-Hun, who was colder than a Siberian tundra and could affectionately be referred to as the icy b*tch, suddenly began panicking like a naive middle schooler running into his crush in the school corridor.

His panic was so palpable that Yi Myeong-Hwan could actually see it with his own eyes. And it wasn't just his feeling, either.

'Huh? Cold sweat?'

In that brief window of time, visible drops of cold sweat had broken out on Cheon Tae-Hun's forehead.

'What's wrong with this punk?'

To say Cheon Tae-Hun was nervous about what was about to happen didn't make sense considering how calm he looked until a few seconds ago. This could only mean Cheon Tae-Hun's panic was due to Kang Jin-Ho getting up...

'Huh. He shouldn't be this scared even if a tiger is growling right before his eyes, so what gives?'

Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't believe that this man was the same Cheon Tae-Hun with the holier-than-thou attitude from a minute ago.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Cheon Tae-Hun. “Are you coming with us?”

“Y-yes, sir!” Cheon Tae-Hun stood at attention and roared his reply out like a private on his first day at the military base.

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “Do you have to?”

“...Assembly Master Bang has ordered me to stick to you and provide assistance whenever I can, sir.”

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. He was clearly annoyed by this development.

Yi Myeong-Hwan prayed that Kang Jin-Ho's annoyance was high enough for him to abandon them here and go alone instead. Unfortunately for Yi Myeong-Hwan, though, Kang Jin-Ho briefly nodded in acceptance.

“I see. In that case... Which way to the entrance?”

“It's this way.”

“Okay. Inform the others that we're heading up.”

“Sir! They will know once we start moving, so there's no need to…”

“I see. Got it, then.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then glanced up the mountainside. Without saying anything else, he began walking ahead.

'So, are we finally going?'

Yi Myeong-Hwan nervously swallowed his saliva.

Regardless of how tonight's event would unfold, it'd still become a legend and be recorded in history books... However, whether it'd be as a good legend or as a laughing stock, that was still to be determined.

Yi Myeong-Hwan wasn't sure whether he should feel honored to be a part of history books or lament his terrible luck.

'This is crazy!'

Even though Yi Myeong-Hwan hadn't steeled his resolve, Kang Jin-Ho was already striding brazenly up the mountainside. Kang Jin-Ho's steps didn't look all that fast, yet he seemed to shrink the Earth and teleport himself! At least that was what Yi Myeong-Hwan's desperate mind thought.

Yi Myeong-Hwan wanted to yell, 'I'm still not ready, you know!' as loudly as possible, but Kang Jin-Ho remained uncaring till the end. And soon, Yi Myeong-Hwan got to confirm what the Yeongnam Group HQ's front entrance looked like with his own two eyes.

'Uwaaaah?! Holy f*cking sh*t!'

Yi Myeong-Hwan's legs began shaking. Not just his legs, but his whole body began trembling, too. Cold sweat flooded down his entire body. He sensed lots of urgent movements behind him. And now, Yi Myeong-Hwan had gone past the point of no return.

The guards near the entrance noticed Kang Jin-Ho's group and walked closer while making annoyed faces. “Who the f*ck are you three?”

That was when Yi Myeong-Hwan saw something strange. Under the cold, dim moonlight...

Kang Jin-Ho was grinning. Like a hungry wolf baring its white fangs.