CH 388

Park Yu-Min's faith in Kang Jin-Ho was near absolute.

His theory was: 'Yes, Jin-Ho can't be correct in everything, but! If there's a difference of opinion between us, Jin-Ho is right most of the time. And that's just not with me, either. It's the same case with other people, too!'

Ju Yeong-Gi often ridiculed Park Yu-Min for acting like a zealot from the Church of Kang Jin-Ho, but Park Yu-Min didn't care. He maintained his near-absolute faith in his friend. However...

Park Yu-Min had been thinking something sacrilegious lately. He felt that his dear friend sometimes needed someone to put the brakes on for him.

“Uhm, Jin-Ho...?” Park Yu-Min cautiously called out.

Kang Jin-Ho ignored him and roared at the orphanage kids. “All of you, do two more laps around this basketball court!”

“Wait, Jin-Ho?!”

“It seems you haven't exercised at all until now! To think you'd be struggling this much so soon! This is why you need to run for longer!”

“...No, wait! Jin-Ho, please listen to me first...!”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head while glancing at Park Yu-Min. “What's the matter?”

“...Let's calm down first, Jin-Ho! You're killing these kids!”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

What do you mean by that?! Can't you see all the foams gushing out of the kids' mouths?!

“H-hang on, Jin-Ho! I get what you're trying to do. I really do, but...! These kids have never exercised properly before, you know! How about taking it easy on them? Look, you've already forced them to run fifty laps!”

“Mm? Haven't I asked them to do other exercises between the laps?”

“But they still did fifty laps! You're gonna kill them at this rate!”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “They won't die, though?”

'Of course they won't die! Probably!'

Park Yu-Min wiped away all the sweat trickling down his forehead while looking at the kids. While he was distracting Kang Jin-Ho to provide cover, the orphanage kids seized the opening by lying down on the floor to pant and wheeze painfully away.

'Holy cow, am I going crazy?'

Han Jin-Seong finally learned that the expression 'The sky is turning yellow!' wasn't an exaggeration. The ceiling's color was really getting yellower in his view!

'Why am I doing this, anyway?!'

Han Jin-Seong couldn't figure this one out. He wasn't here to become the next Olympian athlete hoping to represent his country. And his limits had been breached a long time ago, too! If it had been his PE teacher forcing him to endure this torture, Han Jin-Seong would've returned to his classroom, packed his bags, and gone home without looking back even once!

However, something was really weird about this situation. Han Jin-Seong just couldn't say no to whatever Kang Jin-Ho demanded from him. Even though all sorts of curses and insults were swirling in his head, Han Jin-Seong's body continued to follow Kang Jin-Ho's orders all on its own without a single complaint!

'This is crazy. Insane! Yeah, that's what this is!'

Han Jin-Seong couldn't figure out why he obediently did everything Kang Jin-Ho demanded from him. It was as if he was under some kind of spell, a trance, that forced him to do Kang Jin-Ho's bidding!

'Did I get drugged or something?'

Han Jin-Seong was too out of breath and couldn't even think straight. His body was shaking like a lone leaf against storm winds.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the orphanage kids. “Is it tough?”

“...!”

If Han Jin-Seong could, he would've shouted sarcastically, 'Oh? Does it look like we're having an easy time here, hyung?!' But he didn't have the leeway to do that.

“Our world can be a somewhat simple place,” said Kang Jin-Ho, apparently not caring about whether his audience was listening or not. “All humans are born equal. Compared to other people, what you lack is effort. Those at the top reached there by working extra hard while you were wasting time doing nothing important. That's why you must work harder. Put in more effort to succeed.”

“You...!” Han Jin-Seong gritted his teeth. He didn't want to hear something that obvious from Kang Jin-Ho. He and everyone here already knew that crap, so why...!

“...But the truth is, that notion is nothing but bullsh*t,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Eh?” Han Jin-Seong blinked in confusion and stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Humans are born with different levels of talent. That means even if you put in as much effort as everyone else, you will still get a different result from them. To make matters worse... Even if you were born with the same level of talent, and have put in as much effort as your peers, where you were born and the environment you grew up in will still influence the outcome. In simpler terms, there is a limit to what you can achieve with effort alone.”

All the kids listening had one thought in their minds: what was Kang Jin-Ho even saying?

“Reality is cruel. It won't change no matter how much you try to deny it. So, stop holding onto meaningless hopes and face your reality. Effort alone won't alter the outcome by much.”

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced at the end of his sentence. He had to learn this truth the hard way.

“Anyone telling you to work harder to overcome your difficult reality is either a fraud or someone born with a great talent. Those who reach their goals by working hard tend to dismiss other people's failures as the proof of not putting in enough effort. Even though the truth is anything but.”

Han Jin-Seong slowly sat up. This must be the first time he saw Kang Jin-Ho talk this much. “Then... What are we supposed to do, hyung?”

Kang Jin-Ho flatly replied to Han Jin-Seong's pained, tired question. “Put in more effort.”

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

“...What the freaking hell are you even saying, hyung?! You are not making any sense!” Han Jin-Seong cried out in spite of himself as anger rushed up to his head. However, Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem to care.

“Work harder. That is all you have to do.” Kang Jin-Ho remained composed as he scanned the orphanage kids. “My job is to guide you to the best possible outcome. Your job is not to give up. 'Effort' is similar to one's fuel. Your energy source. If your engine is broken, your car won't go anywhere even if you fill it up with fuel. So, I shall fix the engine and turn the steering wheel for you. In return, all I ask of you is making sure the fuel never runs out.”

'...But that's the hardest part!'

Han Jin-Seong groaned deeply.

Park Yu-Min interjected again. “Jin-Ho, these kids are this close to kicking the bucket. How about taking a short break first?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned in dissatisfaction. However, he couldn't outright ignore Park Yu-Min when his friend was pleading desperately like this. “Hmm. Even though we haven't done much…”

“Please! Stop!”

“...Got it. Everyone, we'll be taking a short break. Drink some water to replenish your lost fluids.”

Park Yu-Min hurriedly limped toward the kids. “Are you alright?!”

“Yu-Min hyung, I think I'm dying...!”

“What's gotten into Jin-Ho hyung?!”

Park Yu-Min could only groan while watching the kids urgently gulp down the water. “Not sure myself…”

Kang Jin-Ho said he was planning to start the first day by building up the children's stamina, so Park Yu-Min did expect some harsh training, but this was going way overboard, wasn't it?!

“Guys, Jin-Ho isn't the type to put you through a wringer without a plan. That's why... Hold on for a little longer, okay?”

“I know that, hyung…” Han Jin-Seong groaned again. “Yu-Min hyung. I can endure this somehow, but what about the others? I'm already having a torrid time here, so how bad must it be for everyone else? But, we gotta keep doing this for who knows how long? Never mind getting healthier, we might all end up bedridden at this rate, you know!”

“...I'll try to talk to Jin-Ho one more time.” Park Yu-Min grimly nodded at the sight of the orphanage kids chugging down water. While making a determined face, Park Yu-Min walked up to Kang Jin-Ho. He stood next to his friend, then spoke in a grave tone. “Listen, Jin-Ho.”

“Mm?”

“Don’t you think you should lower the difficulty? The kids are struggling more than you think, you know.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in genuine confusion. “Mm? It wouldn't be training if they weren't struggling, though?”

“...Huh? Why does that make sense to me?”

Right, that sounds shockingly sensible, now doesn't it? Way too much, as a matter of fact!

“E-even then! The difficulty should be on the level where they can manage it, don't you agree? Look, even Jin-Seong is half-dead right now. Imagine what it must be like for the other kids!”

“No, they will be fine.” Kang Jin-Ho dismissively waved his hand. “I have a plan, Yu-Min. And this much hardship is doable for them.”

“I'm telling you, Jin-Ho, these kids aren't like you.”

“And that's why the training hasn't been any harsher,” Kang Jin-Ho replied resolutely. “Yes, I can make the program easier for them. A lot less punishing. As you've said, I can lower the difficulty to 'suit' these kids and still get the result I want to see. However, doing so will take at least two years to see the fruits of their labor. Are you telling these kids to endure two more years of bullying?”

Park Yu-Min clamped his mouth shut. That... He couldn't do that.

He had already experienced severe bullying before. That was why he knew how severe the bullying would get once the bad guys zeroed in on their victims.

The extent of bullying these kids faced at school hadn't gone too far... just yet. However, it was only a matter of time. Because of the nature of bullying, it'd only get worse over time, not better.

In that case, the kids present in this training center could experience the same level of bullying and abuse Park Yu-Min had to suffer in the past.

'I... I need to get stricter, but...'

Going by Kang Jin-Ho's logic, the right thing to do was to force these kids to go through Hell now so they could overcome their bullying situation sooner. However, Park Yu-Min just couldn't remain calm at the sight of the orphanage children panting and wheezing right before his eyes.

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Are you concerned about the kids having a hard time?”

“...Yeah.”

“If you're worried about this level of hardship... Then, you shouldn't say anything. Actually... If you think this much exercise is too hard for them, you better tell them to give up now and endure the bullying at school. But you can't do that, and that's why they must keep going.”

“...”

“A tired body will recover after a break. A good night's rest will recharge them. However, your heart in pain can't be fixed that way. Am I wrong?”

Park Yu-Min helplessly nodded. “No, you're right.”

“In that case, trust me and leave this to me. You can still stop me later if you think things have gotten out of hand. However, it's too early for that. After all, I am adjusting the difficulty to match the situation.”

'Seriously?'

Park Yu-Min carefully recalled everything that had happened so far. The children were forced to run fifty times around this basketball court, then they had to do squats and push-ups between those laps, and then... Kang Jin-Ho had been putting these kids through a wringer until they were half-dead, didn't he?!

Regardless of what Park Yu-Min was thinking, Kang Jin-Ho remained deeply dissatisfied with what he saw.

'These kids don't have any guts.'

Human physiques had evolved to become bigger and more impressive compared to their ancient counterparts. As proof, finding an adult male taller than 150cm in Zhongyuan was a rare occurrence.

The orphanage kids struggling inside this training center were nothing more than scrawny twerps by today's standards. Travel back in time, though, and more than a handful of them would be seen as prime physical specimens.

However, that was only on the surface. Compared to the athletic abilities of the young men from back then, these kids were like weak rice crackers with nothing of substance inside. And those young men from the ancient past achieved that while eating nothing but cheap gruel, too!

'...Of course, not everyone's like these kids.'

Advancements in science led to the establishment of systemic exercise regimes, allowing humans to reach new heights previously unthinkable. Would 'regular' people of the past imagine themselves sprinting 100 meters in nine seconds? Probably not.

Kang Jin-Ho fully understood that the modern training method was the right way. However, that didn't mean he wasn't rueful about training the kids this way.

'If only I could put these kids through the demon cult's training schedule for a month... Seizing control of their school should be a piece of cake for them.'

Although, that might result in one in three kids dying, so he should refrain. Kang Jin-Ho brushed aside the rueful feeling and addressed the children. “If you're done resting, it's time to get up.”

The children staggered back to their feet.

'Hmm...'

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin slightly. He could see that brief break had allowed some rebellious streaks to slip into the minds of these kids. This was why he didn't want to give them time to think in the first place, but...

He had the option of wringing the resistance out of these kids by increasing the difficulty, but he didn't want to do that. He wasn't trying to create loyal subordinates, after all.

In that case, it was time to dangle a carrot before their eyes.

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “You don't understand why I'm making you do this, now do you?”

“...Yes, hyung.”

“And you're also wondering what will change just because you do this.”

“Honestly? Yes, hyung,” Han Jin-Seong acted as the representative of everyone here and replied.

Kang Jin-Ho's nodding intensified. “I'm glad you're being honest. In that case, I shall demonstrate the 'why' for you all.”

He turned around and headed to the storage room at the corner of the basketball court. He rummaged through its contents for a while before emerging outside with a hockey stick.

Han Jin-Seong blinked his eyes. “Eh?”

Kang Jin-Ho lightly swung the stick in the air a couple of times, then gripped it tightly with both hands and slashed it downward, hard. It produced a chilling Whoooosh while scything through the air.

The orphanage kids nervously swallowed their saliva at this sight. It... couldn't be 'that', right?

Kang Jin-Ho cracked his neck a couple of times from left to right, then muttered threateningly at the children. “Get on the ground. Now.”

“...J-Jin-Ho hyung?!”

Kang Jin-Ho flatly muttered, “Relax. I'm only kidding.”

Don't ever joke with an expression like that! Please! That's not the kind of face you make when cracking a joke, you know! A joke won't feel like a joke anymore!

“So, here is your reason. Watch closely.” Kang Jin-Ho raised the hockey stick with one hand.

Everyone focused their attention on him.