CH 395

“Fuu-woo…”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned, then stared at his depressed-looking reflection in the mirror.

'What am I even doing...?'

His master once told Kang Jin-Ho that a man couldn't live his life only doing what they enjoyed. So, a man should stop whining like a little brat and enjoy himself, come rain or shine. That was apparently the ticket to encountering fewer hassles in a man's brief time on Earth.

'Master, I'd have found joy in those activities if they were actually fun for me, to begin with...!'

Unfortunately, far too many things in this world were not really Kang Jin-Ho's cup of tea, so to speak. And his time on Earth had not been brief, either. Would his master change his tune after learning that Kang Jin-Ho had been living such a long life?

“Fuu-wooooo…”

Kang Jin-Ho stepped outside the steaming shower, then stared at his reflection again before applying shaving cream to his face.

'At least I'm getting more used to shaving...'

Kang Jin-Ho's body began spouting bodily hair post-military service. He never had to shave back in Zhongyuan, so the act of needing to shave off facial hair every now and then was quite a novel concept to him. He thought he'd never get used to the routine in his lifetime, but it seemed he had finally turned things around recently.

Kang Jin-Ho straightened his index finger, then used it to shave his beard. His facial hair came off smoothly as if his finger was an ultra-sharp razor blade. After removing the facial hair, Kang Jin-Ho splashed some water to rinse his face, then stepped outside the bathroom. But then...

“Hnnnnng?”

“...Oi, you surprised me,” Kang Jin-Ho tutted at his little sister waiting for him outside the bathroom.

Kang Eun-Yeong narrowed her eyes like a police detective and stared at her older brother. “There's still plenty of time left until the pizzeria's opening hours, so… What could be my oppa's reason for dolling himself up so early in the morning?”

“Who's dolling who here?”

“You, obviously.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Kang Jin-Ho gently pushed away Kang Eun-Yeong trying to cling to him, then headed to his room.

However, Kang Eun-Yeong proved to be more persistent than he thought by clinging to him like a leech. Kang Jin-Ho tried to close the door, but Kang Eun-Yeong sat on the door frame to prevent that from happening as if she was prepared to lose her life if it needed be.

Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly and decided to change without closing the door.

“Oh my god?! Look at him! Mom! Mooooom!” Kang Eun-Yeong suddenly cried out after watching Kang Jin-Ho put on new clothes.

Baek Hyeong-Jeong jumped up in alarm and rushed outside the main bedroom. “What?! What's going on?”

“Look at oppa, mom!”

“What? Why?” Baek Hyeon-Jeong blinked her eyes before turning her head and staring at her son. Her blinking eyes immediately grew as large as saucers. “Son? Are you planning to go and meet your girlfriend’s parents?”

“...” Kang Jin-Ho's head faltered as waves of depression washed over him.

Seriously now, just how sloppily had he been living his life until now that his mother would say something like that so casually? When all he did was nothing more than putting on a pair of jeans and a clean white T-shirt!

Baek Hyeon-Jeong scanned her son's jeans. “Hang on, is that a new pair of jeans?”

“...Yes, Mother.”

“Wow, you really are seeing someone.”

“It's not like that, Mother.”

“If it's not, why are you dressing up so early in the morning?”

The most important aspect of a person was what they were like inside. However, Kang Jin-Ho learned today that a person's attire played a huge part in how others perceived him.

Kang Jin-Ho massaged his temples. “Mother, there is a matter I must attend to. That's why.”

“Huh? You've dressed up like this, yet it's not about dating a girl?”

“Yes, it is not about dating a girl!” Kang Jin-Ho groaned, then quickly left his room. He knew nothing would be gained by continuously shooting the breeze with his two female family members.

“Mom! He's trying to escape!”

“Stop right there, son!”

Kang Jin-Ho stumbled, and a flood of cold sweat broke on his forehead. “...I-I'm telling you the truth. It's not what you think.”

Kang Eun-Yeong crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes again. “Don't you know that a substance-less random reply will only worsen the suspicion, oppa?”

“You, stop talking for a second,” Kang Jin-Ho shot a sharp glare at his little sister.

“Mom! Look how oppa is trying to evade answering us!”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong's brows shot up. She stared suspiciously at her son without saying a word, but then... A warm grin suddenly spread on her face, and she energetically pounded Kang Jin-Ho's back. “Go and break a leg, son.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled and put on his shoes.

Kang Eun-Yeong, unable to rein in her mounting anger, began jumping up and down on the spot. “Look! Look at that! This won't do! I'm gonna go with him and monitor…”

“You come with me.” Baek Hyeon-Jeong suddenly grabbed her daughter's hair and pulled it back.

“Ouch?! Mom, that hurts!”

“If I leave you alone, your oppa might never get married! Stop trying to mess things up and come over here!”

“Mom, that's nonsense! I would never...!”

“You're the one yapping nonsense!”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed under his breath while watching the two women bicker with each other. “...Anyway, I'll be on my way now.”

“Of course, of course.” Baek Hyeon-Jeong quickly smiled back at her son.

Kang Jin-Ho briefly bowed, then speedily escaped from the house before Kang Eun-Yeong could chase after him.

“Whew-woo…”

How should he describe this feeling? As if he was wearing ill-fitting clothes?

He understood that what he was about to do was necessary. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder if they had to go this far in the first place.

'Gee whiz, I'm still leery about this...'

As he reached for the Lamborghini's door handle, the phone's message app chimed at him first.

“Mm?”

Who was sending him messages so early in the morning? He took out the phone to check, and the message was from Choi Yeon-Ha.

—You can't be thinking of going there with that hair?

“...?” Kang Jin-Ho's stiff face slowly shifted toward the front gate, and that was when he spotted a familiar slender figure through the security bars. He spat out a loud groan, then headed outside the front gate. “...What brings you here so early in the morning, Miss Yeon-Ha?”

“I had a hunch,” Choi Yeon-Ha narrowed her eyes. “And I was right.”

“...What do you mean?”

“Your hair, Mister Jin-Ho. Your hair.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. What about his hair?

“Hnnng~. If it was up to me, I'd have dragged you to a salon, but I'm gonna assume you'll say no to that idea. Am I correct?”

“Salon?”

“A hair salon.”

“...I'm pretty sure no hairdressers are open this early in the morning, Miss Yeon-Ha. Unless you're talking about a barber shop?”

“They'll open when I give them a call.”

“...”

Just as Kang Jin-Ho began thinking that maybe this woman had lived a far-too-pampered life, Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly pulled out a small red canister from her bag and unscrewed its lid.

“Come this way, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“...What is that?”

“It's hair wax.”

Kang Jin-Ho's expression became indescribable as he stared at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Do we need to go that far?”

“This is a matter of our pride, you know!” Choi Yeon-Ha declared confidently. “Yes, there is no need to go to this extreme, but the idea of half-arsing the preparations and giving the people the wrong idea that your potential only amounts to so little is bugging me like crazy!”

'...Okay, but why are you bugged about that?'

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't comprehend Choi Yeon-Ha's mindset at all. However, there wasn't much he could do when Choi Yeon-Ha blocked his path of retreat, her entire body oozing with a determined fighting spirit.

“Don't even think about running away, Mister Jin-Ho! I knew you'd be like this, and that's why I came here first thing in the morning!”

“...But, why go so far?”

“I said, it's our pride at stake!”

'...Sure, I hear you. But what does my messy hair have to do with your pride?!'

Kang Jin-Ho wanted to ask so, so many questions right now, but Choi Yeon-Ha didn't seem to be in the mood to humor him.

Kang Jin-Ho quickly accepted the fact that the fastest and safest way to resolve this crisis was to obediently give up his hair. With an empty, exhausted expression forming on his face, Kang Jin-Ho lowered his head to Choi Yeon-Ha.

“That's what I'm talking about. Good boy,” Choi Yeon-Ha began petting him on the head.

Veins bulged on Kang Jin-Ho's forehead. “Let's not get sidetracked, shall we?”

“Okay, okay. I got it,” Choi Yeon-Ha dismissively replied. Despite her verbal agreement, though, she kept petting him on the head.

Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly raised his head and glared at Choi Yeon-Ha.

“I, I was about to apply the wax, you know. I'm being honest!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned at Choi Yeon-Ha's excuse, then lowered his head again.

Choi Yeon-Ha rubbed some wax on her palms, then began working on Kang Jin-Ho's hair like a seasoned pro. Not too long afterward...

“Done.”

“...Already?” Kang Jin-Ho raised his head.

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head while frowning in slight dissatisfaction and scanned Kang Jin-Ho's face. “You know, I think you're waaay too handsome for your own good. How about I nerf it a little more? With a strand of lovelock down your face, your sliminess might be enhanced, making you somewhat less palatable.”

“...This is enough, Miss Yeon-Ha.”

“Oh? I guess you do want to look good in front of girls, then? Ehehe.”

Kang Jin-Ho spun around fast enough to produce a whooshing noise and hurriedly headed to his car.

“Do your best, okay!” Choi Yeon-Ha leisurely waved her hand as if to say she had no regrets about Kang Jin-Ho's appearance.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha busy shouting 'Fighting~!' behind him before rubbing his eyes furiously.

'Stress... Stress...!'

Kang Jin-Ho usually didn't get stressed about things like this, but this morning certainly did a number on him. He could feel an onset of migraine already.

“Mister Jin-Ho!”

“Mm?”

Choi Yeon-Ha shouted at Kang Jin-Ho through the security bars. “Don't forget to smile! You can't be thinking of showing up there while making that face!”

Although the security bars blocked Kang Jin-Ho's view, he could still guess what kind of expression Choi Yeon-Ha was making right now. She must be having a whale of a time. He had no doubt about that.

'Urgh...'

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his eyes again, which had gotten moist just then.

'Just how did I end up in this situation, again?'

Kang Jin-Ho tried to remember, then realized it was all Jo Gyu-Min's fault.

***

Back in time, by the parking lot of the training center...

Kang Jin-Ho dazedly asked, “Throw money around? What do you mean?”

“It's as exactly as it sounds, Mister Jin-Ho. Throwing money around. And if you can, your face... No, we'll just include utilizing your looks to bulldoze through everything in our plan, too.”

“I don't quite follow...?”

Jo Gyu-Min suddenly grabbed Kang Jin-Ho's hand.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “What are you doing...?”

“Mister Jin-Ho, please listen carefully,” said Jo Gyu-Min in a resolute voice. “This matter is much more serious than you think.”

However, his attempt at creating a fear-inducing atmosphere only made Kang Jin-Ho frown unhappily.

“In this world, some problems are theoretically easy to solve, but solving them may not be as easy as it seems. And there are some other problems where you just don't have a simple solution. And our current problem is clearly the latter. As for other problems, I'm confident that you can deal with them without much issue later on, but not this one. This is why everyone needs to chip in.”

“No, I get that, but…”

“And so, everyone is trying to help the children in their fields of expertise. I'm sure you've noticed it. Everyone is doing their best in what they can do. Miss Yeon-Ha is helping out in the beauty and looks department. Mister Yu-Min is helping out with the children's psychological side. And Assembly Master Bang is helping out on the fitness side of things. Of course... Of course, that doesn't mean...!” Jo Gyu-Min began revving his motor even more. “That doesn't mean Mister Jin-Ho is useless in all those areas! Of course, you excel in so many areas. It's just that there are able substitutes in most of those areas, leaving you with just one 'task' that only you can pull off. And that is... Throwing money around while looking like a stud!”

“A-a stud?”

“Yes. Interpret it as you having an absurdly pretty face, Mister Jin-Ho. Well, it's not like I'm handsome enough to pull the 'handsome gigolo' look, now am I?”

“...What are you even talking about with this handsome gigolo look or whatever? What's that got to do with kids getting bullied!?”

“Ehhheeei, you're being naive again!”

“And you sound like a snake oil salesman again!”

“What do you mean, snake oil! How can you say that! I'm Jo Gyu-Min! I've always lived an arrow-straight life, I'll have you know!”

“...When did you become a politician, Mister Gyu-Min?”

“Never mind that. Keep listening, please.” Jo Gyu-Min confidently smiled. “Of course, I'm fully aware that you're not a fan of this kind of thing.”

“It's not about whether or not I like it, but more to do with what utility this will have?”

“Let's say you saw a person somewhere.”

“...Okay?”

“And this person is having a cup of coffee with the former President of Korea, the Minister of Defense, and the former American President as if they have known each other for years.”

“...Why does this example have to be so extreme?”

“In that case, will you still view that person as an ordinary nobody, Mister Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow but didn't say anything. Because he knew he wouldn't evaluate the hypothetical person as a nobody.

Jo Gyu-Min continued with his argument. “One of the criteria of evaluating an individual is who they associate with. You can't deny this notion at all. If you are seen hanging out with seemingly 'high-leveled' individuals, people will automatically assume you're also someone of importance. That is a simple yet irrefutable fact. If you can't comprehend it, then don't bother. Just try to memorize it, please.”

“...”

“And to kids in that age group, one's looks are a better yardstick than wealth. This is 100% fact, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“H-hang on a second. Mister Gyu-Min… No, Chief Jo...!”

“Mister Jin-Ho!” Kang Jin-Ho pleaded with Kang Jin-Ho. “This is for the children. Surely, you can do this much, yes?”

“...”

“You. Can. Do. This. Yes?”

“...Yes.”

Jo Gyu-Min grinned brightly. “As expected of you! In that case, let's start from tomorrow morning. However, you must never, ever wear your usual tracksuits. Something as simple as a pair of jeans and T-shirts will suffice.”

“N-no, wait a minute…”

“Well, then! Bring your Lambo to the orphanage tomorrow morning. Don't forget, you MUST bring your car!”

Kang Jin-Ho could only stand there in a daze while thinking that Jo Gyu-Min had been somehow outsmarting him constantly recently.