CH 406

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Choi Yeon-Ha addressed the expectant orphanage boys. “Do some leg work for me so that Mister Jin-Ho and I can go on a date.”

“...” Han Jin-Seong's expression distorted weirdly.

Many words existed in the vocabulary to describe the emotion he felt at this very moment. If he was forced to choose the most suitable one, though… There could be only one.

“Wow, I'm totally speechless.”

“Why?” Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head, although she still came across as 'brazen.'

“No, hang on a minute, Miss Choi Yeon-Ha...!”

“How dare a little brat call me by my name? Call me noonim!” [1]

“Yes, noonim. No, wait! Noona!” Han Jin-Seong quickly sobered up and began pointing his finger at Choi Yeon-Ha while shouting loudly. “How about you try to recognize your position, noona?! Aren't you Korea's most successful actress?”

“Oh, so you know? Yet you still dare to point fingers at me?”

“That's because you're asking for something ridiculous!”

“How so?”

Han Jin-Seong took a deep breath to brace himself, then carefully addressed Choi Yeon-Ha. “Since you're a top actress, you should act more fittingly as one. How should I say this… Right! Dignity! Dignity befitting the top actress in this country!”

Choi Yeon-Ha straightened her legs before crossing them elegantly, then placed her elbow on her knee before resting her chin on the hand. “Like this?”

“No! I'm not talking about your posture! I meant your attitude, noona! Your attitude!”

“Mm? What's wrong with my attitude?”

Han Jin-Seong roughly scratched his head. This was insane. She was driving him up the wall!

“Noona, is that what this country's top actress should say? Please act your worth! That's all I'm saying, okay! Stop behaving like some lovestruck teen chasing after a hot guy!”

“You hit the nail on the head, though?”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha grinned softly. “Who cares about dignity and stuff when I like the dude and want to be with him? Keep thinking that way, and you'll end up single for the rest of your life…”

”Remember this, kids. If you think the other side will see through your intentions without you saying anything so you two can meet up and have fun while you don't have to cramp your style… Some other punk will swoop in and snatch that girl away right in front of your nose. And you'll be left holding the bill while watching them be all lovey-dovey and stuff. Do you understand what I'm telling you?”

“Yes, noona!”

The boys replied in unison.

However, that sight only stoked the flames in Han Jin-Seong even more. “E-even so! That's the story for other people, isn't it? If it's you, noona...!”

“Wowsers, you really are clueless, Jin-Seong.”

“Eh?”

“Stuff like that doesn't work with Mister Jin-Ho!”

“...Ah!” Han Jin-Seong gasped after finally realizing the truth.

They were talking about Kang Jin-Ho here! Han Jin-Seong quickly sorted through all the info on Kang Jin-Ho stored in his head and realized he had only one thing to say.

'Hyung, if you wanna waste your looks like that, please give them to me instead!'

Kang Jin-Ho possessed waaaay too many things he didn't need. A devastatingly handsome face like Kang Jin-Ho's was like... Like gifting the world's sharpest, deadliest treasure sword to the world's most benevolent pacifist!

It would only serve as a nice wall decoration and not much else. In that case, what was the point of that sword's existence?!

If only Han Jin-Seong had been granted such a handsome face, he would've become the world's number one Lothario. He was almost sure of it!

Unfortunately, all the handsomeness was bestowed on Kang Jin-Ho, not Han Jin-Seong, resulting in a needless waste of potent genes.

As for why Han Jin-Seong thought this way? Simple. Kang Jin-Ho's mindset practically resembled a recluse Buddhist monk, that was why!

It felt like he was totally... 'aloof' about every desire or compulsion existing in this world. That sounded pretty amazing on paper, but a young man in his early twenties not desiring anything? If that didn't qualify as a serious problem, Han Jin-Seong had no idea what else was.

'Now that I think about it…’

Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem to wish for anything. And he didn't want anything, either. Didn't the world call such a person by a particular nickname?

'...What was it again? Limp noodles?'

When a sacrilegious thought suddenly invaded his brain, Han Jin-Seong hurriedly smacked himself on the forehead. How dare he think that way about a hyung who cared about them so much!

Merely even thinking about it deserved a divine punishment!

Han Jin-Seong cried out, “In any case! In any case!!!”

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head and asked a boy next to her. “What's gotten into him?”

“Dunno, noona.”

Han Jin-Seong's expression stiffened. If the target was Kang Jin-Ho, all of Choi Yeon-Ha's strong points were rendered moot. Kang Jin-Ho wasn't the type to go all gaga by a pretty face, and if someone reminded him of how popular Choi Yeon-Ha was, he'd nonchalantly respond with, 'Okay? So what?'

Han Jin-Seong blinked his eyes. “Wait a minute. Is he even interested in women, to begin with?”

“That's what I want to know!” Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly began complaining bitterly. “I wouldn't be losing my head like this if only he were drooling over some other girl! Because that means I have a chance, right?! I tried stalking him for a bit, you know? And that guy really doesn't have one iota of interest in women!”

...Hang on a sec, Miss Choi Yeon-Ha. That is a crime under South Korean law, you know! Besides all that! People should be stalking you, not the other way around!

“You're sooo right, unnie!”

Despite the questionable nature of Choi Yeon-Ha's activities, forces agreeing with her assessment began rising up. Forces consisting of the orphanage girls, that was!

They began complaining vociferously, enough to cause the foam to bubble out of their mouths.

“Jin-Ho oppa is just too uninterested in girls!”

“With how bad it is, it must be some kinda mental illness, you know!”

“That's right! Jin-Ho oppa needs to go to a hospital for a check-up!”

'Hold on, everyone! Jin-Ho oppa that you're all bad-mouthing right now did all this for your sakes! He cares a lot about you, you know! So why are you agreeing with her?!'

“Fine! I'll concede and say Jin-Ho oppa sees us as children. However, being uninterested in Yeon-Ha unnie? That's not something a functioning man should do!”

“You're right!”

“Totally!”

What a scary woman Choi Yeon-Ha was. Just when did she create such an unwavering support base for herself?

Even if it was Choi Yeon-Ha, the believer of the theory 'One's good looks reign supreme! People will adore you no matter where you go', creating a powerful faction in a short time within the unshakeable territories belonging to Kang Jin-Ho and Park Yu-Min was still a remarkable achievement.

Jeong Su-Mi, one of the orphanage girls, suddenly piped up. “Maybe Jin-Ho oppa really needs to see a doctor about his condition.”

The expressions of other kids stiffened a little at Jeong Su-Mi's serious tone of voice.

“Hey, your joke's gone a little too far...!”

“Nope, I wasn't joking,” Jeong Su-Mi scanned her fellow orphanage kids. “If you think about it for a bit, you'll see how serious this is. With Jin-Ho oppa's looks and personality, isn't it weird that he's totally not interested in all the girls around him? Wait… Since he's not even paying attention to all the girls asking him out for a date… Could it be an issue with his preference?”

“...Preference?”

“Yeah. I mean… When you think about it, Jin-Ho oppa is always with guys, so…”

“What the heck? Your imaginations are running wild again!”

“Su-Mi, I told you to stop reading those trashy BL webnovels! Get a grip on yourself!”

Criticisms and scolding rained down on the poor Jeong Su-Mi.

Han Jin-Seong thought that as the oldest kid in the room, he should step in to calm the girls down. However, before he could say anything, a bombshell that not even Han Jin-Seong could fix went off first.

“Huh? Did you all forget about Se-Yeon noona?” One of the boys, Min-Su, suddenly piped up.

“...!”

An eerie silence instantly descended in the living room. A silence so heavy and still that no one dared to break it completely enveloped the room.

'It's… so chilly!'

Han Jin-Seong sensed droplets of cold sweat trickling down his neck.

'I gotta get a grip on this situation, somehow!'

His body shuddered in dread, but there was no need to worry. The mouth was usually faster than the brain's...

“...Se-Yeon?”

Indeed, one's mouth was faster. The problem with that idea this time was, though… Choi Yeon-Ha's mouth was faster than Han Jin-Seong's!

“Aha… hahaha…” Han Jin-Seong laughed in a desperate attempt to lighten the situation, but his laughter came across awkward and unnatural. Before he could say something else, though...

Choi Yeon-Ha leaned back 'relaxedly' and asked, “Who is this Se-Yeon, if you don't mind me asking?”

“Ahaha, it seems Min-Su is a bit tired today, noona. Saying some weird stuff and all,” Han Jin-Seong laughed, but his not-laughing eyes were urgently glaring at the other younger kids. Since they lived together for over a decade, simple eye contact should be enough to…

“What do you mean, Jin-Seong hyung? Don't you remember Se-Yeon noona? She used to hang out with Jin-Ho hyung all the time, right? She often came here, too. Didn't they go on dates, too?“ Another boy, Lee Jong-Seok, carelessly ran his mouth.

“...!”

“Weren't they going steady before Jin-Ho hyung got enlisted? Huh? Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Se-Yeon noona in a while...?”

“Ahahahaha!” Han Jin-Seong pounced and urgently blocked Lee Jong-Seok's mouth. “You must be sleep-talking, Jong-Seok!”

Han Jin-Seong did his best to sweep everything under the carpet, but everyone here knew that the milk had been spilled already. Since spilled milk couldn't be put back into its bottle, maybe he could carefully mop the…

Choi Yeon-Ha slowly muttered, “Well, now…”

Unfortunately, Han Jin-Seong had no choice but to 'feel' it. He used to wonder why he felt this faint disharmony from Choi Yeon-Ha's portrayal of pure-hearted characters on TV. And now, he got his answer.

The figure of Choi Yeon-Ha slowly combing her front hair behind her ear, her face as cold as a block of ice in Winter, was overflowing with crushing pressure.

'Holy cow. She's perfect as a supervillain...!'

Choi Yeon-Ha didn't need to put on a costume. And no dialogues were necessary. Just the glare burning in her eyes alone should be enough to earn her the top acting awards!

Unfortunately, Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't acting right now.

“I'd like to hear more about this… woman named Se-Yeon. Now, shall we get started?”

Despite the sweat-inducing summer weather outside, Han Jin-Seong still shuddered from the bitter coldness.

***

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly.

“What's wrong?” Jo Gyu-Min glanced at him.

“I'm not sure. It's like…” Kang Jin-Ho shuddered before dusting his shoulders. “...Hmm. It's like I felt a chill down my spine?”

“A chill?” Jo Gyu-Min blinked his eyes and stared at Kang Jin-Ho in disbelief.

A chill? When it was stiflingly hot outside? As a matter of fact, the temperature was so high today that the prospect of entering a place without an aircon sounded absolutely dreadful. However, Kang Jin-Ho was still talking about a chill?

“Wait, could it be that you're not feeling well?”

“No, that's not it, but…” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

'Well, that wasn't killing intent, at least…’

In that case, why did he feel a chill just now? Maybe he was feeling unwell after all? Like Jo Gyu-Min said?

'Huh. Assembly Master Bang might keel over laughing if he hears about a martial artist catching a cold…’

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled, then resumed walking ahead. “How is our situation with the schools?”

“It's been progressing really well,” Jo Gyu-Min replied while smiling villainously. Very villainously. “They all gladly took the bait called Chairman Hwang that I liberally tossed at them. Fufufu... Handling people like them is my specialty, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“...You know, I'm relieved about the fact that you're born in this era.”

“Sorry?” Jo Gyu-Min looked confused by that assertion and tilted his head.

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly shook his head.

If Jo Gyu-Min had been born in Zhongyuan, he would've either become a traitorous retainer or a leader of an unorthodox faction. He was only a law-abiding citizen now because he knew obeying the law was the least inconvenient way to survive in a society ruled by a set of laws. And not because he was a righteous man or anything like that!

'And that helped him become an expert in trickery and finding shortcuts…’

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly thought that things might have been amusing if he had encountered Jo Gyu-Min back in Zhongyuan.

Jo Gyu-Min continued with his report. “Those people will most likely stop themselves from doing something stupid. At least, not openly, anyway. Doing so would put them in a tight spot, you see? Making a lot of noise would be the same as confessing that someone else has pressured them. Or announcing publicly that there are benefits to be had. The faculty members should know that, so they would try to be more covert about it.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “They would do that to their own students?”

“Yes. Although it might sound silly, this is necessary, Mister Jin-Ho. Even if the teacher's authority is a joke these days, students still wouldn't be able to outright dismiss the faculty's attempt to eradicate bullies from their school. Although it's not a fix-all solution, it'll certainly help.”

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “But… Is it okay for you to willfully use Chairman Hwang's name like that?”

“...That's why we're on our way to speak to the Chairman now, isn't it?”

Since Jo Gyu-Min was going around here and there to sell all sorts of snake oil in Hwang Jeong-Hu's name, it seemed the good Chairman of Jaegyeong had finally gotten wind of his Chief Secretary's activities.

Even though Hwang Jeong-Hu hadn't said anything, Jo Gyu-Min felt a bit guilty about it and decided to drag Kang Jin-Ho along to the chairman's office, just in case.

“Mister Jin-Ho, help me come up with a good excuse to…”

“Mm? Didn't he say you can use his name as you see fit?”

“Yes, he did. But you know people aren't as simple as that. Even if he gave me permission, he's bound to feel less than pleased about some idiot throwing his name around in random places. Depending on the Chairman's mood, my situation can change on a dime, Mister Jin-Ho. That is why...!” Jo Gyu-Min confidently spoke. “Please be my shield for today!”

“...Chief Jo, I see that you've become a lot more brazen lately.”

“And it's all thanks to you, of course.”

Kang Jin-Ho could only chuckle at that. Considering all the things Jo Gyu-Min did to solve the bullying issue, Kang Jin-Ho had no problem doing this much. Not just as a shield, either—he was even prepared to act as a bulletproof vest if needs be!

Kang Jin-Ho and Jo Gyu-Min arrived before the doorway to the chairman's office. Jo Gyu-Min glanced at the secretary guarding the doorway. “Good day. Is Chairman inside?”

“Y-yes. However, now isn't the…” The secretary stopped the duo while making a panicked face.

Almost at the same time...!

The expressions of Jo Gyu-Min and Kang Jin-Ho stiffened after hearing a loud roar of anger coming from the chairman's office.

1. 'Noonim' is a 'higher' form of an honorific than noona. ☜