CH 438

Vroooom...

A red supercar sped along the road still covered in darkness, its bottom perilously getting close to scraping the asphalt below.

Kang Jin-Ho sitting behind the wheel was intensely mulling about something important.

'I should... get another bicycle.'

No, it wasn't as if he wasn't satisfied with his cars. It was more about... The propulsion of an engine could never match the sensation of Kang Jin-Ho propelling himself forward with a set of pedals. Truth be told, he ever so slightly preferred the latter sensation.

If his destination was somewhere far away, Kang Jin-Ho obviously didn't have a choice but to take his car. However, his desire to ride a bicycle was stronger if he didn't have to travel too far from home.

“I should talk to Chief Jo about this.”

When Kang Jin-Ho thought about it, wasn't his trusty Golden Elephant always by his side even before he got his driver's license? It got him through the proverbial thick and thin, but that tunnel incident had completely destroyed what was arguably Kang Jin-Ho's favorite ride in the modern era.

Ever since that day, Kang Jin-Ho hadn't been on a bicycle. If he had to go somewhere in early dawn like today, riding a bicycle could be a viable option. After all, Kang Jin-Ho could scoot around Gyeonggi Province without a problem on a bicycle... As long as he got the time of the day right, that was.

Vrooooom...!

Of course, that didn't mean Kang Jin-Ho was thinking of never driving cars again. He might have only started driving at Jo Gyu-Min's urging, but nowadays? He was too enamored by the charm of his supercar to stop driving altogether now. The way it responded so sharply when he depressed the accelerator or turned the steering wheel was simply too fun to give up.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the clock before slowing down a little. It seemed he had departed too early. At his current speed, he'd reach the Assembly in no time, and that would... cause a bit of a nuisance for the Assembly members.

Rather commendably, Kang Jin-Ho had finally learned some social etiquette, which meant he now understood that other people needed time for themselves, too.

'Maybe I should stop by at a cafe or a rest stop on the way before... Mm?'

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow slightly. A vehicle using high beams was rapidly approaching him from behind. Knowing from experience how this sort of thing usually ended, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but groan loudly.

'I can't let that happen to this car, though...'

This Lamborghini was still brand-new. Buying a new car wouldn't be a problem for Kang Jin-Ho, but... He could already imagine Jo Gyu-Min scolding him for wrecking another one as soon as importing it into the country.

Should he accelerate even faster? Or stop at a suitable place to avoid that catastrophe? Just as Kang Jin-Ho began pondering this new quandary, he noticed something and tilted his head.

'There's only one headlamp?'

Kang Jin-Ho slightly enhanced his eyesight and realized the mystery vehicle following him was a motorbike. Not just any random bike either, but a model he had already seen before.

Vroooom...

Kang Jin-Ho slowed down even further, allowing the bike to catch up to him and slip next to the driver's side. Although the Lamborghini's body was low to the ground, the torso of the bike's rider was pressed to the bike's fuel tank, giving Kang Jin-Ho a good look at her helmet.

'Hmm. Her name was Elena, right?'

The helmet's visor obscured her face, but it was still easy enough to guess her identity from her figure and the bike's model.

Elena raised her hand and pointed ahead. Her finger was pointing at a signboard that read, 'Rest Stop, 5km ahead'.

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. He didn't have a reason to humor her, but... Well, he didn't have anything better to do right now, anyway.

He depressed the accelerator and shot forward toward the distant rest stop.

***

Click...

After parking his car in a quiet spot, Kang Jin-Ho climbed outside and mouthed a cigarette right away. After lighting it, he watched Elena park her bike next to his car, climb off, then take her helmet off before hanging it on the bike's handle.

Elena quickly walked up to Kang Jin-Ho before bowing her head. “Good morning to you.”

“...Hello.” Kang Jin-Ho greeted back.

Even though his expression could only be described as unconvinced and wary, Elena was still relieved that Kang Jin-Ho decided to greet her back.

“I'm sorry about the last time.” Elena bowed deeply to apologize again.

“Mm... Sure, but this is getting awkward.”

“Don't be. It was my fault, after all.”

How should Kang Jin-Ho describe his impression of this woman? After tallying up the impressions from both encounters, he swiftly arrived at the conclusion of...

“...Your Korean is really fluent, Miss Elena.”

“Oh, that! Thank you! I studied a lot, you see?”

What an... 'amazing' thing to say, that. No matter how hard one studied, one would still have a tough time getting fluent in the unique intonations of a foreign language. However, Elena was so good at speaking Korean that if the natives heard her with their eyes closed, they would think she was born here.

Kang Jin-Ho crossed his arms across his chest. “Okay, so... What do you want this time?”

“I've come to apologize.”

“I'm sorry?”

Elena's expression stiffened. “I was too rude and inconsiderate the last time. Even I can see that invading your privacy without informing you ahead of time was thoughtless of me. I'm really sorry.”

“Okay. That's enough apologizing for today.” Kang Jin-Ho cut Elena's apologies right there and then. She seemed ready to apologize the whole day if he didn't do something about it now. “Let's move on. I'd much prefer you get to the main topic as soon as possible. I have prior engagements to attend to.”

“I see. In that case...” Elena pointed to the convenience store inside the rest stop. “May I buy you a cup of coffee?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned but couldn't say no to Elena's brightly-smiling face.

***

Pshooi...

Kang Jin-Ho opened the tab of his canned coffee, took a sip, then put it down next to him.

Elena tilted her head. “There are chairs inside the rest stop, you know?”

“I need to smoke,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a casual shoulder shrug.

“...” Elena's facial muscles twitched ever so slightly.

They were supposed to discuss matters of great importance, yet the location Kang Jin-Ho chose was a wooden bench installed in the rest stop's smoking area? Couldn't they use one of the dining tables in the convenience store at least?

Elena was suddenly tempted to yell out the cliched, 'This is the first time a man has treated me this way!' And no, it wouldn't be done with a positive intention, either!

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't care less what Elena was thinking, however. In fact, he had no desire whatsoever to chat with this woman in the first place. It was just that he had spare time to kill, and that was why he even bothered to stop at this rest stop. If it weren't for that, Kang Jin-Ho would never waste his time on a total stranger like her.

“Get to the point, please,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Elena.”

“I see.”

“Mister Kang Jin-Ho, tell me. Which country do you think I'm from?”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “Obviously from somewhere in the West.”

“...” Elena's brows began quivering nonstop, unable to find the correct position to stop at. 'No, calm down!'

Asian men were famous for being stoic, weren't they? Then again, most Asians Elena ran into so far hadn't exactly been the strong-silent types. However, Kang Jin-Ho might be that stereotypical Asian man Elena 'knew' about. And his attitude toward her most likely didn't stem from any particular ill feeling he had for her.

'Besides, I can't even get angry at him, anyway...!'

Elena took another look at Kang Jin-Ho.

The investigation into Kang Jin-Ho was expected to take a lot of time. However, it ended nonsensically fast. Elena and the other operatives were taken aback by that, but the reason for this speedy conclusion of the investigation shocked them even further.

Kang Jin-Ho was the type of man who required zero investigation. From the get-go, he didn't try to hide information about himself. By coming in contact with a martial artist hailing from the Yeongnam Group, Elena and Co. got to hear all about the grisly details behind how Kang Jin-Ho devoured that martial arts organization in just one night.

That martial artist's description had been so vivid and energetic that the recording file ended up almost as long as an audio drama CD. Although it was great to feel the nerve-racking tension of the moment thanks to the martial artist's vivid retelling...

We are "pawread dot com", find us on google.

'...No one would reveal so much about someone on their side like that!'

The martial artist was so forthcoming that the interviewer even sheepishly asked if this was okay. But the reply he got was... “No one told us to keep our mouths shut, you see?”

Elena's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

'So, this man is the same individual as the monster from that story?'

The clash of images was rather severe in Elena's head. However, she knew that absurd story had to be true since her team had contacted others for confirmation, and out of the five individuals willing to talk, three had recounted the exact same thing!

'In other words, this guy is basically a demon king...'

In the memories of those witnesses, Kang Jin-Ho was a monster of god-like strength. The real-life Asura that reveled in ripping humans apart! An inhumane, merciless, cruel being who was also unfaltering and extremely powerful!

After hearing all of that, Elena understandably grew nervous about this meeting. She even reconsidered it several times. Even she could tell that she only survived the last time thanks to the presence of other people nearby. In that case, what would happen if she was alone with Kang Jin-Ho?

Elena hesitantly spoke up first. “Uhm, I am...”

“Yes?”

'I guess he's not in a good mood?'

Elena's anxiety level steadily climbed higher at Kang Jin-Ho's curt replies. If only she knew how things might turn out, she could've requested a guard to accompany her. However, Elena ultimately chose to come alone in case the presence of another stranger accidentally triggered Kang Jin-Ho. Now that she was here, though... The thought of being alone with Kang Jin-Ho was making her legs subtly wobble.

'No, calm down! Having an extra guard will not make any difference, anyway!'

If this man before her eyes was indeed the monster from all those testimonies, then well... Even if every Round Table operative residing in Korea attacked Kang Jin-Ho together, no one would be able to even put a scratch on him.

“I'm from Great Britain.”

“I see.”

“And I came here to speak to you.”

“...Really?” Kang Jin-Ho grew a little stupefied just then.

Obviously, he had functioning eyes and could tell this woman was a foreigner. Since his brain was functioning just fine, he could also tell this blonde woman had a business with him. Even so, he was taken aback by the fact that a stranger had traveled all the way from Britain just to see him.

Besides, Elena was so fluent in Korean that Kang Jin-Ho thought she was originally from this neck of the woods!

Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked, “How did you find out about me from all the way in Britain?”

"You might not be aware of it, but Mister Jin-Ho, you are a huge celebrity in the world of shadows."

“...What do you mean?”

“Korea, Japan, China, and even Europe... Everyone in the world is paying close attention to every move you make, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“But why?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

Elena couldn't help but sigh under her breath. How was she to explain this? “I'm sure you're aware of China being the center of the shadowy world.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. He didn't even have to think about that to reach that conclusion. Simply comparing the levels of the Chinese martial artists to that of Korea's would've been enough to figure that much out.

If modern-era China had managed to inherit even a quarter of the martial prowess of Zhongyuan during Kang Jin-Ho's second life, Korea simply didn't even stand a chance.

Elena continued to speak, oblivious to Kang Jin-Ho's inner thoughts. “And Japan is another powerhouse, as well. The power balance in East Asia is delicately poised. The Three Kings of China keep each other in check, while Japan in the distance keeps that taut tug-of-war in check. But that delicate balance is slowly coming undone. And it's all thanks to you, Mister Kang Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “I see. So why are you here?”

“...The organization I belong to is understandably worried about this crisis. East Asia's delicate balance crumbling also signifies the balance of the entire world crumbling, you see? So, our organization wishes to maintain the balance no matter what.”

Click...

Kang Jin-Ho lit a new cigarette. He sucked in a deep puff, then released the unhealthy smoke slowly, oh-so-slowly, into the air.

“Our organization has determined that South Korea lacks the ability to collect information. You are basically blind to events and movements taking place in other nations. If this keeps up, the proverbial bomb will go off, and... Hence, we'd like to make an offer, Mister Kang Jin-Ho,” Elena confidently addressed Kang Jin-Ho. “Please work with us. Join us. And we promise to assist you in your quest to take over South Korea and maintain the balance in East Asia.”

After finishing her sales pitch, Elena quietly waited for Kang Jin-Ho's response. However, she wasn't anxious about it. She didn't waste Kang Jin-Ho's time with a lengthy preamble and got to the point immediately, which should be what he wanted from her. If he had a working brain, Kang Jin-Ho would surely understand that joining hands with Elena's organization would benefit him.

Unfortunately, Elena had no idea. She still had no clue who Kang Jin-Ho was.

She simply wasn't prepared for what Kang Jin-Ho was. Elena's mistake this time was thinking that she had accurately analyzed the individual named Kang Jin-Ho through testimonies of some random people.

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely removed the cigarette from his lips just as a strange smirk floated up on his face. His white fangs gleamed coldly under the light next.

“Are you finished running your mouth?”