CH 463

“Hmmhm~ hmm.” Choi Yeon-Ha continued to hum a strange little tune.

Han Eun-Sol glanced at her while frowning deeply. “Noona?”

“Ng?”

“I know you're happy, but... Can't you, like, stop humming for a sec?”

“Why? No one's around us, anyway.” Choi Yeon-Ha scanned the empty first-class and tilted her head. She might have been more cautious with other passengers nearby, but why should she bother when there was clearly no one?

“Noona, it's because I can't bear it anymore.”

“Say what now?” Choi Yeon-Ha shot a sharp glare at Han Eun-Sol.

“Tsk…” Han Eun-Sol shook his head as if this situation displeased him greatly. “Noona, you need to be more aware of your limitations. You're happy, so you're humming. I get that. As a listener, though? It's like nails on a chalkboard, noona. How can a person be as tone-deaf as you while humming? Seriously now!”

“Who cares about you?! Besides, I almost debuted as a singer, you know!”

“Imagine how terrible you must be for that expert to give up on you, noona. And he was famous for turning idol hopefuls with crappy voices into angels sent from heaven, too.”

"You...! You, get out, now!"

“Noona, we're on a plane. I can't exit even if I want to.”

“I don't care. Get out!”

“Can't you say something that makes sense, noona!” Han Eun-Sol yelled back.

Choi Yeon-Ha scoffed at her manager's spirited resistance. “I'm letting this slide because I'm in a good mood today, you hear me! So, you better behave yourself, okay?”

“Yes, yes. Your wish is my command,” Han Eun-Sol muttered, then tried to gauge Choi Yeon-Ha's mood without getting caught by her. Despite him trying to rile her up, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't seem too perturbed, judging from the way she was leaning comfortably against her chair with her eyes closed.

The sight of the corners of her lips slipping out of her control and creeping ever so slightly upwards before hurriedly coming down amply conveyed her current mood.

'Wow. I guess she really is chuffed, huh?'

Han Eun-Sol was skeptical that such a brief meeting with her favorite person could transform her moods this much, but... So what? Choi Yeon-Ha was originally a fickle woman like that, anyway.

“By the way, Eun-Sol? Why are you here in the first class with me?”

“Sorry?”

“All the other staff members are in the business class, right? I want to know why only you get to enjoy the first class while they don't. Shouldn't the others be upgraded to the first class, too? Isn't this discrimination? Don't tell me, did the agency president put you up to this?”

“...Noona.”

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted unhappily. “What?”

“Don't you know that the production company has footed the bill for the plane tickets? Even the staff members, too?”

“Really? It was the production company...?”

“Yes, noona. I'm telling you, their scale is on another planet.”

“In that case, did the production company cheap out and pay for only two first-class tickets? In that case, you shouldn't be here, wouldn't you say? I mean, one of the staff is older than you, right? By a lot, too.”

“No, noona. That's not it. Everyone got first-class tickets.”

“Huh? Then... Why are they in the business section?”

“...Well, they are implying that they prefer the business class instead of the first class. Rather than staying next to you, they prefer a few hours of peace of mind, noona.”

Choi Yeon-Ha clamped her mouth shut at that sucker punch to her gut.

“Yes, this is how other people see you, noona. That is why I told you to be nicer to people during…”

“Hey. I'm peckish, so tell the attendants I want some ramen.”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha harrumphed next. “And get some peeled peanuts, too.”

“Yes, noona.” Han Eun-Sol groaned softly and raised his hand to get the flight attendant's attention.

Choi Yeon-Ha turned her head and stared out the plane's window. The azure sky and the ocean of white clouds greeted her view.

'I'm... really going to China, aren't I?'

A soft sigh escaped from her lips. Even if six months were short in the grand scheme of things, leaving her home and staying overseas for that length of time was never going to be easy. And she had a hunch that all sorts of unexpected things would torment her before the date of her departure came around.

“Oh, well. This is the road I chose, so...”

Nothing could be gained without putting in the requisite effort, anyway. If Choi Yeon-Ha wanted to acquire something, she'd have to lose something in return. Whether that was success... or her man.

While feeling less restrained by her burdens, Choi Yeon-Ha tried to peer past the cloud cover. Nothing but the blue ocean was down there. She remembered the face of the one left behind back home and began chewing her lower lip.

'...You. You better wait for me.'

I'm gonna triumphantly return after making an even bigger name for myself, and with a halo even brighter than before shining behind me, too! As bright as hundreds of spotlights turned on at the same time! And, and...!

“...If I find out that you've strayed, I'm going to strangle you. For real!” Choi Yeon-Ha mumbled quietly before glaring sharply at Han Eun-Sol. “Is my ramen ready yet?”

***

Vrooooom...!

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Kang Jin-Ho shuddered at this sudden chill running down his spine and took his foot off the accelerator.

'What was that...?'

Am I not feeling well?

No, that couldn't be it. Something like Kang Jin-Ho feeling cold due to poor health was too absurd and could never happen. Wouldn't that be as absurd as a polar bear feeling the cold in the Arctic?

Kang Jin-Ho briefly shook his head to kick the distracting thoughts out of his head, then smiled wryly.

'I should be friendly to foreigners, at least.'

...Even if those foreigners were no ordinary tourists.

Even a blind man could see how suspicious those men were. Kang Jin-Ho could still vividly recall how dumbfounded he was when those suspicious men stopped him and asked for directions.

He briefly wondered what he should do about them but decided to humor them, at least for the time being. Their reason for being in Korea was unknown, but... It wasn't as if they had caused a problem yet, now was it?

'...That woman's name was Elena, right?'

Kang Jin-Ho briefly recalled Elena's face. Those men must've been related to Elena somehow. Should he say... their dispositions seemed similar?

Back in Zhongyuan, people from the same sect learning the same cultivation techniques would be instantly identifiable even if they wore different clothing and behaved differently. Explaining that as the disposition of their qi being identical might sound a bit noncommittal, but this was something only martial artists could identify, anyway.

Elena and those men fit that bill perfectly. Either they came from the... same 'sect', or maybe the Western martial arts were generally similar. Either way, Kang Jin-Ho sensed a similar disposition from them.

“Hmm... Have they come here to hunt me down?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow slightly. Entering South Korea with that many people obviously indicated they were aiming for something in this country. So many martial artists wouldn't move in a group for no discernible reason, after all. And it couldn't be for sightseeing, either.

Which meant they could be here for Kang Jin-Ho. However...

“...Nah, it can't be.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly. If they really were aiming for his life, why would those foreigners let Kang Jin-Ho go like a bunch of imbeciles? Even if he was dealing with an organization full of dumbasses, they couldn't possibly be that stupid, now could they?

'Still, I better alert Mister Jin-Hun about this.'

Kang Jin-Ho decided to speak to Bang Jin-Hun one more time before the training commenced, then stepped on the accelerator.

***

'It's like I'm looking at a group of POWs...'

Yi Myeong-Hwan's less-than-impressed gaze was taking in the sight around him.

Basically, everyone gathered here today was a martial artist who had passed Kang Jin-Ho's horrible test. In other words, they were resolved to risk their lives in their pursuit of greater strength despite the actual, real threat of their bodies getting crippled or dying in the process.

Whatever their motivations were, being able to say they wanted to continue in that situation meant these were no ordinary folks. Only the toughest, most driven bastards out of the driven bastards that had gathered earlier had survived that ordeal, and now they found themselves here.

In that sense, this should've been the gathering of some seriously-tough bastards, but all Yi Myeong-Hwan could see right now was... Well, it definitely didn't resemble that kind of gathering, that was for sure.

If a soldier lost his entire platoon in a sudden bombardment and ran away without any of his weapons before barely managing to crawl his way back to the base... That soldier's body language might resemble the martial artists in this place.

The PTSD from the bombardment remained, so the soldier wouldn't be able to sit still and constantly fidget and look around with his shaking eyes. His hands, tucked between his legs, would be shaking pitifully, too. And that was what these martial artists were doing. In a way, maybe this was more like a meeting of junkies instead.

'A talent scout from Chungmuro might want to hire these guys right away...'

Yi Myeong-Hwan wryly smirked. No other sight would express the power of devastation as accurately as this scene, at least, that was what he thought.

Of course, it wasn't as if Yi Myeong-Hwan didn't sympathize with these folks.

If he was asked to choose the more horrifying option between a bomb turning his colleagues into chunks of bloody meat right before his eyes or Kang Jin-Ho dragging him away somewhere... Yi Myeong-Hwan wasn't sure how he'd answer.

Of course, those two hypothetical situations were not comparable. However, Yi Myeong-Hwan knew himself. He'd be confident enough to participate in war... But not so much when it was about sitting one-on-one with Kang Jin-Ho again. He'd definitely not do it.

In other people's eyes, Yi Myeong-Hwan's state shouldn't look all that different from everyone else here. The truth was that he, too, hadn't gotten a wink of proper sleep since that encounter.

Weirdly enough, what tortured him at night wasn't the trauma. He couldn't even remember exactly what happened, anyway. Since he couldn't remember it well, it didn't haunt his dreams, either.

And his thoughts were backed up by Gong Yeong-Gil, who had obviously been disqualified, after the two men ran into each other earlier. Gong Yeong-Gil was stunned back then by how withered Yi Myeong-Hwan looked despite no visible injuries on his friend.

The culprit of taking Yi Myeong-Hwan into the realm of insomnia was not what Kang Jin-Ho had done to him. No, it was actually his dread. Dread of what Kang Jin-Ho would do to him now!

“...Damn it. Feels like I'm gonna throw up.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan wasn't exaggerating. His innards were really tumbling right now. He had no idea the prospect of talking to Kang Jin-Ho again would drive a person to such a state.

All Yi Myeong-Hwan could think about while trying to sleep was Kang Jin-Ho's face. The dread of the future even stopped him from enjoying a simple meal!

'Bloody hell. I will really develop psychosis at this rate!'

Yi Myeong-Hwan was fully aware of how bad his current condition was. As a matter of fact, he shouldn't even be here. He should be in a psychiatric ward instead, talking to a shrink! While in a straightjacket, no less!

'That's the case with me, so why... Why am I hanging around here like an ant waiting for bread crumbs?!'

Even an idiot could guess what was in store for Yi Myeong-Hwan and his peers. And it was easy enough to predict how hellish that would be. However, seeing how everyone, including Yi Myeong-Hwan himself, hadn't fled to the ends of Earth but slunk back here on their own accord...

Yi Myeong-Hwan was overcome with this indescribable sense of shame. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there were plenty of idiots like him in this auditorium.

The sight of the Martial Assembly's auditorium half-filled with idiots like him forced a lengthy groan out of Yi Myeong-Hwan's mouth. Indeed, they were all idiots. Hopeless idiots, the lot of them!

Screeeeech!

Suddenly, Yi Myeong-Hwan's hearing was assaulted by the noise of a car viciously slamming on its brakes. Goosebumps broke loose on every part of his skin at that chilling noise. That was because he knew oh-so-well what that noise signified. He glanced around and noticed that... everyone's complexion was deathly pale.

'...Damn it. I guess humans do enjoy self-torture, then!'

That had to be true since no one tried to escape from the auditorium even as their bodies shuddered pitifully from fear.

Yi Myeong-Hwan tensely stared at the exit. Kang Jin-Ho seemed to have parked his car nearby, so he should be stepping inside pretty soon. What would his expression be like? Yi Myeong-Hwan was getting somewhat curious. Would that devil look like his usual human self? Or...

Clunk!

Just as Yi Myeong-Hwan's thoughts reached that far, the doorway was yanked open, and Kang Jin-Ho strode inside. The atmosphere in the auditorium instantly cooled as if a new Ice Age had descended in this place.

Just a hint of change in Kang Jin-Ho's expression alone was enough to shut everyone up in the past, but now? He did nothing more than walk inside, but that was enough for the auditorium's mood to rapidly fall below freezing point.

Then again, this wasn't so surprising. Everyone here had already experienced the 'truth,' after all! They all knew how that man, who looked calm and unperturbed while walking past them, could be so cruel and vicious.

'Still, I'm kinda relieved... I guess?'

Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem any different from his usual self. That was the only solace Yi Myeong-Hwan could find in this situation.

Kang Jin-Ho looked around and asked, “Is everyone here?”

“Yes, sir!” Yi Myeong-Hwan replied without even realizing that he did. However, that was the truth, anyway. According to the headcount done earlier, every single one who passed Kang Jin-Ho's so-called test had shown up at the auditorium today.

'In other words, we're all stupid crazy.'

Yi Myeong-Hwan sighed under his breath. Now that sounded like a fact worth despairing.

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the crowd again, then slowly nodded. “Assembly Master Bang said there is an underground training facility. And he wants us to use that for our training, but should we?”

“Yes, sir!”

“No. We should change the location,” Kang Jin-Ho firmly shook his head. “If we train underground and accidentally blow up this building, it's going to cost a lot of money to fix everything. And I'm not in the mood to listen to Assembly Master Bang's whining.”

“...”

No one dared to ask questions about how the auditorium could be blown away during their training. That seemed like a trivial problem to them at the moment.

Unable to hold himself back anymore, Yi Myeong-Hwan cautiously raised his hand. “Excuse me...?”

“Yes, you may speak.”

“What... will we be learning from today?”

“No need to be that anxious,” said Kang Jin-Ho as a smirk slowly floated up on his lips. “You will soon find out, anyway.”

A chill ran down Yi Myeong-Hwan's spine just then.