Chapter 248: Investigating (3)

“What the hell?! Did you lose your goddamned mind?” Ju Yeong-Gi grunted unhappily.

That seemed like a harsh thing to say to a friend, but Kang Jin-Ho couldn't say anything in his defense. Even Park Yu-Min was animatedly nodding away in agreement, after all. His nodding was so ferocious his head could come off any second now!

Of course, Kang Jin-Ho also had to agree with Ju Yeong-Gi's assessment. Even by his own standards, what he had done couldn't be the work of a person with a sane mind.

“Do you have some kind of anger management issues or disorders, you insane bastard?!” Ju Yeong-Gi continued to air his grievances in a savage manner.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed under his breath. In front of the trio was a huge trailer, and on it was Kang Jin-Ho's completely wrecked 'favorite' ride.

Ju Yeong-Gi inspected the Lamborghini, which was basically scrap metal now, then began rebuking Kang Jin-Ho as blood rushed to his face, ready to burst through all of his facial orifices at any time. “Dude! Even if you wanna use the money to wipe your butt, this...! Do it in moderation, will ya?! Listen here, you insane fool! Do you have any idea how many people in Korea are too poor to even afford a car like that, even after working and saving for ten years straight?! You actually dared to scrap a car that valuable?!”

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly replied, “...I was a little agitated back then.”

“Even so, you dumbass! Kicking a car door out of agitation makes you a bad-tempered person, but wrecking an actual bloody car out of agitation makes you a psychopath! Anyone capable of wrecking a car that expensive needs to be confined to a psych ward for the peace and security of our society! You rage virus infected insane dumbass!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned, knowing he had no right to talk back in this case. Of course, he had his excuses. Kang Eun-Yeong was being threatened, after all. His family member had been kidnapped, so he could brazenly say his eyes were seeing red, nothing else.

So, he decided to use it. “I was agitated because of Eun-Yeong's—”

“Say what?!” Ju Yeong-Gi's nagging got going once more. “Listen here, you insane bastard! The sane thing to do after finding the kidnappers is to call the damn cops like a good citizen! You think you're some hot stuff or something, jumping into the fire like that?! What if you get stabbed, ah? You think getting a new breathing hole will be nice and breezy for you?! Is that it?”

“...”

“Besides, you crazy fool! If you found them, why couldn't you park the damn car like a sane person and enter the building! Were you trying to shoot an action movie? To recreate your favorite scene?! What was that? You broke through the steel doors with your car?! You fool, if those doors had been a little tougher, we'd be picking up your ribs from the ground!”

“I-I'm sorry...”

“Be honest with us, will ya?! When you were breaking through the door, were you thinking about how cool you'd look by doing that? Ah? Hand on heart, tell me the truth! Holy moly! When Miss Choi Yeon-Ha told me about how she wanted to turn you into an actor, I thought she had lost her marbles, but now... I gotta say, she's a damn fortune teller, isn't she?! How should I put this? The 'instincts of an actor I didn't even know I had'? Is that what this is?”

“I-I said, I'm sorry!” Kang Jin-Ho urgently cried out as cold sweat began soaking his back. He had been subjected to many nagging sessions before in his life. However, getting hit by such a heavy and powerful barrage of fact bombardment was a first even for him. Any more body blows, and he might start vomiting blood!

Ju Yeong-Gi's eyes were practically shooting flames now. “...I shouldn't say anything since you wrecking your car is your own business and all, but you... Listen here, you dumbass. You shouldn't be doing stuff like this. You'll get punished for it!”

Kang Jin-Ho animatedly nodded. He wasn't sure why, but it certainly felt like he had committed way too many crimes! No, scratch that—it wasn't just a feeling—he really had committed far too many wrongs in his life!

“Yeong-Gi's right, Jin-Ho. Even I think you went overboard this time,” Park Yu-Min chimed in and took Ju Yeong-Gi's side.

“What? Wait a sec..” However, that triggered something from within Kang Jin-Ho. “Who would have thought about neatly parking the car and getting out in such an urgent situation?”

“Jin-Ho, listen,” Park Yu-Min responded in a calm manner. “You said you broke through the doorway, and the whole car entered the building. That's what you said, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If Eun-Yeong were by the door, she would have been killed.”

Kang Jin-Ho's eyes widened. “Ah...”

“What a relief that no parricide happened, though. We should thank God for that. Still, you gotta learn to control yourself whenever you get angry.”

Kang Jin-Ho became speechless once more.

Ju Yeong-Gi grunted loudly. “You rage virus infected insane dumbass..”

Park Yu-Min followed that up. “Yes, he's right. You went overboard this time, Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s soul had already departed as he shuffled lifelessly toward the corner and leaned his head against the wall before mouthing a cigarette.

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted loudly while watching that sorry sight. “Seriously! He can act like a real dumbass sometimes, you know?!”

“That's enough, Yeong-Gi. He's still our friend, after all.”

“I'm saying all this precisely because we're friends. Listen, if it were some random dude I didn't even know, I wouldn't have said anything. Hell, I wouldn't even go near a person like that.”

“Well, you do have a point there.”

“This is worthy of making international news. International news, I say!”

Kang Jin-Ho pondered seriously just when those two had developed such tight chemistry.

Regardless of what he thought, Ju Yeong-Gi continued his nagging, “...Maaan, the business is starting to go a bit downhill, yet you decide it'll be a swell idea to throw lots of money away into the winds. I wonder, do you even have insurance for that car?”

“Y-yeah.” Kang Jin-Ho quickly nodded.

“Even if you do have insurance, how are you planning to explain this? I lost my mind for a second and rammed my car into a steel door? So gimme my insurance payout? If you say that, the insurance agents will be frothing at their mouths while trying their hardest to sue your ass instead!”

"What? Sue me for this?"

“Who cares?” Ju Yeong-Gi groaned and shook his head as if he just couldn't understand it. “Repairing that Lambo will probably cost more than buying a new one. Wait a minute. Jin-Ho, be honest with me. Did you do this hoping to change cars? Bruh, you're now resorting to some weird tactics, man.”

“I-I'm really sorry. I won't do it ever again.” Kang Jin-Ho apologized wholeheartedly. This was something he hadn't done even to his own martial master. However, this was the only way for him to escape from Ju Yeong-Gi's nonstop nagging.

Ju Yeong-Gi smacked his lips regretfully as if he still wanted to say a few more choice words. “...Listen, Jin-Ho. I'm not being like this because I'm pissed about the wasted money, okay?”

Park Yu-Min suddenly butted in. “Looks that way to me, though?”

“...No, it isn't. Okay?” Ju Yeong-Gi faked a cough to clear his throat, and then he glared at the wrecked Lamborghini again. “So, what are you gonna do with this thing?”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed loudly. “Scrap it.”

“Man, what a waste. Seriously.” Ju Yeong-Gi shook his head while heading back inside the pizzeria.

Park Yu-Min patted Kang Jin-Ho's slumped shoulders. “What about Eun-Yeong? Where is she?”

“She's at home.”

“How is she? Is she still anxious?”

“She went to a hospital in the morning for a consultation, but it doesn't seem like there's a major problem with her. She's a bit too brave, honestly.”

Park Yu-Min sagely nodded. “...Sounds like your little sister, then. Still, wouldn't it be better for her to rest more at home?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah. That’s why we did clear out her schedule.”

“You did the right thing. In any case, let's tell the driver to take this wreck away and go back inside.”

“It seems Chief Jo has already talked to the relevant people about it. The wreck's here only because he wanted me to see it.”

“Oh,?I see.” Park Yu-Min glanced at the wrecked Lamborghini and smirked. “Gotta say, you sure do know how to cause a mess, Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho's face reddened for some reason just then.

***

“I admit that you had an incident to deal with,” said Ju Yeong-Gi in a dignified manner. Kang Jin-Ho was cowered by his friend's aura and had to demurely kneel on the floor with his hands resting on his knees. “However! Once you start something, you cannot let it fizzle out. Do you not agree, good sirs?”

Park Yu-Min nodded affirmatively. “You're completely right, Instructor.”

“Indeed. And so, we have a clear problem on our hands. Behold..” Ju Yeong-Gi extended his hand and pointed at the dining area. “We have no customers.”

“...”

“To make matters worse, we can't even call on our hidden trump card, Eun-Yeong, anymore. She's still recovering from her ordeal, so we can't ask her to come and put on a concert just to improve the pizzeria's revenue now, can we?”

“Yes, Instructor. You're completely correct.”

“Honestly, the blame has to be squarely placed on the store owner. He frequently vacates his own store whenever the fancy takes him, so this result shouldn't have come as a surprise.”

“Kuh-uh~, I can't even deny that, instructor.”

Kang Jin-Ho was rendered utterly speechless by the duo's exchange. The first reveal of this chapter happened through N//0/vel-Biiin.

'Wait, have I been leaving my store unattended that often?'

If that weren’t it, something had to have happened in the dining area while Kang Jin-Ho was busy in the kitchen. That had to be the case, or the perfect chemistry between these two couldn't be explained.

Ju Yeong-Gi and Park Yu-Min were in perfect synch in their attempt to pressure Kang Jin-Ho as if they had known each for twenty years.

'Even you, Park Yu-Min...!'

The horrible feeling of betrayal quickly rushed in. Unfortunately, though, it seemed Park Yu-Min had already decided to end his alliance with Kang Jin-Ho a long time ago, judging from how passionately he was cheering on every one of Ju Yeong-Gi's words.

“So, what are you gonna do about this, Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Before all that, why don't we have customers anymore? Didn't we have enough until recently?”

“That's because you've been brazenly going absent from this place.”

“So what?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

Ju Yeong-Gi groaned loudly. “We can't shutter the pizzeria since we've already put up its operating hours on the windows, right? So, I've been baking the pizzas myself.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Hang on a minute. Looks like we just discovered the culprit, then?”

“Oiii. I was doing my best to the limits of what I could do. So don't kick the blame around, okay? Have you ever been passionate about someone or something before?”

“I'm sorry...” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. With this, the truth about him not being verbally sharp enough to win against Ju Yeong-Gi had been proven beyond doubt.

'Whatever the case may be, we need a plan to fix this...'

Obviously, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't afford to see his pizzeria go bankrupt like this. He might have started this whole adventure with a light heart, but the effort he and his friends had put in so far was too considerable and precious to simply abandon.

Hadn’t they personally rolled their sleeves up and worked on the interior décor and even on the kitchen? For the first time in his life, he worked together with his friends to create something good, so he couldn't just sit back and watch it wither away.

“What kind of plan would—” Kang Jin-Ho was about to say something, but his phone buzzed and interrupted him. “Hmm?”

Kang Jin-Ho checked the caller ID on the screen and frowned deeply, prompting Ju Yeong-Gi to tilt his head. “Who is it?”

“Hold on...” Kang Jin-Ho took a deep breath, then answered the call. “Hello?”

- Are you free, Mister Jin-Ho?

“...More or less, yes.”

- Sounds nice. The request you asked me is this close to crushing us on this side, though.

“I can only apologize for that.”

- You don't have to. This is a trade, after all. In any case, I've put my foot down with the director and had him agree to shuffle the schedule around. Miss Se-Ah won't have to shoot her scenes for the next three days. Instead, I'll have to do a forced death march for three days straight in the meantime.

“...I thought you said I didn't need to apologize?”

Choi Yeon-Ha's quiet giggle came from the other side of the line.

- Yes, you don't have to be sorry about me. However, you have to fulfill your side of the bargain. It'll be next Monday. That day will be just you and I, with no interruptions. You haven't forgotten it, yes?

“Of course not...”

- You should prepare yourself, Mister Jin-Ho. I'm planning to gorge on expensive food, you see? And you will go wherever I want to go, too. You understand, yes?

“Of course...”

- Very good. I was just giving you a friendly reminder. Please say hello to Miss Se-Ah for me. Tell her to get some much-needed rest. If one doesn't feel well, resting is the answer, isn't it? Ah, if her condition is not great, do you mind if I pay her a visit?

“No, there's no need.”

- Oh, I see. In any case, please don't forget. Later.

The call ended there. Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly while staring at his phone's screen. For the sake of his sister's rest, Kang Jin-Ho requested Choi Yeon-Ha to help him with adjusting the filming schedule. He was taking a blind shot with her, and he half thought that his request would be turned down immediately. To his surprise, though, Choi Yeon-Ha jumped on the opportunity as if she were starving for it.

“What the hell is going on here?” Ju Yeong-Gi's eyes twitched dangerously. “So, let me get this straight. We're here for an emergency meeting to save our pizzeria, but you want to do what now? You're going out to have fun with who? Who?!”

Even Park Yu-Min was gritting his teeth while glaring at Kang Jin-Ho.

Flustered by their sharp glares, Kang Jin-Ho stumbled back and tried to defend himself. "No, wait. It's not what—"

“Holy cow! Did you see, Yu-Min? This is what your friend is like!”

“Former friend.”

“Yes, this is what your former friend is like! Your friends are working their butts off trying to help out in your store, but you're going out on a date with a celeb? Holy cow.. Dear lord!”

Kang Jin-Ho started sweating. “N-no, listen to me. That's not...”

“Human trash.”

“Irredeemable character.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently turned his head and stared forlornly outside the pizzeria's windows.

'I'd rather face the punks from that Yeongnam Group or whatever...'

He was freshly reminded of the inalienable fact that sometimes—it was a hundred times easier to just mindlessly throw punches around and fight.

Ju Yeong-Gi suddenly spoke up, “By the way, Jin-Ho?”

“Yeah?”

“...Uhh, doesn't Miss Choi Yeon-Ha have a friend or two? A pretty actress, if possible?”

And one had to be a bit more selective with making friends as well.