Chapter 260: Preparing (5)

Shwiiing...

Kang Jin-Ho slowly unsheathed Crimson Destiny. The sight of the naked blade gleaming coldly without much light seemed to cool his head and calm his heart.

Once upon a time, he had considered this sword a part of his body. Whenever he drew this weapon, blood had to be spilled. To him, Crimson Destiny was not only his trusted ally but the solution to all his problems as well.

Whenever there was conflict, he would pull this sword out. Whenever someone opposed him, it would be time to rely on Crimson Destiny. Such a thing was normal in that era.

The person named Kang Jin-Ho prided himself on being a civilized man from the future, but his thought process gradually became the same as the denizens of Zhongyuan the more he experienced that era. Funnily enough, Kang Jin-Ho the 'Zhongyuan resident' was gradually adapting back to the ways of the modern era.

He had to always remember something while trying to live in modern times. And that was...

This was not Zhongyuan. Every conflict couldn't be resolved with Crimson Destiny.

Still...

Shwiiing...

Kang Jin-Ho sheathed Crimson Destiny, then quietly closed his eyes.

'The story changes if that's what the other side wants.'

Indeed, the first side to resort to violence wasn't him but them. Since that was the case, Kang Jin-Ho would simply respond in kind. By doing so, they should learn—learn that their methods were lukewarm at best and that the price for provoking Kang Jin-Ho was unimaginable.

Letting the ones who had assaulted him go free was unthinkable. Kang Jin-Ho might do it, but Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor would never accept such a course of action. Absolutely not!

'...I have certainly been holding myself back.'

Now that he had acquired what he wanted, though, was there even a need for him to hold himself back anymore? Now, the Yeongnam Group would pay the heavy price for trying to hurt him.

Kang Jin-Ho, sitting alone in the darkness of his room, flashed an eerie grin. But then—

“Jin-Ho! Son!”

“Yes, Mother!” Kang Jin-Ho sobered up instantly and shot up to his feet.

“Come outside for a minute, son! One of the lightbulbs just went out, but I can't reach it.”

"I'm coming. Let me change it, Mother." Kang Jin-Ho quickly tossed Crimson Destiny under his bed and exited his room. Many people would have surely shed tears of blood the moment they learned about how Kang Jin-Ho treated the treasured sword of the ancient demon cult, but he didn't care. Back when he was still a member of the cult, people around him constantly nagged him and pleaded with him to take better care of the treasures in his possession. That was what Kang Jin-Ho was like back then and even now.

After getting a new bulb from Baek Hyeon-Jeong, Kang Jin-Ho started replacing the dead one, only to be interrupted by Kang Eun-Yeong coming home from work.

“Orabi! Orabi!!!”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Come here for a sec! Hurry!” Kang Eun-Yeong didn't even bother to change out of her streetwear as she jumped onto the living room couch, then called out to her dear older brother.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “What do you want?”

“I have something to say to you, so please come this way, dear orabi.”

"Fine..." Kang Jin-Ho groaned and sat on the opposite side of his little sister, wondering what tricks she had in store for him this time.

Kang Eun-Yeong was all smiles as she started talking animatedly, “I heard about how bustling your pizzeria is these days. It's true, right?”

“Yes, it is true.”

“And it's all because the customers saw you in the TV show, right?”

“Yes, you're right.”

“Mhmm.?Right, then. That means starring in that show was a good thing. Right?”

“...?” Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. Judging from the direction of her so-called questions, he could tell that she wanted to ask another favor from him. “What do you want to say to me, Eun-Yeong?”

Kang Eun-Yeong leaned closer. "Listen, Orabi. One appearance in a TV show led to an explosion of customers, right? But then! Think about how many customers will leave you if you don't appear in the show again. To keep the revenue high, don't you think you should consider appearing in the show at least one more time? I'm telling you this as a genuinely concerned little sister, you know?"

Kang Jin-Ho tutted quietly. “Now you listen closely, my little sister.”

“Eh?”

"I haven't told you this before, but you have a telltale sign whenever you lie."

“Huh?! Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Kang Eun-Yeong asked urgently. “W-what is that sign?”

“If I tell you that now, it'll become harder for me to figure out whether you're lying or not later on. So, no. And stop lying about being genuinely worried. It'll be better for you in the long run.”

“Ehehe~.” Kang Eun-Yeong blushed a little. She smiled awkwardly and tried to pretend everything was fine, but her gig was obviously up. “...Orabiiii!?Can you please shoot one more scene? Pretty please? Our PD is saying our show's rating will hit legendary status as long as you make one more appearance!”

“You can tell him that I'm not interested.”

"One more appearance and your store will be flooded by even more customers, you know!"

“I already have enough customers, thank you.”

“I'm telling you, they are gonna go away sooner or later at this rate!”

"That sounds appealing since there have been too many customers recently, and I wanted some of them gone, anyway."

“Orabiii!”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow, forcing Kang Eun-Yeong to flinch and sneakily lower her head.

Kang Jin-Ho tutted again. “You probably aren't saying this for my sake, so.. What do you want?”

“You're wrong. I don't want anything.”

“I thought I mentioned that telltale sign already?”

"...Gee whiz. You're like Sherlock Homes, Orabi." Kang Eun-Yeong pouted and whined, seemingly trying to figure out what her telltale sign was. Unfortunately for her, though, it was not something she could 'fix' even if she knew what it was.

People's hearts would inevitably beat a little faster whenever they lied. However, only an extreme few would notice such a thing, and Kang Jin-Ho happened to be one of those extreme few.

Kang Eun-Yeong excitedly replied, "PD Jang says that if you appear in the show just one more time, he'll cast me as the main lead in his next show!"

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin. “Hmm...”

“Oppa, do you have any idea how influential PD Jang is? You only need to remember that the one and only Choi Yeon-Ha is starring in PD Jang's production to understand he's highly respected in the industry! So... Please help me out this once? Pretty please?"

Kang Jin-Ho quietly stared at his little sister before finally breaking his silence. “Listen well, Eun-Yeong.”

Kang Eun-Yeong demurely brought her hands together and nodded quietly after noticing how low and unsettlingly calm her older brother's voice sounded.

"If that production needed my input to be successful, it shouldn't have begun in the first place. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Kang Eun-Yeong nodded again. “Y-yeah...”

“I've been helping you a lot until this point, right?”

“Yeah, I know. And I'm always grateful for everything you've done, Orabi.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. "Helping you out once or many times isn't difficult for me. However, what meaning is there in earning a role that way? If you want to get the role of the main character, you have to work even harder on your own craft. Understand?"

“...Yes, I understand.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in satisfaction, but Kang Eun-Yeong was sneakily gauging his mood instead. As such, he couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow.

'Isn't her response a bit strange?'

Normally, she'd be in a state of despondency after a stern scolding from Kang Jin-Ho, but there was not a hint of that in her this time. It was as if—as if she had predicted this outcome. In that case, why did she bring this matter up in the first place?

“So, like, Orabi? Can I say something else...?”

“Mm?”

“If you don't feel like making another appearance in the show, can't you at least have a meeting with my manager? That's not so hard, right?”

So, here it was; he had a feeling that his little sister was a crafty little fox, and now, she was even trying to lead him on with a cunning plan. Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but chuckle at her brazenness. "Why should I meet him?"

"You know you've caused one hell of a mess, right? But you're not signed up with any agency, and we haven't released any PR stuff at all, so it's not easy for our side to use your image and control the narrative in the media, you see?"

“Control the narrative? What do you mean?”

“I'm your little sister, aren't I? Since you got famous, I have to get some spotlight on me as well.” The debut release occurred at N-ov3l=B(j)n.

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.

Kang Eun-Yeong seized this chance and clung dearly to Kang Jin-Ho's arm. "Orabiii~!?Do some interviews and let them write articles about you, please? I'm focusing so hard on wrapping up the production, but no one is paying attention to my performance, and I barely have any motivation, you know?"

Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly. “Interviews, you say?”

"Yeah! They say just one interview would be enough for you to end up on the main pages of entertainment news sites! By letting a publication on friendly terms with my agency interview you, you won't get asked leading questions. Better still, they'll package everything nicely for you, too. So... Orabiii~, pretty please?"

Kang Jin-Ho lightly shoved Kang Eun-Yeong's head down. “How could you have fallen so low to sell out your own oppa?”

“Ehehehe~.”

“...If it's only that much, I'll think about it.”

"Yeeeees! I knew I could count on you, orabiii!"

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled while pushing away Kang Eun-Yeong trying to cling to him. “Go and wash yourself up, will you?”

"Huh? Are you implying that I'm dirty or something? Orabi, how could you say that to me!"

"Mm? You want me to tell you the honest truth, then?"

“...No, it's fine. You can stop riiiight there. It's my fault...” Kang Eun-Yeong helplessly shook her head before getting up.

Kang Jin-Ho watched as his sister trudged toward her room. Afterward, he also headed back to his own room—only for his phone to ring and stop him in his tracks. "Mm?"

Who could be calling him so late in the night? Kang Jin-Ho checked the caller ID on the phone's screen and immediately frowned because it said, 'Lee Hyeon-Ju'.

That woman from the Korean Martial Assembly was calling him all of a sudden. Kang Jin-Ho answered the call in a flat voice. “Hello.”

- Mister Kang Jin-Ho, I'm sorry for calling you out of the blue.

“Apology accepted. What is your business this time?”

- May I ask you for a favor? I'm really sorry about this.

“Hmm... I'll hear it out first.” Kang Jin-Ho tutted inwardly while replying. His relationship with this woman didn't extend as far as him humoring her requests, but listening to her wouldn't hurt anyone. Besides, he did owe her for the last incident, too.

- Can we talk in person for a little bit? I'm in front of your place at the moment.

In front of his place? Kang Jin-Ho's frown got even deeper. His place, his home, was a territory he had to protect no matter what. Obviously, he would never accept a martial artist daring to raise a fuss in his sanctuary.

“It seems you forgot my warning about not showing up near my family.”

- N-no, it's not that, but...!

"For now, let's continue this conversation face-to-face. Where did you say you were?"

- Right in front of your family residence, Mister Kang.

“I'll be right out.” Kang Jin-Ho ended the call and headed to the exit.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong saw him putting on his shoes and tilted her head. “Where are you going, son?”

“A friend called to say he's right outside, so I'll pop out for a minute, Mother.”

“Mm? Don't be late, son.”

“Yes, Mother.” Kang Jin-Ho replied in a gentle, friendly voice, but his eyes were cold.

He had issued a clear warning about leaving his family alone, yet that woman actually dared to show up in front of his house. That was basically the same as disrespecting Kang Jin-Ho to his face.

'She dares to pull this stunt after experiencing me?'

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't understand it. However, did that matter? No, it didn't. If she still didn't know what kind of a man he was, Kang Jin-Ho simply had to brand the knowledge in her soul.

He emerged from the house and into the street. Lee Hyeon-Ju standing alone there hurriedly bowed her head at him. Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow and silently stared at her. Her face was ever so slightly cramped in fear while her hands were imperceptibly trembling as well. It seemed that she didn't just decide to show up for a laugh, then.

“What brings you here?” Kang Jin-Ho flatly asked.

"I,?uh..." Lee Hyeon-Ju stared at him as her quivering intensified more and more until she suddenly kneeled in front of him.

Kang Jin-Ho was taken aback and blankly stared at her. For the second time tonight, he had failed to figure out what was inside this woman's head. "What are you doing, Miss Lee?"

"I'm really, truly sorry about asking you for this favor. But I didn't know who to ask other than you, Mister Kang!"

“Let's skip the preamble, shall we? So...” Kang Jin-Ho quickly regained his coldness. “Get to the point. I need to go back inside in a minute.”

“I-I need your help!”

“...Excuse me?”

“My grandfather is in danger! But I don't know anyone who can help him. Please, I beg of you, Mister Kang! Please help my grandfather!”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head, wondering what this woman was even saying. “Okay, so... Your grandfather is in danger, and you need my help?”

“Yes, and that's why I—”

“Why should I?”

“I'm sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho coldly explained, "Why should I help you? No, help your grandfather? I don't see why I need to inconvenience myself for someone I haven't even met before."

"I-I know I'm asking for something unreasonable, Mister Kang. But—"

“Since you know it's unreasonable, I'm sure you won't be too aggrieved about getting rejected, then? Drive home safely, Miss Lee.” Kang Jin-Ho finished what he wanted to say and turned around to go back inside.

However, Lee Hyeon-Ju urgently reached out and grabbed his arm. “I-If you save my grandfather, we can do... we can do many things for you! My grandfather is the Assembly Master of the Korean Martial Assembly, you see!”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “I want nothing from you people, though?”

“Please, Mister Kang! I beg of you!” Lee Hyeon-Ju broke down and cried.

Kang Jin-Ho could only sigh at that. All stories had their own sequences and details to consider. How was he supposed to respond when this woman decided to omit everything, though? If it had been the old version of Kang Jin-Ho, he wouldn't have cared even if Lee Hyeon-Ju was crying in front of him. But now...

'...You told me to become someone capable of reaching out, didn't you?'

Kang Jin-Ho kept recalling the orphanage director's face for some reason. She asked him to take the initiative to reach out to those in need. As such, what would she say if she saw Kang Jin-Ho drive away someone pleading for his help?

'How tiring...'

As he had expected, it would take enormous work for him to become the kind of man Sister Yi wanted him to be. Having been freshly reminded of this sad fact, Kang Jin-Ho sighed again and asked Lee Hyeon-Ju, "For now, why don't you tell me the details first?"