Chapter 287: In Conflict (2)

Kang Jin-Ho took his time before continuing from where he left off. “I think there are few things wrong with this situation.”

Kang Eun-Yeong's head faltered at how firm her brother sounded.

"If you can't forge a career in entertainment on your own and need my help over and over again, it's better to retire now before it’s too late. Don't you think so?" Kang Jin-Ho stared at his sister, but Kang Eun-Yeong strenuously tried to avoid meeting his gaze.

Her orabi was usually like a friend she could joke around with and even play pranks on. But then, if he believed something was wrong, he would never make a compromise about it, no matter what. Once he had drawn a line, Kang Jin-Ho would become even harder than his father to deal with!

“I've said this to you in the past, haven't I?”

“...You did, oppa.”

"I'm not sure if I failed to make you see the light back then or if you didn't understand me properly. But..." Kang Jin-Ho briefly shook his head in a sign of dissatisfaction. "You know I don't enjoy repeating myself."

“Yeah, I know.”

“Indeed...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly rubbed his nose, then scanned the other two people sitting around the table. Choi Yeon-Ha and Jeong Seok-Su were also avoiding meeting his gaze. Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and addressed the two. “It's the same story for you two.”

Choi Yeon-Ha slightly pouted. 'Is there a need to scold me, too?'

She was unhappy, but now didn't seem to be the right time to express her opinion.

“When someone says no, it means no,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“B-but...!”

“It seems you don't understand me at all. Let me put it this way, then. I'm not a nice person, so other people's plight isn't going to be enough to move me.”

“I... see.”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted loudly and leaned back in his chair. "What I don't understand the most in this situation, though... is why I need to hear all this from you three."

“I'm sorry?”

"If the goal was to make me appear in the show again, the production director should've come here personally. Yes, he should've been here to negotiate with me directly. The person in charge of the production couldn't even be bothered to come here, so why would I agree to return to the show? Wouldn't you think so, too?”

Choi Yeon-Ha was left speechless by that.

Kang Jin-Ho ignored her and addressed Jeong Seok-Su. "I'd much prefer if we don't discuss things like this again. Let me state this clearly. I will not step foot inside the entertainment industry ever again. The profession just doesn't suit me at all."

“...I see.”

"If you need to write up a press release, simply say that I will not work in the industry ever again. I won't sign a contract with Code, and I certainly won't be appearing in the show again, too." Kang Jin-Ho finished what he wanted to say, then got up. "I need to tend to my store now, so please excuse me."

Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly pushed Choi Yeon-Ha sitting next to him out of the way and exited the cafe.

Kang Eun-Yeong watched her brother's back disappear into the morning crowd outside and sighed deeply. “See? I told you it's not going to work.”

However, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't pay any heed and started chewing on her nails instead. “But... We were so close...!”

Kang Eun-Yeong pinched her thigh in irritation. “I told you, it wouldn't work! My oppa's the type to bounce back even harder the more you pressure him!”

“That's why I was extra polite, though!”

"That's still not enough, you know! Argh, how will I face my oppa at home now? He'll probably not even talk to me for a good while after this farce!" Kang Eun-Yeong pouted tearfully. Forget about the TV show; she was more irritated by the fact that her relationship with her dear older brother could have gotten strained by this meeting.

However, Jeong Seok-Su looked refreshed. He gulped down a cup of cold water before shrugging his shoulders. "...Actually, now that we know where he stands, it feels like a load has been lifted off my shoulders."

Choi Yeon-Ha shot back. "How can you say that? I just lost my male lead, and your agency just lost a potential gold mine that could have guaranteed you a pile of profits for the next ten years!"

Jeong Seok-Su chuckled. “You can't drag a horse to a river and make it drink if it doesn't want to, yes?”

“Where is your fighting spirit?!” Choi Yeon-Ha shot up to her feet as if she was unwilling to let this go. “You want to give up? Fine, be my guest. However, I won't back down like this!”

“Nope, it's better to stop here,” Kang Eun-Yeong suddenly butted in. “From what I can tell, my oppa has drawn his line in the sand today.”

“His... line in the sand?”

"Yup. That's what my oppa's like." Kang Eun-Yeong groaned grandly. "He agreed to speak to us today because this situation involves several people, and he wasn’t sure where to draw the line. My oppa, he... He's the type to remain caring and gentle if you don't cross the line he has drawn. Cross that line, though, and he won't hesitate to cast you aside."

“...What you're saying is, if I cling to Mister Jin-Ho any further, he won't hesitate to kick me away?” Choi Yeon-Ha suspiciously asked.

“Yes, that's precisely it..”

"Me? But I'm Choi Yeon-Ha, so how?"

Kang Eun-Yeong stared at Choi Yeon-Ha, clearly unimpressed. “If you feel really sure about yourself, go ahead. But don't come crying to me later, okay?”

“...!” Choi Yeon-Ha shot a murderous glare at Kang Eun-Yeong before sighing loudly and plopping down on her seat again. Of course, she knew Kang Eun-Yeong was not at fault here. No, Choi Yeon-Ha just wanted to vent her frustration on someone, that was all.

'I need to calm down...'

Losing her cool at Kang Eun-Yeong for no good reason would only result in a fracture in their relationship. And that would definitely spell doom for her chances with Kang Jin-Ho!

Choi Yeon-Ha groaned loudly. “Miss Se-Ah, your oppa... He's really strange, isn't he?”

"Yup, he sure is."

“Just why is he so opposed to the idea of working in this industry, though?”

Kang Eun-Yeong pouted deeply. “Honestly? I'm pretty sure it's not the case of my orabi not wanting to become an actor.”

“Eh?”

"It's just that he found something else even more entertaining, that's all."

“...What does that even mean?”

Kang Eun-Yeong didn't respond to that and simply sighed away.

***

“I'm back,” said Kang Jin-Ho while stepping inside the pizzeria.

“Huh? So soon?” Park Yu-Min tilted his head while staring at his friend closing the store's door behind him. Didn't Kang Jin-Ho leave for a meeting not too long ago? But he was back at the pizzeria already? Park Yu-Min could guess what happened during that meeting by this unexpectedly swift return. "You didn't listen to them properly before leaving, did you?"

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “Something like that, yeah.”

“Geez. You really do have a weird personality, Jin-Ho.”

“You just realized that?” Kang Jin-Ho smirked at his friend.

“Nope, I knew you were weird way back then. It's just that you've reminded me about it. I'm telling you, you have a wacky personality.”

“That's pot calling kettle black, you know.” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled and headed to the staff room at the back.

Ju Yeong-Gi and Jeong Su-Yeon in the kitchen noticed him and quickly rushed outside in shock.

“You're back already?!”

“...Huh.” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. Perhaps they wouldn’t have been so shocked if he had returned after the store was closed for the day? He nodded while directing a strange stare at the duo.

Ju Yeong-Gi impatiently asked, “So? Did you agree to appear in the TV show?”

“...Did you plant a listening device on me or something?”

"Hey, now. Everyone except you knows what's up already. Only you with utterly-dead common sense and wits couldn’t have predicted it. Why would those busy folks come here just to shoot the breeze with you? Obviously, they all wanted something from you."

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly felt depressed about failing to figure out something so obvious that even Ju Yeong-Gi managed to figure it out. "To think I'm even more clueless than you are, Yeong-Gi..."

“What the hell... You dare look down on me?! Listen, you brat. Back in the army, you were super infamous for being totally clueless! Did you know how much the juniors were chewing you out behind the scenes?!”

"Stop right there." Kang Jin-Ho raised his hand. If he were to listen to any more of Ju Yeong-Gi’s words, he could receive everlasting mental damage. With a depressed face, Kang Jin-Ho slunk off to the staff room.

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted loudly. “I have no idea why a dude who looks fine on the outside behaves like that every now and then.”

Park Yu-Min chuckled softly. “But that's one of his charms, you know?”

“Charm, my ass! If that's being charming, then everyone on this planet will be charming as heck!” Ju Yeong-Gi cackled alongside his friend.

They stood in front of the staff room door and waited until Kang Jin-Ho emerged after changing his clothes, and then he bombarded him with urgent questions.

“So? What did you say? Did you agree to appear in the show again?”

“No,” Kang Jin-Ho flatly replied.

Ju Yeong-Gi's eyes opened wider in an instant. “Why not?!”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “Just.”

“Just?! Did you say just?!” Ju Yeong-Gi couldn't contain his shock and asked once again, “If you said no, you must've had a good reason, right?”

Kang Jin-Ho seemed surprised by his friend's lack of understanding on this matter as he asked, "What do you mean? It shouldn't be the case of not doing it because of reasons, but more like, don't I need a reason to do it?"

“...Eh?”

“I mean... If I'm forced to do something I don't like, shouldn't there be a good enough reason for it? And I don't have a reason to do it, so why should I do it?”

Ju Yeong-Gi dazedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho for a while before finally sobering up. “Holy cow. You ain't a smooth talker like this, so... You usually go, 'Uh-uh' or 'Mm-hmm' all the time, so when did you learn how to run your mouth so slickly like this, Mister Silver Tongue?”

“...That's a praise, right?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, it's a super praise, you punk!” Ju Yeong-Gi chuckled hollowly.

One of South Korea's top actresses showed up to beg him to appear alongside her in a TV show. She even said that she could turn him into a megastar if he were to act just for a bit, but this punk...! Did he really say that there was no reason for him to act?!

“You know what? The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that you don't need that face of yours. Give it to me, okay? If you're planning to waste your looks like that, just give them to me instead!” Ju Yeong-Gi suddenly started to demand something impossible.

“...What do you want to do when you have my looks?”

"Your looks are wasted on you, dude! Just what are you doing to take advantage of your looks? You don't wanna become an actor, and you don't have a girlfriend, too! Listen here, dammit! What you're doing right now is actually being unfilial to your parents! They gave you that face, after all! Look at me. Even with this face, I have never forgotten to thank my mom every chance I get!"

Kang Jin-Ho smiled wryly. Convincing Ju Yeong-Gi that he wasn't born with such good looks would be a tall order now, wouldn't it? "Nice to know. Anyway, I said no."

Park Yu-Min licked his lips ruefully. “Does that mean Miss Choi Yeon-Ha will stop coming here?”

“Probably?”

“...Eiii, what a shame.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Mm? Were you interested in her?”

"No, it's not that. But, you know. Just looking at her face is enough to energize you, don't you agree? Having one of the prettiest people in Korea next to you is one heck of an amazing thing, you know?"

“Is that right? I didn't know that..” Kang Jin-Ho disinterestedly shrugged his shoulders.

'Damn, this relationship virgin!'

'What a hopeless idiot!'

All of a sudden, Ju Yeong-Gi was struck by a powerful epiphany. He urgently addressed Kang Jin-Ho. “Y'know what? I was wrong, Jin-Ho. You keep your face, okay?”

“...What are you on about this time?” Kang Jin-Ho cautiously stared at his friend, wondering what kind of painful insult was coming his way.

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted loudly. “I've given it some thought and realized that, without your looks, you ain't gonna get married for the rest of your life. I'll deal with my situation on my own, so you? You just do your best to rely on your looks and find a wife before it's too late.”

“You, come outside for a minute,” Kang Jin-Ho grumbled unhappily.

“No, thanks! I'll obviously lose if we start fighting, so why would I? You think I'm mad?” Ju Yeong-Gi cackled and headed back to the kitchen.

Kang Jin-Ho also chuckled to himself.

'This feels comfortable.'

Kang Jin-Ho had heard enough 'flattering' words from the other group. From this group, though, he had heard insults and criticisms instead, but he found that more... comfortable than the former group, for the lack of a better description. Even though he didn't find Choi Yeon-Ha's pleading for his help fake or anything like that.

Kang Jin-Ho rolled up his sleeves. “Anyway.. let's get to work, shall we?”

“Hah.?Look at you, pretending to be a hard worker even though you've been slacking off until now.”

“Mm.” Kang Jin-Ho was left speechless once again as he trudged his way to the kitchen.

***

“...Why can't I get used to this crap?” Ju Yeong-Gi slumped over a chair while looking completely exhausted.

Once again, the pizzeria closed its doors for the day around midnight.

Park Yu-Min worriedly spoke up, "Aren't we, like, working too long? Our operating hours are supposed to start at ten in the morning and close at ten in the evening, right? But we're working till midnight every day. That's fourteen hours a day, you know? Not getting exhausted by this routine will be weirder if you ask me."

“Listen, man! Back in the army, we had to make do with four hours of sleep!”

“Well, the emphasis is on 'back in the army,’ don't forget.”

Ju Yeong-Gi, still a bit greenhorn in the ways of mundane society, scratched his head. "This can't be right... A real man like me can't get tired from something like this, you know...?"

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at his sighing friend and chuckled a little. “Just hold on for a bit longer, Yeong-Gi. We've established our basic framework now, so I'll find a way to decrease your workload, either by shortening our operating hours or working in shifts.”

“You for real? You better stick to your promise, Jin-Ho. Otherwise, I'm gonna report you to the Ministry of Labor, got that? I'll tell them you're a slave driver, a rotten boss!”

“...Sure, go ahead.”

Ju Yeong-Gi turned his head and stared at Park Yu-Min. “Hey, you also heard that, right? Yu-Min?” This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

“Why are you dragging me into this?” Park Yu-Min stepped back.

"Eiii, you ungrateful...!" Ju Yeong-Gi stretched his limbs while standing up. "Tomorrow's the off day, so... I can't just head back home now. Anyone interested in joining me to go to a nightclub?"

“I'll pass..” Park Yu-Min shook his head.

“And I'm going home,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“...And you call yourselves friends?” Ju Yeong-Gi shook his head while packing up his stuff. His intention to go clubbing alone if he had to could be felt rather strongly from his actions.

Kang Jin-Ho tutted, then glanced at Park Yu-Min. “I'll give Yu-Min a ride home.”