Chapter 537. Clearing Up (2)

Some days were like this.

The usual aroma of coffee would suddenly hit differently; meanwhile, one'd be more conscious of the warm sunlight ticking their face. Those days when one became aware of even the texture of the air surrounding them.

Kang Jin-Ho was dazedly staring at his coffee cup. The color of the coffee filling that cup seemed paler than usual yet also richer somehow.

“What's the matter, son? Go on, have a sip,” said Kang Yu-Hwan.

“I thought something was a bit different, that's all.”

“What is? Oh, you meant the coffee?”

“Yes,” Kang Jin-Ho dazedly nodded.

“You're stating the obvious, son.” Kang Yu-Hwan chuckled relaxedly. Kang Jin-Ho tore his eyes off the cup and stared at his father instead. When Kang Yu-Hwan noticed that confused look on his son's face, he grinned brightly and began explaining. “Isn't it obvious that every cup of coffee will be different?”

“How so?”

“Think about it. Even if the coffee beans are from the same tree, the aroma will still be affected by the day's temperature, humidity, brewing speed and the quantity of water used. To add on top of that, when was the last time you were here?”

“It's... been a while, yes.”

“And that is why the coffee tastes different, son.”

“Mm..” Kang Jin-Ho scratched his head. Although logical, something about that explanation didn't sound quiiiite right for this situation. While Kang Jin-Ho was approaching this topic in a more... sentimental way, his father was pouring cold, hard facts on top of him instead, which led Kang Jin-Ho to feel a little frustrated rather than enlightened.

Kang Yu-Hwan added something else, however. “Also, it's possible that your mood has something to do with it.”

“...Mm. I think that's it.”

“I mean, you don't have the palate to pick up on the subtle differences in coffee aromas, anyway.”

“...”

It sure was a lazy afternoon. The hour was already past lunch, yet the cafe didn't have many customers in it. As a matter of fact, the spacious interior seemed rather desolate.

The cafe would've felt totally deserted if it hadn't been for the soft, classy jazz music playing in the background.

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the cafe's interior. “Father, isn't it too quiet in here?”

“No. Too many customers will only make it harder for me.”

“Even so, wouldn't it be better to have some customers, at least?”

“Why? I'm not trying to make money here, son. As long as I break even, I'll be happy. Actually, there's been an influx of customers lately, so I had to shutter the shop for a few days.”

“I'm sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes in utter confusion.

Kang Yu-Hwan tilted his head. “What's wrong? Aren't I allowed to do that?”

“Father, uhm... Instead of doing that, why don't you just close the shop altogether?”

“Why should I?”

“Well, rather than wasting time on something that will lose money...”

“What do you mean, wasting time?! I'll have you know, I actually enjoy doing this work, son!” Kang Yu-Hwan firmly put his foot down. “Listen, okay? This is what life is like. Trying to obtain things we really want is always weirdly difficult, right?”

Kang Jin-Ho reflexively nodded. His neck muscles reacted faster than his brain. Which meant his heart agreed with his father's observation.

“It's the same story with money, son. Back when I was having a hard time making ends meet, everything seemed like an obstacle out to get me, but now... Now that I'm doing things that interest me, money just keeps rolling into my lap, you see? It's like heaven is playing a prank on me or something,” Kang Yu-Hwan frowned slightly in dissatisfaction, prompting Kang Jin-Ho to chuckle loudly. “Yes, yes. I know, son. I deserve a kick in the rear for saying this nonsense about how easy it is to make money. Plenty of folks in the world struggle to get by every day, after all. I better keep my mouth shut and be glad with the life I've got now.”

“Don't say that. You deserve this, Father. You've worked hard all your life, after all.”

“No, son. That's not true. Everyone is supposed to be in the same boat. So, don't call it hard work unless you want people to curse at you.” Kang Yu-Hwan cackled good-naturedly. Kang Jin-Ho could only smile wryly at that. But then Kang Yu-Hwan suddenly became serious. “Listen here, you dummy.”

“...I'm sorry?”

“Don't be like this, son. If you keep making a face of a man carrying all the weight of the world on his shoulders, even lady luck's gonna get scared of you.”

“Huh? Did I make a face like that?”

“Did you just ask me if you made a face like that?” Kang Yu-Hwan used his index fingers to push up the corners of his eyebrows. “You've been making this sort of face lately, son. A face that says, I am deathly worried about everything in this world. Or something similar to that.”

“...Really? That doesn't sound right.” Kang Jin-Ho frowned while rejecting his father's observation.

However, Kang Yu-Hwan didn't seem interested in humoring his son's delusions. “As long as you're alive, you will be worried about something, son. Indeed, everyone must deal with their own troubling affairs. However, you'll get stuck in the same spot if you let endless worries take over your life.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded at how serious his father sounded just then.

“It's important to remember that you gotta take that first step.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “First step...?”

“That's right. Take a step forward. Constantly worrying about how to deal with your troubles will get you nowhere. So, you should take a step, and then another step, toward something you can actually do. If you keep doing that, you will eventually reach your destination, no matter how long it might take.”

“...And while taking in the scenery as well? Father?”

“You got it,” Kang Yu-Hwan nodded while lightly drumming his finger on his coffee cup. “If we had driven here, would you have noticed the subtle difference in the aroma?”

“Of course,” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded.

“Eh?”

“I would've noticed it. My palate is impeccable, after all.” Kang Jin-Ho smirked triumphantly.

“...Son, you're ruining a perfectly good mood here.”

“Father, I've never been a fan of this kind of mood, to begin with.” Kang Jin-Ho picked up his cup and gulped his coffee down in one go. Then, he decisively got up and headed to the exit.

Kang Yu-Hwan tilted his head. “Where are you going, son?”

“I just remembered something I must do. Thank you for the coffee, Father. I'll see you later.”

“Sure, sure. You brat...” Kang Yu-Hwan gently smiled as his son left the cafe.

***

“Hmm...”

Kang Jin-Ho abruptly caught himself humming away unconsciously and wryly smiled to himself.

'I'm surprisingly simple-minded, aren't I?'

That had to be it since there was no other way to explain why he felt so reinvigorated from a few words of advice. Out of everything he heard, one piece of advice stuck in his mind. And that was... taking a step forward, one at a time.

Trying to fix everything in one go was bound to produce problems. Although Kang Jin-Ho would've loved to organize everything neatly and clear everything up, he lacked the requisite ability to do so.

His chief issue was his inability to discern which matter was more important than others. For instance, he couldn't decide which of the issues he had caused and had been building up required more of his attention.

So, he tried to deal with them in one go. And the combined pressure had been tormenting him for a while.

But now... He found a solution. Rather than worrying about which one was more important, Kang Jin-Ho should try to deal with the matters he could resolve right now, events that were figuratively right around the corner from him.

Now that he had settled on where to focus his attention, Kang Jin-Ho immediately thought of what needed to be done first.

Vrooooom...!

Kang Jin-Ho gently depressed the Lamborghini's accelerator. Even though he was driving at a fairly sedate pace, the supercar's twelve-cylinder engine still made a racket. However, the loud rumbling of an Italian thoroughbred sounded like a piece of soothing orchestral music to Kang Jin-Ho's ears right now.

“I guess that's the place...?” Kang Jin-Ho muttered while glancing at a hotel's imposing silhouette in the distance.

He expertly maneuvered the vehicle, slipped into the beautifully-polished road leading to the hotel's reception and eventually arrived at the building's impressive entrance.

Kang Jin-Ho followed the parking valet's instructions and stopped the Lamborghini at the designated spot. That was when the valet rushed toward the driver's side. “S-sir! Let me park the car for you.”

Kang Jin-Ho politely declined. “No need. I'm here to pick someone up.”

“Oh, I see...” The valet scanned the area, obviously a little flustered by this situation. However, how could he not, when a Lamborghini suddenly rocked up in the middle of the day? Sure, this hotel was famous for being luxurious and high-class, so expensive foreign cars were a common enough sight for the valet. Even so, a sleek crimson supercar would always be a rarity. “Dear customer, sir. Do you mind moving the car a little bit toward that area over there? This area is reserved for drivers on standby, you see..”N0vel_Biin hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

“Okay, got it.” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded, then got the Lamborghini moving again.

The parking valet sighed in relief. 'Whew... What a relief that I'm not dealing with an entitled psycho...'

Maybe it was the valet's preconceived notion at fault, but every single person driving a fancy car like that all fell under the hard-to-please category. Even though the demand of moving the car elsewhere to not obstruct other patrons was reasonable enough, folks like that would usually shout back venomously with, 'Who the hell do you think you are, telling me to go here or there?!'

'Huh. A good-natured gold spoon, eh? Now there's an unlikely combination of words...'

The parking valet couldn't completely hide his envy and jealousy from his expression as he glanced at the red supercar. Of course, he was mistaken about something. And that would be...

Kang Jin-Ho probably possessed the worst personality out of every person this valet had dealt with up until now.

After parking the Lamborghini, Kang Jin-Ho leaned against his seat. He glanced at the clock while thinking that 'they' should be here by now.

Sure enough...

The hotel's front door opened, and an older gentleman in a refined black dress suit emerged outside. His graying hair hinted at his age, but his broad shoulders and neatly trimmed beard also implied that this man was as debonair as a man could get. Behind him was a blonde woman in a more casual get-up.

Of course, they were Knight Wiggins and his daughter, Elena. The two of them discovered Kang Jin-Ho's car, and their expressions immediately grew a little flushed in excitement.

Kang Jin-Ho exited the car as the father-and-daughter duo approached him. Before he could greet them, though...

Knight Wiggins asked first. “Did you have a good night's rest, my lord?”

“...Lord?” Kang Jin-Ho nearly tripped on his feet.

Knight Wiggins smiled while noticing Kang Jin-Ho's stupefied face. “My lord, it's crucial to remember the correct hierarchy between us.”

“...If you don't mind, please just call me Jin-Ho.”

“Absolutely not, my lord!”

“N-no, listen to me...”

“My lord, honorifics are the simplest and surest way to prove one's relationships. I might still consciously remember our hierarchy, for the time being while referring to you by your name, but! Given enough time, I will gradually forget my place. To prevent such an event, it is absolutely necessary that I use the correct honorifics to denote our hierarchy. Regardless of what you say, I have no plans of changing how I address you, my lord.”

Kang Jin-Ho stared into the far-off distance in the heavens and sighed.

'Why does it feel like I've experienced something like this before in the past?'

Indeed, didn't people from Shaolin and Wudang act like this? Only the demon cult, with its members consisting of many inhuman bastards, skipped classes on honorifics and etiquette back then. At least the outer branches or Taoism-leaning sects with strong tendencies to set up various external branches, like Mount Hua Sect, could be talked to like sane-minded human beings.

However, in places far removed from the mundane world as much as possible, like Shaolin or Wudang, upholding ceremonies and etiquette was of such high importance that outsiders would feel suffocated merely by watching them go about their business! And that was what Kang Jin-Ho felt like right now.

'Hmm. If Wiggins shaves his head off, I think the picture will be complete...'

Kang Jin-Ho briefly imagined bald Wiggins kitted out in a kasaya, a Buddhist robe, before shaking his head. Either because of his prejudices or preconceived notions, he just couldn't picture a Westerner in Buddhist garb at all. Especially when it was no mere Buddhist robe but one from Shaolin, of all places!

Someone once said that Asians were mistaken about Westerners not being courteous, and this situation seemed to prove that point. At the very least, Kang Jin-Ho hadn't met any Korean who was as obsessed about etiquette as Knight Wiggins, that was for sure!

“Fine, fine. Let us clear that up at another time. For now, let's head to the Martial Assembly,” said Kang Jin-Ho while trying to sound as polite as possible.

“My lord, you don't have to mind your manners in front of me.”

“...As I said before, let's clear that up later.” Kang Jin-Ho could only smile awkwardly. He was way older than Wiggins if the years of all three of his lives were added together, so being casual shouldn't really matter at this stage. However, Kang Jin-Ho still didn't feel good about doing so. “Okay. Then...”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head and stared at Elena next. She was standing behind Wiggins, her face still slightly flushed.

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho scratched his head. “I was thinking of heading to the Assembly in my car, but... As you can see, it's only a two-seater. If I knew this might happen, I should've brought my other car.”

“Oh, no. My lord, we can't inconvenience you like that. Please don't worry about it. I'll fix this situation,” Knight Wiggins nodded while pondering something. Then he turned his head to look at his daughter. “Elena?”

“Yes, Dad?”

“You heard him, right?”

“I'm sorry?”

Knight Wiggins asked in a grave-sounding voice. “Do you wish to stay behind, then?”

“...”

“Or call for a taxi?”

“...Dad, I'll take my bike.”

“Mhm. Indeed, you are a smart child. Very good. As expected of my daughter.”

That was when a noticeable crack formed in the relationship between a father and his daughter and undid all the repairs it had undergone recently to bring the two of them closer.