Chapter 643. Dealt With (3)

One must never leave a source of future trouble unattended.

Kang Jin-Ho knew all about that lesson since his master used to tell him this all the time:

“Letting your compassion create future troubles is equivalent to setting a blade behind your back. You can probably defend yourself against one such blade. And I'm sure you can still defend against two, maybe three blades. However, what about when there are ten? A hundred? Over a thousand? Do you still think you can defend against them all?”

“If you strive to never create future troubles... The world will criticize you for it. And it'll undoubtedly produce those who wish to kill you. However, remember this! Rather than defending against hundreds of blades behind your back... Thousands of blades before your eyes are much easier to handle!”

That teaching had deeply ingrained itself into Kang Jin-Ho's psyche. Of course, that hadn't always been the case, especially at the beginning of his martial journey.

Kang Jin-Ho was a man from the modern era, so killing another human being proved difficult. So, he let his enemies go many times in the beginning. Even those who tried to kill him for no reason, he... stupidly let them go multiple times.

The result of his actions engraved itself deeply onto his back.

The mentality of the ancient Chinese people wasn't something Kang Jin-Ho could comprehend. The people back then didn't place importance on who was at fault or who was right. If someone harmed or angered them somehow, the other party would be considered an irreconcilable enemy from that moment on.

To them, seeking vengeance was not only an obvious course of action but wholly recommended, too! The people who packaged such a mindset as 'righteous'... That was the denizens of Zhongyuan in a nutshell. Various methods of retaliation, such as poisoning the drinking water of the enemies who stupidly didn't kill them, happened all too frequently in this land.

This one time, Kang Jin-Ho suppressed a martial artist who went around slaughtering powerless civilians. He let the killer go, but the bastard tried to sneak-attack him during the night when Kang Jin-Ho was asleep. Then, there was another time when Kang Jin-Ho defeated some fool who picked a fight with him first. A short while later, the defeated fool brought along a whole group of his chums and tried to kill Kang Jin-Ho.

After experiencing similar things to those two examples far too many times, Kang Jin-Ho had to admit that... His master was right.

Leaving a source of future trouble alone was no different than shaving away at one's own lifespan. At least, back in Zhongyuan, that was.

At first, Kang Jin-Ho found it difficult to kill another person.

After committing his first murder, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't eat or drink properly for the next seven days. He also couldn't get a wink of sleep. He had several close brushes with death due to his weakened body, so he eventually gritted his teeth and forcibly shoved food down his throat. He needed to survive, after all.

The second killing was a bit easier than the first. As for the third, and the fourth...

From the moment when he could no longer remember just how many he had killed, Kang Jin-Ho stopped feeling anything while slaughtering his opponents. He killed others as if he was doing nothing more than swatting annoying mosquitoes buzzing near his ear.

That was when Kang Jin-Ho also had an epiphany. He realized that going back to his past self was impossible. And that he was now a mere monster who possessed Kang Jin-Ho's memories. After acknowledging that fact... Things became much easier for him.

'Would I have... acted differently back then?'

The truth be told, Kang Jin-Ho had partly given up by then. After all, he never thought he'd ever return to the modern era. He believed that... Adapting to Zhongyuan's ways was the only path available in that situation.

So, he forced himself to become a denizen of Zhongyuan. To do so, however, the values and knowledge he learned in the modern era became a hindrance. With such a mindset, Kang Jin-Ho was the weirdo with two eyes in a world full of one-eyed people. That was why he chose to 'discard' himself.

What if Kang Jin-Ho knew he'd return to the modern era one day? Would he have valued human lives more back then? He would never find out.

In any case, Kang Jin-Ho never spared anyone considered his enemies after going through that mental metamorphosis. He killed so many and so readily that adding 'always' was not an exaggeration. And the story didn't change much in the modern era, either.

Sure, he had postponed the death of his enemies in order to inflict more pain, but never once did he intentionally let them go. So, how was he supposed to describe this feeling of releasing someone he really, truly wanted to kill...?

Actually, no. Kang Jin-Ho didn't have the mental leeway to worry about stuff like that right now.

Choi Yeon-Ha yelled at the top of her lungs. “Didn't I! Tell you! To! Come sooner?!”

“I'm sorry,” Kang Jin-Ho timidly murmured.

“When! A woman! Tries to be! So subtle! Like that!”

“I'm so sorry...”

Those two from earlier... No, not that slimy-looking actor bastard, but the somewhat ordinary-looking martial artist would be enough to come across as a grim reaper to most regular folks. He wouldn't even need one second to end a life if that was what he felt like, after all.

Yet, Kang Jin-Ho crushed such a man like a useless toy.

He was no different than a regular person during the initial days of his return to the modern era, albeit one with memories and mannerisms of a powerful being. When he first joined the martial world, Kang Jin-Ho was just another random martial artist, still far from calling himself a true expert.

But now, Kang Jin-Ho was undoubtedly an expert. A true powerhouse. Even so, this was... How should he put it...? N0vel_Biin hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Kang Jin-Ho had an epiphany. Martial prowess was extremely useful in so, so many things, even in the modern era... But it was also completely useless in some other things!

“Are you even listening!” Choi Yeon-Ha yelled again.

“Yes. I'm engraving it into my soul.”

“Hng!”

Cold sweat drops constantly trickled down Kang Jin-Ho's forehead.

'This can't be right...'

Shouldn't the usual result in a situation like this be a show of gratitude for being saved in the nick of time? So, why was he being nagged like this?

Something about this situation seemed quite unfair, but... Listening to Choi Yeon-Ha's ranting helped him see the light. Or something. Kang Jin-Ho wasn't sure, but it felt like he had done something wrong.

“How can a man be so indifferent! And aloof!”

“...”

It seemed Choi Yeon-Ha had decided today would be the day.

Although she had plenty of things to complain about Kang Jin-Ho every single day, saying those out loud was a bit... uncouth? A bit too embarrassing? The thing was, all the dissatisfaction Kang Jin-Ho inflicted on Choi Yeon-Ha was a bit too petty to bring up in a conversation, but not saying anything about them would only irritate her to no end!

And so, all the accumulated dissatisfaction in Choi Yeon-Ha seized this opportunity to erupt like a volcano.

“Since you're like that usually! You should've! Been quicker! When someone! Asks you a favor!”

“...But I tried my best.”

“Best?! Did you say best just now?”

“Y-yes...”

Magma began rumbling out of Choi Yeon-Ha's eyes next. “Have you ever phoned me first before?”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly tilted his head. “Mm? I'm sure I have...?”

“Not while you had business with me! As in, have you ever phoned me to ask me how I'm doing?!”

Kang Jin-Ho knew he could confidently answer this one. “No. Never.”

What a firm and decisive reply that was!

“Is phoning someone just once that difficult for you?!”

Kang Jin-Ho sneakily looked up at the suite's ceiling.

'I see now. My mother wasn't the strange one, then.'

He always thought nagging was his mother's specialty, but his assumption was proven wrong today. Without a doubt, all women under the heavens must've already hit max level in nagging! The only difference was whether they chose to utilize their ability or not!

“How can your indifference be this bad!”

“...”

“And you just have to be so uselessly handsome and get noticed by every random girl on the street, too!”

“What...?”

“Look at you! How could you come to another country in a tracksuit!? Are you some kind of an athlete! Are you here to attend the Olympics?!”

“...?”

Something about this nagging seemed to have gone off track a bit, but Kang Jin-Ho's gut feeling told him not to point that out. Otherwise, he'd have to endure thirty additional minutes of this treatment! While feeling like a seeker of truth standing under a torrential downpour, Kang Jin-Ho patiently endured Choi Yeon-Ha's incessant nagging.

“Seriously, I...!” Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly began coughing as if the lengthy ranting had dried her throat.

Kang Jin-Ho perked up. “Would you like some water?”

“Iced coffee!”

“One cup coming right up,” Kang Jin-Ho shot up to his feet after his senses told him the existence of a coffee maker at the far corner of the suite.

The only skill Kang Jin-Ho picked up after his father started a cafe was brewing a pretty good cup of coffee. Although brewing top-tier coffee with haphazardly-selected beans and a coffee maker designed for home use would be too challenging even for him, Kang Jin-Ho still could use this opening to escape the incessant nagging!

After successfully extricating himself from Choi Yeon-Ha's clutches, Kang Jin-Ho diligently ground the coffee beans, carefully placed the powder into the machine and gently, oh-so-gently depressed the 'on' button.

'Slowly. As slowly as possible...!'

Kang Jin-Ho usually felt like losing his mind while watching how lazily coffee droplets fell one by one inside the maker, but not today. Today, the damn droplets were falling far too fast for his liking!

In the end, everything depended on one's state of mind, didn't it!

“Stop meandering over there, and just grab a bottle of water from the fridge and come over here already!”

“Yes, ma'am...”

It seemed this sweet time of freedom was also not permitted. Kang Jin-Ho massaged the bridge of his nose as the corners of his eyes began stinging from the sweat of his heart.

He had half a mind to complain that he didn't come to China for this, but... If he hadn't come, something absolutely terrible would've happened to Choi Yeon-Ha. After reminding himself of that fact, Kang Jin-Ho felt another round of goosebumps breaking out on his skin.

Kang Jin-Ho took out a bottle of water from the fridge and headed back to where Choi Yeon-Ha was. He handed the bottle over, then settled down demurely on the floor just before the bed.

“Please sit here,” said Choi Yeon-Ha while patting a spot on the bed right next to her.

“Mm? I don't think that's a...”

“Please. Sit. Here.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't say anything else and quietly got up before taking a spot near the edge of the spacious bed.

Choi Yeon-Ha's lips twitched as if she wanted to say something. She would love to continue nagging, but the sight of Kang Jin-Ho sneakily sitting a bit far away from her while cautiously minding her moods reminded her of a wounded puppy. And that stopped her from saying other, more hurtful things.

'But... Now's the perfect time to seize the initiative, though...'

Choi Yeon-Ha knew something about romantic relationships despite her lack of experience in one. A relationship would, with an inevitable certainty, suffer the issue of who wore the proverbial pants between the partners.

A relationship where partners respected each other's feelings and considered their positions? What a wonderful idea that was, although it was uncommon to see such a relationship actually work out in reality.

In this relationship between Choi Yeon-Ha and Kang Jin-Ho, she seemed like the one holding the reins on the surface. However, that was not the case. In reality, everything was one-sidedly focused on Kang Jin-Ho. The reason for this imbalance was pretty straightforward: Choi Yeon-Ha was obsessed with Kang Jin-Ho, but he didn't reciprocate that feeling.

If Choi Yeon-Ha said 'Let's end things here and never meet again' to Kang Jin-Ho tomorrow, he'd shrug his shoulders and reply, 'Sure, why not?' and walk away.

She was only too aware of this. And that forced her to always mind Kang Jin-Ho's moods. She might nag and dump all her annoyance on him, but deep inside her heart? Choi Yeon-Ha was scared about Kang Jin-Ho losing his patience and walking away from her.

But now! She unintentionally found the perfect opportunity to one-sidedly hit him with as much nagging as she could muster. That was why she wanted to take the reins for a little while and balance the relationship dynamics a bit more, but...

'...What's the point of doing all that, though?'

Choi Yeon-Ha's mind began gaining clarity. Nagging like this wouldn't give her the reins of this relationship. Besides, it'd still not make Kang Jin-Ho obsess over her, anyway. No, it'd only sour each other's moods instead! Not only that, but... Shouldn't she be grateful to Kang Jin-Ho in this situation?

“...Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes?”

Choi Yeon-Ha deeply bowed her head toward him. “I'm sorry. I was just being childish.”

“Sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

Choi Yeon-Ha didn't stop there and continued to sincerely apologize. “I know I shouldn't get angry at you. And I shouldn't be irritated by this situation. Even if I get down on my knees and thank you repeatedly, it wouldn't be enough to express how grateful I am. Even then, I still acted like a baby because... I just wanted to whine to someone, I think. I wouldn't have lashed out like that if you were someone else, but... You know, there are times when you go like, 'I'm really hurt and sad right now, so don't argue and humor me even if I'm whining like a baby!' You know what I mean?”

“...?”

“...I guess not. Oh, well. You wouldn't, probably.” Choi Yeon-Ha gently chuckled when Kang Jin-Ho looked utterly confused by what she said. This reaction wasn't surprising, though, considering how strong Kang Jin-Ho was. Since he was hopelessly, unreasonably strong in so many ways!

“In any case, thank you. I got to rant to you, and that helped me calm down a lot. And thank you for saving me. I mean it. And sorry for always acting like a baby...”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned when Choi Yeon-Ha wiped the corners of her eyes. “I never thought you were being childish, Miss Yeon-Ha. I also never believed you were inconveniencing me. You are right about me being late and not paying enough attention.”

Choi Yeon-Ha didn't immediately respond and stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

In the meantime, he continued to speak in a forthright manner. “I might use my busy schedule as an excuse, but this situation means I can't use that to avoid taking responsibility. That's why you don't have to force yourself to say that.”

“Seriously, you...” Choi Yeon-Ha wiped the corners of her eyes again and smiled softly. “You are such an uncool guy. You know that?”

“...”

“In that case... I have a favor to ask you. Do you mind humoring me for a bit?”

“No, of course not. Go ahead.”

“Please sleep here tonight.”

Kang Jin-Ho's entire body, including his expression, froze stiff on the bed. As if time itself had stopped moving. “...I'm sorry?”

“Stay here with me tonight.”

The end of Choi Yeon-Ha's sentence triggered a waterfall of sweat on Kang Jin-Ho's spine.