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Chapter 297: Snatching Away (2)

"...This isn\'t a job fit for a human, now is it?"

The deeply-frowning Jo Gyu-Min stared at his silent phone, then mouthed another cigarette. The interior of his car was filled with so much cigarette smoke that passersby could mistakenly think that a fire had broken out inside.

Jo Gyu-Min rolled the window down a little to let the fresh air in, then alternated his anxious gaze between his phone\'s screen and outside the car.

“Couldn\'t he at least let me know if he was going to start it tonight?”

Of course, even Jo Gyu-Min understood that nothing would change even if he knew about it. Even so, he thought there was a major difference between doing something together and not even telling him about it.

Didn\'t Jo Gyu-Min go through all that hullabaloo earlier to get included? But for Kang Jin-Ho to leave him out and get the ball rolling like this! How was that fair?

“What\'s the point of complaining, though?”

Considering Kang Jin-Ho\'s easygoing nature, whining about this to him would ultimately be meaningless. Kang Jin-Ho would probably apologize with something like, \'I\'ll be more mindful next time,\' then repeat the same thing again by leaving Jo Gyu-Min out.

That was what Kang Jin-Ho was like, after all! In that case, if Jo Gyu-Min was serious about earning his paycheck, then he shouldn\'t passively wait but actively monitor Kang Jin-Ho and think about how he would act. What a bizarre and scary thing it was, though; a subordinate actually had to keep his eyes on his superior just to do his job!

Jo Gyu-Min took a sip of his already-lukewarm cup of Americano, then frowned while staring at the distant building.

\'...So, that building is teeming with people like them, huh?\'

What a surprising thing it was if one thought about it. Martial artists were openly strutting around, yet so few people knew about it. How strange was that?

This was no different from people failing to notice extraterrestrial beings taking a stroll right next to them. No, maybe it was worse than that. It would be more like those ETs had constructed an apartment block and started living inside of it.

\'Maybe... It\'s not the case of no one noticing it.\'

It would be difficult to argue that the martial artists had successfully maintained their secrecy when the overall situation was like this. More than likely, those with power in the... \'mundane\' society was already aware of the martial artists\' existence.

\'Right, even Chairman Hwang seemed like he knew something was up, didn\'t he?\'

Jo Gyu-Min\'s thoughts deepened. Just how far did these people\'s influence extend? If each martial artist possessed strength rivaling Kang Jin-Ho, it wouldn\'t be shocking to learn that they had been controlling this country all along. However, the world wouldn\'t be in its current state—in a good or bad way—if people like Kang Jin-Ho were everywhere.

“...Now isn\'t the time to think about this.”

Jo Gyu-Min would learn about the outcome soon enough if he just waited for a while anyway. He lowered the seat back a little, then mouthed another cigarette. He had no choice if he wanted to chase away the drowsiness threatening to take over him.

"To think I\'d be on night watch duty at my age..." Jo Gyu-Min groaned, then glanced at the distant building again. "Please quickly wrap things up so we can go home..."

It seemed Jo Gyu-Min wasn\'t worried in the least for Kang Jin-Ho\'s safety.

***

Watching a person\'s head tumble around on the floor had never been a pleasant thing to behold. Especially when that severed head belonged to a person one was talking to only a few moments ago.

Lee Jung-Geol felt inconsolable sorrow fill up his heart, even though the situation could be boiled down to something as simple as Takahira Shingo\'s height abruptly changing against his will...

\'It\'s over...\'

Lee Jung-Geol\'s sorrow stemmed from the instinctive realization that everything was over for him. Even though he had dedicated his entire life to the Korean Martial Assembly, nothing remained between him and Kang Jin-Ho now.

"So, is there anything else?" Kang Jin-Ho, seemingly not caring about Lee Jung-Geol\'s sentiments as he addressed the old man directly. "If you have anything else, bring them out. I\'ll get rid of all your regrets and attachments."

Lee Jung-Geol replied, his voice hoarse from the hollowness of his defeat, “No, I have nothing left. Nothing...”

His voice also contained deep-seated scorn for himself.

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Lee Jung-Geol for a while before turning his head. “Hey. Come inside.”

"...Cough." The sound of fake coughing could be heard from outside the doorway before Bang Jin-Hun wordlessly stepped inside the room.

Lee Jung-Geol\'s eyes gradually regained their light after he noticed Bang Jin-Hun\'s presence. Despite the hollowness and grief of losing everything consuming him, it seemed Lee Jung-Geol\'s hatred of Bang Jin-Hun hadn\'t died down yet. "You... You bastard...!"

Lee Jung-Geol started trembling in anger. Weirdly, he didn\'t feel enraged at Kang Jin-Ho. From Lee Jung-Geol\'s perspective, Kang Jin-Ho was like a natural disaster, and no one in their right mind would get angry at a passing storm.

However, it wasn\'t the same story for Bang Jin-Hun. To Lee Jung-Geol, Bang Jin-Hun was an ungrateful bastard who wanted to snatch away the Assembly Master position even after receiving all sorts of help from the Assembly itself. The Assembly that—Lee Jung-Geol had established and developed through his blood and sweat!

“It has been a while, sir.” Bang Jin-Hun bowed slightly as his greeting.

"You dare to show your face before me?!" Lee Jung-Geol roared.

"Of course, I would," Bang Jin-Hun shrugged his shoulders. "It\'s only correct and proper that I\'m here to send you off on your final journey, sir. No matter how we arrived at this situation, I have received enough favors from you over the years, after all."

“Look how slick your tongue still is! Did you slather it in slimy oil, Bang Jin-Hun?!”

“Sounds like you want to buy me fried chicken or something, sir,” Bang Jin-Hun casually chuckled.

He could clearly see Lee Jung-Geol failing to suppress his rage. Although it might be fun to throw in a few more jabs and watch the old man\'s blood pressure go through the roof, Bang Jin-Hun had never been the type to enjoy humiliating the defeated. "...Sir, tell me. Do you think I\'m in the wrong?"

“...Hmph!”

"Do you honestly think I\'ve gone overboard, sir?" Bang Jin-Hun spoke in a somber tone. "Sir, I\'ve warned you. So, so many times at that. I\'ve told you that continuing with your way is wrong, sir. If you can be bothered to remember, you should realize that I\'m not the type to get motivated by the desire for power or ambition. Can\'t you remember that I\'ve warned you many times in the past?"

“...!” Lee Jung-Geol clamped his mouth shut, unable to say anything.

Bang Jin-Hun was right. Didn\'t he warn Lee Jung-Geol and the Assembly multiple times during the last conference? He said they should not continue down this path anymore. And the one who ignored all that warning was none other than Lee Jung-Geol. So what right did he have to whine about this result?

"Sir, how many years has it been since I started warning you about the suspicious activities of the Yeongnam Group? I\'ve told you many times that we need to snip the bud before it grows too big. I also warned you about the suspicious activities in both China and Japan, didn\'t I? I\'ve advised you multiple times about quickly dealing with the Yeongnam Group and then uniting the Korean martial arts society under one banner to counter the external threat, haven\'t I?!" Bang Jin-Hun\'s voice grew louder and more passionate as he spoke until it became a shout toward the end. He spoke so loud that the room started rumbling with the echo. "All those warnings, and you still ignored them all! You pushed yourself into this wretched conclusion, so stop treating me like the traitor here, sir!"

Bang Jin-Hun powerfully stomped on the floor. The loud bang sounded intimidating.

“The Korean Martial Assembly isn\'t the Assembly Master\'s plaything, sir! No, it belongs to every member of the Assembly! Your complacent judgment has put every member of the Assembly in danger, yet why are you the only one who can\'t see it? Even though I\'ve warned you of the looming danger multiple times!”

"I, I...!" Lee Jung-Geol tried to make an excuse for himself, but—

Kang Jin-Ho interrupted first. “That\'s enough.”

Lee Jung-Geol and Bang Jin-Hun instantly directed their gazes at Kang Jin-Ho next.

“I was in a dilemma for some time,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

What was he trying to say this time? Both Bang Jin-Hun and Lee Jung-Geol held their breaths and waited nervously for Kang Jin-Ho\'s next words.

“My dilemma was about whether it was right or wrong to change the Assembly Master.”

“W-what are you...” Bang Jin-Hun\'s voice trembled a little.

"I\'m an outsider. I don\'t care as long as the Assembly can offer me its assistance under one united leadership. And that\'s where my dilemma comes in. I won\'t lose sleep over using this kind of method to change the leader. Even so, is it okay for me to interfere in the business of the Assembly when I\'m just an outsider?" Kang Jin-Ho stared straight at Lee Jung-Geol next. "Lee Jung-Geol."

“...Yes, I\'m listening.”

"If you hadn\'t resorted to this kind of method, I might have... just might have, given you a second chance."

“...”

"However, you brought the Japanese ninjas here yourself. What would have happened next if they had been successful in stopping me? What would remain after that? In the end, what would you have left after stubbornly holding on to your position, even though you\'ve already handed the Assembly over to the Japanese on a silver platter?"

“I, I was merely...!” Lee Jung-Geol\'s eyes quaked powerfully as his expression crumpled. He started shouting, “T-then, are you telling me to hand over the Assembly that I\'ve built up with my own blood and sweat to someone else?! Not even you can do that!”

Kang Jin-Ho didn\'t respond and simply observed Lee Jung-Geol\'s reddened face. What would this old man say if he learned about how Kang Jin-Ho wanted to release the Records of Asura to the rest of Zhongyuan only to get killed by the combined assault of the peak-level experts?

\'So, he can\'t let it go...\'

Humans didn\'t want to let go of things they were desperately holding on to. If \'something\' fell into their lap, humans tended to grab it first and see what was what later. If they realized that \'something\' was worth a great deal, they would never let it go.

...Even if they had to let it go first to truly possess that \'something.\'

Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. As it turned out, he didn\'t need to reach out to Lee Jung-Geol. He had already stopped looking at this old man as a fellow human being. Kang Jin-Ho said in a low voice, "The Assembly will now be in Bang Jin-Hun\'s hands."

“Now, listen here!”

"Shh!" Kang Jin-Ho placed his index finger over his lips to silence Lee Jung-Geol. "I didn\'t give you permission to speak."

“...!”

“The Assembly will be Bang Jin-Hun\'s. You\'re too old for this job.”

“Is being old so wrong?!” Lee Jung-Geol fitfully asked.

"Yes, it is…" Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. "To clarify, your body getting old isn\'t a sin. Your sin is your aged mind. Still, the aging mind itself isn\'t a sin. However..."

Kang Jin-Ho\'s glare grew a little sharper, a little colder. "Despite knowing your mind has aged, and you\'ve started harming others because of it, pretending that nothing is wrong out of your selfish greed—that is your sin."

Lee Jung-Geol\'s expression suddenly paled, and his body started trembling powerfully as if he were being electrocuted. “B-but, I... I was merely...”

Unfortunately for him, Kang Jin-Ho was in no mood to humor his excuses. “I won\'t kill you since I don\'t see a reason for it. However, I\'ll pay you a visit again if you haven\'t sorted out your retirement by tomorrow. And if you are confident about stopping me, then well... Do whatever you want.”

Lee Jung-Geol could only chuckle hollowly at that threat. Confident about stopping Kang Jin-Ho? Obviously, he could never be.

“Make your decision,” said Kang Jin-Ho while sheathing both Crimson Destiny and Azuremourne. Afterward, without saying anything else, he turned around and walked through the exit.

Bang Jin-Hun\'s eyes burned even brighter as he watched Kang Jin-Ho coolly walk away after finishing his job.

\'That looks pretty cool...\'

Perhaps that was what Bang Jin-Hun had been ardently wishing for all these years—to look as cool as Kang Jin-Ho. However, at his age, acting like that was a bit cringey, so he couldn\'t bring himself to do that, either.

\'Is it because Kang Jin-Ho is handsome?\'

Why did this whole walking away thing look so cool when done by Kang Jin-Ho, but looked like a joke when done by Bang Jin-Hun? For a moment there, Bang Jin-Hun felt that something was quite unfair about this.

“Huh. Huhuhuh...” Lee Jung-Geol\'s hollow chuckle managed to drag Bang Jin-Hun back to reality. “Huhuhuhuh...”

Only a few moments had passed them by, but Lee Jung-Geol already resembled a deflated balloon. Even Bang Jin-Hun could tell that Lee Jung-Geol had lost all of his desires and motivations.

"...Assembly Master, sir," said Bang Jin-Hun. He suddenly felt a strong urge to remain appropriately courteous toward this weakened old man before his eyes until the end. "Sir, please let me take over the Assembly Master position."

“...”

"It should be done as a proper handover, sir. Calling it extortion or snatching away will make it sound rather—dreary, wouldn\'t you agree?"

“A proper handover, is it?” Lee Jung-Geol slowly nodded away. “Sure. Take it. Take everything...”

Lee Jung-Geol\'s voice lacked any semblance of energy or strength.

“If you need to take it, you should, fella. If you want my life, then take it, too...”

This was the moment when a once-brilliant martial artist who had once dominated South Korea lost his previous splendor. Bang Jin-Hun gnashed his teeth at this sight.

They had been fierce enemies until now, but Bang Jin-Hun had never wanted to see the Assembly Master in such a sorry sight. Putting aside Bang Jin-Hun\'s cause, for now, wasn\'t Lee Jung-Geol a worthy opponent until now? In that case, he deserved a worthy end fitting his station.

“Sir, what are you so sorrowful about?”

“...What is it that you want to say to me, Bang Jin-Hun?”

Bang Jin-Hun sighed bitterly. “Sir, do you really think this is an end of an era? That everything is over now?”

Lee Jung-Geol was puzzled by that question.

1. You cook fried chicken in oil, so I guess that’s the reference?