Chapter 1459: Testing (4) |
Kang Jin-Ho cautiously replied, “That policeman might die if I do that.”
Choi Yeon-Ha replied seriously. “Yes, I know.”
“I’m… sorry?”
“Why? Is there something wrong with what I said?”
“N-no, it’s…”
Kang Jin-Ho stared dazedly at Choi Yeon-Ha while his brain searched for something appropriate to say.
Ah, so she knew what she was saying. I thought she had no idea!
He quickly sobered up.
“But, mm, killing another person is a bit…”
Kang Jin-Ho never once saw himself as a good person. How could he, when he killed people on a whim? It didn’t matter who was brought before him, he’d still be worse “human” than they were.
But now, this… Well…!
I’m completely flabbergasted.
In a certain sense, maybe Choi Yeon-Ha had surpassed Kang Jin-Ho in terms of their humanity?
“Fine. Let’s do what Mister Chief here is saying. The one who pissed me off the most wasn’t the as*hole cop, anyway. More importantly, though…!” Choi Yeon-Ha sharpened her glare, her eyes burning brightly. “Ask him about that bloody taxi driver. What’s gonna happen to him? Because I will never let that bastard off the hook!”
Kang Jin-Ho conveyed what she said, prompting McCain to wipe away streams of sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief. “For now, he’s been arrested under suspicion of sexual harassment. His taxi operator’s license will be revoked, of course. And he’ll receive the adequate punishment according to the law.”
Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply. “That’s all?”
“That is as far as we can go as law enforcement officials, sir. However, I have a suggestion, if you’re interested…”
Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes while studying McCain’s face. A suggestion, was it?
“You should just sue the driver, sir. Get yourselves a good lawyer, then make that bastard pay through his nose. That will ruin him financially, and all the money he makes in the future will keep getting confiscated until he has finished paying off the debt to you.”
Kang Jin-Ho cocked his head to the side. “Something like that is doable?”
“Yes, sir. America is the land of litigation, after all. More often than not, a civil judgment can be more terrifying than actual prison time. In my honest opinion, such a recourse is a better fit for this situation.”
Spencer, who had been diligently listening to this conversation, suddenly chimed in. “Assembly Master? If you allow us, we’ll provide the lawyers for you. In fact, we’ll prepare some of the best this state’s legal system has ever seen. And we’ll foot the bill for the lawsuit, as well. That goes without saying. Let us handle it, and you won’t even have to lift a finger.”
“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded, a hint of interest now visible on his face.
Although this kind of resolution wasn’t his style, result-wise, it didn’t seem so bad. Of course, that wasn’t for him to decide, and that was the problem here.
After listening to Han Eun-Sol’s translation, Choi Yeon-Ha pouted deeply. “Really now? That doesn’t sound like it’s gonna hurt the bastard right away, though? Can’t we, just, beat the living sh*t out of him right now?”
Kang Jin-Ho barely managed to keep his stutter in check while replying to her. “Miss Yeon-Ha, trying to solve your issues through violence is not always the right answer.”
That was when the jaws of Lee Hyeon-Su and Wiggins fell to the floor.
Holy sh*t! To think the Assembly Master would willingly say that to someone!
How?! How did she make my lord say that with a straight face? Inconceivable!
Once upon a time, Lee Hyeon-Su wondered why Kang Jin-Ho hadn’t attempted to teach Choi Yeon-Ha some form of martial arts. After all, wasn’t she already deeply involved in the martial world now?
It was obvious at this point that she was serious about staying by Kang Jin-Ho’s side. But that meant it’d no longer be possible for her to insist that she was not a part of this world, despite her status as a non-martial artist.
But today, Lee Hyeon-Su figured out the reason.
Yup, that lady must neeever learn martial arts!
Imagine what might happen if Choi Yeon-Ha became a full-fledged martial artist! Lee Hyeon-Su got nasty goosebumps running down his spine. He’d undoubtedly go completely bald from stress while trying to clean up all the mess she had created!
Was this the case of the two of them being soulmates? Or was it more like the… wife following her husband’s example? Whatever the case might be, Lee Hyeon-Su could definitely say it was not a positive thing!
Choi Yeon-Ha frowned. “So, taking the bastard to a court, you say…?”
Spencer nodded and replied. “Yes, ma’am.”[1]
“Hmm…?”
Choi Yeon-Ha tapped on her cheek while thinking. Everyone in the room could tell that she was thinking about what might happen if she launched a civil suit against the taxi driver.
“…Hmm. Do you guarantee that we’ll thoroughly destroy that bastard?”
“Yes, ma’am. His destruction will be even more thorough and despair-inducing than you can imagine. That I guarantee you.”
“I see. Then, sure. I’ll have to settle for that, then. Too bad I won’t get to see it for myself, though.”
“Thank you for your gracious understanding,” said Spencer, while bowing ninety degrees at Choi Yeon-Ha.
Goddamn it, what kind of bullsh*t situation is this?!
His back was soaked in cold sweat, and his shirt was clinging to his skin right now. All the hard work he and his men had put in almost went down the drain just because of one random taxi driver who couldn’t keep his junk in his pants!
Just thinking about it made him lightheaded again.
Also, these stinking cops…!
The cop arriving at the scene also almost messed everything up. Both of them were equally guilty in Spencer’s book!
Chief McCain noticed the murderous expressions on Spencer and Reese’s faces and sighed deeply. It seemed his department needed to step up the intensity of the training of its officers now.
Even McCain used to worry about an incident like this happening under his watch one day. But to think the scale of said incident would be this huge!Still, he somehow put out the fires threatening to burn everything down, so…
“Mister Chief.”
McCain snapped out of his thoughts when Kang Jin-Ho addressed him coldly. He realized Kang Jin-Ho’s glare locking on him was even icier than his voice. So much so that his body almost instantly froze up on the spot!
This young man, just… Just how powerful of a person is he?
McCain had run into many people in his career so far, but he could swear on his life that none of them were capable of freezing him up like this with just a glare.
Of course, this wasn’t because of Kang Jin-Ho’s political or social power, but all thanks to his martial prowess, but McCain had no way of knowing that.
“Mister Chief. I’ll ask for a periodic update on this matter. So I hope you will handle it to the best of your abilities.”
“O-of course, sir,” said McCain stiffly.
“However…” Kang Jin-Ho muttered coldly. “Your focus should not be on getting out of this situation in one piece. If I find out that this matter has not been resolved as you’ve promised us… I will personally come back to this city. And when I do, the end result won’t be this peaceful.”
Spencer hurriedly wiped his own cold sweat off his forehead. Of course things wouldn’t end peacefully if that happened! For one, everyone in this room, except for the Assembly people of course, would lose their jobs, after all!
Kang Jin-Ho wouldn’t have to exact vengeance personally, either. Spencer’s higher-ups had already received reports of this incident, after all, and they must be busy racking their brains on how to make an example out of them even now!
Even a casual expression of dissatisfaction from Kang Jin-Ho would lead to all three American men in this room losing their jobs. No, wait. That number should be closer to a hundred instead!
McCain stood stiffly and replied, “That won’t happen, sir! I swear!”
“Got it,” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “Then, have a good day, Chief.”
“Yes, sir. Farewell!”
McCain turned around and exchanged gazes with Spencer. After receiving the undersecretary’s brief nod, the Chief of LAPD hurriedly escaped from the suite.
Thud!
Once the suite’s door closed behind him, McCain leaned against the hotel’s corridor and panted heavily away.
What the f*ck just happened?
Even though the situation had been brought under control, he… He still couldn’t understand what happened. Who was he talking to just now? And what situation did he even supposedly bring under control, anyway?
He might not have any answers to these questions, but one thing still seemed certain in his mind.
“Nick, you son of a…!”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was responsible for putting McCain through this nonsense. He gritted his teeth loudly while rushing down the corridor.
Officially, all he could do was fire the damn cop, but personally? Now that was a different story. Unless McCain choked the life out of the little bastard with his own two hands, his anger would continue to eat him up alive!
He yanked out his phone and dialed a number. Once the other side answered, he roared at the top of his lungs. “Get the car ready! And that f*cking piece of sh*t, Nick?! Find him! And make him wait for me in the station commander’s office! I’m on my way right now!”
McCain ended the call without waiting for the other side’s reply, his finger angrily stabbing the elevator button several times.
***
Once the roaring from the corridor disappeared, the people in the suite turned their heads away from the door and stared at each other instead.
Spencer grinned awkwardly at Kang Jin-Ho. “It, uh, seems the chief was furious about something.”
“Hmm.” Kang Jin-Ho leaned against the couch. “I thought America was a first-world country, so it’s surprising to see events like this happening in this place.”
“It’s the quirk of having such a diverse population, Assembly Master. With so many people, various incidents are bound to occur eventually. All this is a part of our country, but… Please, don’t judge America based on this incident alone.”
Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.
That was a reasonable request, wasn’t it? After all, countless incidents of varying severity were also happening in South Korea even as they sat here. Koreans would be deeply aggrieved, nay, outraged, if those incidents shaped how the world perceived their country.
Spencer addressed Choi Yeon-Ha next. “If you informed us of your itinerary, we could have prepared a secure mode of transport for you. However, it was still our fault for not making adequate preparations ahead of time. Please accept our sincerest apologies, Miss Choi.”
“No, it’s fine.” Choi Yeon-Ha shook her head. “What happened was unfortunate, sure. But it wasn’t your fault, okay? Besides, if you’re not lucky, you’re gonna step on a pile of dogsh*t sooner or later, anyway.”
Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow a little. “Miss Yeon-Ha, your language is a bit…”
“What’s wrong? Is there a better description for this incident than dogsh*t?”
“…No, you’re right.”
Kang Jin-Ho quickly clamped his mouth shut.
While observing the two people’s conversation, Reese mentally added a new piece of information to the list of things he knew about Kang Jin-Ho.
He’s… surprisingly weak against Choi Yeon-Ha. Even more than we expected.
Reese couldn’t remember seeing Kang Jin-Ho falter or stutter so meekly until today. What a bizarre revelation this was, considering that man was called East Asia’s Demon King!
There were three other Kings in Asia, all of them stupendous existences defying common sense. To be called a “King” in such a region, mastering demonic cultivation to its absolute zenith wouldn’t be enough. No, one would have to boast a certain particular personality on top of that, too. For instance…
According to the information the Americans had gathered so far, the number of people Kang Jin-Ho had killed easily exceeded one thousand. So, the sight of such a bloodthirsty mass murderer getting nagged on by a woman, someone whom he could squash to death with one finger, made Reese feel very weird right now.
This is strange. Reports said Kang Jin-Ho didn’t seem too interested in the opposite sex, didn’t they?
The American intelligence agencies had been researching various ways to build a “friendly” relationship with Kang Jin-Ho for a while now. Unsurprisingly, one of the methods they had considered was the famous honey trap.
But the conclusion of all those researches had been consistent so far; that Kang Jin-Ho wouldn’t fall for such a tactic. Because the information clearly said that Choi Yeon-Ha was the only woman he even bothered to get in touch with in the past few years.
So why was he so…
Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the two remaining Americans in the room. “Do you still have something to say?”
“Oh, uh…” Spencer smiled awkwardly. “I was thinking of discussing that matter, the one we talked about yesterday, but with what happened today… Do you mind if we delay it for the time being? I’d hold it off until tomorrow morning if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure, why not.”
“Thank you. Then, good day to you all.”
Spencer bowed deeply. He was itching to get out of this room as quickly as possible, even though Kang Jin-Ho had calmed down somewhat now.
That was because this meeting had taught Spencer that East Asia’s Demon King could kill him merely with his aura alone!
“I’ll speak to you again tomorrow morning,” said Spencer.
Once Kang Jin-Ho gave his permission with a silent, brief nod, Spencer exited the suite in Reese’s company.
After cautiously closing the door behind him, Spencer loudly gritted his teeth. “God-f*cking-dammit! Why did this have to happen?!”
Reese sighed deeply. “We dodged a bullet just now, sir.”
“No! It’s already too late!” Spencer growled angrily. “Don’t you get it? We’ve lost whatever initiative we had in this negotiation! We were basically grovelling toward them already, yet now… Now, we can’t even look them in the eye anymore! Goddamn LAPD bastards! I’m going to destroy you all! I swear! Let’s start with that goddamn chief first. Get him fired, immediately!”
Reese was taken aback. “Sir? But I thought this incident was resolved now?”
“Say what? What’s resolved?!” Spencer gritted his teeth even more loudly. “You want me to forgive some bastards for barely fixing this situation? When they carelessly provoked a VIP and almost caused irreparable harm to our national interests?! Don’t make me laugh! Someone must take the fall for this crap, okay? Why? Are you volunteering, Colonel?”
“N-no, sir!”
Spencer’s expression crumpled hideously. “Dammit all to hell! How am I supposed to report this situation to the higher-ups now? I better pray that I still have a job by tomorrow. Dammit!”
He turned around and stormed down the corridor, each of his steps carrying the weight of his fury.
Just because of a woman…!
His teeth continued to clench and grind. He almost keeled over from the worst heartburn he had ever experienced, all because of one woman!
When he realized this must be the first time since the founding of this great nation that its officials were forced to handle such an absurd incident… His anger gradually cooled down and got replaced with flabbergast instead.
“Dammit… Colonel, increase their security detail. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Don’t just say yes and make sure, goddamn it! Just one stupid taxi driver was enough to get us into this mess, okay? Imagine what might have happened if that taxi driver had roughed Choi Yeon-Ha up or did something much worse!”
“…”
Reese quickly thought about what would have happened, then weightily nodded. “Understood. I will personally oversee their protection detail.”
“Goddamn it…!”
Spencer roughly kicked the elevator door.
1. Just like in the previous chapter, the raw does not make it clear if Spencer is speaking to Choi Yeon-Ha through an interpreter—in this case Han Eun-Sol or Kang Jin-Ho. TLed as is. ☜