Chapter 1478: Going Home (3) |
“What is this?”
Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes powerfully quaked at the sight of a humongous magic circle right before her eyes.
This can’t be a hidden camera skit, right?
Logically speaking, this had to be some kind of prank. But also logically speaking, this couldn’t be a prank at all!
Logically, traveling to South Korea with this… this bizarre engraving on the floor made no sense whatsoever. However, would a bunch of grown-up men, led by someone who looked like a high-ranking American military official, go along with this childish prank?
Since that seemed very unlikely, they really must be thinking of going back to Korea using this weird thing, but…
Choi Yeon-Ha sneakily glanced at Han Eun-Sol.
Will this be fine?
She couldn’t tell what might happen next, but whatever it was, it must be something extraordinary. Something beyond her common sense! The thing was, though…
“It’ll be fine,” said Kang Jin-Ho as if he had read Choi Yeon-Ha’s mind. He didn’t sound worried at all. “He became a member of the Assembly’s family when he joined MK, after all. Of course, that doesn’t apply to other contract-based talents.”
Choi Yeon-Ha nodded. “Oh…”
“Or are you unsure about trusting Mister Eun-Sol?”
“No, of course not. I trust him totally. You can, too.”
To Choi Yeon-Ha, Han Eun-Sol was basically like a blood-related little brother at this point.
“Besides, Eun-Sol and I will be using this thing frequently from now on, anyway. Whatever this is.”
“I see. You’re right,” said Kang Jin-Ho.
Choi Yeon-Ha sighed under her breath. It felt like she was dragging an unrelated party into something dangerous.
She had already prepared herself for the… abnormal seeping into her life ever since learning about Kang Jin-Ho’s true identity. But Han Eun-Sol was never given a chance to resolve himself. Asking him to do that now would be unfair, no?
Just as Choi Yeon-Ha began wondering about what she should say, Han Eun-Sol stared back at her weirdly and broke the silence first. “By the way, noona?”
“Y-yeah?”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too late to hesitate now?”
“…”
“I’m not deaf or blind, you know? I’ve already seen plenty of weird stuff by now.”
Han Eun-Sol was right. Unless he was a complete moron with no awareness of his surroundings, he must’ve noticed something was weird around Kang Jin-Ho. They had gone through far too many things in China and South Korea, after all!
“I’m not dumb. I can tell there are some weird stuff going on here, okay? Don’t worry about me and continue with what you’ve been doing. I’ve already finished making my mind up about never quitting MK, anyway.”
“…Thanks, Eun-Sol.”
“Don’t mention it, noona.”
Kang Jin-Ho chuckled while listening to this conversation.
He wasn’t paying lip service just now about acknowledging Han Eun-Sol as a member of the Martial Assembly. After all, he’d be working for MK for probably decades from now on. Since that was the case, keeping secrets from him would eventually become impossible.
Kang Jin-Ho nodded slightly at Han Eun-Sol. “We’ll be in your care, Chief Han.”
“Aigoo… Don’t say that, Chairman! I’m already beyond pleased with sky-high salary and awe-inspiring employee benefits, you know? But I was wondering if you could help me with this one tiny problem I have. You see, I’ve been looking after one talent for far too long, so will it be fine if I start working with a different talent instead?”
“You can look after two talents simultaneously, but swapping out your talent is out of the question.”
Han Eun-Sol theatrically sighed. “I see, I see. That’s too bad.”
Choi Yeon-Ha glared angrily at the two men. “You two, wanna die today?”
“…”
“…”
Although Kang Jin-Ho felt a little aggrieved by that glare, he wisely chose not to push his luck anymore. A murderous glare piercing holes in his back as he and his group returned to Korea was not what he wanted, after all!
“Is everyone ready? If so, let us proceed,” said Wiggins. He entered the magic circle first and turned around to look back at the people outside.
Kang Jin-Ho nudged Choi Yeon-Ha forward from behind while heading toward the magic circle. She walked stiffly as if her legs were made of logs.
Kang Jin-Ho grinned gently at her. “It’ll be fine.”
“N-no, it’s not that I’m scared, but… How should I explain this?”
Was it appropriate to say her body was instinctively rejecting whatever this was? That was the most suitable description Choi Yeon-Ha could think of right now.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon.”
Choi Yeon-Ha curiously asked Kang Jin-Ho. “Really? Have you gotten used to it, though?”
“Nope.”
“What? You lying son o…”
Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly clamped her mouth shut. She shouldn’t call Kang Jin-Ho with names when his subordinates were around. Actually, she shouldn’t call him names, period!
Han Eun-Sol and Lee Hyeon-Su were the last people to enter the magic circle. Others remained behind.
Kang Jin-Ho glanced at them and asked, “What about them?”
Wiggins replied, “They’ll return after wrapping up things here, my lord. You don’t have to worry about them since they can use the gate by themselves. Then… Shall we?”
“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.
“Well, then. Please excuse me.” Wiggins grinned subtly, then began his chanting.
Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes powerfully quaked as she silently watched the chanting process.
Am I inside a movie? Is that it?
Maybe because she had been making movies all this time? It seemed her life was finally imitating her art. Her weirded-out feeling reached its zenith when the magic circle below her feet began glowing brightly as if to respond to Wiggins’ chanting.
I don’t think the light’s coming from LED strips, so… Nope. I don’t know anymore.
Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am. This is nothing to me, you know? I’m someone who’s crazy enough to date a hundred-year-old grandpa, anyway.”
Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly clutched at his solar plexus. That unwarranted verbal jab had surpassed the level of a gut punch and reached the realm of an artillery shell.
While Kang Jin-Ho was moaning in pain, Wiggins finished his chanting. He whispered, “Let’s go,” to his passengers.
With that, the figures of the people inside the magic circle were enveloped in bright light… before vanishing without a trace.
Spencer muttered quietly. “So… Are they gone?”
Reese nodded. “Yes, sir. It looks that way.”
The expressions of these two men, as they watched the proceedings from some distance away, could only be described as unreadable.
“That felt like ages, didn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. Duration-wise, our guests haven’t been in our country for long, but it still felt like they have been here for a whole year.”
Spencer tutted. “Only one? It felt like ten years to me.”
The two men groaned simultaneously just then. Although plenty of work still required their attention, Kang Jin-Ho leaving America was enough to release them from this feeling of a noose tightening around their throats.
But that only proved how much stress they had been under until now.
Reese furrowed his brow. “Still… We have gained a lot this time, haven’t we?”
“Yes… We sure have.”
Reese meant “gaining” practical benefits. The Martial Assembly might have scored big this time, but considering the United States government’s annual budget? That was only a drop in the proverbial ocean.
America had secured her future with that piffling amount of money, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was a massive win for all the parties involved.
But Reynold Spencer’s opinion on the matter differed slightly.
What we’ve gained this time isn’t as simple as that.
The biggest win for the Americans this time was the fact that the people at the top were forced into changing their view of the martial artists. This change alone was worth all the money the Americans had sunk into Kang Jin-Ho’s trip and the subsequent signing of the deal.
“Reese, remember this. Our relationship with them must remain cordial.”
“Of course.”
“For now, we must lower our heads to them, but that situation won’t last forever.” Spencer’s eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at the magic circle. “I’m convinced that the American martial artists will rise up and become the best in the world… Hopefully around the next generation. Since that’s going to happen for sure, who cares about taking on some measly little losses now?”
Reese cocked an eyebrow. “When will we see this next generation, sir?”
“…When that man dies of old age.”
Spencer couldn’t imagine Kang Jin-Ho dying accidentally, after all! While grinning bitterly, he turned around to leave.
“Let’s get out of here. We still have a mountain of work left to do, anyway. Let’s focus on what we must deal with first.”
“Do you mean deciding who will be stationed in South Korea?”
“Not that one,” said Spencer with a casual shoulder shrug. “I was thinking more of checking out how Phil Burton’s been doing. I’m thinking of sending Jin-Ho Kang a lifetime of presents for what he did to the poor guy.”
“Sir, I agree with you on that one.”
The two men chuckled while stepping outside the building.
***
Wuuooong…
Bright light burst forth from the magic circle on the floor, then several human silhouettes began materializing within these rays of light.
“Urgh… Wuuuph…!”
Han Eun-Sol fell on his knees while hurriedly covering his mouth. A brief bout of motion sickness suddenly flooded him, and it felt like the whole world spinning around in his view.
Thankfully, though, that feeling passed him by quickly enough. Han Eun-Sol wiped away the corners of his mouth while looking around. Where were they now?
It must be inside a building, but…?
Wiggins proudly announced to his passengers. “We’ve arrived. Welcome back to Korea.”
“…?! Sorry?”
Han Eun-Sol’s brows shot up high. They were back in Korea? Even though all that had happened were some lights flashing before his eyes, and his body feeling like it was in a tumble dryer?
He reflexively yanked his phone out to check the time. But barely a few seconds had passed!
That meant he hadn’t blacked out or anything like that. Did they really travel between America and Korea in the figurative blink of an eye?!
“Holy… cow.”
When Han Eun-Sol muttered that in sheer disbelief, Wiggins grinned deeply and patted the younger man on the shoulder.
“It goes without saying, but… You mustn’t tell anyone what happened.”
“Of course I won’t. Besides, who would believe me? It’ll be a miracle if they don’t lock me up in a nuthouse, you know?”
Han Eun-Sol was half-joking, half-serious just then!
People would insult him if he explained what he had experienced. And even if he provided video proof, everyone would accuse him of doctoring the footage somehow!
Han Eun-Sol curiously looked around. “But, uh, where are we?”
“We are currently in the Martial Assembly’s basement.”
“…! Oh!”
Han Eun-Sol had already heard the “Martial Assembly” being mentioned a few times by now.
The image he had of the Assembly was MK’s mysterious “parent company.” So, for him to visit the place unexpectedly like this! He couldn’t help but feel slightly weirded out.
In the meantime, Choi Yeon-Ha took an unsteady step forward before standing tall and proud.
“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”
She scanned her new surroundings before shrugging casually.
“We can use this from now on?” She asked Wiggins.
“Yes, Miss Choi.”
“…But how safe is it?”
“Very safe. Even safer than air travel, actually,” Wiggins grinned. “An accident in the air means you’ll most likely die, but an accident during teleportation means you’ll merely get kicked back to your starting point, you see?”
“Really? That’s amazing. Why aren’t we mass producing this teleportation thing?”
“There are several real-world problems to consider, unfortunately. The most important one being… The public must never become aware of the teleportation magic’s existence.”
“Oh, is that so? I only asked because, you know, I figured you could make a killing by providing transportation services to the folks in the know.”
“…!”
Wiggins’ eyes powerfully quaked just then.
Huh?
Could they do that?
“H-hold on, ma’am. Let me… mm, think…”
If they allowed certain people, who already knew about the Assembly and magic’s existence, to pay for the usage of the gate magic circles, then…
“…We could charge them ten times the price of a first-class ticket and earn a tidy profit in the process,” Wiggins muttered.
Most people who knew about both things should be wealthy enough to rent a private plane if they wanted to travel to America. Which meant they wouldn’t give a toss about spending that paltry amount of money, either!
Wiggins gravely stared at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Chief Lee.”
“Understood. We’ll start the feasibility study right away.”
Lee Hyeon-Su also had caught on to what Choi Yeon-Ha was suggesting. As a matter of fact, he was already compiling a list of potential customers in his head!
In South Korea, only the government officials would want to use such a service.
Maybe Hwang Jeong-Hu would want to become a client, but that wouldn’t be enough to justify the costs involved. However!
We’re going to open another gate in China, anyway! If we set South Korea as the middle point… Yes, we can make a killing from the Chinese!
Of course, the American government would have to say yes first, but wasn’t that Lee Hyeon-Su’s specialty? Making people say yes to the Assembly’s demands, that was!
Just as Lee Hyeon-Su began punching some numbers into his mental calculator, Choi Yeon-Ha curiously asked while looking around at her new surroundings.
“This is the Assembly?”
“Yes, it is,” Wiggins gently replied to her.
Choi Yeon-Ha muttered, “Wow. I always wanted to visit this place one of these days, but to think it’d happen this way.”
Now that she was here, the feeling she got was quite strange, for the lack of better description.
She glanced at Wiggins. “Do you mind if I have a look-around?”
Wiggins grinned back. “You’ll need a guide, ma’am, so how about Chief Lee accompanying you?”
Lee Hyeon-Su pointed at himself. “What, me?”
Wiggins ignored that and beckoned at his disciple. Once Lee Hyeon-Su got close, Wiggins leaned in and whispered, “Remember. If some idiot utters one wrong thing, the entire Martial Assembly will experience a great upheaval today.”
“…! Ah!”
Indeed, there would be a great upheaval. After all, if something went awry today, Choi Yeon-Ha would throw a tantrum first, which would lead to Kang Jin-Ho blowing his top, and that would be followed by Lee Hyeon-Su unleashing hell on this place!
“Understood. Leave it to me!”
Choi Yeon-Ha smiled brightly. “Thank you, Chief Lee!”
The Martial Assembly’s true second-in-command finally began her first-ever inspection of the organization.
All Kang Jin-Ho could do at this sight was sigh under his breath, however.
This was one thing I wanted to prevent, though…
He was suddenly enveloped by this ominous foreboding of… seeing Choi Yeon-Ha’s face more often within the Assembly’s hallways from now on!
