Chapter 1480: Going Home (5) |
Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow.
“The condition of this building is, well…”
A streak of cold sweat trickled down Kang Jin-Ho’s forehead.
“And I don’t even want to talk about the state of your bathrooms, either.”
“…”
“And why doesn’t a five-story building like yours have a single elevator?”
Why would there be an elevator when only martial artists stayed in this place?
Those words tried to jump out of Kang Jin-Ho’s mouth, but he desperately pushed them back down his throat.
Choi Yeon-Ha sharply asked, “Who would feel good about working in a place like this?”
“I’m sorry? What are you even saying?!”
Lee Hyeon-Su, who had been silently listening from the side, subtly clenched his fist.
Yes! You’re doing great, ma’am!
You can do it! Yes, you can!
Kang Jin-Ho’s head slowly, oh-so slowly, turned toward Lee Hyeon-Su. The look in his eyes contained the question, “You did this, didn’t you?”
Of course, that was absolutely true. That didn’t mean Lee Hyeon-Su must reply in the affirmative, however. As a matter of fact, he even resolutely refused to look Kang Jin-Ho in the eye.
If Lee Hyeon-Su failed to seize this initiative, the Assembly HQ might remain the way it was for the next fifty years. By then, it might even qualify as a cultural heritage site!
Lee Hyeon-Su had no desire to see that happen with his own two eyes.
“I’m still not sure why a building would matter so much, though?”
Kang Jin-Ho mounted a timid resistance by asking that question. For some reason, though, Choi Yeon-Ha smiled gently instead of getting angry.
“Mister Jin-Ho?”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what you told me in the past?”
“What did I say?”
“You told me that the Assembly’s people are your family members in a way.”
“Oh, uh…”
Kang Jin-Ho blushed ever so slightly just then. He did say that once upon a time, but saying that in front of actual Assembly members proved to be a bit embarrassing, even for him.
“You did tell me that, didn’t you?”
“Oh, y-yes, I did.”
“Right?”
Choi Yeon-Ha’s smile deepened even more. But that only made Kang Jin-Ho shiver slightly. Where was she going with this? What did he saying families and stuff have to do with…
“Mister Jin-Ho? What was the very first thing you did after getting some money?”
Kang Jin-Ho faltered slightly. “I’m sorry?”
“I’m asking about what you bought after making money for the first time.”
“Mm? That’s…”
Kang Jin-Ho suddenly clamped his mouth shut. That was because he had instinctively realized he had fallen for a trap. A deep, precarious trap at that!
“You bought a house for your family, didn’t you? And didn’t you also buy the cafe for your father?”
“…Yes, I did.”
“You bought a house right away so that one family could live in a good environment. And you even bought a cafe so that your father could finally do something he’s passionate about, but here… The family here is stuck with a building that’s at least half a century old! Goodness me, I didn’t think you were that kind of person, Mister Jin-Ho.”
More cold sweat trickled down Kang Jin-Ho’s forehead. How was he supposed to extricate himself out of this delicate situation?
“Mister Jin-Ho? I hope you’re not thinking of weaseling out of what you said, now are you? That would be so disappointing, after all.”
“…”
That was when Lee Hyeon-Su came to Kang Jin-Ho’s rescue.
“Please be more mindful of what you say, Miss Choi! Our Assembly Master would never do that.”
Actually, that wasn’t true. He was swooping in to help Choi Yeon-Ha out instead!
Kang Jin-Ho alternated his stupefied gaze between Choi Yeon-Ha and Lee Hyeon-Su. Since when did these two get along so well like this?
W-well, getting along is nice and all, but…?
If Kang Jin-Ho were to pick two people closest to him who weren’t his family members, he’d have to choose Choi Yeon-Ha and Lee Hyeon-Su. It wasn’t as if he had forgotten about his friends, Park Yu-Min and Ju Yeong-Gi, of course. But he’d be spending a lot more time and even working together with these two, after all.
So, the two of them getting along would be great for him too, but this!
This isn’t what I had in mind!
Don’t go and create an alliance all on your own, okay?!
What kind of calamitous development was this?
“Our Assembly Master genuinely considers us his family!”
Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head innocently. “Even though he’s openly discriminating against you?”
“He must have a good reason for that! And I’m convinced this situation is only temporary.”
“You think so? Yes, it must be, since a man should have morals, right?”
“Yes, ma’am! A man has morals!”
Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply. Sure. Fine. Make fun of me all you want. And when you’re done, don’t forget to patch me back up again.
He groaned, then glanced at his two attackers. “So… What did you have in mind for this place?”
“Remodeling!”
“A new building!”
Their opinions finally diverged at this point. Only by slightly, though!
Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head. “Wouldn’t a simple remodeling be enough?”
“No, ma’am. With how antiquated the structure is, I believe starting from scratch is necessary.”
“Really? I think a strategic remodeling could save this place without costing a fortune, though.”
“You don’t have to worry about that since the foundation work won’t cost a lot, to begin with.”
“Hmm…?” Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow before nodding theatrically. “Very well. Let’s go with constructing a new building.”
“Kuh-euh! Thank you for making a wise decision, ma’am!”
Kang Jin-Ho stared weirdly at the two people. Although he had no idea why these two were deciding something like that on their own… Since they said so, it must be right. Somehow!
Choi Yeon-Ha stopped smiling and stared straight at Kang Jin-Ho. “In all seriousness, though. This place needs a lot of work, Mister Jin-Ho. The bathrooms are far too antiquated, for one. And with how dreary it is, I’m pretty sure your employees can’t even motivate themselves properly.”
“Mm…!”
“If you don’t have enough funds, fine, I won’t say anything. But that’s not true, isn’t it? A company that doesn’t invest enough into the employees’ welfare won’t last very long, you know?”
Although the Martial Assembly wasn’t a company, Choi Yeon-Ha was still making a valid point. Since Kang Jin-Ho didn’t feel inconvenienced by the age of this building, the thoughts of other people having a rougher time than him never crossed his mind until now.
However, if things were not great, they should be improved upon, no?
A martial artist should be in an environment meant to help them focus on training. Likewise, office workers needed an environment that helped them focus on their work. And it was the job of the upper management to provide such environments.
Still, Kang Jin-Ho tried to resist one more time.
“But would such a thing even matter when we’re simply trying to work?”
Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “If that’s what you think, why are you working in an office? In fact, why do you even have a building? Just put up a tent or something!”
“…”
Uh? She… has a point, no?
“I… Yes, you’re right. We must change.”
In the end, Kang Jin-Ho had no choice but to declare his surrender.
“Chief Lee.”
Lee Hyeon-Su enthusiastically replied, “Yes, sir!”
“Proceed with the plan.”
“Fufufu~! Don’t worry about a thing, sir! I knew this day would come eventually and had already drawn up a blueprint of our new HQ.”
“Have you now? And did you do it yourself?”
“Of course not. I paid some consultants for it.”
“…”
This “company” was functioning miraculously well somehow, wasn’t it?!
Choi Yeon-Ha shook her head as if that alone wasn’t enough to satisfy her. “The parking lot is too small, too. Why is it so cramped, anyway? I mean, you have a ton of people working here, right? Since you’re going to build everything new from scratch, widen the parking lot, too.”
Kang Jin-Ho faltered slightly. “B-but… only a few people here own cars, you know?”
“It’s not that they don’t own cars, but more like they can’t drive up to here with their cars, Mister Jin-Ho! Even though their company is stuck in the middle of some mountainside, they can’t even drive to get here? Do you know how nonsensical that sounds?”
As a man who always drove to get here, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t think of anything clever to say other than, “…Sure, do what you think is for the best.”
“Besides that, I can think of quite a few other things. But… Hah, gimme a break. I’m also super busy with my life, you know? Why should I worry about this place, too?”
Kang Jin-Ho almost blurted out, No one asked for your help, though?
Wiggins, who had been silently listening to this conversation, gently grinned and finally chimed in. “My lord, Miss Choi has a valid point. Compared to other nations, South Korea’s Martial Assembly HQ is simply too antiquated and inconvenient to work in.”
Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut.
Now that he thought about it… Even he had to admit that the difference between the Assembly and other places was extreme, to say the least.
Rather obviously, the Martial Assembly couldn’t even hold a candle to America’s H27, which had fast-food franchises and various other facilities to improve the lives of the martial artists living there. Unfortunately, it also couldn’t even compare to the Round Table in terms of the overall working and training environments.
Choi Yeon-Ha tutted again. “Even that gent named the Crimson King or something lives in a palace as big as the Forbidden City, you know?”
Kang Jin-Ho faltered again. Ah, that’s right. Miss Yeon-Ha stayed in the Crimson King’s residence, didn’t she?
Considering that would be where most of the Crimson King faction people stayed in…
“Don’t even try to compare your place to his palace, okay?”
At this point, even Kang Jin-Ho had to agree that he had been a bit too disinterested in things like this.
He didn’t care about putting up appearances for other people, but… He shouldn’t ignore the problem of aging and dilapidated internal structure.
“Understood. I’ll pay more attention to this issue.”
Kang Jin-Ho wouldn’t have felt much of a need for renovation or whatever if it only concerned the Martial Assembly. But the experiences from other nations helped him to realize something crucial. Whether he liked it or not, things like this had the potential to demoralize his people.
Choi Yeon-Ha smirked. “I’d like to talk more about a few other things, but if I do that, smoke might start spewing out from your ears, Mister Jin-Ho. There’s always the next time, so I’ll stop for today. Besides, I’ll be coming around to play with you more often from now on, anyway.”
Kang Jin-Ho blinked in stupefaction. I’m sorry? Why would you be coming around here more often?
“Chief Lee? Before you start the construction, please don’t forget to set up my office,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.
“Fufufufu~! You can leave it to me, ma’am!”
Kang Jin-Ho’s head snapped toward Lee Hyeon-Su. However, Lee Hyeon-Su resolutely avoided meeting his boss’s sharp glare.
Wiggins helpfully offered an extra explanation just then. “My lord, you shouldn’t belittle the concept of improving one’s work environment. Please remember that many large corporations, who are always obsessed with cutting costs whenever they can, spend exorbitant sums of money to build fancy head offices. It’s because a good working environment leads to improvement in work efficiency.”
Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. Honestly speaking, he still wasn’t convinced, nor did he genuinely understand a need for such a project. However, there must’ve been a reason why Choi Yeon-Ha, Lee Hyeon-Su, and even Wiggins spoke in favor of it.
“Very well. I’ll leave everything in…”
Just before Kang Jin-Ho could finish his sentence!
Slam!
The office door was abruptly shoved open, and a figure of a man rushed inside.
Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes. “Eh?”
“My liiiiiege! This faithful servant, Chang Min! Has finally come home after carrying out your command!”
Chang Min rushed to the front of Kang Jin-Ho and kowtowed without skipping a beat.
“Please forgive this lacking servant for taking so long to finish the mission you have entrusted me with! But my liege! I swear on my life that the island invaders are now fully under your control! Now they will never dare oppose your rule! Even the issue of the funds from the…”
Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly before cutting Chang Min off. “Wait, Chang Min.”
“Yes, my liege!”
“Save your report for later. We’re in the middle of a meeting.”
Chang Min slammed his forehead on the floor again. “This servant has been foolish and thoughtless, my liege! Please punish me!”
Kang Jin-Ho grandly facepalmed just then. Why did Chang Min have to come home at this exact time?
Meanwhile, Choi Yeon-Ha felt like her soul almost left her body at this comedy routine offered up by this intruder.
Who is this grandpa now?
What was up with his distinctive two-block haircut? And why did he use a copious amount of pomade to sleek his snow-white hair back? And, and…!
Is he also wearing an earring?
What about his attire? Could it be… from GuXXi? Really?[1]
Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sudden appearance of this bizarre character. What shocked her even more, though, was how all these bizarre fashion choices combined to create a surprisingly cohesive and effective package!
Maybe he’s a fashionista?
For a moment there, Choi Yeon-Ha was tempted to hire this grandpa as a fashion model. If MK Entertainment could sign him on as its newest talent, he might cause a bit of a stir in the modeling industry…!
Now that I think about it, we already have a well-dressed, high-class elderly gent among us, don’t we?
Just as Choi Yeon-Ha sneakily glanced at Wiggins and began calculating several things…
“By the way…” Chang Min suddenly snapped his head toward Choi Yeon-Ha. “Who might this young lady be? And why is she here?”
Chang Min’s gaze sharpened ever so slightly at the presence of an unfamiliar woman sitting inside the Martial Assembly’s conference room. It was obvious from his expression that he was not happy about her sitting as Kang Jin-Ho’s equal in this place.
Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly chimed in. “…! Oh, this lady is…”
Unfortunately, Chang Min cut him off. “First of all, young lady. You should stand up. That is not a seat any random person can occupy. It seems the Martial Assembly’s discipline has fallen during my absence. Lee Hyeon-Su, I blame you for…”
Unable to sit still anymore, Lee Hyeon-Su shot up to his feet, rushed over to Chang Min, and whispered something urgently to the older man’s ear. Chang Min’s face repeatedly alternated between a frown and one of stupefaction while he listened.
Eventually, though, he turned to stare at Choi Yeon-Ha, his expression indescribable. And then…
Drip…
Choi Yeon-Ha freaked out. Why? Why is he crying all of a sudden?!
Without any warning whatsoever, tears as large as chicken droppings flooded down Chang Min’s face. It was as if he couldn’t contain his overwhelming emotions anymore.
Chang Min’s lips quivered. “Ma… Ma…”
“Ma?”
“Maaaaaatriarch!”
Choi Yeon-Ha freaked out again. “Hiiiieeeek?!”
“Maaaaatriarch! It is my honor to be in your presence! To think I’d finally be in the presence of the Matriarch of the Cult…! This servant can’t contain his joy, ma’am! I should’ve paid respect to you a long time ago! Please forgive this inattentive and lacking servant, my lady!”
“W-wait! Don’t do this, grandpa! No, wait! Elder!”
The pale-faced Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly rushed forward and grabbed the kowtowing Chang Min’s shoulder. While grunting loudly, she tried to push him back up to his feet.
Even if people accused Choi Yeon-Ha of flushing her manners down the toilet, how could she remain still when an elderly gentleman at least fifty years her senior was kissing the floor while kowtowing to her?
“Matriarch! I swear to give up my life to serve you! In return, all this servant can ask for is for you to carry on the demon emperor’s bloodline…”
“Please stop! Stop and stand up, please! Aaaahck?! This is insane! Someone, help!”
“…?” Kang Jin-Ho watched this development in sheer stupefaction, before a meaningful smirk formed on his lips. He rested his chin on his fist and observed the unfolding situation with a great deal of interest. “Hoh-oh?”
Has he finally discovered the effective method of neutralizing Choi Yeon-Ha today? If so…
Eureka!
1. ”Gucci” was censored in the raw for some reason. LOL ☜
