Chapter 1537 Reconsidering (2)

“Well, it’s nothing major, really,” said Lee Hyeon-Su, while relaxedly guiding Jeong Myeong-Cheol outside. “The most important thing to remember is always watch what you say.”

He then pressed his index finger to his lips before grinning brightly.

“You understand, don’t you?”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol urgently nodded. Such was the ferocity of his head movement that his head almost flew off his neck just then!

“It’s great that you’re quick on the uptake.” Lee Hyeon-Su grinned, then patted Jeong Myeong-Cheol on the shoulder. “However... Have you really understood what I’m trying to warn you about?”

“I... I’m sorry?”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s eyes quaked in genuine terror as he stared at Lee Hyeon-Su.

Of course he was scared of Kang Jin-Ho. However, in his honest opinion, Lee Hyeon-Su exuded an even more terrifying aura than the chairman of MK. By now, Jeong Myeong-Cheol had instinctively figured out who really wanted to harm him and who wasn’t interested in doing so.

“Mister Jeong Myeong-Cheol?” Lee Hyeon-Su smirked subtly. “I detest your guts.”

“...!”

“You probably don’t understand the meaning of me detesting someone.”

The smirk plastered on Lee Hyeon-Su’s face grew colder than ice.

“You must feel embittered by what our... By what Mister Kang has done to you, but you should be thanking him from the bottom of your heart instead. Without his generosity, you’d never have walked out of here on your own steam, you see?”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol already knew. This was not a threat.

Lee Hyeon-Su looked genuinely rueful about Jeong Myeong-Cheol walking out of here in one piece, after all! And being subjected to that rueful gaze made Jeong Myeong-Cheol feel like a goldfish, of all things. More specifically, a goldfish inside a small water tank that was being glared at by a hungry cat outside!

Without this protective water tank called Kang Jin-Ho, Jeong Myeong-Cheol would have been ripped apart into shreds by this cat a long time ago.

“It’s fine if you think I’m throwing empty threats around.”

Lee Hyeon-Su narrowed his eyes and stared weirdly at Jeong Myeong-Cheol, his emotions getting harder to read.

“Because that will give me the chance to do whatever I want, you see? Do you understand me?”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol nodded urgently again, his expression dyed in fear.

None of what Lee Hyeon-Su said registered in his hearing. No, maybe it did, but his brain couldn’t process it. What he “understood” in this situation, though, was not words but the overall atmosphere, plus a rough idea of what he must never do.

Such a thing was far more effective than him understanding what Lee Hyeon-Su had said, however.

“I’ll reiterate. A person’s mouth is a window to misfortune and a source of all ills. I truly wish for you to keep your head down for the rest of your life, but our Assembly Master said he wouldn’t care how you live your life. So, I won’t come after you regardless of what you do. Once you leave this place, I will erase all the memories associated with you from my head. Do you understand me?”

“...Yes, sir.”

“However, if I ever catch wind of you talking about us again...!” Lee Hyeon-Su shrugged. “Then, we will meet again. And I guarantee you that when that happens, you won’t be lucky enough to see this place again.”

Lee Hyeon-Su grinned brightly.

“Please brand what I’ve said into your soul. Because a person’s memories can be rather faulty, you see? And humans have this tendency to selectively listen only to the things they like. However, you must remember everything I’ve told you today.”

“...”

“Well, then. I hope this experience has been a valuable life lesson for you.”

Once the duo reached the foyer, Jeong Myeong-Cheol spotted a large sedan parked right outside. A couple of men on standby next to the car walked over and blindfolded Jeong Myeong-Cheol next.

Jeong Myeong-Cheol flinched nastily when his vision was blocked and tried to retreat.

“No need to fret, Mister Jeong. We only wish to hide this place’s location. What you fear won’t happen. After all, if that had been our intention, we wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble in the first place.”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol finally relaxed a little.

“Now then. This way.”

Lee Hyeon-Su pulled at the blindfolded Jeong Myeong-Cheol, dragging the unresisting man down the steps and toward the waiting car. After yanking the rear door open, Lee Hyeon-Su shoved Jeong Myeong-Cheol inside, then shut the door.

Now inside the vehicle, Jeong Myeong-Cheol hurriedly felt around his new surroundings. He sensed the car seat and squirmed himself into a more comfortable seating position.

The sensation of a car seat against his bum was enough for all tension to drain out of his body. Touching a product of modern civilization again, something he had taken for granted all his life, after so many days genuinely comforted him.

“No, no, no. It’s too early to relax, Mister Jeong.”

However, Jeong Myeong-Cheol immediately tensed up again when his hearing caught Lee Hyeon-Su’s slimy voice.

“You can relax, sure. But you must also not. Never forget that. It’s fine to assume that you’re finally free. But always remember that you have not escaped us completely. Only then would you be able to enjoy your life again.”

That terrifying voice came from outside the car to burrow into Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s hearing, forcing him to clench his teeth.

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked in satisfaction. “Very good. As long as you maintain that attitude, you and I won’t have any further problems.”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol realized that the voice registering in his ears sounded colder than before.

“You worked hard for the past week or so. I hope what you’ve experienced will be of some benefit to you. However, here’s my honest advice. Don’t try anything foolish. Remember, one’s downfall starts from greed. You want to get even? That’s nothing more than your greed acting up, not logic. Remember that.”

Lee Hyeon-Su tapped on the car’s door, prompting the window to wind up.

“Now then, farewell, Mister Jeong. Until next time.”

The sedan leisurely set off and drove away. Lee Hyeon-Su stood on the spot and watched the car get further and further away while mouthing a cigarette.

***

“Sir, I saw him off. He’s on his way back home.”

“Good work,” said Kang Jin-Ho. He then smirked after noticing Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression. “You seem rueful about it, though?”

“Yes, sir. I am. But...” Lee Hyeon-Su turned his head to look outside through the window. More specifically, in the direction the car carrying Jeong Myeong-Cheol had traveled in. A knowing smirk floated up on his face next. “I have a feeling we’ll meet again later, so it’s fine, sir.”

“Really? Even though he’s gone through so much?”

“Sir, may I tell you one of the truths about this world I’ve learned so far?”

“Sure.”

“People don’t change, sir.”

“...”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled softly. “If humans were capable of changing that easily, our prison guards would be too occupied with cleaning all the dust in the empty cells, sir. However, even as we speak, our country is building new prisons. The majority of people in our prisons are repeat offenders.”

“Mm...!”

“People simply cannot change who they are, sir.”

“However, aren’t some people capable of changing?”

“You mean... like me, sir?” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled again while pointing to himself. “Please don’t misunderstand my situation. I haven’t changed. At all. No, I’m merely being suppressed. That’s all.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head slightly. He wasn’t sure what Lee Hyeon-Su could mean by that.

“I haven’t gone back to my old ways because of you, sir. However, if you’re gone tomorrow and Kim Seok-Il shows up again, do you think I’ll remain the same as I am now?”

“Mm...!”

“That’s how all humans operate, sir. Everyone is under some kind of pressure. For some people, that’s other people. To someone else, that’s the law. Maybe the moral code. Or money. Love, even.” Lee Hyeon-Su casually shrugged. “For me, that’s you, sir. In conclusion, I haven’t changed at all. But I have gotten used to the new kind of pressure.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow slightly, prompting Lee Hyeon-Su to hurriedly wave his hand.

“Of course, I’m not trying to say you’re pressuring me too much or anything like that. This is a... shall I say, a fundamental issue everyone faces? Even if you weren’t here, I’d still have to endure a different type of pressure, after all.”

“Hmm.”

“For now, Jeong Myeong-Cheol shouldn’t be a problem for us. The pressure from the Martial Assembly will turn him into a decent person. But that pressure had ended the moment he drove away.”

“...”

“Convicts newly returning to society would always swear not to return to a life of crime. Because, life inside the prison walls can be incredibly horrifying, you see?”

“Horrifying?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head again.

Lee Hyeon-Su groaned softly. “Sir, the time you spent in prison was probably not as hellish because you could have broken out of any prison in existence if you wanted to. Besides, you even had Mister Wiggins act as your cola courier, too.”

“...”

“But to average human beings, spending time behind bars is an indescribably horrifying prospect, sir. Convicts all know that committing a crime would lead to yet more jail time. Even then, they still break the law again after a while.”

“Because the pressure has lessened?”

“Yes, sir. It’s inevitable, really. Fading memories will never feel the same as events happening right now, after all. That logic will also apply to Jeong Myeong-Cheol. He won’t cause us problems for a while. However, once all the hellish experiences he went through here have become fading memories?”

Lee Hyeon-Su shrugged again.

“I’m sure he’ll try something again.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled, then mouthed a cigarette. “Sounds like that’s what you want, though?”

“Honestly, half of me wishes for it, yes. I despise people like that, you see? Trash like that enjoying a charmed life just because he was born into the right family... I’ve always found that one of life’s greatest ironies. If I had my way, I would’ve skewered the bastard with a spear to his gut or something, but...”

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced a little. That bad, huh?

“But for now, I must wait, sir. Wait and see how that side will respond.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression grew unreadable just then. He agreed that most of what Lee Hyeon-Su had said was true. However, by agreeing completely, didn’t that mean he’d be denying all the changes he had gone through until now? At least it felt that way to him.

Kang Jin-Ho cautiously asked, “Still... Isn’t it possible that he has changed?”

“Oh, of course. I’m not saying it’s impossible to change. It can happen. Certainly.”

Lee Hyeon-Su spread his thumb and index finger open ever so slightly.

“Only by this much, though.”

“...”

“To them, their change must seem enormous, but to other people, it’s probably only this much.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly. Really now. Aren’t you being a bit too acerbic?

Lee Hyeon-Su continued to explain. “Especially trash like Jeong Myeong-Cheol, their scope for change will be tiny, sir. If he had been someone capable of changing, he wouldn’t have lived his life that way. I will bet money on this. That bastard will do something stupid later. Definitely.”

“...”

“And when that happens... Sir, please don’t hold me back. Allow me to handle the matter my way.”

“Mm...”

“Is that a yes, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled while lighting up a cigarette. “You make it sound like I’m protecting that man.”

“In reality, that’s what happened, sir.”

“Only because he’s not a martial artist. However, if he still doesn’t learn his lesson after this experience... Then, yeah. Words won’t be enough to reduce his sentence.”

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked deeply. “I knew you’d say that, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho wryly shook his head while puffing away at his cigarette. Well, this isn’t something I should keep caring about, anyway.

With this, the Jeong Myeong-Cheol incident had come to an end. MK’s revenue had returned to its previous level, too. Even if that man tried to get even and did something unwise again, all Kang Jin-Ho had to do was take care of it when the time came.

Before that, though...

Geez... Look at his expression. Really now.

Staring at Lee Hyeon-Su’s face, which resembled a venomous snake aiming for a prey, blew away what little worry still left in Kang Jin-Ho’s heart.

Without a doubt, Lee Hyeon-Su would go as far as keeping Jeong Myeong-Cheol under surveillance. And, once the latter displayed any signs of doing something unwise, he’d kidnap the fool again and tear his flesh and bones apart.

In a way, wasn’t this similar to releasing a captured animal back into a forest after filling the place up with deadly traps?

“Besides all that...” Kang Jin-Ho leaned against his couch.

“Sir?”

“Any word from our American friends?”

“Oh, that’s right. I had a report to make regarding that matter, actually.”

“Mm?”

“Sir, the NIS called me earlier in the morning. It seems an inspection team from America will visit the country within two weeks. Shouldn’t we chat with them while they are here?”

“Mm...!” Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “They gave us a lot, so that’s the least we can do. Arrange the meeting.”

“Understood.”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head to glance at the scenery outside the window.

America, is it...

How would the Three Kings and their factions react to the news of American martial artists entering South Korea?

This is getting interesting.

A deep smirk spread on Kang Jin-Ho’s lips.