Chapter 454: Thinking (4)

Chapter 454: Thinking (4)

Sluuuurp...

The sweet drinking yogurt, or Yakult, traveled through the straw and entered Kang Jin-Ho's mouth.

'...This is the problem with these drinks.'

Kang Jin-Ho frowned and stared seriously at the Yakult bottle. This size might be perfect for little kids but for a grown adult like him? It was way too small to scratch that itch. Unable to endure the itch anymore, Kang Jin-Ho stopped by a convenience store, bought a whole pack of Yakult, then began sticking straws into them.

Didn't someone say that... a bottle of Yakult was best enjoyed by sucking it through the bottom? Kang Jin-Ho was calling bull on that. Indeed, that was heresy. A real man walking on the righteous path must drink Yakult by sticking a straw up top.

Sluuurp...

Kang Jin-Ho's Lamborghini drove down South Korea's national highway. On one hand was another bottle of Yakult, while the other securely gripped the steering wheel. To Elena, he might look like someone with precisely zero worries in this world, but... Kang Jin-Ho's mind right now was a complicated, jumbled mess waiting to be unraveled.

For the first time in a long while, Kang Jin-Ho had homework to finish. And that had been keeping his mind busy lately. As for the title of that homework? It was 'What goal should I set for myself if I am to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life?'

Kang Jin-Ho slightly furrowed his brow. Obviously, this topic was not something he could deal with in a day or two. Besides, he shouldn't even be trying to solve it that quickly, anyway. The answer to this homework could potentially determine the course of Kang Jin-Ho's life, after all.

So, for now... He should take his time thinking about it while dealing with other matters requiring his urgent attention first.

'Right. It's been quite fulfilling for me these last three days.'

Kang Jin-Ho visited the orphanage often and hung out with the children there. After that task was done, he went to help Ju Yeong-Gi out who was mindlessly busy from organizing the new store. Kang Jin-Ho also helped Park Yu-Min out by testing his gaming skills since the latter's tryouts were just around the corner.

The results of Kang Jin-Ho's hard work left him with this fulfilling warmth in his heart.

The orphanage children seemed deeply moved by Kang Jin-Ho's dedication as they told him not to come as he 'must be very busy with other things.' Meanwhile, Ju Yeong-Gi smiled and said, “Jin-Ho, it does give me strength to... see you hanging around me, but it's time you stand on your own two feet, right?” What a manly thing a friend could say to his friend that was. Thinking about it brought a smile to Kang Jin-Ho's lips.

As for Park Yu-Min, he worried about Kang Jin-Ho's health when he tried to stay with his friend into early dawn while playing computer games, urging him to hurry home before it got too late.

Everyone seemed to be... a lot worried about Kang Jin-Ho these days. They seemed to care about Kang Jin-Ho's busy schedule when he actually had nothing better to do. And they even cared about his health... When Kang Jin-Ho was healthy enough to sweep all the available World Records if he participated in a triathlon!

Kang Jin-Ho felt the corner of his heart get warm and fuzzy from how much they cared about him.

'Right. I should visit them more often.'

He gained a renewed appreciation of the advice he heard some time ago, the one about how he needed to expend lots of effort to maintain human relationships. Since he now had more free time on his hands lately, Kang Jin-Ho figured he should tighten his bonds with his acquaintances some more. So, he stepped on the accelerator and...

'...! Speeding tickets!'

...Before carefully withdrawing his strength from the foot on the pedal. ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels

As a man once bitten, twice shy, Kang Jin-Ho's heart would tumble to the pits of his stomach these days even from the sight of a private security company's vehicles passing by. He didn't fear anything under the sun, but the enforcers of the law were still scary!

Maybe because of his first life experiences, Kang Jin-Ho started sweating bullets whenever a police officer knocked on his car's window. While swearing inwardly about how he'd never go through that indignity again, Kang Jin-Ho stuck religiously to the national speed limit while keeping a watchful eye on the speedo.

It was time to create new relationships. The thought of doing so prompted the corners of his lips to curl up. Of course, these new relationships would be... somewhat different from the old ones.

***

“...This is insanity,” said Yi Myeong-Hwan, his sweat-soaked expression dazed and forlorn.

Two days ago, when Bang Jin-Hun summoned the younger generation of the Martial Assembly to the auditorium, Yi Myeong-Hwan's expression was full of unwavering determination. It was as if he was a soldier heading out to a warzone.

As for his previous nervousness and reluctance... Well, he left them at home. The time for regrets and second-guessing was already over by then. From that moment on, Yi Myeong-Hwan had no choice but to give it his all.

It looked like everyone entering the Martial Assembly's auditorium that day had a similar mindset. Seeing those determined faces awakened a competitive spirit of 'Don't you dare lose!' in Yi Myeong-Hwan... And also, this strange sense of camaraderie, too.

As far as his feelings were concerned, Yi Myeong-Hwan was ready to absorb any training regime, no matter how insane or challenging it was!

...Until Bang Jin-Hun entered the auditorium to make an announcement, that was!

***

Going back slightly in time...

“Fellas. If I'm being honest...” Bang Jin-Hun went straight into the main topic as soon as stepping into the auditorium. Although, what he said was a bit... vague to call it the ‘main topic.’ “Mister Jin-Ho wanted to start the training in two days.”

The young martial artists gathered in the auditorium stared in confusion at Bang Jin-Hun. In that case, why were they summoned here?

“Here's the thing, though... Think about this for a sec, okay? After Mister Jin-Ho's training starts, imagine what will happen to our pride when you guys can't even keep up and pant and wheeze like weaklings. Especially if that happens during the early stages...! Think about it from my perspective. Every time the training ends, I gotta talk to that man, yeah? And how would I feel if he says something like, ‘Kids these days are surprisingly weak, aren't they?’?Ah? Tell me, how would I feel, fellas?”

Obviously, Bang Jin-Hun would feel like he'd been chewing on dog turd. Yi Myeong-Hwan fully understood Bang Jin-Hun's sentiments.

Bang Jin-Hun's practical mindset was also a huge plus point in Yi Myeong-Hwan's book.

Everyone seemed to share Yi Myeong-Hwan's sentiments as they were all visibly raring to go. As a matter of fact, the ones closest to the exit had already shoved the doors open and rushed outside. At least, that was what they tried to do.

Bang Jin-Hun suddenly called out to them. “Eh? Hey, wait a minute! You, stop!”

“I'm sorry, sir?”

“What are you guys doing?”

“We were going to run like you told us to...”

“What the hell? Maybe you didn't understand me, after all? This is why I'm not a fan of announcing stuff like this... I mean, it's easy for people to misunderstand me, right? I might as well do a PPT next time.”

PPT? As in the Powerpoint Presentation? That was that, but misunderstanding Bang Jin-Hun...? Did they do something wrong, then?

Bang Jin-Hun tutted. “I told you, we're gonna improve our fitness.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Which means, you mustn't rely on your cultivation.”

“...Sorry?”

“You gotta run with your own two feet. That's the only way to improve your fitness, fellas. You think you can do that while relying on your accumulated qi?”

A grin slowly formed on Yi Myeong-Hwan's face even though he wasn't aware of it.

Okay, so... If I'm hearing you correctly...

Anyone who could do what Bang Jin-Hun said shouldn't be called a human being anymore, or at least that's what Yi Myeong-Hwan thought. As a matter of fact, not even a mountain lion could do that round trip in one hour!

“Don't forget that...” Bang Jin-Hun raised his index finger. “I'll be running with you all, too. So, let me warn you in advance. Anyone who thinks they can secretly use their qi without me finding it out? Go ahead. I dare you.”

“...”

“You do that, and we're gonna have some fun later. Get my drift?”

“...”

Yi Myeong-Hwan sneakily circulated the qi gathered in his legs and gradually dispersed it.

***

Back to the present...

“Huff! Huff, huff! Wheeze!”

This was the situation Yi Myeong-Hwan now found himself in. He was out of breath, his lungs screaming for more air. His legs were shaking all on their own from cramps and exhaustion.

Yi Myeong-Hwan got to learn a new fact today. He had no idea that going down a mountain was so much harder than climbing it! Trying to run downhill with tired legs was unimaginably hard for people with average fitness. Especially when he needed to run at full tilt, no less!

“Hah, you bloody weaklings!” Bang Jin-Hun's irritated voice slammed into Yi Myeong-Hwan's eardrums. “What should I do with a bunch of unfit idiots who are all out of breath after running only this much? You are all supposed to be martial artists, right?! Doesn't that mean you gotta be better at this sh*t than regular people? Hell, a local amateur mountaineering club will have a ton of people better than you at climbing a mountain, fellas!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan scowled at those harsh words. However, Bang Jin-Hun wasn't done yet. “I didn't tell you to reach Mount Everest's summit or put your flag on top of Kanchenjunga, now did I? But a small hill out back can defeat you like this? What a bunch of useless idiots you are!”

What the freaking hell, you insane bastard! Yi Myeong-Hwan screamed in his head. Are we on a time attack or something here?! You can conquer Everest without oxygen tanks if you have enough time on your hands, you know! But this isn't that, now is it?!

Yi Myeong-Hwan had so many things he wanted to say but didn't have the energy to voice them right now. Making multiple round trips to that mountain for two days straight with only two hours of sleep in between had forced him to reach a philosophical understanding of ‘I am the mountain and the mountain is I!’

One might question the validity of such a musing, but it was a simple enough concept to understand, really! If Yi Myeong-Hwan croaked in the middle of this so-called fitness training, he'd get buried in the mountainside, which meant he'd have become a part of the mountain!

“Oh, hey. Look over there, fellas,” Bang Jin-Hun suddenly smirked and pointed toward the bottom of the mountain. A flashy red supercar was uncharacteristically driving slowly on the road built on the mountain slope.

“Hah. You're all dead meat now.”

“...”

Bang Jin-Hun ominously cackled. “Kekekeke...”

“...”

What a good thing that the supercar wasn't black. If it had been, people might have thought that a grim reaper had arrived. While riding in a hearse, perhaps.

Yi Myeong-Hwan could only groan inwardly.

‘Ah, f*ck...’