Chapter 611. Agitating (1)

Chapter 611. Agitating (1)

Director Jo Nam-Pyeong was a coffee lover.

His love went beyond frequently enjoying a cup of aromatic brew. No, he genuinely loved everything about coffee. So much so that he'd pay meticulous attention to the types of coffee beans and how they were ground and blended, then brew what he considered the ideal cup of coffee for himself.

Even back when uncultured masses thought coffee was nothing more than an excessively bitter drink from the West, Director Jo still enjoyed drinking it. Even though people saw him as an eccentric for drinking coffee so often!

What he particularly enjoyed about coffee was its unique aroma. While the pleasantly bitter taste of coffee as it moistened his tongue and slid down his throat was indeed quite wonderful, it couldn't hold a candle to its arresting aroma.

The cup resting in front of his eyes contained such coffee. Pleasantly aromatic and stimulating his senses. However, Jo Nam-Pyeong couldn't enjoy the aroma at all. Actually, it was even getting on his nerves right now.

But why was that? Obviously, it couldn't be the fault of the coffee's aroma. He had personally brewed this cup of coffee, after all. Countless specialist baristas operated throughout the world, but no one could brew the perfect cup of coffee that suited his tastes. So, this coffee he brewed to match his preferred taste couldn't be at fault here.

If anyone was to blame, it had to be Jo Nam-Pyeong himself. No, more correctly, his ruined mood.

When a person was in a foul mood, every little thing would feel like an irritating chore. Even his favorite thing in the whole world, drinking coffee, would be included in that 'every little thing'.

As for the source of Jo Nam-Pyeong's foul mood? It was sitting right in front of him, nonchalantly sipping away at the coffee he brewed! And the culprit's name was none other than Lee Hyeon-Su.

Jo Nam-Pyeong suddenly thought that life could be rather unpredictable. For one, he never imagined that one day, he'd sit with someone like Lee Hyeon-Su and drink coffee like this.

Back when Lee Hyeon-Su was the brain of Kim Seok-Il's operation, Jo Nam-Pyeong belonged to a group of folks trying desperately to dispose of this young man. After all, he was a man who perfectly shored up every lacking part in Kim Seok-Il's armor. With him gone, the Martial Assembly would've never been pushed to the back foot against the Yeongnam Group.

But now, that Lee Hyeon-Su was sitting right in front of Jo Nam-Pyeong's nose, relaxedly drinking coffee. This was why life could be so unpredictable. Amusing, even.

Jo Nam-Pyeong oh-so wanted to reach out and strangle Lee Hyeon-Su right now. A slender, weak-looking neck like that should be easy to snap in half if that was what Jo Nam-Pyeong wanted. However...!

'I can't do that, now can I? Because of life...'

Jo Nam-Pyeong could only chuckle at this irony. If he killed Lee Hyeon-Su now, his and Lee Jung-Geol's plan would go down the drain. Even if he disguised it as an accident or some kind of regrettable mistake... Would anyone be able to handle the aftermath?

After all, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't the type to let something like that go, now was he? Lee Hyeon-Su probably knew that, and that was how he could relaxedly sip coffee in Jo Nam-Pyeong's presence like this.

“What... What did you say?” Jo Nam-Pyeong suppressed his rage and asked.

“Mm? Was it hard to understand, Director Jo? I thought I made myself amply clear, though?”

Jo Nam-Pyeong wanted to trample on Lee Hyeon-Su's snarky, sneering face right now. Still, he held himself back and sucked in a deep, deep breath first. “I’m not in the mood to humor your nonsense, Lee Hyeon-Su. If you don't have any serious business here, leave.”

“Serious business, you say...? You can't be saying that because you really don't know, right? If you didn't hear me the first time, allow me to repeat myself. Join our side, please.”

“And I told you to leave!”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled unhurriedly, his expression remaining as detestable as ever. “Director, I advise you to carefully think it over.”

“You bastard!” Jo Nam-Pyeong roared and tried to get up.

However, Lee Hyeon-Su spoke up first. “Yes, you'd feel inclined to chase me out when I said you should betray the alliance of elders and directors and join our side. However...”

Suddenly, an unreadable light began flickering in Lee Hyeon-Su's eyes as he glared at Jo Nam-Pyeong.

“Do you think you can do the same when I tell you to abandon Lee Jung-Geol's mutiny and join the right side?”

Jo Nam-Pyeong was left speechless and dumbfounded. What was this bastard even saying? “What was that? Mutiny?”

“...Say what?!” Jo Nam-Pyeong's expression contorted hideously. What kind of bullsh*t negotiation terms were those?! Did Lee Hyeon-Su really mutter that as the options on the table? How?!

“You! You abominable devil!”

“I'm the devil? No, that's not true. I'm simply doing what's logical, Director Jo,” said Lee Hyeon-Su while mouthing a cigarette.

Click...

After using his lighter to ignite the cigarette tip, he furrowed his brow slightly and stared at the cigarette.

'I can't seem to quit this damn thing...'

Moments like this made quitting impossible for Lee Hyeon-Su. After all, the expression made by a man driven to a dead-end and must choose between losing his head or his arms was an unpleasant spectacle reserved only for situations like this.

“Remember that your side started this thing first. It's not like I egged you on or anything like that. Since time immemorial, anyone caught planning treason or mutiny saw everyone in their circle of acquaintances losing their heads. However, I'm not trying to go that far, now am I? It's only obvious that everyone involved should be losing their lives, but I'm trying to save as many as possible here. So, why would you reject this offer? You should be thanking me for it instead.”

Jo Nam-Pyeong couldn't help but chuckle loudly. He heard that a person would start laughing loudly when confronted by something truly flabbergast-inducing. And it seemed this situation fit the bill. “You better stop running your cheap mouth, boy! Now that things are like this, I will be tempted to stop worrying about the consequences! Do you understand me? Ripping your head off now is easier than taking candy from a kid for me!”

“Yes, I'm sure that's the case. That's why I've created a list of names of people involved and left it behind before coming here. And I also made sure to add the names of people I've never been a fan of on that list. Once you see whose names are on it... You'll be genuinely impressed by it.”

“You...! You f*cking son of a...!”

If glares could kill...! Lee Hyeon-Su would've been ripped to shreds by now. How regrettable, then, that Jo Nam-Pyeong's glare wasn't sharp enough to kill anyone.

“It's not wise to drag this on and waste my time,” said Lee Hyeon-Su with a cold, uncaring face as he tapped his cigarette on the nearby ashtray. “Now, decide, Director Jo. Cooperate with us or watch everyone you know get killed.”

“...How many will you spare, then?”

“Anyone who surrenders and doesn't resist.”

“...Including Assembly Master Lee?”

“You must be joking,” Lee Hyeon-Su muttered in dismay. “Please be reasonable about this. Obviously that man's not included.”

“...”

“Director Jo. I don't have all the time in the world. And someone like you must've finished calculating the pros and cons by now, too. So, let's not waste each other's time. You already know what to do, anyway. Regardless of which option you choose, Lee Jung-Geol will still die. In that case, the wise choice is picking the option where more people could be saved.”

Director Jo clamped his mouth shut and said nothing. But he already knew. He knew that he never had a choice, to begin with! His expression distorted even more, and he slammed his fists down on the table. “If... If only we had a little more time! Just a little more, and we could have...!”

All he could do now was let out all the frustration and anger accumulating inside him.

“No, Director Jo. That's not true,” said Lee Hyeon-Su as if he couldn't care less about Jo Nam-Pyeong's feelings. “You never stood a chance at victory when you decided to oppose Mister Jin-Ho. All you did was build a nice-looking sand castle, nothing more.”

“You...! You know nothing, you bastard!”

“Also incorrect. I know everything there is to know.”

“Shut up! Shut up, you bastard! You don't know anything! You don't know how hard we worked to build the Assembly to what it is now and lead it! We... We nurtured this garden with our blood and sweat when everything around us was in ruins! But you...! You who didn't do anything to build this garden want to swoop in now and pick all the fruits clean?! While not even feeling remotely sorry for doing it?!”

Lee Hyeon-Su groaned loudly. “Director Jo...”

“...?”

“It seems you're still deeply mistaken about something here. Let me clarify it for you. In this world, the strong prey on the weak. Whatever fruits you're talking about, they belong to the strong.” Lee Hyeon-Su mercilessly drove in the final nails. “You and your pals lost what you think is yours because... You're all weak.”

That was a cruel and uncaring declaration to listen to.