NOVPUB
Chapter 1054. Getting Ready (4)
“Why?”
“...”
“Why can’t you do this?”
“...”
The person asking the pointed question, Kang Jin-Ho, tilted his head in confusion.
Unfortunately for Bae Jae-Min, though, his mind was crumbling apart rapidly at this very moment. And its crumbling rate seemed to eerily match the angle of Kang Jin-Ho's tilting head!
This situation began when Kang Jin-Ho suddenly barged into the classroom and declared that he'd personally “teach” those who got poor grades for the day.
On the surface, that sounded like an honor some people might kill for.
Kang Jin-Ho was the head of the Korean Martial Assembly, a position respected and feared by every martial artist affiliated with the organization.
Kang Jin-Ho himself didn't seem fully aware of it, but the authority the Assembly Master wielded within the organization was indescribable and absolute.
That was partly because Lee Jung-Geol, the former Assembly Master, had deliberately strengthened the Assembly Master's authority over the years to secure his own grip on power. Crucially, though, most people agreed that the person holding the Assembly Master's position was South Korea's strongest martial artist.
The authority of the Assembly Master’s position was already absolute, but with Kang Jin-Ho now occupying it, its prestige had soared to reach previously unimaginable heights.
So, to think someone like that would personally evaluate the grades of some no-name administrative office workers, then even go out of his way to teach them! What a monumental occasion this was.
If Bae Jae-Min had been an emotional man, he would've already shed tears of gratitude. But...
“Okay, so why can’t you?” Kang Jin-Ho pointedly asked again.
And that question reminded Bae Jae-Min that this situation was not exactly the same as what his imagination had led him to believe!
Bae Jae-Min sheepishly replied, “S-sir. I was trying my best, but...”
“But?”
“...Maybe it’s because I’m stupid, but I just can’t understand it, sir.”
“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow as if the one who couldn't understand it was him, not Bae Jae-Min. However, he suddenly smiled brightly. “If that's the case, it can't be helped, no?”
“Y-yes, sir. I swear to try my best tomorrow, and...”
“Nope.”
“Sorry?”
“You'll forget it by tomorrow. Again. Whether it's martial arts or some other stuff, you must ingrain it properly into your body when you get the chance.”
Bae Jae-Min’s fingertips faintly trembled in dread. “C-could it be...?”
Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “Yup. Additional classes for you. That side. Off you go.”
“...”
Bae Jae-Min turned his head to stare at a wall Kang Jin-Ho was pointing at. The trainees from the Assembly were leaning against that wall, their expression one of dejection and their eyes filled with bitter hollowness. Then again, they were told not to leave but to stay put, despite the classes for the day having ended already! How could they not be dejected right now in that case!
Unfortunately, Bae Jae-Min was about to join their ranks and have the same dead look in his eyes.
‘What time is it?’
Bae Jae-Min reflexively searched for a clock nearby. And it said eleven PM.
As far as time went, that seemed a pretty good time to go home and get some much-needed rest. On a normal day, Bae Jae-Min would be at home with a can of cold beer in one hand and a TV remote in the other to catch a movie before going to bed.
Unfortunately for him, though... It seemed that tonight, he wouldn't be permitted that small pleasure in life.
“Excuse me, sir? Assembly Master?”
Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow at Bae Jae-Min. “Yeah?” 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
“I was wondering about something, and... If we start another class now, how long do you think that will last, sir?”
“Hmm? Maybe about two hours, tops?”
“Oh, I see. Two hours, is it...? Two hours...”
Even if they started the class right now, Bae Jae-Min and Co. would only get to go home past one in the morning. Considering the drive home should take around one hour... It'd be past two by the time he reached his front gate. And by the time he climbed into his bed, it'd be nearly three o'clock.
...And then, he would have to wake up before seven in the morning!
‘Wow. Looks like I’ll get to sleep for four hours!’
Bae Jae-Min nearly started clapping away just then. How considerate was Kang Jin-Ho being here? So considerate that Bae Jae-Min almost began gritting his teeth out of gratitude!
“A-Assembly Master! Will you be alright, sir? Won’t you be going home too late as well?”
“Mm? Are you worried about me?”
“Yes, sir! We’ll be fine either way, but sir! You have to deal with plenty of things at work, don’t you? We feel genuinely remorseful that our stupidity is robbing you of your valuable time.”
“...?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion.
That was when Bae Jae-Min landed one more decisive blow. “I’m not saying all this to avoid the late-night studying session, sir. No, I’m genuinely worried about you. Unlike us, you have a lot on your plate, don’t you? If you’re not happy with our grades, allow us to self-study at home. We’ll definitely memorize everything by tomorrow morning!”
Bae Jae-Min quickly looked behind him. That prompted the ones who were not permitted to leave to passionately and ardently shout at the top of their lungs.
“He’s right, sir!”
“We’ll definitely memorize everything! No matter what it takes!”
“We can’t afford to waste your valuable time, sir!”
Kang Jin-Ho smiled at the passionate response from his subordinates. “Hmm...”
His expression seemed to say he was impressed by their dedication.
“I see. I understand what you’re trying to say.”
Bae Jae-Min cautiously asked back. “T-then, can we...?”
“However!"
“...”
Bae Jae-Min had a feeling he shouldn’t listen to the rest of that sentence for his own mental well-being. Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho was too considerate not to leave his audience hanging.
“A close acquaintance told me this recently,” said Kang Jin-Ho.
“S-sir?”
“He told me to treat my subordinates like my family.”
“...”
Kang Jin-Ho became somber while looking into the distance. “A real family wouldn't just leave a child failing at school to their own devices and do nothing to assist their studying. Especially when that child still hasn't given up on studying! Since they are motivated to do better, I should also commit myself and do my best to teach them. That’s what family is supposed to do!”
What a heartwarming declaration that was. Unfortunately, those who witnessed this supposedly touching moment did not feel touched at all!
‘Which stupid motherf*cker said that?! Who ran his f*cking mouth to our Assembly Master?!’
‘You can't just give sage advice to every person you run into! Don't you know you gotta be careful who you talk to?!’
‘Imma find that fool and make the sucker pay!’
Obviously, this mystery person must've said that advice with a good intention. The problem was with Kang Jin-Ho, of course. Since he didn't know what 'Doing things in moderation' meant, after all!
Everyone knew that clean water was good. But no fish could live in water that was too clean! And Kang Jin-Ho was the type of person who would empty out an aquarium and refill it with water from a purifier if someone he trusted said fish preferred to live in clean water!
Bae Jae-Min faltered. “B-but, sir. You are a busy person and...”
“I can’t ignore my family’s plight just because I’m busy,” said Kang Jin-Ho in a firm voice. “That advice forced me to reflect a lot about myself. A family wouldn't just create an environment for its members to work hard and stop caring about them afterward. So, I'm planning to follow through with that advice and treat my subordinates as my family from now on!”
‘No! Don’t follow through!’
‘Why am I your family member?! Why!’
‘Please don’t mix business with personal things, sir! Please don’t! I don’t wanna be your family!’
‘Nowadays, people won’t even send job applications to a company that calls its employees family, sir! It’s not the 80s anymore!’
The trainees had oh-so-many things they wanted to get off their chest. But who would be courageous enough to say them out loud in Kang Jin-Ho’s presence?
...Especially when he wasn't thinking of going home after telling these poor people to stay! Indeed, he said he'd also stay behind and personally teach them, didn't he?!
If any of these trainees dared to say, “No thanks, sir. I’m good,” forget Kang Jin-Ho, they would have to deal with Lee Hyeon-Su and the rest of the directors charging at them like enraged bulls! They would accuse the trainees of being too full of themselves and... Do something unmentionable to the training program and totally flip it on its head!
“Next,” said Kang Jin-Ho while glancing at his next victim.
Bae Jae-Min staggered toward the wall of shame.
‘It’s not like we’re high schoolers, so why...’
‘Learning new things is great, but is it really necessary to go this far?’
Just as everyone here began wallowing in despair, the exit suddenly flew open, and Jo Gyu-Min urgently stepped inside.
“...!” Jo Gyu-Min only needed one quick scan of the carnage in the classroom to figure out the situation. With his cheeks twitching weirdly, he hurriedly walked up to Kang Jin-Ho. “E-excuse me, Mister Jin-Ho?”
“Oh, Chief Jo. Good to see you.”
“May I ask what you were doing just now...?”
“Oh, this?” Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched his head. “It’ll take too long to explain, but... Simply put, I’m going to teach these underachieving trainees and help them prepare for the next part of the program.”
“Huh? You’re gonna teach them? When you’re a trainee yourself?”
Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Mm? What’s the matter? Is it not allowed?”
“N-no, it’s not like that, but...”
Jo Gyu-Min was obviously well aware of Kang Jin-Ho's capabilities.
Even if Kang Jin-Ho was clueless about a particular subject or a profession, a few days of intense studying should be enough to turn him into a quasi-professional. Someone like that shouldn't have any issues teaching a group of morons who couldn't even use the word processor properly.
Even if that was true...!
“Mister Jin-Ho, please look at the time! It’s already past eleven.”
“Yes, I can see that. However, whether it’s day or night doesn’t matter in the pursuit of improving yourself.”
“This is against the labor laws, you know?”
Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “That's fine. I've never been much of a law-abiding citizen until now, anyway.”
“...!”
Jo Gyu-Min's brain kicked into a higher gear and began spinning like crazy.
Although he came up with the labor law thing on the spot, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't being paid to do this by Jaegyeong or anything like that. In other words, labor inspectors couldn't just break a wall, poke their heads through the hole, and say, “Are you sure about that?”
Besides, the real tricky part was that Kang Jin-Ho was also a trainee. Jaegyeong's instructors weren't forcibly teaching them, but more like the Assembly's trainees had 'volunteered' to stay and study. In that case, what could anyone possibly do here to stop Kang Jin-Ho's rampage?
‘That doesn’t mean I should just sit back and do nothing, though...!’
Jo Gyu-Min sneaked a glance at the trainees standing by the wall of shame. Even though they had never met in person until today, those folks were all staring back at Jo Gyu-Min with eyes belonging to abandoned puppies drenched in the rain!
Looking into those sorrowful eyes was enough to awaken the sense of duty in Jo Gyu-Min’s heart.
“F-for now, this is, hmm... Ah, that’s right! Humans need adequate rest, Mister Jin-Ho! Only then can they focus on studying again!”
“Yes, that’s true,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded.
“That’s why you should...!”
“It's fine, Chief Jo. They are getting plenty of rest. Remember, the effectiveness of resting for these folks isn't the same as that of the regular people. Their level of stamina is on another realm, after all.”
“Urgh...” Jo Gyu-Min was at a loss for words again. He reflexively glanced at the victims one more time, and...
...And the rain-drenched puppies were whining pitifully at him!
‘Please don’t give up, mister!’
‘Please! Pleeeeease!’
‘I wanna go home for the day! Please, let me leave!’
In any other situation, Jo Gyu-Min would've turned a blind eye. Heck, he might even have gleefully applauded at the sight of Kang Jin-Ho beating up these people... had the beating itself looked rather cool and epic. Jo Gyu-Min was no saint, after all!
However, this situation was not like that! Definitely not! He could ignore every other situation, but not this one!
The reason for that was simple enough. Jo Gyu-Min was also one of the most pitiful victims of this no-life-outside-work culture, now wasn’t he!
Those who had never experienced the sorrow of watching your home a mere twenty minutes' drive away turning into the furthest place away from you would never understand how painful it was.
Jo Gyu-Min tightly clenched his fists. “Yes, I’m sure their stamina is extraordinary. However, Mister Jin-Ho...! You’re only looking at the trees, not the whole forest!”
“I’m sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.
“Even the international-level pro athletes who boast higher stamina levels than average people are still allowed to sleep at least for the minimum recommended hours. Stamina is one thing, but not getting enough sleep will negatively impact the learner's stress level.”
“Mm...”
“Instructors at the Korean National Training Center are notorious for starting their training program from early dawn. However! They still make sure that the athletes don't train deep into the night, Mister Jin-Ho. When you're supposed to do something, give it 110% of yourself! Isn't that what matters the most?”
Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly as if a new dilemma had wormed its way into his heart.
The trainees noticed that and stared at Jo Gyu-Min next, their faces filled with hope and bubbling excitement. They seemed ready to give Jo Gyu-Min a standing ovation if they could!
“Mister Jin-Ho, let's not forget this is not athletics but studying. You can study all you want with a sleepy, unfocused head, but nothing is gonna get done in that case! Don't you think it's better to give these fellas enough time to rest their minds while we prepare a more efficient learning program?”
“Mmm...?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head, still seemingly not convinced yet. “Don’t you think this is so weird? My grades improved even though I slept only three hours while studying, so why?”
Jo Gyu-Min nearly blurted out, That’s because it’s you! Not everyone’s like you! Only you can pull something like that off!
“In any case! Doing things like this is not the right way, Mister Jin-Ho. Working out a more foolproof battle plan with me instead should be a better use of your time.”
“Hmm...?” Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin in deliberation.
That was when Jo Gyu-Min decided to play the final ace up his sleeve. “If you still can’t decide... How about you ask them?”
“Sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.
“You said you’d treat your subordinates like your family, didn’t you? It’s not a one-way traffic in a family, Mister Jin-Ho. People ask each other for their opinions. And, and! Wouldn’t you say that the role of a caring family is to help its members learn how to think for themselves and study on their own? Remember that you also studied on your own, Mister Jin-Ho! Your family only helped you out from the background.”
“Mm, that's true...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded. It seemed he agreed with Jo Gyu-Min's point. But then, he suddenly glanced at the trainees by the wall and casually asked, “Anyone want to go home?”
“...”
“I said, who wants to go home without studying?”
“...”
Everyone here except Kang Jin-Ho inwardly cried out, How the hell are we supposed to answer you when you’re asking us like that?!
Kang Jin-Ho cocked his head a little. “Maybe you are misunderstanding something here. Don't feel pressured, okay? You can be honest with me. If you’d rather go home and sleep instead of staying here and studying with me... You are free to leave.”
Kang Jin-Ho's voice sounded calm. Nay, even warm! It had zero negative emotions contained within. Unfortunately, it was the fate of the underlings to hear such warm words and interpret them as something else that was definitely not warm and calm!
Bae Jae-Min had to hold back his manly tears threatening to trickle down his face and replied in a painful voice. “...We’ll stay and study, sir.”
“We... don’t need sleep, sir.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll do our best.”
“...” Kang Jin-Ho made a weird face while glancing back at Jo Gyu-Min. “So? You heard them.”
“...”
They sure looked like a real family just then. It was just that the “family” in question seemed a little too mafia-like for everyone’s liking!
