Chapter 1129. Approaching (4)

Time continued to tick by without too many incidents.

The air seemed to grow a bit chilly, only for the season of cold winds and freezing noses to arrive suddenly.

As for the Martial Assembly, it continued to surge forward like a river.

A river that looked the same on the surface, but the water within constantly flowed forward and changed—just like such a river, the Assembly remained the same on the outside, but things were continually changing internally.

For the first time in a while, a lot of people had gathered in the conference room.

The attendees were made up mostly of familiar faces, but one new person had been added to the roster. Yi Myeong-Hwan, who hadn't been allowed to attend until now, had finally joined this executive-level meeting.

During his drive to reorganize the Martial Assembly’s chain of command, Lee Hyeon-Su began handing out positions to regular martial artists.

In the past, positions like the head of a department or a section chief were the exclusive domain of administrative departments. Unless one rose up to the position of a director, most martial artists didn’t get assigned any positions within the organization.

The “best” they could hope for was the title of a team leader, and once they got such a role, the higher-ups would tell them to “take care” of the situation on their own.

Obviously, doing things that way wouldn’t be conducive to creating a well-oiled organization with a functioning chain of command.

If the hierarchy tacitly agreed upon by the parties involved did not align with the one the Martial Assembly wanted to establish, troubles were bound to follow. Hence the need to set the hierarchy properly before things got too out of hand!

Although there had been a lot of unhappy voices coming from several corners of the organization, Lee Hyeon-Su forcibly went ahead with his plan anyway and eventually got what he wanted.

One of the things that happened as a result was Yi Myeong-Hwan ending up in the position of department head. Considering his age, this role might be seen as “too good” for him, but he had been unofficially leading Kang Jin-Ho's personal troops since the beginning. Obviously, he and his group couldn't be treated as another “regular” combat force of the Assembly.

One should receive the fitting treatment depending on their importance in the organization.

By becoming the department head, Yi Myeong-Hwan’s role as the leader of the Demon Flames had become officially recognized.

Vator smirked. “

Hah

. To think I'd see you attending one of these meetings! It seems my time to retire is fast approaching!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan sheepishly laughed. “

Hahaha

... Well, sir, the incoming wave is supposed to push out the previous wave, you know.”

“Say what? Push out? In that case, you wanna know what it feels like to push at the floor with your face?”

“...Forgive me for my slip of the tongue, sir.”

Of course, getting a nice-sounding position didn’t mean Yi Myeong-Hwan’s status had been elevated. For that to happen, he was too weak, and the directors were far too strong.

Kang Jin-Ho fake-coughed briefly, prompting Lee Hyeon-Ju to smartly get up and start the meeting off.

“I’ll start my report, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “

Mm

!”

“I’ve only prepared a brief report containing important topics. The first item on the agenda is related to our ongoing effort to become a legalized company. All preparations will be finished before the end of the week, and by next week, we should be up and running as a real company.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow ever so slightly.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The biggest hurdle in setting up this company had been, rather surprisingly, finding a good name for it.

Most corporations started off small, before gradually expanding themselves over time. And they would change their names and redesign their logos as a way to re-establish their brand identities.

However, that wasn't the case for the company the Martial Assembly had set up. It would boast the financial muscle and a level of influence surpassing most medium-sized corporations from the get-go. As such, finding a suitable name required a much more thorough self-examination and soul-searching. That should be the case, but...!

“Assembly Master! Are we really going with ‘MK’ for the company’s name?”

When that complaint was raised, it was swiftly followed by more grumbles of pure discontent!

“It’s the worst, though?”

“...Yes, it’s completely uncouth.”

The chorus of boos didn’t want to let up!

Bang Jin-Hun frowned slightly in displeasure. “Sir! Our company will be Korean, so why is its name an abbreviation of English words?! Why couldn't we have gone with a Korean word?”

Lee Hyeon-Su interjected on Kang Jin-Ho’s behalf. “We couldn’t go with Martial Arts Korea, you know.”

“Then, why not go with

Hanmu

! Hanmu!”[1]

Lee Hyeon-Su’s jaw fell slightly. “You... are joking, right? Sir?”

Bang Jin-Hun yelled again. “If you don’t like that, how about

Myeong-Gwang

!”[2]

“Please, have mercy...” Lee Hyeon-Su groaned while pulling at his hair.

Bang Jin-Hun should be lauded for his love of the Korean language. However, knowing Hangul wasn’t some wacky, senseless comedy language, how could he keep picking such wacky names?

Did he genuinely think Hanmu was a good name!

‘Holy cow! Really now!’

Unsurprisingly, sharp criticisms began zeroing in on Bang Jin-Hun.

Vator gruffly shouted, “Oii! Don’t go around naming stuff ever again!”

Chang Min grunted, clearly unimpressed. “Good thing he’s childless! What a horrifying prospect it is, a man with such a poor naming sense trying to name his kids! We might have greeted a kid called Bang Han-Mu or Bang Myeong-Gwang!”

Kang Jin-Ho chimed in, albeit unnecessarily. “At least it’s not Bang Gwang.”[3]

Bang Jin-Hun’s face reddened considerably. “What the heck! Why don’t you people come up with a name, then! Even a moron can make fun of other people’s opinions, you know! Besides! These names make sense in their own right!”

“Yes, they sure do, don’t they...”

“

Aha

. So, that’s what is seen as ‘sense’ around these parts,” Wiggins muttered quietly.

Vator gruffly muttered to express further displeasure, this time at the selected name for the company. “Since ancient times, an organization’s name must contain the identity of said organization. However, in that regard, the new name is a bit...”

Lee Hyeon-Su replied in dismay. “But, sir! We’re the Korean Martial Assembly! We are a Korea-based organization of martial artists, so isn’t that name identifiable enough?”

“Can’t we rejig the name somehow to give off the feeling of a secret organization? Or a place filled with cultivators? You hear the name of the Triads or the Dark Association, and you immediately feel how impressive and scary they are! So, why can’t we do that!”

“Sir, we’re trying to run a corporation here, not some shadowy underworld organization!”

“I heard that the Japanese operate groups like the Seven Stars and such, so why can’t we!”[4]

Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly held his head as if a powerful dizzy spell had gotten a hold of him.

It became clear to him by this point. These folks simply had no idea what launching a corporation even meant!

They weren’t trying to open a Seoul branch of the Korean Martial Assembly here, so why were they acting this way?

Unfortunately for Lee Hyeon-Su, someone else in this meeting venue proved he was even more insane than Vator.

“That name does not tell us this corporation belongs to the demon emperor! So, how about the Jinho Group? Or the JH Group for short?”

“What?! Hang on a sec...!” Lee Hyeon-Su was about to say something, but sudden support artillery fire abruptly stopped him in his tracks.

Vator contemplatively nodded. “Hey, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

Even Bang Jin-Hun chimed in. “I agree. JH is better than MK, at least. I mean, MK sounds like the name of a TV show specializing in old-timer music or something, you know?”

“...!” Lee Hyeon-Su flinched a little at that observation. He couldn’t immediately think of something to say, so he sneakily glanced at Kang Jin-Ho and begged for help. “S-sir! What do you think?”

Kang Jin-Ho looked a little stupefied. “I, uh, thought Hanmu sounded okay, though...?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Today had to be the first time since Kang Jin-Ho joined the Martial Assembly that people stared at him with such open contempt. Even he got cowered by the intensity in those gazes and sank a little deeper into his couch.

“You heard him! Even the Assembly Master has approved it!”

Of course, Bang Jin-Hun wasn’t one of the people shooting gazes of contempt.

Wiggins tutted. “From this moment on, let's agree to exclude my lord and Mister Bang from the task of naming this corporation.”

Lee Hyeon-Su and Vator immediately nodded in agreement.

“Agreed, master.”

“That’s a good idea, Wiggins.”

Kang Jin-Ho might lack the naming sense, but he certainly possessed some discernment to read the room. So, he obediently clamped his mouth shut. He was humble enough to admit that he genuinely sucked in things like this.

Lee Hyeon-Su grimaced. “Then, are we really going with JH instead...?”

That was when Kang Jin-Ho raised his voice. “No. I will never allow it to be called Jinho. And JH is no better.”

The mere thought of it gave him goosebumps of dread. To think these people wanted to slap his name on the corporation's logo! It couldn't get any worse than that.

Chang Min heartily cried out, “But, my liege! This is a heaven-sent opportunity to reveal the true majesty of the demon emperor to the wider world...”

“Shh!”

“Yessir!” Chang Min obediently shrunk back.

Kang Jin-Ho scanned everyone in the room, his eyes set ablaze from his determination. “I don't care if it fits or is majestic or whatever. I will never allow it to be called Jinho or JH!”

Everyone in the room hurriedly clamped their mouths shut at Kang Jin-Ho’s fierce aura.

Of course, it wasn't as if they couldn't understand why Kang Jin-Ho loathed those names so much.

Lee Hyeon-Ju sighed deeply. “Even if we register with this name, it's not impossible to change it at a later stage. Of course, the process will be cumbersome but still doable. You can always hold another meeting to hash out a name everyone can agree on and let me know later. Once we get everyone's opinion, we'll change the name to something else.”

While saying that, Lee Hyeon-Ju tutted inwardly. Because she knew the name ‘MK’ would never change!

These people would energetically pour out all sorts of insults and criticisms when given half a chance, but when asked to create those chances? They would cite their laziness and don’t even bother to lift a single finger!

‘What a bunch of freeloaders!’

Lee Hyeon-Ju had to work extra hard to suppress her real thoughts from jumping out of her mouth, then resumed her briefing. “Then, we’ll gloss over this topic for the time being. We’ll hold another meeting later.”

Later, as in

very much

later! Probably two decades from now!

“If there are no objections, I’d like to continue.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “

Mm

.”

After listening to brief reports of what had gone down so far from Lee Hyeon-Ju, Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the man tasked with mediating and guiding the meeting, Lee Hyeon-Su. “What’s happening with the newbie training in Jaegyeong?”

“The first group will graduate from the program tomorrow.”

“I see. What about their grades, though?”

“I haven’t evaluated them personally yet so I can’t say for sure, but according to Chief Jo’s evaluation, our people seemed to have scored excellent grades, sir. He even said that it’s safe to call their grades the best ever in Jaegyeong’s history of training newbies.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled bitterly. “However, I believe it's unwise to take that praise at face value. After all, our people aren't exactly newbies. Even if they seem like a group of random riff-raff, they still have some experience handling administrative work. Compared to rookies who literally have no real clue about what they are supposed to be doing, it's a given that our people will score good grades.”

“...Really now?”

“Unfortunately, no, sir. That’s the ideal version of the situation, of course.”

That was what common sense said, but the Assembly’s office workers were horrifyingly inept at their jobs. Considering that crucial point, this outcome seemed rather encouraging.

“Regardless of what the actual truth is, our people getting good grades is an encouraging sign, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “I see.”

“However, some people did drop out in the end, sir. It sounds like they had become too ingrained with how they used to do things in the Assembly and failed to keep up with the program.”

“How bad is it?”

“From what I heard, around one out of ten failed to finish the program.”

“Hmm...?” Kang Jin-Ho rested his chin on his fist.

There wasn’t much he or anyone could do about this outcome. Even though those people handled the Assembly’s administrative duties, they weren’t doing it because they liked the job or the nature of the work suited their dispositions.

Even people who willingly joined a company would resign if they couldn't acclimatize to the corporate culture or the duties they handled.

Unlike those people, though, these Assembly workers were forced into administrative duties. This wasn't what they wanted to do in the first place. Considering that, only ten percent dropping out sounded like a major achievement to Kang Jin-Ho's ears.

Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked, “What will we do about them?”

“...Even for their sakes, we must find and recommend other types of work, sir. Everyone around them is adapting to the new system and surging forward, so the thought of only them falling behind will be psychologically difficult to handle for them. At worst, they might become malignant tumors of the Assembly.”

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded.

Something like this happened often to those trained in martial arts.

The one factor people should look out for the most when a large group trained together was those who gave up on improving their strength.

These people had come face-to-face with their limitations and stopped devoting their entire being to improving their martial arts. The problem with them was that they always inevitably influenced their surroundings negatively.

Whether it was because they felt hard done by being forced to drop out and wanted to prove how unfair it was, or maybe it was human nature at work, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't tell, but...

But those who gave up on improving themselves always displayed tendencies of dragging everyone around them down to their levels.

...All the while belittling and mocking other people and their efforts, no less!

“Lee Hyeon-Su, when will the second round of newbie training start?”

“It’ll start next week, sir. And we’ve already finished selecting those who will attend.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Got it. Get the dropouts from the first round to attend, too.”

“Sir?”

“It won’t be a bad idea to give them a second chance.”

Kang Jin-Ho had no desire to drag along those who lacked the will or desire. However, he believed those who had the will and the necessary desire but lacked the talent should be given another chance to prove themselves.

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “I understand your intentions, sir. I’ll proceed as you say.”

“

Mm

...!”

“Our plan is to manage MK with the people who graduated from the first round of the program as the core administrative workers. Of course, most of their work will be performed within the Assembly, like how it's always been done. I believe there shouldn't be many issues from this arrangement.”

“I see. What about the politicians?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled brightly. “Things on that side are going well, sir. I heard that the Prime Minister has received our proposals rather positively.”

“Hmm...”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly scratched his cheek.

‘More bothersome matters to deal with, then.’

Kang Jin-Ho genuinely didn’t want to get involved with politics. And he was being serious about it. He certainly did not have any ambitions to shake up this country’s political scene through his power. And he certainly didn’t want anything from the politicians, either.

The best outcome, as far as he was concerned, would be both sides agreeing to stay out of each other’s way.

Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho and the Assembly's growing influence into various sectors meant getting involved with the politicians was a foregone conclusion.

“Then, continue as planned,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Understood, sir!”

The end of this long and arduous path to legalize the Assembly’s business interests was finally in sight.

“Then...” Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Wiggins next. “I think now is the time to discuss the sensitive topics.”

The atmosphere in the conference room subtly grew tenser just then.

1. Hanmu (한무/韓武) can be literally translated as Korea Martial (art). Hanmu is also the name of a popular Korean comedian. However, the real joke here is that the breed of the black telescope goldfish is also called... yes, you guessed it, hanmu. ☜

2. Myeong-Gwang (명광/明光) can be literally translated as bright light. It actually means “glory so brilliant that it shines”. ☜

3. Banggwang (방광) is a Korean word for “bladder”. ☜

4. “Seven Stars” or Chilsung (칠성) forms one-half of a well-known Japanese-Korean company, Lotte Chilsung. ☜