Chapter 1385. Unfolding (5)

“Be careful on your way home, sir!”

“Should we drive you home ourselves, sir?”

“Hmm, are you even fit to drive a car, my lord?”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply.

It was wonderful to have people who cared about him and wanted to do things for him. If Kang Jin-Ho was being honest, he wouldn’t have minded having such people in his life back in Zhongyuan, too.

However, one should not forget that Kang Jin-Ho was not some irresponsible three-year-old kid! He merely wanted to drive himself back home, so were all these reactions truly necessary?

“Stop raising a fuss, all of you.”

“But my lord, you are still injured!”

“My liege! We’re not raising a fuss! Your sacred body has been wounded! As such, allow me to accompany you home!”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow while staring at Chang Min. “You will what?”

“You can trust me, my liege!”

“Can you even drive?”

“Of course! I’m very good at driving!”

“...”

This was the moment when Kang Jin-Ho had an epiphany. On why his friends always refused a ride in his car, that was!

Ah, so this is what it feels like.

Rather than entrusting his fate to Chang Min’s unproven driving skill, Kang Jin-Ho might as well get into a crash on his own first! Even if the odds of him dying in a car crash were nearly non-existent!

“...Forget it. I’ll drive myself home.”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply, then headed to his favorite ride. Even though it had been a while, his sleek supercar had nary a layer of dust on it. Someone from the Assembly must’ve taken care of it in his absence.

They can be needlessly attentive in stuff like this.

Kang Jin-Ho smirked while climbing into the car.

Lee Hyeon-Su leaned closer and worriedly asked, “Are you really going to be okay, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned somberly. “Why? Do you think there might be a problem?”

“If I’m being honest, I just don’t want you to be alone, sir. You will be safe within the Assembly, but who knows what might happen once you’re in public space?”

“I thought this war was as good as over?”

“Well, even if the war is over, those who can’t give up yet might still try a suicidal attack, sir. Such a thing happens all the time, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled wryly. “It seems everyone has turned into worrywarts.”

“Sir, it’s not just a needless worry, but...”

“I’ll be fine. Our enemies can’t be that stupid, after all.”

No one would be stupid enough to use a pocket knife to cut down a tree that axes couldn’t even damage. It wasn’t as if Kang Jin-Ho didn’t understand Lee Hyeon-Su and others’ sentiments, but the way he saw it, staying here might not be the best idea, either.

“I might not be commuting to the Assembly for a foreseeable future,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t try to attack me in the ways you’re thinking of.”

The expressions of Lee Hyeon-Su and Wiggins stiffened almost simultaneously.

“I see. That... makes sense.”

“We’ll strengthen the security detail around your acquaintances, my lord.”

“

Mm

...”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded.

If he had been in Kim Myeong-Chan’s shoes, he would have tried everything in his power to capture the enemy’s family members. Of course, they would be captured alive, with not a hair on them harmed or out of place. And he’d attempt to negotiate, using the captured family members as leverage. Or hostages.

Of course, Kang Jin-Ho would never let such a situation go unpunished, but Kim Myeong-Chan could resort to this method if he thought he had been driven to a dead-end.

To prevent such a situation from becoming a reality, Kang Jin-Ho must return home.

“Okay, I’m off.”

“Be careful on your way, my lord!”

“Drive carefully, sir!”

Rumble, vrooooom!

Kang Jin-Ho’s car rapidly drove out of the Assembly’s grounds. The directors watching the car drive away sighed under their breaths.

“Well, that’s one hurdle taken care of,” said Bang Jin-Hun while scratching his head. “But doesn’t it feel like things are stuck in limbo with Kim Myeong-Chan nowhere to be found? We gotta find that bastard and make him pay ASAP.”

“Indeed, but that’s how things work out sometimes,” Wiggins replied, a wry smirk etched on his face.

At least Kang Jin-Ho seemed to be calm about this whole situation, which was an encouraging sign from Wiggins’ perspective.

Considering Kang Jin-Ho’s personality, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to head to the Prime Minister’s official residence to kill Kim Myeong-Chan right after arriving in South Korea. As a matter of fact, the odds of that happening should have been sky high.

Wiggins had been racking his brain on how to rescue Kang Jin-Ho, and how to calm Kang Jin-Ho down after the rescue itself, didn’t he? But to his surprise, Kang Jin-Ho proved

very

composed.

Of course, Wiggins couldn’t tell if Kang Jin-Ho really was calm or if his rage had reached such extreme heights that his mind had gotten incomparably colder than usual, instead. Still, he should thank the heavens for the situation not spiraling further out of control.

Wiggins chuckled again. “Mister Bang, I get your frustration. I do.”

“

Eh

? What’s gotten into you, Mister Wiggins? Suddenly being nice to me instead of biting my head off?”

“I’m also frustrated, you see?”

“...”

Wiggins bared his fangs in a smirk. “However, we shouldn’t feel down about this. Remember that we’re not letting this go. No, we’re simply biding our time. I, too, have no desire to close the book on this case. Yes... I won’t let a single soul related to this matter escape with their lives intact!”

Bang Jin-Hun grimaced and backed off a little. “Let me ask you again, what’s gotten into you, Mister Wiggins? You’re starting to scare me a little, you know that?”

“It’s just that I agree with Elder Chang’s assertion, that is all. If I don’t stop some bastard from discarding his cigarette butt in my yard, he will eventually chuck rocks and even rubbish into my home. To prevent that eventuality, I must kick the head of the bastard in as soon as he dares to drop his cigarette butt.”

Bang Jin-Hun furrowed his brow. “Is that your way of telling me to quit smoking?”

“...Forget I said anything.”

Wiggins tutted loudly, then turned around to head back inside the Assembly HQ.

Lee Hyeon-Su sidled up to him and said, “Once Chang Piljae wakes up, we’ll try to extract information from the NIS.”

“I wonder, doesn’t the Assembly have any connections in the NIS?”

“Well, that part of the government has been notoriously difficult to approach until now, so...”

“I see. Let’s use the politicians in our pockets, too. I’m sure someone like the Minister of Finance and Economy can get us what we need.”

“Understood.”

Wiggins subtly chewed on his lips.

I swear, you won’t get away from us!

The enemy must be punished, without a doubt! So that others wouldn’t even dream of targeting the Martial Assembly ever again!

***

“I’m home!”

“Jin-Ho!”

When Kang Jin-Ho stepped in through the front entrance of the Kang residence, his mother, Baek Hyeon-Jeong, welcomed him back with a bright smile on her face.

“You’re finally back, son!”

She spread her arms wide. Kang Jin-Ho grinned softly while taking his shoes off, then walked up to his mother. This was what having a family was like, wasn’t it?

Slaaaaaap!

“

Ouch

?!”

Kang Jin-Ho freaked out at his mother’s palm slapping his back and hurriedly retreated.

His loving, caring mother was nowhere to be found, and in her place was an enraged warrioress out for blood!

“Are you freaking out of your mind, son?!”

“...”

“You don’t call us once after reaching China?! And you dare not answer our calls either?! Worse still, you don’t come home when you’re supposed to! Have you really lost your mind, son?! Is that it?!”

“T-that’s because some unexpected things happened...”

“Is that why you didn’t even bother to call us?”

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong scanned her son from top to bottom, then sighed deeply.

“Nothing bad happened to you while you were over there, right?”

“Yes, mother.”

“If it hadn’t been for your company calling us and telling us that their chairman was doing fine, we would’ve gone to the nearest police station, son! How could you be so uncaring, though? You might be my child, but even I can’t understand you sometimes!”

“I’m sorry.”

Kang Jin-Ho stood there, fidgeting sheepishly. He still hadn’t gotten used to his parents scolding him yet. Even the one and only Kang Jin-Ho had no idea on how to respond in a situation like this!

“Hurry and come inside, son! I’ll prepare you a quick dinner!”

“Yes, mother!”

Kang Jin-Ho rushed inside the living room and found his father and little sister sitting on the couch. And this father-and-daughter duo began tutting loudly the moment they clapped their eyes on Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Yu-Hwan chuckled. “I knew your mother would bite your head off, son.”

Kang Eun-Yeong furrowed her brow. “You deserved that, orabi! You have no idea how much mom was worried about you.”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but notice that every time something like this happened, he had no allies in this family!

He sheepishly replied to his father. “I wasn’t trying to...”

“

Tsk, tsk

...” Kang Yu-Hwan tutted loudly and quickly again. “There you go with your excuses again, son. A man should own up to his mistakes and apologize if he must. But you... Uh-whew...!”

Kang Jin-Ho progressively shrank into a smaller ball.

“See, dad? I told you that a son is useless! But everything will be fine, since you have your wonderful and pretty daughter with you,” said Kang Eun-Yeong triumphantly.

“Wonderful and pretty...? Y-yes, that’s right. You’ve become prettier lately.”

Kang Eun-Yeong narrowed her eyes when her father said that while looking away. “Dad? What did you mean by that?”

“Honey! Our son must be starving, so let me help you with dinner!”

“No, wait, dad! What did you mean by that? Dad!”

Kang Yu-Hwan fake-coughed and hurriedly got up, then lightly patted Kang Jin-Ho on the shoulder.

“Go wash up, son. And change into something more comfortable, too. All this traveling must’ve been tiring, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Thank you, father. And I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s fine! You’re a man, aren’t you?” Kang Yu-Hwan energetically pounded his son’s back while pushing him toward the bathroom. “And take your time washing up so that your mother can calm down a bit. Okay?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, go on in, son.”

“Let me get a change of clothes first...”

Kang Jin-Ho entered his room to get a fresh change of clothes, then headed into the bathroom. After closing the door behind him, Kang Jin-Ho grinned a little while taking his clothes off.

It felt like the warm waters of the shower relieved his body of all the tension. Of course, this level of warmth wouldn’t do much to his body. Even then, Kang Jin-Ho was still a human being at the end of the day. No matter how strong he physically was, his mind was still the same, other than getting a little more jaded and harder-edged.

The aroma of food seeping through the gap in the doorway really drove home the point that he was finally back home.

Yeah, I’ve been too thoughtless.

Kang Jin-Ho knew he must reflect on this.

He had various reasons why he couldn’t call home. For one, his family’s phones could have been wiretapped. He didn’t want the enemy to get the impression that he cared greatly about his family. That could endanger their lives, after all.

However, it didn’t matter what excuses he could think of. None of it could make up for his lack of attention toward his family. It wasn’t as if he had no other avenues of contacting them, after all.

Despite worrying about the safety of his family, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t think about them worrying about his own safety. It seemed he still had more work to do to become

human

again.

Kang Jin-Ho emerged from the shower and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Thankfully, all the injuries could be hidden under the clothes. The lengthy wounds and burn marks looked horrifying, but things should be fine if he avoided being seen like this for a few days.

After putting on the new clothes, Kang Jin-Ho exited the bathroom and spotted his father bringing a pot of stew to the dining table while wearing an apron.

Kang Jin-Ho stared at the feast laid out on the dining table. “Why... is there so much food?”

Kang Yu-Hwan grinned bitterly. “Your mother kept making all these dishes, saying you must be hankering for Korean food after staying in China for so long. Son, I thought I’d die while trying to eat all this food!”

Kang Eun-Yeong also chimed in. “And look, oppa! I’ve gained so much weight, too!”

Kang Yu-Hwan glanced at his daughter and frowned deeply. “I thought that was because of all the snacks and chips you’ve been hoovering up?”

“Dad? Sometimes I don’t get how mom ended up marrying you.”

“Well, it’s because I’m a looker, aren’t I?”

“...Yup, I really don’t get it.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly while taking his seat at the dining table. His mother came out of the kitchen while carrying a frying pan. She took the stir-fried

bulgogi

pieces and put them on a smaller plate before placing it in front of her son.

“I’m not feeding you because you’re a good son, okay? It’s because I’m so disappointed in you,” said Baek Hyeon-Jeong.

Kang Jin-Ho looked up at his mother. “I see. Then, what’s for dessert, mother?”

“

Ohh

? You’re in the mood to crack jokes, my dear son? Is that right? When I’m wondering how painful it’d be if a frying pan

accidentally

hits my son’s head?”

Kang Jin-Ho obediently lowered his head, then reached out to his bowl of rice. His attempt at a joke ended up backfiring on him instead!

“Take your time and enjoy your food, okay?”

“Thank you, mother.”

Still, how should he put this...?

Relief he didn’t feel after arriving back in Korea gradually filled his heart as he sat here. He finally could appreciate the fact that he was home.

However, just before he could scoop out a spoonful of rice...

Ding-dong!

Someone pressed the doorbell.

“Hmm? Who could that be at this hour?”

Kang Yu-Hwan got up while tilting his head. Although the time wasn’t deep into the night, it was still too late in the day for someone to show up unannounced.

Kang Yu-Hwan picked up the intercom and looked at the monitor. “Who is it?”

—Is this the residence of Mister Kang Yu-Hwan?

“Yes, that’s correct.”

—We’re from the gas company to inspect your gas lines, sir. Can you open the door, please?

“I’m sorry? An inspection at this hour?”

—I’m sorry about the inconvenience, sir. But we’ve had a lot of backlogs, you see?

Kang Yu-Hwan stared at a middle-aged woman appearing on the intercom’s monitor, then pressed the gate release button. A short while later, the front door opened.

However, the middle-aged woman wasn’t the one entering the house. No, it was a group of five, no, six well-built men!

“W-who are you people?!”

The panicking Kang Yu-Hwan tried to stand in their way, but...!

“It’s the police! Mister Kang Jin-Ho! Freeze!”

The man standing at the front of the group yanked out his police badge and presented it for everyone to see.

“...!”

Kang Yu-Hwan sobered up enough to notice that the rest of the group were wearing police uniforms. His mind was too disoriented to question if they were even real police officers or not.

“T-the police? Why are you barging into my house?!”

The officer at the front of the group slightly pushed Kang Yu-Hwan aside, then walked straight toward Kang Jin-Ho.

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips curled up. So, here it was.

He knew things wouldn’t end quietly. But this move was something even he had not expected.

The officer stood threateningly before Kang Jin-Ho, then took out his handcuffs.

“Mister Kang Jin-Ho, you’re hereby under arrest for the suspicion of violating the National Security Act!”

Clack!

The cold handcuffs snapped shut on Kang Jin-Ho’s wrists. And the corners of his lips curled up even higher.

“Well, now...”

His lips parted slightly to expose his pure-white fangs. It was as if a beast was snarling away.

“...You’ve done something rather interesting, haven’t you?”

The situation had taken a sudden turn toward the unexpected, it seemed!