Chapter 252: Getting Them Back (2)

“

Orabiiiiii!

” Kang Eun-Yeong jumped up from the couch like a spring and ran into Kang Jin-Ho's arms.

He frowned after catching her. “Can't you welcome me like a normal person?”

“

Ehehe~.

” Kang Eun-Yeong giggled before pounding her older brother on the back. “So? How was your date?”

“...”

“How many bases did you cover? Did you smooch, too?”

“Want me to hit you?”

“

Eiii,

you didn't do anything, then.” Kang Eun-Yeong pouted in disappointment and looked back at Baek Hyeon-Jeong. “Mom, your son seems hopeless.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong tutted, unimpressed. “Let's find hope for you first, Eun-Yeong.”

“...It's too late for me, Mom. I'm gonna live with you for the rest of my life.”

“And who says I'll let you?” Baek Hyeon-Jeong shot back coldly. Kang Eun-Yeong's eyes widened in shock, and then she squatted pitifully by the corner of the couch. However, her mother didn't spare her a single glance and addressed Kang Jin-Ho instead. “What about supper, son?”

“I already had, Mother.”

“I see. Then, do wash up.”

“Will do.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded.

After a quick shower, Kang Jin-Ho emerged back to the living room only for his little sister to rush up to him again.

“Was it fun?” Kang Eun-Yeong asked urgently, her eyes burning with curiosity.

Kang Jin-Ho looked at her weirdly. “You know what I've been doing today?”

“Yup. You were on a date with my senior, Miss Choi Yeon-Ha. Am I wrong?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “And how do you know that?”

“What do you mean, how? Obviously, I should know.”

“

Mm?

Do you talk to Miss Choi often?”

Kang Eun-Yeong stood tall like a superhero and triumphantly declared, “Don't you know that she and I are BFFs?”

“

...Urgh.

” Kang Jin-Ho helplessly shook his head. Why did it feel like the weight on his back had grown twice as heavy after realizing that Kang Eun-Yeong would get to hear every little detail of his actions?

“Choi Yeon-Ha?” Baek Hyeon-Jeong listening to her children from nearby revealed a stunned look. “Wait, are you talking about the actress? That Choi Yeon-Ha?”

“Yup, Mom. Oppa went out on a date with her today.”

“Really? But, son, how did you even get acquainted with Choi Yeon-Ha? Isn't she a big celebrity?”

Kang Eun-Yeong stared at her mother in a daze. “Mom, I'm also a celebrity, you know...?”

“My dear child, you're just a celebrity, but Miss Choi Yeon-Ha is a

huge

celebrity compared to you.”

“...Mom, I'm also pretty popular, you know?”

“Yes, yes.” Baek Hyeon-Jeong shushed her daughter rather curtly.

Kang Eun-Yeong's dazed gaze shifted to her brother. “Orabi, don't you want to defend your dear little sister from such poor treatment?”

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes in confusion. “

Mm?

What do you mean?”

“...Never mind.” Kang Eun-Yeong hugged her knees.

'Doesn't my family watch TV or something?'

Once upon a time, she read an article about a devastatingly handsome actor being treated like a manservant in his own house. She had a good laugh at how absurd it sounded. As it turned out, though, she was now in the same shoes as that dude.

Kang Eun-Yeong could more or less understand her mother. How about her brother, though? Even though he had personally witnessed how his little sister summoned a huge crowd, what was up with his flat attitude?

Baek Hyeon-Jeong ignored her daughter and asked her son instead, “Okay, so... You went on a date with that Choi Yeon-Ha?”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “...Well, it's not quite a date, per se.”

“

Mm?

What did you two do?”

“We dined out, drank some tea and coffee, then went on a drive.”

Kang Eun-Yeong and Baek Hyeon-Jeong muttered at the same time.

“That's definitely a date.”

“Yes, it is a date, son.”

Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut at the one-two-punch combo. Even he could tell that a haphazard counterattack would only get him pummeled even further.

“Goodness me. Choi Yeon-Ha, is it... We're talking about that Choi Yeon-Ha, right? From all those TV shows?” Baek Hyeon-Jeong muttered in disbelief.

Kang Eun-Yeong sagely nodded. “Yes, Mom. It is

that

Choi Yeon-Ha. She's my senior.”

“To think my son is dating Choi Yeon-Ha...” Baek Hyeon-Jeong's eyes became dreamy.

Kang Jin-Ho could only fake-cough at the constant burdensome gazes landing on him.

“No, hang on.” But then, his mother suddenly returned to reality. “My son isn't any inferior to Choi Yeon-Ha now, is he? He's got a good academic record; he’s wealthy, good-looking, and he also has a wonderful personality!”

Kang Eun-Yeong chimed in. “Yes, you're right, Mom!”

“Son, listen. I don't think I can get on board with the idea of a celebrity wife. I fear she'll be a bit too full of herself.”

“Yes, you're so right, Mom!”

Kang Jin-Ho stared at his two family members at the height of their delusion and groaned under his breath. “That won't happen, you two.”

“Son, you can never predict what will happen in human relationships,” said Baek Hyeon-Jeong in a resolute manner. “How many people in this world would think,

'The next person I meet is my fated partner!'

while going on their first date? Son, humans grow closer by getting to know more about each other. And that eventually leads to feelings you didn't have developing in your heart.”

Kang Eun-Yeong narrowed her eyes. “Mom, why do you sound like you want something to happen here?”

“

Ohohohoho~.

” Baek Hyeon-Jeong giggled while covering her mouth. “Although it might occasionally get a bit annoying, wouldn't it be still nice if I can tell other people I'm Choi Yeon-Ha's mother-in-law?”

Kang Eun-Yeong looked at her mother weirdly. “

...Oh,

I see.”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head while getting up from his spot.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong glanced at her son. “Going to bed, son?”

“Yes…”

Before he could say anything else, Kang Eun-Yeong suddenly reached out and tightly gripped Kang Jin-Ho's hand. “Orabi!”

“Yeah?”

“I don't wanna see nephews or nieces just yet, okay? So, you better keep yourself in check,

okaaay?

”

“...You. Come outside with me for a minute. I want to talk to you.”

“Don't wanna.” Kang Eun-Yeong cackled while sticking close to her mother.

Even Baek Hyeon-Jeong took her daughter's side by nodding along with a grave expression on her face. “Your sister has a point, Jin-Ho. Such a thing has to be carefully planned out first.”

“I'm going to bed now.” Kang Jin-Ho shuffled off to his room, and his face looked at least ten years older in the aftermath.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong and Kang Eun-Yeong stared at each other and started giggling.

“What do you think, Eun-Yeong? Will they work out?”

Kang Eun-Yeong rubbed her chin. “Nah, the odds are too low, Mom. I mean, when was orabi ever interested in girls?”

“Does that mean Jin-Ho's not interested, but Choi Yeon-Ha still wants to date him?”

“I think that's it. She was raising a massive fuss last time, saying she's not interested in him, but now? Mom, it's so hard to read what's really in a person's head, you know?”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong tilted her head in confusion. “I don't understand. What does Choi Yeon-Ha see in Jin-Ho that she wants to date him?”

“What do you mean what, Mom?” Kang Eun-Yeong smirked deeply. “He's handsome. That's it.”

“...Well, that is true.”

“The truth is, I don't know, either. Women on Choi Yeon-Ha's level tend to have weird preferences for men, I think.”

.

“That's so peculiar.” Baek Hyeon-Jeong turned her head to look at the doorway to her son's room.

***

Ju Yeong-Gi scanned the empty dining area and shuddered in barely-restrained rage. “Holy cow. We can only get the frogs deployed when there are enough flies to chase away, right? Look at this place. It's like a massive swarm of flies has swept past here. Hell, even frogs would have long gotten beaten to death by the flies!”

Park Yu-Min groaned at the sight of the empty dining area. “And I thought the business was pretty good early on, too.”

“Here I was, thinking that we never experienced the opening day business boom, but it already happened to us,

huh.

”

“I guess you're right.”

Ju Yeong-Gi turned around and faced Kang Jin-Ho. “Owner.”

“

Mm...

”

“We need a plan. We're looking down the proverbial barrel here.”

“

M-mm...

” Kang Jin-Ho scratched his head.

Although Kang Jin-Ho's pizzas had garnered some acclaim, which ensured a steady stream of loyal customers, this was still in the middle of the busy high street. Operating a store with only a small pool of loyal customers wasn't a viable business plan to survive here.

Park Yu-Min suddenly came up with an idea. “Hey, how about we hold a pizza-tasting event?”

“A tasting event?” Ju Yeong-Gi perked up, clearly interested in the idea.

“Yeah. Everyone who had tasted Jin-Ho's pizza said it's delicious, right?”

“Yeah, that's true.”

“In that case, wouldn't it be a good idea to hold a tasting event? People participating in it might come back later, you know?”

“

Hmm.

Owner, what do you think?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “Before that. I think there's a fundamental problem we are overlooking.”

“A fundamental problem?”

“

Mm…

” Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “We had that many people coming to our store earlier, but so few have returned. That could only mean there's a problem we haven't thought about.”

“Now that you mention it—what do you think is the problem?”

“Don't know.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed. “All I know is that we have a problem, but I can't figure out what it is. So, let's figure it out together.”

Ju Yeong-Gi suddenly grinned like a content dad. “How can every one of us be this useless? What a bunch of praiseworthy morons we are!”

“

...Mm.

” Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut, unable to respond to that accurate observation.

'...By the way, what did she mean by a flood of customers starting from today?'

Thanks to the vague yet meaningful actions of Choi Yeon-Ha, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but remember her warning. It wasn't as if he completely believed her, of course. However, he knew Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't the type to make a baseless claim for giggles, and that was why her warning had been bugging him from the corner of his mind.

Ju Yeong-Gi called out to Kang Jin-Ho. “Owner.”

“...Can't you just call me by my name?”

“No. I thought no customers were coming because calling you by name was too undignified or something.”

“Please, just calm yourself down.” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head again, then glanced at the pizzeria's clock.

'Almost half past nine, huh?'

The pizzeria would be closed for the day in around one hour. Kang Jin-Ho recalled the day's sales and sighed under his breath again.

'Then again, getting money from the others obviously won't be easy.'

Any prospective new owner would be living high in their own dreams at the beginning of their business ventures, thinking their business would take off into the sky. They would come up with various strategies and unique aspects to separate themselves from the competition. Even if their business struck the skids and things went bad, they would still feel reasonably confident about putting some bread on the table, at the very least. But now...

Kang Jin-Ho was being painfully reminded of what would happen to those daring enough to haphazardly jump into the world of commerce.

Korea had an extremely low rate of self-employment versus big companies. People competed fiercely in the limited market space just to make a living, yet Kang Jin-Ho tried to join the fray without any solid vision. Maybe this result was set in stone from the get-go.

'From now on, no matter what I do... I need to prepare and plan more.'

When he thought about it, Kang Jin-Ho realized he hadn't really analyzed anything in-depth, even while serving as the leader of the demon cult. He would usually never pay attention to anything and simply let them flow around him like a river. Only when he was faced with an obstacle did he make impulsive decisions to 'solve' it.

Kang Jin-Ho was freshly reminded of the fact that only his overwhelming martial prowess and the Azure Demon's selfless sacrifice prevented the utter destruction of the demon cult under his so-called leadership.

'If I ever get to see the Azure Demon again in the netherworld, I better apologize to him.'

He might have killed the Azure Demon for betraying him, but living in the modern era helped him understand just how hard things had to have been for his underling back in Zhongyuan. Right now, Kang Jin-Ho had friends boasting equal status as him to point out the errors of his ways, but Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor in the past didn't have anyone like that.

Even Kang Jin-Ho knew he wasn't the type to listen to dissuasion nor pay attention to outspoken opinions during those days. So, how much stress and grief would he have caused Azure Demon? He couldn't help but wonder about it.

'I thought I was treating him fairly, but... I guess not.'

Wasn't he the typical example of an incompetent but stupidly stubborn senior officer? Kang Jin-Ho groaned softly after suddenly realizing that he wouldn't be able to complain even if someone tried to 'frag' him on a battlefield. He couldn't even use the excuse of everyone being like that back in Zhongyuan, too. He was a modern-era person traveling back in time, after all!

That was when the pizzeria's doors opened, and two people walked in. “

Oh?

It's quieter than I thought in here.”

Kang Jin-Ho quickly got up, followed by Ju Yeong-Gi. The latter picked up the menu boards and rushed to meet the customers.

One of the customers asked while receiving the board, “What time do you guys close?”

“We're open till dawn as long as there are customers!” Ju Yeong-Gi replied, brazenly throwing out the opening hours they had agreed upon outside the window.

While Ju Yeong-Gi was receiving the orders, Kang Jin-Ho put on the chef's hat and got ready. His job was to bake killer pizzas, after all.

“

...Huh?

”

However, something strange occurred just then. The female customer looked up from the menu for some reason. Then... Her gaze landed firmly on Kang Jin-Ho and decided to remain glued to him.

Ju Yeong-Gi tilted his head. “Is there something wrong, dear customer?”

“I-isn't that...” The female customer cautiously pointed at Kang Jin-Ho.

Her companion was confused by such behavior and turned her head to follow the pointing finger, eventually discovering Kang Jin-Ho about to enter the kitchen. “What is it? What's the matter?”

“L-look! Isn't he, you know, him?”

“Him? Who are you talking about?”

“You know, that guy! The guy from that thing!”

“

...Eh?

”

And then, both customers stared at Kang Jin-Ho, charmed.

'What the...?'

Kang Jin-Ho could only frown slightly because he had no idea why these customers had decided to openly stare at him like this.

“I think you're right?”

“Ask him about it! Hurry!”

The female customer coughed to clear her throat, then cautiously asked Kang Jin-Ho, “Excuse me. Could you be that actor from that TV series?”

“...That TV series?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

Disappointment quickly filled up the expressions of the two customers.

“I guess it's not him?”

“...Maybe they just look alike? But they look too much alike, so that can't be—”

As ever, Ju Yeong-Gi was the quickest on the uptake, and he sneakily chimed in. “Hey, man... I think they are talking about that TV show you filmed with Miss Choi Yeon-Ha.”

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes in surprise. “

Mm?

It’s being broadcast already?”

The two customers shuddered grandly at his words, and they got up from their chairs. They cautiously sneaked closer to Kang Jin-Ho and asked, “Excuse me, is it okay if we take just one selfie with you?”

“A selfie, you say?”

“Yes! We'll order an expensive pizza for it. No, wait! We'll order two! The other one will be for takeaway.”

“Hold on, please. I...” Kang Jin-Ho was about to refuse, but then...

Suddenly, someone blocked his mouth from his side and spoke in his stead, “Of course, a selfie is okay, dear customers. Do you want us to help?”

'Park Yu-Min, even you...!'

Ju Yeong-Gi gleefully took the customer's phone and started snapping pictures of two female customers clinging to either side of Kang Jin-Ho while the latter was gnashing his teeth at the unexpected betrayal.

'...Give me a break. Seriously.'

After freeing himself from the impromptu photo session, Kang Jin-Ho stepped inside the kitchen while shaking his head. “I was wondering what she was talking about, but now...”

When Choi Yeon-Ha said the pizzeria would be overflowing with customers, she definitely meant his appearance in the TV series. Unfortunately for her prediction, though, only those two female customers had recognized him in the entirety of today.

No one could predict what would be the next box-office smash—not even the director nor the actors involved. And it seemed the series wasn't as well received as they had been hoping.

However, Kang Jin-Ho had no idea—no idea the kind of storm the photo he took a few seconds ago would bring to his life.