“Reporting in, sir,” said Yi Myeong-Hwan.

Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at the demonic cultivator approaching and nodded slightly. “How did it look inside?”

“We searched the place from top to bottom but couldn't find any stray injured visitors.”

“You sure you were thorough?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see. So is that it…?” Lee Hyeon-Su slowly scratched his chin. He never planned to get this involved but, now that he was here, he couldn't abandon these people who were about to die.

‘Still, we went a bit over the top, no?’

Lee Hyeon-Su only mobilized the minimum-necessary personnel for this event. He also contacted the relevant government authorities on his way here. The higher-ups of the government should do their part by issuing a gag order, so Lee Hyeon-Su wasn't too concerned about that side of things.

Publicly, it'd be dressed up as construction workers driving past the aquarium noticing the crisis and breaking the wall down to rescue the people trapped inside. That should also be the impression the rescued people got, so they would probably corroborate that later on.

Of course, the question of whether hammers alone could break the wall down remained, but…

‘We can deal with that by blaming the shoddy construction.’

The aquarium owners would have to bear the brunt, but so what? It was undeniably true that they had built this place shockingly poorly, anyway.

This whole event could have ended in a massive tragedy. If Lee Hyeon-Su hadn't shown up with Wiggins and a few helping hands in tow, people trapped inside would've died for sure. Hell, if it hadn't been for Kang Jin-Ho plugging up the burst fish tank, everyone would've died instantly!

One more crime heaped on the top wouldn’t make much difference for the aquarium owners at this stage.

‘Yup. So, don’t cry to your mommy about it.’

As a matter of fact, the owners should be grateful that so many lives were saved in the end!

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “Got it. To make sure, though, sweep the place one more time.”

“Eh?” Yi Myeong-Hwan tilted his head. “But we can’t go in there anymore, sir. The rescue teams are inside already.”

“So what? Sneak inside.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan stared unimpressed at Lee Hyeon-Su.

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned deeply after noticing the hint of rebellion in Yi Myeong-Hwan’s eyes. “What?”

“...We'll do our absolute best and investigate, sir.”

“That’s a good attitude to have. Now get out of my sight.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan walked away while quietly grumbling to himself. And Lee Hyeon-Su slowly shook his head in disapproval at this sight.

‘Seriously now, these punks are getting too full of themselves lately!’

Was it because they had gotten too big-headed for their own good?

In the not-too-distant past, no one dared to talk back to Lee Hyeon-Su, yet it felt like more and more idiots were trying their luck with him lately.

‘I better put them in their place soon!’

Indeed, Lee Hyeon-Su should consider ‘disciplining’ the unruly bastards as soon as possible. Definitely!

‘...Especially this punk!’

Lee Hyeon-Su turned his head to his side. That was where Jo Gyu-Min was kneeling on the ground.

Jo Gyu-Min was glaring back at Lee Hyeon-Su, his burning eyes filled with dissatisfaction at this unfair treatment.

“Imma pull those eyes out, you hear me?”

Jo Gyu-Min sneakily looked away.

“You sure went off the rails this time, haven't you?” Lee Hyeon-Su swaggered like a gangster while walking over to Jo Gyu-Min. “What was that? Son of a b*tch? Son, of, a, biiiii*ch? Would you kindly repeat what you said about me, oh dear Mister Jo Gyu-Min? This son of a b*tch will make sure to listen properly this time.”

“H-hang on a minute…” Jo Gyu-Min pouted. “You know it couldn't be helped in that situation.”

“Reaaaally? Tell me, what situation in this world isn’t worthy of an insult or two? By the way, didn’t I tell you to keep your hands raised high up? I’m not seeing your hands!”

“Eii~, don’t be like that, hyung-

nim.

People are watching, you know? I’ve my pride to consider,” said Jo Gyu-Min brazenly, even though he was kneeling in the public space for everyone to see.

Lee Hyeon-Su tutted. “Oh? A man who worries about his pride was busy hurling insults with so many people around?”

“Well, the situation was urgent, you see?”

“What the hell, you’re still talking back to me?!” Lee Hyeon-Su shot a sharp, cold glare.

Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly crawled back on his knees. “I, I thought you weren't gonna come!”

“Even if I wasn’t, why call me names?! When I haven’t done anything wrong, you dumbass!”

“I, uh, I couldn’t think of anyone else, you see.”

“What?! This fella, you ain’t gonna breathe for long if you keep this up, okay!?”

Jo Gyu-Min’s head faltered weakly.

‘Talk about having supernatural hearing! How the hell did he hear that through all the chaos?’

Should Jo Gyu-Min be amazed by how Lee Hyeon-Su managed to pick out only the insults directed his way through all the chaos? Or be creeped out by it instead? Not to forget, Lee Hyeon-Su heard all that through a bloody wall, no less!

Jo Gyu-Min had so many things he’d like to get off his chest but couldn’t.

In the end, it was Lee Hyeon-Su’s timely arrival that saved the Seongsim kids. There was no doubt about that. If Lee Hyeon-Su was just five minutes late, he’d have found Jo Gyu-Min floating around in the water as a cold, dead corpse.

That was why Jo Gyu-Min was grateful. Unbelievably so. Having said that…

Lee Hyeon-Su snapped his head in the direction of his underlings. “What the hell are you doing, you idiots?! Hurry up and take care of the kids!”

His loud yell hastened the movements of the Assembly's men. They busily dashed around to wrap the Seongsim kids in blankets, hand out hot packs, and even distribute warm drinking water.

“Our Assembly Master cares greatly about these kids! If a single kid here catches a cold, you can bet your ass that your head will go flying instantly! You hear me!”

Lee Hyeon-Su unhesitantly transformed the heartwarming story into a threat of bodily harm! However, he was still not finished yet.

“We need warmth! Get some fires going, okay! The kids need to dry their clothes! Or do you wanna go and bring us a portable changing booth?”

“Sir! We’ll get fires going right away!

Jo Gyu-Min almost blurted out,

Hyung-nim, you can’t start a bonfire in the middle of Seoul, you know? Besides, the aquarium building is not okay, either. That’s even more reason not to start a fire here!

Indeed, he had so, so many things to get off his chest. Unfortunately, he couldn’t say anything in this situation.

‘Well, I’m sure he’ll handle it just fine.’

Rules and regulations had no hold over Lee Hyeon-Su and his men, anyway. Besides, now didn't seem like a good time to voice his opinion.

‘Also, can’t he look after me as well?’

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t just care about the Seongsim kids, now did he? He also cared a lot about Jo Gyu-Min! In that case, why was Jo Gyu-Min the only one receiving this rubbish treatment?

“Ah-ah-ah-aaachooo!” Jo Gyu-Min sneezed loudly, then glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su while wiping his nose.

Lee Hyeon-Su looked back at Jo Gyu-Min. “Don’t worry, I’ll take my time beating you up. Don’t rush me, okay?”

“Beat me up? Beat me up?!?! Why? I don’t think I’ve done something bad enough to deserve that, though?”

“Tsk…!” Lee Hyeon-Su furrowed his brow. “You sneaky bastard…”

He’d dearly love to perform a German Suplex on Jo Gyu-Min right now, but… It was also true that Jo Gyu-Min did good today. If he hadn’t called Lee Hyeon-Su, this place would’ve been overflowing with dead bodies right about now.

Of course, Lee Hyeon-Su wasn’t the type to care about stuff like that. What did it matter to him if total strangers died in their droves? When they didn’t die from Lee Hyeon-Su’s mistake or wrongdoing?

Lee Hyeon-Su wasn’t caring enough to lament the demise of strangers caused by other strangers. Even so, he still rushed here as soon as he could for one reason… Kang Jin-Ho!

How would Kang Jin-Ho respond if Jo Gyu-Min and the orphans died here today?

‘Blooming hell. I don’t even want to imagine it.’

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t be 100% sure, but the odds of the Martial Assembly flipping on its head should be uncomfortably high. Kang Jin-Ho cared about his acquaintances as much as he cared about his own life. So, imagine him losing not one, but a whole dang group of them in one go!

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t even imagine how far the ripples of such a tragedy would reach. Thankfully, Jo Gyu-Min was the catalyst in preventing that catastrophe.

In that case, Lee Hyeon-Su should think of Jo Gyu-Min as a… A sort of benefactor, in a way?

So, why did Jo Gyu-Min come across as an annoying little bastard right now?

‘Geez. I’d have nothing to ask for if I could juuust deck him once in the chin…!’

Jo Gyu-Min always had this snarky attitude, but that part of him seemed to have been amplified today for some reason. That didn't mean Lee Hyeon-Su could drag away a survivor of a near-drowning incident and beat him up, now did it!

“Fuu-woo…!” Lee Hyeon-Su shook his head, then tutted at Jo Gyu-Min. "You should also hitch a ride on one of those ambulances. Go get your injuries checked out.”

Jo Gyu-Min cocked an eyebrow. “Is this the case of giving me a hard time only to pat me on the back?”

Pop!

A vein suddenly bulged on Lee Hyeon-Su’s forehead. Would it kill Jo Gyu-Min to accept another person’s concern without being snarky about it? Did running his mouth off the only way he knew how to feel better about himself?!

“You know what, Gyu-Min? You helped me see the errors of my ways just now.”

“Errors of your ways? Eh?”

“Yeah. Looks like I haven't given you enough hard time until now, so why don't I fix that error by starting afresh?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Come over here, you punk!” Lee Hyeon-Su fiercely pounced on Jo Gyu-Min, then grabbed the latter’s nose and yanked mercilessly at it.

“Aaah?! Ouch! My leg! Hyung, my ankle! I told you, I twisted my ankle!”

“You’re gonna learn today!”

“W-wait, hyung! Look, over there! Over there!”

“I ain’t falling for that, you punk!”

“No, wait! Mister Jin-Ho’s coming out of the building!”

Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly released Jo Gyu-Min’s nose and stood up straight.

Kang Jin-Ho and Wiggins were exiting the aquarium’s entrance. Emergency workers approached them, and the group began chatting among themselves. It seemed like the emergency personnel wanted to know if Kang Jin-Ho or Wiggins was hurt somewhere.

Kang Jin-Ho briefly waved his hand and said something. The emergency workers glanced at Kang Jin-Ho and Wiggins for a bit, then quickly lost interest and went elsewhere.

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the area for a bit, then walked over to Lee Hyeon-Su’s position.

Lee Hyeon-Su bowed slightly without saying anything.

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho lightly patted Lee Hyeon-Su on the shoulder.

Lee Hyeon-Su grinned brightly to respond to Kang Jin-Ho’s show of appreciation. “Sir, you did great today.”

“I haven't done much, though.”

“And Master, you have… Huh? Master?” Lee Hyeon-Su's eyes opened wider when he noticed the swollen black eye on Wiggins' face. Lee Hyeon-Su worriedly asked, “Did something happen inside? It looks like someone had attacked you, Master. But there shouldn't be any enemies inside, so… Uh… Was the situation that serious?”

“…”

“Master?”

Wiggins silently pressed his index finger to his lips.

Lee Hyeon-Su immediately stopped talking. “...Oh.”

That gesture was supposed to say,

‘Silence, please,’

but the atmosphere exuded by Wiggins’ expression definitely shouted,

‘Shut the hell up, okay!’

Lee Hyeon-Su quickly deduced what happened and could only nod in silence.

‘Ah. So, he got beaten up…'

This result seemed inevitable, really. At least, that was what Lee Hyeon-Su thought!

On the surface, this situation looked like a young brat had physically assaulted an elder, but Kang Jin-Ho was much older than Wiggins, at least in terms of mental age.

‘That’s why you should’ve done it in moderation…’

Knowing how Wiggins liked to sneakily get on Kang Jin-Ho's nerves every now and then, Lee Hyeon-Su had a feeling that something like this would happen sooner rather than later. And that happened to be today.

“Fuph!”

Lee Hyeon-Su urgently covered his mouth. He better keep his laughter down, or Wiggins would try to literally fold him in half! Lee Hyeon-Su still had so many years left in his lifespan, so he couldn’t afford to die so soon!

Just as Lee Hyeon-Su turned his head to avoid Wiggins’ sharp glare, Kang Jin-Ho asked him a question. “How did you know we’re in trouble?”

“That idiot called me,” said Lee Hyeon-Su while pointing at Jo Gyu-Min with his chin.

That prompted Kang Jin-Ho to finally look at Jo Gyu-Min… only for him to flinch a little. “Why is he kneeling on the ground, Lee Hyeon-Su?”

“Well, uh, he was being a bit cheeky, so…”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply at that reply. Lee Hyeon-Su paled slightly at that expression and sneakily lowered his gaze. Meanwhile, Jo Gyu-Min desperately looked up at Kang Jin-Ho, his expression on the verge of breaking down in tears.

“Mister Jin-Ho!”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su and spoke in a firm tone. “You’re right. He does have that side to him.”

An awkward silence ensued. Kang Jin-Ho shrugged as if this silence had nothing to do with him.

“Where are the kids?”

Lee Hyeon-Su sobered up immediately. “They are over there, sir. Everyone’s safe and accounted for. I didn’t want their body temperatures to drop, so I got blankets for them and some fires to dry their clothes.”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head in the direction pointed out by Lee Hyeon-Su. He smiled after noticing the fire burning in a drum filled with firewood. And the Seongsim kids were sitting in a circle around it. No one knew where that drum came from, but did it matter right now?

Lee Hyeon-Su continued to explain. “They should get a proper look-see by a doctor, but I don't foresee them developing major health complications later on.”

“Okay. Nice work,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

When Kang Jin-Ho walked toward the Seongsim kids while leisurely whistling away, Jo Gyu-Min reflexively reached out to Kang Jin-Ho's back.

A stupefied gasp leaked out of Jo Gyu-Min’s mouth. “...Huh?”

Why was Kang Jin-Ho walking away like that? Why? That wasn't part of the script, so why?!

Before Jo Gyu-Min could say something, though… A shadow suddenly loomed over him.

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked suspiciously while pressing his index finger against his lips. “How about lowering your voice, Gyu-Min?”

The sight of that devilish smirk stopped Jo Gyu-Min from saying anything. That was because… Well, Kang Jin-Ho was far away while Lee Hyeon-Su was right before his nose!

“Soooo, it hurts a lot, right? I mean, you’re injured all over the place, after all.”

“Yes, it hurts.”

“Oh, and you look reaaaally exhausted, too.” Lee Hyeon-Su muttered while loosening his shoulders. Then, he leisurely approached Jo Gyu-Min. “Don’t worry, though. This hyung will help you relax. To the point where everyone will agree that you are definitely relaxing!”

Jo Gyu-Min soon felt the full might of a sworn brother’s brotherly affection.