Chapter 1504 Continuing On (4)

Winds brushed past Kang Jin-Ho’s face.

He deliberately kept his speed down to match Park Yu-Min’s pace, but that was still enough to fill him up with this wonderfully refreshing feeling.

It’s been too long.

It seemed he had forgotten about this sensation for far too long. When he thought about it, didn’t he stop after the Golden Elephant Mk.1 got...

“...? Huh?”

How did the Golden Elephant Mk.1 get wrecked, again? Wasn’t it during that tunnel collapse...?

“...Lee Hyeon-Su wrecked it, didn’t he?”

An emotion that resembled anger suddenly welled up inside Kang Jin-Ho just then.

Wasn’t Lee Hyeon-Su an amazing person? After wrecking someone else’s bicycle, he used that person’s own money to buy a replacement and acted as if he was the hero of the day! A man should have morals, no? Morals!

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the person, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t remain angry for too long. His moods kept improving from the sensation of the pedals sticking so faithfully to his feet, after all.

Park Yu-Min called out, “It’s been so long since we’ve ridden on bicycles, right?”

“Yeah, it really has been a while.”

“And I used to ride on the back of your bicycle, too.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded while chuckling away. He could see how stable Park Yu-Min was on his bicycle. Despite his disability—one leg being slightly shorter than the other—Park Yu-Min still seemed at ease. He must’ve practiced a lot in secret.

Watching his friend diligently pedaling away lifted Kang Jin-Ho’s mood even more.

“Ah. Winds are blowing.”

A slightly chilly wind brushed past Kang Jin-Ho and Park Yu-Min.

A headwind would usually make it harder for the cyclists to ride their bicycles, but Kang Jin-Ho preferred the sensation of winds on his face instead.

He shifted his bicycle slightly to shield Park Yu-Min from the wind, then continued to pedal away.

How refreshing.

It felt like some of his accumulated stress was melting away. Obviously, this mode of travel would never be as fast as driving a car, but it allowed him to appreciate far more things in return.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced behind him. Park Yu-Min was chasing him closely. Maybe it was not such a bad idea to stay like this and...

Park Yu-Min called out again. “Jin-Ho, listen!”

“Yeah?”

“Go ahead without me!”

“...Mm?”

Park Yu-Min grinned while waving his hand dismissively. “I didn’t come here to cycle with you, you know? You do what you want because I’m going to do what I want.”

“What are you talking about? We should ride together.”

“It’s fine! We do that, and you won’t get to vent properly, anyway. And I’ll be too exhausted to even stand. I’ll take my time enjoying myself, so don’t worry about me. Just take your new ride for a spin.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly. As expected of Park Yu-Min, a man who always put others before himself. At times, such a good nature made him a bit of a fool, though.

“Hurry! You’re starting to make me feel uncomfortable here,” said Park Yu-Min.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Got it.”

Park Yu-Min probably wasn’t exaggerating here about being uncomfortable. He wasn’t the type, after all.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at his friend again. “See you back in the orphanage?”

“Nah. I gotta head back to the team residence soon. You should head on first. You even packed a change of clothes, too.”

“Got it. I’ll buy a round of drinks next time.”

“Booze? Or cola?”

“Well, I’d prefer the latter, if you don’t mind.”

Park Yu-Min cackled. Kang Jin-Ho lightly waved at his friend, then pressed the pedals much harder than before.

Swhoooooosh!

His bicycle surged forward at a scarcely believable speed.

“Whoa...”

Park Yu-Min’s jaw fell almost to the ground. He had become too jaded to get shocked by Kang Jin-Ho’s antics, so the surprise this time came from realizing that there actually was a bicycle capable of withstanding his friend’s monstrous strength.

Park Yu-Min chuckled loudly.

“Geez, look at him go.”

He prayed that his friend would have lots of fun, at least for today.

***

Things were flying past him.

The surrounding scenery went past him in a blur. Winds slammed into Kang Jin-Ho’s torso, while his clothes flapped angrily as if they were being ripped apart.

This isn’t bad at all.

A grin filled his face without him realizing it.

A hobby, is it...?

This confirmed it for him; a person needed some kind of hobby.

He had been charging ahead too intensely recently. His trip to America was supposed to be a vacation, yet he fought an army and dealt with a figurative mountain of work instead. And after he came home, he dived headfirst into work and hadn’t stopped until today.

Now that he was riding a bicycle with no work holding him back, though... It felt like a void in his chest was rapidly filling back up.

How should I describe this feeling?

Rather than the act of riding a bicycle, this feeling must have something to do with the fact that he had temporarily escaped from the daily grind.

Whatever it is, I can see it now.

Although he had not sensed it, it seemed Kang Jin-Ho must’ve been under a lot of mental burden recently. With the successful launch of the cafe franchise out of the way, his role was now basically finished. Maybe that could explain why he suddenly felt too lazy to do anything earlier in the day.

There was still the matter of stabilizing the factory’s operations, but the new employees should finish their training by later this evening. Their deployment should help massively with the factory’s situation.

With that, one of the life-or-death missions the Martial Assembly must resolve, the one everyone had been preparing for so long, had come to an end.

Then, what should they do next?

Nope. Let’s not think about it right now.

Kang Jin-Ho briefly closed his eyes. Of course he knew that there was still a long way to go. Although the destination didn’t feel as far away as before, a ton of work still needed to get done first. His world was neither safe nor stable enough, after all.

Even so, wouldn’t it be okay to take his foot off the accelerator a little? Since he had been charging forward breathlessly until now?

So, so many people advised Kang Jin-Ho to get some rest time and time again, but today was basically the first time he himself felt the need for one.

Since that was the case...!

Right. I should rest as much as I can!

Kang Jin-Ho energetically depressed the pedals. Despite not using his qi, he also didn’t bother to control his strength either. Even then, the pedals ably withstood the abuse, allowing the bicycle to shoot forward like a bullet every time he stepped on them.

“Very good!”

Kang Jin-Ho bared his fangs in a ferocious grin. It felt like he finally had the freedom to “run” as much as he wanted.

The tires, made of thick rubber, continued to grip the road tenaciously, while the bicycle frame, which wasn’t hollow like every other frame on sale, competently endured the impact.

The scenery passed him by even quicker now, and the incredible wind pressure slammed fiercely into him.

“Hmm, should I really ride around Seoul?”

No, wait. I have a better idea!

Kang Jin-Ho smirked, then abruptly turned the handlebars.

***

Seong Ju-Chan’s expression remained strange as he surveyed the dining hall filled with customers.

“Seriously, dude...”

A booming business should have made him happier, but the emotion wrapping him up could only be described as mixed.

Even though I used to work so hard, we never had many customers. But now...

Of course, it wasn’t as if he had zero customers in the past, but the revenue back then was only enough to cover the cost of running a cafe. In fact, he’d barely have enough to pay the minimum wages after deducting everything from the earnings.

Considering all the tax he owed to the Korean government, he often wondered if he should just shutter his store and start finding part-time jobs instead.

But now, his place saw an endless flow of customers. Even though all he did was change the interior decoration and the cafe’s name!

Of course, that couldn’t be the actual reason. For one, the taste of the coffee being served had vastly improved. And there was more stuff on the menu now, too. Not to forget, the space in his cafe was now being used more efficiently, and the system of operation or dealing with customers had all been overhauled comprehensively.

Most of all...

I had no idea the power of marketing could be this incredible.

Kang Jin-Ho and Choi Yeon-Ha stopping by once had doubled this cafe’s revenue. And the airing of the commercial improved the already improved revenue by another 100%!

Had Seong Ju-Chan not had the prior experience of running a cafe, he could have been fooled into thinking that cafes were a profitable business model. And many of the franchisees must be thinking that way right now, too.

Geez, this feels so unfair.

Seong Ju-Chan would have loved to see those bastards getting a harsh lesson on what it felt like to chase flies away from their empty stores!

Even though they used to camp out here like nobody’s business every day, they all stopped coming once their stores opened their doors.

For those staying in the countryside or other cities, fine, Seong Ju-Chan had no problem with that. However, what about those working in the nearby suburbs? Not paying a visit once was a bit too much, no?

Of course, he knew why they would do that, since their own cafes should be keeping them occupied as well. But that wasn’t how a human heart operated, now was it?

“Heartless bastards...”

Seong Ju-Chan muttered while shaking his head.

“Excuse me~? I’d like to order something.”

“Oops! I’m coming, sir!”

Seong Ju-Chan discarded all the distracting thoughts out of his head and rushed to the counter.

“Sorry about that, sir! What would you like to order?”

“Give me two Iced Americanos, please.”

“Thank you for your patronage. Would you like to add to your points tally?”

He expertly handled the order and gave the vibration bell to the customer. By then, the part-time employees were already brewing the coffee.

At this rate, I might really turn into a rich guy.

Of course, he was no fool and could tell that recouping the franchise joining fee would still take a while. A healthier customer demand meant the material cost incurred would go up, too. And then, there was the additional labor cost from hiring more employees to consider. So the actual income shouldn’t be as enormous as this scene might suggest.

Even then, I think my income will be four times higher than before.

Or it could be even more. When his thoughts reached that far, Seong Ju-Chan’s gratitude toward Kang Jin-Ho ballooned even more.

“Damn. He really is an amazing person...”

Preparing a way for those quitting the Assembly to make a living sounded like an absurd idea, yet Kang Jin-Ho still pushed on ahead like a bulldozer and eventually succeeded in his quest.

It wasn’t as if every person leaving the Assembly had joined this franchise. However, now that the cafe franchise had taken off successfully, it’d be easier to launch the second and maybe even a third franchise later down the line. With that, the former Assembly members should be able to assimilate into society better and lead relatively stable lives.

A situation they could only dream about was really happening right now. The emotions Seong Ju-Chan felt were hard to describe.

He knew very well how torturous it was for the Assembly members to integrate back into the ordinary society. Even he felt tempted to give up multiple times a day, didn’t he?

In a situation this dire, the franchise called Caffe Luogo would undoubtedly become a viable method of survival for the Assembly members finding themselves stuck in ordinary society.

Seong Ju-Chan was trying his hardest to suppress a cheery grin from breaking out when he noticed a new customer stepping into his cafe.

“Welcome to... E-eh? C-Chairman?”

Seong Ju-Chan’s eyes opened wider. Understandable, since the newest customer entering his store was none other than Kang Jin-Ho!

“One cup of Iced Americano.”

When Kang Jin-Ho didn’t waste any time and placed his order immediately, Seong Ju-Chan urgently nodded away.

“U-understood, sir! I’ll get it ready immediately!”

However, when Seong Ju-Chan tried to rush over to the roasting machine, the frowning Kang Jin-Ho stopped him.

“I want to pay.”

“B-but, how can I accept your...”

“I said, I want to pay.”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly presented his bank card, forcing Seong Ju-Chan to nervously accept it and process the payment while swallowing his saliva.

Holy cow! I think I’m gonna wet my pants!

It was already nerve-racking to sell coffee to the franchise’s chairman, but the real problem here was that this customer was not merely MK’s chairman. No, he was the Assembly Master, a man who used to hold the authority to decide Seong Ju-Chan’s fate not too long ago!

Why is he here, though?

Especially when he had come here for that marketing stunt not too long ago!

Seong Ju-Chan did his best to brew the coffee even as his complexion remained pale-white. Once done, he quickly presented it to Kang Jin-Ho.

“H-here’s your coffee, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t stand on ceremony and stuck a straw into the coffee on the spot, then took a long, deep slurp of the drink. All Seong Ju-Chan could do was tensely watch this scene.

“Hmmm...?” Kang Jin-Ho placed the cup of coffee on the counter with an audible clack, before furrowing his brow. “...? When did you grind the beans?”

“S-sorry? Uh, not too long ago, sir...?”

“Since the machines brew the coffee, it can’t be helped, but didn’t we tell you to grind the beans right away?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“So? When did you grind them?”

“T-the truth is, we haven’t ground the beans earlier, but uh... I have this automated grinder, you see? And I figured we could use that and...”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned brightly. “Is that right?”

“I, I’ll reflect on myself, sir, and never do it again.”

“No, it’s fine,” said Kang Jin-Ho while leisurely typing something into his phone. “For you... Re-education.”

“...!”

“And your instructor will be Lee Hyeon-Su.”

“...?! Heeeeiiik?!”

“Do your best,” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled, then turned around to leave. However, he stopped after remembering something and glanced back at Seong Ju-Chan. “Ah. By the way?”

“Y-yes, sir?”

“Don’t tell other franchisees, because I’m planning to visit all the cafes in Seoul today. I’m sure you don’t want to see others not sharing your fate. Am I right?”

Seong Ju-Chan’s glare sharpened. “Yes, sir. It’s always better to die together, after all.”

“A good mindset you have, that.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled back at Seong Ju-Chan before leaving the cafe.

Seong Ju-Chan sighed deeply while shaking his head.

Yup, I can’t win against that.

He prayed that as many idiots as possible would get “caught” by the Assembly Master and enter the hellish re-education program. Only then would he feel less hard done by this situation!