Chapter 1584. Face to Face (4)

Trickle, trickle...

Beer filled a clear glass, its white foam rapidly rising to the top.

Jeong Hong-Geun silently stared at the alcohol filling his glass. The truth was, he was never a fan of beer.

As he got older, he found beer a bit too much to drink. After all, he had to drink a lot to feel the alcohol kicking in with beer. That meant he began preferring harder liquor instead.

However, the beer was still his go-to drink of choice if something frustrated him and he needed something cold to refresh himself. Like today.

Jeong Hong-Geun took a long swig of the cold beer before the foam could settle down.

“Fuuh...!”

He drank half of the beer in the glass and let out a soft grunt. The icy-cool beer traveling down his throat was enough to wake him up completely.

Have I made the right choice?

If he was being honest with himself... He still wasn’t sure. And he wouldn’t get his answer for a while, too. A matter like this was impossible to judge until one received a report card called “outcome” at the end, after all.

A choice that looked idiotic at first could become an insightful move for the future, and an obvious decision could morph into a horrible move that pushed one into a dead end.

All Jeong Hong-Geun could rely on right now was his gut feeling, which had proved its worth time and time again by doggedly clinging to life with him.

Right now, his instincts were yelling at him, telling him never to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. That he must climb onto this bed no matter what!

He trusted his gut wholeheartedly. Even then, a corner of his heart still ached in anxiety, because he knew he didn’t have a back-up plan this time.

Jeong Hong-Geun simply knew nothing about MK. He couldn’t even comprehend why the Korean government would kowtow to a company so small in scale.

No, hold on. That’s not right.

If there was a reason, it couldn’t be MK. No, the answer was Kang Jin-Ho!

Back when Jeong Hong-Geun first spoke to the Prime Minister, Goh Han-Bong didn’t even mention MK. No, he only let slip something about Kang Jin-Ho. That was all.

In that case, how was Jeong Hong-Geun supposed to interpret this situation?

“One man’s power is greater than that of a corporation? Is that it?”

If that wasn’t the answer, maybe MK had some other special ace up its sleeve?

Jeong Hong-Geun furrowed his brow. This uncertainty tormented him to no end.

He had already made up his mind about leeching off Kang Jin-Ho. But his target this time was shrouded in mystery. Unlike in the past, when Jeong Hong-Geun sided with Japan, America, and even the military dictatorship, he couldn’t see a definite thing, an entity, he could latch onto.

That made it so much harder for him to decide how to exploit this situation to his advantage. On top of that...

Expanding into Japan, he said...

Jeong Hong-Geun sighed deeply.

That’s an insane plan.

The anti-Japan sentiment was at an all-time high right now. Imagine a Korean company entering Japan in a volatile environment like that. Not just any sector, either, but a distribution business?

The thing about distribution was that the customers wouldn’t have a problem even if they stopped working with you as long as there were alternatives to choose from. And in Japan, there were plenty of alternatives.

So, why distribution? And what was even more bizarre about this situation was Prime Minister Goh Han-Bong applauding so enthusiastically after hearing that plan. Even though he should know about the obstacles such a business would face in Japan!

It feels like everyone, except for me, has gone insane.

Or maybe Jeong Hong-Geun was the insane one here?

Have I finally gotten too old?

Despite jokingly telling Bak Sang-Wu and others about how old and obsolete he had become these days, Jeong Hong-Geun believed that he was still a leader in this world. Sure, he might not hold a candle to his younger days, especially at his prime, but his wisdom from years of experience should have been enough to cover his waning instincts. So he should still be fighting fit, or so he told himself.

But the latest series of episodes cast a doubt in his heart. Maybe he really was falling behind the times? It felt as if the world had left him behind and continued to charge forward, after all.

“I... still am not sure.” Jeong Hong-Geun groaned deeply. “Fuu-woooo...”

He suddenly felt a hankering for some nicotine in his system.

Maybe because of all the increased level of stress, he found himself smoking a lot more often lately. Doctors kept telling him that smoking didn’t reduce his stress, that the relief was only temporary, but those idiots missed something crucial.

Right. That temporary relief is what matters to me.

Jeong Hong-Geun smirked softly after remembering the time when he ran into his doctor, who nagged him to quit smoking, in the hospital’s smoking area.

Fine. I guess I’ll smoke... Mm?

Jeong Hong-Geun frowned slightly just then. Was it because he wanted to smoke? It felt as if his sense of smell had picked up the distinct aroma of a cigarette. And it was pretty strong, too.

Jeong Hong-Geun tilted his head in confusion and sniffed the air some more, only to realize he hadn’t been hallucinating. His expression stiffened instantly.

“Who is it?!”

No one, except him of course, smoked in this residence. However, that didn’t mean the smell could have come from the outside, since his mansion was surrounded by spacious gardens. It was simply impossible for the cigarette smell to cross such a distance.

Then... Where was this smell coming from?

His confusion was resolved soon afterward.

Clomp, clomp, clomp...!

Jeong Hong-Geun’s head snapped in the direction of those footsteps. And those eerie sounds were coming from the corridor connected to the living room.

The footsteps sounded soft, almost mechanical, and neither hurried nor lazy.

Jeong Hong-Geun’s entire body began stiffening on the spot.

Who is that?

There was supposed to be no one beside him in this house. Since that was the case, who could be walking toward him right now?

Beads of sweat began forming on Jeong Hong-Geun’s forehead.

T-the... The light! I need to turn on the...

It was a mistake to turn the lights off because his eyes hurt. This intense darkness meant he couldn’t see who was in the corridor.

Just as his thoughts reached that far...!

Sizzle, sizzle...

The brief noises of something burning accompanied a bright red dot flickering at the end of the corridor. And then, that dot gradually lost its light.

Jeong Hong-Geun instinctively realized that flickering light belonged to a lit cigarette. Someone was smoking while walking leisurely toward him!

The situation strongly implied that the unknown individual wouldn’t be holding friendly intentions toward Jeong Hong-Geun.

He hurriedly rummaged through his pockets.

I gotta call the cops... N-no, my secretary?

Just as he had managed to yank out his phone to call someone...!

Clomp!

The unknown individual finally entered the living room.

“...!”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s hand gripping the phone lost its strength when the low light finally revealed the individual’s face.

He knew that face. No, he didn’t recognize it...

Actually, he did recognize it!

“Fuu-woo...!”

The cigarette smoke drifted away, no longer obscuring the man’s face.

“C-Chairman Kang?”

Indeed, that was Kang Jin-Ho. That was definitely who Jeong Hong-Geun could see. However... Was that really Kang Jin-Ho?

Jeong Hong-Geun shuddered at this inexplicable sense of incongruity.

That creature definitely had Kang Jin-Ho’s face and body, yet the aura it emitted differed so much. It was as if this man was a complete stranger Jeong Hong-Geun had never met before!

The “Kang Jin-Ho” he had seen until now was such a dummy and dullard that he often wondered how someone like that could even sit as a chairman of a company. But this Kang Jin-Ho? This man was easily weighty and dark enough to blow such suspicions away.

Clomp, clomp...

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t respond to Jeong Hong-Geun and simply sat on the couch. He lightly tossed the spent cigarette into the ashtray resting on the coffee table.

“...”

Click.

Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a new cigarette and lit it up, then reclined against the couch, his gaze of disdain now locked on Jeong Hong-Geun.

He calmly said, “Go ahead.”

“...?”

“Weren’t you going to smoke?”

“...!”

Jeong Hong-Geun gripped the packet of cigarettes with his trembling hand. He had no clue what was going on here, but his instincts told him it was wise to do as he was told in this situation. In fact, even his brain was screaming at him to obey.

He saw his hands shaking nonstop and held his breath.

I’m... I’m shaking?

But, why? Because a young man whom Jeong Hong-Geun couldn’t physically overcome had shown up for an unknown purpose? Because he was worried about getting beaten up to death?

Of course not!

He was none other than Jeong Hong-Geun, a man who had survived countless life-or-death situations. He never blinked once in terror throughout all those close brushes with death. So, a situation like this shouldn’t scare him. At all.

So, why was he shaking so much right now?

Right, it feels like I’m getting crushed.

His trembling eyes locked on Kang Jin-Ho. This man looked so gigantic right now.

With the air about him having transformed so dramatically, Kang Jin-Ho now came across as an absolute ruler. Merely looking into his eyes was almost enough to stop Jeong Hong-Geun’s heart.

As a man who had experienced countless rulers and powerful men over the years, Jeong Hong-Geun could tell. This man, this Kang Jin-Ho... was a king! Not just any king either, but a merciless dictator, a tyrant who cared not for the destruction he left behind!

Jeong Hong-Geun finally comprehended everything that had happened until now. Someone like this was capable of achieving anything he set his mind to. Whatever the sector was, this Kang Jin-Ho must’ve accomplished feats other people couldn’t even dream of, and did so with genuine ease.

Opposing someone like this was akin to jumping into the fire while carrying an armful of explosives.

Cold sweat flooded down Jeong Hong-Geun’s face now.

Goh Han-Bong!

He finally figured out why the Prime Minister had tried so hard to stop him back then. In Goh Han-Bong’s view, Jeong Hong-Geun must’ve looked like a moth getting stupidly closer to the flames.

Jeong Hong-Geun forced his trembling hand to bring the cigarette to his lips. However, his hands shook too much, and he ultimately couldn’t light up the cigarette.

Click!

Kang Jin-Ho used his lighter to ignite the tip of Jeong Hong-Geun’s cigarette.

Jeong Hong-Geun took the cigarette away from his lips and bowed in silence to express his gratitude.

His silence proved that he had finally understood the truth.

Jeong Hong-Geun possessed the “sixth” sense to perfectly distinguish individuals more powerful than he was from the lesser folk. And this sense helped him understand how powerful this young man sitting before him really was.

He couldn’t even dare calculate how overwhelming and absolute his power was. Jeong Hong-Geun’s brain couldn’t fathom such vast power.

“So,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered in a calm but cold voice. “Let’s stop all the childish pranks you’ve been up to until now and talk properly.”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s cold voice boomed thunderously inside Jeong Hong-Geun’s head.

“You want to become my underling?”

This was different. What Jeong Hong-Geun wanted, and what he told Kang Jin-Ho, was not the same as complete submission. However, he didn’t feel the need to reiterate that this time.

If his negotiation partner had changed, the contents of the negotiation itself should change, too; the previous wishy-washy Kang Jin-Ho and the Kang Jin-Ho appearing before his eyes were two different people. As such, Jeong Hong-Geun must change the terms accordingly.

“Yes, Chairman Kang. I’ll serve you wholeheartedly.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked derisively, his eyes gradually dying in crimson light.

Jeong Hong-Geun’s heart tumbled to the pit of his stomach at this terrifying sight.

“Stop with meaningless nonsense. Tell me what you really want.”

“...!”

“This is a trade. A contract. I will use you. In return, what do you want from me?”

“M-me? I... What I want...?”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s voice began trembling just as much as his hands, while his eyes darted around nonstop. Cold sweat rained down his entire body now.

Eventually, though, he overcame all these things and squeezed his words out.

“Glory... Yes, what I want is glory. Everlasting glory!”

“Then, kneel,” said Kang Jin-Ho, his voice getting icier still. “Bow before me. Dedicate your everything and swear your loyalty to me. Swear to me!”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s posture grew lower and closer to the floor.

“Then, I shall grant you what you desire. In return, I will simply ask for an appropriate price from you.”

By then, Jeong Hong-Geun was kowtowing on the floor, his expression one of enrapturement.

“I shall serve you!”

A villainous smirk formed on Kang Jin-Ho’s lips as he stared at the kowtowing Jeong Hong-Geun.

“And now, our contract has been established.”