Chapter 1586. Regaining (1)

Jeong Hong-Geun thought, It feels like I’m filled with so much vitality!

Maybe that sounded strange. After all, his body was aging. Simply walking around and doing things used to hurt his joints a little, but now?

It felt as if the vitality he used to feel in his youth had completely filled him up.

Not only that, but my mind is clear, too.

It used to feel like something foggy was clouding his mind ever so slightly, but that feeling was completely gone now. The clarity in his mind was such that he couldn’t even keep up with his own racing thoughts.

This... had to be the “transformation.”

That word was used to describe so many different things, yet it suited Jeong Hong-Geun of now better than any other term in the dictionary. Like a larva morphing into a butterfly overnight, Jeong Hong-Geun had transformed, too.

“Mm...!”

Jeong Hong-Geun let out a satisfied grunt at this sensation of getting at least twenty years younger.

To think such a thing was even possible in this world!

He could sympathize with Bak Sang-Wu and other employees’ reactions. But their combined shock couldn’t even come close to what Jeong Hong-Geun felt.

Right now, he felt like he could do anything.

This experience reminded him that youth was truly a remarkable thing. To think that being able to look forward to tomorrow, and having self-confidence, would feel this incredible!

The overflowing energy helped him in finishing his trains of thoughts that used to get interrupted often in the past. And his clear mind helped him understand what he needed to do. It even told him how stupid he had been recently, too.

That was why... He did not want to let this feeling go. Never!

If someone told him to choose between his current state and the embodiment of his achievement, Taegwang, he’d unhesitantly throw this company away. Because, he was now confident of achieving even more.

If he could, he wouldn’t even hesitate to make deals with the devil, too!

No, wait. Maybe I have already done that.

Jeong Hong-Geun smirked softly.

The one responsible for transforming Jeong Hong-Geun was, of course, Kang Jin-Ho.

After their contract had been established, Kang Jin-Ho suddenly grabbed Jeong Hong-Geun’s head and did something. When that was over, Jeong Hong-Geun opened his eyes and welcomed this brand new world.

No, it’d be more fitting to say he welcomed back the world he had lost many years ago.

“Fuu-woo...!”

Jeong Hong-Geun exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke, then smirked even more.

Yes, he must be the devil. Has to be.

A human being couldn’t have done that. That meant Kang Jin-Ho had to be the devil. However, did that scare Jeong Hong-Geun?

Of course not!

Rather than fear, he was having a hard time trying to contain his delight.

What did he have left these days? He didn’t want to die while clinging to the fading glory from his past.

He knew he’d not be welcomed into Heaven, anyway. However, what if he could acquire a new life through this contract with the devil? His soul seemed like a cheap price to pay.

It now makes sense why they were all kissing his butt like that.

Jeong Hong-Geun finally got to confirm the true essence of the power Kang Jin-Ho wielded. Of course, what he witnessed must’ve been the tip of the iceberg, but that tiny demonstration was still more than enough to illustrate how powerful Kang Jin-Ho really was.

Jeong Hong-Geun slowly licked his lips.

Even more glory, even more loot, and even more offerings...! These were the things Jeong Hong-Geun would earn. These were the things Jeong Hong-Geun would gladly offer as tributes!

“Good. Very good. Ahahahahahaht!”

Jeong Hong-Geun guffawed loudly while slamming his palm against the thick glass. Right now, it felt like the entirety of Seoul would fall into his palm soon.

No, wait. It’s more than that.

He shouldn’t be satisfied with something this minuscule.

After all, his lord wanted more than this tiny land. As such, it was Jeong Hong-Geun’s duty to serve up the entirety of Japan as his tribute to him!

And Jeong Hong-Geun knew he could make this dream into a reality.

He had never failed to satisfy those he served until now, after all!

***

Kang Jin-Ho shuddered. “It was so frightening.”

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned. “Sir...? I think you’re overselling it a bit?”

“I’m not exaggerating anything here, okay? That man, he...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “If the talk went sideways, I was thinking of mind-controlling him. But I’ve never seen anybody that enthusiastic until now, okay? It got to a point where I began wondering if he knew who I was and was waiting for my arrival.”

Lee Hyeon-Su cackled away. “Kekeke! Yes, I agree you’ve never seen a type of person like Jeong Hong-Geun. Once he realized what you are, he probably stopped thinking about other options altogether. And then, the only conflict in his mind was how to make you trust him even more.”

Just as Lee Hyeon-Su had anticipated, Jeong Hong-Geun completely submitted to Kang Jin-Ho.

Other people might have reacted differently in that situation, but Jeong Hong-Geun wasn’t like the others. Whether that was a good thing or not was up for debate, though!

To that man, notions like ego or saving face held no meaning. He found the weaker people kowtowing and submitting to him the most obvious thing in the world, and likewise, he thought nothing of kneeling before the stronger people.

Kang Jin-Ho was the stronger individual in this case. Not only that, but overwhelmingly so.

To someone like Jeong Hong-Geun, who pounced on any opportunity to elevate the powerful people coming in contact with him even higher, Kang Jin-Ho was like a mountain filled with gold.

Yup, I’m guessing he was about to shed tears of gratitude!

Even Lee Hyeon-Su got a little appalled after guessing what Jeong Hong-Geun’s mindset must’ve been while submitting to Kang Jin-Ho.

However, was that necessarily a bad thing? After all, the more Jeong Hong-Geun submitted to Kang Jin-Ho, the more options the Assembly would have to expand its scope of activity.

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin. “Still... Maybe I should have enslaved his mind, too?”

Lee Hyeon-Su curiously asked, “Are there any side effects to worry about, sir?”

“Unless the subject possesses a sharp, firm mind like Vator, they will eventually turn into a mindless puppet. They can’t think for themselves and only follow orders to the letter. And then, their mind will completely disintegrate.”

“I see. Then it’s better not to do it to Jeong Hong-Geun, sir. What we’re looking for is a capable servant, not a puppet, after all. He needs to handle all the business in Japan, you see? Considering what we need from him, the current arrangement is most ideal.”

Lee Hyeon-Su shrugged casually.

“Besides, Jeong Hong-Geun won’t betray us. As a matter of fact, I’d say someone like that will remain loyal to his master. As long as he believes there are benefits to be had by sticking with us, he won’t even entertain the idea of betrayal.”

“How come?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. Wouldn’t the type of people like Jeong Hong-Geun be more prone to betrayal?

“Sir, things like betrayal fall under the realm of emotions. Chasing after benefits isn’t an act based on emotion, so you can’t really call it betrayal. Jeong Hong-Geun will never let his emotions sway when it comes to benefits. As long as he knows that being on our side will benefit him, we won’t have to worry about his loyalty.”

While explaining, a deep smirk floated up on Lee Hyeon-Su’s lips.

He won’t betray us even if Taegwang goes under.

Taegwang was everything to Jeong Hong-Geun, but not because he had some kind of affection toward it. This was where he differed somewhat from Hwang Jeong-Hu and his relationship with his company.

To Hwang Jeong-Hu, Jaegyeong was like a part of him, his child. He might even think of Jaegyeong as more important than himself. But this story didn’t apply to Jeong Hong-Geun.

He saw Taegwang as a symbol of his achievements. That was all. He only clung doggedly to the company because he could no longer achieve something greater than it. It was the only way to prove his worth now. Hence, his obsession.

However, what if he could create something else? Something better? Then, Jeong Hong-Geun wouldn’t even hesitate to throw Taegwang into the fire.

“By the way, didn’t you say you did something to his body as well?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Mm. If left alone, he wouldn’t have lasted another year. So I helped out a bit by burning his turbid qi away, then stabilized his qi flow. With that, I guess his lifespan must’ve increased by... At least another ten years?”

“It must feel like he’s gotten younger, then?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked again.

The most important thing a person could have was their life. No matter how wealthy someone was, they would never exchange their life for money.

Now that Jeong Hong-Geun knew his life was in Kang Jin-Ho’s hands...! He’d never betray Kang Jin-Ho, even if he lost everything and became a pauper.

I have a feeling that the Assembly Master wasn’t aiming for that while fixing Jeong Hong-Geun up, though.

Kang Jin-Ho always did whatever took his fancy, after all. And it was Lee Hyeon-Su’s job to turn those whimsical actions into profitable actions.

“That means we only have to worry about administrative work now. But with Jeong Hong-Geun’s enthusiastic cooperation, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “But is it really possible? I mean, Japan’s distribution network or whatever it was.”

“Yes, sir. It is possible.”

“Is it even profitable, though?”

“I’m... sorry?”

“Will we benefit from taking over Japan’s distribution network? That’s what I don’t understand.”

Lee Hyeon-Su subtly massaged his temples. Excuse me, sir? I thought you attended a business management course at university? And you even read all those textbooks to learn about running a company not too long ago, too.

Of course, doing so didn’t mean one would suddenly know everything about running a business, but still!

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed softly. “The wealthiest people in Japan and in America own distribution companies, sir.”

“Mm? Really?”

“Sir, distribution service is like a bottomless well. Every item we use has a shelf life, so to speak, and we must replace them at some point or find substitutes. However, the need to deliver said items to consumers will always exist.”

“Mm!”

“If we can dominate this sector, it’ll continue to fill our coffers forever. Of course, dominating the sector is the toughest part. Thankfully, though, we already have the ability to order around the folks who oversee at least half of the sector.”

“You mean the Japanese martial artists?”

“And the Yakuza, too. These gangsters’ main sources of income have always been the entertainment business, plus distribution services. We can devour them all for free, so we don’t have a reason not to give it a go.”

“Mm... I see.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. He still hadn’t grasped it fully, but the rough outline of what was what had finally formed in his mind now.

“So, we’ll funnel the money out of Japan via the distribution network?”

“No, but it’ll be the start, sir. Once we take over the distribution, we can set the pricing to whatever we feel like. Most services operating in such an oligopoly can’t attempt this because the government will come down hard on them, but...!”

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked like a villain.

“But the Japanese bureaucrats won’t even try to keep us in check. Unless they have let go of their senses, they won’t stand in our way. Well, if they don’t mind abruptly passing on to the next life during their restful slumber, that is.”

“...”

“What those bastards are trying to do right now is like the final struggle. They can sense the guillotine closing in on their throats. So, before the blade touches their necks, they want to show us that we can’t push them around willy-nilly.

“But the method they’ve chosen is to throw off their shirts and lie down on the ground like a rock or something. In that case, we should play along by mounting them and pounding their faces away to oblivion. They will tap out pretty easily if we do that.”

“I don’t get what you’re saying. Whatever it is, you’ll take care of it, right?”

“...Of course.”

“Then that’s fine,” said Kang Jin-Ho with an unconcerned shrug.

It felt like they took an unnecessarily long way around to reach the expected outcome, but he didn’t mind it. Whatever it was, the fact remained that a tough problem requiring so many resources was about to get resolved pretty easily, thanks to the entrance of an unexpected helper.

“I’ll work with Jeong Hong-Geun to set up a new company, sir. And this company’s shares will be ninety percent ours. On top of that, we’ll also demand some shares in Taegwang as compensation.”

“Sure. Do what you think is for the best.”

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled deeply.

Yes... This is merely the start. After we devour Taegwang, and when our Assembly Master inherits Jaegyeong from Chairman Hwang...!

An unimaginably massive corporation, with MK acting as its core, would be born. Of course, they would have to get rid of some unnecessary parts and restructure its now-considerable heft, but even then, the ranking for South Korea’s top companies would experience a seismic reshuffle.

“They say even dog poop can be used as medicine sometimes, so to think that a pro-Jap bastard would come in handy like this!”

Lee Hyeon-Su began cackling insidiously away. Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply at this sight and sneakily pushed his chair back to create some distance.

Why did it feel like Lee Hyeon-Su was getting weirder and more unsavory with every passing day?

...? Hold on, I guess he’s always been this way?

“Urgh...”