Chapter 673. Pouncing (3)
Every human being was capable of feeling emotions. And their emotions were usually swayed and determined by external factors. Emotions like sorrow, happiness and anger were simply internal responses to external stimuli.
What if someone grew happy or sad while imagining things by themselves? That wasn't by themselves. They were simply recalling the external stimuli from the past in some shape or form.
In short, people's emotions were easily controlled by events unfolding around them. Humans converted external shocks into emotions and determined their current physical and psychological state.
Han Eun-Sol was also a human being. As such, he felt emotions through this process. However, that process had gone awry, just a little, at this point in his life. He was facing a small problem. It was just a minor little thing, really.
'Gimme a freaking break!'
Forcing a passing car to stop in the middle of a deserted mountain road was a threatening thing to do. Especially when the method chosen was throwing a huge knife at said car to dramatically shatter its windscreen!
The correct emotional response to a situation like this one would be to get the sh*t scared out of him!
'I'm a bloody nobody, after all!'
Obviously, this world was populated by a huge variety of people, so some should be able to withstand their fear and remain unfazed even in a situation like this. However, Han Eun-Sol wasn't one. He was just a common man who valued his life.
If he could help it, he'd like to avoid getting hurt. Not dying would be even better, of course. Even if death was unavoidable, he'd rather delay the inevitable right up until the final moments if he could help it!
So, he should've been swimming in fear and panic at the unfolding situation, but...
'Why are you making that kind of an expression behind me?! Stop it!'
The fear mushrooming from deep inside Han Eun-Sol's heart would suddenly deflate like nobody's business whenever he glanced at the reflection of Choi Yeon-Ha's face in the rearview mirror!
How should he go about describing that expression? Was it...
...Glowing brightly? Or happy-go-lucky?
'Dammit! What does it matter, anyway!'
Whatever it was, one could say Choi Yeon-Ha's expression was a bundle of gentleness that made anyone staring at her feel a little dreamy. If she had made that expression under different circumstances, Han Eun-Sol would have felt deeply moved. After all, anyone with a beating heart would've fallen in love with her on that expression alone!
Choi Yeon-Ha was praised for being able to produce above-average performance at will. But she still had a hard time convincingly pulling off the role of a romantic lead. That was because she couldn't reproduce the face of a woman in love.
But now... There it was, that one expression she never got to pull off in her entire career!
As Choi Yeon-Ha's manager, Han Eun-Sol should be celebrating this monumental event. It meant his talent had matured even more, after all!
However...! How should he put this...?
'...Why does it have to be now!'
Now wasn't the appropriate time for this kind of thing, was it?! Were her eyes not functioning properly or something? Was her eyesight failing her?!
Since the van's front window had been broken into pieces, the view up ahead should be a bit clearer now. So, how could Choi Yeon-Ha respond like this unless her eyesight was faulty?! Couldn't she see all those ruffians blocking the road with scary-looking machetes in their hands?
To make matters worse, they were in the middle of nowhere. On one side was a steep cliff, while their path was blocked. There wasn't even enough time to turn the car around, either. To avoid colliding with that group, Han Eun-Sol would have to reverse the van, but...
Gulp!
Han Eun-Sol saw the steep cliff to the side and squeezed his eyes shut. It was impossible for him. This was too much for him to handle!
'How can I reverse in this place?! I can't do it!'
Han Eun-Sol glanced behind him only to yell loudly after clapping his eyes on Choi Yeon-Ha's expression once more. “What the heck?! Do you think we're in a shonen manga or something?!”
Did Choi Yeon-Ha awaken her latent potential when a clear danger presented itself? If that was the case, why couldn't she awaken a different type of superpower? Why did her acting ability and the richness of her expressions improve instead! It wasn't as if she was a failed character build with stat points distributed incorrectly, anyway!
Humans were supposed to be creatures of empathy, weren't they! What if the situation called for fear, but the person next to you was feeling a different emotion? Wouldn't your original emotion of fear get diluted into an awkward nothing?
It was similar to how you were watching a horror movie with someone, but that person kept giggling at all the scary scenes to make the movie-viewing experience an awkward one!
Of course, Han Eun-Sol didn't want to deny that Choi Yeon-Ha had a reason to feel happy. However, should that come at the expense of the right-time-and-place rule?! For instance, who would be crazy enough to celebrate winning a lottery when an asteroid hurtling toward the planet?!
'...Oh, hold on. We do have one, don't we? Sitting right behind me, no less!'
Han Eun-Sol stopped peering into the rearview mirror and stared at the front. What was the point of airing his grievances now? It'd only frustrate him even more, anyway.
Also, Choi Yeon-Ha still hadn't reacted to Han Eun-Sol raising his voice at her. That pretty much signaled that there was no point in continuing with this one-sided conversation anymore. If this was any other occasion, she'd immediately hurl insults or cushions in Han Eun-Sol's direction, yet there had been zero reaction from Choi Yeon-Ha so far.
Which could only mean... She was a goner. Her head was completely up in the clouds!
'And why did that guy get out of the car, too?!'
Forget frustration, it felt like heartburn was scorching Han Eun-Sol's innards instead!
As mentioned earlier, many varieties of people existed on Earth. So, it shouldn't be strange to learn that more than one or two people were brave enough to step forward even in a dangerous situation like this. Han Eun-Sol's problem was that those 'one or two' people happened to be his passengers! And that one of them exited the car even before he could be stopped, too!
'Why?! Why did you exit the van, Mister Jin-Ho!'
What would be the logical response to a situation like this? That should be blindingly obvious, no? Lock the doors and step on the accelerator, of course!
There was no reason to face up to a bunch of lunatics who threw machetes at a moving vehicle without a warning. The broken windscreen did increase the danger a little, but it was still way better than getting out of the car and exposing yourself.
Some people might say he was overreacting, but Han Eun-Sol firmly believed it was a hundred times better than dying. Also, China's justice system was less lenient toward criminals, so it might not even recognize Han Eun-Sol's actions as excessive!
“That is why! Why! Why did you have to get out of the van! Whyyyyy?!”
Han Eun-Sol honestly wanted to cry.
However, it seemed Choi Yeon-Ha's thoughts were a little different from his. “Argh, you're being noisy! What's the matter with you?”
“What's the matter with me?! How can I stay calm in this situation?! Stop making that slack face and try to talk Mister Jin-Ho out of doing something stupid!”
“What slack face are you talking about?” Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow.
“Look in the mirror, noona!”
Choi Yeon-Ha casually shrugged her shoulders. “He's not a child, so why should I stop him?”
“Noona, don't you know that an immature adult is way more terrifying than a child? Look! Your boyfriend is walking up to those people holding those big knives! What will you do if he gets hurt?!”
“Don't worry, he won't.”
“How can you be so sure?!”
“Listen, Eun-Sol,” Choi Yeon-Ha confidently declared, “Have you ever seen me getting something wrong before?”
“...I think you misspoke just now, noona. Did you mean you're never right?”
“Go jump in a lake, you!”
Choi Yeon-Ha sharply glared at her manager, but Han Eun-Sol was in no mood to back down.
“Now isn't the time to joke around, noona! Mister Jin-Ho might really get hurt if we leave him be!”
“I'm telling you, he won't get hurt.”
“Eiii, dammit!” Han Eun-Sol grunted in unhappiness and began unbuckling the seatbelt. He realized there was no point in talking to Choi Yeon-Ha anymore. Words weren't getting through, so he might as well get out and physically stop Kang Jin-Ho.
However, Choi Yeon-Ha spoke first. “Don't leave the van, Eun-Sol.”
“Stay here for a bit, okay!”
“I said, do not get out of the car.”
“...!” Han Eun-Sol was taken aback by how serious Choi Yeon-Ha sounded just then. He looked behind and saw her expression. It was still a little flushed, but no sign of agitation could be seen. In other words, Choi Yeon-Ha was as level-headed as she could get.
'In that case, why aren't you stopping Mister Jin-Ho?!'
Han Eun-Sol couldn't understand why Choi Yeon-Ha didn't even bother to stop her companion from committing a clearly suicidal act.
Choi Yeon-Ha calmly addressed her flustered manager. “Stay put, okay? Mister Jin-Ho isn't an idiot. He must have a good reason for stepping up like this.”
“But... Urgh...!” Han Eun-Sol forced himself to clamp his mouth shut.
Choi Yeon-Ha might go around causing scenes for random reasons, but that shouldn't apply to Kang Jin-Ho. From what Han Eun-Sol observed so far, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't the type to do things without a solid reason.
However, what could possibly be his reason in this situation?
While wondering what that reason could be, Han Eun-Sol intensely peered through the broken windscreen... Only for his ears to pick up Choi Yeon-Ha's hushed whisper.
“Besides, I've decided to become a bit more... How should I say it, better behaved? I mean, a woman stepping up in moments like this will only embarrass her man, you know?”
“...”
An unstoppable groan gushing out from the deepest part of his lungs escaped Han Eun-Sol's mouth.
He had finally stopped caring.
***
Step, step...
Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly walked up to the group of men blocking the road.
He was getting a rather bizarre feeling from this event. A deja vu-like feeling, as if he had gone through similar events many times before.
'It's like I've run into mountain bandits or something.'
Kang Jin-Ho chuckled at that thought.
Zhongyuan of the past were teeming with bandits. Those bandits could be split into two categories. The first category was usually made up of peasants who buckled under the unforgiving taxation and entered the wilderness to eke out a survival no matter what, which often involved highway robberies. On the other hand, some people willingly chose a life of crime as they didn't fear the government's subjugation forces.
The first category of people was, indeed, bandits. However, the latter group was called ‘Lulin.’[1]
The ones blocking the road emitted an aura much closer to the latter group. Their eyes indicated that they weren't interested in stealing valuables. No, they... They were emitting the intense bloodlust of people planning to kill their opponents, no matter what it took!
The usual Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't have hesitated in tearing apart limb to limb of an enemy daring to bare their fangs at him like this. However, the situation now was a little different.
'Yes, I'm... generous.'
For some unknown reason, it felt like he could forgive almost all indiscretions as he was now. How could he not be more understanding when humans couldn't help but keep making mistakes throughout their lives?
If death was the default punishment for a mistake, then no one would be left alive by now. That was why he felt like he could be more benevolent and...
“What the f*ck are you grinning at, you fool?”
'...Mm? Now that... is a bit awkward.'
Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly at the unwarranted insult hurtling in his way. It seemed these men had no idea how monumental this occasion was.
Throughout his entire life, how many times did he entertain the thoughts of sparing an enemy who displayed such naked hostility toward him? Probably never! He was about to graciously offer this special privilege no one else had ever enjoyed until now, so imagine how troubled Kang Jin-Ho would feel when these men decided to be uncooperative.
“What the f*ck are you grinning for, you piece of sh*t?”
“...” Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly as a vein subtly bulged in his forehead.
In times like this, being fluent in Chinese was a demerit. At least one thing was for sure, though... The modern Chinese language has changed a lot since ancient times, but the nuances of insults had not changed one bit!
Crack...!
Kang Jin-Ho firmly clenched his fists. There must've been hundreds, nay, thousands of different ways to deal with someone insulting you. However, Kang Jin-Ho knew only one way.
Just before Kang Jin-Ho could teach them how one should go about living their lives, one of the 'bandits' silently observing this scene from the sidelines suddenly spoke up. “Are you Kang Jong-In?”
'Kang Jong-In?'
Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. That name oddly sounded familiar, so...
“...Ah!”
He involuntarily nodded just then. That name, Kang Jong-In, was an alias appearing on the passport Lee Hyeon-Su had prepared. He told Kang Jin-Ho to use that name while in China, but with Kang Jin-Ho being who he was, he didn't really care all that much about sticking to that advice. No wonder it took him a second to remember.
'Does that mean... These people aren't technically here for me?'
It seemed these bandits didn't come here knowing they were dealing with Kang Jin-Ho. This meant their appearance was tied to trouble that had happened after his arrival...
That was when the man offered up a decisive clue. “Where is Guo Liqin?”
Kang Jin-Ho's brows quivered. Guo Liqin, was it? Guo Liqin...
A bright smile suddenly bloomed on Kang Jin-Ho's face.
How odd this was. Until a few seconds ago, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't really angry. He was actually grinning faintly, too.
However, when that supposedly bright smile appeared on his face, he looked even more creepy and bone-chilling for some inexplicable reason.
“You want to know?”
The man stared at Kang Jin-Ho with somewhat spooked eyes. He suddenly sensed that... something had gone wrong here. And that feeling was growing stronger, too.
Kang Jin-Ho leisurely spoke up to shatter the silence.
“What do you think has happened to him?”
His reply sent even more chills down the bandit's spine.
1. Lulin, or the Brotherhood of Greenwoods (??/綠林), is a well-organized group of underworld figures commonly found in wuxia novels, consisting of powerful experts. ☜
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