Chapter 1234. Dominating (4)

Chapter 1234. Dominating (4)

Tension taut enough to cut with a knife flowed in the room.

The icy coldness pricking his skin even invaded his chest.

It all felt so sharp. And vivid.

When was the last time Kang Jin-Ho felt this level of tension before?

This tension was noticeably different from the one found within a battlefield.

While the tension in the battlefield burned like hot magma and made his heart beat madly away, forcing his blood to circulate even faster, this tension was a different beast altogether.

For one, Kang Jin-Ho’s blood had gotten colder. All of his boiling fighting spirit crumbled away, while his confidence, built through so many trials and tribulations over the years, ebbed away after failing to find a place to dwell within his heart.

The subtle tremors in the air registered so clearly on Kang Jin-Ho’s fingertips. Which could only mean his senses were at their sharpest right now. Perhaps sharper than during the events he had gone through recently.

When was the last time he felt this tense? Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t quite remember it.

Even during the final battle against the army of experts from the orthodox sects led by Azure Demon, Kang Jin-Ho still wasn’t this nervous. But he didn’t have a reason to obsessively cling to his life at that moment, so that made some sense.

Meanwhile, Kang Jin-Ho had been shivering in excitement during his battle against the Crimson King. Because that battle made him feel alive again.

However, this situation was different. He didn’t feel the usual

highs

induced by life-or-death events. No, this feeling was far closer to despair one might feel while falling into an endless abyss.

‘That’s right, this is...’

In a certain sense, it was terror.

If one word was used to describe Kang Jin-Ho’s current emotion, then... ‘Terror’ would be a good pick.

‘However, I’m terrified? How?’

What an unbelievable development this was.

Anyone who knew Kang Jin-Ho would’ve never believed it. As such, even Kang Jin-Ho himself could not believe it.

Just who was he?

Wasn’t he Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor, a man who had climbed to the zenith of all things demonic? Wasn’t he also the leader of the Korean Martial Assembly? A

unique

demonic cultivator the likes of which the world would never see again?

Indeed, wasn’t he a man who ruled over death and trampled on life?

Yet, someone like that was terrified? What a preposterous notion that was!

However, that preposterous notion was unfolding in reality right now.

Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t even aware that he had wiped away the thin layer of cold sweat from his forehead.

Choi Yeon-Ha calmly asked, “Are you feeling hot, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“N-no, not really.”

“Then, why are you sweating like that? Maybe you’re not feeling well?”

“No, that’s not it, either.”

The man worshiped by over ten thousand demon cult believers, revered by Korean martial artists, and viewed as a subject of awe and concern by martial artists of other nations... sneakily raised his head to stare at the source of his terror.

Some said that the devil would descend to the world of man with the most beautiful appearance imaginable. And it seemed they were right on the money. Since the source of terror before Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes was beautiful enough to make most men sigh in admiration!

Unfortunately, the expression currently etched on her face could not be described as beautiful.

“Now, please tell me.”

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly asked, “Sorry?”

“Hurry.”

“Of course...”

Kang Jin-Ho wiped the cold sweat off his forehead again. He couldn’t understand why he was sweating so much right now.

“Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, Miss Yeon-Ha?”

The corners of Choi Yeon-Ha’s lips curled up suspiciously.

“If you find it difficult to tell me, how about I ask you questions? All you have to do is nod. Is that okay with you?”

“...Yes.”

“You are hiding things from me, yes?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded, his expression stiff from tension.

“Can you tell that I’ve noticed some things about you by now?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded again.

“I thought you’d eventually tell me the truth if I patiently waited for you. But you continued to keep it, whatever it is, hidden from me. How do you think I’ll feel in that case?”

“I’m sure you’re angry about it.”

“Nope. I’m pissed, Mister Jin-Ho.”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s glare sharpened considerably just then. As if knives were... Actually, Kang Jin-Ho would’ve preferred dealing with actual knives right now. At least he’d be able to defend himself against those!

“What really pisses me off isn’t the fact that you’re hiding things from me, but the fact that you still think it’s necessary to hide things from me. Do you understand the difference there?”

“Yes, I do.”

Of course Kang Jin-Ho could understand. If he had been in Choi Yeon-Ha’s shoes, he’d also be concerned by all this secrecy. It was unfair to demand others do something you were unwilling or couldn’t do yourself.

“Do you know why I’m saying all this, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“...I’m not sure.”

“You got injured, didn’t you?”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s brows shot up.

“You were, weren’t you?”

“

Oh, uh

...”

Neither his parents nor his little sister had noticed anything, so how did Choi Yeon-Ha figure that out?

“You feel different from your usual self, you see? And there’s a scar on your throat, too. Did you know that?”

Kang Jin-Ho reflexively touched his neck, only to flinch and stop. Wasn’t this basically the same as admitting that Choi Yeon-Ha was right?

“How dare you go around putting yourself in danger like that? Do you want a good scolding?”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha stared at Kang Jin-Ho with an unimpressed expression for a while before finally breaking her silence.

“It’s fine if it’s something you must absolutely hide from me.”

“No,

uh

...”

“Please don’t get swept up in the mood, okay? I don’t want you to force yourself to humor me and tell me everything there is about you. Everyone has a secret or two they can’t tell anyone, right? And I know being completely transparent won’t always benefit relationships, either. I’m old enough to know that, okay?”

Kang Jin-Ho smiled awkwardly.

“However, you need to decide, right here, right now. Are you going to keep your secret until the end? Or are you going to tell me the truth?”

Kang Jin-Ho deeply sighed.

He knew he’d have to tell Choi Yeon-Ha sooner or later. He wanted to hide the truth from his family as much as possible, but that wasn’t going to happen with Choi Yeon-Ha since she was already half-involved with the Assembly’s business.

Didn’t Lee Hyeon-Su already advise him on this situation earlier?

“Miss Yeon-Ha, I wasn’t planning to keep the truth from you forever.”

“I see. At least you have morals, then.”

“It’s just that,

mm

...” Kang Jin-Ho frowned while roughly scratching his head. “This story will sound outlandish and completely made-up depending on how I say it, so...”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled helplessly just then. “Did you know you can sound so strange sometimes?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m guessing you don’t have a clue what kind of person you are. In the perspective of other people, every aspect of you is outlandish and unbelievable.”

“...”

Even Kang Jin-Ho had to concede that Choi Yeon-Ha had a point there.

“Don’t worry, I won’t get shocked even if you tell me you’re an alien from another planet. Just tell me the truth.”

“

Mm

...”

“Nothing’s gonna faze me at this point, you know? Don’t forget that I’m an actor, Mister Jin-Ho. I’ve read all kinds of crazy screenplays and story ideas. So! Even if you tell me something even more outlandish than the most outlandish thing I’ve read, it’s not gonna make me lose my mind.”

“

Mm

...?”

Kang Jin-Ho still hesitated, prompting Choi Yeon-Ha to narrow her eyes.

“Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes?”

“Do you still not trust me?”

“...”

“I’m disappointed, you know? I thought we’ve built up enough trust between us.”

“No, it’s not that, but...”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply. It seemed Kang Jin-Ho was destined to be a martial artist. Because he found punching and kicking enemies so much more tolerable than this situation!

“It’s just that I can’t figure out where to even start.”

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head. “What could be so difficult, though?”

Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t trying to find excuses here. He really had no idea where to begin his explanation.

Where should he start? Maybe with explaining the existence of the martial world and the concepts behind it? Or should he start with martial arts and cultivation first?

If not, maybe the stories of his first life? His second life? Or from the point where his third life began?

‘This... is trickier than I thought.’

Kang Jin-Ho helplessly chuckled without even realizing it. Trying to organize his experiences into a single tale finally helped him realize how extraordinary his life had been.

‘I can’t organize it at all.’

In that case, maybe it was better to give up on organizing it and just tell Choi Yeon-Ha things that popped up in his head.

“I think my story will take a while...”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already gone to the bathroom.”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s expression conveyed her determination to hear everything today even if that was the last thing she’d ever do.

There was no place to escape. Since they were locked up inside Choi Yeon-Ha’s home!

Kang Jin-Ho groaned again.

“Then, I’ll start now. If something is confusing, don’t worry about interrupting me and ask away. What I’m about to tell you is too long to be organized into a neat little story, after all.”

“Okay, got it. Stop trying to build anticipation and let’s get started already.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then gulped down the cup of cold water resting on the table.

“Let’s start from...”

A lot of things began flowing out of Kang Jin-Ho. He tried to keep things in a chronological order. However, since he was unveiling his life story, the tale naturally grew incredibly long.

He started off with his first life. How he had lost his family through a car accident, became a cripple, eked out a life somehow, before choosing to end it with his own hands.

Then, he moved on to his second life. How he got sucked into the vortex of time and landed in the ancient past to live a life as somebody else.

And finally, he spoke about his third life. Things he had seen, understood, and felt during his journey here.

He also talked about countless stories currently surrounding him, regardless of their significance.

What started as a stuttering journey through time gradually grew in confidence until it flooded out of his mouth toward the end.

Choi Yeon-Ha either nodded in silence or chimed in when it seemed appropriate to do so. At times, she even wiped her tears away.

Even though his story began at midday, it continued on as the sun dipped below the horizon and the darkness blanketed the skies once more.

Choi Yeon-Ha listened and accepted Kang Jin-Ho’s life as it was, while he got to reflect on the path he had walked to get this far.

‘This is strange.’

A slightly embarrassed expression soon formed on Kang Jin-Ho’s face. It felt like his somewhat heated emotions had settled down now.

Looking back on his life was never an easy thing for Kang Jin-Ho. He had experienced far too many things for that. And too many unfortunate things happened in the past to make this process an enjoyable one.

Still, looking back like this helped him realize how lucky his current self had gotten with events and all the good people surrounding him.

After finally wrapping up his story, Kang Jin-Ho’s trembling hand reached out toward the cup. Realizing that it was empty, he got up and got more water from the water dispenser.

Choi Yeon-Ha remained silent while staring at the table in front of her nose while Kang Jin-Ho did all that. It looked as if she was trying to organize her thoughts right now.

Kang Jin-Ho could understand Choi Yeon-Ha’s sentiments. His story had been long and complicated, after all.

An exhale of nervousness forced itself out of Kang Jin-Ho’s mouth.

He was prepared to accept whatever Choi Yeon-Ha said in this place. That was the determination required to speak about his life to someone else, though.

A bloodthirsty monster that had lived three lives; that was the label Kang Jin-Ho gave himself after looking back through his life. What else could he say to describe himself other than that label?

Ordinary people would’ve found it impossible to accept Kang Jin-Ho and the life he had lived. It could be the same for Choi Yeon-Ha, too.

Even if she failed to accept his story and wanted to leave... Kang Jin-Ho was not going to stop her.

Humans lived to find happiness. If staying with Kang Jin-Ho made Choi Yeon-Ha unhappy, it was his duty to let her go so she could find her own happiness.

“Okay, so...”

Choi Yeon-Ha finally raised her head.

Her eyes were quaking subtly. All sorts of complicated emotions swirled around within those eyes staring right back at Kang Jin-Ho.

‘I’m not surprised.’

Kang Jin-Ho knew it’d be so difficult to accept the truth. And he fully sympathized with her.

“Okay, so...?”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s lips bobbed up and down, but then, she abruptly got up. While staring directly at Kang Jin-Ho, she began chewing on her lips.

“What the hell?!”

“...”

“Okay, so!”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s gaze quickly became sharper.

Kang Jin-Ho tried his best to suppress his emotions from showing up on his face. He usually had trouble emoting like a normal person, but today? He found the act of stopping his facial muscles from twitching involuntarily even harder.

He sympathized with Choi Yeon-Ha’s reaction, though.

This was the first time Kang Jin-Ho had told another person about his life, after all. Sure, he had spoken about some parts of his previous life to the Assembly’s people, but never did he share the intimate details of his lives, as well as emotions he felt throughout, with anyone else until now.

Kang Jin-Ho cautiously spoke up. “If it’s too much to process right now, I...”

“No, wait!”

Choi Yeon-Ha shouted again, then began repeatedly pointing at Kang Jin-Ho for some reason. Her lips quivered unsteadily in anger, before another sharp yell burst forth from her throat.

“What the hell?! You! You were a wrinkly old man?!”

“...”

That was what Choi Yeon-Ha was angry about?

“

Uh, mm...

?”

“And here I was, thinking you were a fresh young sapling! What the hell is this! You... You fraud!”

“...”

This inexplicable guilt and bizarre sorrow washed over Kang Jin-Ho just then.