—What happened to you, Jin-Ho?!

Some people in this world were simply born to be one step behind everybody else. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Park Yu-Min was one of those people.

—Jail?! Why would you even go to jail?!

Countless people in this world arrived late to the party for one reason or the other, but it’d be difficult to find someone as talented at being late as Park Yu-Min!

Kang Jin-Ho tutted into the phone. “You called me out of the blue for this? For something that happened so long ago that it’s now ancient ne—”

—But I only heard about it just now, you know!

Now that begged the question of, How did Park Yu-Min hear about this news only now?

Was he busy cultivating his dao in some remote mountainside or something?

Other people might not appreciate a person who was last to hear the latest news and always arrived late to the party, but Kang Jin-Ho still couldn’t help but like Park Yu-Min as a fellow human being despite his foibles.

—I’m sorry, Jin-Ho. I should’ve been the first one to know. I could’ve come home right away to help you. But I was staying away from news and stuff, you see? During tournaments, I try to stay away from the internet altogether because hate comments and other stuff can be too distracting for me. You know me. I’m kinda timid, so even one hate comment might give me a heart attack.

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but chuckle just then.

Most people would’ve started with making excuses or even tried to blame the other party, but not Park Yu-Min. The first thing he did was apologize.

That was what Kang Jin-Ho liked about Park Yu-Min, since he didn’t have the capacity to do this. Watching Park Yu-Min helped him to... Reflect on himself? For how thoughtlessly he was living his life?

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m doing fine.”

—You know what’s so maddening about this, though? Other kids at Seongsim should have phoned me when they found out, but they didn’t! How could they not say anything to me? Seriously, dude! How could they do that to me?

Well, at least he was blaming someone. But that someone wasn’t Kang Jin-Ho, which was nice.

—What’s the matter?

“I mean, it’s understandable, right? You are in the middle of a big tournament, after all.”

—Who cares about some stupid tournament, Jin-Ho!

Hang on. You shouldn’t be saying that.

Right. I should be the one saying dumb stuff like that. You’re the one fighting tooth and nail in that tournament, right? What’s up with your negative attitude, then?

—There will always be other tournaments, okay? I can always enter those later. But your situation is different. That’s why I’m saying someone should’ve told me earlier so I could have returned to Korea right away.

“Don’t say that. Besides, it’s all sorted now, anyway.”

Here was the reason why the Seongsim kids didn’t call Park Yu-Min. The “Park Yu-Min” Kang Jin-Ho knew was the type to push everything aside and rush back to Korea, after all!

Obviously, that must never happen.

A pro gamer giving up on his opportunity to compete in a global tournament was basically the same as announcing his intention to quit the esports scene altogether.

A grieving pro gamer who heard the news of their parents’ passing during a live match, but still chose to stay and finish the match, might earn some praise from the public. However, instead of the death in the family, what if it was a friend getting arrested for a serious crime? And to make matters worse, what if the pro gamer wasn’t quitting some random match, but a major tournament instead?!

That would be enough to get said pro gamer buried and forgotten for good.

—Even so, I should have...

“Yu-Min, listen.” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled. “I’m talking to you on the phone, aren’t I?”

—...!

“I didn’t call you because I knew this situation would get sorted out eventually. Making you worry was the last thing I wanted. If I really was guilty of the crime they said I’ve committed, I would’ve called you. For real. I’m telling you, it was all a minor misunderstanding.”

—You’re lying. You wouldn’t have called, no matter what.

How did Park Yu-Min see through that? Where did the innocent kid from back then who believed everything Kang Jin-Ho said without question? What a sorrowful development this was.

—So... Everything is fine now, right? You are not going back to prison or anything like that?

“No. I’ve seen enough of the prison’s interior to last a lifetime.”

Kang Jin-Ho was being genuine here. Although that had been a novel experience, he’d politely decline another opportunity to experience it all over again.

—I’m so relieved to hear that, Jin-Ho. I thought I’d have a heart attack, you know!

Park Yu-Min could be so frail in some weird ways. Watching him focus on the game in front of a massive audience made Kang Jin-Ho wonder if his friend’s heart was milled out of a solid block of reinforced steel. Yet he still acted like a timid person when it came to private or everyday matters.

But that made Park Yu-Min such an entertaining person to hang out with, didn’t it?

While grinning away, Kang Jin-Ho changed the topic. “How is the tournament going, though?”

—We’ll be in the final in three days.

“Eh? Already?”

—What do you mean, already?

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Going through all these misadventures recently meant he failed to notice the unrelenting passage of time. Then again, how could he have known that it’d be so difficult to figure out what day it was while stuck behind bars?

Maybe solitary confinement was designed to have an effect like that.

“Hmm, is that so?”

Three days, was it? Kang Jin-Ho slowly scratched his cheek.

“Hang on. Since the final is in three days... Does that mean your team has made it to the final?”

—Yeah. We got lucky.

Lucky? What a preposterous notion that was.

Who would reach the final of a global tournament through luck only? In cases like this, even luck counted as a part of one’s skill set. Only those who had the requisite skills could make Lady Luck sing for them, after all! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“Congratulations, Yu-Min.”

—No, it’s too early to celebrate. We’re still incredibly nervous about losing in the final, you know? It might have been better to fail during the early stages, Jin-Ho. I heard that nothing is more hellish than finishing in second place in a tournament of this scale!

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “But you’ve never lost in a final, have you?”

—And that’s why it’s doubly more terrifying, dude!

Ah. There was that.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in understanding.

“Got it. That means you must be busy training right now. I shouldn’t make you waste your time talking to me, then. Get back to training.”

—Right, I should. But you gotta promise me that you’ll take care of yourself, Jin-Ho. Let’s hang out when I get back to Korea. And I’m really sorry about not being there for you.

“And I’m telling you it’s fine. No apologies necessary.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled while ending the call.

While stuck behind bars, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t think he got isolated from the rest of society for too long. After hearing about Park Yu-Min competing in the final in a matter of days, though...

That tournament was supposed to last almost a month, yet it was already nearing its climax. That made Kang Jin-Ho realize how much time he had really lost.

“...Wait. The tournament is almost over?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. This tournament lasted a month, yet Park Yu-Min was too busy with his preparations to phone home or Kang Jin-Ho at least once.

When his thoughts reached that point, Kang Jin-Ho had to admit that his friend was something else, indeed.

Kang Jin-Ho might have a reason for not calling his friend, but he still had enough free time before everything went down. He could’ve called at least once to ask how Park Yu-Min was doing. But he hadn’t even thought of doing that.

So, for Park Yu-Min to apologize instead of expressing how disappointed he was? Kang Jin-Ho thought he had thrown his conscience away a long time ago, yet it seemed it was still alive and kicking in the corner of his chest. Because he could feel something sharp busy poking at it right now.

“The tournament is in the USA, right...?”

More specifically, it was being held in the famous City of Los Angeles, wasn’t it?

Kang Jin-Ho picked up the intercom.

“Yeah, it’s me. Can you come to my office?”

Of course, that intercom was connected to Lee Hyeon-Su’s office.

“Did you call for me, sir?”

Lee Hyeon-Su rushed into the office in no time at all and stood before Kang Jin-Ho’s desk.

Of course he had to hurry, since Kang Jin-Ho rarely, if ever, used an intercom to summon Lee Hyeon-Su like this. Kang Jin-Ho was the type to wait until the next briefing session even if he wanted Lee Hyeon-Su to do something for him, after all!

Then again, Lee Hyeon-Su reported to Kang Jin-Ho several times a day, so maybe calling him up to the Assembly Master’s office might not be entirely necessary?

Still, Kang Jin-Ho had called Lee Hyeon-Su to his office this time. It could only mean he had something urgent that needed to be taken care of.

“Can you get me a ticket for something?”

“A ticket, sir? For what, exactly?”

“For that gaming tournament Yu-Min is competing in.”

“Park Yu-Min’s... Eh? You mean that Mister Yu-Min? And in the United States~ of~ America~, sir?”

“...You don’t have to twist your tongue like that.”

Lee Hyeon-Su dazedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho. After summoning him here, that was all his boss wanted from him? Still...

“Sir, you made the right choice.”

“Mm?”

“You went through a lot this time, so unwinding a little might be a great idea.”

Lee Hyeon-Su was serious about this.

Kang Jin-Ho had been running at full tilt for far too long now. Even if the events didn’t want to let him rest, a man still needed to take a break now and then. After all, a man who kept exceeding his limits was bound to break down one day.

So many people in modern society keeled over from overwork and suffered from panic attacks because they didn’t get enough time to unwind and recharge their batteries.

“How about this, sir? Instead of watching the tournament and coming home right away, stay for a few more days to enjoy the sights and sounds of a foreign city. Check out all the unique food cultures on that side, and most importantly, recharge your batteries. Give yourself enough time to do all those things.”

“Hmm...?” Kang Jin-Ho scratched his cheek.

“Oh, and will Director Choi be accompanying you, too?”

“Director Choi? You mean Miss Yeon-Ha?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, uh... Mm, I didn’t think about that.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. Lee Hyeon-Su’s suggestion sounded logical, though.

If Choi Yeon-Ha’s schedule allowed it, it would be a good idea to travel with her, too. They promised several times to go on an overseas adventure together, only for their attempts so far to end in misadventures instead. Maybe it was time to make up for it, then?

“I definitely think you should go with her, sir. You can’t call a business trip an overseas vacation, after all. A vacation is a vacation since you’re trying to get away from work.”

“Mm, got it. I’ll ask her.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded to express his approval of Lee Hyeon-Su’s recommendation. “In the meantime, proceed under the assumption that she’ll be joining me.”

Lee Hyeon-Su grinned brightly. “Then I’ll procure the tournament tickets for you and Miss Choi, as well as your plane tickets.”

“No, wait.”

“Sir?”

“I’m thinking of taking the Seongsim kids with me, too.”

“...!”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s eyes powerfully quaked.

Seongsim? As in... the Seongsim Orphanage? That Seongsim?

“S-sir? You want to take the kids from that orphanage as well? H-hold on, their number is...”

Ten, twenty, thirty...? No, isn’t it way, way higher than that?!

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “I’m not going to take the younger kids, though. To them, Yu-Min is just some weird uncle who shows up once in a while to play with them, after all. But the older kids will definitely want to cheer him on.”

“Y-yes, that’s true. Very true. But, but...”

Even if Lee Hyeon-Su started counting from middle school and up, the number still should reach thirty without breaking a sweat!

How was he supposed to get tickets for all of them? Worse still, it’d be pointless for them to sit in different sections of the tournament venue, too!

Cold sweat began flooding down Lee Hyeon-Su’s forehead. A mission he thought would be a cakewalk rapidly increased in difficulty to reach the level of Mission: Impossible!

“I’ll, uh, check the availability, sir, and get back to you.”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “Sure, do that.”

“But, sir? Don’t they have school? Leaving the country to watch the final, no matter how brief, could create issues with their attendance records.”

“Yeah, but isn’t there that thing these days? What was it called again? Ex... experience... experiential?”

“...? You mean experiential learning, sir?”

“Yeah, that.”

“I’m not sure traveling to another country to watch an esports tournament final counts as experiential learning, sir. Our society still hasn’t progressed enough yet to match your expectations, unfortunately. The teachers would never acknowledge this trip.”

Kang Jin-Ho gently smiled back at Lee Hyeon-Su. “And it’s your job to make them acknowledge it, Chief Lee.”

Holy cow... Is this how it is? Seriously?

Lee Hyeon-Su’s cheeks began twitching like a mini earthquake.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled loudly. “I was joking, okay? No need for a nervous breakdown here. The final is on Sunday, so... If the kids come home right after watching the final, they could get away with missing only Monday, or have no problem with their attendance at all, depending on their school’s schedule. And if some of the kids are not comfortable with the idea, I won’t force them to go.”

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply in relief. “Aha, that makes my job much easier, sir. I can make some kind of excuse and help the kids with... Hang on a minute.”

Lee Hyeon-Su began tilting his head. Didn’t he hear something rather odd just now?

“Sir? When did you say the final was?”

“Sunday.”

“Next week Sunday?”

“No, this coming Sunday.”

Ah, so that’s when it was.

Now, let’s see. Today is... Wowsers, it’s already Thursday? So, to make it to the final, they must leave by Saturday, at the latest, which means...

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled like a saint.

“So, you want me to get the tickets for all those people in less than two days? Worse still, after figuring out who’s going and who’s staying? And not only that, I gotta book plane tickets and a place to stay for all of you, too?”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded again. “That’s about it, yeah.”

Instead of only his cheeks, Lee Hyeon-Su’s entire body began trembling now.

If... If only Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t his boss! Lee Hyeon-Su would’ve punched the living daylights out of this... this insane and unreasonable fool!

This was complete and utter insanity! Shouldn’t Kang Jin-Ho at least give his underling enough time to do the job properly? Why did it feel like the Assembly Master sometimes viewed Lee Hyeon-Su as a giant feline robot from the future with a magic pocket out front?!

If that was not it, maybe a genie from a bloody lamp or something!

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled after noticing the expression on Lee Hyeon-Su’s face. “If you think it’s impossible, you don’t have to force yourself. No pressure.”

“T-thank you, sir. This is purely my opinion, but taking all those kids with you is simply too...”

“I mean, what can we do when that’s the extent of your abilities?”

“...!”

Lee Hyeon-Su flinched slightly. It felt like he heard that line before somewhere, but when and where was that?

“You can leave now,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Got it, sir. I’ll take care of it.”

“Mm? No, you don’t have to force yourself. Other matters require your attention, after all.”

“Sorry? But I’m supposed to handle your and the directors’ personal...”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll just ask the Blood Demon to handle it for me. He seems pretty well-suited for this kind of...”

Crack!

Lee Hyeon-Su accidentally snapped the pen in his hand in half.

“Abilities, sir?”

“...”

“I should finish the preparations by Saturday, yes?”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed and turned his head away after noticing all the killing intent flooding out of Lee Hyeon-Su’s eyes.

Some people in this world just couldn’t help themselves, now could they?