“Ehh? When did you guys arrive?”

The wide-eyed Park Yu-Min stared at Kang Jin-Ho and his companions in pure stupefaction.

“We arrived today, Yu-Min hyung! But that’s not important, though! Did you know how cool you were today?”

“Yu-Min oppa! Congratulations!”

“Oh, uh... Thanks, everyone!”

Only then did Park Yu-Min’s face bloom into a radiant smile, even though it was a mess of sweat and melted make-up. However, such a genuine smile wouldn’t have worked without a face like that.

“Here, use this,” said Choi Yeon-Ha while handing over her handkerchief.

“Y-you also came?”

“Congratulations, Mister Park! I mean it!”

“Heol... Even Chief Lee is here, too?” Park Yu-Min scanned everyone’s faces in shock. “But, how? H-how did you get here when it was so far away?”

“You can basically go anywhere on a plane these days, you know?”

“E-even so...!”

Park Yu-Min barely could contain his happiness.

The fatigue from all the hard work he had put in on this foreign land so far from home melted away in an instant. If he exaggerated a bit, this happiness was even greater than when he was lifting up the champion’s trophy earlier.

The Seongsim kids began chanting enthusiastically. “World Champion Park Yu-Min!”

“Yeah, world number one! Number one!”

“S-stop it, you guys.”

Park Yu-Min’s face instantly flushed red from embarrassment. For sure, teasing him remained one of the most satisfying activities in life even now.

Park Yu-Min shifted his attention to Kang Jin-Ho and grinned brightly. “You brought them over, didn’t you?”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled genially. “Yeah. We wanted to watch your match from up close. Besides, I didn’t have anything better to do, anyway.”

That was when Lee Hyeon-Su mumbled unhappily.

“He shouldn’t have said that, though. Because we still have a ton of important stuff to do back home...”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at him. “You... Just go away for a bit, okay?”

Why did Lee Hyeon-Su have to follow them here? When other Assembly people had already gone to their hotel?

Kang Jin-Ho turned his attention back to his friend. “In any case... Congratulations, Yu-Min. You did great out there.”

Park Yu-Min grinned again, this time with more self-assurance. If this was any other occasion, he might have started acting all humble and the like, but not this time. He really had gone through so much to get this far, and acting modest was the lasting thing on his mind right now.

Truth be told, he initially suffered from diarrhea after drinking water here. He couldn’t even eat properly since none of the food suited him. And worse still, this intense anxiety prevented him from getting a good night’s rest, too. In the end, however, he overcame them all to win this prestigious tournament.

This feeling of receiving the just reward for all the effort he had put in until now, it... Those who had never experienced it would never understand how good it felt.

“Hold on, hold on! Yes, I’m with Mister Park Yu-Min, the newly crowned world champion! Can you tell us how you feel?”

Han Jin-Seong playfully shoved an imaginary mic forward like an eager reporter, prompting Park Yu-Min to chuckle happily away.

“I’m hankering for a pot of good kimchi stew right about now.”

“Aaaah, unfortunately, that was the worst response in the history of TV. Where did the confident Park Yu-Min during the tournament disappear to, I wonder?”

Jo Mi-Hye tutted loudly. “Jin-Seong oppa, that’s enough horsing around. Back off, now.”

“...Back to the studio,” said Han Jin-Seong as he slunk off to the rear.

Park Yu-Min continued to grin brightly away as everyone congratulated him. He eventually glanced back at Kang Jin-Ho and asked, “When are you guys going back, though?”

“I was thinking of sending the kids home tomorrow. They have classes, after all.”

“Ah, really...? But I have other post-tournament events and appearances to get to...”

“It’s fine. They are not on a vacation, after all, but came here just to watch you in the final. Now that our goal’s been taken care of, we can always have a get-together later when you’re back home. Isn’t that right?”

Park Yu-Min scratched his head while looking at everyone apologetically.

The end of the tournament did not mean the end of his itinerary in America. The pro gamers were also expected to show up to various planned events, too. Trying to survive all those events, the award ceremony, and even the after-party, plus all those interviews with various media outlets... Park Yu-Min would need several spare bodies of himself and a prayer if he wished to go home with his sanity intact!

Only after surviving them all and going back to Korea would his real vacation begin in earnest.

“Geez... I want to sleep so badly right now,” said Park Yu-Min with a helpless chuckle.

“But isn’t it still better than when you have nothing better to do but sleep?”

“Of course.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled back. He rarely saw Park Yu-Min be this happy until now. When that notion was flipped around, didn’t it mean this triumph meant that much to him? That it had been such a monumental climb to get this far?

“Jin-Ho?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“...? What for?”

Park Yu-Min stared solemnly at Kang Jin-Ho. “Without you, I would have never come this far. Our team would’ve lost during the play-offs. I know how busy you are, but you still found time to practice with me. And you even brought the Seongsim kids with you, too... Seriously, thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Kang Jin-Ho gently smiled back at his friend.

He was now convinced. This trip had been worth it.

It felt as if something heavy had been lifted off his chest after seeing his friend emerge victorious and smile in sheer happiness like this. Then again, he hadn’t had many reasons to feel glad or happy about small but important things in life recently, had he?

Finally, it felt like normalcy had returned to his life now.

Han Jin-Seong suddenly piped up. “Yu-Min hyung! Hyung! N-now that we’re here, can you talk to Jin-Ho hyung about us staying here for one more day, so we can... O-ouch?! Aaaaahhk! My ear! My ear! Mi-Hye, no!”

When Jo Mi-Hye subdued Han Jin-Seong and dragged him away, others all sighed deeply in relief.

Park Yu-Min muttered weakly. “Even though that boy used to be so smart and all...”

Kang Jin-Ho weightily nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

The two men sighed again, then resumed their discussion.

“What about you, though? Are you going home tomorrow as well?”

“Oh, no. I was planning to stay here for a while.”

“Ng? What do you mean? You aren’t going to accompany the kids back home?”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “Yeah. I was thinking of going on a vacation. It’s been a while, after all. And since I’m in another country...”

“Ah...!” Park Yu-Min patted Kang Jin-Ho on the shoulder. “That’s a great idea, dude. Because you definitely needed a break.”

“...?”

“I’m telling you from experience, okay? As it turns out, giving it your all constantly and putting in the maximum effort all the time isn’t the answer to everything. If you don’t rest your brain often, it’s not gonna function as well as it should. And you just end up going through the motions.”

Park Yu-Min was trying to say that was how life worked.

All humans were the same in this regard; if they endlessly put in enough effort without taking any break in-between, they might be able to surge ahead of everyone. However, they would inevitably stutter to a halt and break down one day.

“Jin-Ho, listen. You’ve been charging forward without rest for far too long. It’s about time you kick back and relax for a bit.”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

Park Yu-Min grinned while nodding in acceptance. “I’m sure you can handle it just fine without me nagging you on, though.”

That was when someone called out to Park Yu-Min from behind the Seongsim kids.

“Yu-Min hyung! Where are you? Eh? Uh... Hello.” Park Yu-Min’s teammate, Choi Jeong-Wu, discovered Kang Jin-Ho and bowed. “I think we met last time during... Heol?!?! C-C-Choi Yeon...! Y-you are Miss Choi Yeon-Ha, aren’t you?”

Choi Yeon-Ha grinned and nodded slightly. “Yes, I am. Hello.”

“B-but why is someone like you here? N-no, hang on, that’s not important! That’s right, autograph! Can I have your autograph, please? And, and! D-do you mind if we take a selfie together?”

While smiling wryly, Park Yu-Min stepped between the star-struck Choi Jeong-Wu and Choi Yeon-Ha. “Hang on, Jeong-Wu. You were looking for me, right? What’s up?”

“That’s not important, hyung! I gotta... No, it’s important, isn’t it? Team director wanted you to see you right away. The organizers are hosting a press conference, you see?”

“Ah, that. Right, I’ll be there. You go on ahead, though.”

“Wha? B-but what about my autograph...?”

“What about your interview, then?”

“That’s... Yeah, I have to do that, don’t I?”

Choi Jeong-Wu trudged out of the room, his shoulders drooping low.

Park Yu-Min watched that before turning around to face Kang Jin-Ho, his expression bitter. “Looks like I gotta go now.”

“Yeah. It’s fine. Go.”

“I’m sorry, guys, Jin-Ho. You came so far for me, but my schedule is just too...”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled and shook his head. “Look, man. No one’s blaming you here, so go on. However, when you get back home! We expect you to go all out on a feast for everyone, okay? I heard that the first-place prize for this tournament was a lot of money.”

“Yeah, you can leave that to me!” Park Yu-Min replied in a triumphant voice. “I’ve always felt bad about you paying for everyone all the time, but not this time! You will see how generous I can be with my wallet!”

The smiling Kang Jin-Ho gently pushed Park Yu-Min’s back. “Yeah, I get it, so go. Hurry! They are waiting for you.”

“Yeah! Let’s talk again when I get back! Thanks, everyone! I mean it!”

Park Yu-Min waved his hand back at the group while hurriedly rushing down the corridor. The Seongsim kids enthusiastically waved back at him, their faces full of bright smiles.

“Wow. Yu-Min hyung’s so busy, isn’t he?”

“Of course. He’s the world champion, after all. Isn’t that obvious? He’s gotta shoot ads with the game company and do lots of interviews, too.”

“I figured winning the tournament would be the end, though.”

“Hah. Life is not as simple as you think.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly while listening to the kids chat with each other. Despite being kids, the contents of their conversation were a bit too mature for their age. Then again, this was one of the unique quirks of these orphans, wasn’t it?

Kang Jin-Ho addressed the kids. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”

“Yes, hyung!”

As the Seongsim kids turned around to leave, Kang Jin-Ho took one last look behind him before joining them down the corridor.

***

“Wooow! Look at this room! It’s incredible!”

“Looks expensive, isn’t it?”

“Geez, I wish our place was like this too!”

Jo Mi-Hye furrowed her brow when she heard that last exclamation. “Hey, stop talking like you came from a run-down orphanage! Our Seongsim is better than most homes, okay?”

“But this room is still better, noona.”

“That’s because we’re in a hotel, okay? Besides, our orphanage won’t lose out to a mid-level hotel, so stop thinking that way, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Only then did Jo Mi-Hye stop scowling. She then cautiously glanced at Kang Jin-Ho. “Oppa, please don’t mind them. These kids are just being brats...”

“Nah, it’s cool.”

The one who replied wasn’t Kang Jin-Ho, but Han Jin-Seong.

“Have you ever seen Jin-Ho hyung minding stuff like that before? Don’t worry about it. Besides, if we keep talking about this, he might get weird ideas like demolishing our current orphanage to build a new one instead.”

Kang Jin-Ho fake-coughed after realizing that he was indeed thinking about that just now.

Han Jin-Seong cocked an eyebrow and suspiciously looked at Kang Jin-Ho. “...? Hyung, don’t you dare. That’s unnecessary, okay? And way too over the top, too.”

“I didn’t say anything, though?” Kang Jin-Ho tried to feign ignorance, then grinned at the sight of the Seongsim kids jumping on to their beds.

It seemed maybe he should have taken the kids on trips like this sooner.

Things like traveling and staying in fancy hotels weren’t important to these kids. No, the real source of their excitement was being able to leave the orphanage and enjoying the sights and sounds offered by a place they had never been to.

After going through those incidents in the theme park and the aquarium some time ago, Kang Jin-Ho never took the kids on field trips again. Rather than him being afraid of another mishap happening, though, it was more like life got in the way instead.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed. “Looks like I need to reflect on myself. I’ll arrange more field trips from now on.”

Han Jin-Seong tapped Kang Jin-Ho on the arm. “Hyung?”

“Yeah?”

The younger man grinned deeply. “A man shouldn’t make promises he can’t keep. You’re only gonna disappoint the kids, you know?”

“No, hold on. I’m being serious.”

“I guess you forgot about that ski resort thing already, eh?”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s jaw fell in stupefaction. When he couldn’t think of something to say and just stood there like a dummy, the grinning Han Jin-Seong patted Kang Jin-Ho on the shoulder.

“It’s fine, hyung. It’s fine! Everyone understands. In fact, the whole world knows you’re one of the busiest people on this planet, so it’s cool. All I’m saying is that a man should be careful with what he says.”

Jo Mi-Hye suddenly chimed in. “Wow, since when did Jin-Seong oppa learn to say stuff like that?”

“...”

“That kind of double standard gotta be a mental illness, right?”

“I’m sorry,” Han Jin-Seong muttered dejectedly, then trudged over to a nearby chair and plopped on it.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled wryly, then asked Jo Mi-Hye. “What about dinner, though?”

“I heard there’s a restaurant in this hotel. How about taking everyone there? I thought about going out to eat, but everyone must be tired from all the traveling we did, oppa. I figured we could rest for today here instead. What do you think, though?”

“Mm... Sounds good. Let’s do that.”

“Got it. I’ll get everyone ready.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. He couldn’t help but smile when Jo Mi-Hye immediately took charge of the kids and straightened them out.

What a strong, amazing kid she was.

The Seongsim Orphanage always had children like that, though. Children who figured out their roles without anyone telling them what to do, that was. And they would inevitably heap more pressure on themselves by trying to go that extra mile for everyone else.

It was because of Jo Mi-Hye and other kids like her that Kang Jin-Ho got drawn to Seongsim, however.

Kang Jin-Ho left the kids behind and headed to the terrace. He took out a cigarette and mouthed as he emerged outside.

This country doesn’t have a lot of no-smoking zones, it seems.

After closing the door behind him, he glanced around and spotted a fair number of people smoking away on their own terraces. Feeling a bit more relaxed now, he lit up the cigarette and leisurely dragged in the unhealthy smoke.

“Fuu-woo...”

Although various thoughts tried to invade his mind, he wasn’t in the mood for them today. He meant what he said to Park Yu-Min earlier; Kang Jin-Ho came here to take a break. It should be fine to put all the complicated matters back in Korea on the back-burner for a little bit.

Kang Jin-Ho spotted a chair, then settled on it. While reclining relaxedly against the chair, he continued to puff away at his cigarette.

***

“We have eyes on the target, sir.”

“Hmm...”

A middle-aged man kitted out in an all-black business suit glared at the computer monitor before taking off his sunglasses. A strange smirk was etched on his face.

“So, that’s Jin-Ho Kang?”

“Yes, sir.”

“He... doesn’t look all that remarkable, at least on the surface, does he? And he’s supposed to rival the Three Kings in strength? I swear, I just don’t get how these East Asians think sometimes.”

The man, who had been peering closely at the image of Kang Jin-Ho on the monitor, stood up straight again. He put his sunglasses back on, then glanced at his underling.

“Keep monitoring him.”

“Understood.”

The man stood there and stared at the monitor for a little while longer before looking away.

Jin-Ho Kang, huh...?

Although this man wasn’t sure what made that Korean such a big shot that a dedicated team must keep him under surveillance like this...

Well, the world will soon find out.

It would find out that the martial world’s central axis had already begun shifting away from its original resting place on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

...And that its new home was right here, the United States of America!