A restaurant, is it...?

Kang Jin-Ho silently studied his new surroundings.

Even though the sun was still up, there was no one in this restaurant besides Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su. John Factor must’ve rented out the place for them to talk in private.

Kang Jin-Ho half-expected to be led into a dimly lit abandoned warehouse or some nameless drab office, so being ushered into a high-class restaurant like this one weirded him out a bit.

Lee Hyeon-Su muttered. “Wooow, it’s so high class, isn’t it?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow at him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su shrugged helplessly. Truth be told, he, too, was flustered by this restaurant.

Although this restaurant was located on the outskirts of the city rather than somewhere downtown, renting out a place this fancy was still an amusing display of power from the other party.

A display that didn’t feel out of place in China felt rather special in America for some reason.

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled wryly after noticing the soft ambient music coming from somewhere. “Doesn’t this feel like we’re on a date, sir?”

“...No thanks.”

Rather obviously, this was not the date Kang Jin-Ho had in mind!

They didn’t have to wait for long before the servers showed up with plates of food. Soon afterward, the man who introduced himself as John Factor entered the restaurant, as well.

“My apologies for that. I had a few things to take care of on my end, you see?”

Neither Kang Jin-Ho nor Lee Hyeon-Su bothered to criticize the American for this rudeness. As they also didn’t really observe decorum around other people, they could be rather indifferent toward other people’s act of discourtesy.

John Factor pulled out a chair on the opposite side of Kang Jin-Ho, then settled down. “I hope you enjoy the food. This place is quite famous, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho replied without much concern. “I’ve never been a picky eater.”

“Really? That’s surprising. Usually, that isn’t the case.”

“Usually?”

John Factor grinned smoothly. “In my experience, most powerful people requiring a strict protocol on how to handle them usually boast finicky palates. For instance, they would insist on particular types of cuisine from their hometown, even though we’re nowhere near their home country. Some will demand for particular ingredients. And I even know of someone who only drinks a particular brand of spring water.”

“I see. That must’ve been fun.”

“Hahaha. Indeed, indeed. But that’s what power does to people. Humans naturally seek better treatment from others once they acquire some power, however temporarily. It’s as if not confirming their power in some way makes them too anxious to function properly.”

John Factor stared straight at Kang Jin-Ho.

“In that sense... It seems you’re different from them, Mister Kang. You’re more normal than I expected.”

“I guess so.”

“I’ll be honest. I was a little worried about this meeting because of how tiny South Korea is. Rulers and kings from tiny nations tend to demand excessively good treatment and politeness, you see? Hahaha!”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly put the fork down before staring wordlessly at John Factor.

The man claiming to be from the CIA tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. “Is there a problem, Mister Kang?”

“I’m going to step outside for a bit,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Sorry? Do you mind if I ask you why?”

“Because it seems I need a smoke break.”

“Oh, that. You can smoke freely inside this restaurant. Would you like a cigarette?”

“No, don’t need it,” said Kang Jin-Ho while casually taking out a cigarette packet from his pocket. “I’m not destitute enough to ask for one from you, after all.”

John Factor subtly narrowed his eyes.

Kang Jin-Ho ignored the American’s reaction and leisurely inhaled the cigarette smoke. The unhealthy smoke got sucked into his lungs before lazily wafting out into the air.

“I don’t personally recommend smoking before a meal, Mister Kang.”

When John Factor said that with a strange smile, Lee Hyeon-Su responded instead of Kang Jin-Ho.

“We’ll be the one deciding on whether to accept your recommendation or not. I’m sure even you would agree.”

“...You must be Mister Hyeon-Su Lee. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“What a pity, because I can’t say the same about you. Still, what an honor this is. To think someone as amaaazing as a CIA agent knew all about some random martial artist from a tiny nation in Asia! When I get home, I might engrave what happened today on a stone tablet and pass it down to my descendants for generations to come.”

John Factor’s eyes narrowed even more, although his grin remained on his face. “Are you perhaps dissatisfied by something, gentlemen?”

Lee Hyeon-Su grinned right back at the American. “Nah, no dissatisfaction at all. Let me ask you this instead. Is something bothering you, Mister Factor?”

“Not at all,” said John Factor while leaning back. He slightly raised both hands in a gesture of mock surrender. “If you’re displeased by something, all I can ask you for is your understanding. The difference in culture can be quite hard to overcome, you see? A simple joke in America can be interpreted as an insult in other cultures, after all.”

What kind of bullsh*t was this man spewing now? The corners of Lee Hyeon-Su’s lips distorted strangely.

Every word coming out of this American’s mouth had been getting on Lee Hyeon-Su’s nerves somewhat for a while now. He might have asked Kang Jin-Ho to rein himself in, but at this rate, he might lose his cool first!

Despite revealing himself to be a CIA operative, John Factor’s true identity was still up in the air. So, sitting face-to-face with someone like that already displeased Lee Hyeon-Su. Even though they went along with this nonsense because they didn’t want to create bad blood so soon, this was still...

Lee Hyeon-Su coldly addressed John Factor. “If you have something to say, you better get to it, Mister Factor. Because we have things to do.”

“Goodness me. Aren’t you in a bit of a hurry? Try to relax a bit more. Then again, this is one of those quirks that makes East Asians so unique, no?”

Lee Hyeon-Su subtly furrowed his brow, but John Factor didn’t seem to care. The American relaxedly reclined against his chair, his expression seemingly full of confidence.

“Rushing ahead hasn’t necessarily produced a better result for you people, wouldn’t you say? In the end, everyone can clearly see that America and Europe are way ahead of you. I’m telling you, you Asians should know how to take it easy sometimes.”

“That sounds like racism to my ears?”

“Mm? Oops, I’m sorry. Forgive me if that crossed the line a little. I was merely stating the fact, you see? But I’m not sure how you could have interpreted that as a form of racism...”

John Factor scratched his head.

“Frictions can arise sometimes because of such miscommunications. I hope you understand.”

“Hah...?”

Lee Hyeon-Su leaned against the chair, totally flabbergasted. Was this how Americans did things?

This man was trying to trample on the dignity of his opponents first before getting to his main topic. Anyone with even a modicum of respect toward the other side wouldn’t dare run his mouth off like this.

For a moment there, Lee Hyeon-Su wondered if this man really was from the CIA, but...

Well, I can sense three men by the exit and six more people surrounding this building. There must be more that I can’t even sense, too.

Doubting a man’s identity when he could mobilize this many combatants seemed pointless. Besides, this John Factor guy definitely had the distinctive smell of a man from this neck of the woods, too.

This is the absolute worst, then.

The fact that this rude bastard was actually from the American government royally irritated Lee Hyeon-Su. Didn’t that mean he and the Martial Assembly must deal with as*holes like this man from now on?

Wiggins being here might have changed the dynamics of this meeting somewhat, but he wasn’t here right now. Even he had not predicted that the Americans would make their approach so soon and so aggressively like this.

Just as Lee Hyeon-Su began wondering if he should call Wiggins now, he heard Kang Jin-Ho’s icy-sounding voice.

“So? What do you want?”

“...Well, at least I can be sure of one thing. You’re not the type to sit around and listen quietly,” John Factor sighed deeply, then stared strangely at Kang Jin-Ho. “It’s nothing major, of course. We just wanted to say hello. And maybe try to be on friendly terms from now on.”

“Is that all?”

“Mister Kang...”

John Factor picked up his knife and began cutting into his steak.

“A piece of advice, if you don’t mind. China is not a trustworthy partner. It’s not wise to make deals with them. Trust is the most important factor in a deal, isn’t it? But that country simply cannot be trusted.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his head slightly. “So what?”

“You should change ships before sailing too far away from the shore to reduce your losses. See, we at the United States of America can and will support you and the... Martial Assembly, was it? It’s such a common-sounding name that I briefly got confused. Sorry about that. In any case. We can provide you with a level of backing you can’t even imagine.”

Kang Jin-Ho stared at John Factor before smirking weirdly. “What do you mean, exactly?”

“We can take our time discussing that in detail, no? Mister Kang... Please do not forget that you’re talking to an agent sanctioned by the United States of America. Whatever you can imagine, we can easily double it. No, triple it.”

“I’m not in the mood to chase after clouds,” said Kang Jin-Ho dismissively. He sucked in another lungful of cigarette smoke as if he didn’t want to listen anymore, then gazed coldly at the American. “Is that your offer?”

“Yes, Mister Kang. What do you think? How about joining us for a brighter future for everyone involved?”

“I refuse.”

“...Do you mind repeating that?”

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely got up to leave. “Looks like you were wasting my time, after all. We’re leaving.”

“Understood.”

Lee Hyeon-Su also got up. He didn’t try to stop Kang Jin-Ho this time.

Being more friendly only applied when the other side was acting rationally. Although it was not their intention to create new enemies, why would the top representatives of the Korean Martial Assembly kowtow to this rude American as if they were inferior somehow?

In a negotiation, the offers and conditions weren’t the only factors to consider. No, each party’s attitude also mattered a great deal.

Being too nice and forgiving would only make the other side belittle you and take you for granted. Eventually, they would demand more benefits for themselves while telling you to forego what should have been rightfully yours.

A negotiation like that wasn’t even worth starting in the first place.

When Kang Jin-Ho headed to the exit, John Factor shot up to his feet, his expression completely distorted now.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing right now!?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced back at the American without saying anything. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

John Factor sneered in contempt. “If we feel like it, we can always erase a minor nation like yours in a heartbeat! Yet you dare behave like this? Don’t overestimate yourself! Look here, I’m giving you an incredible opportunity, okay? I’m being generous right now! You better recognize the situation you’re in!”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled loudly, then asked Lee Hyeon-Su in English. “Didn’t you say something about America’s information network being the best in the world?”

“Yes, sir, I have. But it seems we must re-evaluate that somewhat. Because that man clearly has no idea what he’s talking about.”

“What? You...!”

John Factor glared murderously.

“I’m warning you! Know your place! Walk out of here, and I swear to you, you’re going to bitterly regret it! Looks like you think of yourself as some hot sh*t because you enjoy a little bit of influence in East Asia. But you’ll soon learn that puny influence like that means nothing!”

“Really now? Suit yourself.”

Kang Jin-Ho casually nodded, then resumed his stroll toward the exit. Lee Hyeon-Su also wordlessly followed.

Unfortunately, John Factor couldn’t stop himself there. “I’m not finished, you goddamn Oriental bastards! Who the hell do you think you are, leaving without my goddamn permission?!”

Kang Jin-Ho stopped walking, then glanced back at John Factor in puzzlement. “You know, I’m getting genuinely curious here, but...”

“Come back here and sit down first! We will talk after that!”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked softly, then walked back to John Factor. “What I was curious about was... What’s giving you such confidence that you could run your mouth off like this?”

“This is America! And this country has my ba...”

Before John Factor could finish his reply, Kang Jin-Ho reached out and grabbed the American’s mouth. And then, he leisurely lifted the much bigger man up in the air.

“Euph?! Huuph?!”

John Factor struggled ungainly, his widened eyes conveying his panic. On the other hand, Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes grew colder and colder.

“You keep saying America this and America that... Are you implying America will protect you?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes definitely weren’t smiling, although his lips had curled up into an eerie smirk. And John Factor’s heart sank like a rock when he saw that chilling expression.

“In that case, why don’t we see? I’d love to find out how America will protect you from me right now. If not... You will learn how the thing you believed in is nothing special, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho was about to strengthen his grip. However, that was when the restaurant’s exit was shoved open with enough force to nearly break the doors. And then, a large group of heavily armed men rushed inside.

The laser pointers mounted on the gun barrels took aim at Kang Jin-Ho, turning the various parts of his torso crimson.

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips curled up weirdly.