“We’ve arrived,” said Willie Reese.

The limousine’s door opened, and the dead-tired Kang Jin-Ho and Choi Yeon-Ha stumbled out of the open doorway.

Willie Reese also climbed outside and smiled at the duo. “Did you have fun today?”

Choi Yeon-Ha asked with a half-dead voice. “Mister Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at her. “Yes?”

“Can you, like, punch that guy in the face just once? I don’t think my punch can hurt him, you see?”

“...He will die if I do that.”

Willie Reese heard what Choi Yeon-Ha said through an interpreter and hurriedly stumbled back as terror filled his face.

He wouldn’t have had a problem brushing that “suggestion” aside as a joke, but not this time. Especially when the person who might throw that punch was Kang Jin-Ho!

Even a finger flick from Kang Jin-Ho should be enough to ensure that Willie Reese would never see the sunrise tomorrow morning!

“Urgh, seriously...!” Choi Yeon-Ha groaned, then glared at the American in unhappiness.

However, Willie Reese grinned right back at her. “Still, haven’t you had fun today?”

“...?!”

Had fun?!

Maybe she wouldn’t have minded saying yes to that question... if it hadn’t been for all those murderous glares of other theme park goers!

However, thanks to Willie Reese and his antics, Choi Yeon-Ha and Kang Jin-Ho had to be extra mindful of other people’s glares even while doing something as mundane as drinking water!

She sourly replied, “It looks like you still need to learn more about Eastern culture.”

“Oh, that. Yes, I have good enough understanding on the topic,” said Willie Reese with a casual shrug. “We knew what we were doing while planning today’s activities, actually.”

“You knew? Really now?”

Willie Reese stared straight at Kang Jin-Ho and Choi Yeon-Ha. “I’m sorry, but Miss Choi. What do you think traveling abroad means?”

“Traveling is traveling, no? It’s not ‘traveling is trouble’, is it?!”

“...”

Willie Reese fake-coughed to hide his awkwardness. He suddenly had a hunch that his gift of gab might not work on this woman.

“Personally, I believe traveling abroad for a vacation means you’re trying to make unforgettable memories.”

“Oh, really now? What an obvious statement that is.”

“Then, what are unforgettable memories, Miss Choi?”

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head. She couldn’t understand where Willie Reese was going with that question.

“Personally, I think that, no matter how long it has been, you should still remember such memories and be able to have a good laugh about them.”

“...?”

A gentle smile floated up on Willie Reese’s lips. “Although things got a bit hectic today, I’m quite sure that you two will forever remember today’s events.”

Choi Yeon-Ha dazedly stared at Willie Reese.

In a way, he was right, wasn’t he? Choi Yeon-Ha might never forget what happened today, after all! In a decade, no, maybe even in a century, she’d definitely remember today’s chaos, without a doubt! And whenever she recalled today’s memories, she’d...

Right, I will probably chuckle in disbelief.

Despite the flawed logic, it somehow made sense.

“Acting like a normal tourist and doing normal tourist things? Yes, I agree that’s not a bad idea. However, you wouldn’t have remembered your experience as fondly if you did that. Believe me when I say that we did our best to make your day as memorable as possible.”

Willie Reese spoke earnestly. Although he mentioned the head-tilt inducing “fondly” and “memorable” in his reasoning, he was still 100% correct about this. Choi Yeon-Ha and Kang Jin-Ho would remember today’s shenanigans for a very long time, after all!

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “I think you missed your calling as a lawyer.”

“I might not look like it, but I have morals and standards, ma’am. Such a profession doesn’t suit me.”

“Really? But I think that’s why you’d be good at it, though?”

“Urgh... I heard that Asian people usually keep their thoughts to themselves, but it seems you’re an exception, Miss Choi.”

“That sounds vaguely like racism to me?”

Willie Reese’s complexion paled slightly. “That... was a slip of my tongue. My sincerest apologies.”

“No need to apologize. Since it was a simple mistake, after all,” Choi Yeon-Ha casually replied with a simple shrug.

However, there was a subtle smile still etched on her face, which suggested she had fun today.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Do you mind going ahead without me? I’ll join you after discussing something with Mister Reese first.”

“Oh. Got it.” Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, then turned around to leave. However, she stopped and glanced back. “By the way, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes?”

“I had fun today.”

“...”

“But I guess the decision is still yours to make. Okay, later.”

Choi Yeon-Ha cheerily trotted into the hotel lobby and soon disappeared from the view, allowing Kang Jin-Ho to turn his narrowed eyes to Willie Reese. The American helplessly shrugged.

“Well, then. Where would you like to go for our discussion, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply.

***

“I’m not sure if this is a good place for a conversation, sir,” said Willie Reese while looking around.

“I prefer it here,” Kang Jin-Ho flatly replied.

“Then I have no complaints, either.”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned wryly at how quick the American was at changing his tune.

Currently, the two men were sitting on a bench in the hotel’s backyard. No such thing as signs declaring this area as a smoking zone was visible in the immediate vicinity, but the presence of ashtrays nearby indicated that it should be safe to pull out their cigarettes here.

There was a cafe in the hotel where smoking was allowed, but it had too many eyes and ears.

When Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a cigarette, Willie Reese also pulled out one.

“Fuu-woo...”

Kang Jin-Ho exhaled a small cloud of cigarette smoke before staring weirdly at Willie Reese.

Willie Reese looked sheepishly away. “We thought you’d enjoy today’s experience, sir. Did we miss the mark, though?”

“That’s not important to me.”

Kang Jin-Ho was grateful for all the hospitality shown his way. But he’d never decide on the Martial Assembly’s fate on hospitality alone. The Americans’ hospitality was meant for him, after all, and not the Assembly.

“If you want to know whether I enjoyed today or not, then... Yes, I did. In fact, I’m rather grateful. This experience has been fun, after all.”

“Thank you kindly, sir.”

“But this and that are separate matters. After all, you’ve missed something important here.”

Willie Reese grew curious just then. And as if to satisfy that curiosity, Kang Jin-Ho immediately started explaining what the American had missed.

“Do you know why I stormed out of our first meeting?”

Willie Reese quickly replied as if he had been waiting for this question. “That’s because we’ve made an unreasonable demand. But Assembly Master, sir. That wasn’t our intention back then. We were...”

“Nope.”

“...Sorry?”

“I don’t care about that.”

Willie Reese frowned subtly, his head tilting to the side. That wasn’t the correct answer? Then why did Kang Jin-Ho leave?

“Before a deal can even be discussed, both parties must meet certain minimum conditions first. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, sir. I do.”

“And your side should have met that condition.”

“I don’t... Sir, are you saying we didn’t meet this condition?”

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded. But that simple nod only plunged Willie Reese deeper into the quagmire of confusion.

“Forgive me, Assembly Master, but... I honestly don’t know what this condition is. Do you mind explaining it so that we can do better next time?”

“No, I don’t mind. See, I don’t know you and your group.”

“Sir? When you say you don’t know us...?”

“Let me clarify myself. I do not know how strong you are.”

“...”

“I can’t make a deal with someone whose strength is unknown and unproven.”

Willie Reese’s jaw fell slightly as he stared back at Kang Jin-Ho. “Uh, mm...”

He didn’t know what to say. That was because his mind had been taken over by the thought of how he could have missed something so obvious, and how he was supposed to explain a vague concept like that.

His confusion had a simple explanation: because he was an American. He never had to explain the power of his nation to other people before. In the end, he could think of only one thing to say.

“Assembly Master, I assure you, we’re powerful.”

Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho’s response was lukewarm, to say the least. “Sure. I get that.”

“Then why...?”

“But that strength is confined to the surface world, isn’t it?” Kang Jin-Ho asked nonchalantly. “Even a three-year-old knows America has a powerful army. However, so what? If a war breaks out between China’s martial society and South Korea, are you going to send a squadron of F-22s to help?”

“...”

Willie Reese couldn’t reply to that admittedly rhetorical question. Because he knew such a thing would never happen.

The martial world’s business was the martial world’s to deal with. The separation between it and the surface world must be strictly maintained. That was the rule that kept this world stable.

The American martial artists might be classified as soldiers, but they never got deployed in active missions with that identity. If they were, they would go in as civilians. And the American government would strenuously deny their true identity as soldiers in case they got caught by the enemy state during their mission.

In short, the American martial society should be considered a separate entity from the American military.

Kang Jin-Ho smirked derisively. “Yet you want me to trust your military strength and make a deal with you?”

“I... admit that we didn’t think about this hard enough, sir.”

Willie Reese’s expression stiffened. Something like this could only happen because he viewed himself as both a martial artist and a soldier. He didn’t think he’d be forced to explain his nation’s martial prowess one day.

But Kang Jin-Ho helped him realize what a big mistake that mindset was.

“But sir. The strength I speak of isn’t this country’s military might. Even without it, we are strong. I can confidently say the American martial society rivals some of the strongest martial societies in the world,” said Willie Reese with conviction. “Even if the yardstick is China, the story remains the same. Sir.”

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips curled up. “Talk is cheap.”

He then leisurely exhaled the cigarette smoke.

“What matters, though, is whether you can back up your claim or not. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, I agree.”

Willie Reese’s expression grew unreadable just then. That was because he had realized something anew.

The United States of America was strong enough to wage war against the rest of the planet. It was the sole global superpower, yet... In the martial world, it was nothing more than a fledgling nation that needed to prove its strength first.

It’s like... I better get my head on straight, it seems.

Even as Willie Reese and others tried their best to make Kang Jin-Ho’s stay in America as comfortable as possible, he had been failing to define his position more clearly.

What an oversight that was.

“Assembly Master, sir. Please give us an opportunity to fix our mistake.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his brow. “And how will you do that?”

“It is as you said, sir. We will prove our strength.”

Until now, Willie Reese had been maintaining a good-natured smile. But not anymore. His expression had grown a little expressionless. Colder.

Kang Jin-Ho instinctively knew that this American man’s facade had finally come undone. This must be Willie Reese’s true self.

“There is only one realistic way to prove our strength, isn’t it? And that is to demonstrate it, sir. That will convince you that we’re worthy of making a deal. I swear to you, if you give us this opportunity, you will not be disappointed.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked. “Will you be the one to demonstrate it, then?”

“Ahahaha, of course not. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Willie Reese raised his hands in mock surrender and hurriedly backed off. His facade had returned at the same time.

“I only have one life, after all. Even if I had a spare life, I would never dream of challenging you. If I had ten lives, then maybe I’d consider it? Carefully weigh my options for a hundred times, maybe more? Thankfully, we have others who can ably demonstrate our strength better than me.”

“Hmm...?”

“Please give us a bit of time to prepare. If you wish, you can directly test our people. Evaluate them according to your standards. We can discuss our deal afterward.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly studied Willie Reese’s face. It seemed this American man was rather confident of his chances.

Waiting around doing nothing was not much fun, but Willie Reese’s confident demeanor roused Kang Jin-Ho’s curiosity somewhat.

The American martial artists...? What would they even be like?

At least they should be different from Korean martial artists. And also different from the Chinese, and even the Europeans.

The most “similar” examples should be the Chinese army. But this was America. Even if they were all classified as soldiers, the characteristics of the two countries’ martial artists should differ noticeably.

“Sounds interesting,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded slightly. “Fine. Set up a date. I’ll be there.”

“Thank you very much, sir!”

Willie Reese bowed deeply, which was unmistakably an Eastern way of expressing gratitude.

Kang Jin-Ho stared at this sight before playfully saying something. Since they might end up in a working partnership for a while, it might be a good idea to lighten the mood up a little.

“However, I hope the people you want to bring along aren’t superheroes. You know, the ones who wear skin-tight spandex costumes and stuff.”

Rather unexpectedly, however, Willie Reese’s expression cramped up. “Sir? Maybe you’ve watched one too many movies?”

“...”

It seemed this dude didn’t know how to take a joke.