Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 282

“……The response is better than I thought.”

“Really?”

“It seems what Choi Yeon-ha said was right. Sales have increased tremendously.”

“How much?”

“Almost doubled?”

Kang Jin-ho looked a bit displeased.

Increased sales were good news, but it sounded like the popularity of his pizza had declined, which made him a little uncomfortable.

“Each table is still ordering at least one pizza, but now that pasta and drinks are being added to tables that used to order just one pizza, sales are skyrocketing.”

“I… guess so.”

Come to think of it, even people who love pizza wouldn’t order two pizzas per table, so it was only natural that sales would increase with the addition of side dishes.

He had worried that the increased number of dishes per table might reduce turnover, but thankfully, that hadn’t happened so far.

“Is the pasta selling well too?”

“It’s selling incredibly well. The response is great.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho quietly turned his head.

Jeong Su-yeon was staring into the distance. She was trying to act calm, but her slightly shaking shoulders and the smug look on her face were enough to reveal her feelings.

“……Good job.”

“Yes.”

He had a feeling that something terrible would happen if he didn’t say that.

“Hey, we could just sell pasta and not pizza. People say the pasta is better than the pizza.”

Park Yu-min frowned at Joo Young-gi’s words.

“That’s because you’re the one making the pizza.”

“……Are you done?”

Park Yu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho with a serious expression.

“Jin-ho, don’t keep leaving your spot. The difference between the pizza you make and the pizza Young-gi makes is too big. People are asking if the pizza ingredients have gone bad.”

Jeong Su-yeon also agreed emphatically.

“I even ended up making the pizza myself later. It was just too much.”

Joo Young-gi, looking hurt, went to a corner and sat down, hugging his knees.

Poor Joo Young-gi. He was being scolded for not being able to make pizza properly, and his eyes were starting to sting.

“But no matter how much I follow the recipe, I can’t get the same taste. When you have time, please teach me how to make pizza.”

“……I’ll try.”

Though it was unlikely.

The pizza Kang Jin-ho made was impossible for an ordinary person to replicate. It wasn’t just about baking well in the oven; the key was using his heat energy to cook the inside all at once.

It would be difficult for anyone who hadn’t reached a certain level of martial arts to follow.

‘Should I mobilize some martial artists?’

Since he was already involved with the General Assembly [a powerful organization], it might be a good idea to bring in a suitable martial artist later and have them make pizza. They were proud martial artists, so they might not want to do it, but surely there was someone among them who could make pizza.

“So, what were yesterday’s sales?”

“It was as much as when you’re here. Considering that sales have dropped to half of half when you’re not here, it’s a huge amount.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

‘That’s good.’

Until now, the difference in sales when he was there and when he wasn’t was too significant. It could be solved by coming to work more often, but that would be a problem after Kang Jin-ho returned to school.

To keep the store running, sales needed to remain above a certain level even when Kang Jin-ho wasn’t there, and focusing only on pizza wouldn’t solve the problem.

“Now, if we can just solve the pizza issue, I can slowly step away from the store.”

“That’s the biggest problem.”

“……That’s true.”

They needed to make the pizza taste similar to Kang Jin-ho’s even when others made it, but that wasn’t easy. As Kang Jin-ho was pondering with his chin in his hand, a calm voice came from behind him.

“Why are you thinking so hard?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho blinked as he saw Choi Yeon-ha calmly walking out of the break room.

Why was she coming out from there?

As he looked at her with a questioning expression, Park Yu-min shook his head as if there was no hope.

“She doesn’t seem busy. She’s been coming out a lot lately.”

“Aren’t you filming?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s question, Choi Yeon-ha started to scold him as if saying, ‘You asked the right question.’

“You said it perfectly. I have something to say about that, can you spare some time?”

“I have to open the store now…”

“……Hey, Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Who is it that increased the store’s sales?”

“It’s Jeong Su-yeon.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Jeong Su-yeon’s head tilted up a little more. If she tilted any further, she would be perpendicular to the ceiling.

“……I’m asking who was the reason you hired Jeong Su-yeon. Would that have been possible if I hadn’t said anything?”

Kang Jin-ho had to admit it. If it hadn’t been for Choi Yeon-ha’s words, he wouldn’t have thought of adding new menu items, and he wouldn’t have hired Jeong Su-yeon.

“I think I’ve at least doubled the store’s sales, right?”

“……I admit it.”

“Before that, who saved the store from going bankrupt? If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t appeared in the drama, would this store have survived and succeeded this much?”

Of course, it would have survived. Kang Jin-ho wasn’t someone who absolutely needed to make a profit from this store.

But he couldn’t deny that if he hadn’t been on the drama, the store would still be empty and losing money.

“So, you still can’t spare some time? Wow, I didn’t know Kang Jin-ho was such a cold person…”

“No, no.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand.

Being clear about debts and favors was one of his strengths. Since he had received a favor from Choi Yeon-ha, it was only natural to repay it.

“I’ll make time.”

“Boss, we have to open the store now, how can you make time?”

But a merciless back tackle came from behind him.

Jeong Su-yeon said with a sulky face.

“You didn’t come yesterday either, and you’re not going to work today? It’s okay if you’re just the boss, but you’re not just the boss, you’re the head chef. Taste is the most important thing in a restaurant. If you just think it’ll be okay and leave for a few days, customers will stop coming quickly.”

“It’s not that serious…”

“Oh my? You shouldn’t say that if you’re the one cooking. You might think of yourself as just one of many customers, but the people who visit don’t think that way. If they think the taste has changed, they won’t bother to come back and check if the taste has returned. They just won’t come next time. If you keep losing customers like that, fewer and fewer people will come to the store.”

Listening to Jeong Su-yeon’s passionate explanation, Kang Jin-ho strangely broke out in a cold sweat.

As Kang Jin-ho was caught between a rock and a hard place, Choi Yeon-ha opened her mouth.

“Well, it’s not like we’re taking him away for good, it’s just for a quick chat, can’t you allow that? He’s the boss, isn’t he?”

She was talking to Kang Jin-ho, but her target was clearly Jeong Su-yeon. But Jeong Su-yeon wasn’t just listening quietly.

“It’s okay for the boss to leave. But the head chef shouldn’t leave.”

“Famous restaurants usually have the chef leave to go on TV, right? Isn’t that right?”

“Those places can maintain the taste even when the chef is gone. But our taste changes depending on whether the boss is here or not, so you shouldn’t leave.”

As the two women engaged in a fiery debate, Kang Jin-ho’s body gradually shrank.

He sent out desperate glances for help, but… Park Yu-min and Joo Young-gi avoided Kang Jin-ho’s gaze as if they didn’t want to get involved in this situation.

‘You bad guys.’

I thought so much of you guys, and you’re abandoning me like this!

He was filled with a sense of betrayal.

‘Sorry, Jin-ho.’

‘We have to survive too.’

They felt sorry for their friend who was suffering, but they didn’t know what would happen if they threw themselves into that chaos. If they added their voices carelessly, they might be torn to shreds.

They couldn’t offer a helping hand to Kang Jin-ho, but thankfully, there was no need to be sad.

“Oppa!”

The door burst open, and Kang Eun-young came in.

Kang Jin-ho welcomed Kang Eun-young with delight. Anyone who could end this situation was welcome.

Since his discharge, had Kang Eun-young ever been this welcome?

Kang Jin-ho jumped up from his seat and went to greet Kang Eun-young as she entered.

“Welcome.”

Kang Eun-young looked at Kang Jin-ho with a slightly strange look.

“Your reaction is weird?”

“What?”

“Usually, the oppa [older brother] I know would say something like, ‘Why are you here at a time like this?’ or ‘What about filming?’ but you’re strangely welcoming?”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t answer and just mumbled, so Kang Eun-young tilted her head to the side and looked inside. Then, she nodded as if she understood.

“It seems like I’ve lowered a lifeline, so buy me a Melona [a popular Korean ice cream bar] when you come home today.”

“……Okay.”

Kang Eun-young was quick-witted.

“But what’s going on?”

“What do you mean? Did you forget what I said last time?”

“Huh?”

“I asked you to meet our manager.”

“……Did you?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I know your memory well. You remember the 500 won [Korean currency] you took a year ago, there’s no way you wouldn’t remember that.”

That sharp girl.

As Kang Jin-ho slowly backed away, Kang Eun-young stuck close and grabbed his arm.

“You’re not thinking of going back on your word, are you?”

“I’m always going back on my word.”

“It’s falling! That thing!”

“……Damn it.”

It was a statement that any man would shudder at, though he hadn’t really used it since coming to this world.

“Why are you deciding this so suddenly?”

“What’s so sudden? Our manager is busier than you in the first place, so it’s right for us to decide.”

“That’s right.”

Choi Yeon-ha also started to support Kang Eun-young as if she had seized an opportunity.

“There’s no way we’d have time to schedule an appointment in the first place. If they had that kind of time, they wouldn’t be a manager. Top star managers can’t even see their mother’s face.”

Considering that, the two of you seem very free, he wanted to say, but if he said that now, it would be like pouring oil on a fire.

“Let’s go!”

“I’ll go with you.”

Kang Jin-ho, being dragged away by both arms, looked back with a pitiful face, but his friends were just waving their hands with bright faces.

“Have a good trip.”

“……I’ll see you when I get back, you two.”

“Bring Melona when you come.”

Watching Park Yu-min wave his hand nonchalantly, Kang Jin-ho wiped his stinging eyes.

Friends or not, life is about living alone.

After Kang Jin-ho left, Joo Young-gi opened his mouth with dissatisfaction in the now-empty store.

“But is it okay to send him away like that? What about the store?”

“That’s right!”

Even Jeong Su-yeon complained, so Park Yu-min smiled and said.

“The store is slowly stabilizing, so we should stop holding him back. He’s a busy guy.”

“Wow…”

Joo Young-gi blinked his eyes.

“Don’t I have anything to do, you jerk!”

“Do you have anything to do?”

“……”

No answer came.