Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 500

“Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“……”

“……”

Everyone smiled at that natural and lighthearted answer.

‘Ah, that’s just like him.’

Come to think of it, Kang Jin-ho had never presented a clear plan before.

When they went to capture Lee Jung-geol, Kang Jin-ho’s strategy was something that would make even Zhuge Liang [a famous strategist from the Three Kingdoms period] cry: ‘Just sneak in and capture and kill Lee Jung-geol.’ And when they went to capture Kim Seok-il, he pushed forward with the brilliant plan of ‘If I go to the Yeongnam Association and cause a ruckus, the guys will be intimidated and won’t be able to do anything, and in that gap, I’ll capture and kill Kim Seok-il.’

‘That should have failed at least once…’

But why does it always succeed?

That’s the question.

If someone makes a ridiculous plan and pushes it through, it should fail at least once, but since he succeeds every time, even though we know the plan is ridiculous, we have no choice but to follow it.

“That’s a relief, in a way.”

At Lee Hyun-soo’s words, Bang Jin-hoon nodded without realizing it.

It was better to have no plan at all. If there was a plan, it would undoubtedly be another ridiculous one, and in Kang Jin-ho’s style, he would just push that ridiculous plan through.

The ones who suffer are the subordinates. Like Bang Jin-hoon himself.

Bang Jin-hoon was about to say something when he noticed Jo Gyu-min next to Kang Jin-ho, looking like he was about to die.

“Director Jo, are you feeling unwell?”

“No. My body is fine.”

“Then why do you look like that?”

“My heart hurts.”

“……Pardon?”

Jo Gyu-min let out a deep sigh.

“I heard a Hegemon-King [a powerful and charismatic leader] had appeared, so I joined his ranks, but it turns out that Hegemon-King was Gandhi.”

“What are you talking about, you old man?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Jo Gyu-min leaned back on the sofa as if he had lost all his strength.

‘I told him to do what he wanted, and he actually found something he wanted to do and came back.’

They say the mouth is the root of all misfortune, and Jo Gyu-min was the perfect example of that.

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled and continued.

“Honestly, saying you’re not sure means that you have at least a vague idea, even if it’s not clear.”

“Well, to that extent…”

“Then please tell us at least that much. That way, we can make a plan about what we need to do.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

‘I guess I should.’

From the beginning, he didn’t think he could do everything alone. He was a person with many shortcomings. Especially in areas involving an organization, not just an individual, he was practically an idiot.

He inevitably needed the help of others. And those others would ultimately have to be the people around him that he could trust.

“I want to create a place where people can be helped in a more systematic way.”

“Systematic?”

“Yes, so….”

Kang Jin-ho organized his thoughts.

“Even now, countless children are growing up in orphanages across the country. And the people who take care of those children are also working very hard. It’s not that they’re lacking, but that there are limits to what they can do.”

“Limits…”

“This time is a good example. I don’t know how to explain it…”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look at Jo Gyu-min.

Jo Gyu-min resisted with eyes that said, ‘Why do I have to explain that?’ but under the continuous pressure of Kang Jin-ho’s gaze, he eventually opened his mouth with a resentful expression.

“In the end, children from orphanages face the limitations of being from an orphanage. It’s not easy for orphanages to provide the same support as regular children, and they can’t escape the stigma of being from an orphanage.”

“I suppose so.”

“Children who suffer from such external gazes are also prone to causing problems internally. Unless it’s a well-managed orphanage, there are definitely still many problematic orphanages. This isn’t a matter of effort or will, but rather a problem that stems from not being able to hire enough staff to care for the children within a limited budget.”

“So, in the end…”

Lee Hyun-soo said, looking at Kang Jin-ho.

“You want to create a large orphanage with sufficient capital to increase the number of childcare teachers?”

“I also want to handle educational issues there.”

“Education?”

“Yes. Can’t we just build a school next to the orphanage?”

“……Huh?”

“The reason why children from orphanages are discriminated against or have problems in the first place is because they are seen as different, so if there was a normal school where children who aren’t different could attend, it seems like it would be an easy problem to solve…”

“W-wait a minute.”

Lee Hyun-soo waved his hand, flustered.

Why was the scale suddenly jumping so high?

“S-so, you’re not just talking about a large orphanage… you’re talking about creating a huge orphanage big enough to run a school just for the children who belong to it?”

“Even if it’s huge, if there are only about fifty students per grade, it should be more than enough to run a school…”

“That’s true. There are many elementary schools with a total of 300 students these days, and even fewer.”

Lee Hyun-soo was starting to see a strange sense of reality in it.

“No, even so, this isn’t an easy problem. Elementary schools in Korea adopt the principle of territoriality. Just building a school next to an orphanage doesn’t mean that only the children from the orphanage can attend.”

“That’s what the Association Head is for, to solve that.”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head with a sullen expression.

Then he saw Bang Jin-hoon, who had a face that said, ‘Of course. I can definitely solve that.’

He got goosebumps.

‘This guy seems to have gone a bit crazy….’

It wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.

When you think about it, Bang Jin-hoon had the image of being Kang Jin-ho’s colleague, but he had never really helped Kang Jin-ho or been on equal footing with him.

Kang Jin-ho had unilaterally solved the problems that arose in the Association. After such a situation continued, he was finally given something that could help Kang Jin-ho, so it was understandable that he was puffed up like an air balloon.

‘The problem is that all that work will fall on me.’

Does the Association Head ever directly do anything? They just lend their name, and the staff does the work. And unfortunately, the staff members that Bang Jin-hoon trusts the most are Chun Tae-hoon and Lee Hyun-soo himself….

Above all, this matter had a 99% chance of falling on Lee Hyun-soo.

Lee Hyun-soo sighed quietly.

“We could shake up the political world to solve it, but dealing with it that way will ultimately cause problems. In my opinion, this is a much bigger deal than you think. It’s a welfare system that’s being attempted for the first time in Korea, so related political circles and civic groups will show great interest. If we handle things illegally or through loopholes, big trouble could arise later.”

“Then we can just do it legally.”

“How?”

Kang Jin-ho had a nonchalant expression that said, ‘Why do I have to think about that? You guys should figure that out.’

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho, were you perhaps a chairman somewhere in the past?”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Faced with that all-too-natural attitude, Lee Hyun-soo began to fall into despair. He raised his head slightly and saw Jo Gyu-min, who had a similar look in his eyes, slumped over.

‘Ah, so that’s why that guy was so tormented.’

The reality began to unfold before Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes as well. How much work would fall on him when this project actually went into motion.

It was like having a boss who was full of enthusiasm but didn’t actually help and just nagged, and having to carry out a massive project.

‘This is hell.’

Lee Hyun-soo quietly moved his body back. He felt like he had to escape this hellhole somehow. He already felt like his head was about to explode with the work he was doing, and if he had to take on this project as well, he wouldn’t even have enough time to sleep.

He absolutely couldn’t get caught up in this….

“Hyun-soo will help with the practical work.”

No, you crazy bastard!

You’re the Association Head, so why are you making me do it!

That’s why you can’t associate with the higher-ups!

Just as Lee Hyun-soo was about to say, ‘I’m too busy to handle such a thing,’ Kang Jin-ho stood up from his seat and reached out his hand.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Lee Hyun-soo gave a soft smile.

‘I’m screwed.’

A slightly trembling hand grasped Kang Jin-ho’s hand. The power felt in that hand was a symbol of trust, but to Lee Hyun-soo, it felt like a threat that he would break his bones if he tried to run away clumsily.

“I feel reassured that the three of you will help.”

“……Yes.”

“Hahaha, don’t worry.”

“I never said I would help, Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

Those were the replies of Lee Hyun-soo, Bang Jin-hoon, and Jo Gyu-min, in that order.

But Kang Jin-ho neatly ignored Jo Gyu-min’s words.

“But is this something that requires legal adjustments?”

“No! I said I wouldn’t help!”

“I hadn’t thought that far…”

“Listen to what people are saying! You old man! I said I’m not going to do it!”

Lee Hyun-soo, who was looking at Jo Gyu-min with a pitiful expression as he desperately shouted, turned to Kang Jin-ho and said,

“It seems that we can’t avoid paying attention to legal issues if we’re going to run a foundation.”

“This is more troublesome than I thought.”

What did you even do to be troubled already!

There were so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t.

How many office workers in Korea can say everything they want to say? Everyone holds their words in their hearts and lives each day, fiddling with their resignation letters.

“If you’re really serious about doing this, there are many issues to consider. From how much the endowment will be to how we will set up the system. At the same time, we need to consider whether that system is legally sound and what kind of social impact it will have.”

“Hmm…”

“There’s no easy work in this world, Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

Lee Hyun-soo subtly threatened Kang Jin-ho. It was a threat that if he actually started this project, he would have to completely give up his leisurely life.

And Lee Hyun-soo was confident that this threat would work to some extent.

‘He has nothing to lose.’

Why would Kang Jin-ho spend his time and effort running a foundation? He was someone who would have a fortune piling up in his bank account even if he just lay down and scratched his belly. There was no reason for such a person to waste his time doing this kind of work.

Even if there was such a reason, the annoyance of reality was a more powerful barrier than one might think. Lee Hyun-soo thought that Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t bother trying to break through that powerful barrier.

But there was something that Lee Hyun-soo had misjudged.

“So, I’m counting on your help.”

“……”

Why should I break through that wall? You should break through it.

Teary eyes welled up in Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes.

It wasn’t just the military where you had to do as you were told.