Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 769

“No, is that something you can just do as you please?” Park Sang-cheol’s face contorted.

“If the construction period could be shortened at my whim, there wouldn’t be anything impossible in this world. Shouldn’t you increase the funding before saying something like that! If the construction period is shortened with the same manpower and equipment, I’d be crazy to be doing this job here. I’d be in Dubai building skyscrapers with my own team.”

This is why desk jockeys are useless.

‘Screw the secretariat.’

When you’re out in the field, you experience this kind of thing countless times. It happens so often that foremen who work on construction sites in Korea have a manual on how to respond to whatever the higher-ups say.

Those who know nothing about construction or the field are the ones who try to meddle, and that’s the reality of construction sites in Korea.

Look at them now.

What? Shorten the construction period?

You’re out of your mind.

The guys who say this have no idea how things work on the ground. They think that making a house out of clay in school is no different structurally from building a concrete and steel building, so they spout nonsense like that.

Is shortening the construction period a simple task?

The higher-ups think that the workers on site are taking their sweet time, which is why the construction period is so long. Those guys need to be tied to a tower crane and bungee jumped to wake them up.

‘This is hell, you idiot.’

Where is there any slowness in this hellhole? Every project starts with the assumption that it will be completed in the shortest possible time. It’s a matter of not letting the workers idle. If the construction period is extended even by a day, wages will be paid additionally, and if wages are paid additionally, the profit that needs to be left from the construction cost will decrease.

Who would work slowly and leisurely when their own money is being reduced?

The schedule is cut down to the shortest possible time, taking into account the construction law, the situation on the ground, and the time that is inevitably required for construction. And now they want to shorten the schedule even more?

“Don’t talk nonsense. If you want that, increase the construction cost. That’s the only way to hire more people! How can you shorten the construction period when the same people are working? Should we work at night?”

[Yes.]

Park Sang-cheol’s face contorted at the simple reply.

“Did you say you were from the secretariat?”

[Yes.]

“Do you know who I am? Just because I’m in finance doesn’t mean I’m your subordinate. I have plenty of places to go even if I quit here. Do you think I’ll put up with the secretariat telling me what to do, not even the chairman’s office?”

[There’s no need to put up with it.]

“What?”

Park Sang-cheol desperately suppressed the curse that had risen to his throat.

‘Damn it.’

It wouldn’t be difficult to unleash a torrent of abuse on this guy. It’s also somewhat true that there are plenty of companies to go to even if he quits because this is so frustrating.

However, changing jobs is always accompanied by severe stress. It’s something you can always consider, but it’s something you don’t want to experience if possible.

It wouldn’t be difficult to hurl abuse at this young punk, but the burden of dealing with the aftermath made Park Sang-cheol shut his mouth. Moreover, leaving the construction site where the project is underway is a considerable risk. It would leave a big stain on his career. The issue of what would happen to the guys working under him is also a concern.

[And there’s no need to get so angry. I’m not asking for anything particularly unreasonable right now.]

“Not unreasonable? You’re saying it’s not unreasonable to work at night? Do you even know what the construction law is?”

[The permit has been issued. You can proceed.]

“…The permit has been issued?”

[Well, it’s not that difficult. It’s not a residential area, so there’s no noise issue, and the nearby national highway is not adjacent to any houses, so there’s no restriction on nighttime truck traffic. The only thing left is safety, and I’m sure the foreman can manage that well, right?]

‘What is this guy?’

How could that be possible?

If the law were enforced according to various circumstances, who in Korea would be wronged? Especially construction law, which is like a nose ring or an earring [meaning it’s restrictive and often leads to trouble], where innocent people often become criminals.

But he got the permit?

‘How much did he bribe, this bastard?’

It’s not a permit that could be obtained normally. If there was a possibility of getting a permit, they would have already received all the permits when they started construction. But the permit was issued. That means there was something abnormal going on.

Well, whatever.

If the permit is issued, that’s all that matters. Even if there’s a problem later, Park Sang-cheol was just doing what he was told, and whether they pay a fine or go to jail, that’s the higher-ups’ problem.

The problem he needed to address was different.

“Still, it won’t work. We don’t have the manpower, the manpower. The money we can use for wages is limited, so how can we proceed with night work? We need to hire managers, and there are equipment operating costs.”

[You don’t have to worry about that. Just bill it.]

“..Huh?”

[Just focus on shortening the construction period. I will approve any expenses that seem a bit excessive.]

“You’re from the secretariat, right? Who are you to adjust the construction costs?”

[That part will be re-ordered through the higher-ups by the end of today. So you don’t have to worry about it.]

Park Sang-cheol felt like he was possessed by a ghost.

‘What the hell is going on?’

If this construction was for something grand, he would understand. Like building a skyscraper in the middle of Seoul or reclaiming land from the sea in Incheon to build a golf course.

But this isn’t that kind of project.

Of course, cutting down a mountain in the deep mountains to secure space and creating a large-scale residential facility there is a crazy scale, but the buildings themselves are nothing special.

It’s just a matter of building a bunch of the cheapest and simplest studio-type villas. It doesn’t require any special skills. It just consumes manpower and time.

In other words, if you add more manpower, you can drastically reduce the time. But….

“No, still, this doesn’t make sense….”

Park Sang-cheol’s tone became a little more polite.

“We don’t have the manpower, the manpower. It’s hard enough to find people to work in this remote mountain area, so where are we going to find people to work at night here?”

[Manpower is currently being supplemented.]

“Yes?”

[They will arrive soon. We’ve only sent the first batch for now.]

“No….”

Park Sang-cheol was speechless.

‘What the hell is going on at this construction site?’

[Additional manpower can be supported as much as you want. However, the skill level will decrease as you go further. Instead, they will be overflowing with energy, so you can use them as you please. With these conditions, you should be able to shorten the period, right?]

“…If you let me use the equipment and time as I please.”

[Use them as you please.]

“And, and our managers will have to work two shifts, day and night, so we’ll have to take care of them a little more. And you’ll have to provide additional support for management personnel.”

[Submit the payment request.]

“…Can I really submit it?”

[I don’t know who your manager is, but the instructions will probably be issued soon. So don’t worry about the cost, and go at it aggressively. But no shoddy construction.]

“What do you take me for, saying something like that? This isn’t the 1980s.”

[I trust you. And if you have any problems, don’t waste time talking to others, just call this number and ask for Jo Gyu-min. I’ll take care of it.]

“…I don’t know what’s going on. Anyway, I understand.”

[Please do.]

As soon as the call ended, Park Sang-cheol stared blankly at the receiver for a long time.

“Are a bunch of North Koreans coming here or something?”

Something had been strange since the start of the construction.

Building such a large-scale residential facility in this remote mountain area, where transportation is inconvenient and it doesn’t seem like anyone would live?

Anyone who has worked in the construction industry even a little would call it a scam. It’s only because the project is being carried out by Jae-kyung Construction that no one is calling it a scam.

But massive support was being poured into this project. Even if he tried to accept it, he kept saying, ‘What is this?’

“Foreman!”

“Huh?”

At that moment, the door burst open and a manager wearing a hard hat rushed in.

“There are a lot of buses outside, did you call them, foreman? Who are they?”

“Buses?”

Park Sang-cheol tilted his head.

Buses? Why would buses come here?

“Huh?”

Then, Park Sang-cheol suddenly stood up as if he had remembered something.

‘Did he say the manpower was already sent?’

It seemed like they had arrived. But how could this be handled so quickly? Sending manpower to work in this remote mountain area by chartering buses? Where did they even find those people?

‘I’ll see when I get there.’

Park Sang-cheol ran outside.

Then, he saw a line of buses coming into view.

‘How many are there?’

And this is just the first batch? How many more people are they going to send?

‘Are these crazy bastards building a pyramid or something?’

Looking at the buses coming in one after another and the endless stream of people getting off, he started to believe that people built the pyramids.

“They look like Chinese people?”

“If they’re going to work at night, there will be some Koreans mixed in. No, are they all Chinese?”

Park Sang-cheol was dumbfounded as he watched them get off, when one person slowly approached him.

“Are you the person in charge?”

“…Yes?”

Park Sang-cheol turned his head and looked at the person who had approached him.

‘What? Why is he so handsome?’

Of course, it’s not strange for a person to be handsome. But that kind of face doesn’t fit in a place like this. It felt even more awkward compared to the shabby people getting off the bus.

“I brought them because you said you needed people.”

“Ah… Ah, yes. But….”

Park Sang-cheol hesitated. It was difficult to treat this person carelessly.

“Actually, this job is what we call ‘Nogada’ [a Korean term for manual labor, often in construction], but it’s not something that can be done by just throwing in inexperienced people. You need at least some field experience….”

“That’s okay. They’re all experienced.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve handpicked them. They’ve all been working in the field for more than a year, so you can use them comfortably. Oh, and….”

The man turned his head back and called someone. Several people heard his words and quickly ran over.

“They’re not Korean, they’re Chinese, so you won’t be able to communicate. If you have anything to say, go through them. They’ll translate.”

“If there’s a problem, tell them and they’ll contact me. Then.”

The man bowed lightly and turned around.

Park Sang-cheol, who was alternating between looking at the people who were rushing over from the bus and the man who was walking away, groaned without realizing it.

“What the hell is going on?”

The General Assembly’s radical development was sweeping through the surroundings.