Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 841

“So, you’re just doing as you please.”

“Yes.”

It might sound rude, but Kang Jin-ho accepted this impolite remark with a laugh.

‘This man has the right to be rude.’

If it were Hwang Jung-hoo, the most powerful man in the world, wouldn’t he dare to be rude even in front of Kang Jin-ho?

“I’m just doing what I feel like doing.”

“Tsk tsk, the underlings must be having a hard time,” Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

It was only recently that Kang Jin-ho had come to realize how great Hwang Jung-hoo was. Only after leading a huge organization like the General Assembly did he realize how difficult it was to take responsibility for and lead the lives of others.

Kang Jin-ho had always acknowledged Hwang Jung-hoo, but now, the degree of that acknowledgment had changed.

The reason Kang Jin-ho acknowledged Hwang Jung-hoo was because he had achieved great things in one field. So, he had just vaguely thought he was great.

But after experiencing it himself, that vagueness had turned into a vivid reality that he could feel.

“So….”

Slurp.

The coffee in the cup, which was elegant in a way but a bit old-fashioned, went down Hwang Jung-hoo’s throat.

“…Isn’t it hot?”

“You’re also old… no, you are old. Yes, you’ve gotten old.”

Hwang Jung-hoo slightly frowned as if he was still awkward. He couldn’t get used to the fact that the young man in front of him was older than him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand. He had already accepted it. It was just hard to internalize the accepted fact. Humans are visual creatures, after all.

“Well, whatever.”

Hwang Jung-hoo scratched his head.

“So, you didn’t come here just to chat.”

Kang Jin-ho had suddenly visited in the morning. He had served coffee, but he was still flustered. Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a subtle expression.

‘He must be a big shot.’

In the past, if Kang Jin-ho had suddenly visited, he wouldn’t have felt like this. To him, Kang Jin-ho was someone he couldn’t understand, but also like a grandson he had to guide.

But now, Kang Jin-ho had grown too big for Hwang Jung-hoo to handle.

‘Successor, my foot.’

There was a time when he had considered making Kang Jin-ho his successor. But now, their levels didn’t match. Even from a brief listen, that General Assembly or whatever it was, was bigger than Jae-kyung [a large corporation]. The money they made probably wasn’t far behind Jae-kyung either. If their financial power was equal, there was nothing else to consider.

‘It’s more like a merger than a succession.’

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled.

It seemed impossible. Maybe if it was Kang Jin-ho from his ignorant days, but Kang Jin-ho, who now knew how much stress came with leading an organization, would never take on the burden of Jae-kyung.

“I just stopped by to confirm something.”

“What is it?”

“Whether I’m doing well.”

“Didn’t you say the doubts had disappeared?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.

“The doubts within me have disappeared. But that doesn’t mean I can do whatever I want. I need someone to look at it objectively.”

“Isn’t there Chief Jo?”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Jo Gyu-min. Jo Gyu-min, who received the simultaneous gaze of Hwang Jung-hoo and Kang Jin-ho, shook his hands violently.

“I, I’m not qualified for that, Chairman.”

“Tsk tsk, you pathetic human.”

“That’s the truth, though.”

“A guy who doesn’t even have the eye to evaluate whether an organization is running properly is working at the company? You salary thief!”

“I think I’m doing my part for my salary…”

When Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes blazed, Jo Gyu-min quietly lowered his head and avoided his gaze.

‘Doesn’t he age?’

He should be losing his energy by now, but Hwang Jung-hoo boasted a vigorous energy that made the word ‘vigorous’ seem inadequate.

“There’s no one to trust.”

Hwang Jung-hoo joked and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“You said you were sure?”

“Yes.”

“Listen to me.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled and said.

“How many people in this world can be sure about what I do?”

It was something he couldn’t help but agree with.

“It’s dangerous for a manager to be sure. A person who is sure can be passionate, but on the other hand, their vision narrows. They can’t help but miss the dangers or failures that are coming. You have to knock on every stone bridge before crossing it [a Korean idiom meaning to be extremely cautious].”

“But you didn’t do that, did you, Chairman?”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

A human bulldozer.

Hwang Jung-hoo was the kind of person who would bet the fate of the group and work like crazy if he thought something was right. His drive was something that everyone in the business world, as well as the people of Korea, acknowledged.

“That’s a bit different…”

Hwang Jung-hoo scratched his chin and said.

“The reason I push things forward isn’t because I’m sure. It’s because I thought it wouldn’t work if I didn’t.”

“I don’t quite understand.”

“To explain…”

Jo Gyu-min also waited for Hwang Jung-hoo’s words with eyes full of interest.

The biggest difference between Hwang Jung-hoo and other successful businessmen?

Hwang Jung-hoo doesn’t brag about his success. Usually, people who are recognized as successful by themselves and others want to tell someone how they succeeded whenever they have the chance.

But Hwang Jung-hoo had no past glory. He didn’t dwell on the past. Thanks to that, he didn’t have to endure the torture of hearing the same story dozens of times, but there was also no chance to hear his success story from Hwang Jung-hoo’s own mouth.

“Now everyone thinks that Jae-kyung has grown very well, but that’s not the case. When I first established and grew Jae-kyung, there were several times when it was on the verge of collapse.”

“I guess so.”

“That was the era. Everyone was crawling up from the bottom. It was a time when everyone was trying to find a way to exploit the gaps if others failed.”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes stared into empty space.

Perhaps in his eyes now, he wasn’t seeing the blank white wall, but the days when he was young.

“So, I had no choice but to take risks. A ship that has lost its power will sink. You have to keep rowing to move forward. But now, it’s not that kind of era.”

“It’s not that I’m saying you shouldn’t change. You have to change. And you have to have drive. But that drive shouldn’t become stubbornness. You have to boldly push forward what you believe is right, but you shouldn’t abandon even the slightest doubt that you might be wrong.”

“I understand what you mean.”

‘I don’t think he understood at all?’ You could tell by looking at Kang Jin-ho’s eyes. A person with such confident eyes doesn’t know how to brake. He won’t stop in the future either.

‘Well, it’s good, I guess.’

Hwang Jung-hoo just smiled.

A person who runs without knowing how to brake is bound to fail. But moving forward hesitantly to avoid failure wasn’t a good choice either.

In the end, isn’t life and management about learning from failure?

Hwang Jung-hoo had also tasted countless failures. The world only remembered his success, but he was a person who had experienced more failures than successes. It was because he had failed that he could work harder, and it was because he had failed that he could create success based on failure.

If you have passion and will, even failure can be helpful.

‘I’m envious.’

Hwang Jung-hoo realized that he had gotten old.

The reason why an old person fears failure isn’t because they are afraid of losing from failure. It’s because they realize that they no longer have the strength and will to climb back up like they did in their youth after failing.

In that sense, Hwang Jung-hoo was truly envious of Kang Jin-ho.

Despite having lived longer than him, Kang Jin-ho had not yet lost his passion. Looking at those boyish eyes, Hwang Jung-hoo felt a fire burning deep within his heart.

“Keep your ears open.”

“Ears?”

“If you doubt whether you’re doing things right, you should always keep your ears open. And you shouldn’t shut other people’s mouths. You have to be able to listen to any words, and if those words are right, you have to be able to admit it. If you keep those two things in mind, you won’t go astray.”

‘That’s the hardest thing, though.’

It was natural for a successful person to fall into stubbornness.

After consulting with many people, their opinion is adopted, and when they push forward with the work according to that opinion, success returns. What would happen if that process was repeated several times?

They would become immersed in the thought that their words are right.

It’s not something you can point fingers at and call foolish. Because they were right. The success they achieved proves it. As these things are repeated, the words of others become lighter, and their own thoughts become more important.

And then they fall into the abyss.

Only a few who were right until the end, and who can listen to the opinions of others even while achieving success, achieve true success.

But is that easy?

It’s not easy for a powerful person to listen to the words of others.

That’s why so many philosophers emphasized that you could become a wise ruler just by listening to what others say. But how many people in history are called wise rulers?

It’s a difficult and challenging thing.

But Hwang Jung-hoo thought that Kang Jin-ho was capable of it.

In the past, from the first time he saw him, Kang Jin-ho had abilities that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. Even so, he knew how to listen to the words of others.

He was arrogant and strange, but he knew how to form relationships and how to open his ears.

“It’s the hardest thing to keep your initial intentions. It’s a cliché, but there’s a reason why clichés exist.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Okay, okay.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded with a benevolent face.

‘It feels like it’s been a while.’

Come to think of it, recently, it was more often the case that he was listening to Kang Jin-ho’s words rather than Kang Jin-ho seeking advice from him.

Whether it was about his sons, who were like enemies, or the welfare foundation.

In the end, wasn’t it all because of Kang Jin-ho’s advice that he changed his mind?

So, having the chance to talk like this, it felt good to have found their old relationship again.

‘If I coax him well, won’t he take over Jae-kyung too?’

He must be busy with the General Assembly, but it’s not often that you get to swallow a company of this size. So, if he coaxes him well, maybe…

“And one more thing.”

“Huh?”

When Kang Jin-ho gestured, Jo Gyu-min handed over the documents that were next to him.

“…What is that?”

“I told them to organize the current situation.”

“Current situation?”

“Yes. Because of this foundation launch.”

Ah, a report.

Yes, it’s a report.

‘This looks a bit strange?’

If this goes on, it looks like Hwang Jung-hoo is reporting what he did to Kang Jin-ho. This is a bit….

“Chairman.”

“Hmm?”

“It seems like the foundation launch is being delayed, what’s going on?”

Looking at Kang Jin-ho, whose eyes had become slightly sharp, Hwang Jung-hoo lost his words. Jo Gyu-min was also sticking close to his side, waiting for Hwang Jung-hoo’s words.

“W-well, that’s…”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes wandered.

‘I raised a tiger cub… no, I just raised an old tiger.’

The veteran businessman trembled at the first-ever status report he was giving.