Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1222

2. Seizing Control (1)

“What about the delivery?”

“J-Just a moment. Right now at the logistics center…”

The branch manager rushed out, pushing Lee Gyu-ha aside.

“Delivery is possible tomorrow!”

“B-Branch manager, we need to check with the logistics center…”

“What’s there to check! I’ll just go to the logistics center and get it!”

The branch manager smiled, sweating profusely.

“Don’t worry! We’ll do a lightning delivery! It’s possible to deliver by tomorrow morning!”

“Branch manager, tomorrow morning is…”

“Ahem! Goodness. Why do you keep interrupting! I’ll take care of it!”

“Yes, sir!”

Lee Gyu-ha quietly stepped back.

‘He’s completely fired up.’

It’s understandable.

Ten washing machines, ten dryers. Add to that air purifiers, vacuum cleaners, and dishwashers, and that’s a lot of money.

“The installation will be done neatly, right?”

“Don’t worry! We’ll install it perfectly! Kindness and service are our motto!”

“Hmm.”

“Do you need any other appliances? We have special deals on TVs and refrigerators for the winter season.”

I was slightly puzzled about the connection between winter and refrigerators, but it didn’t really matter.

“I’ll see how this installation goes, and if it’s good, I’ll come again.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Lee Gyu-ha chuckled, seeing the branch manager, who was usually a bit gruff, acting like the nicest person in the world.

“Okay, then, the address here is…”

The branch manager’s eyes widened as he checked the address.

“Ah, this… Ah! You’re doing a good deed. I’ll make sure to put in a good word!”

“A word?”

“Aren’t you Choi Yeon-ha? Choi Yeon-ha is doing good things at the end of the year…”

Choi Yeon-ha lightly cut off the branch manager.

“You’re the branch manager, right?”

“Yes!”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled gently.

“I was never here. Got it?”

“Ah… Ah, yes! I understand.”

“If any strange rumors spread, I’ll return everything, so keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?”

“Don’t worry! I didn’t see anything, and I don’t know anything. I’ve been having memory problems lately, I keep forgetting things. I might even forget my own name.”

“Yes, that’s good.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled gently.

“Instead, can I get an autograph…”

“I should at least do that for you.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled gently. The branch manager, half-charmed by her smile, nodded repeatedly.

“Then, will you pay in full?”

Kang Jin-ho stepped forward slightly.

“I’ll take care of the payment…”

“Please use this. Full payment.”

Choi Yeon-ha took out a card from her handbag and handed it to the branch manager.

“Ah, the payment…”

Choi Yeon-ha frowned as Kang Jin-ho tried to say something.

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“I know you have a lot of money, but I’m paying for this. Why would you pay for what I’m giving to the kids? You can do something else separately.”

“S-Separately?”

“The van looked pretty old on the way here, so buy them a new one. They need it to take the kids to school and stuff.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

Choi Yeon-ha ordered a few more things, then turned and left the store.

“Thank you, customer! Please come again!”

With the loud voice behind her, Choi Yeon-ha got into the car.

Kang Jin-ho and Jo Mi-hye also got into the car.

Brummm.

As the car started moving aggressively, Jo Mi-hye half-screamed.

“Oppa! Drive a little slower!”

“I am driving slowly.”

“Agh! Let me out! Let me out!”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head and started driving as slowly as possible. He couldn’t understand why she was screaming like that. Choi Yeon-ha was so calm.

As the car slowed down, Jo Mi-hye sighed in relief and said to Choi Yeon-ha.

“Unnie, didn’t you spend too much money?”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. I feel a bit sorry…”

“Mi-hye.”

“Yes, Unnie.”

“Do you think I have a lot of money, or a little?”

“…You have a lot.”

“Then, do you think I’d regret spending this much, or not?”

“You wouldn’t…”

“I would.”

Jo Mi-hye closed her mouth at the firm voice.

“My heart races right before I swipe the card. Hey, the idea that rich people spend money like water is just something people say. They become rich because they don’t spend money like that.”

“That makes sense.”

Jo Mi-hye nodded as if she understood.

“Of course, I regret it. Of course, I do. Even parents regret spending money on their children sometimes, so why wouldn’t I? Of course, I regret it. I’m not some saint.”

“…Should we return it?”

“Return it, my foot! If I can’t spend money because I regret it, how am I supposed to eat! If it’s something I need, there’s no reason to regret it!”

“But you said you regret it, Unnie?”

“Just understand what I mean!”

“Yes.”

Jo Mi-hye became docile.

Kang Jin-ho had many thoughts as he watched them. The food chain of the world is quite intricate. It was amazing to see Jo Mi-hye, who acted like she would devour Han Jin-sung, become a well-behaved child in front of Choi Yeon-ha.

“You don’t have to worry about that. And…”

Choi Yeon-ha’s gaze fixed on Kang Jin-ho.

“Don’t worry about the money. The boss will make more, right?”

Cold sweat trickled down Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

“Yes. Don’t worry, Unnie. Oppa may be a bit pathetic, but he’s definitely capable.”

“I don’t know if he’s capable. He just started a new business and needs constant care, but I’m supposed to trust someone who suddenly leaves a text and disappears.”

“Did he? Seriously?”

“Would I lie?”

“Oppa, are you in your right mind?”

I still am.

But I might not be soon.

My head is spinning. Kang Jin-ho blinked and focused on driving.

“You need to reflect on this too.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t just wait for the teachers to do things. If the environment isn’t good, you should take measures like ventilating the room yourself. What are you doing just sitting there?”

“…I’m sorry, Unnie.”

“People who just sit around waiting for others to do things will spend their whole lives just receiving. If something is lacking, you should ask for it, and if they don’t give it, you should find it and dig it out. Right?”

“Yes!”

Choi Yeon-ha pushed her sunglasses up slightly and smiled.

I don’t know if she understood or if she’s just answering, but it’s good that she listens. It feels like watching a cute puppy whose tail is constantly wagging.

“Isn’t today the day report cards come out? How did Jin-sung do?”

“Jin-ho Oppa told him to retake the year.”

“Retake?”

“Yes.”

“Why can’t he ever do anything right the first time?”

“…I want to make an excuse for him, but it’s such a harsh truth that I can’t. It’s a good thing Jin-sung Oppa isn’t here.”

He might get beaten to death.

“He’s the type who can’t do anything on his own. Take care of him. You don’t want to suffer later.”

“W-Why should I take care of him?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at the rearview mirror without a word. Jo Mi-hye turned her head slightly at the gaze coming through the mirror.

After asking a few things about Han Jin-sung, Choi Yeon-ha nodded as if she understood. It seems like she has something in mind.

“Unnie, now that I think about it, I heard you became a president this time?”

“Director, director. The president is the one driving right now.”

“Anyway, you created an agency, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Unnie, are you recruiting trainees?”

“…Why? You want to try it?”

“I can’t, but there’s a kid who’s interested.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

Choi Yeon-ha waved her hand.

“What looks glamorous on the outside is rotten on the inside. Do you know what the entertainment industry is like? It’s a battlefield. If you rush in without preparation and fail, your youthful years will be wasted, and you’ll be left with nothing but a body without experience or qualifications.”

“Hey, but… if you succeed, you get rewarded.”

“The problem is that success is so unpredictable. It’s not like you’ll become popular just because you’re pretty, or just because you sing well. People’s tastes are really hard to understand. There are people who you wonder why they’re popular, and people who you wonder why they’re not. It’s like that in any field, but it’s not easy to compete fairly based on skill alone.”

Kang Jin-ho, who was driving, nodded.

There are more fields like that in the world than you might think. The martial arts world, where you can clearly compete based on your skills alone, is therefore a straightforward and fair place.

“I want you guys to, um…”

Choi Yeon-ha seemed to hesitate for a moment before opening her mouth.

“I want you to live ordinary, happy, and joyful lives. Living on stage is a mix of excessive happiness and excessive depression. The moment you’re on stage, you feel like you’re the king of the world, but when you come down, it feels like there’s no one around you. I don’t want you to live with those emotional ups and downs.”

Choi Yeon-ha leaned back in her seat and chuckled.

“There are people who can’t experience the ordinary things like going to school, going to college, having a boyfriend, and going on dates… That’s a bit sad.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Yeon-ha with a new perspective.

“Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s words sounded like she was talking about the past Kang Jin-ho, who longed for modern life.

‘That’s right.’

Ordinary life.

Nothing special life.

It’s a story that people who haven’t felt the preciousness of it can’t relate to. What’s too ordinary and obvious can’t be the object of longing until it’s gone.

“If you guys are really serious about it, I’ll help you. But if you’re just starting with a half-baked determination to become a star, I won’t let it slide. Got it?”

“Yes, Unnie. I’ll tell them.”

“Okay.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled gently.

“Have we arrived?”

The orphanage is visible outside the car window.

As they stopped in front of the orphanage, Jo Mi-hye got out of the car.

“Unnie, aren’t you getting out?”

“I have something to do, so go in first. Tell the teachers that the washing machines and dryers will arrive tomorrow, so they should clear out the laundry room.”

“Yes, Unnie!”

“Okay.”

As Kang Jin-ho was about to park the car after seeing Jo Mi-hye go inside, Choi Yeon-ha opened her mouth in a low voice.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t we have something to talk about separately?”

“…Yes?”

Choi Yeon-ha’s hand gripped her sunglasses.

Then, she slowly took them off.

Kang Jin-ho swallowed hard without realizing it, seeing the look in her eyes that had been hidden behind the sunglasses. There was the look of a predator eyeing its prey.

Kang Jin-ho closed his mouth, thinking that what was coming had finally arrived.

“I’ve been trying to understand you.”

“Yes?”

“But I think it’s gone beyond the realm of understanding now. If I keep going like this, I don’t think I’ll ever hear it, so I’ll just say it directly.”

“Shall we go somewhere quiet to talk? I need to hear it now. What kind of person you are, and… what you’re hiding from me.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled gently.

“It’d be best if you told me everything without hiding anything. Or I’ll get pissed.”

“…Yes.”

Thick beads of cold sweat began to trickle down Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.