Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1477

“The NIS?”

[Yes.]

Kang Jin-ho pressed down a little harder on the accelerator.

‘The NIS, huh…’

It’s not a place that evokes particularly good feelings. Nothing involving the NIS ever seemed to be without its headaches. Especially for Kang Jin-ho, the NIS was practically synonymous with Kim Myung-chan’s henchmen, making it all the more unpleasant.

“So?”

[I gave them a moderate warning.]

‘Moderate’… Lee Hyun-soo’s definition of ‘moderate’ was usually on a different scale than what most people would consider ‘moderate.’

‘He must have really roughed them up.’

But Kang Jin-ho didn’t feel the need to scold Lee Hyun-soo.

Regardless, the fact that the NIS was showing interest in the Assembly’s affairs again was clear, and they would have to pay the price for it.

“What do you think?”

[Well, I don’t think it’s anything to be too concerned about. It seems like it was more of an information-gathering exercise than anything intentional.]

“Even after the warning?”

[Isn’t that how new guys are? Those who newly sit in high positions tend to want to try their hand at things their predecessors didn’t do.]

“Hmm.”

It was a plausible answer, but it didn’t exactly make him feel better.

[As long as the Assembly is in Korea, these things will happen from time to time. They have eyes and ears too, so it’s hard for them to completely ignore the Assembly’s existence and pretend it doesn’t exist.]

“I suppose so.”

[It’ll be enough to keep an eye on them so they don’t try any funny business. If they get too aggressive, we can put pressure on them through the US without having to lift a finger. Or maybe China would be better than the US?]

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

‘The situation is strange.’

Using the US and China to keep the Korean government in check…

Anyone who heard that would easily label him a traitor.

‘Well, it’s not entirely wrong, either.’

The only excuse he could offer was that Kang Jin-ho and the Assembly’s principles weren’t against the national interest. They were trying to steer things in a direction that would benefit both the country and the Assembly.

But it was also true that if the interests of the country and the Assembly clashed, they would prioritize the Assembly.

“What about Lee Jong-wook?”

[He was firm.]

A slightly impressed voice came from the other end of the line.

[Honestly, it’s not easy to adapt to the Assembly. So, I thought he might be tempted, but I didn’t expect him to refuse so firmly. I’ll have to take some work off his plate.]

Kang Jin-ho let out a hollow laugh.

Taking some work off his plate might not mean much to others, but coming from Lee Hyun-soo, it was a big deal.

It seemed that Lee Hyun-soo had gained a considerable amount of trust in Lee Jong-wook because of this incident.

“A minor incident, then.”

[Yes, a minor incident.]

“Though, we don’t know about the future.”

[Of course.]

Kang Jin-ho slightly narrowed his brows.

Clearly, this incident could be passed off as a simple minor incident. But as this incident confirmed, the NIS would never stop being interested in the Assembly’s internal information.

Even if they got a severe beating this time, it was obvious that they would soon reach out again.

“So, it means we have to make a choice.”

[I think so too.]

Whether to completely block the NIS’s intervention or to work with them again to some extent.

It was an issue that couldn’t be ignored.

Completely blocking them wasn’t impossible. If they were prepared to be at odds with the NIS and cut off every hand that reached out, that would be the end of it.

If the price for obtaining information was too high, they would eventually have to give up.

But doing so would make them enemies of not only the NIS but also the government.

They weren’t exactly friends with them now, but it would be tantamount to declaring that they would never cooperate with the government again.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t have a good relationship with the current government, but as long as he lived on Korean soil, turning his back on the government was something he couldn’t ignore.

[Would you consider restoring relations?]

Kang Jin-ho let out a low groan.

Being at odds with the NIS or the government wasn’t a good idea. Rationally speaking, that is. But what was holding Kang Jin-ho back now wasn’t reason but emotion.

It was clear that they were the ones who attacked Kang Jin-ho and the Assembly first. So why should Kang Jin-ho consider a relationship with them?

When Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer, Lee Hyun-soo quickly continued.

[You can do whatever you want, Chairman.]

[Actually, that’s your specialty, isn’t it? Doing whatever you want without considering the situation.]

‘This little…!’

He felt a slight surge of anger, but it wasn’t wrong.

[There’s nothing to lose no matter which side you choose, so make your decision comfortably.]

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

It wasn’t because Lee Hyun-soo was making him feel comfortable. It was because what Lee Hyun-soo said was true. The decision had already been made in Kang Jin-ho’s mind.

“Restoring relations… It sounds good.”

[Yes. It sounds good, literally.]

“But if they wanted that, shouldn’t they have come to me first instead of trying to extract information by contacting Lee Jong-wook?”

[With a fruit basket, perhaps.]

“Exactly.”

The fruit basket might have been a joke, but the order was wrong. If the NIS had any intention of restoring relations with them, they should have come to Kang Jin-ho and bowed their heads instead of engaging in such machinations.

Then, they could have taken a legitimate approach to obtaining information instead of this way.

But the NIS’s actions were no different from the past. Whether it was because of the NIS’s nature or because the newly appointed NIS director was no different from the previous one, he couldn’t tell.

[Then, how should we respond?]

“Let them know.”

Kang Jin-ho said with a bit of indifference.

“What happens when they do things that don’t suit them.”

[Understood, Chairman. Then I’ll take care of that.]

“Do that.”

Kang Jin-ho lowered the car window a little.

The cold air rushing into the car through the window made him feel a little better.

[Then, I’ll report to you separately later.]

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone and leaned back slightly in his seat.

‘The government, huh…’

It was necessary to sort things out once more.

However, there was no need for Kang Jin-ho to step forward. Now, Kang Jin-ho had people he could trust and leave things to.

‘But that doesn’t mean things will get easier.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly and pressed down on the accelerator.

“Hey, calm down a bit.”

“…What am I doing?”

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor. Sit down!”

At Director Gu Jeong-beom’s irritated voice, Hwang Min-soo sat on the sofa with a sulky expression.

“Hey, does pacing around like that solve anything? You’ve been spinning in circles for 30 minutes. Keep it together, keep it together!”

“Does keeping it together feed me?”

Hwang Min-soo glared.

Gu Jeong-beom sighed deeply at the fierce look.

‘He wasn’t like this before…’

In the past, when Hwang Min-soo worked in finance, he had a certain strength.

He was always dark-faced due to the pressure from Hwang Jung-hoo, but he was still someone who didn’t hesitate when it came to leading a business.

But now…

‘He’s like a dog that needs to pee…’

Gu Jeong-beom sighed and continued.

“You used to close deals worth billions while sitting down, what’s with you?”

“The situation is different, the situation! I wasn’t responsible back then!”

“Act your age.”

“And why have you been shaking your leg since earlier, Gu Director?”

“Me? What are you talking about? My leg is as solid as steel.”

“More like a steel spring.”

Gu Jeong-beom glanced down at his leg. He couldn’t deny that his leg was shaking uncontrollably.

“I’m going to die.”

“Tell me about it.”

The two sighed at the same time.

“…I’ve never been this nervous while doing business.”

“You’re telling me.”

Noh Tae-gwang chuckled as he watched them.

“People who used to travel the world are now all cowards!”

Gu Jeong-beom frowned.

“Are you okay?”

“I said everyone’s a coward. I’m the same.”

Gu Jeong-beom was speechless at his confidence.

“How can we not be scared?”

Noh Tae-gwang chuckled.

“Our fate is on the line here. Honestly, even if those previous contracts worth two or three hundred billion went wrong, would we have lost our heads? We’d just get demoted.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“But this is different. If this goes wrong, the company could go under.”

To be precise, it wasn’t the company that would go under, but the department they were in. And the fate of most executives was tied to their department.

Regular employees would be transferred to other departments or put on new projects even if their department disappeared. Their evaluations might drop a little, but they wouldn’t lose their jobs.

But executives were different.

The reason executives were called executives was because they were responsible.

The people gathered here were those whom Hwang Min-soo had recruited, staking everything on this project. If the project failed, their positions would also be destroyed.

Executives couldn’t appeal to labor laws, so they would just become unemployed.

“…I’m shaking so much I’m going to die.”

Hwang Min-soo coughed loudly.

“We’ve prepared diligently, so there will be good results.”

“Don’t tremble when you speak.”

“…I really am going to die.”

Hwang Min-soo sighed deeply.

‘So this is what it feels like.’

Putting everything on the line for one business was a new experience for Hwang Min-soo. After experiencing that nervousness, Hwang Min-soo realized how amazing Hwang Jung-hoo was.

Hwang Jung-hoo had created finance from the ground up while going through this experience countless times.

So, it was no wonder that Hwang Min-soo seemed unreliable in Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes.

He was whining about not being able to handle the pressure even though he was working in a much more comfortable environment than he was.

And…

Bang.

The door opened, and as one person entered, everyone in the room stood up at once.

Hwang Min-soo looked at the person who entered with trembling eyes.

‘This person is the same.’

Perhaps even faster than Hwang Jung-hoo, he was someone who had risen from the bottom to this point. In terms of the pressure he had received, he was someone who far surpassed Hwang Jung-hoo.

Kang Jin-ho entered with a calm expression.

“Good morning, Chairman!”

Hwang Min-soo greeted him politely.

Was he respecting the younger chairman?

Of course, there was some of that.

But now, Hwang Min-soo genuinely acknowledged Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho had probably overcome hundreds or thousands of times the pressure that Hwang Min-soo was experiencing now to build the current MK.

And the directors seemed to feel the same way.

“Good morning, Chairman!”

“Good morning!”

Kang Jin-ho flinched at the enthusiastic greetings.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

Even stealing requires teamwork.