Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2028

Hwang Min-soo stared at the building in front of him, a knot of nervousness tightening in his stomach.

A tall, modern building.

It certainly had an imposing presence, but it wasn’t enough to make him, the scion of the Jaekyung Group, feel this way. What was making Hwang Min-soo uneasy wasn’t the building itself, but the person waiting inside.

“Hoo…”

Hwang Min-soo sighed softly and glanced around, as if searching for something.

Soon, he spotted a smoking booth on the side of the building and quickly made his way over. He stepped inside and pulled out a cigarette.

‘I need to calm my nerves first.’

He hadn’t expected to feel this anxious.

With a slightly trembling hand, Hwang Min-soo placed the cigarette between his lips, lit it, and inhaled deeply.

‘An interview at my age…’

It was a first for him, and he never imagined he’d be so flustered. He was confident in his qualifications and experience. If things hadn’t taken such a wrong turn, Hwang Min-soo would have been a highly sought-after candidate by numerous companies.

However, Hwang Min-soo realized today that the anxiety of an interview wasn’t something that could be overcome by a stellar resume. Ultimately, the level of nervousness depended on how desperate you were.

Hwang Min-soo, who had been steadily puffing away, looked at the burning cigarette with a hint of bitterness.

His feelings were a tangled mess.

It was a relief that a company was willing to hire him, but it felt absurd that he had to go through an interview to get a job at a company he had never even heard of.

‘That’s a conceited thought.’

He was no longer the son of Hwang Jung-hoo, who had been vying for the position of successor at Jaekyung. He was just an unemployed man who would struggle to find a decent job unless he went overseas.

If he didn’t drill this reality into his head, he would undoubtedly make a mistake during the interview.

“I need to pull myself together.”

Hwang Min-soo stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and checked his watch. There were still about 20 minutes until the interview. But now he needed to start heading to the interview room.

It was best to arrive at least 10 minutes early. Punctuality was a basic social courtesy.

Hwang Min-soo took a couple of deep breaths and walked towards the building entrance with a determined expression. It was time to set aside his apprehension, at least for the moment.

However, Hwang Min-soo’s resolve began to crumble as soon as he stepped inside the building.

“Hey! No loitering allowed here!”

A large security guard approached Hwang Min-soo, his face contorted in a frown.

“L-Loitering?”

“Mister, you can’t just wander in here. Get out, get out.”

“No, that’s not it…”

“I said there’s no need for long talk!”

“No, I’m not loitering! I’m here for an interview!”

“…Interview?”

The security guard eyed Hwang Min-soo with suspicion. He looked to be over 40, so what kind of interview was he talking about?

“Ha, they’re getting sophisticated these days. Mister, this company isn’t hiring new employees. Don’t try to pull a fast one and get out.”

“No, I…”

“Shoo! Shoo! Ah, why can’t this old man understand? Before you get into trouble…”

“Hyung [older brother/term of endearment for a male]”

The security guard turned his head back.

“What?”

“I checked, and it says there’s a visitor today?”

“What? A visitor? Who’s visiting?”

“The chairman’s office.”

The security guard’s head slowly turned back, his slightly widened eyes now filled with anxiety.

“Could you tell me your name?”

“…Hwang Min-soo.”

His head turned back again.

“That’s right, Mr. Hwang Min-soo.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, that’s right. Today’s visit. 2 o’clock. Chairman’s office.”

The security guard quietly removed his hat and then, with a bright smile, he spoke.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. It seems there was a small misunderstanding. I sincerely welcome your visit.”

“…It didn’t sound like you were welcoming me.”

“I’m really sorry. There haven’t been any visitors lately…”

“It’s okay.”

Hwang Min-soo nodded, his face still a bit sullen. He wasn’t really comfortable, but looking at the security guard’s bulging arms, which looked like they could burst at any moment, made him feel generous.

Sure, people make mistakes. Hwang Min-soo had ruined his life with one big mistake. Compared to the mistake he made, this mistake was nothing.

“Please come this way.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll find my way.”

“Ah, but still…”

“It’s really okay.”

Only then did the security guard answer with an awkward expression.

“Okay. Then go to the top floor.”

Hwang Min-soo smiled awkwardly and headed for the elevator.

‘What kind of security guard is that?’

If a thief came, he wouldn’t report it to the police; he would beat the thief to a pulp. If nothing else, the security guard was the most intimidating he had ever seen at a company.

He had a bit of a frivolousness that didn’t suit a security guard, but that could be overlooked given his thick arms. Just having him stand in the lobby on the first floor would solve most problems.

‘No, that’s not it, is it?’

Hwang Min-soo looked around and tilted his head.

‘Did I come to the wrong building?’

Come to think of it, everyone passing by was quite burly. To be precise, rather than being big, they were all very fit. If it weren’t for the clothes they were wearing, he would have suspected that he had come to the Taereung Training Center [National training center for athletes] instead of MK.

‘Goodness.’

Hwang Min-soo shook his head and pressed the elevator button.

Hwang Min-soo, who had arrived at the top floor, peeked out and looked around. Unlike the bustling first floor, there was no one to be seen on the top floor.

That was to be expected.

Usually, the top floor of a group headquarters was a place where only the chairman, his secretaries, and a few directors could enter.

Originally, Hwang Min-soo, who was just an interviewee, was not allowed to enter such a place.

In the past, Hwang Min-soo was one of the people who had access to the top floor of Jaekyung, but that was a long time ago.

‘So this is how it feels.’

When he used to use the president’s office, everyone who came in to report had a nervous look on their faces. At the time, he thought it was because of the pressure of facing him, but now that the tables had turned, he could see that it wasn’t just that.

In a building full of people moving busily, this quiet space subtly put pressure on people. The sound of his footsteps echoing in the hallway with each step was especially burdensome.

But fortunately, Hwang Min-soo had someone to relieve that burden.

“Hello?”

“Ah…”

A man came out to greet Hwang Min-soo at the end of the hallway. Hwang Min-soo bowed his head, looking at the unfamiliar face.

The man, with a friendly smile, extended a hand towards Hwang Min-soo.

“Welcome, President Hwang Min-soo. I am Lee Hyun-soo, the head of MK’s planning department.”

“Ah… Nice to meet you. However, please don’t call me president anymore.”

“But still…”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded at Hwang Min-soo’s firm voice.

“Yes. I will do that. Then, is it okay if I call you Hwang Min-soo-ssi [a polite title]?”

“Yes. That’s fine.”

“I can’t think of a suitable title. Please understand.”

“That’s enough.”

Hwang Min-soo smiled lightly.

But unlike his expression, he was inwardly nervous.

‘He’s not an ordinary person.’

They had only exchanged a few words, but his instincts were warning him. The man in front of him was definitely not someone to be taken lightly.

He was younger than him, and he didn’t seem to have any experience in this field. If he had made a name for himself in the past few years, Hwang Min-soo would have known.

‘The more I see it, the more amazing this place is.’

From the security guard to the person who came to greet him, they were all extraordinary. If the security guard stimulated his physical side, this man was stimulating his mental side.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Jo Gyu-min.”

“Ah…”

“Isn’t that why you came here?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Hwang Min-soo made an awkward expression.

In fact, the only thing he had heard was that someone wanted to hire him, so he should go for an interview. The reason why Hwang Min-soo moved so quickly with just those few words was because Jo Gyu-min was Hwang Jung-hoo’s secretary.

A secretary was like the hands and feet of the person they served.

If Hwang Jung-hoo hadn’t intended it, Jo Gyu-min wouldn’t have dared to convey such an intention to Hwang Min-soo. In other words, the fact that he was told to go there was Hwang Jung-hoo’s intention.

Who wouldn’t listen to what he said?

Lee Hyun-soo, who had roughly grasped the situation from Hwang Min-soo’s answer, smiled gently.

“It seems you came without hearing the details.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not something to be sorry about. Jo Gyu-min didn’t do his job properly, so why are you apologizing, Mr. Hwang Min-soo?”

‘Jo Gyu-min?’

Hwang Min-soo glanced at Lee Hyun-soo.

It was funny for him to say this, but Jo Gyu-min’s status within the Jaekyung Group was by no means low. Compared to Jo Gyu-min, most directors were just in a side position.

In Jaekyung, where Hwang Jung-hoo held absolute power, the position of chief secretary was similar to that of the chief secretaries under past dictatorships.

It meant that the actual power they held was far superior to the power they nominally held. He must know the situation since he knew that he came through Jo Gyu-min’s introduction, so why was he so casually mentioning his name?

The more he thought about it, the more bizarre it was.

“Please come this way. The chairman is waiting for you.”

“Ah, not the HR department, but directly with the chairman?”

“Of course. The HR department would just be your subordinates if you joined the company, Mr. Hwang Min-soo, so they can’t interview you, can they? And…”

Lee Hyun-soo said with an awkward smile.

“It might be a bit embarrassing to say, but the company hasn’t been around for long, so we don’t have an HR department.”

“…What?”

“That’s how it is.”

“A company this big doesn’t have an HR department? Then where did all the employees come from?”

“There are some circumstances. I’ll explain the details later.”

He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but it wasn’t easy to pry into things when he was here for an interview. Hwang Min-soo suppressed the questions that were coming out and silently followed Lee Hyun-soo.

At the end of the hallway, a door was visible behind the stairs.

“It’s over there.”

“That’s the chairman’s office?”

“Yes.”

“No, why is there a staircase in front of the chairman’s office… Isn’t the design wrong?”

“There are some reasons for that too…”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled bitterly.

Originally, the chairman’s office was not here, but the largest room on the outside, but Kang Jin-ho said that a room that was too big was burdensome, so he turned it into a secretary’s office and used a small room himself.

So the designer had no choice but to feel wronged.

“Let’s go in for now.”

“Ah, yes.”

Hwang Min-soo nodded and followed Lee Hyun-soo.

“Chairman, this is Lee Hyun-soo. I’ve brought Mr. Hwang Min-soo.”

“Come in.”

At the immediate reply, Lee Hyun-soo quietly opened the door.

‘His voice is young.’

That the owner of this big building was a young person.

With a bit of doubt and a bit of anticipation, Hwang Min-soo stepped through the open door. Then, he saw the person inside and his eyes widened.

“Uh… you?”