Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2121

“Why?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply, looking at Lee Hyun-soo, who was staring back at him shamelessly.

‘Do people in the world know?’

That Kang Jin-ho, who shook the world and is still a figure of fear in some ways, is treated like this.

What good is it to be respected and feared outside when he can’t even control one of his immediate subordinates?

“At least say something…”

“Ah, it’s not like I could have told you. You know, timing and atmosphere are important for these things.”

“I know…”

“Do you think I would ever do anything that would harm you, Assembly Head? Everything I do is for you and the Assembly.”

“To be honest, what have I gained from working my butt off for the Assembly? Besides that measly salary, have you ever given me anything else?”

“It’s not measly…”

“Oh my, if I worked somewhere else, I’d be making billions a year. Do you think I couldn’t?”

“You probably could…”

“And yet, I’m working for peanuts, not taking a single penny for myself, working like an ant! And I’ve never complained once, but you’re acting like this just because I handled one thing beforehand. I’m very disappointed, Assembly Head.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Please be more careful next time. I’m just letting it slide because I respect and admire you so much, Assembly Head. If this were another company, I would have quit right away.”

“…Okay, I’m sorry.”

“That’s all I need to know. People make mistakes.”

Kang Jin-ho squeezed his eyes shut.

He could somehow endure the weight the world placed on him, but it wasn’t easy to tolerate this guy’s constant needling.

“And well… as you know, it’s not a bad thing, is it?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“It’s not like you’re someone who doesn’t take risks in the first place.”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“And in my opinion, not having any insurance is more dangerous. Don’t you think so?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t bother to deny this.

In fact, it’s better to have insurance in any situation. If you’re pushed to the very last resort, it’s much better to have even one more card to play.

“However…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t intend to use it actively. Remember that clearly.”

“Oh, Assembly Head. What do you think of me?”

“A crazy bastard?”

“…Thank you for the candid assessment.” Lee Hyun-soo shook his head and continued.

“Do you think I’m going to use them to conquer the world or something? I’m sick of that kind of thing now. You might secretly enjoy it when a war breaks out, but I’m not a barbarian like that… Hey, don’t clench your fist.”

“I’m just an ordinary citizen. I’m useless when a war breaks out. I’m most useful when people are scheming and plotting against each other.”

“It’s not that you’re useful, it’s that you find it fun.”

“I won’t deny that either.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head as if he was disgusted.

“I’m not young anymore, you know? I can’t be swept up in a battlefield where monsters are trying to kill each other.”

“I guess not.”

“And…”

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue.

“If the situation you’re thinking about happens, it’s not just the martial artists who will be running wild. Bullets will be flying from the other side too. As you know, I’m more afraid of a stray bullet than a master swordsman’s blade. In a battlefield where people are shooting at each other, someone like me wouldn’t last five minutes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if it made sense.

Everything in the world is relative. That small bullet, which is no threat to Kang Jin-ho, could be more frightening to Lee Hyun-soo than Kang Jin-ho’s anger.

“This isn’t about starting a war. It’s about preventing one. Isn’t that what you want, Assembly Head?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should be praising me, not scolding me.”

“I don’t think the method is wrong.”

“Really?”

“I just think humans are wrong.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“Anyway, it’s not what you’re thinking, so don’t worry. It’s just insurance. Literally, insurance.”

“As you know, you can know the depth of ten fathoms of water, but not the depth of a human heart [a Korean proverb meaning it’s hard to know what someone is truly thinking]. Everything is going well now, but someday they might think we’re no longer useful. Of course, I know that the direction you’re taking is also a way to solve that problem…”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a slightly serious face.

“It’s not safe to have only one strategy.”

“So, just forget about this. It’s a card that’s good if we don’t have to use it.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.

“Okay.”

“…You’re accepting this more easily than I thought.”

“It’s better to have multiple people thinking than just one. And…”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

“The fact that things have come this far is partly because I was being stubborn.”

“I see… I see, Assembly Head.” Lee Hyun-soo’s face was full of emotion, as if he was saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m seeing the day you understand something like this. I’m so moved I’m about to faint.’

Kang Jin-ho, annoyed for no reason, turned his head away.

“What about the others?”

“Almost everything is ready. Now… yes, it’s done now.”

“Already?”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“There’s nothing new to do. On the surface, it looks like we’re creating a new organization and doing something new, but in reality, it’s just the same people changing their names.”

“The knights in Europe will be in charge of their own countries. And China already had a governing plan in place when the Hongwang Group kids took over. We’re the ones who are the least prepared. But well, Director Bang is working hard on that right now.”

“It’s just about bringing things that were hidden in the shadows into the open. Find a suitable building, move in, create suitable titles, and pretend to be important.”

“That’s the hardest part.”

“Yes, it is.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded in agreement.

“But that’s a matter of the mind, not a real difficulty. Besides, we’ve already secured cooperation from each country, so it’s easier. It might be difficult to set up branches in countries that aren’t influenced by the Round Table or the Hongwang Group, but we can do that slowly.”

“It took a long time for something like that.”

“Because of the leash.”

“Leash?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with serious eyes.

“As I said, people can’t be trusted. They’re holding their breath now because they’re afraid of you, but who knows how they’ll react once it’s clear that you’ve decided to take the path of peace.”

“You can’t just go around killing people anymore, so they might use that as an excuse to rebel. It took some time to prepare some safety measures for that.”

“What safety measures?”

“…Do you want to know?”

Kang Jin-ho, seeing Lee Hyun-soo’s eerie face, shook his head without hesitation.

“No… it’s better not to know.”

“Oh, it would be fun if you heard it.”

“…I don’t want to.”

It’s better for my mental health not to hear this. I’m sure of it.

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue in disappointment and continued.

“Anyway, it took some time to set up a few things, but it’s all done now. We can declare it and start tomorrow. All that’s left is…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

“For you to give the signal.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“I’m waiting. Just give the signal, and I’ll handle the operation perfectly.”

Lee Hyun-soo had a confident look on his face.

Looking at that face, Kang Jin-ho let out a hollow laugh.

“But…”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you resentful?”

“About what?”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Lee Hyun-soo before opening his mouth.

“Even if I set the direction, you’re the one doing the actual work. But you’re not going to get much out of it.”

“Are you going to raise my salary?”

“…I’ll raise it.”

“Wow, our Assembly Head has become a real adult. This younger brother is happy.”

“…You want to get hit.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

“You don’t seem to know, but in Korea, Zhuge Liang [a famous strategist from the Three Kingdoms period] is more popular than Liu Bei [the ruler Zhuge Liang served].”

“…Is that so?”

“What’s the problem with doing the actual work? Being able to do that work is an opportunity for me. If I wasn’t under you, Assembly Head, would I have ever been able to do something like this? I’d probably still be dealing drugs in Yeongnam [a region in Korea].”

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No. I just realized you were even worse than I thought.”

“Is that something you should be saying?”

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.

“Anyway, thanks to you, Assembly Head, I’m doing something that doesn’t suit me, so why would I be dissatisfied? I’m grateful.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“Instead, I’ll take the credit in the future. Later, you’ll see that the history hipsters will be saying that Kang Jin-ho didn’t do anything and that Lee Hyun-soo created the whole system. Don’t be resentful then.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Okay. Take all the credit.”

“Oh my, acting so cool.”

“But no salary increase.”

“What?”

“If you’re going to leave a good impression, you should also leave the impression that you endured with passion despite being underpaid. I’m saying this for your own good.”

“That’s different, Assembly Head! Assembly Head? Hey, you! Where are you going, Assembly Head!”

Leaving Lee Hyun-soo, who was shouting with a mix of curses, Kang Jin-ho left the Assembly Head’s office.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and stretched his shoulders.

‘Something that doesn’t suit me… It’s not Lee Hyun-soo who’s doing something that doesn’t suit him, it’s me.’

But Kang Jin-ho can do it. Just as Lee Hyun-soo says he can do this because of Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho can walk this path because of Lee Hyun-soo and everyone else.

If he’s not enough alone, he can do it together.

It took him a long time to realize that simple truth.

Kang Jin-ho looked at the old Assembly building corridor with fresh eyes.

That path overlaps with the corridor of the Demonic Cult he once walked, the corridor of the school he attended, and the path he must now walk.

A path is something that connects.

And something that continues.

“No, wait a minute! Where are you going alone!”

Kang Jin-ho burst out laughing as he heard Lee Hyun-soo’s voice chasing after him.

And this path…

He will now walk it with others.