Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1022

“Are you out of your mind?”

South Korea is a nation that values etiquette.

In a society that emphasizes manners, respect for superiors and elders is crucial. Even if someone doesn’t have a shred of respect for their elders in their heart, they must outwardly show respect.

That’s how society works.

And Cho Gyu-min was a master of this social life.

After all, he started his career as a secretary and bodyguard for the rotten son of the chairman. He could confidently say he had reached the level of a divine being when it came to smiling through gritted teeth and showing respect he didn’t feel.

However, this situation instantly shattered the mask Cho Gyu-min had built over more than a decade of social life.

[Unbelievably, I’m in my right mind.]

“Doesn’t sound like it to me.”

[I’m telling you, I’m sane.]

“If you’re sane, how can you say such things? Huh?”

[If I wasn’t desperate, would I be doing this? Please, Gyu-min.]

“It’s difficult for me when you call me ‘hyung’ [older brother, a term of respect] during work discussions.”

[Yes, Director Cho. Please, I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t desperate.]

“No, Jae-kyung isn’t some kind of daycare center. You need to know what to ask for. Taking chicks, teaching them to be chickens, and then asking for them back. What is this? Our poultry farm doesn’t handle that.”

[It’s not like we’re asking you to use them for free. We’re paying, paying. We’ll provide appropriate compensation. Director Cho, isn’t this something we can consider if we negotiate?]

“Good grief.”

Cho Gyu-min let out a hollow laugh.

“No, does the Assembly have that much money? You’re not a charity, and you’ve been pouring money into Jae-kyung lately. At this rate, we’ll hit our highest quarterly earnings. We might as well open a sales department for the Grand Assembly.”

[It’s not because we have a lot of money, it’s because people are dying. People! I’m going to die! I am!]

Cho Gyu-min shook his head.

‘You need to make sense.’

Asking Jae-kyung to train the Assembly’s office workers as new recruits. Not even career training, but new recruit training. Does that even make sense?

If an outside company competing with Jae-kyung had said this, he would have advised them to get the person who came up with the idea mentally evaluated. The Assembly is at least a company that doesn’t directly clash with Jae-kyung, so it’s worth listening to.

“Is the situation that serious?”

[We need to go into incorporation now. It’s no joke. At this rate, I’ll end up using shadow clones.]

“Can you even do that?”

[Of course not, you idiot!]

“…I figured.”

Cho Gyu-min scratched his head.

It was an absurd request, but after listening to it, it wasn’t such a bad idea. After all, new recruit training is a regular thing, and it wouldn’t be a big deal to add a few more people while they’re at it.

“How many people are we talking about?”

[I’m thinking about three hundred for now.]

“I’ll ask again, are you out of your mind?”

[I’m not crazy, you bastard!]

Cho Gyu-min shook his head. A crazy person never says they’re crazy, so this has to be crazy. It’s not a proposal a sane person would make.

“Three hundred people is enough to require a new training team! And you’re not asking for harmony or corporate culture, but practical skills. What company in the world teaches practical skills to another company’s employees?”

[That’s why I said we’d pay, you idiot! Money!]

“Get rid of that rotten mindset that money can solve everything! Money isn’t everything in the world!”

[Really?]

“It’s almost everything. Almost.”

Not completely.

Cho Gyu-min, having roughly grasped the situation, asked cautiously. There was something he needed to confirm first.

“This isn’t Kang Jin-ho’s idea, is it?”

[No. You know he’s not interested in practical work.]

So, this is Lee Hyun-soo’s original idea.

A man who knows better is making such an absurd demand. Before he felt annoyed, he felt pity.

‘He must be desperate.’

Cho Gyu-min was well aware that Lee Hyun-soo was struggling in the Assembly. He was similar to Cho Gyu-min in that he had a strong work ethic and preferred to handle things himself.

The problem was that while Cho Gyu-min had a team to take over his work when he stepped down, Lee Hyun-soo had no replacement.

“Isn’t it better to just recruit people from outside? It’s not like you’re a company without money. If you offer good benefits and a good salary, there will be plenty of people willing to work. The unemployment rate is high, and youth unemployment is a social problem. Think about it.”

[If that were possible, would I be doing this? We can handle the external issues by hiring people. But there are things we can’t outsource. You know our unique situation.]

“…I do, but…”

It was certainly a headache.

They were the people who had to clean up the mess caused by people flying around in the sky. If they were managed poorly, it would be a disaster. In the end, they had no choice but to use people who knew and understood the nature of the Unmanned Realm.

[I know it’s an absurd story, but I’m that desperate. So…]

“I understand what you’re saying, but this isn’t something I can handle on my own. I have to take it to the chairman.”

[…That chairman.]

Lee Hyun-soo’s groan could be heard over the phone.

‘I can see why.’

Lee Hyun-soo, who had never known defeat in his work life, had been completely stripped bare by Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo. The amount of money Hwang Jung-hoo had squeezed out of the Assembly in exchange for a single plane ride was enormous.

Looking at the amount alone, it was at a level where he could be called a con artist without any room for excuses.

“If the chairman accepts, we can proceed immediately, but I don’t know what he’s thinking, so I don’t know how he’ll react. He’s very sensitive when it comes to business-related matters, so the chances of him refusing are much higher.”

[I guess so. But please ask him.]

“Yes. I’ll report it now and call you right back.”

Cho Gyu-min hung up the phone and sighed deeply.

‘The requests are getting weirder and weirder.’

It had been quite a while since Jae-kyung and the Assembly had established a tacit cooperative relationship, but in the past, the Assembly’s requests were still based on common sense. However, recently, the Assembly’s requests seemed to be drifting in an increasingly strange direction.

Cho Gyu-min got up from his seat and headed to the chairman’s office.

Cho Gyu-min was also curious about Hwang Jung-hoo’s reaction.

***

“Do it.”

Hwang Jung-hoo, who was trimming a bonsai tree, yawned lazily as he answered.

Cho Gyu-min looked at Hwang Jung-hoo with a slightly bewildered expression.

‘Is this something to decide so easily?’

“Ch, Chairman. This isn’t such a simple matter…”

“What’s so difficult about it?”

“…There’s also the issue of how to explain it to the employees who need to be trained.”

“Just say we’ve decided to form a cooperative relationship with a newly opened company and are teaching them as part of their training.”

“Huh?”

“It used to be common, this kind of thing. If you went to an overseas construction site, you had to teach the basics to people who didn’t even speak the same language. We did that, so what’s the big deal about teaching fellow Koreans?”

“B, but…”

“Why? Is there another problem?”

Cho Gyu-min scratched his head.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m in a position that straddles both sides, but my affection for Jae-kyung is no less than my affection for the Assembly.”

“You dare say you’re straddling both sides in front of me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s the truth.”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled.

“It’s actually my side that needs someone to connect both sides.”

Hwang Jung-hoo bowed his head once more and said with a smile.

“Keep going. What’s the problem?”

“I agree that there’s no problem if we receive appropriate compensation. But the real problem is that we’re becoming the Assembly’s solution. If we keep accepting requests like this, there will come a day when we have to draw a line. I’m worried that the relationship will become strained then…”

“Why draw a line?”

“Huh?”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue.

“What are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“What kind of guy are you, that’s what I mean.”

“I, I’m an employee of Jae-kyung…”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Cho Gyu-min closed his mouth. He couldn’t grasp the meaning of what Hwang Jung-hoo was saying.

“This is a company. A company is ultimately a place where people who sell things work. In other words, they’re merchants. Aren’t you a merchant?”

“…That’s right.”

“Why are you acting like a politician? It’s true that you need to look far ahead, but the purpose of looking far ahead isn’t to maintain the company, but to figure out how to make more money. What’s wrong with us being involved with those guys?”

“Ah…”

“They have a lot of money. They have nothing to do. They don’t even know where to spend their money. If those guys send people to us for training and build a system, they’ll rely on us even more in the future, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Looking at it, it seems like those guys are floundering, not knowing what to do. If we help them out a little now, they’ll end up relying on us more when it comes to doing business. That’s all money, that is. Besides, those guys don’t know the value of money, so they won’t try to cut costs. Where else can you find such easy marks?”

Every word he said was true. Hwang Jung-hoo grinned.

“They’re nouveau riche who don’t know where to spend their money, and they’re looking for a place to spend it. If we don’t take it, we’re fools. And you know, you idiot, training for money is something they can do anywhere, not just with us. Do you think there’s no other way if we refuse? That Lee Hyun-soo guy isn’t that stupid. He’s just pushing the work this way to make things easier for himself. Don’t do things that waste money to gain the upper hand in a relationship, I’m telling you. If you’re a merchant!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

His mind was clearing up.

“And if you’re a merchant, you shouldn’t just accept what the other party offers. You should also know how to offer better terms from your side.”

“Huh?”

A meaningful smile appeared on Hwang Jung-hoo’s face.

“I’ve been planning to do this for years, and these guys are setting the stage for me. Good, very good. Tell that Lee Hyun-soo guy that we’ll provide all the training courses for free as a way to strengthen the cooperation between the Assembly and Jae-kyung.”

Cho Gyu-min’s eyes widened.

That’s not what he said earlier. A moment ago, Hwang Jung-hoon said he had to squeeze money out of them, but why suddenly…

“But!”

Hwang Jung-hoo shouted in a booming voice.

“Industrial cooperation is an extremely important thing. So, the higher-ups need to know how things should work, I’m saying. So, our condition is simple. Kang Jin-ho, that guy! Tell him to participate in the training too!”

Ah, so that’s it.

The thing he’d been planning for years.

Come to think of it, the chairman had tried to teach Kang Jin-ho several times, but he had always failed. He only saw that guy’s pizza place succeed.

“If Kang Jin-ho participates, we’ll provide the highest quality training courses, and we’ll even provide after-sales service for those who are unskilled in their work! But!”

Hwang Jung-hoo said as if chewing his words.

“If that guy doesn’t participate, we won’t do it either! No exceptions!”

Cho Gyu-min nodded blankly.

Hwang Jung-hoo’s winning move, which he had been planning for years, was flying towards the Assembly like a sharp knife.