Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 107

“Communication security, this is Private Kang Jin-ho.”

– “Oh, Jin-ho. Are you having a good leave?”

“Yes, sir.”

– “You haven’t caused any trouble, have you? You haven’t been driving, have you?”

“No, sir. I haven’t.”

– “Driving is fine, just don’t crash.”

“I won’t, sir.”

– “Okay. Is Se-ah doing well?”

– “Next time, let’s go on leave together and have a meal with Se-ah.”

“Sure.”

– “Hey! Jin-ho! You rascal!”

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone and shook his head.

Sergeant Jo Won-gu was a good person, but his pranks were too much.

Ding-dong!

At the sound of the bell, Kang Jin-ho went to the front door and opened it.

“Good morning, Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

“You’re here early.”

“That’s what I do. Shall we go in?”

“No. I’ll go out.”

Kang Jin-ho put on his shoes and went outside.

“I don’t know if there’s a suitable place nearby.”

“If we go a little further, there’s a cafe my father runs, so let’s go there. He just went to work, so it should be fine.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Kang Jin-ho walked to the cafe with Jo Gyu-min.

After walking a bit and entering the cafe, his father greeted them happily.

“Jin-ho, you’re here? Oh, Gyu-min, it’s been a while.”

“Have you been well?”

“I’m fine, except for my son being in the military.”

As Jo Gyu-min smiled, Kang Jin-ho spoke.

“We have something to discuss. Is there a quiet place?”

“…As you can see, it’s all quiet.”

Looking around the empty cafe, Kang Jin-ho was reminded of the investment money put into this place.

“Is it okay?”

“Well, it gets crowded during lunchtime. It’s just because we just opened.”

“It’s too quiet for that…”

“No, really.”

Seeing his father’s voice tremble slightly as he made excuses, it seemed right to assume that the investment money in this cafe was already gone.

“What are you doing not grinding the beans!”

A sharp voice was heard, and when he turned his head, his mother was coming out of the kitchen with a fierce look.

“Oh my! Jin-ho, you’re here?”

“Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min thought how could the same person make such different voices.

“There’s a room inside that we made for meetings, so go in there.”

“Yes.”

“Is it coffee for breakfast?”

“Give me an Americano.”

“Gyu-min, what about you?”

“I’ll have the same.”

“I’ll show you a great taste.”

They laughed off his father’s bluff and went into the meeting room, sitting across from each other.

“First of all, regarding what you mentioned, we have made preparations. We have secured a VIP room at Gangnam Jae-kyung Hospital.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“However…”

As Jo Gyu-min left some room for doubt, Kang Jin-ho looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Since she is a nun, there will be a problem without her permission. The current hospital is a Catholic one, designated by the diocese.”

“Hmm…”

“It seems there was some friction with the diocese over the issue of the Holy Heart Orphanage.”

That was understandable.

Serving children as a nun is commendable, but the diocese could not allow all aspects of her life to be centered around the orphanage.

Especially if it was an orphanage not affiliated with the diocese.

“So, her own will is important. Persuading the director is not something I can do.”

“Yes.”

From the beginning, Kang Jin-ho thought that he should take care of that matter himself.

“However, we can help with the hospital. But it seems difficult to help with the orphanage.”

“It seems you misunderstand.”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice gained strength.

“I have never asked Jae-kyung to move in a direction that would help the orphanage. The same goes for the hospital. I asked if there was a good hospital, not to have Jae-kyung take charge of the patient’s treatment.”

“…”

“I will cover all the costs. I apologize for making you do this because of personal connections and relationships. But I would like to say that I had no choice because I am so ignorant in these matters.”

“Please don’t say that. Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo instructed me to support Mr. Kang Jin-ho. How could I fail to do even that?”

Kang Jin-ho thought that it was wrong for a company employee to support him under the chairman’s orders, but he didn’t mention it.

He knew why Hwang Jung-hoo was obsessed with him.

And now, Kang Jin-ho also needed Jae-kyung’s support. Not in terms of financial power, but in terms of information, there was no place that could provide more help than Jae-kyung.

“In that sense, I would like to ask for one more thing.”

“Yes?”

Jo Gyu-min tilted his head.

“Then.”

“Be careful.”

Jo Gyu-min politely greeted Kang Ji-hwan and left the cafe.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re on leave, but you’re so busy.”

“I guess so.”

“Sit down. You probably haven’t had your coffee properly, so your father will make you a proper cup.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly.

His father had been cheerful when he was a taxi driver, but now that he was running a cafe, he had become so much brighter.

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho sat by the window.

Soon, his father came with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Smell it first.”

When he put the cup to his nose, a rich coffee aroma rose. It was as strong as any professional cafe.

“Is it good?”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Regardless of whether it was good or bad, he couldn’t help but think about how much his father, who had been a novice in coffee, had struggled to make this coffee.

“Shouldn’t you say that after tasting it?”

At his father’s urging, Kang Jin-ho took a sip of the coffee. The coffee aroma lingered in his mouth.

“…It’s bitter.”

“Tsk.”

His father scolded Kang Jin-ho with the eyes of someone looking at a primitive man who didn’t know the taste of coffee, and Kang Jin-ho turned his head slightly.

In fact, his tongue was not very sensitive. For him, who couldn’t find any difference between coffee from a professional cafe and a franchise, it was impossible to give the kind of appreciation his father wanted.

“Is it delicious?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s enough, you rascal!”

“No. It’s really delicious.”

To be precise, it was bitter, but he could definitely tell that the coffee aroma in his mouth was rich and strong.

‘Is this what they call flavor?’

It was clear that the coffee his father made was high-quality.

“Do you know how much I struggled to make this?”

“I guess you’ve worked hard.”

“Yeah. I’ve put in a lot of effort, learning everything from the beans to the blending. Your mother keeps nagging me about wasting money.”

He felt sorry for his father, who was glancing at the kitchen while saying that.

“I’ve also spent a lot of money. I’m sorry for using the money you earned like that.”

“It’s okay.”

“But still, Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“To get results, you have to invest and put in effort.”

His father said with a serious face.

“Nothing comes to those who sit still. When I decided to open this cafe, I just got coffee from other places, but when I actually ran the cafe, I realized that it wouldn’t work that way. How can a business do well if the person selling coffee doesn’t know about coffee?”

“You’re right.”

“You have to study, invest, and put in the effort as if you’re going to learn everything about coffee. Life is the same. If there’s something you find difficult, invest in it and put in the effort. That’s how you’ll find a way.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

His father was definitely right.

‘Did I avoid it…?’

It wasn’t that he was trying to avoid it. He thought that there were many people who knew more about it, so he thought he could rely on them. But now he knew for sure.

If Kang Jin-ho didn’t try to find out for himself, he would only get superficial information. If he wanted something, he shouldn’t wait for someone else to spoon-feed him, but Kang Jin-ho had to move on his own.

“Thank you.”

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat and bowed to his father.

“Huh?”

His father, not knowing what was going on, found Kang Jin-ho’s actions abrupt. He had just told him what he had learned and hoped it would be a little helpful in his future life, but Kang Jin-ho’s reaction was too immediate.

“No, what I mean is…”

“It was a great help.”

“Huh?”

“Then, I have somewhere to go, so I’ll head out.”

“O-okay.”

Kang Ji-hwan smacked his lips as he watched Kang Jin-ho rush out.

“I feel like I’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest…”

As Kang Ji-hwan was confused by an unknown unease, a voice that cleared up his confusion was heard.

“Aren’t you going to clean the floor?”

“Y-yes! Honey!”

Kang Ji-hwan hurriedly took the empty coffee cup and ran to the kitchen.

Whoosh!

Kang Jin-ho was so focused on driving Goldie that he didn’t even hear the sound of the wind rushing past his ears.

His destination was the Holy Heart Orphanage.

Now naturally reversing the car, Kang Jin-ho arrived at the Holy Heart Orphanage, parked Goldie, and went inside.

“Oppa.”

Hugging the children who were waddling towards him, Kang Jin-ho moved forward. While walking, the children clung to his legs, but Kang Jin-ho carefully moved forward, making sure not to put any pressure on the children, and called out to Park Yu-min.

“Where are you?”

“Huh?”

Park Yu-min, who was peeling onions in the kitchen, came out with tears in his eyes and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Without even contacting me.”

“What contact?”

Since when did he have to contact him every time he came to the orphanage? Kang Jin-ho put the children down on the floor and opened his mouth.

“Prepare to return.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll resolve it soon, so call the team in advance. Tell them when you’ll be back.”

“What are you talking about?”

“By tomorrow, the childcare teachers that Jo Gyu-min found will be here. I’ve set up three shifts for now, so you can adjust the schedule again.”

“No, Jin-ho. If you do things unilaterally like that…”

“I’m busy. Just know that.”

Kang Jin-ho left those words and waddled back to the entrance, then peeled off the clinging children and went outside.

Park Yu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho and gave his honest opinion.

“…You could have just said that over the phone, Jin-ho.”

His friend was still hopeless.

Kang Jin-ho, who came outside, grabbed Goldie and turned the steering wheel towards the hospital.

‘Hesitating doesn’t suit me.’

It was even more ridiculous that the great Heavenly Demon Lord was worrying about something so trivial. The way to resolve the situation was simple. But until now, Kang Jin-ho had not tried to get deeply involved.

His father was right.

To resolve the situation, you can’t just give advice from the sidelines. You have to take action and move on your own.

Whoosh.

A faint smile appeared on Kang Jin-ho’s lips as he headed to the hospital.