Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1137

“No!””What a disgrace this is!””I mean, there’s a rooftop right above! Why there!”Kang Jin-ho stepped on the accelerator without looking to the side.’Did I know that would happen?’His 퇴근 [toegeun – quitting work] was later than expected.It wasn’t because his workload had increased.“Did you see the firefighters’ faces? Huh? Did you see them!”Kang Jin-ho kept his mouth shut. He had nothing to say, even if he had ten mouths.“In the 21st century! Huh? It’s not like it’s the old days, but in the 21st century, you smoked indoors, the fire hydrant went off, and we had to watch the fire trucks come! I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even speak!”He absolutely couldn’t turn his gaze.Right now, Kang Jin-ho didn’t have the confidence to face Lee Hyun-soo.“It seems the sensors were sensitive because it’s a new building.”“New building or old building, indoor smoking is prohibited!”“……You smoked at the general assembly too.”“Is that the same as here!”Double standards.This was a real double standard.But since he had committed a sin,It was hard to argue back.“That damn cigarette. It’s not good for your health, so quit it. Isn’t this what happens when you smoke so much!”“……I’m fine.”“What about others? Isn’t secondhand smoke still smoking?”The body of a 무인 [muin – martial artist] is very convenient.The 심공 [simkong – inner energy cultivation] that 무인 [muin – martial artists] learn keeps the body in top condition. Toxins that enter the body are automatically expelled, and if they are injured, they heal themselves.Thanks to that, Kang Jin-ho didn’t suffer from the harmful effects of smoking, no matter how much he smoked.’Of course, it’s better to quit smoking.’Even a three-year-old knows that.But being nagged about smoking by Lee Hyun-soo, who wasn’t his girlfriend or family, made Kang Jin-ho feel miserable.“I’ll be careful.”“Smoking in the office is not allowed anymore. I can’t forget the look on that firefighter’s face. Those people are already busy, running around for useless things, and instead of helping, you’re causing trouble!”Every word was right.When the fire trucks arrived, Kang Jin-ho was also properly flustered. Once he understood the situation, he wanted to hide in a rat hole.“But usually, fire trucks come when someone reports it, right?”“When the fire hydrant goes off, it’s set up to contact them automatically. It’s common for the entire building to be empty at night. We haven’t even set up security properly yet.”“Ugh…”“The system will be changed, but anyway, it’s not allowed anymore.”“About that……”“Yes.”“Wouldn’t it be okay to remove the fire alarm in the chairman’s office……”“Ah, Chairman! Please!”Kang Jin-ho stepped on the accelerator without saying anything.It was a day where nothing seemed to go right.“You said we were going to eat something expensive……”“Where can you find a place that sells expensive food at this hour! They’re all closed!”Kang Jin-ho stared at the pot with a sullen face.Gamjatang [pork bone stew] was slowly boiling. But Kang Jin-ho’s face was boiling even faster.Lee Hyun-soo pouted and grumbled.“You said you’d buy us food, but you called the fire trucks. This is not a good way to treat people……”What was it that was going well?There was no way. Ah, life. Kang Jin-ho let out a hollow laugh as he watched the gamjatang bubbling away.In the morning, he had a serious conversation with his father, had an opening ceremony at noon, caused an accident in the evening, and now he was sitting face to face with Lee Hyun-soo at night.It was a truly eventful day.“Gamjatang, what is gamjatang! Department Head Lee went to a hotel and had a course meal, but we’re having gamjatang!”And Lee Hyun-soo was also very eventful.He fully understood the complaints, but still, Kang Jin-ho was the 회주 [hoejoo – Chairman] and the 회장 [hoejang – President], so how could he scold him like that?He felt somehow sad.“Do you not like gamjatang?”“Ah, well, I do like it. I used to eat it often.”Lee Hyun-soo pouted and moved a piece of spine to his plate. Watching that, Kang Jin-ho chuckled.Looking back, it was a strange thing.The first person he met when he returned to this world was Lee Hyun-soo. Before that, there were some troubles, but Lee Hyun-soo was the first person who tried to kill Kang Jin-ho.And in fact, Kang Jin-ho was in danger of dying because of Lee Hyun-soo.According to Kang Jin-ho’s way of doing things, Lee Hyun-soo should have died. But Lee Hyun-soo was alive and complaining in front of Kang Jin-ho. In a way that no one else could.Thinking about this strange relationship made him laugh.“You’ve worked hard.”“Hard work? Most of it was done by Department Head Lee.”“I know that Director Lee worked hard behind the scenes.”“Well, if you acknowledge it, I won’t be humble. In that sense, please raise my salary.”“……Is that not enough?”“Chairman.”Lee Hyun-soo said, glaring.“Money is never enough.”“Isn’t it a world where even billionaires with tens of trillions of won try to save a penny by cutting their employees’ salaries? There’s no such thing as enough money. It’s always lacking, and you always want to earn more. You’re rich, but you’re still trying to make more money, aren’t you?”“It’s not like I started this to make more money……”“But that’s the result.”Kang Jin-ho nodded.That was also true.The vast wealth created by Lee Jung-geol was completely incorporated into the General Assembly. Lee Hyun-joo pushed all of it into the General Assembly’s bank account, as if to erase all traces of her grandfather, without leaving a single penny.Thanks to that, the General Assembly’s cash holdings were enough to slap a chaebol [family-owned conglomerate] in the face.And with this incorporation, almost half of that wealth was transferred to MK’s assets.And the owner of that MK is Kang Jin-ho.Of course, to avoid various regulations and tax issues, the form was twisted, so the whole thing wasn’t counted as Kang Jin-ho’s property, but even so, it was true that a huge amount of money became Kang Jin-ho’s at once.The money that can be used directly is not much because it is in the form of stocks, but still, it is something.“I think I raised it once before?”“Chairman.”“Hmm?”“Will there be a good day when the General Assembly takes over East Asia, cleans up the Round Table, and pacifies the world?”“……I don’t know about a good day, but a safe day will come.”“A safe day…… That’s right. That’s true. But……”Lee Hyun-soo smiled bitterly.“What you think and what the people below think are a little different. From your perspective, that might be the ultimate goal, but for the people below, it’s just about earning a penny more today and being happier today.”“Don’t call it low. That’s natural. There’s nothing the people below can do even if they have a sense of crisis. It’s just unnecessary worry. It’s ridiculous to ask ordinary employees to worry about the future of the company. If you’re going to pass that on to the employees, why are the board members and executives getting paid so much? They’re paid to do that.”“That’s true.”“So, the people above should prepare for that, and the people below should be allowed to live each day to the fullest. And to live life to the fullest, people need money.”“……I’ll raise it.”“Thank you. But it’s not just my salary. It’s true that the members of the General Assembly are getting enough salary from an objective point of view, but the system is ambiguous. I’ll reorganize the salary issue this time.”Kang Jin-ho nodded.It was a bit concerning that labor costs would increase when starting a new business…….’Lee Hyun-soo would know better than me.’What could Kang Jin-ho say about money matters?Kang Jin-ho was like a child when it came to financial sense. In his first life, he was short on money, but there were no major problems with living itself.When he devoted himself to the Demonic Cult, there was no need to worry about money, and in this life, except for the beginning, there was no need to get involved in money matters.He had studied management hard, but even so, it was nothing compared to Lee Hyun-soo and Lee Hyun-joo, who had been in charge of the actual work. The two of them would discuss it well.“Leave it to Director Lee.”Lee Hyun-soo smiled and nodded.“Thank you. Ahjumma, please give us a bottle of soju!”Lee Hyun-soo ordered soju, thinking that the conversation they could have while sober was over.Kang Jin-ho smiled lightly as he received soju in his empty glass.“I think this is the first time I’m drinking with Director Lee.”“I don’t like alcohol very much.”“Does it not agree with you?”“Rather than that……”Lee Hyun-soo smiled bitterly.“I’ve made so many enemies. It’s an old story now, but when Lee Jung-geol and Kim Seok-il were fighting, there must have been over a hundred people chasing me to kill me. I was the most troublesome person for Lee Jung-geol.”“Hmm, that’s true.”“Because of that situation, I get scared if my consciousness gets a little blurry. What if an assassin comes now? Then I won’t be able to deal with it and die…… Thinking about it, it’s a useless worry. If an assassin gets close enough, I’m already as good as dead, and I wouldn’t be able to resist with my skills.” Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.“But people aren’t always that logical. After experiencing that a few times, it became difficult for me to get close to alcohol. So, I’m satisfied with having a can of beer at home.”Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Lee Hyun-soo.It was a strange feeling.Everyone was talking happily now, but Lee Hyun-soo had also lived a difficult life.He was reminded of that again.“Are you still anxious?”“No.”Lee Hyun-soo shook his head firmly.“I’m fine now. However, trauma is not something that can be easily overcome. It’s okay. I’m not good at drinking, but I’m satisfied enough that I can sleep with my legs stretched out at night.At least I don’t have to think that a Korean person is trying to kill me. In that sense……”Lee Hyun-soo bowed his head from his seat.“Thank you, Chairman.”“……Why are you like this?”“No. You should receive the thanks. This is a thank you from me as a representative. Not only me, but many people are grateful to you, Chairman.”Kang Jin-ho’s face hardened slightly. It was burdensome.“The members of the General Assembly are grateful to you in many ways. At first, they were grateful that you stepped up and opened the way for them to become stronger, and that they were not being ignored by foreigners, but recently it’s a little different.”Lee Hyun-soo smiled lightly.“Everyone has come to know what it’s like to live stably, and what it’s like not to be anxious that someone you meet on the street might be someone who’s trying to kill you. Thanks to you, Chairman, for ending the war, everyone is getting their lives back.”Kang Jin-ho sighed.“It feels like I’m being forced to take credit. It’s not like I intended it.”“Intentions don’t matter. What matters is the result.”Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a more serious face.