Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1231

“Coffee?””No. I’m fine. I need to head up, I’m a bit busy today…””Coffee?””No, I’m okay…””Coffee?””Warm, please.”Kang Jin-ho smiled and got up from his seat.”I’ll go.””It’s alright.”Kang Jin-ho extended a finger and gently pressed down on Lee Hyun-soo. Of course, even if it was just one finger, there was no way Lee Hyun-soo could resist.Kang Jin-ho hummed a tune as he went to the counter to order coffee. Soon, he returned with a warm Americano and placed it in front of Lee Hyun-soo.”The boss makes good coffee now.””Oh, is that so?”Kang Jin-ho, who would eat anything as long as it was edible, was only picky about coffee. If Kang Jin-ho said it was good, the coffee must be delicious.Of course, Lee Hyun-soo wasn’t picky about such things.Lee Hyun-soo took the coffee and went to the counter to add syrup.Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.Each time the syrup was squeezed, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes subtly flickered.After pumping five times in a row, Lee Hyun-soo returned to his seat with a refreshed look.”…Sugar water.””This is my preference…””The taste of coffee…””I can taste it all. People who claim to know coffee tend to be strangely intolerant of others’ preferences. Whether you add sugar or chili powder, as long as it tastes good, it’s fine.””Hmm, I guess so.”Kang Jin-ho reluctantly nodded.Well, if he’s the one drinking it, who is anyone else to say anything?”Is it good?””Half is the taste, and half is the calories. If I don’t get a sugar boost in the morning, my brain seems to function about 20% worse. Usually, I eat glucose candy or some liquid for a quick sugar rush, but since there’s coffee today, I’ll go for a more luxurious charge.”Kang Jin-ho shook his head.He was a person who even optimized his diet to maximize efficiency in his work. In some ways, his lifestyle even transcended Kang Jin-ho’s obsession with learning.”Elder Jang Min contacted me last night. About the report…””Let’s talk about work later.””…Okay.”Lee Hyun-soo silently took a sip of his coffee.If they didn’t talk about work, he didn’t know what else to say. He and Kang Jin-ho had always talked about such things.Kang Jin-ho looked at the people coming to work. As their conversation ended, the people passing by bowed their heads to Kang Jin-ho.”Good morning, Assembly Leader! Director!””Good morning!””You’re here early. Have a good day today.””Assembly Leader, our supplies are still not restocked!”The last one was a bit odd, but generally, everyone made sure to greet them.”They could just go on their way.”Lee Hyun-soo chuckled at Kang Jin-ho’s words.”Greetings aren’t just about asking how someone is doing. It’s a process of confirming relationships. Greetings to someone you don’t like will inevitably be perfunctory, and emotions will show. Everyone here likes you, Assembly Leader.”Kang Jin-ho looked slightly awkward.”What have I done?””Life is give and take, but sometimes it’s not. You can instinctively feel whether someone is trying to use you or trying to help you.””Really?””Yes. Isn’t it a sign that what you’ve done so far hasn’t been wrong?”Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a strange expression.”I think it’s the same for you, though?””Huh?”Just then.”Good morning, Director! I’ll send the report right away.””Oh… Okay.””The payment that was approved yesterday hasn’t been processed.””Huh? I did it all? I’ll check it as soon as I go up.””Good morning!”Lee Hyun-soo also looked slightly bewildered at the flood of greetings.Come to think of it, Lee Hyun-soo had never sat in the lobby during the morning rush hour. He was always too busy working in his office.So, this was awkward.The fact that someone’s goodwill was being directed at him.It was only after receiving greetings for a while and the crowd thinned out that he could relax.Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with an amused expression.”How is it?””…You shouldn’t just say things carelessly. It’s very embarrassing.””Isn’t it that people understand what Director Lee has been doing?””Please don’t! Ugh, my hands and feet!”Lee Hyun-soo was disgusted.Kang Jin-ho chuckled at the sight.Lee Hyun-soo looked at the slightly chilly morning air, the scent of coffee, and Kang Jin-ho with a new feeling.’This is what it means to have leisure.’It’s not that he wasn’t busy.But leisure wasn’t just about having physical time. A person with a troubled heart cannot have leisure, no matter how much time they have.Like Lee Hyun-soo in the past.Feeling a bit drowsy, Lee Hyun-soo quickly gulped down his coffee.’Not yet.’Having leisure is a good thing, but it was still too early for Lee Hyun-soo. He had a lot of work to do.”It’s strange.””Hmm?”Lee Hyun-soo smiled wryly.”It’s not like anything has improved. Work is still busy, threatening enemies are still out to get us, and the Assembly is developing, but there are still a lot of problems.””But the fact that I feel like I’ve accomplished something, I wonder if I’ve become more lenient than before, or…””It’s time to rest.””No, not yet…”Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo quietly and opened his mouth.”Do you know how to make a horse travel the farthest?””Huh?”Kang Jin-ho didn’t wait for Lee Hyun-soo’s answer and spoke immediately.”You let the horse rest at night. Feeding it good grass.””Cars aren’t that different. Everything in the world is probably the same. If you rush and yell to increase the speed, you’ll go faster right now. But if it’s not moderate, it will eventually fall apart.””I guess so.””Don’t you think it’s time to rest?”Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t answer. Is that so?Come to think of it, he had been working non-stop. He didn’t have a proper day off in Yeongnam, and he hadn’t had a day off since coming to the Assembly.It wouldn’t be strange if he was burned out.”Go.””Yes? Where to?””Vacation.”Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened.”What kind of vacation? If I’m gone, the Assembly won’t function.””My father used to say that the biggest misconception people who work have is that the company will collapse if they’re gone.””But in reality, it doesn’t collapse. It somehow keeps going.””Ah, no, but still…””Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a puzzled expression.So, he was officially giving him a vacation now? Even at a time like this?”No, I’ll go if you tell me to, but not now. When it’s this busy…””When will it not be busy?””Uh…”Was there ever such a time?Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a new expression. Come to think of it, the idea that there would be leisure after this moment was just wishful thinking.They didn’t know how the Hongwang Sect would move, and they didn’t know how the situation in Japan would change. So when would be a good time to rest?”Go.””Why are you doing this, Assembly Leader?”Kang Jin-ho shrugged.”No particular reason. I just thought you needed to recharge since we’ve overcome a big hurdle.””I can’t go alone…””Send everyone.””Yes?””Send everyone on vacation for about a week.””Ah, no, Assembly Leader.””It’s not like anything bad will happen if you rest for a week. Everyone has worked hard, so they should rest this time.”It didn’t sound like Kang Jin-ho, who had told them to train as if their lives depended on it.”But when you come back, you’ll have to work even harder, so be prepared.”Never mind. It was Kang Jin-ho.”When did you start thinking about this?””I thought about it after the war ended. People can’t be moved by just carrots and sticks [rewards and punishments]. They need time to reflect on themselves. Everyone must have felt a lot during this war, so it’s a good time.”Lee Hyun-soo nodded heavily.’He’s thinking a lot.’Before the war ended, a large number of people had left. Those who wanted to leave the Assembly and live new lives. Even though the war ended in a great victory, there were those who wanted to quit the Assembly.The weight of fighting as if your life depended on it.And the fear that they could die at any time.Not everyone could overcome that fear. That’s why Kang Jin-ho and Bang Jin-hoon let them go without saying anything.Perhaps this vacation had that reason as well.”Can I really go?””Take care of it. I’d like it if you could handle it quickly.””Then I…””Hmm?””Can I go with Director Lee Hyun-joo?”Kang Jin-ho looked at him with a subtle gaze, but Lee Hyun-soo was confident.”Are you getting married?”Lee Hyun-soo’s face contorted. That word strangely made his heart sink every time he heard it.”I don’t have any plans for that yet, but I don’t have the confidence to go on vacation alone and handle the aftermath.””You probably want to say I’m pathetic. But! As you know, Assembly Leader, you have no right to say that.”Kang Jin-ho cowered as if he had been hit in the bone.”You really won’t regret this?”Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo and smiled.”I think there was something wrong. Just going on a week’s vacation is causing this kind of reaction.””Honestly, Assembly Leader, didn’t you push people too hard? You told people they would die if they weren’t strong, and now you’re talking about work-life balance. Of course, it’s confusing.””That’s because things wouldn’t have changed if I hadn’t done that back then.””That’s true.”A stopped cart won’t move unless you push it. But once a cart starts running, it’s not easy to stop it even if you try to force it.The warriors of the Assembly were now moving on their own with momentum. They didn’t need Kang Jin-ho to urge them. So now, instead of urging them, he had to manage them. To maximize their efficiency.”Okay, I understand. Then I’ll handle the urgent matters as quickly as possible and get the vacation requests from the others. You really won’t regret this?””Rest and come back, you’ve worked hard. There’s no one who doesn’t know that Director Lee has worked hard. That’s why everyone is being kind to you.””Rest a bit and recharge. It’s good to go abroad, or just roll around at home. It’s up to you.””…It feels strange to hear those words.”Lee Hyun-soo got up from his seat.”Then I’ll go first.””Okay, good work.””Yes.”Lee Hyun-soo bowed his head and turned to head for the stairs, but his steps stopped.With a look as if he had realized something, Lee Hyun-soo hesitated and looked back with a subtle expression.”Um… Assembly Leader.””Yeah?””This is just in case, but…””Hmm?””This vacation, is it perhaps… not a plan to send everyone away before Director Choi Yeon-ha visits the Assembly?””Assembly Leader?”Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.