Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1277

“Reorganizing (2)

“…You’re just showing up now?”

Hwang Min-soo, met with bewildered stares, could only manage a troubled expression.

“I’m a little late, aren’t I?”

“A little?”

Hwang Min-soo coughed awkwardly at the sharp retort.

“Don’t be so harsh.”

“How can I not be? You’ve been living like a recluse for the past five years, and now you’re saying you want to start something again. You should have done it sooner.”

“You’re right.”

“We waited and waited, then gave up, and now we’re finally getting back on our feet. And now? You want us to start over from scratch?”

“It’s not from scratch. It’s quite solid, you know.”

“It’s a company I’ve never even heard of!”

Hwang Min-soo clicked his tongue.

There was no way to explain MK to others. Hwang Min-soo was already dumbfounded, so how could those who hadn’t experienced MK firsthand possibly understand?

And he knew that the reason they were harping on this wasn’t just distrust of MK.

In the past, they would have jumped into a fire without hesitation if ordered. But now, they were giving him subtle looks.

“Boss.”

“I’m not the boss anymore.”

“Then should we call you Mr. Hwang Min-soo?”

“…Let’s stick with boss.”

A disgruntled pout formed on his lips. It wasn’t cute to see a man over forty making that face, but Hwang Min-soo didn’t have the courage to point it out.

“It’s too late.”

“Late?”

“Yes. It’s too late.”

Gu Jeong-beom, his former right-hand man, sighed and leaned back on the sofa.

“We’re just barely making a living now. Or, to be honest, we’re still struggling.”

“I suppose so.”

Hwang Min-soo wore a bitter expression.

Those who lost in the power struggle became outcasts. It wasn’t just something that happened in royal families of the past. In South Korea, if you ride the right wave, you can expect rapid promotions, but conversely, if you ride the wrong one, you have to be prepared for ruin.

From the start, riding a wave meant sharing your fate with that wave, so there was no point in blaming anyone. But their situation was a little different.

Even if Hwang Min-soo had lost the power struggle with Hwang Min-jae, they would have had a stable future. Even Hwang Min-jae couldn’t completely eliminate Hwang Min-soo. Dividing the appropriate shares and compromising was the result that everyone would have accepted, regardless of who won.

However, the unexpected variable of Hwang Jung-hoo’s return shattered everything.

At least the department heads survived, but those here were the closest of Hwang Min-soo’s close aides. Naturally, they couldn’t avoid the purge.

“I’m really sorry about that.”

“There’s no need to apologize. No one here blames you, boss.”

Gu Jeong-beom firmly shook his head.

“It was something that couldn’t be helped by human power.”

“…That’s right.”

“What we’re disappointed in isn’t that. If we were broken, we should have tried to do something again. What was that?”

Hwang Min-soo sighed silently.

He had no excuse for this. Hwang Min-soo knew. They were capable of finding a way to make a living at the time, but they missed their chance while waiting for him.

If only Hwang Min-soo had made his position clearer back then…

‘No, that’s not it.’

He shouldn’t try to avoid responsibility like this again.

Hwang Min-soo bowed his head resolutely.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no, I’m saying you don’t need to apologize. How could we have beaten Chairman Hwang?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m apologizing for not handling things well. I showed you all a pathetic side of myself. I should have shown you that I could get back on my feet, but I wasted my time.”

Gu Jeong-beom sighed deeply.

‘You should have contacted us sooner.’

Seeing Hwang Min-soo trying to start again was a relief. But the wall of reality was not so easy to overcome. Especially the time he had wasted would be fatal for Hwang Min-soo now.

“Boss.”

Choi Byung-chan quietly looked at Hwang Min-soo and spoke.

“Did the Chairman forgive you?”

“No.”

Hwang Min-soo firmly shook his head.

“It has nothing to do with the Chairman.”

“Is there a place that’s brave enough to use you even though the Chairman hasn’t forgiven you?”

“That’s what I’m saying. There is.”

Hwang Min-soo smiled wryly.

To be honest, he thought it was a strange thing too.

“Want a smoke?”

“I quit.”

“…You quit smoking?”

Gu Jeong-beom spoke in a slightly agitated voice.

“If a guy who can’t even earn money is smoking at home, his wife will break the dishes. If you can’t even afford cigarettes, what kind of cigarettes are you talking about?”

“Well, even if it’s not now… I don’t want to smoke again. If I smoke, it reminds me of the old days…”

Gu Jeong-beom couldn’t finish his sentence and trailed off. It seemed like his emotions were getting the better of him.

Seeing that, Hwang Min-soo also felt bitter.

They were in their forties, the prime of their working lives. They were also elites among elites who had risen to the position of director of finance in their forties. Hwang Min-soo felt sorry and guilty for ruining their lives.

“Stop whining.”

“What?”

Noh Tae-gwang frowned and blurted out.

“Why are you so full of complaints? Did someone hold a knife to your throat and threaten you to follow? If you made a choice, you have to take responsibility for it! Why are you whining about something you chose to do?”

“This guy!”

Gu Jeong-beom glared at him, and Noh Tae-gwang chuckled.

“Give it up. Don’t get angry. In the past, it was annoying when you got angry. Now, it’s just pitiful. You should get a wig or something.”

“Hey! Is it okay to attack me like that?”

“What am I supposed to do about what I see? Did you sell your hair to make a living?”

“…You’re not even human.”

Hwang Min-soo subtly covered his mouth.

In the few years they hadn’t seen each other, Gu Jeong-beom’s head had become very shiny. Considering the cause of his hair loss, Hwang Min-soo shouldn’t laugh, but he couldn’t help but chuckle.

They had always been like this.

They were both close aides of Hwang Min-soo, but they were such rivals that they always clashed on every issue. There was even a saying that if the two of them agreed on something, it would never fail.

Gu Jeong-beom, Choi Byung-chan, Noh Tae-gwang.

These three were the closest of the close aides who supported Hwang Min-soo in the past. Hwang Min-soo’s line couldn’t have been just these three, but they were the core that even Hwang Min-soo acknowledged.

Now that he was starting again, he wanted to be with them. That was Hwang Min-soo’s honest feeling.

“So… what do we have to do?”

Noh Tae-gwang said calmly, and Gu Jeong-beom’s eyes widened.

“Hey? You’re going to do it?”

“If you don’t want to, you can drop out.”

“No, I’m just asking.”

“Is there any reason not to?”

“If you like living a life of just keeping your position and getting paid in a company that doesn’t suit you, then keep doing that. I can’t live like that.”

Noh Tae-gwang said firmly.

“The fact that the boss has returned means that he wants to do something again. Even if we start from the bottom and fail, I’m going to start again.”

“…No, it’s not from the bottom, I’m telling you.”
Hwang Min-soo sighed deeply.

‘I need to do something about this recognition.’

They were all working in the field, but none of them knew about MK. It meant they had never even heard of it.

Whether he poured money into advertising or started a noticeable business, if he didn’t solve this hellish recognition problem, there would definitely be problems with the business.

“Isn’t that right, hyung [older brother/male friend]?”

At Noh Tae-gwang’s words, Choi Byung-chan quietly looked at Hwang Min-soo.

“Boss.”

Hwang Min-soo looked at Choi Byung-chan.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“Ask me anything.”

“How much did you bet on this?”

Hwang Min-soo hesitated to answer. It wasn’t because he didn’t have anything to say, but because he had too much to say and was wondering how to organize it.

“You guys must have had a lot of worries. Starting again wouldn’t be easy.”

“It might sound like an excuse if I say this myself, but no matter how many worries you had, you wouldn’t have had more worries than me.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why I made up my mind and called you guys. I’ve bet my life on this.”

Hwang Min-soo looked at everyone with intense eyes.

“There’s no turning back. If I fail here, I’m done for. How much did I bet? Everything. I’m prepared to bite my tongue and die if I fail.”

“Hmm.”

Gu Jeong-beom made a sound.

Hwang Min-soo’s determination was clear. More than anything, he could see the old him in Hwang Min-soo’s eyes. Not the eyes that had rotted after being purged by Hwang Jung-hoo, but the eyes of the young Hwang Min-soo who had climbed the treacherous mountain of finance with his bare hands.

“When do we have to join?”

Noh Tae-gwang said as if it was obvious.

“Hey, think about it a little!”

“Think?”

Noh Tae-gwang chuckled.

“You think about it. I don’t need to think.”

“That’s why you always make mistakes, you idiot.”

“I’ve thought about it enough, you idiot. Didn’t you think that the boss would come back someday?”

Gu Jeong-beom closed his mouth.

“It’s just a little late. But he came anyway. So, we’re starting again.”

Noh Tae-gwang waved his hand.

“Anyway, I’m going to join, so you do what you want. You don’t have to come. It’s easier without you.”

“This bastard!”

Gu Jeong-beom shouted.

“Hey! Do you think I’ll just sit here and do nothing while you’re doing it? If a moron like you doesn’t join… if you join, you’ll mess everything up, how can I just watch, you idiot!”

“Your excuses are pathetic.”

“No, this is real.”

“Stop it.”

Choi Byung-chan said quietly, and Gu Jeong-beom and Noh Tae-gwang closed their mouths.

“Boss.”

“Honestly, I have a lot of complaints.”

“I know.”

Choi Byung-chan looked at Hwang Min-soo with unwavering eyes.

“But… now that I’ve heard you say you want us to join, I know there’s only one choice. But please promise me one thing. This time, we’re going to go all the way, no matter what.”

“Of course.”

The three nodded with different expressions. Seeing that, Hwang Min-soo smiled without realizing it.

“But what kind of work are we doing?”

“First, they want us to create a franchise…”

“A franchise? Oh.”

Gu Jeong-beom scratched his cheek as if he was interested.

“What kind of business?”

“This.”

“Huh?”

“This. A cafe.”

The three of them simultaneously looked around.

“Ah… a cafe. What kind of cafe…”

“This.”

“…Huh?”

“Here. They want us to franchise this place.”

The three of them looked around with even more urgent eyes.

Gu Jeong-beom lightly laughed and got up from his seat.

“Then I’ll see you next time, boss.”

“I’d like to see you as slowly as possible. Then…”

Noh Tae-gwang grabbed Gu Jeong-beom and sat him back down. Then Gu Jeong-beom shouted.

“No, did you lose your touch after resting for a few years! How are we supposed to make this into a franchise! It wouldn’t be strange if it went bankrupt right away!”

Sung Joo-chan, who was guarding the counter, sighed deeply at Gu Jeong-beom’s curse.

‘Should I just seal my martial arts?’

Living a normal life as a martial artist was a very difficult thing.