Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1280

“A franchise?”

Kang Yu-hwan looked back and forth between Kang Jin-ho and Hwang Min-soo, his expression a mix of bewilderment and disbelief.

“What brought this on all of a sudden?”

“No, no, that’s not it,” Kang Yu-hwan said, shaking his head.

It wasn’t that he was against the idea, but it was simply hard to process. His son, a businessman? It was a strange concept to grasp.

It felt odd to even look for a reason why a businessman would start a business.

‘A different kind of business that would be more suitable… No, that’s not it either.’

When he thought about it, Kang Jin-ho had been observing Kang Yu-hwan running his cafe ever since he had regained his senses [referring to a previous event where Kang Jin-ho had a change in personality].

People often start with what they know. A restaurant owner’s child might consider a restaurant, and a cell phone store owner’s child might look into cell phone stores. Kang Jin-ho had been watching the cafe for years, so it wasn’t surprising that he was considering a cafe franchise.

When you thought about it, there was nothing strange about it.

But the reason he was still doubtful and worried was because Kang Yu-hwan was Kang Jin-ho’s father. Fathers are the ones who trust their children the most, but they are also the ones who doubt them the most.

‘Still, I wish he would take it easy…’

If his son were to open a new cafe, he would have a lot of advice to give. Even if he opened a restaurant instead of a cafe, he would have enough to say for three days and three nights.

But a franchise?

This was something that Kang Yu-hwan couldn’t possibly give advice on.

And it wasn’t just opening a franchise, but starting a franchise business himself.

‘He needs to do things on a scale that he can handle.’

Every time his son did something like this, he felt like his heart was sinking. He should be used to it by now.

“Then, this person is?”

“Yes. He’s someone we recently recruited at the company.”

“Ah…”

Kang Yu-hwan looked at Hwang Min-soo again, as if he were examining a rare specimen.

Hwang Min-soo felt a subtle discomfort under the scrutiny. But this was something Hwang Min-soo had to understand about Kang Yu-hwan.

‘So, this is what someone who works with Jin-ho looks like.’

From Kang Yu-hwan’s perspective, Kang Jin-ho’s colleagues were definitely somewhere in the world, but they were like mythical creatures that he couldn’t see with his own eyes.

So, it was only natural that he would be curious.

“I apologize. I didn’t know you were the chairman’s father…”

“Ah… um, uh…”

Kang Yu-hwan was about to lose his mind.

‘I feel so uncomfortable.’

No matter how he looked at it, Hwang Min-soo didn’t seem that much older than him. To be called ‘the chairman’s father’ by someone like that, a title he had never heard of in his life, made his whole body cringe.

“Please don’t call me that…”

“Then?”

“Just call me the president…”

It was just as cringeworthy to tell him to call him president.

“Just call me Kang Yu-hwan.”

“No, even so…”

“Please.”

Hwang Min-soo cleared his throat.

He thought he understood why Kang Yu-hwan was acting like this. He also had a time when he was younger when he would get worked up at being called ‘young master’ or ‘the chairman’s son’.

“Then…”

Hwang Min-soo glanced at Kang Jin-ho. When Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem particularly uncomfortable, Hwang Min-soo nodded slightly.

“I will.”

Kang Yu-hwan, as if relieved, sighed and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“You’re going to start a cafe franchise?”

“Yes.”

“…Is there really a need to do a franchise? From what I can see, it seems like you’re entering a new business, and the restaurant business isn’t something you can do just because you have money.”

“I know.”

“And it wouldn’t be a big money-making venture for you.”

“I know that too.”

“Then why?”

Kang Jin-ho answered calmly.

“It’s not something I want to do. It’s something I have to do.”

Kang Yu-hwan didn’t ask any more questions.

He knew his son. If Kang Jin-ho said that, there must be a valid reason.

‘So, it’s true that he’s not doing it to make money.’

He thought it was just something a businessman would say…

“So…”

Kang Yu-hwan scratched his head.

“Did you tell him to come here?”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho still looked clueless. Hwang Min-soo, who had received both of their gazes, sighed and explained the situation.

“I came here after a recommendation from a subordinate while doing market research. Even if other aspects are lacking, I thought that if we could get help, we could at least get the coffee taste right.”

“Ah, I see.”

Kang Yu-hwan’s shoulders could be seen slowly rising in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

It was a cafe that he had been running while being nagged by Baek Hyun-jung for using his son’s money for his hobby. In fact, he ran it more for the benefit of being able to make various kinds of coffee to his heart’s content rather than to make money.

After that long period of hardship, he couldn’t help but raise his shoulders at this evaluation.

“Well, my coffee is definitely good.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

Kang Yu-hwan’s coffee was definitely different from other places. Even Kang Jin-ho, who couldn’t be said to have a very sensitive palate, rarely touched coffee from other places.

He even brought Kang Yu-hwan’s roasted coffee directly to cafes he had to visit and had it made in his style…

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho’s face became subtle.

‘Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’

He doesn’t enjoy coffee unless it’s Kang Yu-hwan’s, and he even forces other cafes to change their coffee to Kang Yu-hwan’s style, but he didn’t consider his father when starting a cafe franchise?

At this moment, Kang Jin-ho realized once again that he had no talent as a businessman.

On the other hand, Hwang Min-soo had come all the way here on his own, even though Kang Jin-ho hadn’t given him any information.

Of course, it was the result of a series of coincidences, but it was his skill that caught those coincidences.

‘I’m glad I recruited him.’

Kang Jin-ho realized once again how much of an advantage it was to have brought Hwang Min-soo with him.

“So, I would like it if you could help us, Mr. Kang Yu-hwan.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Kang Yu-hwan shook his head firmly.

“Yes?”

“As I said before, I don’t have the ability to do that. It’s not that I don’t want to help, but that I can’t help, so I can’t do it.”

Hwang Min-soo’s face hardened slightly.

“It’s your son’s business…”

“That’s why it’s even more so,” Kang Yu-hwan smiled.

“If you take on a task beyond your ability, it will surely fail. I can’t let my son’s business fail, can I?”

Hwang Min-soo smacked his lips.

“If it was something I absolutely had to do, I wouldn’t hesitate either. But there are many people in the world who are better than me, and my son can do well enough without me.”

Hwang Min-soo shuddered slightly.

He could tell from those words how much Kang Yu-hwan trusted Kang Jin-ho.

For some reason, a corner of his heart ached.

“You useless fool! Can’t you even do this?”

“Didn’t I tell you to think! A manager is someone who carries the lives of their employees. The moment you think carelessly and become complacent, it won’t end with just you dying, you idiot!”

“I need to be able to trust you with something!”

The words his father, Hwang Jung-hoo, had said to him in the past came to mind.

‘Would things have been different if I had been trusted like that?’

It was something he didn’t know.

But it was true that he was envious of Kang Jin-ho, who had his father’s full trust.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking by starting a cafe, but a franchise is something that affects the lives of many people. Do you know that?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I believe you’ll do well.”

It was similar to what Hwang Jung-hoo had said. But the words that followed were very different.

Hwang Min-soo sighed softly and nodded.

Hwang Min-soo, who had never backed down from anything he had heard so far, gave up a little here. He couldn’t push a father who was saying that.

‘I can’t help it.’

It was the first time since joining the company that something he had started had gone wrong, but he didn’t feel frustrated or disappointed. Rather, he felt a little relieved.

“If that’s what you think, then there’s nothing I can do. I was going to keep bothering the chairman’s father…”

“Ah, please. Don’t call me that.”

“…Mr. Kang Yu-hwan, but it’s a burden to keep bothering you. As you said, I’ll do well even if you don’t help.”

Kang Yu-hwan smiled.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“You’re welcome.”

If it had ended here, it would have been settled in a friendly atmosphere.

But as always, there was a variable.

Clang!

The door burst open with the sound of the bell, and a person walked in.

And the moment Kang Yu-hwan confirmed who it was, his face turned pale.

“Huh? Jin-ho? Who’s that next to you?”

It was Baek Hyun-jung.

Baek Hyun-jung stared at Kang Yu-hwan with cold eyes, without saying a word. And Kang Yu-hwan desperately avoided Baek Hyun-jung’s gaze, dripping with cold sweat.

“What?”

“You can’t do it because you don’t have the ability?”

“Is that what you call helping?”

His mouth was for speaking, but for Kang Yu-hwan now, the ability to speak was useless.

“Ha?”

Baek Hyun-jung snorted, then changed her expression and looked at Hwang Min-soo with an extremely gentle face.

“My son is causing you trouble.”

“Ah, no, ma’am! I’m making a living thanks to the chairman.”

“He’s an inadequate son, but please take care of him.”

Hwang Min-soo’s butt wiggled. This was like meeting a teacher as a parent, and who would have imagined that he would hear these words after meeting the chairman’s parents?

“So, you’re saying that my husband is helpful?”

“He says he doesn’t have the ability, but in my opinion…”

“Ah, that ability doesn’t necessarily have to be done by one person, right?”

“Yes?”

Baek Hyun-jung’s lips curled up.

“If our child’s ability is lacking, he’ll use other people anyway. Would it be more helpful if this person was there at that time?”

Kang Yu-hwan desperately winked.

But Hwang Min-soo couldn’t dare to lie to the chairman’s mother.

“Of course, it would be helpful.”

“Then that’s settled. When do we start and what do we do…”

“Y-you, honey, I really can’t do it?”

“You shut your mouth.”

“No…”

Baek Hyun-jung’s eyes narrowed.

“This man! I’ve been letting him get away with it! While our son is working his bones off, you’re just idling away at the cafe! You’re saying you can’t do it because it’s a hassle?”

Kang Yu-hwan flinched.

“You don’t have the ability? You just want to loaf around!”

“Ah, no, that’s not it…”

Baek Hyun-jung glanced at Hwang Min-soo.

“We can’t do this here. Come in with me.”

“Me?”

“Who else?”

Baek Hyun-jung got up and headed to the pantry, and Kang Yu-hwan got up from his seat weakly. Then, he followed her to the pantry, trudging like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.

Hwang Min-soo, who had been watching the scene, hesitated for a while before finally saying something.

“You have a very harmonious family.”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for some reason.