Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1282

“Did you finish organizing the documents?”

“Yes!”

“Make sure you do it properly, properly! Don’t just do a sloppy job, make sure every single detail is correct!”

“What about the report for the Clan Lord?”

“I organized it and submitted it earlier. It should be on the desk…”

“Did you submit the written version and the electronic payment request?”

“Do I have to do both?”

“Then what if this gets lost? Huh? Can you handle that?”

Moon Tae-kyung’s face subtly contorted.

Nagging.

That was the only way to describe the criticisms. But the reason why he couldn’t call the person nagging him an old geezer was because the one doing the nagging was sweating profusely with a more terrified expression.

“Did you process all the food purchase requests?”

“Yes.”

“For how many days? For this month…”

“That, the contracted suppliers take care of it, we don’t have to handle it.”

“Food is one thing, but you need to take care of the side dishes too!”

“We get paid a salary! What kind of company even takes care of the kids’ snacks?”

“The kids are just so lacking in social skills.”

“Um… Chief.”

“Yeah?”

Lee Hyun-soo slightly raised his head.

Moon Tae-kyung sighed deeply and opened his mouth.

“A vacation isn’t that big of a deal.”

“It’s not like the General Assembly will collapse just because you’re gone for a week. The biggest misconception of people who work at a company is that the company won’t function without them.”

“Of course, I understand you’re worried because you have so much on your plate, but frankly, even if you, the directors, and the Clan Lord all went on vacation for a week, the Assembly would be fine.”

Lee Hyun-soo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Really?”

“…Get a grip.”

“No, I understand it in my head…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s thumb hovered near his mouth. Restless, Lee Hyun-soo eventually started biting his nails.

‘He’s a severe case, a severe case.’

There are many workaholics in the world, but no one has lived a life like Lee Hyun-soo. Lee Hyun-soo has now almost reached the point where work is him, and he is work, a state of oneness.

It was a very sad thing.

‘For someone like that to leave work and go on vacation, he can’t be in his right mind.’

“No, well, it’s not like we’re all going on vacation together, we’re going in shifts, so what’s the big deal? And the kids are all doing a better job than before.”

“…That’s true.”

“Of course, it’s not as good as when you’re here, but they can all manage for a week without any problems. So, get a grip.”

“I will.”

Hey, stop biting your nails!

Your fingers are going to disappear!

His words and actions were completely out of sync.

‘He’s such a strange person.’

Sometimes he seems like the smartest and wisest person in the world, but other times he’s just a complete idiot. It’s not just that his abilities change depending on the field, it’s like the person himself changes depending on the field.

“Does Director Lee have anything to say?”

“I’m Director Lee?”

“…Director Lee Hyun-joo, I mean.”

“Ah…”

“Aren’t you going to change your name? It’s so hard for us to tell you apart.”

“Is that my fault?”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed deeply.

“Anyway, it’s really okay even without you, Chief. Isn’t that why we sent the kids for training and powered them up, to prepare for times like this?”

It wasn’t exactly for that reason, though.

The reason Lee Hyun-soo trained the staff was because the previous staff were not even human.

Now, at least they were acting like humans.

“Hey, how can I trust them with work?”

“Then, is there anyone you trust to handle the work, Director Lee?”

“Uh…”

Lee Hyun-soo fell into a dilemma.

Come to think of it, Moon Tae-kyung was right.

“I think there’s one person?”

“The Clan Lord?”

“…He’s a very strange person.”

“I agree.”

Kang Jin-ho’s work processing sometimes even shocked Lee Hyun-soo. Of course, the work was resolved because no one dared to question what Kang Jin-ho had decided, if he just roughly decided and brushed it off.

‘But it’s not like he’s completely reckless either.’

Usually, the things that are resolved in that way create bigger side effects later, but the things that Kang Jin-ho resolves somehow work out well.

If Lee Hyun-soo was an extreme perfectionist, Kang Jin-ho could be called an extreme efficiency seeker. He pursues speed by roughly brushing things off when appropriate, while minimizing side effects.

In fact, from the company’s point of view, Kang Jin-ho’s work processing and Lee Hyun-soo’s work processing could be considered a matter of preference. However, Lee Hyun-soo is just taking the lead with his monstrous workload that is at the level of giving up his personal life.

“The Clan Lord doesn’t take vacations.”

“He does. After I come back.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“Tae-kyung.”

“Yes?”

“Is it really human to pass my work onto the Clan Lord and go on vacation?”

“Even so…”

“The Clan Lord told me to go.”

“Still…”

I should just keep my mouth shut.

“Chief.”

“Yeah?”

“Just let it go now. Your vacation is already confirmed. There’s no turning back. If you say you’re not going on vacation now, Director Lee Hyun-joo probably won’t let you live.”

“Well, if you can try to resist, go ahead. But I guarantee, even if you just get hit once, you’ll be in the intensive care unit for at least a week.”

“You don’t even need to guarantee that, everyone thinks so.”

Lee Hyun-soo was the weakest martial artist in the General Assembly, officially recognized.

To be precise, Lee Hyun-soo was closer to someone who was barely on the border between a martial artist and a normal person. He was ridiculously weak to be called a martial artist, but he was also too strong to be called a normal person.

He was no match for Lee Hyun-joo, who had grown into an elite based on Lee Joong-gul’s intensive training.

“It’s really amazing.”

“What is?”

“That the weakest man in the General Assembly and the strongest woman in the General Assembly are a couple.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled and swept his hair back.

“A man isn’t all about strength.”

“Yes.”

“…That nuance is subtle?”

“No. Well, I didn’t say anything.”

Moon Tae-kyung chuckled.

He didn’t want to agree openly, but he secretly thought that was true. Lee Hyun-soo’s charm couldn’t be explained by strength or anything like that.

Even in the General Assembly, where strength is the most important indicator, Lee Hyun-soo was a special existence.

“It’s amazing what you see when you live long enough.”

Lee Hyun-soo took his eyes off the computer and leaned back in his chair.

“What do you mean?”

“The day I go on vacation has finally come…”

It felt bittersweet.

If someone else had said this, it would have been a joke, but when Lee Hyun-soo said it, it became a documentary.

“That means the General Assembly has changed a lot.”

“The General Assembly…”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

‘It’s not the General Assembly, it’s the martial arts world that has changed.’

He realized anew how much the world he was in had changed.

“It’s changed too much.”

“Isn’t half of it because of what you’ve done, Chief?”

“That’s right. But when I look back, I wonder how I managed to do it.”

This was Lee Hyun-soo’s sincere feeling.

He doesn’t live looking at the distant future. He’s too busy dealing with the things that are right in front of him, so he can’t prepare for long-term things.

He just somehow dealt with the things that came up and ended up here.

“Tae-kyung.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Has it gotten a little better?”

Moon Tae-kyung laughed as if he was dumbfounded.

“Has it gotten better?”

“Ugh…”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you?”

“What I feel and what you feel might be different.”

“Ah, well, of course, that’s true.”

Moon Tae-kyung pondered for a moment. How could he convey what he felt to Lee Hyun-soo clearly?

“It’s difficult.”

“Is it hard to find the parts that have gotten better?”

“No. There are so many that I don’t know where to start.”

Moon Tae-kyung scratched his head.

“There can’t be no complaints. That’s how people are. When something gets better, there are people who hate it, and there are people who complain that they’re not getting something else.”

“That’s right.”

That’s human nature.

“But what’s certain is… if we were to vote for the Clan Lord right now, the Clan Lord’s approval rating would be comparable to North Korea.”

“Hey, even when you make an analogy…”

“There’s nowhere else with a higher approval rating than that.”

“That’s true.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

It was a crude but relatable analogy.

“Everyone is satisfied. No, it’s more like they’re amazed. Salaries are going up, the benefits are increasing, and most of all, the perception that you have to do whatever you’re told without question is disappearing.”

“That’s not good.”

“It’s the feeling that if there’s a valid reason, you should risk your life, but if not, you can disobey.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded quietly.

In fact, it’s not bad to have some old-fashioned ways to move people from above.

It’s less cumbersome and less troublesome.

But Lee Hyun-soo wasn’t someone who didn’t know how many side effects there were to changing direction for convenience.

“You’re so caught up in it! Back in our day, man! We would pretend to die if we were told to by our superiors.”

“…Why are you acting like an old geezer?”

“An old geezer! These are words that will become your blood and flesh. I’m saying this for your own good!”

“…Ugh.”

Moon Tae-kyung shook his head.

“Anyway…”

Moon Tae-kyung took a slight deep breath and spoke.

“You don’t have to worry. Even a dog recognizes and wags its tail at someone who treats it well. We all know how much the Clan Lord and you, Chief, care about us.”

“I’m just giving them food to use them, what do you mean care…”

Seeing Lee Hyun-soo’s slightly flushed face, Moon Tae-kyung’s lips twitched.

Who would think that this person was the Lee Hyun-soo who was called the devil of the Yeongnam Assembly [a regional martial arts organization]?

“What’s the public opinion on the recent punishments?”

“Everyone is understanding.”

“…Really?”

“The lower ranks actually want harsher punishments. The higher-ups are the ones who are reluctant to give harsh punishments. If you commit a crime, it’s only natural to receive a fair punishment, isn’t it?”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled bitterly.

It wasn’t that easy.

“There are some who say that the punishments should have been harsher, but overall, there don’t seem to be any complaints.”

“That’s a relief.”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed quietly.

“Everyone will get better after taking a vacation and refreshing themselves.”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo straightened his posture.

“Okay. Go on out.”

“Yes. Then.”

Moon Tae-kyung, who was heading towards the entrance, slightly turned his head. Lee Hyun-soo’s hands were busily moving over the keyboard. In that short amount of time, he was working as if he had completely erased Moon Tae-kyung’s existence, as if he was being sucked into the monitor.

‘He’s really an amazing person.’

There were some problems, but the more he saw him, the more he respected him.

That person was working so hard for the Assembly.

‘It’ll change more and more.’

He wondered what the General Assembly would look like in a few years.