Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1312

“Would you like some wine?”

“……Didn’t we just have some?”

“Hehe, but wouldn’t the experience of drinking wine in a limousine be quite special? It’s less about drinking and more about experiencing the situation. Besides, for an actor with a sophisticated image like you, Director, wouldn’t there be a day when you have to play such a scene? This experience will be good for that time.”

Choi Yeon-ha burst into laughter at Lee Hyun-soo’s smooth talk.

“Then give me a glass.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo took out a bottle of sparkling wine and glasses from the refrigerator and filled them. Then, he handed a glass to Choi Yeon-ha.

“Thank you.”

“Would you like a glass too, Chairman?”

Kang Jin-ho began to ponder seriously.

‘Even if the door doesn’t open, with this window size, I could probably throw someone out…’

‘It would be best if the road was wide.’

‘Like an eight-lane highway…’

‘So they can never come back.’

“Chief Lee.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“We’re not here for a pleasure trip, are we?”

“Of course not.”

“But is it okay to be having this much fun?”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“This isn’t about having fun. It’s about playing our roles.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo glanced at Kang Jin-ho’s pocket.

“Kim Cheol-soo is a real person.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not that difficult to create a passport with a fake name. But it’s better to use the passport of a real person and just change the photo.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“So, Kim Cheol-soo is someone like that. Someone very rich and reckless, but whose face is hardly known to the public.”

“Does such a person exist?”

“Yes, there are a few in South Korea. The unknown illegitimate children of conglomerate chairmen.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“He was carefully chosen. The illegitimate child of a certain conglomerate chairman’s son… or rather, the chairman’s grandson, to be exact. He’s about twenty-five years old. He recently returned to Korea after studying abroad, so his face is hardly known. You have to play that role now, Chairman.”

“Then…”

A pure question arose in Kang Jin-ho’s mind.

“What about Lee Young-hee?”

“……No. That’s that bastard’s…” Lee Hyun-soo slightly gritted his teeth.

“Ahem, anyway, you have to act the part. You’re a reckless person who was sent overseas because the conglomerate heir couldn’t handle your temper. Would such a person quietly take a taxi to the hotel? No way.”

Kang Jin-ho’s expression became subtle.

There was some logic to it.

But that logic was subtly irritating. He felt like he had experienced this feeling somewhere before….

‘A politician.’

It felt like he was listening to words that had a clear justification but a different intention underneath.

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his eyes and glared at Lee Hyun-soo. But Lee Hyun-soo, who was well-trained by Kang Jin-ho, didn’t react to that level of glare.

‘I raised a tiger cub.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

He used to compare Lee Hyun-soo to Cheongma [a legendary strategist], but now it felt like the comparison was meaningless. If Cheongma had come to the modern era and seen what Lee Hyun-soo was doing, he would have swung his iron fan to smash his head.

Even though Cheongma was the brain of the Demonic Cult, he was still a great demon.

What was funny was that Kang Jin-ho felt amused rather than angry watching Lee Hyun-soo do these things.

Perhaps it was because of a subtle bond that was different from the past Cheongma.

As Kang Jin-ho seemed to be deep in thought, Lee Hyun-soo quickly made excuses.

“People need liberation. In fact, even though you are one of the richest people in South Korea, Chairman, you’ve never lived showing off your wealth, have you? You need to do that sometimes.”

…Hey, I’m the one who drives around in that ridiculously expensive sports car, you know?

“Isn’t that right, Director?”

“Hmm.”

When Choi Yeon-ha refused to agree with a subtle expression, Lee Hyun-soo quickly changed the subject.

“This is all for the sake of stimulating the economy and the people’s livelihood. When rich people spend money freely, money circulates and the economy revives. You have a duty to spend money, Chairman.”

“In China?”

“And with taxes?”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

“I understand what you’re saying. Since it’s part of the mission, I won’t say anything more.”

“Thank you.”

“But…”

Kang Jin-ho said firmly.

“Cancel all the charges on that card and charge it to my card again.”

“What? Chairman, this is official…”

“Do it.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo pouted.

‘We’re doing so much for them, we should be able to expense this much.’

In fact, this amount of money was not a burden for Kang Jin-ho at all. It was like trying to scoop water out of the ocean with a bucket.

But it was a matter of principle.

‘I can’t be paying out of my own pocket when I’m doing what I’m told!’

He was dissatisfied in many ways, but Kang Jin-ho’s face was so firm.

Lee Hyun-soo sighed deeply.

From Lee Hyun-soo’s perspective, there were times when he couldn’t understand Kang Jin-ho’s way of thinking. Wasting public funds wasn’t something to be proud of, but the General Assembly lived as if the actual law was a story from a distant land.

Considering that, this shouldn’t be a big deal….

“Just start saving from now on…”

“It just feels icky.”

“Ugh.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded. If he felt icky, there was nothing he could do.

“Chairman, but this…”

“Just a moment.”

At that moment, Choi Yeon-ha slightly raised her hand, interrupting their conversation.

“So, the problem is about whose money is being spent?”

“It’s difficult to say exactly, but it’s similar.”

“Then there’s no need to make it difficult.”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha reached into her bag and took out her wallet. Then, she pulled out a card from the wallet and handed it to Lee Hyun-soo.

“What is this…?”

“Cancel the reservation and rebook at a seven-star hotel.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes trembled at Choi Yeon-ha’s words.

“That…”

“And tell them to pay for the limousine rental. If we pay for the accommodation, they won’t have any complaints.”

Of course.

No matter how expensive the limousine rental was, it couldn’t compare to the cost of a luxury hotel. The NIS [National Intelligence Service] would welcome it with open arms.

“But, the cost of a luxury hotel is not cheap…”

“Not cheap?”

Ah….

She’s rich too.

Lee Hyun-soo looked at the ceiling of the limousine with slightly sad eyes.

Why were there so many rich people around him? He was a person who was treated well wherever he went, but here….

“Don’t fight over money. Your sister will buy it for you.”

Choi Yeon-ha puffed out her chest.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled, finding her appearance amusing.

“But, can I ask you just one thing?”

At those words, Lee Hyun-soo and Kang Jin-ho simultaneously turned to look at Choi Yeon-ha.

“It seems like you’ve been talking about strange things since a while ago. Did the country ask you to do something?”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a subtle gaze.

He was trying to see how much he had revealed. Kang Jin-ho coughed.

“It’s similar.”

“Hmm, so it’s something the country asked you to do.”

Choi Yeon-ha clicked her tongue.

“It must be something bad.”

“Ahem.”

“Achoo!”

Lee Hyun-soo coughed loudly and said urgently.

“Ah, no, why would you think that?”

“In movies, when the country gives you a mission and sends you overseas, it’s usually to do something bad.”

“007 is also a murderer who causes trouble in other countries, if you think about it.”

No, that’s not wrong.

Is it okay to look at the world so cynically?

“No, we’re not doing anything like that…”

“Then are you here to do something good?”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth like a clam.

Something good?

Could this be called something good?

“Uh…”

This was subtle.

Killing people can’t be a good thing. Even if Lee Hyun-soo was a man who had gone to the extreme, he wasn’t so ignorant that he couldn’t distinguish that much.

But this wasn’t something they were doing for their own benefit or the benefit of the regime, but for the sake of South Korea.

To what extent is immorality permissible for the sake of national stability and benefit?

Is it really justifiable to sacrifice a small number of evil people for the benefit of a large group?

It was a problem that countless philosophers and scholars had pondered over for countless years without reaching a conclusion. How could Lee Hyun-soo come to a conclusion on such a problem?

“We’re here to do something bad.”

At his agreement, Choi Yeon-ha turned to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“Like a spy or something?”

“It’s a little different.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“I can definitely say that it’s something bad.”

“Hmm.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes sparkled.

“Do you have a standard for what you consider bad, Kang Jin-ho?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, you can have a standard? What is it?”

“It’s a bit ambiguous to say…”

“Then you don’t have one.”

“I do.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled slightly bitterly.

“If it’s something I can’t tell my mother, it’s bad.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes twitched.

‘Wow, this… that’s a crazy standard.’ How could he have such a firm and embarrassing standard?

He was right. If you can’t tell your mom, it’s a bad thing. The world suddenly felt about three times clearer.

“You’re such a mama’s boy.”

Ah, that became clear too.

Kang Jin-ho covered his mouth and coughed.

“Anyway, we’re not here to do something honorable. So, I’d like you to be a little considerate, Choi Yeon-ha.”

“What kind of consideration?”

“There will be times when we do strange things because of the mission. Please act naturally.”

“Ah… yes, well, don’t worry. I’m an actress, so there’s no way I’d be so clueless that I can’t act, right?”

Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head slightly, watching Choi Yeon-ha answer calmly.

‘It feels like something’s missing?’

Lee Hyun-soo, realizing what was missing, opened his mouth.

“But are you okay with that?”

“With what?”

“The Chairman said directly that he came here to do something bad, are you okay with that?”

“Ah, that?”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“Well, is there anything new? I already knew that Kang Jin-ho wasn’t a good person.”

“……Huh?”

“He beats people up for fun, does things that are obviously illegal, suddenly builds a building in Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul], and politicians come and go…”

“He’s a mafia, a mafia. He must have rolled cement barrels into the sea off Incheon [a port city near Seoul] several times.”

“That’s absolutely not true.”

Lee Hyun-soo waved his hands in horror.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. What can I do now? I’ve already given up on myself. I’m dating my grandfather, so what’s so big about that grandfather being a bad guy?”

With every word Choi Yeon-ha added, Kang Jin-ho sank deeper into the seat.

‘The damage is really getting to him….’

It was the moment when it was proven that even the mighty Kang Jin-ho could block physical attacks but not mental ones.

“But does that matter?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled and turned to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“As long as you’re good to me, right?”

“Haha…”

“Right?”

“……Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho, unable to withstand Choi Yeon-ha’s gaze, nodded with difficulty.

Watching that, Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

‘They’re a good match, a good match.’

What a great couple they are.