Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1332

Kang Jin-ho, in the hotel elevator, spoke without turning his head.

“Was the extra fee something you originally planned?”

“I wasn’t really thinking of getting money. However, I thought we should get something. No matter how much I think about it, there’s nothing we can get from them right now. So, it has to be money.”

“Do we have to get it?”

“Of course.”

Lee Hyun-soo caught the subtle discomfort hidden in Kang Jin-ho’s tone. Asking for money while doing national work wasn’t a pleasant situation.

“It’s not about getting the money. It’s about making them pay.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“It’s not about adding to our household budget. It’s about making them pay the cost.”

Lee Hyun-soo spoke with a slightly cynical tone.

“It’s a good thing, so it’s okay to do it for free. But if that repeats, it becomes natural to do it later. People are the same. At first, they feel grateful, but later, when they demand reasonable rights and compensation, they forget what they were given and complain about why it’s different from before.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. It was true.

“If you stay still, you become a pushover, and if you give too much, you become a sucker. It’s not about how much we get, but about instilling the concept that when they ask or request something from us, they have to pay a reasonable cost. Otherwise…”

The elevator doors opened.

“Next time, when the country is in crisis, they’ll say, ‘This time, it’s more important than last time. It’s hard to pay the price, but please, I beg you.’ It’s not easy not to accept that.”

Every nation develops on the premise of its people’s sacrifice. However, while some nations have realized the truth that they should no longer force their people to sacrifice, many nations still take it for granted that their people sacrifice for the nation.

And unfortunately, South Korea is still one of the latter.

“Patriotism doesn’t come into it. This is work.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Kang Jin-ho walked down the hallway towards the room with an indifferent expression.

Honestly, he couldn’t fully understand everything Lee Hyun-soo was saying. Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the type of person who could think so rigidly about everything like Lee Hyun-soo.

But he knew one thing.

In matters like this, it was right to follow Lee Hyun-soo’s opinion.

The biggest difference between Kang Jin-ho of the past and the present was that he had come to know his shortcomings and trust the opinions of others.

“By the way…”

“Yes.”

“How much are you thinking of getting?”

“Well?”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his cheek.

“How about we try for a hundred billion?”

Kang Jin-ho turned to Lee Hyun-soo with a look that said, ‘Is this guy crazy?’ It had been a long time since Kang Jin-ho had expressed such strong emotions.

“What’s wrong?”

“A hundred billion?”

“It’s not that much money. Think about what we’re doing.”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

He didn’t know if he had no concept of money, or if Lee Hyun-soo had no concept of money, but it was clear that one of them was seriously wrong.

“Even so, a hundred billion…”

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue.

“How much damage would the country suffer if this went wrong?”

“Tens of trillions? No. It’s over hundreds of trillions. Maybe even more. And we’re solving that for a hundred billion? That’s just pocket change.”

“That’s not all there is to it.”

They had already taken everything they could.

“So, we’re only taking a hundred billion. We’re giving them a discount.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

He thought he had gotten used to Lee Hyun-soo, but sometimes he wondered if he was even human.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it appropriately.”

That was even scarier.

He opened the door and entered the room. The room was empty. Choi Yeon-ha and Han Eun-sol were out for a meeting. He had considered assigning Lee Hyun-soo to them, but he judged that no one would target them once Hong Wang had stepped in.

It was concerning that it was within Chang Wang’s sphere of influence, but according to Cha Yi-kechang [likely a title or name] and Lee Hyun-soo’s judgment, Chang Wang would never touch Choi Yeon-ha. The war with Hong Wang was already difficult enough, and if an enraged Kang Jin-ho joined in, it wouldn’t take even a month for Chang Wang’s faction to be destroyed.

Unless Chang Wang had gone crazy, he wouldn’t do something so foolish.

And it wasn’t like Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo had come to China as Choi Yeon-ha’s bodyguards, so they couldn’t just keep focusing on that.

As soon as Kang Jin-ho returned, he turned on the TV.

Lee Hyun-soo smiled wryly at the sight.

“Are TVs that interesting?”

“You don’t even look at them in Korea.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

The concept was a little different.

He was finding entertainment in Chinese broadcasts, but the entertainment Kang Jin-ho felt was a little different from the usual.

In the Chinese TV that Kang Jin-ho watched, he saw things that others couldn’t.

Things that had changed over the long years, and things that hadn’t changed despite the long years.

For Kang Jin-ho, who had experienced China’s past, the changes felt so vivid. That’s why it was interesting.

“It’s a bit different. It’s hard to explain.”

“And the food seems to suit your taste.”

“…That’s true.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

This was something Kang Jin-ho hadn’t expected. When he had come to China before, he hadn’t been in a situation where he could eat proper food, so he hadn’t known, but now that he was eating here, it felt like he had come home.

While Lee Hyun-soo, who was born and raised in Korea, was struggling with the food, Kang Jin-ho was eating like a man returning to his hometown after many years.

It was funny that when Kang Jin-ho first returned to this world, he was very attached to modern Korean food.

But now, he was feeling nostalgia for Chinese food.

It was said that one’s feelings change when one’s position changes, but it was undeniable that this was quite an extreme change.

“If it’s that fun, I’ll install Chinese broadcasts in Korea for you… Wait a minute.”

Lee Hyun-soo picked up his phone.

“Oh, you’re quick.”

It was a completely unknown number. Even the number was strange. So, it was easy to tell who was calling.

“Hello. Is everything alright?”

[…This is Lee Jong-wook.]

“Nice to hear from you, very much so.”

Lee Hyun-soo sat on the sofa and continued the call. Without a word, Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette from his pocket and threw it to Lee Hyun-soo. Lee Hyun-soo took the cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

[First, let me ask you one thing. You said that information was leaking from our side, is that certain?]

“There’s no way to prove it.”

[Your word is enough.]

“It’s certain.”

There was a slight silence.

[Lee Hyun-soo, if that’s true… I know that no matter what we say, it won’t be an apology. But we have to at least try to avoid responsibility. I’m really sorry.]

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

This person was definitely qualified to lead a department. He was quick to judge and responded well.

“Well, it’s okay. It’s not like it was done on purpose. Problems pop up here and there when you’re working, right? The important thing isn’t that. The important thing is that our work has become more dangerous because of the information leak.”

[I acknowledge that.]

“So…”

Lee Hyun-soo took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled.

“What are you going to do?”

[I heard you asked for monetary compensation.]

“Yes.”

[We will compensate you.]

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened slightly.

‘So easily?’

The contact had come sooner than expected, and they were accepting the proposal easily.

‘That means they’re very agitated.’

Lee Hyun-soo narrowed his eyes slightly. He needed to talk more to gauge their psychology.

“Make your offer.”

[First, let me say one thing. Our financial situation isn’t that good right now. As you know, the budget is transparently disclosed, so…]

“Get to the point.”

[Yes. I should.]

Lee Hyun-soo cut off Lee Jong-wook’s words firmly. That was their problem, not something they needed to consider.

[As compensation, we will prepare 300 billion in cash.]

“How much?”

[300 billion.]

“That’s… less than I expected.”

Damn it. His voice had trembled just now.

But it was a situation where he couldn’t help but make a mistake. 300 billion out of the blue, were these guys crazy?

[I know it’s not the amount you wanted. But please understand. It’s the maximum we can prepare.]

It wasn’t the amount he wanted.

But what did these guys think of him? Did they see him as a money-crazed demon?

Lee Hyun-soo, who had firmly aimed for 100 billion and was thinking of settling for around 30 billion, was stunned by the amount that had suddenly jumped tenfold.

[However, this money is a reward that will be paid only if the job is successful.]

“Of course.”

He wasn’t thinking of asking for a down payment.

There was no point in getting it in advance since he couldn’t use it anyway.

Even though Lee Hyun-soo was someone who handled large sums of money, that amount was beyond his comprehension. The reality had flown to Andromeda.

‘Does the National Intelligence Service have that much money?’

Lee Hyun-soo, slightly suspicious, tried to read more from Lee Jong-wook’s voice, but he couldn’t extract any more information.

[So, please make sure you succeed.]

“Understood. Then, I’ll see you after I’ve finished the job.”

[I wish you success.]

The call ended.

Lee Hyun-soo stared blankly at the phone. The burnt cigarette ash fell and stained Lee Hyun-soo’s clothes.

“Ah, damn it!”

Kang Jin-ho, watching Lee Hyun-soo shake off the ash, asked.

“What did he say?”

“They’re giving us 300 billion?”

“30 billion?”

“300 billion.”

Kang Jin-ho’s face became serious.

‘Am I incredibly naive or do I have no concept of money?’

He thought the guy who asked for 100 billion was crazy, but they were offering 300 billion.

Was this how much money was involved when something happened on a national scale?

“I don’t know anymore.”

“…Well, if they’re giving it, shouldn’t we just take it?”

“That’s true, but…”

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

“What do you think?”

“It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”

Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo exchanged glances.

There was no such thing as a free benefit in the world. The fact that the amount they were paying exceeded both Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo’s standards meant that they had other intentions.

“It would be nice if it was a bribe to ask for our help again, but that’s unlikely.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head slightly.

“There’s no point in worrying about it. Let’s just take care of the job first.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes darkened.

‘If you guys are playing games… you’ve made a big mistake.’

Because there are some people in the world that you shouldn’t mess with.