Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1478

In the chairman’s office were Kang Jin-ho, the directors, and Lee Hyun-joo.

Kang Jin-ho looked at the faces of those who had entered the conference room and couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of aversion.

‘Are we filming a zombie movie?’

Everyone had dark circles under their eyes, and their skin was a mess. Anyone would think MK was a company that overworked its people.

Although he wasn’t very interested in management and didn’t pay much attention to it, Kang Jin-ho was still doing his best for employee welfare, so he was reluctant for anyone to have such a misunderstanding.

Image aside, it was unfair.

“You should at least take some vitamins.”

“It’s not because we’re sick…”

“It does look like it.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Aren’t you all being too nervous?”

Hwang Min-soo gave a wry smile.

“It’s a problem of working too hard. Usually, when you’re working on something, you’re supposed to be busy checking things until the day of execution, but now we’ve done everything we can, so there’s nothing left to do but fidget.”

That was certainly a problem too.

“So, is everything ready?”

“No!”

Lee Hyun-joo glared.

“Chairman, you have to film the CF [Commercial Film] tomorrow!”

Oh, was it tomorrow?

Why don’t I remember hearing about it?

“We’ve put everything on the line for this! Chairman, please join us!”

“About that, I was just thinking…”

“Yes!”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Lee Hyun-joo and then opened his mouth.

“I don’t think I’ll be of much help, so is there a reason why I have to be in the shoot? Wouldn’t it be better if Director Choi filmed it alone…”

“Chairman.”

Lee Hyun-joo glared at Kang Jin-ho with an icy intensity.

Seeing that intensity, there was no doubt that Lee Hyun-joo was the granddaughter of Lee Joong-gul. She had that same bone-chilling aura.

“You promised before.”

“Uh… well, it’s not that I’m not going to keep my promise… but, rationally speaking…”

“Chairman.”

Lee Hyun-joo spoke in a cold voice.

“Don’t worry. I know you very well.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-joo, slightly adjusting her glasses with one hand, said in a detached voice.

“You don’t have any particular charm anyway.”

“Huh?”

“Your fashion sense is terrible, your sense of humor is lacking, you’re not fun to be around, and you’re not even intelligent…”

What is this?

Is this a declaration of war?

“Your personality is extremely bad, and you’re impatient, so you rush people if things are even slightly delayed. And if you suffer even the slightest damage, you can’t stand it and will do anything to get revenge.”

The eyes of the directors and President Hwang Min-soo turned to Kang Jin-ho.

Their eyes clearly said, ‘Is that what he’s like?’

The problem was that Kang Jin-ho could hardly refute any of those insults that bordered on character assassination.

No, to be honest, most of it was true.

“When you think about it, it’s a mystery why Director Choi chose a man like you. Even if her standards are low…”

Kang Jin-ho, unable to endure any longer, gave a stern rebuke.

“And you?”

Lee Hyun-joo’s eyes twitched.

It was a question of whether the man she chose, with her high standards, was Lee Hyun-soo. In an instant, Lee Hyun-joo, who had no retort, clenched her fist tightly.

But that anger was not directed at Kang Jin-ho.

“Yeah, why did I choose someone like that?”

“…You’re going to break your teeth.”

I feel sorry for no reason.

In an instant, Lee Hyun-joo, who had been exuding murderous intent, sighed and continued.

“Anyway, that kind of personality won’t show in the CF. Only your face will be shown. And your face is good enough to cover all those personality flaws. Just your face, only your face.”

She didn’t need to add those last two words.

“You ruin it when you open your mouth, but we’ve made sure you won’t have to open your mouth in the CF. You just have to stand still like a still photo, so please go without complaint! This is a matter of the company’s survival!”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

“Is there no other way?”

“There were many!”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-joo looked at Kang Jin-ho with menacing eyes and said,

“If you hadn’t wasted so much time going to China, and then wasting more time going to the US, and if you hadn’t kept coming to work only three days a month, there would have been other ways!”

“…I’ll do it.”

Okay, I’ll do it.

Don’t stab me with a knife like that.

At Lee Hyun-joo’s words, the directors looked at Kang Jin-ho with blank expressions.

When you think about it, Kang Jin-ho was the one who started the whole thing and hardly ever came to work. He even dragged his own father into it!

“Of course, it’s not necessary for the chairman to be involved in every single business matter. The chairman’s job is to set the direction and confirm that the direction is correct, not to handle the details.”

Hwang Min-soo, feeling sorry for Kang Jin-ho who was constantly being attacked by Lee Hyun-joo, stepped in to help.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Hwang Min-soo added with a gentle smile.

“But you should at least show some interest so that the people working feel motivated.”

“…Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho sank into the sofa.

“Then, I’ll assume you’ll be filming tomorrow. You don’t have to worry too much. I’ve asked for you to play a role where you just stand there like a wooden statue, considering your condition. You can just sit and drink coffee.”

“I think I can do that well.”

Even if Kang Jin-ho wasn’t good at acting, that much shouldn’t be a problem.

“We’ll start advertising extensively as soon as the editing is done. Originally, the editing should have been finished already, and we should have already confirmed the broadcast schedule and be waiting…”

*Click.*

Lee Hyun-joo started biting her nails. Her anxiety was contagious, even to Kang Jin-ho. He suddenly felt like he needed to go to the bathroom.

“What about the franchisees?”

It was a relief to find a topic to change the subject.

“The training is perfect. Except for the fact that the franchisees are a little more likely to do ridiculous things due to their nature, everything else is fine.”

“Isn’t that the biggest problem?”

“It’s okay. I told them I’d kill them if they messed up.”

When Kang Jin-ho looked at her with a blank expression, Lee Hyun-joo chuckled.

“I’m just kidding.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Actually, it’s worse. They’re monitoring each other.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-joo shrugged.

“This is an unexpected side effect, but since the franchisees know each other… they say they’ll go and kill the owner of any branch that gets a bad reputation for poor service.”

Oh? Oh, that’s possible. Yes, that makes sense.

They’re all colleagues. Now they’re more like friends than colleagues.

“They’ve even created their own community and are posting pictures of their cleaning and interior design upgrades, having bragging battles.”

“…Why?”

“That’s how kids play these days.”

You’re talking like you’re not one of those kids.

Kang Jin-ho looked completely bewildered.

“Anyway, it’s been helpful so far, so I’m planning to leave it as it is.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It’s good that they seem motivated.

“It’s nice that you can even make jokes like that.”

“Jokes?”

Lee Hyun-joo tilted her head.

“Chairman, no, Chairman. It seems like you think they’ve become normal people just because they came out of the gang, but those guys will hang anyone who interferes with their livelihood under a bridge.”

“They’re holding back because they can’t touch ordinary people, but they don’t need such standards among themselves. They’ll probably go in a mob of dozens and beat someone to a pulp.”

Kang Jin-ho’s forehead was slightly damp with sweat.

Come to think of it, they really were capable of that.

“It means they’re all putting their lives on the line for this. So please consider the weight of that burden, Chairman. You may have started this with a light heart, but it’s no longer a light matter. At least hundreds, maybe even more, lives are at stake.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded firmly.

“I’ve never thought of it lightly.”

“I thought you would. Because that’s the kind of person you are.”

Trust was evident in Lee Hyun-joo’s eyes.

But the direction of that trust was the problem.

“So please do your best in the shoot tomorrow. And please appease the director as well.”

Kang Jin-ho staggered to his feet.

“…I’ll try.”

“Go and rest. For tomorrow’s perfect performance!”

Kang Jin-ho nodded weakly and stumbled out of the conference room.

“Then, everyone, good work…”

*Thud.*

As soon as Kang Jin-ho left the conference room, everyone sighed.

“Well, I still have some preparations to do…”

“Ah, okay. Director Lee.”

As Lee Hyun-joo also left the conference room, Noh Tae-gwang chuckled and said,

“Isn’t he a real gem?”

“Director Lee? I think so too.”

“No, I mean the chairman.”

“Huh?”

Hwang Min-soo turned his head to look at Noh Tae-gwang.

“I’ve heard countless times about breaking down authoritarianism, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone who doesn’t assert their authority to this extent. Can you imagine this kind of scene happening in the business world?”

“…No, I can’t.”

A mere director talking back to Hwang Jung-hoo and telling him what to do?

‘That’s impossible.’

Hwang Jung-hoo wouldn’t even need to get angry. Before Hwang Jung-hoo, the directors and the executive team would have flipped out.

In the business world, Hwang Jung-hoo was like a king. And even the smallest petition to a king had to be done with formality.

But what about Kang Jin-ho at MK?

‘It’s even more than that.’

Judging by the power he held, Kang Jin-ho was more like an emperor. Hwang Min-soo had never imagined that there would be a manager in a Korean company who had more power and was more respected than Hwang Jung-hoo.

But the power that Kang Jin-ho held at MK far surpassed Hwang Jung-hoo’s in the business world, and the respect he received was also greater than Hwang Jung-hoo’s.

He was literally an emperor.

He was at a level where he could do whatever he wanted.

And yet, that person was being scolded by a mere director, and he was sulking and running away from the conference room.

It was ironic.

“He’s a gem, indeed.”

His way of thinking is different from ordinary people.

Authority and power are like a sword. Everyone knows that if you wield it wrongly, you can hurt yourself, but anyone who gets a sword wants to take it out of its sheath and swing it around.

But Kang Jin-ho has no desire to swing that sword.

That’s why people feel comfortable around Kang Jin-ho. Because they’re sure that the sword won’t hurt them.

Choi Byung-chan, who had been watching the situation, quietly opened his mouth.

“It’s not a matter of him being a gem or whatever, let’s just finish preparing for the opening. If this doesn’t go well, we’re going to get beaten by that gem.”

Choi Byung-chan shrugged.

“I’ve filmed many commercials when I was in the business world, but honestly, I’ve never seen a face like his. The advertising effect will be significant. The only problem is that his recognition is a bit lacking, but the director will cover that.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, it’s better to prepare to increase the advertising effect by using this somehow. Like giving out prizes if people post pictures of the chairman’s face on social media.”

“…Is it okay to do that?”

“Once we do it, what can we do? It’s better to get criticized than to fail. We have to succeed first, don’t we?”

At Choi Byung-chan’s words, Hwang Min-soo nodded.

“Let’s call in some young people and get some ideas. I have a feeling something amazing will come out.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The executives had no idea what kind of suffering this simple suggestion would bring to Kang Jin-ho.