Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1494

“Ughhh…”

Sung Joo-chan groaned, quickening his pace.

‘I really should buy a car.’

This was all because of adapting to the General Assembly [a powerful organization]. Since a car wasn’t really necessary within the Assembly, he was already over thirty but still didn’t have a license.

He had vowed to get his license as soon as he left the Assembly, but he ended up taking over the store in a hurry, and it never happened.

He didn’t feel particularly inconvenienced when commuting to work as usual, but it was incredibly inconvenient when he had to stop by other places like today.

‘It’s such a pain.’

If he really wanted to, he could run faster than the cars in this city, though not as fast as those on the highway. But Sung Joo-chan suppressed the urge that was rising within him.

He was no longer a martial artist.

Having decided not to walk the path of a martial artist, he now had to rely on the strength of his two legs, not his inner energy. Though sometimes, he found it cumbersome.

‘I have to keep my end of the bargain.’

The Assembly was doing a lot for them. It was unacceptable for Sung Joo-chan to not even endure this minor inconvenience.

Sung Joo-chan knew how much money Kang Jin-ho and MK had invested in this venture. Of course, it was a success so far, but that was only in hindsight.

They could have lost all the invested money with just one misstep. Yet, Kang Jin-ho had spent that much money for them without any hesitation.

So, he had to work his bones to the ground.

However…

“Damn it, I’m never getting re-educated again.”

Sung Joo-chan gritted his teeth.

Being re-educated by Lee Hyun-soo, who had gone half-mad, was an experience he never wanted to repeat in his life.

It was already bad enough that they threw the guys who messed up store management in front of the Assembly’s devil, so even though it was called re-education, it felt like rolling around in the fiery pits of hell.

Why did he have to roll around on the floor until it was worn out while getting re-educated on cafe operations?

“Ughhh…”

But perhaps because they had sinned, no one dared to resist.

In fact, there was no excuse for the fact that the management of a store that had been open for less than a week was not up to par.

‘Me included.’

The manual stated that they had to use a manual grinder. He had only used the old automatic grinder for a moment because he couldn’t handle the rush of customers…

‘How did he know by just tasting the coffee? That guy’s like a ghost.’

He didn’t know if Kang Jin-ho’s sense of taste was amazing or if he was just obsessed with coffee.

Still, one thing that was a relief was that the number of people getting re-educated was surprisingly high.

‘They must have all messed up something. You idiots.’

Of course, Sung Joo-chan, who was also included in that group, had no right to say that.

Kang Jin-ho had visited all the stores in the metropolitan area that day. If Kang Jin-ho’s car had approached, the store owners might have noticed…

‘Who would have thought he’d do it on a bicycle?’

No one could have imagined that.

“Anyway, he’s an amazing person.”

Sung Joo-chan shook his head and headed to the store. Then, he opened the door and went inside.

“Good morning. Or should I say, good afternoon?”

Anyway, he had been re-educated. So, he would work hard today too…

“Huh?”

Sung Joo-chan’s gaze was fixed on the man sitting in the middle of the store.

“You’re late! You punk!”

Huh?

Wait, isn’t that Director Bang?

“…Would you like a cup of coffee?”

Bang Jin-hoon waved his hand.

“No, thanks. Unlike the Chairman, coffee doesn’t really suit me. The kids seem to like this cafe thing, but I just can’t get into it.”

“Ah, then how about some cold water?”

Bang Jin-hoon glanced at the menu board.

“Do you have anything sweet? Something really sweet.”

“…Would you like a smoothie?”

“Those are gone in one sip. Do you have shaved ice? Something with strawberries.”

Wow, his taste is very specific.

Sung Joo-chan quickly made a shaved ice and returned to the counter. He made a cup of coffee for himself and sat across from Bang Jin-hoon.

Bang Jin-hoon looked at the coffee he had made and frowned slightly.

“Hey, how can you, a cafe owner, drink that coffee?”

“…The Chairman told me to drink at least three cups a day to make sure the coffee taste doesn’t change.”

“That guy, really.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

“Whatever he does, it’s always like that.”

“I agree.”

Sung Joo-chan really agreed with that statement.

“By the way…”

“Hmm?”

“You didn’t just come here for shaved ice, did you?”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

“That’s right, you punk. I came for shaved ice.”

As if to prove that wasn’t a lie, Bang Jin-hoon started shoveling the shaved ice into his mouth. The large bowl of shaved ice was emptied in an instant.

“It’s not bad.”

Bang Jin-hoon threw his spoon into the empty bowl and smiled.

“Well, I didn’t come here for any particular reason. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Bang Jin-hoon looked around the store and then fixed his gaze on Sung Joo-chan.

“I’ve never thought about this before.”

There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“You came to me a long time ago, remember?”

“Yes, I remember.”

Sung Joo-chan sighed deeply.

Before the war with Japan, Bang Jin-hoon was looking for people who would leave the Assembly. At that time, Sung Joo-chan had chosen to leave the Assembly.

He couldn’t bear the heavy burden of killing each other, risking their lives.

“Do you remember what I said back then?”

“Yes, I remember. You said that I wasn’t wrong.”

“That’s right.”

Their voices were drowned out by the noise in the cafe.

“You know…”

Bang Jin-hoon scratched his head, looking uncomfortable.

“I thought that was all I had to do. I thought my best was to lighten the hearts of those leaving the Assembly. I spoke as if I knew everything… but I didn’t know. That those who left the Assembly would somehow survive. I thought their lives were none of my business.”

Sung Joo-chan smiled bitterly.

“Isn’t that the truth?”

“…The truth?”

“Yes.”

Sung Joo-chan hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Just like a company doesn’t need to care about those who have resigned, the Assembly doesn’t need to care about those who have left. They made their own choice.”

“That’s right, that’s what I thought.”

Bang Jin-hoon shook his head.

“But there are people who aren’t like that, right?”

He was talking about Kang Jin-ho.

Sung Joo-chan knew what Bang Jin-hoon was trying to say, but he couldn’t agree with Bang Jin-hoon’s thoughts.

“But isn’t that just because the Chairman is weird?”

“Hmm?”

“Who would care about things like that? I don’t think you did anything wrong, Director. You’re normal, and the Chairman is just being unnecessarily nosy.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

Perhaps Sung Joo-chan was right.

Kang Jin-ho was the type of person who always started something new whenever he had a little free time. Maybe this whole thing was just something he stumbled upon while looking for something suitable to fit into his ‘new thing’.

But even so, Bang Jin-hoon couldn’t just laugh it off.

Because this was something that Bang Jin-hoon should have done in the first place.

“You know…”

Bang Jin-hoon stared at Sung Joo-chan and then opened his mouth with a slightly bitter expression.

“I’m a pretty useless person.”

“No, no, Director. What are you talking about?”

“It’s the truth.”

Bang Jin-hoon reached out and grabbed the coffee in front of Sung Joo-chan and gulped it down.

Thud.

Bang Jin-hoon put the coffee cup on the table and made a subtle expression.

“I might not have been before. But honestly, if I wasn’t in the Assembly right now, would the Assembly collapse? Nothing would really change, right?”

Sung Joo-chan closed his mouth at Bang Jin-hoon’s words.

He wanted to say that wasn’t true, but honestly, both Sung Joo-chan and Bang Jin-hoon knew it was a lie.

Bang Jin-hoon’s words might have been cynical, but they were close to the truth.

“But the reason I had pride as a member of the Assembly was… that I was a ‘sacred bone’ of the Assembly [a term for someone with a long family history within the organization]. The Chairman, Lee Hyun-soo, and the other board members are all outsiders.”

“That’s right.”

Bang Jin-hoon looked around and frowned.

“Is there a smoking room here?”

“Ah, there isn’t.”

“…Let’s go outside. I need a smoke.”

“Didn’t you quit smoking?”

“I smoke about one every two months, you punk. How can I not smoke when there are smoking areas everywhere?”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and went outside. Sung Joo-chan followed him silently.

Click.

Bang Jin-hoon, who had gone into a secluded alley and lit a cigarette, exhaled a deep puff of smoke and frowned.

“I don’t know why I smoke this. It’s just bitter.”

“Then don’t smoke it.”

“Shut up, you punk.”

Bang Jin-hoon put the cigarette back in his mouth and took a deep drag.

“Where were we… Ah, right.”

Bang Jin-hoon smiled bitterly and continued.

“Sacred bone. Yeah, that damn sacred bone. It’s a funny thing to say. This isn’t the Silla Dynasty [an ancient Korean kingdom], why does lineage matter? But it’s strangely stuck in my head. Everyone else came from the outside, so in the end, only the goal matters. They won’t take care of the Assembly members. I have to take care of them. I have to stick to the board of directors and make sure the kids have a way to make a living.”

Smoke escaped from Bang Jin-hoon’s mouth.

“It was all bullshit.”

“…Director.”

“The one who hated raising the kids’ salaries was Lee Hyun-soo, and the one who made the kids’ business cards was Lee Joong-gul’s granddaughter, whom I tried to beat to death… and the one who created jobs for the kids who left the Assembly and made them money was the Chairman.”

Bang Jin-hoon looked straight at Sung Joo-chan.

“I didn’t do anything.”

His voice sounded so bitter.

“I was just all talk. If I really wanted to do something, I should have been out there moving instead of just sitting in a comfortable position and talking. I was just all talk.”

“Director, none of us think that way.”

“Want to hear something even funnier?”

“…Yes?”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and said.

“The Chairman is doing all this to make sure you guys live well, but all I’ve done since the Chairman came is make martial arts for the kids to learn. I’m doing what I was worried about, and the Chairman is doing what I should have done. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Sung Joo-chan closed his mouth.

He didn’t even think about offering comfort. Bang Jin-hoon’s expression looked too bitter.

“That’s why I came.”

“I just wanted to see how you guys were doing. Don’t worry, you punk. I didn’t come here to wish for your downfall. I really want you to do well.”

Sung Joo-chan slowly nodded at Bang Jin-hoon’s words.

What should he say?

Sung Joo-chan hesitated for a moment and then slowly opened his mouth.