Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1495

“I’m not sure what you think, Director. I don’t even know how to comfort you,” Sung Joo-chan said, deciding to be honest. “But many members of the General Assembly, including myself, trust and rely on you a great deal.”

“Don’t give me that lip service.”

“It’s not lip service. Frankly, what would I gain from flattering you now? I’m not even part of the General Assembly anymore.”

That was true.

Their connection had completely severed when Sung Joo-chan left the General Assembly. There was nothing more Bang Jin-hoon could do for Sung Joo-chan. In other words, no matter how much Sung Joo-chan flattered Bang Jin-hoon, he had nothing to lose.

Sung Joo-chan spoke firmly.

“I left the General Assembly of my own accord. So, it’s a bit funny for me to say this, but from our perspective, it was definitely comforting that you, as the former Assembly Head, were still in a high position. We even thought that maybe we could aim for director, or even Assembly Head, someday.”

Sung Joo-chan gave a wry smile.

“Though I wouldn’t dare to think about it myself.”

“What’s wrong with you, man? You didn’t quit because you lacked skill.”

“Well, to be honest, my skills were a bit lacking,” Sung Joo-chan said, shaking his head.

Now that it was all in the past, he could speak objectively.

“And I still remember what you told me when I left the General Assembly. You said that path wasn’t everything.”

“…I never imagined you’d become a café manager, though.”

“Thanks to that, I was able to take a bold leap. Maybe my decision to open a café had a little influence on you, Assembly Head, when you decided to do the same?”

“It wasn’t a little, it was a lot.”

“Yes. In other words, your words to me led me to where I am today.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

‘It’s like making a mountain out of a molehill.’

If he could spin things like this, he could make a living as a con artist.

“Anyway.”

Sung Joo-chan looked intently at Bang Jin-hoon and said,

“Don’t waver, Director.”

“Many people aim to be like the Assembly Head. But a goal is just a goal. Sometimes, you need a place to lean on. If you’re not there, the members of the General Assembly will lose their place to lean on.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Bang Jin-hoon grumbled, looking awkward. Sung Joo-chan smiled at the sight.

He wasn’t just saying it to comfort him.

Sung Joo-chan also aimed to be like Kang Jin-ho, but he knew he couldn’t achieve that goal. In a General Assembly swarming with Demonic Cult members, where the elite of the Demonic Cult were being promoted as the elite of the General Assembly, and where Wiggins and Bator were starting to train their own disciples, Bang Jin-hoon’s presence was incredibly important.

While a few stand out and lead the General Assembly, the Assembly is made up of many who don’t stand out. They also need someone to look up to and rely on.

“Hold on, Director.”

“…Hold on?”

“Yes. It’s enough for you to just hold on. There are many who find comfort just by you being there. You don’t need to do anything special.”

“Hey, you punk! Am I some kind of totem? Just being there gives a buff [a beneficial effect in a game]?”

“Oh, a totem sounds good.”

Sung Joo-chan grinned.

“I think it’s great that you’re planning to do something. But Director, don’t deny what you’ve done so far. There are guys like me, too.”

Bang Jin-hoon shook his head, looking at the grinning Sung Joo-chan.

“You’re too slick.”

“Isn’t that my strength?”

Bang Jin-hoon clicked his tongue and threw the cigarette he was holding onto the ground. As Bang Jin-hoon stomped out the cigarette with his foot, Sung Joo-chan complained.

“I have to clean that up, you know.”

“Clean it up, man! There are already a lot of butts here!”

“That’s because people like you smoke and leave them.”

“Aren’t they all customers? Why isn’t there a smoking room in the café?”

“Ugh.”

He wouldn’t give in on a single word.

As Sung Joo-chan shook his head, Bang Jin-hoon looked at Sung Joo-chan with a slightly relieved expression.

“You guys, you keep in touch with each other, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Gather them up sometime. Let’s have a meal together.”

“…Of course, you’re paying, right?”

“Do you think I’d let you guys pay?”

Sung Joo-chan spoke with a slightly worried expression.

“But this isn’t General Assembly business, so you can’t use the corporate card, right?”

“I have my own card.”

“There are over a hundred of them, and they all eat like cows. Can you handle that?”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes twitched slightly.

But he couldn’t back down now, it would look too bad.

“You punk, I make good money.”

“Then I’ll try to arrange a get-together.”

“…Do it a little later. After this month’s salary comes in.”

Sung Joo-chan laughed.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yes, Director.”

“I’ll drop by often. I need to boost your sales.”

Bang Jin-hoon left those words and disappeared like the wind. Sung Joo-chan, who was quietly watching Bang Jin-hoon’s retreating figure, muttered to himself without realizing it.

“…Then at least pay before you go.”

“Boss, the sales aren’t dropping?” At Gu Jung-beom’s words, Hwang Min-soo grinned from ear to ear.

“Right? I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

“There was a drop after the opening rush, but that’s natural. I thought it would drop twice as much, but the sales have been steady for a week. I think we can start revising the projected sales and targets?”

Hwang Min-soo nodded repeatedly.

‘This is a jackpot.’

They didn’t have enough stores yet to be the number one café in Korea, but the sales were three times better than expected. If they steadily increased the number of stores, it wouldn’t be impossible to enter the major café franchise market.

‘Even considering the investment….’

They had invested a lot compared to the number of stores, but with these results, there was no need to talk about whether it was a successful investment. The sales were good enough to be considered a success even if they had invested five times more.

“Let’s not get too excited. Okay, okay, let’s not get excited!”

“I think you’re the most excited, boss.”

“Ah, no. I’m calm.”

Hwang Min-soo’s face was flushed red.

Noh Tae-gwang smirked at the sight.

‘He must be happy.’

It wasn’t that he hadn’t achieved this level of success in the past. But that was only possible with the backing of Jae-kyung and the influence of Hwang Jung-hoo.

But now, Hwang Min-soo had achieved this without those two things supporting him. In a way, it was Hwang Min-soo’s first true success in life.

How could he not be happy?

“Okay, okay. So, since the sales have increased… let’s adjust the store and headquarters settlement ratio as we initially discussed.”

“Ah, I’m against that.”

“…Huh?” Hwang Min-soo turned his head to look at Lee Hyun-joo.

“Director Lee, against it? This was agreed upon from the beginning.”

“Of course. We’re going to change it.”

Increase the settlement ratio when the store’s sales increase?

That wasn’t it.

Currently, Café Ruogo had a higher ratio for the stores than typical franchises. Under Kang Jin-ho’s instructions, the settlement ratio had been temporarily adjusted to account for the risks of opening a new business.

But with these sales, there was no need to maintain a settlement ratio that was so favorable to the store owners.

“I don’t think we need to hold ourselves back when we’re sailing smoothly. Even if we change the ratio, the store owners will still end up making much more money than they initially expected, but people aren’t always like that. They’ll feel like their money is being taken away.”

“Hmm.”

Hwang Min-soo scratched his chin.

What she said was true, but a company couldn’t cater to everyone’s feelings. Nor should it.

“This is something we have to do.”

“Boss, I…”

“I know why Director Lee is saying that. But let’s be clear about one thing. Is Director Lee doing charity work to help the store owners make a living, or is she trying to grow the company?”

Lee Hyun-joo closed her mouth.

She couldn’t readily answer that question. If she had to answer, she would say she wanted to find a middle ground, but Lee Hyun-joo knew that wasn’t the right answer either.

No matter how much you try to find a middle ground, you still need a primary goal.

“We’re not exploiting the store owners, and we’re already giving them a 20% higher settlement ratio than other places. Even if we adjust it by 10%, we’re still giving them 10% more than others.”

“That’s true.”

“Besides, we’re giving them the interior support costs and the coffee beans at almost cost price, aren’t we?”

Lee Hyun-joo nodded.

Seeing that, Hwang Min-soo spoke firmly.

“It’s not right to exploit the store owners, but the headquarters shouldn’t sacrifice itself for the store owners either. We’ll have more store owners in the future, and the sales won’t always be like this. Then this abnormally favorable structure for the store owners will hold us back. We need to make adjustments when things are going well. If we make adjustments after things get difficult, the store owners will suffer.”

“I understand, boss.”

Lee Hyun-joo accepted Hwang Min-soo’s words without question.

This was why you needed an expert in management. Lee Hyun-joo was working hard, but she was still struggling to keep up with Hwang Min-soo’s vision.

“Anyway, I’ll talk to the Chairman again about this and finalize it. Are there any other issues?”

Gu Jung-beom quickly reported.

“There’s that thing.”

“That thing?”

“Ah, that thing, that thing!” As Gu Jung-beom gave a hint, Hwang Min-soo nodded, “Ah, that thing.”

“The company contacted us. They said they’ll proceed.”

“Oh?” Hwang Min-soo smiled, looking very pleased.

“The sales will increase even more.”

“If this works out well, it’ll be a huge hit.”

“Personally, it’s fun too.”

Hwang Min-soo was about to talk about that when Lee Hyun-joo, who felt a vibration, took out her phone, switched it to silent, and put it back in her pocket. But the phone kept ringing.

“Is that a personal call?”

“It’s a call from a subordinate.”

“Then answer it. You can go out for a bit.”

“No. It’s not that urgent…” Lee Hyun-joo answered the phone. Then she frowned slightly.

“I’m in a meeting. Later… What? What did you just say?” Lee Hyun-joo’s face contorted.

“Okay. Bring them in right now. Right now!” Lee Hyun-joo hung up the phone with a fierce look. Then she bit her lip and looked at Hwang Min-soo.

“There’s a problem.”

“A problem?” Hwang Min-soo’s face also hardened slightly. Lee Hyun-joo’s expression was ominous.

“…There was an assault at one of the stores. And… the person who did it was the store owner.”

Hwang Min-soo closed his eyes tightly.

It was like pouring ice water on a business that was doing so well.

“Report it to the Chairman first.”