Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1502

“I’ll take care of it from now on.”

Lee Hyun-soo reported this as if it were nothing much.

Kang Jin-ho, watching Lee Hyun-soo, couldn’t hide his skeptical expression.

“You think this will do it?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“I’m still a bit uneasy…”

“There’s no need to be uneasy. It’s not like I reported this to the National Intelligence Service [NIS, South Korea’s primary intelligence agency].”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That’s how the system works. What the Deputy Director of the NIS hears goes to the Director of the NIS, what the Director hears goes to the Prime Minister, and what the Prime Minister hears goes to the higher-ups. Of course, sometimes the Prime Minister step is skipped, but most of the time it’s similar.”

“Hmm.”

“Ultimately, this is something the government will decide. If they have any intention of working with us again, they’ll hit us with everything they’ve got. They’ll be out for blood.”

Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-joo stared blankly at Lee Hyun-soo.

It was a good thing Hwang Min-soo wasn’t here.

“For things like this, you need to use experts.”

“Like Director Lee?”

“Tsk.”

Lee Hyun-soo wiggled his fingers from side to side.

“I’m not even in the expert category for this kind of thing. Grabbing someone, investigating them, then digging up everyone behind them and taking them all down is something the prosecution and police have always been best at.”

Lee Hyun-joo tilted her head.

“The prosecution and police are good at that kind of thing?”

“You don’t know anything. Don’t think the prosecution and police are incompetent. Our prosecution and police are incredibly capable. They just don’t do their jobs. If you see them work when they’re up for promotion or incentives, you’d think, ‘Are there any other bastards this ruthless?'”

“…Isn’t that worse?”

“No one appreciates it even if you work hard, and the salary is the same, so who would work hard? That’s just how people are. Anyway, that’s not important right now…”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“Just watch. They’ll take care of everything themselves with this. They’ll probably use every method they can to dig everything up. Just looking at their bank statements and call logs will probably reveal everything.”

Lee Hyun-joo frowned.

“These days, they use a lot of American messengers, so you can’t catch them that way.”

“Then just ask America for it.”

“…Huh?”

‘Oh, right?’

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

“See, everyone’s thinking is wrong. Power is a really scary thing. When it’s not working, people take it lightly, but once it starts moving, you really feel it. That’s why guys with tons of money run around in the political arena, and people who seem to have everything bow down on the streets just to get one more vote.”

Power sometimes overwhelms even wealth and violence.

What money and fists can do, power can do effortlessly.

That’s why the chaebols [large family-controlled industrial conglomerates] and those called national-level thugs have consistently tried to enter politics since ancient times.

“Anyway, we just need to watch the show and eat the rice cakes [a Korean idiom meaning to sit back and enjoy the results].”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

‘They’ll take care of it.’

Lee Hyun-soo had taken the initiative. No matter how strange it seemed, Kang Jin-ho believed it would be much better than if he had done it himself.

Watching Kang Jin-ho, Lee Hyun-soo smiled faintly.

‘He’s really unique.’

Kang Jin-ho doesn’t realize how immense power is. That’s because he’s hardly ever wielded power himself.

Considering the immense power Kang Jin-ho possesses, this is truly unusual.

‘It’s like he doesn’t even realize he has such great power.’

What can you do? That’s just his nature.

Kang Jin-ho is that kind of person from the start.

“But…”

Lee Hyun-joo looked at Lee Hyun-soo with slightly sharp eyes.

“Isn’t this overstepping your authority?”

“Huh?”

“You can’t decide on your own to ease relations with the NIS or the government, can you?”

“…Oh.”

‘She’s sharp?’

Cold sweat beaded on Lee Hyun-soo’s back.

Kang Jin-ho turned to Lee Hyun-soo with a blank expression.

“No, uh, it’s not like that…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

“Actually… I think it’s a big problem to continue our relationship with the government as it is.”

“Hmm?”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched the back of his head.

“After all, this is our country. No matter how much we establish relations with other countries independently, there’s a huge difference between having a country to protect us and not having one. It’s also true that we want to maintain a good relationship if possible.”

“Hmph.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned slightly.

“Is there really a need to do that?”

“The benefits are so numerous it’s a problem. Actually, that’s why we used to try to maintain a good relationship by accommodating the government, right?”

“…That’s true.”

Kim Myung-chan had ruined it all with his crazy actions.

“Anyway, please understand this part. This is absolutely necessary.”

He meant to achieve two things at once.

He intended to resolve this issue while also easing the strained relationship with the government, and to solve everything while sitting still…

“But does that answer the question?”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-joo chuckled.

“That’s an answer to why you pushed this forward. It’s not an answer to why you overstepped your authority without reporting it, is it?”

‘Is she getting revenge now?’

Just as Lee Hyun-soo was about to quickly make up an excuse, Lee Hyun-joo turned sharply towards Kang Jin-ho and opened her mouth.

“Chairman, this is not something we can just let slide. In my opinion, Director Lee Hyun-soo’s recent overstepping of authority has gone too far.”

“I think everyone is forgetting, but Director Lee Hyun-soo is neither a director nor a president. He’s just a director. But recently, how many things has Director Lee done after reporting to the Chairman and getting permission?”

“Ah, no, that’s because the Chairman…”

Lee Hyun-joo seemed to have no intention of listening to Lee Hyun-soo’s excuses.

“I’m talking about principles right now.”

“Even if the Chairman gave the Director autonomy, that doesn’t mean he can use that autonomy as he pleases. That authority is for handling things without reporting in busy or urgent situations, right? But is this an urgent situation right now?”

Lee Hyun-soo was speechless.

Lee Hyun-joo’s lips curled up slightly.

“Chairman.”

“Hmm?”

“Stagnant water rots, and those who receive excessive favor inevitably overstep their authority.”

“Without an ounce of personal gain, and only out of concern for the General Assembly and loyalty to the Chairman, I must say that Director Lee Hyun-soo needs to take some responsibility for this overstepping of authority.”

Kang Jin-ho simply summarized the situation.

“Bow.”

Lee Hyun-soo quickly slammed his head onto the floor.

Kang Jin-ho, watching Lee Hyun-soo in a head-down position, asked blankly.

“That’s what she says?”

‘No.’

‘If you were going to ask that, you should have asked before making me bow!’

“What do you think?”

“I, I think…”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed and said,

“I think Director Lee Hyun-joo’s point is valid.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“If you know, you should do better.”

“I will correct it!”

“Get up.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo quickly stood up.

Kang Jin-ho stared at Lee Hyun-soo for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I know I can’t do everything alone.”

“I’ve already experienced that once before. I’m not someone who can do things alone. I need people to help me.”

“…Yes.”

“But I guess that’s the same for Director Lee.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes flickered slightly.

“At one point, I thought everyone in the world was made of sorghum stalks [a type of weak, easily broken plant]. They seemed like they would break if I touched them. I thought they were weak, lacked willpower, and weren’t tough enough.”

‘No, that seems to be true.’

Compared to Kang Jin-ho, even the term ‘sorghum stalk’ is too generous. Lee Hyun-soo’s accurate position is closer to a starch toothpick.

“People who can’t trust others tend to believe that only their choices are right. So they don’t seek opinions or share their worries. Eventually, they’ll go on a rampage and collapse.”

Just like Kang Jin-ho did in his previous life.

“I’m trying not to repeat the same mistakes. So I hope you don’t do that either.”

Lee Hyun-soo quietly nodded.

Kang Jin-ho’s insights into life were sometimes so profound that Lee Hyun-soo found them difficult to understand.

At times like this, he was reminded that Kang Jin-ho had lived a life far longer than Lee Hyun-soo could ever compare to.

“I apologize for causing you concern.”

“Concern? What concern? If you’ve committed a wrong, you just have to pay the price. You’re getting a three-month pay cut.”

‘No! Chairman!’

‘Since when did you start giving out such capitalist punishments!’

‘You used to beat me when I did something wrong! Now you’re cutting my pay!’

‘Just beat me! Just beat me!’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled, watching Lee Hyun-soo’s tearful face.

“Anyway, so they’ll take care of it themselves?”

“Yes! It’s a good opportunity to use the power of the state. We can use this opportunity to put a leash on them…”

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes!”

“Do it moderately, moderately.”

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue as if he was disappointed.

Watching that face, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but wonder.

‘If Lee Hyun-soo had any talent, what kind of monster would he have become?’

One thing was certain.

Someone like Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t have dared to earn the title of Demon King. Because there couldn’t be a more wicked human being in the world than that.

“And…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face became slightly serious.

“There’s something I need to ask for the Chairman’s permission.”

“Hmm?”

“Even if the prosecution and police step in and the government’s will is firm, they won’t be able to punish the person who directly ordered this. Because legally, they’ll have completed a perfect laundering.”

“That’s how they handle things. There probably won’t be a single trace of the orders from the higher-ups. They’ll probably just claim it was something they did on their own.”

“What about the funds?”

“That’s not difficult. They’ll just say they used their own private funds.”

“So…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes gleamed.

“Clearing the cafe’s name is possible with this. We could even increase sales. So you have to decide. Whether to stop there, or to go after their leaders…”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

Kang Jin-ho lit a cigarette.

Then, he slowly exhaled the smoke.

“I’ve never let anyone who touched me get away with it.”

This was Kang Jin-ho’s first principle of action.

It could never be changed, and it would never change.

“If the law can’t do it, then we’ll have to solve it with something other than the law.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded firmly.

“Understood. Then I’ll proceed that way.”

Watching Lee Hyun-soo’s determined expression, Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes slightly.

‘Nothing’s different.’

Whether it’s the Murim world [a martial arts world often depicted in East Asian fantasy] or here.