Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1505

[This happened last Thursday at a cafe in Gyeonggi Province. A man approached the counter, argued with the clerk, and then threw hot coffee on the clerk.]

The CCTV screen zoomed in, clearly showing the man throwing the coffee he was holding.

[When the angry clerk came out from behind the counter, the man began to assault the clerk without warning. The clerk subdued the man and dragged him out of the store.]

The CCTV footage began to replay repeatedly on the screen. The shocking image of coffee being thrown on a person was shown several times.

[This is one of the recent ‘gapjil’ videos that has become a hot topic in our society. However, the problem doesn’t end here. Around the same time, similar ‘gapjil’ incidents occurred simultaneously at the same franchise.]

The screen switched to another CCTV. This time, a customer was clearly seen causing a disturbance in the store. The scene of throwing coffee was also similarly depicted.

[The police have determined that this series of events is not a simple coincidence and have launched an investigation. They have discovered that someone orchestrated these events.]

The screen changed, showing a person covering their face with their shirt inside a police station.
Several microphones were thrust towards them, indicating that many reporters had gathered there.

[Why did you do this?]

[…I’m sorry. I just, I was just told to do as I was told…]

[Who ordered you to do this?]

[I just… through the internet…]

The screen switched again, showing a reporter standing in front of the police station.

The reporter, holding a microphone, spoke with a serious expression.

[The suspects arrested by the police have stated that they were instructed to do these things while looking for high-paying part-time jobs online. The police are currently tracking down those who commissioned these acts and plan to apprehend the masterminds soon. Meanwhile, business leaders who have heard about this incident believe that someone intentionally did this to curb the rise of the newly popular franchise industry…]

“Goddamn it!”

Crash!

A nameplate flew and hit the TV. The top of the TV cracked, the screen color changed, and the sound disappeared.

“What the hell are you doing with your work, you bastards!”

“We’re sorry, sir!”

As the man shouted, those around him lowered their heads in unison.

The man, his face contorted, began throwing everything he could grab.

“You can’t do anything right! You damn dogs! How can I trust you to work for me like this! Huh?”

“We’re, we’re sorry.”

“What are you going to do now, you morons! How did this happen less than a week after you started this! How stupidly did you carry out this plan for this to happen!”

Jeong Myeong-cheol.

That is the name of the man currently raging.

Known for his violent temper, he was truly furious, and those around him held their breath and bowed their heads.

The person standing next to him swallowed hard and spoke.

“I apologize for saying this, but even if the situation has turned out like this, the company will not suffer any direct damage.”

“Does that even make sense?”

“It’s true. No matter how much they investigate, they will never find out that we are behind this. We were that careful.”

Jeong Myeong-cheol’s expression calmed down slightly.

“Really?”

“Yes. That was our main focus. The reason things turned out this way is because we focused so much on making sure no one could trace it back to us, that we overlooked the details.”

“Hmm…”

Jeong Myeong-cheol put his chin on his hand and nodded lightly.

“That was well done.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, the cops won’t be poking around our side, right? Are you sure?”

“Of course. Not only will they not be able to find out even if they investigate, but even if they do, it won’t matter. We’ve spent a lot of money preparing for this kind of situation.”

Only then did Jeong Myeong-cheol’s expression completely relax.

But soon, his face hardened again.

“But if this happens, doesn’t that mean our plan to ruin those bastards’ business is completely screwed?”

Everyone closed their mouths.

“No, wouldn’t this actually make their image better? Didn’t we just spend our money to do them a favor?”

The atmosphere became tense again, and everyone started to watch Jeong Myeong-cheol’s reaction.

Of course, from their perspective, it was incredibly unfair.

It was none other than Jeong Myeong-cheol who started this whole thing.

It was also Jeong Myeong-cheol who didn’t like the new competitor entering the market, and who didn’t like the fact that customers were lining up at the Cafe Ruogo branch right in front of their headquarters.

Jeong Myeong-cheol was the one who ordered the work, but the responsibility fell to those below. It was unfair, but also inevitable.

Kim Sang-ho, the managing director, who had been watching the situation, carefully opened his mouth.

“Sir, there are many ways. Just because we failed once doesn’t mean we have to give up completely.”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

Jeong Myeong-cheol said in an annoyed voice.

“Why did you let it become a news article in the first place! Damn it, how much money did we give those reporter bastards? They took the money and still published this article?”

“…If we try to stop the article, we can’t avoid suspicion that we did this. It’s better to just observe for now…”

“You morons can’t do anything but observe! I’d rather throw my money into the Han River than pay you guys!”

Jeong Myeong-cheol jumped up from his seat.

“Anyway, if this causes any damage to the company, you’re all fired, fired! And don’t think it’ll end with just getting fired. I’ll throw you into the sea off Incheon!”

The man kicked the table and turned to leave the conference room.

As he left, those remaining in the conference room all sighed deeply.

Those who had been closing their eyes tightly began to murmur.

“Isn’t this a situation where we can’t just leave it alone?”

“The reporters are sniffing around and gathering. No, this isn’t even a big deal to be reported in the media in the first place…”

“The errand service guys are already being chased. It seems like some of them have already been arrested.”

“Then aren’t we going to get caught too?”

“We didn’t handle the work that carelessly. No matter how much they dig, they won’t find anything.”

“No, that’s in a normal situation…”

Everyone’s face grew heavy.

There was no one who didn’t know that the current situation was not normal. An incident that would normally not even be investigated had become a hot topic in an instant, and it was rare for the slow-moving police to act so decisively.

It meant that someone was controlling things from behind the scenes.

“What the hell are those bastards doing…”

Kim Sang-ho spoke in a heavy voice, cutting through the murmuring.

“Did you contact the higher-ups?”

“It’s like stirring up trouble. How can we contact them in this situation? It’s like admitting we’re guilty.”

“Damn it…”

A heavy atmosphere flowed.

There was no one who didn’t know what should be said next. But in the end, someone had to speak up.

But they were just looking at each other, and no one was willing to open their mouth. Kim Sang-ho, who had been watching them, bit his lip.

‘I have to play the villain again?’

It wasn’t something he couldn’t understand, but it was inevitable that he would get annoyed every time this happened.

It was already burdensome enough to deal with the higher-ups’ tyranny, but he also had to endure the pressure from the lower-level employees who were desperate to survive.

“…Let’s decide who will take the fall in case of an emergency.”

As Kim Sang-ho spoke first, tension filled the faces of the others.

“To what extent…”

“Well, do we need to go as far as the board of directors? Let’s say the sales department, which was under pressure to perform, acted on its own. Who’s the oldest manager in that department right now?”

“Rather than age, Sales Team 3 has the worst performance.”

“Then have the Sales Team 3 manager take the fall.”

“Will that work?”

“Ah, we have to make it work. There’s no evidence that we ordered it, so what else can we do? If we frame it as an individual’s misconduct, we’ll get criticized for a while, but eventually, it’ll quiet down. It’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened.”

“…Then I’ll try to make contact.”

Kim Sang-ho closed his eyes slightly.

Once contact was made, the other party had no other choice. If they didn’t accept the offer, they would never get promoted, and they would be forced to wander around in dead-end positions before being forced to resign.

In the end, they would understand that accepting the offer was beneficial for both sides.

Of course, the part about it being beneficial for both sides was a delusion.

“Make sure to tell them that the compensation will be substantial. Give them enough to live on after they get out.”

“How much are they asking for?”

“That’s something they can decide on their own. We’re not really going to give it to them anyway.”

“…We need some upfront payment.”

“Let’s think about that. We’ll see how they do.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kim Sang-ho raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.

‘Damn it.’

He didn’t know how this trivial matter had escalated to this point, but now he had to resolve this terrible situation somehow.

‘If that bastard would just shut his mouth, the company would run twice as well.’

A man with no ability or character had taken the position of president just because he was the chairman’s son and was causing all sorts of trouble. There were countless things that that damn bastard had ruined over the past few years.

Kim Sang-ho bit his lip.

‘Don’t whine.’

The high salary that Kim Sang-ho was receiving was the price for handling these kinds of incidents.

“Let’s try to lay low for now. But if the situation doesn’t improve, we’ll have to use some force. How can we let the company suffer because of those lowlifes?”

“That’s right, Managing Director.”

“That can’t happen.”

Kim Sang-ho frowned as he watched the directors eagerly agreeing with him.

‘You useless parasites.’

They were once sharp and intelligent people. That’s how they got this far. But stagnant water rots, and even clean water becomes polluted when it enters a pile of filth.

The company’s atmosphere, where everyone was only concerned with their own safety, had turned them into this. Those who had spoken up for the company, regardless of their own safety, had all been pushed out by internal politics and had already resigned.

‘Am I any different?’

Kim Sang-ho chuckled.

He had no right to criticize them. Kim Sang-ho was the leader of that pile of filth. He had climbed to this position thanks to his political maneuvering and his ability to suck up to the right people.

“MK…”

Kim Sang-ho gritted his teeth.

‘I’ll show you how dirty this industry is.’

But even as he made that decision, Kim Sang-ho couldn’t shake off the growing unease.

It felt like someone was standing behind him.

Kim Sang-ho shook his head repeatedly, trying to shake off the unease.

But no matter how much time passed, the unease only grew stronger.