Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1551

‘Find out who it is, even if you have to mobilize all the company’s resources.’

Executive Director Park Sang-woo glanced up at Jeong Hong-geun.

The moment he saw Jeong Hong-geun’s stubbornly closed lips, Park Sang-woo realized that no further words would be meaningful.

Having served Jeong Hong-geun for so long, it wasn’t difficult for him to gauge Jeong Hong-geun’s feelings just by looking at his expression.

However…

‘Chairman.’

Sometimes, a salaryman has to push forward even when they know it’s futile.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to endure this time?’

Jeong Hong-geun’s eyes narrowed.

‘You.’

‘Yes, Chairman.’

‘Are you saying that because you don’t know my temper?’

‘No, Chairman. How could I not know how deeply you’ve been troubled by this matter?’

‘And yet you still spout such nonsense?’

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

‘Bad feeling, my foot!’

Jeong Hong-geun roared.

‘Has there ever been a time when you said you had a good feeling before doing something big? It’s always been a bad feeling, hasn’t it?’

‘Chairman…’

Park Sang-woo sighed deeply.

‘Even so, the fact that you keep me by your side means you think there’s some merit to what I say, doesn’t it?’

Jeong Hong-geun closed his mouth as if agreeing with those words. Still, he didn’t forget to click his tongue briefly, showing his dissatisfaction.

‘The fact that the Chief Prosecutor is saying such things means this matter is dangerous. If it were some ambiguous power figure, they would have just revealed who it was and suggested a negotiation.’

‘Does that even make sense?’

Jeong Hong-geun said with a resolute look.

‘Who am I? And who are you?’

‘…You are the Chairman of Taekwang Group.’

‘Do you think I haven’t thought about it? I have! But in South Korea, where is there a place that can unilaterally crush our Taekwang, that’s what I’m saying!’

Executive Director Park Sang-woo sighed deeply.

In fact, Jeong Hong-geun’s words weren’t entirely wrong. In today’s world, it’s almost impossible to completely destroy a company.

Especially in today’s world, where information travels so quickly, it’s not possible to just crush a company and then come up with a suitable explanation, like in the past military regimes.

This is because the group’s financial information and business itself are already somewhat public.

It’s not easy to suppress even a small company, so to destroy Taekwang?

‘It doesn’t make sense.’

Even if the President himself were to step in, he would have to bear a lot of political burden. If he couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation, there would even be a risk of impeachment.

So, who would dare to take on such a burden and touch Taekwang?

Such a thing is realistically impossible. That’s why Park Sang-woo is so confident.

‘Still, Chairman, there must be a reason why the Chief Prosecutor is saying such things.’

‘Chief? Chief Prosecutor? What do they know?’

‘…Chairman.’

Jeong Hong-geun scoffed.

‘Do you know what kind of people prosecutors are? They’re the kind who think power is everything. Of course, they would. They’re in a position where their heads can be chopped off if their superiors even lift a finger. Besides, when successful chairmen go to the prosecutor’s office, they all go in wheelchairs and bow down, so they think chaebols [large family-owned business conglomerates] are nothing special.’

‘What do those bookworms know? They think the world they know is everything. That’s why they say such things carelessly. There’s no need to pay attention to it.’

‘But, Chairman.’

Jeong Hong-geun’s face contorted.

‘Executive Director Park.’

‘Yes, Chairman!’

‘Are you trying to make me angry?’

Park Sang-woo shut his mouth tightly.

Anger was brewing in Jeong Hong-geun’s eyes. Any more than this would be dangerous, even for him. He wouldn’t be fired, but a temporary transfer would be unavoidable.

‘I don’t usually do things like this. Don’t you understand?’

‘What are you talking about…’

‘Those bastards know. They know that those bastards touched our Jeong family! That means they’ve already set a trap.’

‘That’s true, but… why is that?’

‘They did it knowing, knowing!’

Park Sang-woo’s eyes flickered slightly.

‘They did this knowing that Myeong-cheol is my grandson! And they anticipated that I would get angry and made arrangements with the prosecution beforehand. If that’s not trying to screw me over, then what is it!’

Jeong Hong-geun slammed the table in a fit of rage.

‘How dare they do such a thing unless they see this Jeong Hong-geun as a pushover! Do you really think this is just about Myeong-cheol?’

Park Sang-woo closed his eyes tightly.

If Jeong Hong-geun’s words were true, then this could no longer be limited to Jeong Myeong-cheol’s matter. This was a provocation against Taekwang and a provocation against Jeong Hong-geun.

‘I need to see it with my own eyes. Who are these bastards who are disrespecting this Jeong Hong-geun and doing such things!’

‘Chairman… something you can’t handle might happen.’

‘Is there anything in this South Korea that I can’t handle?’

‘Don’t talk nonsense. Who am I that anyone would dare to ignore me in this country? Even the President can’t do that! Find them! Find out who these bastards are who did this, even if you have to mobilize all the company’s resources! Understood?’

In the end, Park Sang-woo had no choice but to nod.

‘…Understood, Chairman. As you instructed, I will find out who killed President Jeong Myeong-cheol.’

‘Executive Director Park.’

‘Yes, Chairman.’

‘When people get old, they become more worried and fearful. You and I are old. You know that, right?’

‘…Yes.’

‘If an old man wants to act like a young person, there’s only one way. Even if you’re scared, you have to brace yourself and endure it. As if you’re not scared. If you can’t do that, then you have to step down!’

‘…Yes, Chairman.’

Jeong Hong-geun stared at Park Sang-woo for a moment before opening his mouth.

‘I’m not scolding you right now.’

‘Yes. I understand, Chairman.’

‘It’s the same thing. If you get scared, you have to step down, and the day I get scared is the day I step down. What do we have left now? Are our minds as sharp as the young ones, or can we react as quickly as they can? All we have left is experience and guts, isn’t that right?’

‘You are right, Chairman.’

This wasn’t just an empty statement.

Those words were correct.

Now, it was impossible for Jeong Hong-geun or Park Sang-woo to keep up with the young ones. Nevertheless, in order to hold their heads high as chairman and executive director, they had to do what the young ones couldn’t.

‘If we take one step back now, it’s over. If we take one step back, giving up another step is nothing. Does this seem like a trivial matter to you?’

‘…No, it doesn’t.’

‘This is a challenge to Taekwang and a challenge to me. If word gets out that I just let this slide, the entire business world will show their teeth, thinking that I’ve lost my power! Understood?’

‘…Yes.’

Jeong Hong-geun looked at Park Sang-woo with a displeased expression before sighing slightly.

‘There are times when people should step back, and times when they shouldn’t. If this were a time to step back, I would have bowed down. It’s not like an old man is just looking for his pride.’

‘I understand, Chairman.’

‘Alright. Then go find out quickly.’

‘Yes, Chairman.’

Park Sang-woo rose from his seat and bowed deeply to Jeong Hong-geun.

Then, he left the chairman’s office and closed the door.

Leaning against the door of the chairman’s office, Park Sang-woo closed his eyes slightly and let out a deep sigh.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

Jeong Hong-geun’s words also made sense. No, if you think about it logically, Jeong Hong-geun’s words are correct.

However, Park Sang-woo couldn’t easily shake off the persistent feeling that had been nagging at him since earlier.

‘This matter is unsettling.’

If you asked why he was uneasy, he wouldn’t have a good answer. However, the circumstances surrounding everything were not normal.

Chairman Jeong Hong-geun said that the Chief Prosecutor was saying such things because he was a bookworm who didn’t know the world, but…

‘How could a bookworm who doesn’t know the world rise to the position of Chief Prosecutor?’

It was true that they feared the political world more than the business world, but they were also the kind of people who wouldn’t hesitate to join hands with the business world to attack the political world if necessary.

This matter was definitely unsettling.

‘How did it go?’

As soon as they heard that he had been called into the chairman’s office, the directors who had gathered in front of the chairman’s office urged Park Sang-woo.

‘…He told me to investigate for now.’

‘Are you talking about President Jeong Myeong-cheol’s matter?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Even so, for the group to directly intervene in such a matter…’

Park Sang-woo frowned.

‘Such a matter? The chairman’s grandson was hurt, and you’re just going to dismiss it as such a matter?’

‘I-I’m sorry.’

‘Watch your mouth. Where do you think you are!’

The directors shrank back at Park Sang-woo’s lowered voice.

‘There’s no need for such talk. Just carry out the chairman’s orders.’

‘Should we try to make connections?’

‘First, there will be people involved in the police or prosecution, so use all the connections you know to probe.’

‘The funds…’

‘Just report to me, and I’ll provide as much support as you need. First, ask everyone who might know something. And… it seems this matter is also related to the political world, so probe the political circles as well.’

‘It won’t be easy with the ruling party.’

‘Has anything ever been easy?’

Park Sang-woo glared at them with cold eyes, and they all lowered their heads.

‘If you’re getting paid to work, you have to earn your keep. If you can’t even handle something like this properly, you don’t deserve to receive such a high salary!’

‘…You are right, Executive Director.’

‘Move it.’

‘Yes!’

As the directors scattered, Park Sang-woo let out a deep sigh.

The only place where you could even argue with Chairman Jeong was inside the chairman’s office. Once you left the chairman’s office, the decisions made there became law.

That was the rule of Taekwang, and the reason why this company, with so many people, had been able to move so efficiently until now.

Even if it was a wrong order, it was better to make a mistake in unison than to be divided.

‘That’s how it’s been until now.’

Until now.

However, Park Sang-woo couldn’t shake off one suspicion.

‘But is that really right?’

What if this unity, when it worked at its worst, resulted in dragging the entire group into hell?

‘No, it won’t.’

Park Sang-woo shook his head.

Perhaps the day his imagination was correct might come. But not now. It shouldn’t be now.

‘Taekwang doesn’t fall so easily.’

It was a group that had endured countless crises and come this far. It was a company he had dedicated his entire life to. There was no way such a huge company would collapse over something like this.

No matter who the opponent was, it wouldn’t be easy to go up against Taekwang.

Even if they were to experience a bit of a crisis…

Park Sang-woo glanced at the door of the chairman’s office.

‘It might be an opportunity for the chairman to let go a little.’

The die was already cast.

Park Sang-woo lightly pressed his temple and walked towards the elevator.

Hoping that everything would work out well.