Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1552

Sip, sip.

Jeong Hong-geun quietly poured liquor into his glass.

Then, he lifted the glass to his lips. After taking a sip of the high-quality whiskey, Jeong Hong-geun slightly frowned.

‘It’s not because of pride.’

That’s what he said.

Yes, that’s what he said.

But is it really not?

Jeong Hong-geun chuckled softly.

‘Your tongue has grown longer.’

In the past, he wouldn’t have bothered to give a reason for doing something like this. And Park Sang-woo wouldn’t have dared to question what he was told to do.

‘I’ve become weak.’

He had to admit it.

He had become weak and could no longer show the same vigor as before.

It was inevitable.

No one could escape the passage of time.

God is not fair.

Talents and circumstances are all different. If you told someone born with a disability that God is fair, what would their reaction be?

The only thing that is fair is time.

Jeong Hong-geun, who once acted as if he could chew up and spit out the world, had now aged and become an old man with a bent back. Now, all that was left for him was Taekwang, which he had built over the past years.

That’s why he couldn’t forgive them.

Those who had disregarded Taekwang, and those who had carelessly touched the Jeong family, the core of Taekwang.

‘Not because of pride?’

No. This is purely about pride.

But what’s wrong with that?

From the beginning, it was Jeong Hong-geun’s pride that had brought Taekwang this far. If he hadn’t been so prideful, would he have worked so hard?

Taekwang is a company created by his pride.

To bend his pride here would be like losing his very foundation.

Besides…

‘If I lose my pride, what else is left for me?’

Taekwang is his everything.

And Taekwang was his pride.

Others might call it childish, but Jeong Hong-geun had no intention of letting go of that childishness.

He would thoroughly crush anyone who dared to provoke him and uphold his pride.

That was Jeong Hong-geun’s way.

Crack.

At that moment, Jeong Hong-geun’s head lowered.

The glass filled with whiskey had a crack in it. Jeong Hong-geun stared at the cracked glass and frowned.

‘I’ve used it for a long time.’

This glass was also old.

He couldn’t even remember when he started using it.

It was a natural law of the world to replace old things with new ones.

‘I’m old.’

Jeong Hong-geun put down the glass and clenched his fist.

‘But I’m not worn out yet.’

He would clearly show them that this time.

Three days later.

Jeong Hong-geun, who had come to work, looked at Park Sang-woo, who had come to his office in the morning.

‘Did you find out?’

‘To be honest… we haven’t been able to find out who assassinated President Jeong Myung-cheol.’

‘Then why are you showing your face here in the morning?’

‘I said we haven’t found out who it was.’

‘Hmm?’

Jeong Hong-geun’s eyes narrowed.

‘You mean it wasn’t just one person.’

‘Yes. I’ve asked around, but nothing came up. So, I tried to trace back where the pressure was coming from.’

‘Good thinking.’

‘And then one name came up.’

Park Sang-woo handed the document he was holding to Jeong Hong-geun.

‘MK?’

‘Yes. That name came up twice from those who told us not to approach. And it was difficult to find out.’

‘What kind of place is this?’

‘It’s a small mid-sized company that mainly does real estate and cafe businesses.’

‘Mid-sized company?’

‘Yes. It’s not a large corporation, but… it’s hard to explain. The more I look into it, the more bizarre it becomes.’

‘Stop beating around the bush and tell me exactly. What’s the problem?’

‘The company’s capital is enough to become a large corporation. But its sales are not that high, and it hasn’t been long since it was established, so it seems to be classified as a mid-sized company.’

‘What’s so strange about that?’

‘I don’t know the source of the funds.’

Jeong Hong-geun narrowed his eyes.

‘Source of the funds?’

‘Yes. This company is like it fell from the sky. For a company of this size to be created, there should be a starting point, but I can’t find it at all. When you look at it one by one, it’s hard to understand how this place was established.’

‘So, you’re saying…’

Jeong Hong-geun tapped the document with one hand.

‘This place might be a company that started with someone’s slush fund and political protection?’

‘…That’s a bit ambiguous too.’

‘What’s ambiguous about it?’

Jeong Hong-geun slammed the desk as if frustrated.

‘Just tell me clearly!’

‘W, well, if that were the case, there would be no reason for both the ruling and opposition parties to protect it at the same time. And how is that even possible in this day and age?’

‘…Protecting it at the same time?’

‘Yes. I contacted both the ruling and opposition parties, but both sides were silent.’

‘Huh…’

Then there are two possibilities.

Either that MK is scattering a huge amount of money to both the ruling and opposition parties, or they are doing something that benefits both of them.

There is a third possibility.

The possibility that they are suppressing both of them.

But this is not realistic. What is MK that it can hold the powerful political world in one hand and shake it?

‘So…’

Jeong Hong-geun organized his thoughts.

‘This MK is the one who took our Myung-cheol?’

‘That seems almost certain.’

‘But you don’t know who from MK took Myung-cheol?’

‘Yes.’

Jeong Hong-geun nodded.

‘Then I know everything.’

‘…Yes?’

‘What does it matter who touched Myung-cheol? It means it’s certain that they did it at MK.’

‘B, but Chairman. The whole group…’

‘If it wasn’t the company that did it, would the name MK have come up?’

Park Sang-woo closed his mouth.

Jeong Hong-geun was right.

‘In conclusion, a mere mid-sized company dared to touch our Myung-cheol, and they are putting pressure on all fronts to cover it up, is that what you’re saying?’

‘C, Chairman…’

‘Tsk, tsk, tsk, I must have looked ridiculous. To be treated like this.’

Jeong Hong-geun chuckled.

He had made such a fuss that he thought something big was coming, but it was just a mid-sized company.

‘That’s why those who don’t know the world…’

‘Chairman, I have a bad feeling about this…’

‘A bad feeling?’

‘It doesn’t feel right…’

Jeong Hong-geun’s face contorted.

‘What do you mean it doesn’t feel right? Are you telling me to cower in fear at the sight of these punks?’

‘The all-out protection is too strange. It’s beyond irrational.’

‘They must have pulled the right strings.’

‘…Is that all it takes?’

‘Listen, Executive Director Park.’

‘Yes, Chairman.’

‘You underestimate the power of the political world. Especially those guys, they unite as one if it benefits them. They protect each other and put pressure together.’

‘But the ruling and opposition parties together…’

‘Those people, they growl at each other on the outside, but they go to the sauna together and call each other brothers. If it benefits them, they are more than willing to join forces.’

Park Sang-woo sighed deeply.

What he said was all true.

But no matter how much Park Sang-woo thought about it, this series of events was just too strange.

‘The Chairman’s judgment has become clouded.’

In the past, Jeong Hong-geun wouldn’t have been so adamant. He was someone who avoided danger like a ghost, and he was someone who would somehow smell out the stronger party and stick to them.

If it were the old Jeong Hong-geun, he might have even taken gifts and tried to build a good relationship with that MK.

But now, Jeong Hong-geun was arrogant, itself.

‘Crush them.’

‘C, Chairman.’

‘Crush them. Mobilize everything you can and destroy them. And when their chairman comes here and bows his head, we’ll ask him. Who made our Myung-cheol like that, and why did they dare to touch our Taekwang?’

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

The door burst open.

‘Who dares!’

Jeong Hong-geun, who was furious at the person who had dared to open the chairman’s office door so roughly, tilted his head. The person who had opened the door was someone he knew well.

‘Myung-cheol?’

Jeong Myung-cheol rushed towards Jeong Hong-geun with a pale face.

‘N, no, Grandpa! No!’

‘Can’t you let go? What do you mean no?’

Jeong Hong-geun was furious as he looked at Jeong Myung-cheol, who was clinging to his knees.

‘Y, you can’t go there! You absolutely can’t touch them! You’ll die… you’ll die! I’ll die, you crazy old man!’

‘Wh, what?’

‘Stop it right now! Stop it right noooooow! Right now! Right now! Right noooooow!’

Jeong Hong-geun yelled and hit Jeong Myung-cheol’s head with the tall cane next to him.

Even though he was hitting him hard, Jeong Myung-cheol’s hands, which were grabbing his legs, didn’t lose their grip.

‘You! Get this guy off me! What are you doing!’

Park Sang-woo rushed over and grabbed Jeong Myung-cheol, trying to pull him away. But Jeong Myung-cheol was so strong that he didn’t budge.

‘You can’t touch them! You can’t touch those bastards! Never! Aaaaaaaah! Please save me! Please save me! I’ll live like a dead mouse! Please… please! Save me! Please!’

‘Y, you crazy bastard!’

‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!’

Jeong Myung-cheol suddenly grabbed his neck with both hands and lay down on the floor, starting to choke himself.

Seeing that, even the mighty Jeong Hong-geun could only gape in shock.

‘Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!’

Foam started to come out of Jeong Hong-geun’s mouth.

‘D, doctor! Call a doctor quickly! Quickly!’

Park Sang-woo shouted out the door, and the secretaries who were waiting outside responded loudly and began to move.

Jeong Hong-geun, who had watched the whole process, pointed his cane at Jeong Myung-cheol.

‘Did you call him?’

‘Look. Just look at how he’s become.’

Park Sang-woo closed his mouth.

As Jeong Hong-geun said, the one who called Jeong Myung-cheol was none other than himself. Since Jeong Myung-cheol was the one who had caused all of this, he thought that Jeong Myung-cheol should also be the one to stop Jeong Hong-geun.

But that turned out to be the worst choice.

‘I’ll ask you one thing…’

Jeong Hong-geun said through gritted teeth.

‘Do you think I should endure this even after seeing him like this?’

Park Sang-woo couldn’t say anything.

‘As his grandfather, as an elder of the Jeong family, and as the chairman of Taekwang, am I supposed to endure this? Answer me!’

Park Sang-woo lowered his head.

‘This is the last chance I’m giving you.’

Jeong Hong-geun glared.

‘Crush that MK or whatever it is. And bring their chairman to me.’

‘…Chairman.’

‘If you don’t, don’t even think about coming back into this room. Do you understand?’

Park Sang-woo sighed deeply and nodded.

‘I will do as you command.’

‘Get out.’

‘Yes, Chairman.’

Park Sang-woo, who had looked back and forth between Jeong Hong-geun and Jeong Myung-cheol, turned and walked out.

He saw a vision of the ceiling collapsing in his eyes.