Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1600

“The establishment of the affiliates is almost complete.”

“Hmm.”

Jeong Hong-geun, with his legs crossed, put a cigarette in his mouth.

Park Sang-woo lowered his head even further at that cold gaze.

Bloodshed.

That was the only word to describe what had been happening at Taekwang recently.

In the past month alone, more than five presidents had been fired.

While it was common to replace the executive team to refresh the atmosphere, it was almost unprecedented for such a large-scale purge to occur in such a short period.

Thanks to this, Taekwang was now so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

In the quiet company’s top floor, Jeong Hong-geun was leisurely smoking a cigarette.

“Any resistance?”

“Of course not.”

“Spineless bastards.”

Jeong Hong-geun clicked his tongue.

“If those company men have made up their minds, they should stick to it even if a knife is at their throat. Look at them, cowering after getting hit a little. They were never cut out for big things.”

Park Sang-woo didn’t dare voice his thought, ‘Well, you would actually cut their throats.’

‘They must be surprised.’

Thinking about it, it was natural from their perspective.

Although Jeong Hong-geun hadn’t stepped down from the front lines, he had been delegating most decisions to the presidents and vice presidents as he got older.

It wasn’t that he admitted he had become incompetent, but rather that he didn’t want to be bothered with troublesome matters.

This trend had been going on for several years, and now he was suddenly taking the lead and turning the company upside down. How could they not be bewildered?

Park Sang-woo, who was serving right next to him, could feel Jeong Hong-geun’s change firsthand, but how could those who couldn’t face Jeong Hong-geun know about this?

He even felt a little sympathy for them.

“So, the affiliates are almost finished?”

“Yes. We just need to handle the equity issues. But, Chairman…”

“What?”

“I can understand establishing affiliates and doing business together, but giving up Taekwang’s shares in return is a bit…”

Ts ts ts ts

Woo, huh, woo, uh…

As Jeong Hong-geun began to click his tongue, Park Sang-woo lowered his head again.

“I find it difficult to follow your wisdom, Chairman.”

“Why are you so slow to understand? Im, what did I say last time?”

“What do you mean…”

“That’s not how you do a deal.”

Jeong Hong-geun frowned.

“A deal where we gain an advantage and benefit? Good, very good. But what do we get out of it?”

“…Profit.”

“More clearly.”

“Money.”

“Right. We have enough money.”

Jeong Hong-geun waved his hand lightly.

“Do you think I’m doing this to make a few bucks? Taekwang is nothing. Even if the company goes bankrupt right now, my descendants can live like emperors for five generations.”

Park Sang-woo looked at Jeong Hong-geun with incomprehension.

If the company wasn’t pursuing profit, what was it pursuing?

“Were we always successful from the start? Have you forgotten the days when we were looked down on for selling cheap snacks?”

“Of course, I remember.”

“Right. But these days, it seems…”

Jeong Hong-geun wore a subtle smile.

“Taekwang is doing the same things as those who used to look down on us. The world keeps changing, and time keeps flowing, but all we do is defend. As you know, the defender can never stop the attacker.”

Park Sang-woo nodded.

He agreed with that statement.

The world had always repeated the same history.

The one in front always tries to defend their position, but in the end, it’s just a matter of how long they can defend it. Eventually, they will have to give up their place.

Even an impregnable fortress that seems impossible to conquer will eventually fall.

“In the past, it was a battle of who could build the highest walls. But what was the reason that battle was shattered?”

“I’m not sure…”

“Cannons appeared and broke down the walls. So, they built thicker walls, and now airplanes fly over and bomb them from above.”

“That’s why defense is difficult. No matter how efficiently you organize the system, if the concept changes, all of it becomes useless in an instant. But when did we start doing business to protect what we have?”

Park Sang-woo nodded.

He couldn’t fully understand Jeong Hong-geun’s words, but he was certain that Jeong Hong-geun wasn’t doing things without thinking.

“Taekwang’s shares? What’s the point of that? I’m not interested in what I’ve already earned. There’s so much more to earn in the future.”

Jeong Hong-geun chuckled. It was cold yet passionate.

“Don’t talk nonsense, just proceed. It’s not like there will be any problems if we just transfer some of the company’s shares.”

“There might be issues with defending management rights.”

“Do you think those people are interested in Taekwang’s management rights?”

“…Chairman.”

Jeong Hong-geun shook his head.

“Have you lived this long and still not understand people? What we consider important might be worthless to some.”

Jeong Hong-geun clicked his tongue.

Well, yeah…

For Park Sang-woo, who hadn’t experienced Kang Jin-ho, it was natural for him to think that way.

“Anyway, proceed without any setbacks.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Park Sang-woo glanced at Jeong Hong-geun and then opened his mouth.

“Chairman, but…”

“What?”

“Who are you planning to appoint as the president of the affiliates? I think it should be your son…”

“You take the position.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I said you do it.”

Park Sang-woo blinked.

“Are you talking about me?”

“Yes.”

“…Chairman, I don’t think I’m the right person.”

“In my eyes, you are the right person. My sons don’t have the capacity for that.”

“They have good academic backgrounds and good management performance.”

“Right. They are suitable to inherit the chairman’s position. But they are useless when it comes to going into uncharted territory and establishing a position. Someone like you is the right person for that kind of position.”

Park Sang-woo sighed deeply.

“Chairman, I’m old now. I don’t have the ability or the stamina to take on such a position.”

“Don’t worry. Most of the work will be handled by the other side. It will probably be a co-president system, so you just need to coordinate between their side and our side.”

Park Sang-woo closed his mouth.

He thought he could do that much.

“Hey, Executive Director Park.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“This is a project that will determine the fate of the company. I want to put the most reliable person in charge.”

Park Sang-woo trembled slightly.

“Chairman, I…”

“Help me out.”

Park Sang-woo bit his lip tightly.

“I will do my best.”

“Good, good.”

Jeong Hong-geun’s eyes turned cold as he watched Park Sang-woo tremble as if he was moved.

‘That’s why he can’t do big things.’

Park Sang-woo was a good person.

He wasn’t very talented, but he was sincere and likeable. With someone like him, he wouldn’t cause any major trouble with MK and would do well.

However, that was all.

He didn’t expect anything more from Park Sang-woo. He was just a suitable person to be placed in a suitable position.

Loyalty? Trust?

What a joke.

All that remained for Jeong Hong-geun was greed and honor.

“It seems like the preparations are mostly done.”

Lee Hyun-soo flipped through the documents and chuckled.

“This old man is full of ambition. It seems like he’s preparing thoroughly.”

“Because it’s a profitable venture.”

“There’s more to it than that.”

“Hmm?”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

“Have you watched any dramas lately?”

“…Why suddenly dramas?”

“The end of a drama where the protagonist appears as a servant of a conglomerate usually ends with the protagonist taking everything from the conglomerate and trampling on them. On the surface, it looks like a story of good triumphing over evil, punishing the wicked conglomerate, but there’s one more element in it.”

“What is it?”

“The act of trampling on the one I used to serve.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes gleamed.

“This is a secret desire that everyone has. There isn’t a single office worker who hasn’t imagined slapping their boss. Even those who voluntarily offer their loyalty will inevitably want to reverse this relationship someday.”

“…For Jeong Hong-geun, is that Japan?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“For Jeong Hong-geun, Japan wouldn’t have been a place to admire. It was just a powerful entity nearby. A powerful entity that could throw him the meatiest bone if he wagged his tail in front of it.”

Kang Jin-ho looked intrigued.

He hadn’t thought about it that way.

“But now, the opportunity has come to bite the neck of that powerful entity he’s been wagging his tail at. For Jeong Hong-geun, who has lived his whole life as a pro-Japanese figure serving Japan, such an exciting event is rare.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“I understand what you mean, but it makes me dislike him even more.”

“That’s how people are. Don’t unnecessarily overestimate human morality.”

“No, it’s not about morality, it’s more about…”

As Kang Jin-ho couldn’t continue his words, Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

“Anyway, it’s really something. It seems like he’s really going to give it a try. It’s amazing. How do you make people like this?”

That’s not something you should be saying…

Even when I brought you here, I didn’t know you would work this hard.

“Anyway, with this much, we can say that their preparations are almost complete. Now, it’s important how MK prepares.”

“Are they doing well?”

“…They’re seeing hell.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this, it’s that the idea that Koreans rush to get things done because they’re being pressured from above is a complete lie. When I told them to do it themselves, they formed a TF [Task Force] on their own and worked 24 hours a day?”

“Well, considering their bloodline, it’s not entirely incomprehensible.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled wryly.

He felt sorry for those who went to work in MK’s office hoping to live a happy life. Maybe those who are training and living here are much more comfortable.

“Anyway, I’ll try to handle it as perfectly as possible. Instead, you might have to visit Japan a couple of times, Chairman. Integrating the Yakuza [Japanese organized crime syndicate] bastards to support us isn’t going very well.”

“That’s nothing…”

It was only a two-hour flight away. For Kang Jin-ho, who didn’t need separate departure procedures, it was just a matter of taking some time.

“Any other problems?”

“There is one, but…”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled slyly.

“That’s something the government should solve, not us. And well, it doesn’t matter if it’s not solved. There are plenty of Japanese people who will do business for us. Let’s set up a puppet government.”

“I wasn’t going to say this, but…”

“Yes?”

“…Your expression changes when you’re doing this kind of work.”

“You’re mistaken. I’m a warm man.”

Too warm, I’m going to burn to death. I’m going to burn to death.