Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 174

Inside the president’s office, the loud noises made Choi Mi-sun, the secretary, quietly pour herself an Americano into her mug.

“…Looks like it’s a mess.”

It was absurd from the start.

Kang Se-ah was an idol with a clean image and was being heavily promoted by Code, wasn’t she?

In the current idol scene, where most groups are active, she was one of the few solo artists with a solid position.

‘For someone like Jun-young to get involved with her…’

Even though they were in the same company, the people belonging to The Voice weren’t of good quality. To put it nicely, they were the type who knew how to have fun, and to put it badly, they were half-gangsters.

For someone like that to mess with someone Code cherished, it was natural for things to blow up. Although, it was a bit ambiguous to even call it ‘messing with’ her.

‘But I never thought they’d come directly from Jae-kyung.’

She thought Code would handle it, but seeing that they came directly from the Jae-kyung Group, it seemed the rumors that Jae-kyung was managing Kang Se-ah were true.

‘Huh? What the heck?’

Did she just hear someone inside say something about a crazy bastard?

Even if they came from Jae-kyung, could they really say something like that? It sounded like something that would only come out if her boss was doing something that deserved a beating.

‘Did I hear wrong?’

But when she thought about it, whether that was true or not didn’t seem to matter much. Just the loud voices she was hearing were enough to tell her what the situation was like.

“Catching a rat, catching a rat.”

It felt a bit like schadenfreude [pleasure derived from someone else’s misfortune], but she also felt a bit annoyed.

It was very enjoyable to see her boss, who could be called a model of a corrupt CEO, getting a major dressing down,

but still, seeing her company’s president getting chewed out by someone else made her feel a strange sense of pity.

‘Oh my, am I crazy?’

Was this a slave mentality?

Just as she was seriously considering a consultation with a psychiatrist, the door slowly opened, and Cho Kyu-min walked out with a very relieved expression.

“Then, I look forward to working with you.”

Cho Kyu-min, holding the door, received a warm send-off from inside and went outside.

Choi Mi-sun glanced inside through the open door and saw her boss looking half-dead, and she couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh.

“Manager Lee.”

“Yes.”

“Bring Jun-young here. Right now!”

“…Yes.”

It seemed Jun-young was the one who would have to bear the brunt of the president’s anger today.

“It’s been taken care of.”

— Are you sure?

“Yes. A press release will be out soon, and we will clarify that there is no relationship with Eun-young.”

— You handled it well.

Cho Kyu-min smiled faintly.

Cho Kyu-min had never had the experience of causing a ruckus with Jae-kyung backing him. He had used some power during the former chairman’s incident, but that was done on paper and not directly, so it didn’t feel like this.

How exactly did he feel right now?

‘So this is why people try to succeed.’

The taste of power that wealth, no, that wealth brought, was very sweet. Even though he knew that power wasn’t his, it was so sweet that it felt addictive.

This was why those who had power would do anything to keep it.

‘At least it’s a great stress reliever.’

It felt like all the pent-up frustration from this scandal had been released at once.

“It’s definitely not because I can’t go shopping.”

— Excuse me?

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Cho Kyu-min cleared his throat and continued.

“So, I’m on my way back now. But Kang Jin-ho.”

— Yes.

“We’ve managed to calm things down with this incident, but what are you going to do about that brat?”

— Brat?

“You know, that kid named Jun-young. We can’t just leave him alone. He dared to hit on Kang Eun-young. If we leave him alone now, there will be many more who will approach Kang Eun-young. In your eyes, he might still be a cute younger brother, but Kang Eun-young is a woman whose charm is overflowing. We need to give him a clear warning.”

— Is that so?

“Yes. At the very least, we need to make sure he can’t work in this industry again to prevent future problems.”

Cho Kyu-min spoke with a slight exaggeration.

But his words also implied that he would handle the matter with Jun-young. Knowing how Kang Jin-ho had dealt with those who were hostile to him, Cho Kyu-min hoped that Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t get involved in this matter.

— Just leave him be.

“…Pardon?”

Cho Kyu-min’s face contorted.

He thought Kang Jin-ho was saying he would handle it himself. But Kang Jin-ho’s next words were different.

— It’s not wrong for someone to like someone, is it?

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

— The method might have been a bit excessive, but that can be fixed with a little scolding. It would be too harsh to prevent him from pursuing his dream of becoming a singer because of that.

“Yes, that’s true.”

— Just tell him not to approach Eun-young again. It’s not a big deal, really.

“But if we do it that way, we won’t be able to stop other guys from approaching her, even if we stop him.”

— That’s something Eun-young has to handle. It’s not something she should push others away for.

Cho Kyu-min nodded.

‘It’s okay.’

He had felt that Kang Jin-ho had become more aggressive than in the past, but he hadn’t lost his balance yet. Kang Jin-ho’s thoughts were exactly in line with his own.

‘He’s an amazing person.’

Cho Kyu-min had only tasted power for a brief moment, yet he felt such a great sweetness. But Kang Jin-ho had the ability to obtain endless power and wealth whenever he wanted. And the power he currently possessed was something that most people wouldn’t dare to approach.

Yet, he wasn’t swayed by his own power.

‘I can’t do that.’

It was something Cho Kyu-min couldn’t even imagine.

“Then, Kang Eun-young will be returning soon, right?”

— Huh?

“No, you said it wasn’t a big deal, right? Once the agency releases a statement, she needs to resume her activities to minimize the noise. I’m currently mobilizing my comment team to spread Kang Jin-ho’s videos.”

— I don’t know what you’re talking about, but anyway, it will take a little more time for Eun-young.

“…You said it wasn’t a big deal.”

— That’s from the guy’s perspective. Eun-young is different.

‘What kind of standard is that!’

No.

This guy… he’s dangerous in a different way.

Cho Kyu-min, who had momentarily forgotten that this man, while not intoxicated by power, was like a stalker to his family, asked in a trembling voice.

“S-so… what will happen to Kang Eun-young in the future?”

— Well, since my father also said so, she’ll be working at his cafe for a few days.

His voice was full of regret.

Considering that Kang Jin-ho usually didn’t show his emotions, it was clear that this man was very, very disappointed that he couldn’t scold his younger sister.

“Ah, I see.”

Still, it was a relief. It seemed Kang Yu-hwan had stopped Kang Jin-ho’s evil intentions.

“Then, what are you doing, Kang Jin-ho?”

— Me?

“Yes.”

— I’m at a package handling center right now.

“…Pardon?”

Cho Kyu-min asked back with a blank face.

“So, can I start working tonight?”

“Sure.”

The foreman was very curt.

“You look healthy enough, but don’t waste your potential by running away. These days, kids have no sense of responsibility. If you can’t do the work, just say you can’t. Why run away without saying anything? Then who’s going to do the work!”

Park Yu-min felt sweat forming on his forehead.

Foreman, you don’t have to worry about that.

Instead of worrying about this guy running away, you’d be better off worrying about the world ending tomorrow.

“That won’t happen.”

“They all say that at the beginning.”

The foreman said with a mocking look.

“Don’t just try it for the experience. You don’t look like you come from a poor family, but those kinds of people don’t last long.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

“Usually, in these situations, shouldn’t you be telling me to work hard?”

The foreman chuckled and said.

“You’ll see when you try it. Come back tonight. There’s nothing to do here now.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and turned to leave the office.

“Why the sudden part-time job?”

“I was told to.”

“By whom?”

“My father.”

“Hmm…”

Park Yu-min made a humming sound.

He understood his father’s intention to make Kang Jin-ho experience hardship while he was young. But…

‘Father, your son is not human.’

A log on the ground is an obstacle for a person, but a toy for an elephant.

Making Kang Jin-ho do physical labor was no different from making a fish swim in water.

‘Well, he wouldn’t know.’

Park Yu-min knew, but Kang Ji-hwan didn’t. Sometimes, family members are the ones who know the least.

Park Yu-min quietly turned his head and looked around the logistics center.

‘I’m going to meet the strongest part-timer ever.’

He was already curious about what kind of expression the foreman would make when he saw Kang Jin-ho working.

That night.

“You’re here?”

The foreman looked at Kang Jin-ho and chuckled.

“You’ve got some guts for a guy. You didn’t run away. Keep that spirit up and don’t run away until the end of your shift.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“I don’t plan to.”

“Easy to say, easy to say.”

The foreman shook his head.

Usually, package handling jobs are for day laborers. There weren’t many people who could stick with it, so many people would last a few hours, or a few months at most, before leaving for another place.

Moreover, as rumors spread that this job was tough, there were many drifters who tried to do it not as a job, but as some kind of challenge to test their grit.

In the foreman’s eyes, Kang Jin-ho looked like one of those guys.

From the start, it was easy to distinguish between someone who was actually working and someone who was just there for fun. People who had done this kind of work before had different attire.

A guy who came in jeans and sneakers was obviously a newbie.

At first, they would act tough, saying it was easier than they thought, but after three or four hours of work, they would turn pale as they felt like their backs were breaking.

Even if they looked physically fit, the muscles used for work and the muscles built in a fitness center were different in their purpose.

‘Let him suffer a bit.’

The foreman chuckled as he assigned Kang Jin-ho to the vehicle unloading, which was known to be the hardest among sorting, loading, and unloading.

But his wish was just a wish.

When the time came, the workers headed to the work area and began moving the packages from the vehicles onto the conveyor belt.

“Hey, what the hell is that guy?”

“Huh?”

The foreman turned his head at the urgent voice from behind and widened his eyes. His mouth slowly opened.

“Wh-what the hell is that guy doing?”

The foreman was horrified and started running towards the belt.