Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1799

“Your expression is a bit….”

“Pardon?”

“No, not your expression, more like your aura? Anyway, it’s a bit….”

Cho Kyu-min tilted his head, looking at Kang Jin-ho.

It was hard to explain in words, but Cho Kyu-min clearly felt that Kang Jin-ho’s aura had changed.

It wasn’t that he looked brighter or heavier.

It was a change that couldn’t be explained with such simple words.

If he had to use a rough word, ‘deeper’ would be the closest, but even that didn’t feel like a perfect explanation.

‘And….’

Cho Kyu-min scratched his cheek lightly.

He could sense a sense of ease from Kang Jin-ho.

This was quite strange.

The old Kang Jin-ho was like an untamed beast. Of course, he didn’t bare his fangs carelessly, but he had a wildness that made you feel like he would bite your throat if you tried to touch him.

But the current Kang Jin-ho was more like….

A person.

Yes, he seemed like a person.

A person leaning back on the sofa comfortably.

Just as he appeared.

“It’s kind of strange.”

“You’ve been appraising me since a while ago….”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

Kang Jin-ho felt embarrassed as Cho Kyu-min bowed his head decisively.

Ah, it’s not Lee Hyun-soo.

Lee Hyun-soo would have brushed off such words with a sly remark.

Cho Kyu-min, wearing a wrinkle-free suit, smiled and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Anyway, I’m glad you look brighter.”

“Thank you, Manager.”

Cho Kyu-min glanced at the door.

“The Chairman is in a meeting right now….”

“It’s alright. I didn’t come to see the Chairman.”

“Hmm, is it about the orphanage foundation again?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

“I heard you visited the orphanage.”

“It’s well-managed.”

“I put some effort into it.”

Cho Kyu-min smiled. He didn’t do it for praise, but it always felt good to be recognized by a superior.

Kang Jin-ho nodded slightly and continued.

“It seems like it’s time to start working….”

Cho Kyu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho with interest.

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the type to give orders, but he sometimes brought big projects.

‘I was getting a little bored anyway.’

As his work became more specialized, his responsibilities in the company had decreased quite a bit. So, he was starting to have some free time.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’m going to reorganize the foundation.”

“The foundation?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“The orphanage itself seems to be running quite well, but that’s thanks to the hard work of the childcare teachers. There’s no guarantee that we can continue this way.”

“That’s a very accurate point.”

“I’ve realized recently….”

Kang Jin-ho looked a little awkward.

It felt strange even to himself to say these words.

“When there’s a problem, there are two ways to solve it. Individual effort and changing the system.”

Kang Jin-ho said firmly.

“Individual effort might be more meaningful in a small area, but it’s a little different when many people have to work together.”

“……Wow.”

Cho Kyu-min opened his mouth without realizing it.

If someone else had said these words, Cho Kyu-min wouldn’t have been surprised at all. It was such an obvious truth.

But the fact that those words! That truth came from Kang Jin-ho’s mouth was truly meaningful.

Cho Kyu-min took off his glasses and wiped his eyes.

“You’ve finally learned to speak like a human being. As the acting director, I couldn’t be happier.”

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho’s eyebrows twitched.

“Anyway, so….”

Kang Jin-ho sighed once and continued.

“I’m going to try to properly set up the nominal foundation office.”

“……The foundation office?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Cho Kyu-min scratched his cheek.

When the corporation was first established, they did set up an office. But most of the work was handled directly by the orphanage or by Cho Kyu-min, so the office was practically empty.

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho, what do you mean by properly setting up the office? Do you mean hiring people to handle the work and properly operate the office?”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“Instead of that small office, I’m going to rent a foundation building. And then, I’m going to properly support the orphanages. So that the foundation can run on its own even when I’m not there.”

Cho Kyu-min’s eyes widened.

“Are you perhaps?”

“That’s what I mean. It’s not that I’m going to step away from the foundation.”

“Ah, I understand.”

He understood the words, but he didn’t understand the reason.

“Let me ask you one more thing. As you said earlier, Mr. Kang Jin-ho, the orphanages are currently running quite well without additional staff. In fact, I’m confident that they are being run better than any other orphanage in Korea.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So, is there really a need to hire unnecessary staff? If you need an office, we could gather the administrative staff working at each orphanage foundation and bring them to the office….”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“That won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“What I’m trying to do isn’t support.”

Kang Jin-ho said firmly.

“To be able to think about new ideas or new fields, you need to have the capacity. If you gather people who are busy with their current work, they won’t be able to work while dividing their time.”

Cho Kyu-min smiled wryly.

‘He was the one who told me to do that until recently.’

Hwang Jung-hoo was also a believer in hard work that no one could stop, but compared to Kang Jin-ho, he was an angel of welfare.

In Cho Kyu-min’s eyes, Kang Jin-ho was a stubborn old man who had crawled out of hell. But now, that old man was saying things that even Cho Kyu-min considered progressive.

“What kind of support are you planning to provide?”

“I’ll have to think about that while setting up the office.”

“••••••Pardon?”

At Cho Kyu-min’s question, Kang Jin-ho chuckled and took out a cigarette.

“Is it okay if I smoke?”

“……You’re asking about everything. It’s not like you’re about to die.”

Kang Jin-ho, looking displeased, lit his cigarette.

“Phew.”

Kang Jin-ho exhaled a short puff of smoke and shrugged.

“Actually, I’m only involved with the orphanage because of my connection to it. I’m not an expert in that field.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“It’s strange for me to decide the direction. I want to gather people who know more than me and think more than me. Then, those people will come up with better ideas than me.”

“It’s enough for me to provide those people with the capacity.”

Cho Kyu-min scratched his head vigorously.

“So, what you’re saying is….”

Cho Kyu-min hesitated for a moment, then spoke as if groaning.

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho, you’re going to comfortably provide the money. And I’m going to take that money and select people who have the passion to not just play around but also have the capacity, and push them into the foundation?”

What?

Is that how it works?

Cho Kyu-min’s face trembled.

“I… well… no, I mean, I’ve decided to serve Mr. Kang Jin-ho, but I’m still getting a salary from the finance department….”

“Ah, I’m planning to solve that problem as well.”

“••••••Pardon?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“It’s a bit strange, isn’t it? You’ll have to continue handling my work, but you’re still part of the finance department.”

This strangely twisted situation was ultimately due to the relationship between Hwang Jung-hoo and Kang Jin-ho. Hwang Jung-hoo treated Kang Jin-ho like a son but was also wary of him.

And Kang Jin-ho also cherished Hwang Jung-hoo deeply while respecting him.

As a result, the two of them couldn’t have a proper conversation.

So, Hwang Jung-hoo had forced Cho Kyu-min to stay in the finance department, saying that he needed to connect the finance department and Kang Jin-ho.

“Why don’t you take this opportunity to change jobs?”

“……Can I go to the foundation?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“I’ll create a position for a CEO under the chairman. Come as the CEO of the foundation.”

Cho Kyu-min blinked.

He had been thinking about it since his work in the finance department had become ambiguous. But he never thought that Kang Jin-ho would bring it up first.

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the type to shake up the existing system unless there was a problem.

“CEO? How old am I….”

“I’m the chairman, so it’s not a problem.”

“Well, that’s true, but….”

It was such an absurd proposal that he couldn’t find the right words.

“If you think it’s too ambiguous to only handle the welfare foundation, I’ll prepare a position for you at MK [the company name]. If you have the energy left, you can handle both jobs at the same time.”

“Both?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“That….”

Cho Kyu-min pondered deeply before opening his mouth.

“……Then, will you give me double the salary?”

“Or even half?”

“……I’ll give you double.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kang Jin-ho! No, Chairman! I will work with all my might….”

Bang!

At that moment, the door burst open, and Hwang Jung-hoo stormed in, yelling.

“You ungrateful bastards! How dare you betray me in the chairman’s office of my own company?”

Cho Kyu-min flinched and turned his head slightly.

Looking at the nameplate that read ‘Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo’ in front of him, he felt like he had done something terribly wrong.

‘It’s definitely not the place to say this.’

But Kang Jin-ho was calm.

“It’s been a while.”

“You, you… I raised a tiger cub, a tiger cub!”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“I don’t think I’m someone who can be raised by anyone.”

“••••••What?”

Hwang Jung-hoo, looking dumbfounded at Kang Jin-ho, trembled the cane in his hand.

“Ugh, that’s not wrong.”

But he soon agreed and walked over to sit on the sofa.

“No way.”

“Just give him to me.”

“Ah! I said no!”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s cane swished through the air.

“You try being my age! I can’t even find my glasses by myself now! And you’re going to take away the limbs of an old man? Do you have any conscience, any conscience?”

“You look quite healthy.”

“You rotten bastard!”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and said.

“A position can make a person, but it can also oppress a person. It’s a waste to keep the manager in the position of the secretary. If you’re going to do that, give him a president position.”

“President?”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes widened.

“This guy is already a president! He’s still a long way off!”

“I can give it to him.”

“So, let him go at this point. A company always needs to nurture new people. The manager can’t be the chairman’s secretary forever.”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked back and forth between Kang Jin-ho and Cho Kyu-min with a strange expression.

“Ugh, anyway, you young people.”

“I’m not young.”

“Your body is young, your body!”

Hwang Jung-hoo scratched his white hair vigorously.

“I was going to watch him for a few more years and then give him management training….”

“Then I’ll wait a few more years….”