Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1800

“Ugh, my blood pressure……”

“You’re not young, please be careful.”

“Ugh……”

Hwang Jung-hoo clutched the back of his neck.

‘No, how did that guy become so slick? He’s young…’

‘Ah, he’s not young.’

“So……”

Hwang Jung-hoo put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

“You’re saying you’re going to properly run that, what was it, welfare foundation or something?”

“Yes.”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a displeased expression, then slowly nodded.

“You should.”

“Yes?”

It seemed like he was about to scold him, but surprisingly, he agreed.

“From the start, I didn’t like how it was created and then left to drift!”

‘Ah, so there was a scolding after all.’

“Welfare or whatever, that’s not what’s important! Once you start in a field, you have to become the best no matter what! You have to work with the determination that you won’t go home until you’re the best. Anyway, these days, people start everything easily and give up easily! In my day, we couldn’t even imagine such a thing! Imagine!”

Kang Jin-ho smiled and looked at Cho Kyu-min.

Cho Kyu-min nodded as if in agreement.

‘There’s a real old-timer here.’

Even the great Kang Jin-ho was taken aback by the old-fashioned reaction, but in fact, it wasn’t exactly wrong.

“You’re gathering people?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of people?”

“I’m thinking of scouting people who have been doing this kind of work.”

Hwang Jung-hoo slowly exhaled cigarette smoke and shook his head.

“My thoughts are a bit different.”

“Yes?”

“There’s no need to bring in someone who’s just lingering in the industry, and if they’re truly capable, they have no reason to come.”

“If we match their salary…”

“Are the employees you want the type who would quit their job and come work for you just because you offer them money?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

That was definitely not it. He needed someone with a sense of responsibility for their work.

“Technicians usually have their own skills. It’s not something that can be developed by thinking alone, nor is it easy to teach. That’s why you have no choice but to scout them. But this field is a bit different, isn’t it?”

Hwang Jung-hoo quietly added, ‘Although it’s not a field I know well.’

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if there was some truth to that.

Hwang Jung-hoo grinned at Kang Jin-ho.

“If you could become the best by just bringing in people and watching from behind, then those who started first would always be the best. But is that how the world works? Even the seemingly invincible fortress will eventually crumble. Whether it’s a company or a foundation, if the leader doesn’t run around themselves, it will rot.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Tsk.”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue quietly.

“If you’re going to do it, do it properly. It’s good for the country too. They need some stimulation in that area right now.”

“Stimulation?”

“Passion isn’t forever.”

Hwang Jung-hoo made a strange face.

“Passion burns hot and then cools down. For a person’s passion to be maintained, they need to see a return for what they’ve done. The reason why companies promote employees who work hard and give bonuses is also to draw out that passion.”

“That’s right.”

“But a foundation is a place where no matter how hard I work, the fruits don’t come back to me. One out of a hundred great people might feel rewarded seeing the fruits go to others, but ordinary people tend to lose their enthusiasm in just a few years.”

Kang Jin-ho flinched slightly.

Kang Jin-ho, looking a bit guilty, gulped down the coffee in front of him. It was a perfect description for Kang Jin-ho, who had ambitiously started the orphanage and then conveniently pushed it onto others with the excuse of being busy.

Hwang Jung-hoo looked directly at Kang Jin-ho and said,

“Do you know what the dumbest thing someone can do here is?”

“……I don’t know?”

“It’s to scold people for losing their enthusiasm, telling them they need to work harder!”

Kang Jin-ho, speechless, turned his head slightly again.

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue and continued.

“Good intentions are a scary thing. Things wrapped in good intentions sometimes cover everything up.”

“And sometimes, the name of good intentions hides the pain of those who are doing the work.”

Hwang Jung-hoo and Kang Jin-ho’s eyes met directly.

“It’s different from a company where you just pursue profits within the limits of the law. It’s quite complicated and difficult. Do you know that?”

“I don’t know well.”

“••••••Huh?”

Hwang Jung-hoo stared at Kang Jin-ho with a dumbfounded look.

“But……”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“I can learn from now on, right?”

At that absurdly reckless answer, Hwang Jung-hoo slightly opened his mouth. But Kang Jin-ho remained confident, even while seeing Hwang Jung-hoo’s expression.

“In the past, I……”

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Then, he exhaled the smoke coolly.

“I thought I only needed to do what I was good at. For everything else, like I said earlier, I thought I could get help from others.”

Of course, before that, he didn’t even think about getting help from others.

“But now, my thinking has changed. If I just hold onto what I’m good at, that’s all I’ll ever be able to do.”

“Oh?”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with interest.

“If I’m not good at it, I can learn by getting broken. If I keep learning and increasing what I can do, my world will also expand.”

Then he would see more.

He would experience more.

And…….

He would be able to reach out to more people.

“I don’t plan to do things half-heartedly. That’s not my style. Like you said, I plan to push hard and change things.”

Hwang Jung-hoo, looking into Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, chuckled.

‘He’s a strange one.’

Hwang Jung-hoo feels challenged every time he deals with Kang Jin-ho.

He knows that an old, experienced person is inside that young body, but when he looks at his appearance, he sometimes forgets that fact.

That’s why his words now are surprising.

He knows how difficult it is for someone who has completed their life to pioneer a new path. Even if Hwang Jung-hoo were to become young again, could he abandon his life as an entrepreneur and live as a soccer player?

‘Impossible.’

But Kang Jin-ho always tries to change.

It’s truly amazing that someone who has gone through all sorts of hardships still retains the spirit of a young person. Even if his body is young and he has the physical strength.

So, there’s only one thing to say.

“Do well.”

“This work needs to succeed. In any field, if new people don’t come in and refresh the atmosphere, they’ll just fall into a rut and repeat what they’ve always done.”

Hwang Jung-hoo speaks with serious eyes.

“When someone who changes the game stands at the forefront, the industry changes. That’s good for everyone. So, do well.”

“I understand.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It’s definitely valuable to meet and talk with Hwang Jung-hoo. This experienced entrepreneur sees directions that Kang Jin-ho doesn’t and always tells him things he hadn’t thought of. It’s an insight that Kang Jin-ho, who spent his life fighting, can’t even dare to follow.

“However……”

Hwang Jung-hoo made a slightly displeased face.

“What about MK then?”

“Are you just going to abandon it? There are so many people working there.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“It’ll run well even without me……”

“Ugh, you squid-like human! I thought you had changed, but you’re doing the same thing! How is that different from just changing the field you’re abandoning!”

Kang Jin-ho jumped up from his seat.

“Then, I’m busy, so I’ll be going!”

“Hey, hey?”

Kang Jin-ho quickly headed towards the entrance. Then, holding onto the door, Kang Jin-ho looked at Hwang Jung-hoo and said,

“Then, you’re sending Chief Cho, right?”

“Get out!”

Bang!

The door closed firmly.

Hwang Jung-hoo stared at the door where Kang Jin-ho had left, then chuckled.

“How did that guy become so sly?”

Cho Kyu-min smiled.

“It’s a good thing.”

“It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing, but……”

Hwang Jung-hoo shook his head.

The old Kang Jin-ho was an inhuman person. Of course, he had clumsy aspects, but there was a coldness inside him that rejected relationships with others.

When he first saw him, he thought he was a demon or a grim reaper, not a joke.

Seeing such a person casually making jokes, he felt a new sense of emotion in many ways.

“It’s strange, you know.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled with a cigarette in his mouth, and Cho Kyu-min smiled back.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Huh?”

“You look like your son got a job.”

“Son, my foot. He might be older than me.”

There was a time when he didn’t have such feelings. He was an extremely difficult opponent, but there was also a strange sense of familiarity.

Of course, he can’t say that those feelings have completely disappeared now.

‘It’s a story that would make others laugh if they heard it.’

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled and looked at Cho Kyu-min.

“So…… what about you?”

“……Are you talking about me?”

“Being able to work with Kang Jin-ho is a good thing, but it’s different from what you’ve been doing so far. You’ve been in charge of the welfare foundation, but changing your career path completely must be a burden?”

It would have been nice if Kang Jin-ho was sensitive enough to care about such things.

Cho Kyu-min scratched his head slightly.

“……To be honest, it’s not that I don’t have those feelings.”

“Right?”

“Yes. But……”

Cho Kyu-min raised his head and looked directly at Hwang Jung-hoo.

“The person we’re supposed to serve just said that he doesn’t want to stick to what he’s good at, so how can I, as a follower, say that I’ll just do what I’ve been doing?”

“I may not be able to match him in ability, but I don’t want to lose in spirit. I’m still young, and I want to believe that there are still endless things I can do.”

Hwang Jung-hoo shook his head.

‘I can’t beat him.’

Youth doesn’t depend on age. The moment you seek stability, youth fades. If someone has the courage to rush in without caring about their foundation, they are young no matter how old they are.

“Do your best.”

“Thank you, Chairman. And thank you for everything.”

“Why are you saying goodbye?”

“••••••Yes?”

“You guys lured people in by promising them the position of director, then you stole the director position at the end, but you still gave me a position as honorary director or something, right?”

“If you’re not here, and Kang Jin-ho isn’t coming, what am I supposed to do here? When you build the new headquarters, make sure to create an office for me there.”

“Got it?”

“Got it!”

“……Yes.”

Cho Kyu-min couldn’t escape Hwang Jung-hoo’s clutches no matter what he did.