Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1973

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Kang Jin-ho coughed lightly, noticing Hwang Jung-hoo’s displeased glare.

“I knew you’d cause trouble eventually.”

“If you were going to stir things up, you should have done it yourself. At least it would have looked better. But you got beaten to the punch? Kang Jin-ho, of all people?”

Jo Gyu-min offered an awkward smile.

“…It’s not ideal to be the first to cause trouble, Chairman.”

“It’s better to do it myself than to be outmaneuvered! Anyone who’s always a step behind will always be second-rate!”

*You’re not even second-rate in the business world, Chairman.*

The thought flashed through Jo Gyu-min’s mind, but he didn’t dare voice it. He had to earn a living, after all.

“A martial artist, huh…”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled.

“It wasn’t something that could stay hidden forever. It was bound to come out sooner or later.”

“I suppose so.”

He just wished that moment had come a little later.

“Hey, Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“The world is about to change. Are you aware of that?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.

No one knew it better than him. There was no stopping this wave of change.

“Do you know what you need to be most careful about during times like these?”

“…Yes.”

“What is it?”

Kang Jin-ho spoke with a resolute expression.

“Not getting swept away.”

“You must be able to stand your ground and endure even when the world changes and shakes.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled, looking very pleased.

“You.”

“Yes.”

“…Are you spouting nonsense?”

“Huh?”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s face contorted.

“Why are you suddenly talking like Confucius or Mencius [ancient Chinese philosophers]? When the world changes, the most important thing is ‘where to invest and what new businesses to start’!”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes darted rapidly.

“The ones who seize opportunities during times like these are the ones who make money. The wealthy in America made their fortunes during World War II. When the world changes rapidly, concepts change. When concepts change, new things are born. Depending on who grabs them first, the winners and losers for the next few decades will be decided.”

Wow…

To be thinking about making money in a situation like this.

Kang Jin-ho, who likely had more wealth than Hwang Jung-hoo if you included intangible assets, couldn’t help but realize that he wasn’t a businessman.

From the start, these people had a completely different way of thinking than him.

“So…”

“Yes?”

“Give me some information.”

Hwang Jung-hoo frowned when Kang Jin-ho didn’t respond.

“Are you planning to keep it all to yourself? With MK? Tsk, tsk, how can you be so heartless! You’re so rich, can’t you share a little!”

“N-no, it’s not that, it’s just that I don’t know what kind of information…”

“Tsk! You’ve become so sly!”

“N-no, I really don’t know.”

“…You don’t know?”

“Yes.”

Hwang Jung-hoo stared blankly at Kang Jin-ho.

Come to think of it, this guy wouldn’t lie, even if he didn’t say anything. Then…

“You don’t know?”

The first “you don’t know” was a question, but the second “you don’t know” was clearly not a question.

The moment Kang Jin-ho saw that look of mixed disappointment and disbelief, he was overcome with a sense of inexplicable sadness.

*It’s not like I’m just goofing off.*

But from Hwang Jung-hoo’s perspective, it probably looked like he was passing by a gold mine because he was too lazy to pick up a pickaxe, making him the most pathetic person in the world.

“You’re not doing anything?”

“Are you out of your mind… no, no. Ahem.”

The next words would have been, ‘Are you out of your mind?’

He could tell without hearing it.

As Kang Jin-ho kept backing away from Hwang Jung-hoo’s piercing gaze, Jo Gyu-min subtly took Kang Jin-ho’s side.

“Haha, Chairman. I don’t think you should be scolding Mr. Kang Jin-ho for that.”

“Huh?”

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho has a lot of things to do. You should ask your son instead…”

“Min-soo? What does that kid know?”

*He probably knows a lot more than the person in front of you right now.*

“No, no.”

Hwang Jung-hoo pondered, as if he had changed his mind.

“That’s right. The information this guy gives won’t be useful. Instead…”

Instead?

Hwang Jung-hoo suddenly raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“I’ll go to that MK thing myself.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll take a bunch of smart guys with me, so set up a meeting.”

“…Yes?”

“I’m old now. Young people are faster at spotting new markets. It’ll be hard for me to understand, so I need to bring all the brains from the company, right?”

No, that’s not the problem…

“Why would you…”

“Why? Why should you share your items with us?”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. In times like these, it’s more important to be first. Once someone else uses an item, its life is over. The important thing is not to miss the timing. And MK doesn’t have a production base.”

“You’ll have to outsource anyway, no matter what you make. Then there’s no better place than Jae-kyung. It’s a win-win. I’m not taking away your food.”

“Did you not understand?”

“…Chairman, Mr. Kang Jin-ho isn’t interested in this kind of thing. Right now, he’s probably wondering how to explain this to your company.”

Kang Jin-ho blankly nodded, and Hwang Jung-hoo’s face twisted horribly.

“He used to have some smarts a few years ago, but why has he become like this? Tsk!”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been unilaterally attacked without being able to make a proper excuse, swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

“Tsk, Jo, contact MK and explain the situation.”

“To whom…”

“Who else? Min-soo, that guy!”

“Understood.”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue.

“Still, that guy still has some smarts left, so he’ll understand. He might even be preparing already. Ahem, I can’t help but worry about everything.”

Jo Gyu-min chuckled.

There was affection for Hwang Min-soo in his gruff words. It was something unimaginable from the old Hwang Jung-hoo.

“But this is just…”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue.

“You have to live with your wits about you. Do you know how many mouths are depending on you?”

Kang Jin-ho flinched.

“The position of chairman isn’t there for you to play around and eat behind the scenes. A president runs the company, but a chairman has to look to the future. It’s not a position where you can make excuses about having other things to do!”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

There was still much to learn from Hwang Jung-hoo.

Even though he had lived more years, he still felt like he couldn’t match Hwang Jung-hoo’s depth.

Well…

Most of his life had been spent as a martial artist, so it was natural that he lacked the depth that someone his age should have.

“Tsk, tsk, at this rate…”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a very displeased expression.

“So…”

“Yes?”

“Have you saved up some money?”

“…Suddenly?”

“How much cash do you have, that’s what I’m asking.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Hwang Jung-hoo with a bewildered expression.

“If you mean cash… how much do you need?”

Jo Gyu-min’s mouth dropped open.

*Does he think Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo is trying to borrow money?*

Is this how a sane person thinks?

“How much can you give?”

“Chairman!”

Jo Gyu-min looked at Hwang Jung-hoo in surprise.

“No, he said he’d give it?”

“…Please, stop.”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled.

“If you have money saved up, don’t use it. And get all the money you can from the company.”

“…What are you planning to do?”

“Buy my shares.”

“…Yes?”

Hwang Jung-hoo scratched his chin.

“I’m getting old now. If it weren’t for this, I would have retired soon. But even if I wanted to retire, I’ve been holding on because I was worried about what would happen to all these employees if I left the company…”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled.

“Now I know. It’s just old man’s greed. Younger guys will do much better than me.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Hwang Jung-hoo with a bewildered expression.

“But why the shares?”

Jo Gyu-min closed his eyes.

“The Chairman is telling you that he’s going to hand over the company to you.”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Where to start…

How much should he explain?

As Jo Gyu-min struggled with the despair, Hwang Jung-hoo just wore a faint smile.

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Yes?”

“Min-soo will handle the management. Once MK stabilizes, put him in the position of vice chairman of Jae-kyung.”

“No, that’s not…”

“It’s hard for me to hand over the company to him. If I bring back someone I cut off, it’ll lower morale. And the crimes they committed are too many. The employees know that too.”

“…Chairman.”

“I don’t want to be remembered as someone who was swayed by sentimentality at the end. I’m asking you. At least let him get a foothold in Jae-kyung.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Hwang Jung-hoo with a firm expression.

Then Hwang Jung-hoo bowed deeply.

“I’m asking you.”

“P-please don’t do this, Chairman.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

“You’re saying it’ll look a little better if I, an outsider, am appointed as vice chairman.”

“That’s right. You have a lot of support from the employees.”

“…The employees?”

“And people.”

Hwang Jung-hoo laughed.

Kang Jin-ho was someone who didn’t even glance at things he wasn’t interested in.

“Anyway, I’ll hand over the chairman position to President Hwang Min-soo at the right time. If that’s the condition…”

“That’s up to you.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled.

“Then that’s how it’ll be.”

“But why the cash?”

“It’s not a good look to just give shares to a complete stranger. Buy them. My shares only give me control structurally, but in terms of money, it’s not much.”

“Are you going to take the money and throw it away? Use it.”

“No, I’m not taking it and throwing it away…”

“That’s the money you’ll get back when Min-soo buys your shares later. I’ll give it back with interest, so don’t worry.”

“Are you going to pass it down?”

“Wouldn’t I have to?”

Ugh…

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

There would be quite a lot of taxes in the process, but he could pay the taxes. Like Hwang Jung-hoo said, it wasn’t money he could take with him when he died.

“Understood.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Hwang Jung-hoo slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.

“However…”

“Hmm, is there something else?”

“I’d like to proceed with that matter a little later.”

“There’s no need for that. Do it right away.”

“Chairman…”

“I know what you’re going to say. I also know what you’ve been doing. I’m not someone who ignores things just because they’re not related to me, like you.”

“Finish everything and then leave. I won’t listen to you saying you can’t do it because I might die. Do you understand?”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes became more resolute than ever.

Kang Jin-ho, who received that gaze, let out a deep, deep sigh.