Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 231

Jo Gyu-min took a sip of his coffee while looking at the computer.

Various data and figures on the screen, along with numerous project plans, showcased the charm of a dedicated office worker as he typed away, fully immersed in his work.

With his sleeves rolled up, he continuously checked data and typed, sipping his strong Americano. It was a natural scene.

Except for the fact that it was four in the morning.

“Ughhh.”

Jo Gyu-min put down his Americano and clutched his head.

Even though it was four in the morning, there was no sign of his work ending. The reason for this situation was, in a way, both sad and ridiculous.

‘They say habits are scary…’

Jo Gyu-min was confident in his perfectionism.

He wouldn’t take on a task if he didn’t have to, but once he did, he had to complete it flawlessly. That was just who Jo Gyu-min was.

He had selected the perfect location, visited the franchise headquarters to persuade and negotiate since they were reluctant to give a store without delivery, and even introduced the concept of a premium store to compensate for the lack of delivery, enhancing the salad bar. All of this was approved.

In addition, he had derived everything from operating hours and the number of employees needed to the expected monthly sales and net profit, and confidently went to report.

And then, for the first time since joining the company, Jo Gyu-min saw his report fly into the sky.

“You crazy bastard! I told you to open a store to see your abilities, but why are you using company money to make them money!”

That’s right, Chairman. Why did I do that?

They say habits are scary. I was just doing everything well, neatly, and perfectly. This wasn’t a task that should have been handled this way.

“Ughhh.”

Jo Gyu-min scratched his head vigorously.

It was a situation where the world was forcing him to do a bad job on purpose. He had never experienced anything like this in his life.

Before joining a company where the motto was maximum efficiency at minimum cost, Jo Gyu-min had always had to get good grades. His reports had to be ‘long but not feel long because there was no unnecessary content, and the content had to be neat and concise but never look like he had done it carelessly to the professor,’ a motto that made no sense. That was who Jo Gyu-min was.

Jo Gyu-min rubbed his eyes. The dark circles under his eyes felt like they had pierced his nose and were approaching his lips.

Re-writing the report was a daunting task, but what was making it even harder for Jo Gyu-min was the tight deadline. Too much time had passed since Hwang Jung-hoo had spoken and Kang Jin-ho had given his approval.

He thought it would be a simple task, but he never imagined it would take this long.

He had to tear down the almost-completed interior and cancel the franchise contract, even paying a penalty.

Even after going through such humiliation, the huge mountain of writing the report still remained.

‘I’ll finish it by morning.’

Jo Gyu-min jumped up from his seat. Leaving the Americano he had been drinking, Jo Gyu-min made a cup of instant coffee in a paper cup.

He slurped the coffee and continued typing like crazy.

It was when the sun rose and people started filling their seats that Jo Gyu-min, having completed the new project plan, stared blankly at the screen before starting to print.

“Aigoo… my back.”

He had pulled all-nighters before, but today felt particularly tough. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t had many experiences of having his reports rejected and having to rewrite them.

Jo Gyu-min shook his head and grabbed the report, heading to the chairman’s office. By this time, Hwang Jung-hoo would have already arrived at work. Just as he was about to ask the secretaries guarding the chairman’s office if the chairman was inside, the door to the chairman’s office opened and Hwang Jung-hoo came out.

“Good morning!”

Jo Gyu-min bowed deeply, and Hwang Jung-hoo looked him up and down before chuckling.

“Did you finish it?”

“Yes. Here it is, Chairman.”

Hwang Jung-hoo took the report with one hand and clicked his tongue.

“Didn’t I tell you to submit it electronically?”

“I’ve also uploaded it online.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded, patted Jo Gyu-min’s shoulder a couple of times, and said,

“Good work. Go home.”

“…Yes?”

“What do you think you can do in that state? I’ll give you the day off, so go home, wash up, and sleep. Tomorrow, you’ll work diligently as per the report.”

Jo Gyu-min looked at Hwang Jung-hoo with a bewildered expression.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, no. Thank you, Chairman.”

“Don’t even think about saying any nonsense like you’re going to work more in that state or that you have more work to do. Go home quickly. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Good work.”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled as he looked at Jo Gyu-min, then walked forward. The secretaries who had been waiting in front opened the elevator door, and Hwang Jung-hoo stepped inside.

As the elevator doors closed, Jo Gyu-min stared at the scene and clenched his fist.

‘I’m going to watch a movie!’

He was going home, but Jo Gyu-min had no intention of sleeping.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Hwang Jung-hoo sat in the back seat of the car, quietly flipping through the report.

‘He organized it well.’

He should have done it this way from the start.

“Sometimes, people do stupid things regardless of their abilities. What do you think?”

A voice came from the passenger seat.

“I think everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to learn from those mistakes and not repeat them.”

“Then, should we consider this a mistake?”

“Jo’s affection for Kang Jin-ho is something to acknowledge. Even though he knew he had to set up a framework to accurately measure his abilities, he wanted to make Kang Jin-ho’s abilities stand out in your eyes. Whether consciously or unconsciously.”

“Hmm, what would you have done?”

“Me, you ask?”

The voice from the passenger seat was laced with laughter.

“I would have done it roughly.”

“Roughly?”

“Yes. Actually, measuring abilities is something you should do for someone who needs it. There’s no need to make someone who has already proven their abilities prove them again. In my opinion, this is no different from giving Jobs [Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple] a cell phone store and telling him to sell cell phones.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled and looked at the passenger seat. Although he couldn’t see the person sitting in the passenger seat because of the large seat, he was curious about what kind of expression the guy was making.

“You rate Kang Jin-ho very highly.”

“I’m just stating objective facts.”

“Really? Then do you think Kang Jin-ho will do well in this task?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“…Huh?”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked ahead with a puzzled expression.

Just a moment ago, he had said it was like giving Jobs a cell phone store, but now he was saying he didn’t know. It didn’t make sense.

“Explain.”

“If you give Jobs a cell phone store, will he do well?”

“If he meets a difficult customer, he might throw the phone and yell, ‘You don’t deserve to use my phone.’ He might manipulate the profit margin to screw over his partner, or he might sell cheap accessories with fancy packaging.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“I think people have their own place. If you want to test Jobs’ abilities, you should give him a company, not a store. It may sound arrogant, but I think what you’re doing now is no different from giving Jobs a store.”

“Hahahaha.”

Hwang Jung-hoo laughed heartily.

The arrogant brat sitting in front of him was saying that the cause of the current situation was not Jo Gyu-min, but Hwang Jung-hoo, who was making Kang Jin-ho wear clothes that didn’t fit him.

He was saying things that even Baek Young-gi couldn’t dare to say, without changing his tone.

“You said you’d do it roughly, but don’t you actually want to try? It’s one of the few opportunities to openly screw over Kang Jin-ho, isn’t it?”

“Screwing him over to this extent is just a way to mess with him. If I could, I’d drive him to ruin. I don’t want to play petty pranks.”

“Can you ruin Kang Jin-ho?”

“Whether it’s difficult or not, whether it’s possible or not, that’s not important. It’s something I have to do. I don’t have a choice in the first place.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded with a calm gaze.

“We’ve expanded into Vietnam.”

“…”

“But it seems like things aren’t going well over there. The people we sent are all complaining and trying to get out. We’ve been looking for new recruits, but no one wants to go.”

“Even with your word, Chairman?”

“They have to save themselves first. And it means the situation is that difficult.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“So, I was thinking, it’s a route that we wouldn’t lose much from even if we abandoned it, but it’s a waste to abandon it, and no one wants to go. How about it?”

“…What do you mean?”

Hwang Jung-hoo opened the window, put a cigarette in his mouth, and lit it.

“I’ll put a figurehead above you to act as a shield. Do you want to go and try it out?”

“Hmm…”

“Staying by my side is relatively stable, but the moment I die, you’ll be a kite with a broken string. It’s about time you moved to the sales department, and it wouldn’t be bad to gain some experience, would it?”

“However, if this matter is resolved vaguely, it means there’s no need to see my abilities, is that right?”

“What’s there to say?”

A low chuckle was heard. A voice that sounded a bit cunning.

Hwang Jung-hoo thought the guy sitting in the passenger seat was like a viper. If he had been born in the past, he would have definitely become a sycophant [a person who tries to win favor from wealthy or influential people by flattering them].

‘But a company needs sycophants too.’

Whether he was a viper or a sycophant, as long as he had the ability and could contribute to the company, he would use him. That was Hwang Jung-hoo’s belief.

“When should I depart?”

“A week. Finish the handover.”

“Thank you for the opportunity.”

His voice was filled with genuine gratitude. Hwang Jung-hoo smiled bitterly as he listened to that voice.

It was Kang Jin-ho who ruined his family, but it was Hwang Jung-hoo who actually took action.

To sincerely thank the person who destroyed his family without leaving a single root behind?

‘He’s an interesting guy.’

He was a talent that Hwang Jung-hoo liked, different from Kang Jin-ho. Now, it was time to see if he would become a dragon or end up as a loach [a small, eel-like fish, often used to describe someone insignificant or weak].

“Good luck.”

“I won’t disappoint you.”

“Should I send my regards to Kang Jin-ho?”

A moment of silence. But soon, a calm voice, as before, was heard.

“Not yet. At least, I should bring a nice gift to show my gratitude.”

Hwang Jung-hoo laughed again at his answer.

Listening to Hwang Jung-hoo’s laughter, Choi Young-soo, who was sitting in the passenger seat, quietly lowered his gaze.

‘I’ll see you soon.’

A subtle smile formed on his lips.