Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 30

The directors hung their heads low.

“What do you think is the right thing to do?” Baek Young-gi looked around at the directors. The directors were in a miserable state, their positions having changed overnight.

After Hwang Jung-hoo collapsed, they didn’t immediately side with the board of directors. It was because there was no hope that Hwang Jung-hoo would recover, so they had no choice but to seek a future for themselves.

Although they claimed loyalty, they thought it was foolish to cling to someone with no hope, and they tried to persuade Baek Young-gi several times, but he wouldn’t listen.

In the end, Baek Young-gi fell out of favor with the board of directors and was forced to step down from his position as a director. It seemed their choice was right, and Baek Young-gi was wrong.

But at this moment, the results of all those choices had been reversed.

The moment Hwang Jung-hoo woke up, Baek Young-gi was back at the center of power. And now, he held their lifelines in his hands.

Baek Young-gi looked around at the directors and opened his mouth.

“Chairman.”

“Speak.”

“It’s only natural that you feel resentful towards them.”

“Indeed.”

Hwang Jung-hoo glared at the directors with sharp eyes, and the directors flinched and shrank back.

“But what would have happened if you hadn’t woken up, Chairman?”

“Hmm…”

“They couldn’t have ignored that situation either. Please consider that in the end, it was for the good of Jae-kyung [the company name].”

“Tsk, tsk, aren’t you even angry?”

Baek Young-gi smiled brightly.

“The Chairman has returned, so is that such a big deal? We need their strength for the Chairman’s great work.”

“Do you think I’d falter without them?”

“Of course not. But it would be a little more troublesome, and you would have to do a little more work. You’ve already collapsed once. Now you need to reduce your workload and think about your health.”

“You’re right.”

Hwang Jung-hoo stared at the directors for a moment and then spoke in a sharp voice.

“I’ll overlook it this once.”

“Th-thank you, Chairman.”

“But that’s it. I have no intention of keeping someone who repeats mistakes by my side. Remember that one mistake, whether in work or any other area, will cost you your head.”

“Yes!”

“Get out.”

The directors breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.

Hwang Jung-hoo watched the scene and said to Baek Young-gi.

“Is it over now?”

“The major issues have been taken care of.”

“I see…”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked out the window with a desolate look.

“I’ve lived in vain.”

“…”

“I was just desperately clinging to a sandcastle that would collapse if I let go for a moment.”

Baek Young-gi comforted Hwang Jung-hoo.

“Isn’t it enough that you know now? You are the one who can turn a sandcastle into an impregnable fortress, Chairman.”

“If I had time, yes.”

“…Chairman?”

Hwang Jung-hoo shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing. You should go too.”

“Yes, Chairman. Please rest.”

“Young-gi.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“If I don’t wake up tomorrow, you take over the company.”

“Chairman! What are you talking about?”

“I’ve already written my will. If something happens to me, you’ll be the chairman. Consult with the directors on management and entrust it to a professional manager. I’ve written the details in my will.”

“Chairman, please don’t say such weak things…”

“That’s enough. Go now.”

“…”

Baek Young-gi walked to the door, bowed deeply, and went outside.

“Thank you.”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at the closed door with a desolate look and then turned his head.

The sun was setting. The third day he had promised the monster was passing.

‘How regrettable.’

It was true that human hearts were fickle. When he was lying in bed, unable to move, it felt like even three days would be enough, but now that he had three days, it felt too short.

But there were no regrets.

It was a shame that he couldn’t handle everything perfectly, but he could leave the rest to the next people. The company would continue to exist, so he had done his part.

“Are you here?”

Hwang Jung-hoo spoke to the empty air.

Was he going crazy?

But as if to prove that Hwang Jung-hoo wasn’t crazy, a voice answered from the air.

“Yes.”

Hwang Jung-hoo turned his head.

In the corner of the room, where the sunset was shining in, a black shadow could be seen. It was the monster he had seen three days ago.

“You came on time.”

“Because that’s what we agreed on.”

Hwang Jung-hoo sighed.

He had hoped, but the monster had come to find him. Now it was time to keep their promise.

“Thank you.”

“…”

“Thanks to you, I was able to fix what was twisted. It’s not perfect, but I think I can close my eyes now.”

“I see.”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at the monster, no, Kang Jin-ho, with firm eyes.

“Then what do you want me to do?” Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to open his mouth, Hwang Jung-hoo cut him off.

“Just don’t ask for the company.”

“…”

“The company is not just mine. If someone who doesn’t know much about management takes over, tens of thousands of employees who are working hard for the company could lose their livelihoods. I’ll give you anything else you want. So please, just let this company continue to exist as it is. I’ll give you as many shares as you want. So please, don’t interfere with the management.”

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

“I’ll be dead soon, but the others have to live, don’t they?” Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“There was a misunderstanding.”

“…What do you mean?”

“First of all, I never said you would die today.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was you who asked for three days. So I just agreed. But I don’t have the ability to save you and then reverse it after three days. I just cured your illness.”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s body swayed greatly.

“Th-then…”

“You asked me to make it so you could live for three days like before. The only way to do that was to cure your illness and restore your energy. Your illness is completely cured now.”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s mouth slowly opened.

Didn’t that mean he didn’t have to die?

“But you have to get treatment once a month.”

“Once a month?”

“Otherwise, your blood vessels will be blocked again.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded repeatedly. That was nothing.

“And I never asked for the company. It was you who said you would give me everything. What I want is something trivial.” Kang Jin-ho had never aimed for something like the Jae-kyung Group from the beginning.

It just happened that the person he treated was Hwang Jung-hoo. He would have treated anyone with similar symptoms who had money. If he got his hands on the Jae-kyung Group, he could move a huge amount of money. But in return, his every move would be monitored by the media.

Kang Jin-ho had no intention of trading money for freedom. All he needed was a little wealth to maintain an ordinary life.

“One sheet will do.”

“One sheet?”

“Yes.”

“…Is this Hwang Jung-hoo’s life worth only one sheet?”

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

Kang Jin-ho frowned as if he had made a mistake, then asked cautiously.

“Is it too much?”

“Too, too much?”

Hwang Jung-hoo laughed in disbelief. Kang Jin-ho, who had initially seemed like a devil, was starting to feel somewhat familiar. His abilities were amazing, but wasn’t he quite naive?

Even if he had asked for all of his shares, Hwang Jung-hoo would have had no choice but to give them. It was a thousand, ten thousand times better than going back to that bedridden life. And yet, he was only asking for one sheet.

“Then, one sheet a year…”

“Let’s do that.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled and nodded. The man in front of him seemed to have little sense of economics. That was something that could be fixed slowly, and for now, he had to give him what he wanted.

Of course, he had no intention of wiping his mouth clean with that.

Fair compensation for fair work. That was the principle Hwang Jung-hoo had always adhered to.

“Hahaha.”

Hwang Jung-hoo burst into a hearty laugh.

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t understand Hwang Jung-hoo’s reaction.

Why did the person being ripped off look so happy?

After laughing for a while, Hwang Jung-hoo cleared his throat a few times and then asked cautiously.

“Where should I send the money?”

“…”

“Will you give me an account number?”

“A-an account?”

“Why are you so surprised? You need a bank account to send money. Or were you planning to receive that money in cash every month? If you tried to deposit that, the police would investigate, wouldn’t they? Since you’re going to receive the money anyway, pay the taxes and receive it. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more.”

“Investigate?”

Hwang Jung-hoo sighed.

“For tax evasion or illegal funds…”

Kang Jin-ho flinched.

“Is that so?”

“…I’ll make sure to deliver the money properly. So please tell me where I should send the money. That way, I can give you the money without any problems.” Kang Jin-ho fell into thought.

He didn’t quite understand, but what Hwang Jung-hoo said seemed to make sense.

But revealing his identity to Hwang Jung-hoo was awkward. Ironically, Hwang Jung-hoo seemed to already know what Kang Jin-ho was thinking.

“If I wanted to, it would be nothing for me to find out who you are. I could track your account, or put a mark on the cash and find out the flow.”

“…”

“But even if I did, what could I do to you? Rather, if something happened to you, I would have to live in that terrible state again, so I could never harm you.” Kang Jin-ho didn’t believe everything Hwang Jung-hoo said.

But he had to admit that most of what he said was true.

At least in Korea, it was impossible to use the funds sent by Hwang Jung-hoo without being noticed by him.

‘Where should I have it sent?’

If he had it sent to his house, there was a high chance that his parents would find out. That was something he absolutely didn’t want.

Then another point of contact…

“Dongmyung High School.”

“Dongmyung High School?”

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

Why was he suddenly mentioning a high school name?

‘Come to think of it…’

He hadn’t noticed before because he had only seen his face in the dark, but now that he was looking at him today, the man in front of him looked quite young.

‘Could he be a high school student?’

That couldn’t be. He had accepted that he was human now, but until recently, Hwang Jung-hoo had thought that a demon had come to make a contract with him.

And now, the identity of that demon was a high school student!

“Kang Jin-ho, Class 3, Grade 2.”

Hwang Jung-hoo was speechless.

How was he supposed to react to this situation?

Kang Jin-ho drove the point home.

“Is there another problem?”

“…No, there isn’t.”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a bizarre expression, half smiling and half crying.

“I’ll create an account and send it there.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly disappeared. Hwang Jung-hoo stared silently at the empty space where Kang Jin-ho had vanished and then pressed the bell.

– Yes, Chairman.

“Send Jo Gyu-min in.”

The door opened and Jo Gyu-min came inside.

“Did you call for me?”

Hwang Jung-hoo stared at Jo Gyu-min for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“Kang Jin-ho, Class 3, Grade 2, Dongmyung High School.”

“Yes?”

“Investigate everything. Find out everything, even the number of spoons in his house, and report back to me.”

“Understood.”

Jo Gyu-min was curious, but he didn’t ask any questions.

He was someone who did what he was told, not someone who asked questions. Hwang Jung-hoo leaned back in his chair.

“But be careful in your investigation. You must never upset him. If he gets angry because of you, you’ll find out what the worst possible scenario you can imagine is.”

“Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min felt a sense of tension creeping in.

Hwang Jung-hoo’s voice was tense. That meant this was not an easy task.

“Who is the person I need to investigate?”

Hwang Jung-hoo answered casually.

“He’s the one who holds this Hwang Jung-hoo’s lifeline.”

Jo Gyu-min’s heart turned cold.

“And furthermore, he’s the one who holds the fate of this Jae-kyung Group.”

“Understood.”

Jo Gyu-min bowed deeply and went outside.

Hwang Jung-hoo was left alone and looked around the spacious chairman’s office. It was a place he had spent over ten years in and had become familiar with. But strangely, it felt unfamiliar.

‘Ten years?’

That was quite a long time. It was time for a change.

What he had felt while lying in bed was that he had been complacent.

He had tried to live comfortably under the name of a large corporation, as one of the top five companies in the country.

But it was only when he was facing death that his past passion was revived.

What was so important about being a large corporation or one of the top five companies?

The important thing was that he was not yet the best, and that there was still room for improvement.

“I need to start again.”

Baek Young-gi was right.

If he had more time, he had to rebuild this sandcastle and turn it into an impregnable fortress. The passion that had cooled in Hwang Jung-hoo’s heart was rekindled.