Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 302

“Sir, I’m afraid you can’t do this here.”

Though the tone was gentle, there was an undeniable stiffness to it.

Was it a polite refusal? It wasn’t meant to provoke anger, but for someone already in a bad mood, it was a response that could easily ignite their temper.

And the person in question seemed to be in a very foul mood.

“Can’t do this? What are you going to do about it if I can’t?”

Kang Jin-ho sighed quietly.

It was a given that the more exclusive the VIP area, the more money people spent. But it was also true that the more exclusive the VIP area, the more entitled the customers became.

They were the type who thought, ‘I’ve spent this much money here, so you should all be at my beck and call.’

It was an ugly sight, but in a way, it was understandable.

If someone who spent a million won at a business received the same treatment as someone who spent a hundred million, the latter wouldn’t feel the need to stick with that business.

So, it was understandable, but…

“This lounge is for VIP customers only.”

“That’s why I’m here! VIP card!”

“I apologize, sir, but that card has not been renewed. You are not currently a VIP at our department store. We ask for your understanding.”

“Do you know who I am?”

Kang Jin-ho decided to ignore the man in front of him.

It wasn’t his place to get involved, nor was it something he needed to worry about. Dealing with difficult customers was the job of the staff, not the customers. While Kang Jin-ho wasn’t just a guest of Jae-kyung, he didn’t have an official position that required him to step into such situations.

“Let’s just go.”

“Why? It’s entertaining.”

“It’s not right to find other people’s troubles entertaining.”

“I can definitely tell you’re not having fun, Oppa [older brother/term of endearment for a male].”

Kang Eun-young stuck out her tongue. But she seemed to heed Kang Jin-ho’s words, as her feet, which had stopped, began to move again.

At that moment, a sharp voice pierced Kang Jin-ho’s ears.

“Don’t you know who I am? I’m Hwang Min-soo! Do you think you can get away with treating me like this?”

Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed.

‘Hwang Min-soo?’

It was a name he had heard somewhere before. Of course, anyone who had the audacity to shout in the VIP lounge of Jae-kyung Department Store was bound to be someone who had made a name for themselves somewhere, so it wasn’t strange to have heard the name. But it wasn’t just that feeling.

It wasn’t something he had heard in the news or in passing; it felt like a name connected to him from somewhere in his memory.

“…Hwang Min-soo-nim [formal honorific]?”

“Yes! Do you know me now?”

The staff member who had checked the VIP card and the customer’s face looked slightly flustered as they looked at Hwang Min-soo.

And Kang Jin-ho also looked at Hwang Min-soo with a careful gaze.

“His clothes look a bit worn…”

Kang Eun-young, hearing Kang Jin-ho’s initial impression, immediately corrected him.

“Oppa, those are incredibly expensive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. One outfit like that costs as much as a small car. Those are really expensive clothes. They’re a bit old, but… why isn’t someone who wears clothes like that a VIP?”

At Kang Eun-young’s questioning, Kang Jin-ho quietly listened to Hwang Min-soo’s words.

“Open the door.”

“…Sir, I cannot.”

“Do you know who I am and you’re still doing this? Where’s the manager? Tell the manager to come down here!”

“Even if the Chairman himself came, he wouldn’t be allowed in here without a VIP card. This is a policy set by the Chairman himself.”

At the mention of the Chairman, Hwang Min-soo’s face turned red.

“That damn old geezer!”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened slightly.

‘I remember now.’

It was something so old that he had forgotten. Even with Kang Jin-ho’s exceptional memory, it was impossible to remember every name that had passed by.

‘Hwang Jung-hoo’s eldest son is Hwang Min-jae, and his second son is Hwang Min-soo, right?’

Then the man’s attitude was understandable. If Hwang Min-soo was still at Jae-kyung, there was no way these people would dare to raise their heads in front of him.

Either Hwang Min-jae or Hwang Min-soo would have been the president of Jae-kyung Department Store.

And now, that Hwang Min-soo was standing in front of the VIP lounge in an old suit.

And seeing the middle-aged woman fidgeting behind Hwang Min-soo and the small child holding her hand tightly, Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed.

It seemed they were trying to enter the VIP lounge after going shopping with their young son, but something had gone wrong.

“Stop talking and open the door.”

“Sir, if you continue like this, we will have to call security.”

“Security?”

At the mention of security, Hwang Min-soo flinched.

His gaze briefly went behind him.

Hwang Min-soo, seeing the child anxiously fidgeting, gritted his teeth.

‘Damn it.’

The moment he was denied entry to the lounge, he should have backed down. That was the clean way to handle things. But the frustration with his current situation had boiled over, causing him to shout.

That shout had drawn attention, and the situation was getting worse.

He should have backed down, but his frustrated mind and the staff member’s firm attitude had created a negative synergy, escalating the situation. Backing down now was a matter of pride.

“Call them!”

“Sir?”

“Call security. I won’t leave on my own two feet, so call security.”

The staff member’s face turned cold.

In other places, it would be difficult to respond to such a situation, but Jae-kyung had only one way to respond. If they hesitated because he was a former president or the son of Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo, they would be in danger of losing their jobs.

The consequences weren’t on them, but on their superiors. If they failed to quickly deal with someone causing a disturbance, they could be reprimanded for not properly ensuring the rest of the VIPs inside.

“Please call the security team to the VIP lounge.”

The moment the call was made, the situation began to spiral out of control. People inside the lounge were craning their necks to see what was happening, and passersby were glancing over.

Now, the only thing left was for Hwang Min-soo to be dragged out.

“What’s going on!”

The manager they had seen earlier came running from the end of the hall. The VIP lounge was one of the most important places in the department store.

“This customer is demanding entry to the VIP lounge.”

The manager turned his head and saw Hwang Min-soo’s face, and his face contorted.

‘Oh, for crying out loud.’

Why was this guy causing trouble here? There were plenty of other department stores, so why did he have to come here and give him a headache?

The manager took a deep breath.

‘Stay calm.’

This was the worst crisis. One wrong response could completely ruin his career. And to make matters worse, Kang Jin-ho, the worst VVIP since he had taken the position, was watching.

One slip-up and he would be demoted immediately. Even if Kang Jin-ho had no intention of doing so, this matter would surely reach the higher-ups. It was a very good piece of gossip, even to him.

The manager, having decided what kind of information should reach the higher-ups to best benefit his career, quietly opened his mouth.

“Has it been confirmed that he is not a VIP?”

“Yes. He was a VIP until last year, but his status has been terminated this year.”

The manager nodded. If the confirmation was complete, there was only one thing left to do.

“Sir, I apologize, but this is a place where only VIP members are allowed. If you continue to cause a disturbance, we will have no choice but to remove you. Please understand that.”

He bowed politely, but the underlying message was that if he didn’t want to be kicked out, he should leave immediately.

Hwang Min-soo couldn’t have failed to understand that. Hwang Min-soo, his face flushed, said in a rough voice.

“Kick me out? Fine! Try kicking me out!”

Hwang Min-soo, still not calmed down, began to shout at the top of his lungs.

“You bastards! It’s not about what I did here. How much did I spend here until a few years ago? Just because I didn’t meet the quota for one year, you treat me like this! That’s why you can’t sell anything properly!”

“That is not something you need to worry about, sir. It is simply our company’s policy.”

“Policy?”

“You must know who made that policy, don’t you?”

Hwang Min-soo’s face twisted.

It wasn’t Hwang Jung-hoo who made that policy, but Hwang Min-soo. Hwang Jung-hoo had only suggested that VIP management be done properly, and the grading and management based on those grades were created by Hwang Min-soo when he was the president here.

The strict grading based on sales was also a policy he had created.

But that policy was now causing him trouble.

“You look familiar.”

“That is not important. Please do not cause any more disturbances. If you continue to cause a disturbance, we will forcibly remove you.”

“Try it, you bastard!”

“Security!”

As the manager firmly called for security, the burly young men in black suits who had been watching the situation rushed to the manager’s side. They looked ready to grab Hwang Min-soo and drag him out at the slightest word.

“I don’t want to escalate this either. As a courtesy to my former superior, I will tolerate this one last time. Please stop causing a disturbance and leave. You know that nothing will change if you continue like this.”

Hwang Min-soo’s gaze went behind him.

Then he looked back at the manager. It was as if he was asking for understanding just this once because his son was watching. But the manager was also in a difficult situation.

If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t been there, he might have been able to do that. He might have been able to quietly sweep it under the rug. He knew Hwang Min-soo’s feelings as a father.

‘Damn it.’

Even though he was power-hungry, he knew that Hwang Min-soo wasn’t a bad person. He didn’t want to be so cold and heartless, but it was a situation he couldn’t control.

“Please leave.”

Hwang Min-soo was about to shout, but he lowered his head.

“…If it can’t be done, it can’t be done.”

There was a sense of despair in his voice.

Seeing that, the manager also felt a pang of sympathy, but he didn’t show it on his face. Operating according to the rules was essential for running a large department store.

“The customer is leaving. Clear the way.”

“Yes.”

As the security guards moved to the sides, Hwang Min-soo turned his head weakly toward his wife.

“Honey.”

His wife was also looking at him with a tearful face. It was hard for her to watch her husband, who was once the president here, being treated like this.

Just as Hwang Min-soo was about to say, ‘Let’s go,’

“How many people can accompany me?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly opened his mouth.