Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 31

“But, Chairman!” Kim Min-joon, the principal of Dongmyung High School, looked at the chairman with a stern face. Chairman Choi Myung-gil. A man who ran the Dongmyung Foundation, a well-known educational foundation in the country. As the chairman of an educational foundation, his reputation wasn’t good; he was actually a person who committed various irregularities. However, the reason he was able to run the foundation without any major problems was because he had a sharp mind for understanding the situation. He committed irregularities, but never exceeded the level that he could cover up when caught. He used money and power, but always kept in mind that he could become a target at any time. Because he had managed the foundation under these principles, Choi Myung-gil had been able to run the Dongmyung Foundation without any major problems and increase his wealth. Kim Min-joon had been watching Choi Myung-gil by his side for decades. However, the Choi Myung-gil in front of him now was not the Choi Myung-gil that Kim Min-joon had known. “Chairman, that’s unreasonable.” “Unreasonable?” Kim Min-joon nodded strongly. “No matter how much of a chairman you are, it’s difficult to expel a student without a reason. If the student decides to file a complaint with the Education Committee or the Office of Education, it will cause a big problem. And if this matter gets leaked to the media, everything that the Dongmyung Foundation has built up until now will collapse.” Choi Myung-gil glared at Kim Min-joon with sharp eyes. “Collapse?” “Chairman, you need to come to your senses.” “Are you telling me to come to my senses right now?” “But, Chairman.” “Shut up.” Kim Min-joon sighed. Even though it was about his grandson, Choi Myung-gil was too agitated right now. “Moreover, there’s no evidence that Kang Jin-ho harmed Choi Young-soo.” “That’s not important.” “What do you mean?” “It’s important that he was the trigger. If it weren’t for that guy, our Young-soo wouldn’t have ended up like this!” It wasn’t wrong. However, Kang Jin-ho had already received a suspension in relation to that. Wasn’t that suspension also a conclusion that the chairman himself had made? “We have already punished the related matter. So, it’s difficult to do more than that.” “Who told you to punish that matter?” “What do you mean?” “If I can just expel that guy, I don’t care about anything else. No matter what it takes.” Kim Min-joon looked at Choi Myung-gil with a bewildered expression. What on earth was he talking about? “Chairman.” Choi Myung-gil became angry. “You’re so frustrating! Why does it have to be that matter? Find something else! There must be some issues he caused while attending school.” “But, Kang Jin-ho was a model student before this incident. His grades are in the top 10 in the entire school, and he’s a model student who hasn’t caused any particular trouble, so there’s nothing to bring up…” “Then just make something up.” “Chairman.” Choi Myung-gil waved his hand as if he didn’t want to hear it. “I don’t want to say much. You have one thing to do. Get Kang Jin-ho out of this school. Use any means necessary to kick him out of this school.” At Choi Myung-gil’s unreasonable words, Kim Min-joon was momentarily at a loss for words. “Do you understand what I’m saying?” “Chairman…” Choi Myung-gil’s sharp gaze fell on Kim Min-joon. “Are you saying you won’t listen to me?” He wanted to say that he would. But he couldn’t. “…No, sir.” “Then, know that and get out.” Choi Myung-gil got up from his seat and went outside. Principal Kim Min-joon bowed his head to the chairman’s back as he headed out. “Please be careful on your way.” Bang! The door slammed shut. “Haa…” Kim Min-joon slumped down in his chair. “What am I supposed to do…” It was an absurd request. No, it was more of an order than a request, but even if it was an order, what couldn’t be done couldn’t be done. If someone else had made this request, Kim Min-joon would have refused it without a second thought. However, he couldn’t refuse Choi Myung-gil’s request. It wasn’t because Choi Myung-gil was the chairman and he was the principal. His remaining term wasn’t long anyway, and even though it was a private school, Choi Myung-gil was also an educator. There was no reason to unconditionally follow the chairman’s words. Nevertheless, the reason Kim Min-joon couldn’t refuse the request was because he had received too much from Choi Myung-gil over the years. Kim Min-joon was the one who had condoned Choi Myung-gil’s subtle embezzlement of the foundation’s assets and had received the crumbs that fell from it. He had not only condoned it but had also worked with him on numerous things, including document manipulation. In return, Kim Min-joon had received a lot of money from Choi Myung-gil, which allowed him to live a luxurious life. For Kim Min-joon to refuse Choi Myung-gil’s request would be the same as giving up all of that. Moreover, Choi Myung-gil held Kim Min-joon’s weaknesses in addition to money. Otherwise, he would never have shown his flaws to Kim Min-joon. “Haa…” Kim Min-joon shook his head. Knock knock. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. “Come in.” The door opened, and Gong Ik-hyun, the student affairs teacher who was called “rag” by the students, came in. “Principal, didn’t the chairman just leave?” The principal nodded. “You saw it.” “The chairman’s expression looked fierce. What happened?” What happened indeed. Kim Min-joon was lost in thought. It was clear that it was too much for him to handle this matter alone. This man in front of him was known to be quite resourceful, so could he ask for his help? It was best to minimize the number of people involved in this unpleasant matter, but if he couldn’t handle it alone, making an ally was also a way. “Mr. Gong Ik-hyun.” “Yes, Principal.” “You came at the right time. The chairman made an unreasonable request, and I’m worried about how to handle it.” Gong Ik-hyun asked with a curious expression. “An unreasonable request?” “You know Kang Jin-ho, right?” “Are you talking about the guy who assaulted Chairman’s grandson, Choi Young-soo, a while ago?” The principal nodded. “Yes, that Kang Jin-ho. It seems the chairman hasn’t gotten over the last incident, and he’s telling me to expel that student by any means necessary.” “Expel?” “Yes.” “Expulsion, expulsion… Isn’t that too much?” “That’s what I’m saying.” Gong Ik-hyun looked at the principal with a surprised face. They had clearly given him a suspension last time. It was a severe suspension of seven days, which could be considered excessive compared to what he had done. He thought it was all over, but there was still resentment left. ‘Old man, so petty.’ Deciding a student’s punishment based on personal feelings was something that should not be done. The chairman he knew was corrupt, but he was a person who didn’t cross a certain line. It seemed like his reason was paralyzed because his grandson was involved. “It seems like an unreasonable thing to do.” The principal nodded heavily. “I think so too, but he’s so stubborn…” “Is there no way to persuade him?” “He doesn’t seem to have any intention of listening. Haa, what should I do?” Gong Ik-hyun raised his voice. “Expulsion isn’t something we can handle on our own, is it? We have to report the reason to the Office of Education, and it’s not a voluntary withdrawal, but an expulsion?” “That part can be resolved by us concluding it as a voluntary withdrawal. The problem is that there’s no reason to do so. Before this incident happened, that Kang Jin-ho was quite a model student.” “Yes, that’s definitely true.” Gong Ik-hyun was also surprised when he heard that Kang Jin-ho had hit Choi Young-soo. The Kang Jin-ho he knew was a student who only knew how to study, and he was not someone who would get into a fight with Choi Young-soo. “So, how are we supposed to get that student out?” Gong Ik-hyun scratched the back of his head as if he had a headache. “Even if it’s actually possible, I don’t really want to do it.” “Me neither. Even though he hit the chairman’s grandson, is it right to kick a student out of school because of that?” “But…” Gong Ik-hyun tried to say something but closed his mouth. “But what?” “If we put aside our conscience, there might be a way.” “A way?” “But this… If we do it, not only that student but also one of our school’s teachers will be in danger…” “Which teacher is in danger?” “It’s Mr. Kim Sung-joo, Kang Jin-ho’s homeroom teacher.” “Mr. Kim Sung-joo?” The principal recalled Mr. Kim Sung-joo’s face. “Is there a problem with Mr. Kim Sung-joo?” Gong Ik-hyun shook his head. “No, Principal. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.” The principal urged Mr. Gong Ik-hyun with a slightly raised voice. “Mr. Gong Ik-hyun, you said there was a way, so why are you suddenly acting like this?” Even with the principal’s urging, Gong Ik-hyun remained silent. “Mr. Gong!” Finally, Gong Ik-hyun opened his mouth heavily. “Even if there is a way, he’s my student and a colleague who works with me. So how can I…” The principal bit his lip slightly. ‘Sly as a fox…’ Conscience? He wasn’t someone who would keep his mouth shut because of that. The reason he had confided in Gong Ik-hyun and the reason he had been close to him was because he was a similar kind of person. Right now, Gong Ik-hyun was saying that he wanted something in return. Normally, it was a situation where he would take his time and slowly negotiate, but the principal didn’t have that luxury right now. Moreover, if it was a method that only Gong Ik-hyun knew, the longer he dragged it out, the higher the price would likely be. A quick decision. That was the method the principal had to take. “Haa, why wouldn’t I understand your feelings? But Mr. Gong, if we don’t do that, will the chairman’s anger be appeased?” “But…” “From the way you’re talking, it seems that Mr. Kim Sung-joo must have made some kind of mistake regarding Kang Jin-ho’s matter. If someone makes a mistake, is it right to just pretend you don’t know and cover it up just because they’re a colleague?” Gong Ik-hyun glanced at the principal. The principal nodded and continued. “If this matter is resolved well, the chairman will reward you handsomely. If not the chairman, then I will have to reward you.” “It’s not like I’m doing this for a reward.” “I know, I know. But there should be at least a minimum reward, right?” “Please act with the conscience of an educator, Mr. Gong Ik-hyun.” Gong Ik-hyun pretended to ponder for a moment before looking at the principal. The principal slowly nodded. “If you say so much, then I have no choice. Please don’t forget what you just said.” “Don’t worry.” Gong Ik-hyun smiled slyly and opened his mouth. “Actually, before…”