Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 314

“Did you say my son?”\n\n”Yes.”\n\n”Are you referring to my children when you say ‘son’?”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo’s tone was extremely rigid, but Kang Jin-ho nodded calmly.\n\n”Yes.”\n\n”Hmm.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo wore an expression of being caught between two stools [a situation where someone is unable to choose between two options]. If the person in front of him were anyone other than Kang Jin-ho, he would have lashed out without a moment’s hesitation.\n\nEven if the president of this country were standing before him, he would have vented his anger without any reservation. No matter how weakened he had become, Hwang Jung-hoo was still Hwang Jung-hoo.\n\nHowever, if there was one person in this world that Hwang Jung-hoo found difficult to deal with, it was Kang Jin-ho. Not because he had the power to harm him, but because he was indebted to him.\n\nKang Jin-ho might think he had received full repayment for the favors he had done, but Hwang Jung-hoo did not think so.\n\nThe favor of being brought back from the brink of death, watching Jae-kyung collapse from his sickbed, was something that could never be repaid. If Kang Jin-ho had asked for all of his assets, Hwang Jung-hoo would have given them without hesitation.\n\nBecause it was Kang Jin-ho, Hwang Jung-hoo could not get angry.\n\n”What brings you here?”\n\nHowever, he couldn’t help but speak in short, clipped sentences. The fact that he wasn’t yelling at Kang Jin-ho in front of him was already using up all the patience Hwang Jung-hoo could muster.\n\n”We met by chance. We ran into each other at the department store.”\n\n”You recognized him?”\n\n”It wasn’t that I recognized him…”\n\nKang Jin-ho slightly narrowed his brow. It was difficult to explain the whole situation in detail.\n\n”Anyway, there was a reason for me to find out.”\n\n”Hmm… well, that’s good.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo quietly looked at Kang Jin-ho and opened his mouth.\n\n”Then, what is the reason for telling me this?”\n\n”I thought you might be curious.”\n\n”Me?”\n\n”Yes.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo frowned as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’\n\n”Why do you think that?”\n\n”Aren’t you curious?”\n\n”Not at all.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo’s face was resolute.\n\nHowever, Kang Jin-ho read the opposite emotion in that expression. The fact that a person had to speak with such a resolute expression meant that they were concerned about the matter.\n\nHwang Jung-hoo would probably get angry if he heard that, asking why it had to be that way.\n\n”Then, is it okay if I don’t say anything?”\n\n”Do you think I would be curious?”\n\nKang Jin-ho did not answer. He simply took a drag from his cigarette.\n\n”He was worried.”\n\n”He said that your uncle also passed away from cancer, and that since you are older, you should definitely get a health checkup.”\n\n”Did he tell you to tell me that?”\n\n”No. He didn’t want you to know that he had said such things.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo slightly raised his head, as if surprised. If he were to drag out his words a little here, he might be able to make Hwang Jung-hoo anxious, but this was not a place for negotiation, nor was it a place where he needed to take the lead.\n\n”He was being stopped from entering the department store’s VIP lounge.”\n\n”VIP lounge?”\n\n”Yes.”\n\n”Those fools still haven’t given up their vanity!”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo’s face contorted.\n\nIf they were the descendants of another conglomerate family, they would not be without money even if they were disowned. This was because, to avoid inheritance tax, they would have gradually transferred assets from a young age.\n\nHowever, Hwang Jung-hoo had not given his children a single penny of his assets. All they had received was the salary they had earned while working at Jae-kyung, and even that salary was not paid fairly.\n\nIt was because of the reason, ‘If you had entered as new employees and competed fairly, would you dare to be in your current positions?’\n\nThey were appointed to positions where they could have received quite a high annual salary, but Hwang Jung-hoo did not give them even half of that salary. And in the face of Hwang Jung-hoo’s imperial authority, his children did not dare to voice their dissatisfaction.\n\nWhen Hwang Jung-hoo returned and reclaimed everything from them, there would have been almost nothing left for them. Even though the saying goes that even if a rich person goes bankrupt, they still have three years to live, they would have had enough money to get by, but it was obvious that it would be impossible for them to maintain their lifestyle.\n\nThere was also the option of getting a job at another company, using their experience of briefly leading Jae-kyung, but the companies that knew of Hwang Jung-hoo’s return were wary of conflict with Jae-kyung and did not want to hire them.\n\nAnd yet, a VIP lounge.\n\n”Vanity eats away at people.”\n\n”He came with his son.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo closed his mouth.\n\n”It seems they went there to take a short break. It seems he couldn’t back down with his child in front of him.”\n\n”Tsk, tsk!”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo did not hide his discomfort.\n\n”People should live within their means. That’s how people should be!”\n\n”Perhaps.”\n\n”So, is that why you came? To tell me what kind of lives my sons are living?”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo was clearly angry.\n\nWhether it was because Kang Jin-ho had brought news of his sons, or because he didn’t like the way his sons were living, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t tell.\n\nHwang Jung-hoo finished his cigarette and took out a new one, putting it in his mouth.\n\nAlthough he seemed to be trying not to show it, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was burning up inside.\n\n”If only my children were like you…”\n\nKang Jin-ho shook his head.\n\n”My mother says I’m not cute, so I’m not her type.”\n\n”Would my children be cute? If they can’t be cute, they should at least be sharp!”\n\n”…Please calm down.”\n\n”Tsk.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo stubbed out the cigarette he had barely smoked in the ashtray. His hand movements were nervous.\n\n”Why aren’t you talking?”\n\n”What do you mean?”\n\n”You didn’t come all this way just to say that. You must have come because you have more to say. So why aren’t you saying it, that’s what I mean.”\n\nKang Jin-ho quietly shook his head.\n\n”Words only have meaning when there is someone to speak them and someone to listen.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo was not someone who didn’t understand what Kang Jin-ho’s words meant. Hwang Jung-hoo, who had been quietly looking down as if displeased, took a low breath after a little time had passed.\n\n”…Wait a little longer.”\n\n”Yes.”\n\nThe silence in the living room was so profound that the ticking of the wall clock could be heard. Kang Jin-ho didn’t need to be anxious, and Hwang Jung-hoo was in the process of calming his mind, so the only person who was uneasy was the housekeeper, who was watching the situation from the corner.\n\n’Who is that young man…’\n\nEven Director Baek Young-gi would choose his words carefully in front of Hwang Jung-hoo. He could offer advice, but he couldn’t bring up truly sensitive issues. This was because he knew Hwang Jung-hoo’s fiery temper.\n\nHowever, that young man had relentlessly poked at the most sensitive part of Hwang Jung-hoo.\n\nIt was strange that a young man was so fearless, and it was equally strange that Hwang Jung-hoo was listening to such words from that young man without getting angry.\n\n”…It seems I’ve calmed down a bit.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a much brighter face.\n\n”What is it that you want to say?”\n\n”I already said it.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo closed his mouth.\n\nWhat Kang Jin-ho had said to him was about his children. And before that….\n\n”You want to say that it’s not about being regretful, but about being lonely?”\n\n”Yes.”\n\n”Listen, Jin-ho.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo let out a low laugh.\n\n”You might be right. Maybe I am lonely right now.”\n\n”But at this age, loneliness is like an unavoidable companion. Everyone experiences a sense of loss, and everyone feels emptiness. That’s what it means to be dying.”\n\n”No.”\n\nKang Jin-ho shook his head firmly.\n\n”It’s not because you’re dying. It’s because you have regrets.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo’s eyes wavered.\n\n”What you have achieved at the moment of death is not important. What is important is whether I can be satisfied. The reason why you are losing your will now is not because you are getting old. It’s not because you think you are inferior to the young people.”\n\n”Then what is it?”\n\n”It’s because you don’t have the passion to accept new things and run again.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo couldn’t refute it. Those words were hitting Hwang Jung-hoo right on the mark.\n\nWhen he heard that computers were starting to appear overseas, Hwang Jung-hoo was the first to bring them in and study them. How old was he at that time?\n\nIf it had been the old him, if his subordinates were doing a better job, he would have tried to learn the relevant knowledge and work hard to not fall behind. But what was he doing now?\n\nHe acknowledged that he had fallen behind and gave up.\n\n’Passion…’\n\n”Passion doesn’t disappear because you get old. You get old because your passion disappears.”\n\n”You mean it’s the other way around?”\n\n”You know that.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo’s eyes began to burn as he looked at Kang Jin-ho’s calm eyes.\n\n”So?”\n\n”So, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to grit my teeth and try to revive that extinguished passion at this age? Or do you want me to bring back the children I pushed away with my own hands to endure the piercing loneliness?”\n\n”Either way would be fine.”\n\n”You have to make sense!”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo lashed out.\n\n”Why should I forgive those bastards! Aren’t they the ones who committed acts worse than beasts! Don’t even think about trying to persuade me with nonsense about human ethics or natural law. I’m someone who thinks those words are lies made up by people!”\n\nKang Jin-ho quietly listened to Hwang Jung-hoo’s words.\n\nThey were probably words he had never said to anyone. There was no one to ask, and no one to tell. Sometimes, just letting out what’s on your mind can make you feel better, but Hwang Jung-hoo had no one to confide in.\n\n’He must be lonely.’\n\nAnyone who stands at the top is lonely. It’s because they can’t fully express their feelings. Those who have absolute power tend to become more and more isolated because of the power they possess.\n\nJust like Kang Jin-ho used to be.\n\nSo, for now, it was enough to just listen.\n\n”If those bastards had shown even a shred of humanity when I collapsed, would I have gone this far? Was I wrong? Do you think so? Do you think I shouldn’t have gone that far? Say something.”\n\nKang Jin-ho answered as if there was nothing to think about.\n\n”No one can say that the choice you made at that time was wrong. It was a natural choice, and it was the right thing to do.”\n\n”That’s right! Isn’t that right! I wasn’t wrong!”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo shouted.\n\n”But why should I care about those bastards now! It wasn’t wrong then, but is it wrong now! You know how illogical what you’re saying is, right?”\n\nKang Jin-ho shook his head as he looked at Hwang Jung-hoo, who seemed ready to pounce on him.\n\n”It’s not that it’s wrong.”\n\n”Then?”\n\n”It’s that it’s time to let go.”\n\n”…Let go of what?”\n\nKang Jin-ho’s voice was unwavering.\n\n”That obsession with always having to live right.”\n\nHwang Jung-hoo’s eyes widened.