Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 37

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at the bankbook Hwang Jung-hoo had handed him.

Did he not understand what he was saying?

“No, what I wanted wasn’t a large sum of money. Just enough to live comfortably.”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue at Kang Jin-ho’s words.

“You have no sense of the cost of living. In Seoul, one hundred million won won’t even buy you a house.”

“Is that so?”

“Not just a house. It wouldn’t even cover the deposit for a rental. Thinking you can live comfortably with just one hundred million won is a pipe dream.”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

One hundred million won was an enormous sum of money in Kang Jin-ho’s mind. But to think that it wouldn’t even cover a rental deposit. How much money would he need to live comfortably?

Listening to Hwang Jung-hoo, money didn’t seem like money at all.

“From what I see, you have a sibling at home, so you’d need at least three rooms. A decent place with three rooms where you can live comfortably… I wonder if one hundred million won would even cover the entrance hall…”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

He understood that the one hundred million won he had asked for was not enough to achieve his goal.

‘I was careless.’

If he had just taken the one hundred million won and ended it there, he would have needed more money again.

He should have done more research and planned more carefully before acting…

“Weren’t you trying to get money to ease the burden on your parents and live a little more comfortably?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.

“But one hundred million won won’t make things easier for them. If you just spend it, it’ll be gone in a year. Do you think your parents will work less if you get that money? Just your tuition alone would eat up that much money in no time.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

If what Hwang Jung-hoo said was true, he definitely needed to get more money.

“So, take this.”

“But it’s still too much.”

“The more money you have, the better.”

“Hmm…”

“Of course, once you have a certain amount of money, having more doesn’t make much of a difference, but one hundred billion won isn’t even that much. So, take this money for now. You need to be comfortable to focus on my treatment, right? It’s not for you, it’s for me.”

“Hmm…”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled lightly as Kang Jin-ho seemed to be contemplating.

“Your perspective changes once you have money. So, why don’t you take it for now?”

In the end, Kang Jin-ho smiled.

Hwang Jung-hoo believed that Kang Jin-ho had lived a poor life. On the surface, that was true. But Kang Jin-ho had already experienced the extremes of wealth.

In fact, there was a time when he had wielded wealth that made Hwang Jung-hoo’s current fortune seem laughable.

In the Murim world [a world of martial arts and cultivation].

In the Murim world, there weren’t as many things you could do with money as there are now. But the wealthy of the past Murim world lived lives on a different level than today’s rich.

Now, even if you drive a nice car, it’s just a better version of the same thing. Even commoners have a car these days.

But back then, ordinary people all walked. Only those with money could ride horses, and the truly wealthy rode in carriages pulled by fine steeds.

Compared to those who had to walk and walk to get around, the quality of life of the wealthy, who could lie comfortably in their carriages, was incomparable to that of today’s rich.

Absolutely speaking, they might not have lived much better than today’s middle class, but relatively speaking, the wealthy of that time lived lives that were incomparable to commoners.

It was a different level than today’s rich, who only enjoy a little more convenience no matter how much money they have.

Kang Jin-ho had already experienced such extreme wealth.

No matter how much money Hwang Jung-hoo had, could it compare to the wealth of the Demonic Cult, which had dominated more than half of the Murim world? Yet, Kang Jin-ho was not obsessed with wealth.

Kang Jin-ho’s belief was that once you have a certain amount of money, it becomes more of a burden.

But…

‘He has a point.’

It might be different if it were just him, but for his family, he needed enough money. Kang Jin-ho’s happiness and his family’s happiness couldn’t be the same, so if he considered both, the more money, the better.

“I understand.”

Kang Jin-ho finally accepted the bankbook that Hwang Jung-hoo was offering.

“But what about the account holder?”

“Well, that’s a bit of a problem…”

Hwang Jung-hoo frowned as he spoke.

“It’s not easy to transfer one hundred billion won to another account without a reason. Even for me, if it continues, it’s bound to cause problems. I might be okay, but you’ll definitely have issues.”

“Me?”

“Hwang Jung-hoo’s hidden child? Or maybe a grandchild? Rumors like that spread quickly. Would that be good for you?”

“They already said that at school.”

“That’s different. Finding a grandchild is nothing special. But if it becomes known that Hwang Jung-hoo is constantly sending money to that grandchild, things will escalate. If it were any other time, people might just accept it, but the timing isn’t good right now. There’s no successor in Jae-kyung right now.”

If Hwang Jung-hoo’s children were still in their positions, a suddenly appearing grandchild wouldn’t be such a big deal. There might be rumors that he was a hidden child, but that could be overlooked.

But in a situation where the succession structure had collapsed, a suddenly appearing hidden relative was perfect fodder for gossip.

It wouldn’t be a big change for Hwang Jung-hoo, but Kang Jin-ho would attract a lot of attention.

That wasn’t good. Not for Hwang Jung-hoo, and not for Kang Jin-ho.

“Yes.”

“I’ve considered various methods, but for now, this seems to be the best. Just use my account. There’s the issue of tax evasion, but I’ll take care of that. I don’t like illegal things either.”

“But…”

“Speak.”

“How do I withdraw the money? Since it’s not in my name, I can’t withdraw it, can I?”

Hwang Jung-hoo laughed.

Did he have to explain even this?

“There’s a card, isn’t there?”

“You mean, swipe it?”

“That should cover most things. You can also withdraw cash from ATMs. If you need a large amount of cash, go to the bank. I’ve already informed the nearest branch, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. It was definitely a reasonable method.

“Then, let’s consider this settled for this month. I’ll deposit more next month after the treatment is finished.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened as he looked at Hwang Jung-hoo.

“Another hundred billion won?”

“Wasn’t that the agreement?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“This is enough for now.”

“It won’t be enough. The more you spend, the more you need.”

“Then, we’ll talk about it then.”

“So, you’re going to use me like a bank account?”

“You’re already doing that.”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled.

“That’s true, indeed.”

“I have a favor to ask in return.”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes lit up. The more favors like this piled up, the better the relationship between Hwang Jung-hoo and Kang Jin-ho would become. From Hwang Jung-hoo’s perspective, of course.

“What is it?”

“There’s a place called Seongsim Orphanage.”

“Is that where your friend is?”

“You’ve done a thorough investigation.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled at Kang Jin-ho’s words.

“I have a capable man.”

“Anyway, they’re currently under financial pressure. It doesn’t seem like they have any debts, so please find them a building. They need to move. It’s not a place for people to live.”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes narrowed. It was an unexpected side of him. It was strange that this person had this side to him. He thought he was the type who didn’t pay much attention to others…

“A building?”

“Yes.”

“Why not just build a new one?”

“That’s fine too.”

“That’s cleaner and easier to handle.”

Kang Jin-ho was amazed by the wealthy man’s clean mindset.

“And this is a bit complicated…”

“Hmm?”

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

“Does Jae-kyung Group sell bicycles?”

“…Huh?”

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

“Bicycles?”

Why was a bicycle suddenly coming up?

“Yes.”

“No, we don’t really handle bicycles.”

“Is that so?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I need a sturdy bicycle.”

Hwang Jung-hoo scolded Kang Jin-ho as if he was talking nonsense.

“That’s why I gave you one hundred billion won. There are many luxury brands in Italy, so buy the best model.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“You misunderstood me.”

“…”

“I don’t need a good bicycle, I need a sturdy bicycle. One that won’t bend even if it’s hit by a truck, and one where the pedals won’t break no matter how hard I pedal. I need a strong bicycle.”

“Hit by a truck? Why do you need that?”

Kang Jin-ho scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“My bicycles keep breaking.”

“Breaking?”

“I just pedal and ride, but the pedals keep breaking, the cranks keep breaking…”

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

What was he talking about?

It was strange that the topic came up out of nowhere, but he couldn’t understand what he was saying.

How was he supposed to interpret this?

Hwang Jung-hoo was dumbfounded, but he nodded.

“I don’t know much about it, but I know someone who does. I’ll have the sturdiest bicycle in the world custom-made for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Tsk, tsk, how can you be so clueless?”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled as he looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“We need to go to your house, don’t we?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes sharpened.

“Don’t involve my family.”

Hwang Jung-hoo patted Kang Jin-ho’s shoulder as if he was pitiful.

“Think about it carefully.”

“What do you mean?”

“How are you going to explain that money?”

Kang Jin-ho was momentarily speechless. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t give the money to his parents even if he had it. How was he supposed to explain where this money came from?

“Are you going to say it fell from the sky?”

“…”

“Or are you going to say you won the lottery? How many times has there been a one hundred billion won lottery?”

Kang Jin-ho lowered his head.

“It’s better if I explain it.”

“I guess so.”

Kang Jin-ho surrendered to Hwang Jung-hoo’s experience.

He was clearly in a position to hold Hwang Jung-hoo’s weakness, but he felt like he was being led around.

From start to finish, Kang Jin-ho was just being led by Hwang Jung-hoo.

‘But…’

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

Rather, it was nostalgic, even a little bittersweet.

That person was like this too. He always made him feel like a child.

“Shall we go then?”

“Let’s go next time.”

“Hmm?”

“My class isn’t over yet.”

“…”

“Unless I was expelled, I’m still a student, so I can’t skip class and go home.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, then go in. You have to attend class.”

“Then…”

Kang Jin-ho opened the car door and got out.

A strange smile was playing on Hwang Jung-hoo’s lips as he watched Kang Jin-ho.

“He’s a very strange person.”

Sometimes he seemed very experienced, and sometimes he seemed very naive.

And the glint in his eyes was sharp enough to make Hwang Jung-hoo, who had been through all sorts of trials, feel a chill down his spine.

“It won’t be boring.”

He had both work and entertainment at the same time. Hwang Jung-hoo was more than happy with his new life.