Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 485

“You’ve worked hard today.”

“You’ve done a great job.”

Min Hong-gi bowed his head.

“The material we covered today is important, so make sure you review it thoroughly.”

“Yes!”

As he received the students’ greetings and left the classroom, a gentle smile formed on Min Hong-gi’s lips.

‘Things are going smoothly.’

Is this what the prime of life feels like?

These days, everything he did seemed to be working out. After much deliberation, he had moved to a new academy, and now his student numbers were increasing, and his reputation was growing.

Thanks to this, he had successfully renegotiated his contract with a significant raise. The amount of money being deposited into his bank account was enough to make him feel genuinely pleased.

‘If only there was one more catalyst…’

Min Hong-gi knew that while skill was the most important thing in this industry, other factors were also necessary. Like a visible image.

If people were going to spend money anyway, they would prefer to spend it in a place that made them feel good. No matter who was considered the top instructor, in his opinion, the abilities of the instructors who were making a name for themselves in the current academy scene were all similar. It was a battle of who could highlight their unique characteristics more effectively.

That was why some instructors would throw chalk like crazy, dress up in cosplay, or even bring tools into the classroom, doing all sorts of bizarre things.

The one thing Min Hong-gi lacked was exactly that.

He received good reviews for his classes, but that was it. Unlike other top instructors, he didn’t have a clear selling point.

‘Going overboard is worse than doing nothing.’

It would be great if he could highlight a unique aspect of himself, but the moment he tried something half-heartedly, there would be people who found it off-putting.

Moreover, if students came to his class thinking, ‘That instructor seems interesting,’ and then felt that he wasn’t as unique as they had expected, they would quickly leave. That would be a critical blow for an instructor.

‘If I could just solve this one thing, it wouldn’t be difficult to become a top instructor.’

Perhaps he was at a crossroads in his life right now.

‘I should go straight home today.’

A cold beer was calling his name. He had already finished preparing for tomorrow’s classes, so he should take some time for himself tonight.

Just as he was thinking that, it happened.

“Are you Min Hong-gi, the instructor?”

Min Hong-gi turned his head.

Behind him stood a man dressed in a sharp black suit.

‘Isn’t he hot?’

In this sweltering weather.

However, the man maintained his perfectly styled pompadour without a single strand out of place, as if this level of heat didn’t bother him at all. It was an admirable level of self-management.

“Did you call for me?”

“Yes. Hello.”

As the man bowed politely, Min Hong-gi found himself bowing in return. There was something about this man’s presence.

Even without saying a word, he exuded an aura that screamed ‘big shot.’

“This is who I am.”

Min Hong-gi’s eyes widened as much as they could when he received the business card the man offered.

“Jae… Jae-kyung?”

The man with the pompadour smiled gently at Min Hong-gi, who was staring at him with surprised eyes.

“Could we talk for a moment?” The net had been cast.

“…A class, you say?”

Min Hong-gi looked at the man with a bewildered expression.

The man, who introduced himself as Jo Gyu-min.

To be in charge of the secretary’s office at Jae-kyung at such a young age….

If someone else had presented a business card like this, Min Hong-gi would have thought it was a fake.

But he couldn’t doubt this man.

Even without the business card, he could instinctively sense that this man was a big deal.

He was an instructor. Instructors had to deal with countless students. If they couldn’t immediately grasp a student’s style just by looking at their appearance and demeanor, they would inevitably run into trouble someday.

Min Hong-gi, who prided himself on his ability to read people, could see that this man was the ‘real deal.’

“Yes. It’s a class.”

Min Hong-gi’s throat felt parched.

He couldn’t help but grab the cold beer he had vowed never to touch. He took a deep breath after gulping down the beer from the dewy glass.

‘Is the heavens helping me?’

It was the right offer at the right time. The moment he heard the proposal, Min Hong-gi instinctively knew that the perfect opportunity had come to him.

But that was why he had to be cautious.

Having clawed his way up from the bottom in the academy scene, he believed in the simple truth that life was never smooth, and there were no such things as free opportunities.

There was no way they would suddenly give him this kind of opportunity without a reason.

“So, to summarize, what I have to do is teach a small number of kids, is that right?”

“That’s the role we’re asking you to play. But there will also be results we expect.”

“Are you talking about the children’s grades?”

“We want the best.”

“Of course, if I take on this job, I will make that happen. It’s my job, and it’s my pride. However…”

Min Hong-gi calmly organized his thoughts.

“Realistically, that’s impossible.”

“Why is that?”

“First of all, I’m bound by a contract. Personally teaching outside is a breach of contract… Of course, if I were to teach a small group separately somewhere else, I could do it secretly, but I don’t want to take that risk. Besides, it’s also morally wrong. I can’t claim to have lived a perfectly righteous life, but at least I haven’t lived by harming others.”

“You misunderstand.”

“Yes?”

Jo Gyu-min smiled lightly.

“Jae-kyung doesn’t handle things that way. I already finished talking with the academy director before I came to see you, Instructor Min Hong-gi. If you decide to do it, the academy won’t interfere in any way. In fact, they will even adjust your schedule.”

“No…”

Min Hong-gi was about to ask how such a thing was possible, but he stopped himself.

After all, it was Jae-kyung.

No matter how rich the academy director was, he was just a small shop compared to Jae-kyung. Whether Jae-kyung’s chief secretary pressured him with Jae-kyung’s name or offered him a carrot, the academy director had no choice but to comply.

It wasn’t like they were asking him to hand over the entire academy, and letting a non-top instructor go outside for a while wouldn’t be a big blow.

“He seems to know business well.”

“Yes?”

“I was able to resolve it easily just by explaining the benefits this would bring. He was quick to calculate, so it was easy to talk to him.”

Min Hong-gi couldn’t understand what this man was saying.

He could understand it for himself, but what benefit would it be for the academy if he took on this job?

“There’s no need to think too deeply about it.”

“Yes?”

“What you need to think about is whether taking on this job is actually ‘beneficial’ for you. We will take care of all external matters cleanly. The conclusion is simple.”

Min Hong-gi nodded.

What he said was true.

“Then, I’d like to go over it again…”

“Yes.”

“If I understand correctly, you’re saying that I just need to teach about twenty kids?”

“Yes. It’s a simple task. However, the children’s academic levels vary, and their grades are different. So, simply teaching the same way as you do now will have its limits.”

“And the tuition for that class will be paid separately…”

“We will also compensate you for the loss of time due to travel. You don’t have to worry about the financial aspect. It will be more than you expect.”

“O-of course, it would be. But are you saying that I’ll be publicly stating that I’m giving free lectures outside?”

“That’s right. That’s the key.”

Jo Gyu-min smiled wryly.

“Not right away. Revealing it right away would be a burden on the class. When the time is right, we will say that Instructor Min Hong-gi gave free lessons to the children at the orphanage. Even after a long day, he would go out of his way to travel there. That will build a very good image, right?”

“…Image.”

“We live in an age of image. People don’t look at the inside. They only look at the outside. They have no way of knowing what kind of person Instructor Min Hong-gi actually is. They will only focus on the fact that Instructor Min Hong-gi taught children for free. If good skills and a good image come together…”

Jo Gyu-min spread his hands wide.

“It’ll explode.”

Min Hong-gi nodded absentmindedly.

This was it.

The perfect image he could build without feeling burdened. If he made a suitable donation on top of that, it would create a tremendous synergy. This was an opportunity he had to seize.

The problem was….

“Why me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking why you chose me specifically.”

At that question, Jo Gyu-min chuckled softly.

“That’s a very absurd question. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Obvious?”

“Yes. The reason we chose Instructor Min Hong-gi is very simple and obvious. It’s because we judged that Instructor Min Hong-gi is the best in this subject among all the instructors currently working.”

“But I’m not a top instructor…”

“I told you, people pay attention to what’s known rather than the truth. Just because someone is a top instructor doesn’t mean they are the best at teaching. We simply selected the instructors who could be most helpful to the children through our own class evaluations.”

It was a pleasant thing to hear.

But it wasn’t something he could just be happy about. That meant that manpower had been mobilized to evaluate their classes one by one. How could he just smile without any worries?

“Can I ask one more question?”

“Yes.”

“Are the people I’m going to teach actually very important people? Like, are they all children from prestigious families?”

It was a natural question.

If that wasn’t the case, there would be no reason for Jae-kyung’s chief secretary to personally gather a group of excellent instructors and teach them separately like this.

But Jo Gyu-min shook his head with a smile.

“No. They are really just children from an orphanage.”

“Then why?”

“I can’t tell you much. Just know that there is someone who wants those children’s grades to improve.”

“Ah…”

“It would be great if I could give you enough time to think about it, but… unfortunately, I have many people to meet and many things to do. Moreover, this matter needs to be handled quickly. So, will you give me your answer now?”

It was a sudden turn of events.

But Min Hong-gi knew.

Opportunities don’t come leisurely or slowly. They seem to come quietly, but if you miss them even for a moment, they will drift away endlessly.

Then he had to seize it.

There was no such thing as an opportunity without risk. If you didn’t take risks, you wouldn’t achieve anything.

Min Hong-gi, having made up his mind, opened his mouth.

“Tell me what I need to do and when it starts. And I would like you to confirm that you will definitely handle the external matters you mentioned.”

Jo Gyu-min smiled.

“Of course, Instructor. Please take good care of the children.”

As Jo Gyu-min extended his hand, Min Hong-gi grasped it firmly.

He had been caught.

Cleanly.