Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 499

“Was it Jang Da-jing?”

“Yes, Bator-nim.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”

Jang Da-jing bowed deeply.

‘He’s definitely different.’

Whether it was because of his different nationality or just his personality, Bator was certainly different from the high-ranking officials he had dealt with so far.

Unlike the Chinese who bossed around their subordinates and demanded unconditional loyalty, Bator gave his subordinates full authority. And he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all following their instructions himself.

It was an impossible behavior for the Chinese, who valued their reputation as much as their lives.

It was certainly easier to work with him, but that also meant he demanded a level of responsibility that was incomparable to others.

‘If he demands responsibility, then I must take that responsibility.’

It was definitely a burdensome method, but it suited Jang Da-jing well.

“I will handle this matter with certainty.”

If he was trusted, he had to work as much as he was trusted.

“By the way, is there anything that makes your life in Korea uncomfortable?”

“Do Koreans usually eat so little?”

“……Pardon?”

Jang Da-jing’s face went blank.

As his mission required, he had traveled to many countries, but he had never once thought that Koreans ate so little. He had never even heard such a thing.

“Even when I order room service, they give me such small portions. And the food doesn’t suit my taste.”

“It’s my fault. I should have considered that.”

“I wish there was a place where I could eat my homeland’s food. Please arrange it.”

“Yes!”

Bator called out to Jang Da-jing, who was about to get up and grab the phone.

“Ah, and…”

“Yes! Bator-nim.”

“Meals are meals, but I need to have snacks too. While you’re at it, order all those breads over there.”

“Uh, which ones?”

“All of them.”

“Everything in the picture.”

“……Yes.”

Jang Da-jing, trudging towards the counter, thought that he might go bankrupt not because of anything else, but because of the food expenses.

“No… Just a moment, Director Bang.” Cho Gyu-min opened his mouth to somehow resolve this situation.

“Did you say you would provide full support?”

“Yes.”

However, Bang Jin-hoon, completely oblivious to Cho Gyu-min’s subtle hints, spoke nonchalantly. And he didn’t stop there, he began to add something.

“Actually, there were some parts that hurt my pride. It seems that Mr. Kang Jin-ho doesn’t know how much influence the Korean Martial Arts Association can have in South Korea. It’s not just the hidden areas. We can exert a strong influence on the visible political and business circles. We have several businesses under different names, and we also hold shares under borrowed names in some of the companies that are now called conglomerates [large business groups].”

Bang Jin-hoon’s gaze reached Cho Gyu-min.

“Of course, the financial world is the same.”

It wasn’t unexpected, but hearing those words directly from the person in charge made Cho Gyu-min suddenly feel terrified about how much stake these people had in the financial world.

“Of course, we have no intention of interfering with decision-making with those shares. We are martial artists, after all. A hunting dog must hunt, and a pet dog must be cute. We know that if we interfere with this and that just because we have shares, the company will go astray.”

“And you’ve already gone bankrupt once because of that.”

“……That’s right. But that’s not my fault. That was done by former Director Lee Jung-geol.”

“Yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned at Lee Hyun-soo’s subtle teasing.

“Hey, you guys have gone bankrupt once too!”

“That was also before I joined.”

“We’re the same then.”

“Director Bang, you were still working at the Association at that time.”

“Hey, I wasn’t even a director then, what could I have done? I just did what I was told.”

Cho Gyu-min stopped the two from bickering. At the same time, he subtly began to give a hint again.

“Wait, just a moment. So, are you saying that you will fully support the ‘foundation’ that Mr. Kang Jin-ho is creating?”

“Yes.”

Cho Gyu-min unconsciously grabbed his forehead as Bang Jin-hoon answered so readily.

“Is that something that can be decided so easily?”

“Yes. The Association is an absolute monarchy. The Director’s word is law.”

“It’s terribly old-fashioned, though.”

Lee Hyun-soo grumbled, but Bang Jin-hoon puffed out his chest with a ‘so what?’ face.

“Isn’t this something you should think about a little more?”

“Think about it?”

“Yes.”

Cho Gyu-min swallowed hard. How should he package these words gently?

“In the first place, a foundation is something that has input but no output. There’s money going in, but no money coming out. A normal company can try to improve its social image by running a foundation, but the Association can’t operate openly.”

“That’s right.”

“So, are you saying that you will fully support a business that costs money but has no benefits?”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and looked at Cho Gyu-min.

“Didn’t you come here to ask for money? I don’t know why Director Cho is worrying about us.”

“No… I’m worried that the Association’s finances might be shaken.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. We have a lot of money. How much, you ask….”

Bang Jin-hoon turned to Lee Hyun-soo.

“How much do we have?”

“……Please have at least a minimum knowledge of the Association’s financial status, Director.”

“Why should I do that when I have you? Anyway, if I open my mouth, you’ll complain that I don’t know anything.”

“That’s true.”

“What, you punk?”

Lee Hyun-soo ignored Bang Jin-hoon and opened his mouth.

“The method is different from that of a company, so it’s not a simple comparison, but the capital that the Association can move independently is incomparable to the financial world.”

“That much?”

“If the Association had invested all the money it earned in nurturing talent or strengthening its power, even the Yeongnam Association, which grew with Chinese capital, would not have been a match. The Association was the one that swept up all the underworld capital during the opportune time. Of course, that money has been properly legalized.”

Lee Hyun-soo spoke with a slightly dissatisfied face.

“However, I have some disagreements on that part. Exactly how much do you mean by full support?”

“If we have ten thousand won, we should give nine thousand.”

“Director!”

“If you have a problem with it, you become the Director.”

Bang Jin-hoon, who had silenced Lee Hyun-soo’s opposition with one word, spoke in a slightly more serious tone than before.

“Actually, that’s right. I don’t think the current Association would exist if it weren’t for Mr. Kang Jin-ho. Kim Seok-il would have had a very high chance of unifying Korea. Mr. Kang Jin-ho himself doesn’t seem to know it well, but just by preventing that situation, the martial artists of Korea should bow down and prostrate themselves before Mr. Kang Jin-ho. And so should I.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Hyun-soo moved his lips, but he nodded as if he couldn’t refute that part at all.

There was no one who knew better than him what kind of person Kim Seok-il was. And he could fully imagine how terrible the situation would have been if Kim Seok-il had unified Korea.

The Korean martial arts world would probably have gone through a terrible dark age. Moreover, in return for the support received from Japan, it would have been half-colonized.

‘That’s certainly true.’

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Bang Jin-hoon with a renewed gaze. Bang Jin-hoon had accurately seen through the part that he had not accurately recognized. That was why he was not someone to be taken lightly.

“I already have a lot of debt, and I was burdened by the fact that I hadn’t been able to repay any of it. There’s nothing more frustrating than being indebted to someone who has power and money but no intention of using it. If I can repay even a little of that debt with this opportunity… That little bit of money? I’ll give it to you as much as you want. In fact, although I’m running the Association under the title of Director, it’s actually no different from being owned by Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“That’s the reality. If I give an order now and Mr. Kang Jin-ho gives a different order, more than 80% will follow Mr. Kang Jin-ho’s order. Then it doesn’t matter who the Director is. It’s a matter of who holds the real power.”

Kang Jin-ho made a slightly burdened face.

At the same time, Lee Hyun-soo put on the brakes.

“But that doesn’t mean that Mr. Kang Jin-ho should have full control of the Association. The Association is like an organism. It’s not a place that can be run just because you’re strong.”

“Oh, you punk? Are you acknowledging me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want the Director to change, but I can’t help it for now.”

“Hey, come out. Come out, you punk.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand to stop Bang Jin-hoon from going berserk.

“So, the conclusion is…”

Cho Gyu-min let out a low sigh.

“The Association will provide unlimited support within the limits of what it can support.”

“Yes. Well, instead, I’m not the one who sets the limit of what we can support. You should discuss how much that amount will be with this guy. There’s someone else in charge of the financial part, but this guy will be more comfortable for you.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a low sigh as Bang Jin-hoon pointed at Lee Hyun-soo.

“I don’t know why the situation has come this far, but I don’t intend to spend that much money. Even if I have to increase it gradually later, I won’t start like that. I will be fully in charge of the financial aspect, and what I need is other support.”

“Support, you say?”

“I heard that there are many legal and regional issues when running a foundation. I was talking about that kind of support…”

“Oh, we can do that as much as you want. Just tell us. We have law firms and congressmen who will risk their lives to resolve the situation if we just open our mouths. We’ve been doing political maneuvering for fifty years. The Association is a deeply rotten place.”

“That’s not something you should be so proud of…”

“Isn’t it cool?”

Kang Jin-ho gave up on talking to Bang Jin-hoon. This guy was definitely out of whack.

“But it’s a bit unexpected. A foundation…”

No matter how he looked at it, Kang Jin-ho and a foundation didn’t match. Philanthropy from this terrifying man. It was like watching someone shout ‘Mother Teresa, son of a bitch’ while firing an AK-47 like a storm.

“Well, I can’t tell you what to do with your personal hobbies. However, please promise that you won’t neglect the part you’re in charge of at the Association right now. There are more than a few kids who are burning with the desire to learn from Mr. Kang Jin-ho and become stronger.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“If you keep that part, I promise that the Association will provide all the support it can. I didn’t know it would be like this, but I thought that we should do something to help society someday. You’ve created that opportunity, so we’re happy to do it.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded his head.

“I feel relieved that you said that.”

“But…”

“Yes.”

“What kind of foundation is that foundation? There are many types of foundations.”

“Well, my idea is…”

As Kang Jin-ho began to speak, everyone’s attention was focused on him.