Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 505

‘Don’t you need a ride home?’

‘No. I can get home from here.’

‘Looks like you’re meeting up with friends?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Alright. I’ll pull over here.’

‘Okay.’

Jo Gyu-min slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

‘Please be careful. I’ll make sure to investigate the things you mentioned and submit a report.’

‘Thank you.’

‘……What are you thanking me for?’

Jo Gyu-min squeezed his eyes shut.

Even though it was something that didn’t suit his aptitude and was flowing in a direction he didn’t want, he would do his best once he took on a task. That was Jo Gyu-min’s style.

‘Kang Jin-ho.’

‘Yes?’

Jo Gyu-min stopped Kang Jin-ho as he was about to get out of the car.

Kang Jin-ho turned, as if asking what was wrong, but Jo Gyu-min didn’t speak right away. Jo Gyu-min hesitated for a moment, slightly frowning, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t rush him.

‘Are you really going to do it?’

Kang Jin-ho turned back around.

Then, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Jo Gyu-min. Jo Gyu-min accepted the cigarette without a word, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

Only after both of them had cigarettes in their mouths did Kang Jin-ho slowly open his mouth.

‘Are you not happy with me doing this?’

‘No, it’s not that, but how should I put it…’

Jo Gyu-min organized his thoughts.

‘Perhaps this might be a very presumptuous thing to say… I don’t think it’s something that doesn’t suit you, Kang Jin-ho. However, I think it’s a bit of a small thing for you to do.’

‘A small thing?’

‘Yes. Of course… I know that this isn’t a small thing, and I shouldn’t say it’s small. It might be something that could change the fate of many people. However, maybe it’s because I have a bit of a *kkondae* [a term for an older person who is condescending and insists on their way] tendency… Yes, I admit it. It’s probably because I’m a *kkondae*. Even so, I can’t help it. I thought you would do something bigger, Kang Jin-ho.’

‘Like what?’

‘World domination?’

‘I’m joking. No, maybe it’s a joke mixed with sincerity. Anyway, I thought it would be something on a larger scale. Something global that doesn’t just stay in Korea, or something more… professional? Something that only you could do. But you’re talking about welfare, so it’s a bit… it’s a bit surprising, to be honest.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

This opinion wasn’t wrong either.

It was just that his way of thinking was different.

And now, Kang Jin-ho knew that he needed to adjust different opinions. He also knew that he couldn’t do anything with the way he used to be, where everyone just had to follow his words.

‘I don’t think this is a trivial matter.’

‘No. I don’t think it’s a trivial matter either. I know it’s important. But… isn’t this something that someone else could do, even if it’s not you, Kang Jin-ho? There must be something that only you can do… And there’s also the order of things.’

‘Order?’

‘Yes. There’s a limit to what you can do with the capital you have now. If you want to do things on a scale that satisfies you, you need more money and more manpower. So, shouldn’t you start by securing the capital to do that? Then more people could be helped.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

Whether growth comes first or distribution comes first is one of the oldest debates. Neither is wrong. It’s just a difference in values.

‘I think someone else can do it.’

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘But it’s still not enough.’

‘There are many people. There are many good people who step forward to help those in need, but it’s still not enough. That’s why I want to try. If I endure a little hardship, I can see things changing right away, but to accept the idea of holding back for something bigger…’

Kang Jin-ho smiled awkwardly.

‘I’m too small of a person.’

Kang Jin-ho really thought so.

He wasn’t a special person. It was his life that was special, but in reality, he was closer to an ordinary citizen. Rather, he was a bit more timid and lacked social skills than the average person.

‘I know everyone thinks well of me. But I’m not a great person. Honestly, even now, I’m closer to a fool who can’t judge what’s right or wrong on my own. The only reason I can even act like a human being is because others help me. Like you, Chief Jo, and my friends.’

Jo Gyu-min bit his lip.

There was sincerity in those seemingly insignificant words. It wasn’t just something he said to sound good, but something he really thought. That fact was making Jo Gyu-min’s heart feel a little heavy.

‘I’m someone who can’t live without the help of others. If I hadn’t met you, Chief Jo, or Yumin, I wouldn’t be able to live like I do now. I don’t want to just end it with ‘I was lucky.’ I want to give others, those who can’t live without help like me, at least the chance to meet someone like you, Chief Jo, or Park Yumin. It might be a bit early, and it might be presumptuous and ambitious.’

Jo Gyu-min nodded silently.

‘Kang Jin-ho.’

‘Yes.’

‘I’m also an ordinary person.’

‘Yes.’

‘So, to be honest, I’m a bit emotional, but I still can’t understand why you’re wasting your money, time, and resources to help others. I thought it was something that people who had achieved social success and were pursuing fame and self-satisfaction did as a hobby. Maybe that’s a vulgar thought, but…’

He didn’t think it was vulgar.

He just thought it was a little different.

‘However, that’s the end of my complaints.’ Jo Gyu-min said firmly.

‘I already said I would follow you, Kang Jin-ho. I didn’t say that with the mindset of just doing what I want and having fun. Even if it’s hard for me to understand with my common sense and I don’t think it’s rational, if that’s what you want, I will support you with all my strength.’

Jo Gyu-min’s face was more serious than ever.

‘……No. Well, not that much.’

Kang Jin-ho backed away a little with a ‘Oh, it’s hot’ face. Was it something that needed to be taken this seriously? It wasn’t like they were going to war.

‘Then, I’ll start by calculating the finances for the work you’re planning to do.’

‘Ah…’

‘Then, please be careful.’

Kang Jin-ho was pushed out of Jo Gyu-min’s car. There seemed to be a slight misunderstanding, and he wanted to correct it, but Jo Gyu-min’s face was saying, ‘I have to go to work right now, so don’t bother me and get out quickly,’ so he had no choice but to get out of the car.

‘Then!’

Jo Gyu-min waved his hand from inside the window and then drove away aggressively.

Kang Jin-ho watched the scene and muttered to himself.

‘……I haven’t even told him exactly what I’m going to do yet.’

But he was already talking about calculating things.

This was why too much enthusiasm was a problem.

‘You’re here?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Let’s go.’

‘Okay.’

Kang Jin-ho followed Park Yumin’s gesture. Park Yumin went into a bar on the side of the road as if it was obvious that Kang Jin-ho would go there.

‘Welcome!’

Guided by the staff, Kang Jin-ho went inside and sat across from Park Yumin at a corner table.

‘It’s quiet here?’

‘The soundproofing is good here. I used to come here often for company dinners when I was in the practice room. Since gamers tend to be conscious of other people’s eyes when they have company dinners, we ended up coming here because it’s not easily seen or heard.’

‘Hmm, I see.’

Kang Jin-ho looked around with a pleased expression.

He didn’t particularly dislike drinking. What Kang Jin-ho disliked was not drinking itself, but noisy situations. It was hard to find a quiet bar these days, but he was willing to come here often.

After they ordered, Park Yumin opened his mouth.

‘I got a call from Jo Gyu-min…’

‘……Really?’

Like a chatterbox.

He was a trustworthy person, but sometimes he made you think he was untrustworthy. He had to go and tell the story beforehand, even though he could have told it himself.

It was a relief that he knew how to distinguish between what he could and couldn’t say…

‘I heard you’re going to start a welfare foundation?’

‘Yeah.’

Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.

There was no need to hide it.

But…

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yumin with a slightly uneasy gaze. He had never received a positive reaction after saying he would do this. Everyone had tried to stop him at first, and the most favorable reaction he had received was, ‘I don’t know why you’re doing it, and I don’t understand it, but I’ll still help you because it’s what you’re doing.’

If even Park Yumin tried to dissuade him, he might really change his mind. Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yumin with a slightly nervous gaze.

Kang Jin-ho, who hadn’t shown even a hint of nervousness even when facing Nanahoshi Kumi and Chevalier, was afraid of his friend’s words.

‘A welfare foundation…’

Park Yumin reached out, grabbed a glass of water, and gulped it down.

Park Yumin put the glass back on the table with a thud and said calmly.

‘You’re starting later than I thought.’

‘Huh?’

‘I thought you’d do it sooner.’

‘Huh?’

‘Isn’t it obvious?’

‘Obvious?’

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yumin with a bewildered expression. He had only decided to do it recently, so how did Park Yumin know about it beforehand?

Did he learn mind-reading? No, this was more like prophecy than mind-reading…

‘You can’t stand doing anything half-heartedly.’

‘……’

‘Even when you study, you have to be the best, and when you ride a bike, you have to ride it to the extreme, and when you started driving, you chose the fastest and most agile car…’

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yumin with a bewildered expression.

‘Did I have that side to me?’

It was a fact he didn’t even know about himself. Kang Jin-ho thought he was a pretty easygoing person, but it seemed completely different in Park Yumin’s eyes.

‘There’s no way you could have kept watching the way the orphanage was running and not do anything. I thought that you would either start an orphanage soon or do something similar. I was a bit surprised that the scale was bigger than I thought, but it’s also like you.’

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yumin quietly and said.

‘Yumin.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Do you think I can do it well?’

‘Are you asking me that now?’

‘……Um.’

Park Yumin smiled slightly.

This friend was always like this.

‘What if you don’t do well?’

‘Huh?’

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yumin with a blank expression.

‘Saying ‘The Kang Jin-ho I know will definitely do well’ is too cliché and burdensome. It’s okay if you don’t do well. It’s okay if you don’t succeed perfectly. Even if you fail, it’ll be much better than not trying at all. Just trying is a success. So…’

As the alcohol was brought over, Park Yumin opened the lid, poured it into Kang Jin-ho’s glass, and then filled his own glass. Then, he raised his glass.

‘Just do what you want and feel comfortable. Everyone will help you. Isn’t that enough?’

Kang Jin-ho smiled and raised his glass.

‘Yeah, that’s enough.’

The two glasses clinked in the air.