Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 545

“Do you think this place is just here for you to stuff your faces with pizza?”

*Munch, munch.*

“We’re already short on tables, and you guys are just sitting here, taking up space without even paying. Do you know how stressful that is?

You guys…”

*Munch, munch.*

“When someone’s talking, you should listen, you little punks!”

Joo Young-gi yelled, and all eyes turned to him. His face flushed, he quickly bowed to everyone around.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Joo Young-gi said quickly.

“Hee-chan! Give a salad to each table!”

“Yes!”

“Thank you!”

Joo Young-gi quickly resolved the situation with a service, then glared at Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min with a flushed face.

“What are you two doing!”

“Ah! Seriously!”

Park Yu-min raised his head abruptly.

“They say even dogs aren’t bothered when they’re eating!”

“You’re not a dog!”

“Should I bite you? Should I try biting you?” Joo Young-gi hesitated.

‘Why is he like this?’

Park Yu-min was known to be so kind that even Buddha would have to take a step back.

From Joo Young-gi’s perspective, it wasn’t just that he was kind; it was to the point where he wondered if something was wrong with his head. Being excessively kind wasn’t normal either.

But now, Park Yu-min was glaring.

“You guys, did you go to hell or something?”

“…Hell would be better.”

Park Yu-min chugged his cola and let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, after eating a bit, I feel alive.”

“You guys said you were going to the PC cafe [internet cafe] yesterday?”

“We did.”

“Then why are you here at this hour? When did you leave the PC cafe?”

“Just now.”

“Huh? When?”

“Just now.”

Joo Young-gi turned his head and looked outside.

‘The sun has set…’

‘The sun has set, and they’re saying they just came from the PC cafe, which means…’

“You played games for 24 hours straight?”

“It’s a common occurrence.”

“…Your concept of common and uncommon is messed up. Get a grip, you game addict!”

“I’m a pro gamer.”

“I ended up praising you. I should have insulted you.”

Joo Young-gi shook his head.

“So, you didn’t eat properly and played games until now, is that it?”

“Yeah.”

“And because of that, you were hungry as soon as you came out, and you were also sleepy?”

“You’re spot on.”

“And since your friend’s place is nearby, you came to eat pizza and see his face at the same time?”

“Very accurate.”

“Okay, I get it. I know what the problem is. The problem is that you and I are friends! Fine. Let’s cut ties, you rotten bastards!”

Park Yu-min chuckled.

“What, are you going to cut ties over something like this? A hungry friend can have a meal.”

“Does money grow on trees? Can’t you see it’s full? Because you guys are taking up space, I’m not making the profit I should be! It’s not just the cost of the pizza you’re gobbling down! What about my opportunity cost?”

“It seems like business is good, and you’re making a lot of money?”

“Just because I make money doesn’t mean it’s all mine! That rotten investor takes all the money, and I only get a tiny bit. Sometimes, I make less than the employees!”

“Really?”

Park Yu-min looked at Joo Young-gi and Kang Jin-ho with a curious expression.

“Then why do you do it?”

“…If it was just one place, that would be true, but when the chain expands and there are more stores, the small amounts of money from each place add up to a lot. That’s what business is.”

“Then just do that?”

Joo Young-gi gave up on the conversation with Park Yu-min.

“…Just eat and go, eat and go.”

“Jin-ho, the pizza is good, right?”

“It’s a bit undercooked.”

“Huh?”

“It should have been cooked for about 10 more seconds.”

Joo Young-gi’s face contorted at Kang Jin-ho’s sharp critique.

“I made it according to your recipe?”

“The dough gets soft on humid days.”

“…I’ll add 10 seconds.”

Although he was dissatisfied, Joo Young-gi never refused constructive criticism that could help his business.

“Since it’s come to this, try all the different kinds and check the condition. Some regulars have been saying the pizza isn’t as good as it used to be.”

“Appetites change when the weather gets warmer.”

“That’s why I’m asking you to give an objective evaluation. Try the new products too. But even if you only take a small piece, it’ll be a lot. Can you eat it all?”

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho swept his hair back and straightened his back.

“Who do you think you’re talking to like that? I am Kang Jin-ho. If I’m going to proudly say I’m the eldest son of the Kang family, I need to be able to eat three bowls of rice and a pound of pork belly for breakfast with a smile.”

Without a doubt, Park Yu-min had never seen Kang Jin-ho look so confident before.

It wasn’t about his education, strength, or wealth, but the pride he felt from simply eating a lot, which was both absurd and very like Kang Jin-ho.

But Joo Young-gi’s assessment was simple.

“Are you raising cattle?”

“…”

“You guys aren’t even human. Anyway.” Joo Young-gi shook his head and went inside to take orders.

Taking advantage of Joo Young-gi’s absence, Park Yu-min looked around the store and said with a slightly excited voice.

“It definitely looks good, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho agreed with Park Yu-min.

Many things had changed since they were last here. They said they were going to remodel, and the old, strange vibe was gone, replaced by a sophisticated feel.

Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min weren’t exactly known for their sense of style, but they could at least make comparisons. They would run away if asked to come up with ideas, but they could evaluate the results.

“It’s packed with customers too.”

“Yeah.”

The fact that there were no empty tables was enough to tell if the store was doing well or not.

‘The taste isn’t bad either.’

It wasn’t the strange and subtle taste from when Kang Jin-ho was in the kitchen, but it was still excellent. Even Park Yu-min, who often ate delivery pizza because his kids liked it, felt that this place was much tastier. Of course, there was a difference between delivery and eating in the store.

“Okay, eat up!”

Then, Joo Young-gi came out with well-baked pizzas and placed them in front of the two, as if he had already given the instructions before speaking.

“Give an accurate evaluation. I ordered this with my hard-earned money. If your evaluation is vague, I’ll bake you too.”

“Isn’t this your store? Why are you paying to order?”

“Dude, those guys are here to cook pizza for the customers. They’re not here to feed the owner’s friends! When you give someone work, you should only give them work that’s part of the contract. So, you guys have to be customers.”

“…Wow!”

Park Yu-min was impressed.

He looked like he would just roll up his sleeves and say, ‘Whatever, just do it roughly,’ but he had an unexpected level of detail.

It was something Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min would never have thought of.

“Eat!”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min started devouring the pizza without another word. They neatly, but continuously, ate the pizza that was being brought to them without saying anything.

Park Yu-min only ate one bite of each slice he cut with a knife to avoid getting too full, but Kang Jin-ho was lightly finishing off the remaining small pieces of pizza.

As if proving his words.

‘Eating so neatly and continuously is a talent.’

Kang Jin-ho, who had lightly finished the last pizza, chugged his cola and said with a blank face.

“It’s good.”

“It’s not bad.”

Joo Young-gi raised his middle finger.

“I’d appreciate it if you could give me your impressions as pizza experts, not just as people who had a meal?”

“It was delicious.”

“You trash!”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Everything’s good, but…”

“But?”

Joo Young-gi slightly raised his head.

“The cheese seems a bit different.”

“…You’re like a ghost.”

Joo Young-gi frowned slightly.

“You used too high-quality cheese. It’s hard to match the cost.”

“That’s different from what you said earlier?”

“Hey, then I’d really have to take an employee-level salary.”

“You don’t need to give me money.”

“Is this guy messing with me?”

Joo Young-gi’s face contorted.

“Dude, a contract isn’t something you can adjust so easily. I made this contract because I thought it was good enough, so why are you talking about money like you’re doing me a favor? Fine, you punk. I’ll eat less. I’ll definitely expand this store to a hundred branches and make more money than you.”

“Then Jin-ho will make a lot of money too, right?”

“…”

Joo Young-gi grabbed his head.

“Damn it, I want to see him fail at least once… If I do well, this guy won’t fail, but I can’t not work hard either.”

As Joo Young-gi struggled with his dilemma, Park Yu-min and Kang Jin-ho burst out laughing.

‘It’s been a while, this feeling.’

Kang Jin-ho was also feeling comfortable for the first time in a while. It was a pleasantness that couldn’t be created with just Park Yu-min and him.

Joo Young-gi had a way of making people feel comfortable. Even though his words were harsh, they weren’t born out of malice.

Rather, it made them think, ‘He must feel so comfortable with us.’

“So, change the cheese? Anything else?”

“You can handle the rest.”

“Yes, investor. I will work like a dog and bring you money.”

“I’ll use it well.”

“You rotten bastard.”

Joo Young-gi also chuckled.

He was saying this, but he knew that the reason he was working so hard now was because Kang Jin-ho had helped him. It wasn’t so much that he had received financial help, but that he had been given the opportunity to work with all his might.

“But you’ve been doing weird things lately, haven’t you?”

“Weird things?”

“What, something about a foundation?”

“Hmm, I’m preparing it.”

Joo Young-gi clicked his tongue.

“Those who can’t even handle their own lives are always sticking their noses into other people’s business. Dude, get your own life on track first before you do that.”

“…What’s wrong with my life?”

“Graduate first before you start meddling. You don’t even have a job.”

Kang Jin-ho shut his mouth.

The ‘unemployed’ jab was one of the things he feared the most. He was running around doing things, but if you really thought about it, wasn’t he just unemployed?

“Don’t think the world is easy just because you have some money, you punk! If you’re going to do it, think properly and act properly.”

“Hmm, thanks for the advice. I understand.” Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“I’m not joking.”

“I know.”

Joo Young-gi’s tone was light, but the meaning of his words wasn’t. Kang Jin-ho sincerely accepted his friend’s advice.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Yeah, dude.”

“In that sense… well, yeah. Let’s start with what we can do now. Please pack some pizza for the kids.”

“I’ll do that as much as you want if you pay.”

“I’ll pay.”

“Okay. Should I prepare it now?”

“Yeah.”

Joo Young-gi smiled contentedly at Kang Jin-ho’s cheerful reply.

“There’s no reason to refuse when you’re increasing my sales. How many of what kind would you like?”

“Hmm, one of each kind on the menu.”

“Okay.”

“Ten of each.”

Joo Young-gi’s eyes twitched.

“Ten?”

“Yeah.”

“Ten of each pizza?”

“Yeah.”

“…You punk. Are you getting revenge? Did you just try to pick a fight with me because I nagged you a bit?”

“I just ordered. I’m increasing your sales.”

“Let’s fight, you punk! You’ve been getting on my nerves since training camp! Let’s settle this today.”

“I won’t refuse!”

“Die!”

And so, Joo Young-gi had to give out free services to all the tables again as punishment for his outburst.