Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 561

‘Didn’t you say you were going to rest?’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled at the sharp voice coming from the phone.

“It’s not as easy as I thought.”

[It’s your decision, Kang Jin-ho. Why isn’t it up to you? If you want to rest, who would say anything?]

“That’s true, but…”

Kang Jin-ho felt himself running out of things to say.

[Honestly, you’re an incomprehensible person. If you think you need a break, you should take one. Don’t you know that if you don’t rest when you can, you won’t be able to work properly when you need to?]

“I know.”

It was a relief that it was a phone call.

Otherwise, he would have been picked on again for the bitter smile that was now forming on his lips.

“But I don’t think now is the time for that.”

[No. From my perspective, it seems like now is the time.]

“…Is that so?”

Even though he said it wasn’t, Choi Yeon-ha didn’t show any signs of backing down.

[When I first met you, Kang Jin-ho, you were practically unemployed. A loafer who didn’t do any work.]

“It wasn’t that bad…”

[Yes, it was. You opened that pizza place or whatever a little later.]

“I guess so.”

Well, he was unemployed.

But this was a bit unfair. It was not long after he was discharged from the military. It would have been stranger if he wasn’t unemployed back then.

[But these days, even I can see that you’re too busy. What on earth do you have so much to do?]

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but smile bitterly again.

There was no way he could reveal exactly what he was doing.

That would mean dragging Choi Yeon-ha into this world.

Choi Yeon-ha had already suffered once. She had almost lost her life as a consequence of getting carelessly entangled in this world. The guilt about that was still like a needle stuck in Kang Jin-ho’s heart, so he couldn’t do that again.

“I guess so. I don’t know why I’m so busy, but I don’t have any time.”

[That won’t do.]

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha’s firm voice came from the phone.

[People need to rest. There’s no way you’re an exception, Kang Jin-ho.]

“Hmm…”

[Having a high limit for what you can endure means that you’re accumulating a lot of fatigue. When it bursts, it’ll burst bigger. I can’t stand to see that.]

A slight doubt flickered across Kang Jin-ho’s face.

‘Something’s different from usual?’

If it were the usual Choi Yeon-ha, she would have said, ‘You’re just wrong right now, so just listen to me.’ It was not like Choi Yeon-ha at all to properly point out someone’s mistakes and persuade them logically.

[I almost had a mental breakdown this time too.]

“What happened?”

[I think the problem was that I pushed myself too hard to do well. My body couldn’t keep up, so I ended up collapsing and getting sick. If my recovery had been delayed by just one day, the entire filming schedule would have been ruined. Can you be sure that something like that won’t happen to you, Kang Jin-ho?]

“Umm…”

[If you overdo it regularly, you won’t be able to perform properly when you need to the most. You don’t want that, do you?]

“Of course not.”

That was the last thing Kang Jin-ho wanted.

[In the end, you need to recharge, but every time you need to recharge, things keep happening around you, causing problems. Things that you can’t help but get involved in.]

“That’s true…”

Looking back, that was the tendency.

Even with this incident. Whether that skin care shop really gave Kang Jin-ho a break was another matter. He went there to rest, but what could he do when Bator barged in?

He had no choice but to work.

[Then the conclusion is simple. You need a perfect vacation where you’re not interrupted by anyone. So, let’s do that.]

“That’s not easy.”

[Why isn’t it easy? Just leave Korea.]

“…Huh?”

[I happen to know a good place. It’s a bit hot, but you’re not bothered by the heat, and it’s a bit humid, but you’re fine with that too. Other than those two things, it’s a pretty good place. The scenery isn’t bad, and the food is a bit annoyingly spicy, but you’re…]

“Sichuan?”

[Exactly.]

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

Choi Yeon-ha was currently in Sichuan. Choi Yeon-ha was telling Kang Jin-ho to come visit her in Sichuan.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

[I’m telling you. Come to Sichuan. I’ve been here, and it’s nice.]

“I’m pretty sure you said it was like hell when I called you before?”

[Did I? No way. I never said that. It’s nice here.]

A flustered voice came from the other end of the line. Kang Jin-ho ended up laughing out loud.

‘It’s fun.’

Strangely, these days, whenever he felt a little tired, he would reach for his phone. Listening to Choi Yeon-ha’s innocent voice made him feel at ease.

And what should he say…

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to go to a southern country? A resort would be better, wouldn’t it? Rather than China?”

[W-well, of course, we could do that. But there’s nothing to do there.]

“You’re going there to do nothing…”

[That’s true. But, well… I’ve been to places like that several times, and they’re not very fun. This place is much better.]

It was as if there was a hint of teasing that wasn’t there before.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and said,

“Okay. I’ll try to make time to visit.”

[Really?]

“I don’t think I’m the type to lie.”

[That’s true, but…]

Kang Jin-ho could sense a slight excitement in Choi Yeon-ha’s voice. Hearing that voice made Kang Jin-ho feel good too.

[Then when are you coming?]

“I’ll have to make time.”

[Don’t try to brush it off like that. I might finish filming before you do. Then I’ll really grab you by the hair.]

Kang Jin-ho unconsciously stroked his hair.

“I’ll try to get it done quickly.”

[I don’t know if I should trust this man.]

“I’ve arrived. I’ll call you later.”

[Okay. Call me tonight. I’m bored.]

“We’ll see.”

[You’re so heartless.]

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone and drove his car. Now, people who recognized Kang Jin-ho’s car naturally let him into the parking lot.

Kang Jin-ho parked his car in a suitable spot and walked through the underground parking lot towards the elevator.

He took the elevator to the top floor.

The doors opened, and Kang Jin-ho walked inside. He received greetings from people who were now familiar to him and knocked on the inner door.

“Come in.”

When he opened the door, a man with a dark complexion greeted him.

“You’re here?”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless when he saw Jo Gyu-min, whose dark circles reached down to his chin.

“Did a war break out or something?”

“A war would be better. Then I could just hold a gun and do as I’m told.”

Jo Gyu-min sighed and pointed to the sofa in front.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes.”

As he sat on the sofa, Jo Gyu-min made coffee from the coffee machine without asking.

“Iced?”

“Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min filled the coffee with ice and placed the coffee cups in front of himself and Kang Jin-ho.

“It’s more complicated than I thought.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. If it were just about creating a foundation, it wouldn’t be that difficult. But if it ends up like that, it wouldn’t mean much. We need to receive national support.”

“National support?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“Do we really need to receive that?”

“Yes. It’s necessary.”

Jo Gyu-min’s voice was firm.

“Wouldn’t it be better to do it with our own capital without that?”

“Of course, I thought about that too. But it’s not just about money. Having national funding means that it’s a foundation approved by the state, and then many legal issues are resolved. A private foundation that doesn’t have that will inevitably face various problems.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

He was an amateur when it came to legal issues, so it was hard for him to understand what Jo Gyu-min meant.

“For example, even if we set up an orphanage, there are many legal issues. We need various approvals to bring in new children. In the end, we have to get national certification, and if we get national certification, taxes are inevitably supported. It’s a process that we can’t avoid even if we want to.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

This wasn’t what he wanted, but if it was inevitable, he had to take it into account. The important thing was not that he worked comfortably, but that more people benefited.

“That’s why it’s been delayed a bit.”

“Is there really a delay?”

“Don’t underestimate South Korean civil servants. If we just submit the documents and wait for approval, it might be approved next year.”

“It’s not just about submitting the documents. There’s also a review process, so we can’t just rush them to do it quickly. That’s why I’m stressed. I was so annoyed that I even thought about bribing them…”

“That won’t do.”

Kang Jin-ho firmly cut off Jo Gyu-min’s words.

“We shouldn’t break the law to achieve results.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you were a results-oriented person, Kang Jin-ho.”

“I have that tendency. But this is a public matter. And it needs to be clean. So, I want to handle this matter legally.”

“Yes. That’s why I gave up. I thought you would say that.”

Jo Gyu-min smacked his lips.

“But this is something that I can’t do anything about no matter how much I try. There’s only one way…”

“A way?”

“Yes. It’s a bit illegal, but it’s okay to use a loophole, right?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Jo Gyu-min with a questioning gaze. He was curious about what kind of loophole Jo Gyu-min was hoping for.

“You don’t necessarily have to be the chairman of the board, do you, Kang Jin-ho?”

“That’s right.”

“Then is it okay if we give the chairman position to the Chairman?”

“I don’t mind.”

Kang Jin-ho answered nonchalantly.

He didn’t want a title like chairman or anything.

“Then, as you said before, please persuade the Chairman. Then things will be handled smoothly.”

“Will it work just by putting the Chairman in the position of chairman of the board?”

“Of course. If the Chairman becomes the chairman of the welfare foundation, the media will pay attention, and national interest will gather. If it comes out that the review is delayed and the foundation hasn’t started yet, a bomb will drop on the relevant government agencies.”

Jo Gyu-min smiled wickedly.

“It’s not exactly illegal. It’s just a loophole. This much is acceptable, right?”

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat without a word.

What he had realized these days was that if he didn’t handle things immediately, he would be overwhelmed by work and wouldn’t be able to do anything.

So, if there was something to do, it was better to handle it as quickly as possible.

“The Chairman is in the Chairman’s office, right?”

Jo Gyu-min also got up from his seat and smiled brightly.

“Let’s go together.”

As he watched Kang Jin-ho walk ahead, Jo Gyu-min muttered quietly.

“It’ll be a little less painful if we get cursed at together.”

It was a meaningful remark.