Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 579

“Completely?”

Lee Hyun-soo didn’t immediately answer Kang Jin-ho’s question. Instead, he subtly pushed the ashtray he had prepared for Kang Jin-ho’s arrival closer.

“Have a smoke.”

Kang Jin-ho, looking slightly uncomfortable, took out a cigarette.

He realized that Lee Hyun-soo didn’t want to continue the conversation right away. If he wanted to hear what Lee Hyun-soo had to say, he needed to take a slight detour.

Click.

As he lit the cigarette in his mouth, Kang Jin-ho felt his mood calm down a little. Perhaps this was why Lee Hyun-soo had offered him a cigarette.

“Hoo…”

Kang Jin-ho slowly exhaled the smoke and turned to look at Lee Hyun-soo.

“So?”

Lee Hyun-soo cleared his throat.

“Currently, the General Assembly is running smoothly. It’s difficult to find any problems in this situation. On the surface, it seems like a state of appropriate tension is being maintained.”

“Hmm…”

“However, if you look internally, that’s not quite the case. The biggest problem is that power is currently divided between you, Kang Jin-ho, and Bang Jin-hoon.”

“I don’t have any trouble with Chairman Bang.”

“That’s right. There’s no trouble. But isn’t that just the result of mutual understanding?”

“Two tigers cannot live on one mountain. Eventually, one must either go to another mountain or admit that they are not a tiger.”

Lee Hyun-soo took a small breath and continued.

“Chairman Bang Jin-hoon has been cooperative and hasn’t opposed your opinions. But if he thinks he’s embracing you with his magnanimity, there will definitely be problems.”

Kang Jin-ho had to admit it.

Absolute power always creates problems. But that didn’t mean that non-absolute power was the solution. Problems caused by strong power are even worse when power is weak.

“What needs to be addressed now is your internal contradiction, Kang Jin-ho.”

“…Contradiction?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a surprised expression.

Contradiction?

“You want everyone to get along well, Kang Jin-ho.”

“Hmm…”

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to object, Lee Hyun-soo drove the point home.

“Under the premise that they are your people.”

“…”

Kang Jin-ho closed his mouth.

Lee Hyun-soo’s words hit the core of Kang Jin-ho’s nature.

Kang Jin-ho was harsh to those who were enemies or those he wasn’t sure were on his side. But once he was convinced that someone was on his side, he became endlessly lenient towards them.

It was a flaw that Kang Jin-ho himself was aware of.

“But you also want rapid and drastic progress. The problem is that these two things are incompatible.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned slightly.

“Incompatible?”

“Because you are a capable person, Kang Jin-ho.”

Lee Hyun-soo said firmly.

“Think of it this way. Chairman Bang Jin-hoon is currently gathering children to teach them his martial arts. He’s generously sharing the martial arts that he used to only teach his close aides, like Chun Tae-hoon, to make the children stronger.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Yes, of course, it’s a good thing. But can you be satisfied with that?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.

“It would be better if you taught them, Kang Jin-ho. There are bound to be limitations to what Chairman Bang Jin-hoon can do.”

“That’s nonsense.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“I can’t do everything alone. I know that now.”

“Yes, of course. But, Kang Jin-ho.”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“Even though you can’t do everything alone, the perception of those around you changes depending on whether you are in an advisory position or a dominant position.”

“To create the situation you want, where everyone works hard together, you need to take control of the General Assembly. You can’t remain in the shadows, stepping back from responsibility and authority. It’s time for you to step into the forefront.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand and rubbed his face.

Then, Lee Hyun-soo continued with sweet words.

“Take control of the General Assembly. Then you can have everything you want. Money, power, information, everything.”

“Even if I become the head of the General Assembly, the current system won’t change. If I can do something as the head, Chairman Bang Jin-hoon can do it too, so wouldn’t it be enough to receive his help?”

“That’s not true.”

Lee Hyun-soo curled up the corners of his mouth.

“If you were to take the position of head, you would embark on a full-scale reform of the system. Instead of the current alliance-like structure, you would create an organization where all power is concentrated in the leader.”

“Change it?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo licked his lips.

“There’s no need to shed blood. The situation is different when you are the head compared to when Chairman Bang Jin-hoon is the head. Even when the same opinions are presented, the level of resistance is different. No one wants to die.”

Kang Jin-ho crossed his legs and leaned back on the sofa.

The smoke he slowly inhaled slowly flowed out of his mouth.

“I’ll be honest.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes calmed down.

“I’m not the kind of person who belongs at the top.”

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Hear me out.”

Lee Hyun-soo, noticing that Kang Jin-ho’s voice had become a little cold, closed his mouth without saying a word. He could make suggestions, but he wasn’t someone who could force Kang Jin-ho.

“I’m not the kind of person who belongs at the top. I know that better than anyone. I’m just a man obsessed with fighting. I don’t know how to lead, I don’t know how to look around, and I don’t listen to others’ opinions. I’ve experienced enough of what happens when I’m at the top. I understand what you want from me. But I can’t make that happen.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“That depends on the person who assists you…”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho said, looking calmly at Lee Hyun-soo.

“It depends on what you do.”

Lee Hyun-soo was momentarily speechless.

“What do you mean?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a subtle smile.

“The reason I should become the head isn’t because of that. Isn’t it just because you’re uncomfortable moving around with Bang Jin-hoon in the position?”

Lee Hyun-soo didn’t answer.

“I’m not saying this to blame you. I understand your opinion well enough. And I know that you can’t fully utilize your abilities because of the current situation.”

Kang Jin-ho said firmly.

“I’ll make a move.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’ll remove anything that’s in your way. I’ll make it easier for you to work. I’ll give you more authority. So, let’s not rush things too much.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes softened again.

Watching Kang Jin-ho slowly take out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, Lee Hyun-soo felt a cold sweat run down his back.

‘Just how deep is this man?’

Lee Hyun-soo had never underestimated Kang Jin-ho. He was aware that he was merely Kang Jin-ho’s servant. He would never dream of trying to control or manipulate this man with his meager intellect. He was someone that even Kim Seok-il couldn’t handle properly. How could he possibly control Kang Jin-ho?

He was someone who prided himself on being the best at managing organizations and armies, but he wasn’t the type who could manipulate a charismatic individual from behind the scenes.

Without Hitler, Goebbels would have been nothing more than a dreamer. Without Kang Jin-ho, Lee Hyun-soo was nothing.

But the current Kang Jin-ho was different.

It wasn’t just because he was strong and intimidating. Even after a short conversation, Kang Jin-ho had accurately pinpointed Lee Hyun-soo’s dissatisfaction, which even he himself hadn’t realized.

Restraint.

His limitations within the General Assembly were clear. He was Kim Seok-il’s brain and the de facto manager of the Yeongnam Association. No matter how hard he tried, it was difficult to break down the fundamental wariness.

As a result, his every move was constantly monitored.

That situation was frustrating. He had hoped that if Kang Jin-ho stepped forward and took the position of head of the General Assembly, the restraint on Lee Hyun-soo would disappear.

Without him even realizing it.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Kang Jin-ho said, exhaling smoke.

“It’s not a bad direction. It’s not something I haven’t thought about. However, I don’t think it’s the right time. Rushing things always creates resistance. If you try to resolve the current situation all at once just because it’s frustrating, the burden we have to bear will be too great.”

“You’re right. I was hasty.”

“Anyway, it was helpful.”

As Kang Jin-ho was about to get up, Lee Hyun-soo reached out and grabbed him.

“Wait a moment.”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his head a couple of times and then opened his mouth.

“Going back to the original topic, there’s something I’d like to say.”

“The original topic?”

“What you’re trying to do, Kang Jin-ho, is quite large in scale. I can guarantee that it will be difficult to raise that capital through conventional methods. Of course, I don’t think you can’t raise that money. If you set your mind to it, you’ll eventually raise it. But isn’t timing important? If that money is raised twenty years from now, it will be meaningless.”

“That’s true.”

“So, what I’m saying is, there’s a way to raise that money quite easily.”

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with interest.

“It might be a plan that kills three birds with one stone.”

“…Is this the time to praise you?”

“It’s not like that.”

Lee Hyun-soo straightened his posture.

‘I was hasty.’

It seemed like it wasn’t the right time to talk about this yet. Lee Hyun-soo’s impatience almost led to disaster. But it wasn’t entirely without results.

‘He’s not without his thoughts either.’

He was just hesitating because of realistic problems and the fact that he had failed in the past.

Come to think of it.

Did the word ‘humility’ even suit someone like Kang Jin-ho? Kang Jin-ho was someone whose self-confidence was so excessive that it overflowed.

It was just a different way of expressing it.

Then, I should take a slower approach.

‘This is my role.’

That’s always the way of a strategist.

For them, the will of their lord isn’t that important. Even if the lord dislikes it and resists, if it’s something that will ultimately benefit the lord, it’s the strategist’s job to make it happen.

The priority is to create a situation so subtly that it can’t be pushed back.

Lee Hyun-soo, having decided what he needed to do, curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Let’s get rid of what needs to be removed.”

“…Remove what?”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head and looked out the window.

“We need to make those who think they still have something to do, even though their role is already over, realize their place. Then everything will naturally be resolved.”

Kang Jin-ho, understanding what Lee Hyun-soo meant, also curled up the corners of his mouth.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled, revealing his white teeth.

It was time to start hunting again.