Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 808

The driver flinched.

The man’s voice was monotone. It didn’t sound particularly threatening, but listening to it made you shrink back.

“Uh…”

Just as the driver was about to say something,

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand slightly.

“Just a moment.”

Without another word, Kang Jin-ho stepped back, pulled out his phone from his pocket, and made a call.

Thud, thud.

Leaving the dumbfounded driver behind, Kang Jin-ho walked back the way he came. As he walked, he took out a new cigarette, lit it, and talked to someone on the phone.

‘What are they talking about?’

He strained his ears, but he couldn’t quite make out the conversation.

If it was a call he received, it wouldn’t matter, but he clearly made the call himself. Then it must be related to this incident…

Kang Jin-ho hung up and turned to look at them.

“You can go.”

“…What?”

“I said you can go.”

“Go where?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

“Do you not understand Korean? I said just go. I called another car.”

The driver’s face turned red. Watching this, Mr. Choi subtly moved in front of Kang Jin-ho. That crazy guy looked like he was about to pounce.

‘Is that crazy guy mentally ill?’

To get into an argument with a customer, and even start a fight, is not normal. There’s a shortage of workers and cars, so he probably won’t get fired, but…

‘We’re the ones who suffer, you jerk.’

Even the other drivers who are just trying to make a living get a bad name. Especially since this is a daycare center. A bus driver mistreating the daycare kids and even throwing punches?

He deserves to be fired.

The reporters who are always looking for a story wouldn’t miss this. If they don’t handle this well, the whole nation will be bashing bus drivers for a while.

“No, first, let’s calm down…”

That was the moment Mr. Choi stepped in front of him.

BWOOOOOM!

A sedan aggressively pushed through the main gate with an ear-splitting engine roar.

‘What’s that now?’

It felt like he was experiencing all sorts of things today. The sedan screeched to a halt inside. The door swung open, and a man in a suit hurriedly got out.

The man quickly scanned his surroundings, then approached Kang Jin-ho, who was wearing a tracksuit, with a big smile.

“Is that the person?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry to find someone… I should have found a proper person.”

“It’s okay. But we need to leave soon, where’s the new bus?”

“Another bus is on its way. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Okay. Please do.”

The man turned and bowed to the children.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t handle things properly.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not your fault, Mr. Manager, why are you apologizing?”

“It’s okay. Don’t do that.”

The man sighed and smiled gently.

“Yes. Anyway, I’m sorry. And…”

The man slowly turned around.

‘Whoa…’

Mr. Choi took a step back without realizing it.

‘What is with this guy?’

Is he a split personality?

He looked so nice when he was talking to the kids, but the moment he turned, his face became terrifying. The man looked at the driver as if he were a bug in his house, then took out his phone and made a call.

“How did it go?”

The voice came from the phone. It was loud enough to hear if you listened closely.

[They’re on their way now. Manager, I…]

“Did I ask for something difficult?”

[No, sir.]

“Then are you trying to screw me over because I asked you to arrange a car on the weekend?”

[Absolutely not, sir.]

“Then can I assume that you’re so incompetent that you couldn’t even find a decent driver in all that time?”

[…I’m sorry.]

“Do you think you can solve anything by saying sorry as a working person? Does apologizing for something that already happened fix it? Is that how you always do your job?”

[No, sir. I will make sure this never happens again.]

“Whatever, where are you?”

[I’m in the office. I’m waiting here just in case.]

“Don’t go home, wait for me. I’ll go in after I finish this.”

[…Yes.]

“Are all the places I contacted our contractors?”

[Yes.]

“Cut off the place related to this driver.”

[Pardon?]

“Don’t renew the contract and exclude them from all future work. Not just buses, cancel all related vehicle contracts. Got it?”

[Manager, that’s a pretty big company…]

“So?”

The man’s cold reply made the sound of someone swallowing hard on the other end of the phone.

[I’ll take care of it right away.]

“Send a business cooperation request under my name to the sales department. If anyone says no, connect them to me.”

[Yes.]

“Send it quickly.”

[I’ll contact them again right now.]

“Hang up.”

The man hung up and smiled gently again.

“You’re Mr. Kim Kang-cheol, right?”

“…Yes.”

The driver, realizing that the situation was getting out of hand, nodded with a dazed look.

“I’m sorry. It seems there was some kind of mistake. I’ve arranged for your payment for today, so you can go home.”

“Yes?”

Jo Gyu-min was still smiling brightly.

“I said you can go home. You’ll get paid for the day. I’m sorry for making you come all this way.”

“Oh, no, that’s…”

At that moment, the driver’s phone started ringing.

“Oh!”

The driver, seeing the name on the screen, quickly answered the phone, covering his mouth with one hand as he stepped back.

“Yes. Yes, boss. Yes. Yes?” His voice gradually lost its strength. He didn’t know what was being said, but it was clear that someone was yelling on the other end of the phone. He could even hear the most loyal pet of mankind [a common Korean expression referring to dogs] and familiar numbers being mentioned.

“…Yes, yes.”

The driver, who was bowing repeatedly to the unseen person, quietly hung up the phone.

“Ah… I, I…”

“It seems you’ve heard the news.”

The man said, still smiling.

“You can go now.”

“Ah, no. I think I made a mistake, I should apologize…”

“Driver.”

“You can go.”

He was speaking with a smile, but the sternness in his voice was beyond the driver’s ability to handle.

The driver, at a loss for words, got into the bus weakly. Then, he quietly drove the bus out of the gate.

The man, Jo Gyu-min, watched the scene and turned around with a satisfied smile.

Shouldn’t there be some applause or praise?

Some small joy?

“Wow, scary.”

“Did you see him on the phone? He was really putting the pressure on.”

“Is that workplace bullying or something?”

But the reaction he got was not good. The children were whispering, looking at Jo Gyu-min with strange eyes.

“He didn’t seem like that…”

“He looked so pitiful when he left.”

“I almost cried.”

Jo Gyu-min stepped back, taken aback by the continuous murmuring.

‘This isn’t right…’

He should have been cheered for his actions, but instead, he was being criticized. But no matter how much Jo Gyu-min thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong.

‘Didn’t I handle it perfectly?’

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho walked over. One of the children ran to Kang Jin-ho and grabbed his sleeve with a small hand.

“Hyung, hyung [older brother, used by younger males to address older males].”

“Yeah?”

“Is that ‘gapjil’ [abuse of power]? I heard you shouldn’t do ‘gapjil’, so did the manager do something wrong?”

Thud.

It felt like a sharp dagger had pierced his heart. Jo Gyu-min was flustered and opened his mouth.

‘G-gapjil?’

No, it’s not like that.

But the children’s eyes are pure. If that’s how it looked to them, there was no room for excuses.

Kang Jin-ho knelt down on one knee and stroked the child’s head.

“Jong-seok.”

“Yeah?”

“That’s not ‘gapjil’.”

“…Then?”

“Mr. Jo isn’t the kind of person who would do ‘gapjil’, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

‘Mr. Kang Jin-ho!’

Jo Gyu-min was about to burst into tears. He had been thrown into a public trial, but Kang Jin-ho was reaching out to him.

‘I will be loyal to you until I die.’

They say a man will give his life for someone who recognizes him. For this man who understood his true intentions even in this dire situation…

“That’s not ‘gapjil’, it’s called ‘insungjil’ [a term referring to a bad personality]. Mr. Jo isn’t the kind of person who would do ‘gapjil’. He didn’t do ‘gapjil’, he just has a bad personality. You could also say he lacks character.”

“Ah, so it’s not ‘gapjil’.”

“That’s right.”

“Ah!”

The child ran to Jo Gyu-min. Then, he bowed to Jo Gyu-min.

“I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”

Jo Gyu-min’s eyes twitched.

Misunderstood?

What misunderstanding?

That he wasn’t a bad guy who used his position to pressure people, but that he was just a bad-tempered, hopeless person?

What kind of misunderstanding is that?

“That’s right. Mr. Jo wouldn’t do ‘gapjil’.”

“Yeah. He just has a bad personality.”

“Actually, there were signs of his bad personality from before.”

“And he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

Why is his girlfriend coming up now, you brats!

Jo Gyu-min trembled. He knew it was a joke, but it was enough to make him want to throw up blood.

Especially the last thing he heard hurt. It hurt deep down.

Does anyone want to not have a girlfriend? How dare those who call people out on the weekend and make them work say such things! Aren’t you afraid of the heavens!

Just as Jo Gyu-min was about to say something, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.

“Manager.”

“…Yes?”

“It seems a bit harsh to harm the company because of one driver’s mistake. Let’s just end it appropriately.”

“Ah…”

“And…”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

“It doesn’t look good to scold a subordinate you called out on the weekend like that. You should let that employee go home. It doesn’t seem like they did anything that wrong.”

Without waiting for an answer, Kang Jin-ho walked past Jo Gyu-min and shouted to the children.

“Okay, let’s go!”

“Yes!”

The children rushed towards the bus.

Kang Jin-ho watched the scene and then turned his head slightly to look at Jo Gyu-min. A strange smile appeared on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“Such a personality.”

With those words, Kang Jin-ho walked towards the bus. The children approached Jo Gyu-min, who was left alone, and held his hand.

“Cheer up.”

“That’s how the world is.”

Jo Gyu-min, watching the children comfort him and leave, looked up at the sky. The sky was exceptionally clear today. An employee called out on the weekend? What about his personality?

He slowly turned his head and saw Kang Jin-ho casually getting on the bus.

‘I hope you trip and break your nose!’ Jo Gyu-min muttered to himself, unable to say it out loud.