Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 859

“Your parents must be very happy too,” Lee Hyun-joo said confidently, while Lee Hyun-soo looked horrified. However, Lee Hyun-joo didn’t give Lee Hyun-soo any room to argue.

“This is a very important issue.”

“…Huh?”

“Lee Hyun-soo, you don’t know because you don’t have the experience, but no matter how capable and powerful the Lord is, to his parents, he’s just a son who’s taking a break from school and lazing around at home.”

Uh?

I’ve never thought about it that way?

“They sent you to a prestigious university after you graduated high school with excellent grades, but while other kids are building their resumes and racking up credits, you’re driving around every day to places they don’t even know about. How stressed do you think they are?”

Lee Hyun-joo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a confident expression.

“Have your parents’ gazes been a little colder recently, Lord?”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t answer.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t gotten colder, but he was wondering how much he should correct the word ‘a little’.

‘They’ve plummeted.’

There was a time when Kang Jin-ho was considered the hope of the family. Perhaps that was Kang Jin-ho’s golden age. The family all believed that Kang Jin-ho would take care of everything, and Kang Jin-ho lived up to their expectations.

But now, it’s more like…

A nagging mother, a father who clicks his tongue, and even a younger sister who tries to monitor him with subtle eyes.

From a social point of view, Kang Jin-ho’s position and status have risen unbelievably, but from the family’s point of view, Kang Jin-ho is just an unemployed person who has no intention of entering the job market.

He just has the shield of being a student for now.

“…They’re seriously cold.”

“I knew it.”

Lee Hyun-soo still looked unconvinced.

“No, that’s….”

“Just a moment, Chief Lee. I asked you to hear me out until the end. Please!”

“…Go ahead.”

Lee Hyun-joo sighed and picked up a water bottle. After gulping down the water, Lee Hyun-joo rolled up her sleeves.

“I was joking, but this is a serious issue you need to think about. Because it’s a problem that applies to everyone, not just the Lord.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-joo looked at Lee Hyun-soo and said,

“Chief, do you have a house?”

“…No, I don’t?”

“How are you going to buy a house?”

“Can’t I just save up money and buy one?”

He’s hopeless.

This guy is definitely hopeless.

Even Wiggins, as well as Kang Jin-ho, looked at Lee Hyun-soo with subtle eyes.

“Wh-what did I do wrong?”

Lee Hyun-joo shook her head and continued.

“Taking out a loan to buy a house is no big deal for people in the outside world, but it’s impossible for martial artists. Because they don’t have a job and they don’t have a fixed income.”

“They give us money.”

“Which bank would give you a loan based on cash with no source as income?”

“Look at reality. It’s called the Assembly, but from the outside, it’s the most terrible place in the world, where over ten thousand unemployed people are gathered.”

That’s certainly true.

Even if martial artists live apart from the outside world, they still have resident registration cards.

“Then the Assembly must be playing a big role in the youth unemployment statistics.”

“Their share must be enormous.”

“Then, does that mean we should be happy that the actual unemployment rate is lower than the statistics….”

From the country’s point of view, it’s something to be happy about, but from the Assembly’s point of view, it’s a sad thing. It’s a situation where all the kids who are working hard become unemployed.

“It’s not like martial artists don’t have friends or family. Depending on the situation, the real family may know the situation, but many relatives don’t. That’s why everyone hates holidays.”

I understand.

“You’ll be bombarded with ‘You need to get a job now’ attacks.”

“Yes. And you’ll hear ‘My friend’s son got into a big company this time’ countless times.”

“…That’s hell.”

Lee Hyun-soo also realized the seriousness of the situation.

It was said jokingly, but in order to live as a member of society, one needs status and identity. Having to give up all of that in exchange for belonging to the Assembly was a serious penalty.

“This definitely seems to make sense.”

« 0

»

…•

Kang Jin-ho also nodded.

‘A person needs a title.’

Kang Jin-ho already knew how much the status attached to a person could change them. He had experienced countless times how different he was when he had fame in the Central Plains [a fictional region in many martial arts stories] and when he didn’t.

“Okay, I understand. And?”

“It’s important to create a point of contact.”

Lee Hyun-joo began to explain again.

“We can’t hide the Assembly forever. If we hide it until the limit and then have to reveal it at some point, it will be difficult to handle the repercussions. It’s better to prepare in advance. This preparation may be used in 100 years, or it may be used in 5 years, but the sooner we prepare, the better.”

“I understand. Is there anything else?”

“I’ve roughly told you the main points. There are countless other minor advantages.”

Lee Hyun-joo’s hand was trembling slightly.

She was speaking boldly, but she couldn’t help the natural tension that was creeping in. Kang Jin-ho glanced at her hand and continued.

“Then what are the disadvantages?”

“We have to pay money.”

It was a very simple, concise, and fatal problem.

“Legalizing means disclosing our cash flow, and taxes will be incurred on the profits generated from that cash flow.”

“We have to take that into account?”

“Yes. Because the benefits are much greater.”

Lee Hyun-joo didn’t let up.

“There are many other disadvantages. Once we legalize, we will need a slightly more rigorous cash flow than in the past. This means that the illegal funds that are currently coming in as extra money will be completely cut off.”

“Completely?”

Lee Hyun-joo shrugged.

“It’s possible. It won’t be that difficult. But then, the Lord will have to stand in the photo line. Well, being surrounded by countless reporters and having your picture taken is a rare experience that ordinary people can’t easily have….”

“I’ll pass.”

That was definitely a pass.

“There will be complex problems, but the three main problems I think of are: first, the occurrence of taxes; second, the possibility of having to pay a large amount of accumulated taxes in exchange for registration; and third, as we get closer to the outside world, our exposure will increase. Well, that’s about it.”

“It’s not something to say so easily.”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed and said.

“Getting closer to the outside world and increasing exposure means that the risk also increases. Do you not know what happens when the real world and the martial world come into contact?”

“I know it’s dangerous. But Chief, it’s dangerous enough now.”

“The losses from being exposed are greater than the losses from staying hidden. If it wasn’t a serious issue, I wouldn’t have said this. I know that if this goes through, I’ll be overloaded. I know I’ll only get blamed for making things complicated by touching something annoying. But even considering all of that, this is something that needs to be done.”

It was like a final plea.

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Wiggins.

“What do you think?”

“It’s a bit rough, but….”

Wiggins smiled brightly.

“If we can proceed in a sophisticated way, it wouldn’t be bad.”

“Sophisticated?”

“We don’t have to do the corporatization ourselves. There are people who can help us, aren’t there?”

People who can help?

Were there such people?

“Are you talking about Jae-kyung?”

“Hmm, Jae-kyung. Jae-kyung would be a good advisor. But it’s not Jae-kyung. It’s not a good idea to reveal ourselves to them. Maybe some of the higher-ups, but I don’t want to reveal it to the working-level staff.”

“Then?”

“Of course, the government will do it for us.”

“…The government?”

The country?

Wiggins responded with a smile to Kang Jin-ho’s questioning gaze.

“From the government’s point of view, this is a huge boon. Isn’t it a situation where those who they knew were taking money but couldn’t touch, and even had to help them hide their funds, are voluntarily declaring that they will pay taxes?”

“…That’s true.”

“There’s no reason to turn away a sucker who’s willingly coming into their mouth. They’ll give us all sorts of conveniences. If we agree to disclose information and faithfully pay taxes, we can ask them not to touch the profits up to this year and to help us legally regain the ambiguous titles.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly turned his head.

Lee Hyun-soo gave him a look.

It meant that even if he didn’t understand, he should just say he did.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm, this explanation is probably meaningless. Lord, you only need to choose one thing. Whether to do it or not. Whichever you choose, we will do our best to proceed and try to make the Assembly the best it can be. However….”

Wiggins’ serious gaze reached Kang Jin-ho.

“That choice is up to the Lord.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

“I think I need some time to think.”

“Yes. We’ll give you plenty of time.”

“Wiggins.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“If we proceed in the direction of moving forward, think about what we need to do.”

“Have you decided?”

“I haven’t made a decision yet.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head and looked at the ceiling. The small patterns on the ceiling were dizzying.

“I know what the decision will be. There’s always something I’m thinking about. Change is always scary, and it’s always awkward. Giving up what I’m used to and walking a different path is always like that. Especially if the current life isn’t bad. However….”

Kang Jin-ho now looked at everyone with confident eyes.

“I know that those who are afraid of change and don’t move will be left behind. Maybe this change will work in a bad direction for us. But if we stop because we’re afraid of that, we’ll never move forward.”

“You are right, Lord.”

“That’s a wise decision.”

Lee Hyun-soo was expressionless.

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo and said,

“If you have a different opinion, say it.”

“Lord.”

“Yes?”

“I am the one who gives advice. That advice is ultimately about the problem of deciding the direction.”

“If the Lord has decided on a direction, I will follow that direction. If it’s a direction that doesn’t make sense, it’s my job to somehow make it a direction that does make sense. If you’ve decided, don’t ask for opinions, just give orders.”

It was a bit of a strange thing to say, but Lee Hyun-soo’s intention was perfectly conveyed.

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

He thought that so much had changed since he first came to the Assembly. It had changed and changed to get to this point. And now it would change even more.

“Move. Find the most perfect way.”

“Understood.”

“I will help too.”

As people stood up and started moving, Kang Jin-ho quietly sank into the sofa.

‘Busy.’

The Assembly is changing and changing rapidly. If he doesn’t stay focused, he himself will be swept away by this flow.

‘But it’s not bad.’

It’s moving forward. Little by little more.