Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 956

“Eun-sol?”

“Yes.”

“She might be a bit spacey, but she’s a good person, quick-witted, and capable. She’s also very sociable.”

That was high praise.

It was indeed high praise. Considering how rare it was for Choi Yeon-ha to compliment someone, it was even more significant.

“Still, even so…”

A hint of unease flickered in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

Han Eun-sol was only in her twenties. Kang Jin-ho was also in his twenties, but the situation was different. Kang Jin-ho wasn’t a pure twenty-something.

“Why? Is it because of her age?”

“It’s a bit concerning.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. This industry isn’t really about age. In fact, as you get older, your senses can dull, and you can mess things up. It’s best to start in your twenties when your senses are sharp.”

“Oh…”

—.

“And she’s not going to be the president anyway. She’ll just be handling the practical work. She’s got the drive, so even if she makes some mistakes at first, she’ll do well.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

If Choi Yeon-ha was evaluating her like this, he had to trust her judgment. After all, Choi Yeon-ha was like the grim reaper of the manager world.

‘True.’

Even managers who were older and more experienced couldn’t withstand Choi Yeon-ha. Just the fact that Han Eun-sol was Choi Yeon-ha’s exclusive manager was proof of her ability and tenacity.

“Even if the management is okay, running a business isn’t something you can do with just experience.”

“There’s someone to handle that too. Don’t underestimate me. I’ve been in this industry for fifteen years.”

“I never have.”

Kang Jin-ho looked like he was in deep thought.

Choi Yeon-ha, noticing his hesitation, smiled and spoke.

“I’m not saying you have to decide right now. I know you’re busy, but I think this is a great opportunity. My contract is almost up, and I haven’t renewed it yet, and it seems like Se-ah should move agencies too.”

“…”

“It’s good for us because we can do what we want without worrying about others, and it’s good for you because you don’t have to worry about us struggling. Plus, we’ll make a good amount of money. There’s no reason not to do it, right?”

“Hearing it like that, it does make sense.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had recently become interested in business, could see how good of an opportunity this was. Anyone who was interested would jump at this chance.

There was just one problem.

‘But I don’t really need the money.’

Of course, the money that Choi Yeon-ha and Kang Eun-young earned was enormous. Even the commission from that would exceed the net profit of most small to medium-sized companies.

But Kang Jin-ho was one of the people who made money the easiest in Korea, and the scale of his earnings was at a level where he could treat Choi Yeon-ha and Kang Eun-young’s income as pocket change.

He had never been particularly greedy for money, but the money that Lee Hyun-joo managed for him was already at a chaebol [a large family-owned business conglomerate] level.

“I’ll think about it. I think I need to change the approach a bit.”

“Approach?”

“Yes. Since it’s difficult for me to do it directly, I was thinking of creating a department in my company. That way, it’ll be easier to manage.”

“Company?”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes widened.

‘Ah, I didn’t tell her.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, I think I’m going to start a company…”

“Wow, you’re starting a company? What kind of company?”

What kind of company was it?

He was at a loss for words. When he thought about it, if the Assembly [referring to a powerful organization] was incorporated, it was ambiguous what the identity of this company should be.

“A, a real estate investment company?”

“Ah!”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded as if she understood.

She probably thought that since Kang Jin-ho had money, he would just set up a corporation and flip buildings.

“Wow, so you’re a landlord now.”

“Then am I going to be a real estate speculator? That was my dream.”

The delusions were endless.

“A real estate investment company… So, you’ll establish a corporation with that, and then create subsidiaries through that company?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded vaguely.

“That’s a good idea. It sounds really good.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s reaction was better than he expected. Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

Seeing this, Choi Yeon-ha smiled lightly.

“Actually, most of the people who invest in our industry are… well, from not-so-good backgrounds.”

“Not-so-good backgrounds?”

“Yeah. Like, gangsters or people who run shady businesses.”

Thud.

Choi Yeon-ha’s words became a dagger that pierced Kang Jin-ho.

“Well, I guess there’s no such thing as clean or dirty money, but it’s true that a lot of that kind of money flows in. Many of the people who are now heads of agencies or whatever used to do bad things and laundered their identities and money that way. So, they’re all kind of… well, aggressive and bad-natured, I guess?”

Thud.

The dagger grew a little bigger.

“I, is that so?”

“Yeah. It’s gotten a lot better recently, and big companies are investing too, but the root hasn’t changed. So, a real estate investment company is really clean. That’s a relief. It’s better than gangsters, right?”

‘I am the head of that gang.’

Kang Jin-ho’s face became subtle.

In terms of hierarchy, Kang Jin-ho was the boss of bosses among gangsters. The gangsters in Korea had been under the Assembly’s control since the Lee Joong-geol era.

It was called control, but it was more like, ‘Pay your dues if you don’t want to die.’ Gangsters might have some pangs of conscience when they harass ordinary people, but the Assembly could exploit gangsters without any remorse.

If the hierarchy was determined by who paid whom, the Assembly was above all the gangsters in Korea. And the head of that Assembly was Kang Jin-ho.

‘Thinking about it like this, I seem like a really bad guy.’

It wasn’t that he was against being a villain, but this was a bit different from the villain Kang Jin-ho had in mind.

“Anyway, I’ll think about that part.”

“It’s better to decide quickly. Once you actually start, there will be a lot of things to deal with.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Yeon-ha with a slightly awkward expression.

And Choi Yeon-ha could now tell what he was going to say just by his expression.

“You have to go?”

“We just saw each other after a few days?”

“Hmm, what should I do? I want to tease you a bit.”

As sweat broke out on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead, Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“Go on, get going.”

The conclusion came more cleanly than expected. Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Yeon-ha, slightly surprised.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Just because someone is starting a business, do you think I’d whine for you to play with me?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that…”

“There’s a time for whining. Whining when you have time is just whining, but whining when you don’t have time is being a pain. I don’t want to be a pain and lose points, so go when I tell you to. And bring me a gift when you come back.”

“I will definitely bring you one.”

“Go on then.”

As Kang Jin-ho got up, Choi Yeon-ha raised her hand.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“But are you just going like that?”

Kang Jin-ho looked around awkwardly. The cafe was full of people.

Seeing Kang Jin-ho at a loss, Choi Yeon-ha burst out laughing.

“Go, go!”

Choi Yeon-ha got up and patted Kang Jin-ho on the back.

“But after you finish all your busy work, you have to play with me. I’m starting a new shoot, so I might not have time later.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay. Then, go on.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand and went outside. Choi Yeon-ha, who had been watching him with a gentle smile, suddenly changed her expression.

Han Eun-sol, who had seen Kang Jin-ho leave, came inside.

“It ended earlier than I thought…”

Han Eun-sol stopped talking. Choi Yeon-ha’s face was full of dissatisfaction. At times like this, you had to be careful even to open your mouth. Otherwise, a thunderbolt might strike.

“Eun-sol.”

“Yes, Boss!”

“They say a woman with bad luck has no luck with her husband, and just when I got back from China, that man is busy to death. Now he’s going to England.”

“England? Why England?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s going to look at buildings there.”

Her cheeks puffed up. This was a danger sign.

Han Eun-sol tried her best to find the best answer she could give at this moment.

“That’s a bit much.”

“……Huh?”

“You know she just came back from suffering in China, but even if he has work, he could postpone it a bit.”

“Hey.”

“……Yes?”

“A man shouldn’t postpone his work.”

“Being family-oriented is good, but a person should have conviction and passion for their work! Why are you criticizing that?”

‘What do you want me to say?’

Han Eun-sol’s cheeks trembled.

“I’m the only one who can criticize him. You don’t criticize him.”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

Han Eun-sol sighed. Still, just the fact that she was saying this directly was a huge improvement. Before, the moment she said something that bothered her, a cushion would fly and all hell would break loose.

“But you.”

“Yes?”

“Can you handle other celebrities besides me?”

“……Boss.”

“…”

Han Eun-sol straightened her shoulders.

“There’s no celebrity I can’t handle. I’ve survived until now in extreme hard mode, so other celebrities would be easy mode, easy mode.”

“……You wanna die?”

Han Eun-sol flinched and cowered.

“Then, if I told you to run an agency, could you do it well? You’d have to manage the managers under you too?”

“Boss, are you going independent?”

“Not independent, but anyway.”

Han Eun-sol shrugged.

“There are a few good people. If I talk to them, they’ll join.”

“Hmm.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes lit up.

‘I have to persuade her.’

It was better for Kang Jin-ho to be the president. It would be good if it was easy to work, and even if it wasn’t, it would be another route to whine legally.

“I’m going to end up a widow like this. It would be better if we were involved in work together.”

“Boss! Please be careful with your word choice! What if other people hear you!”

“Let them hear. I’m about to release an article myself.”

Han Eun-sol covered her face with both hands.

It was true that Choi Yeon-ha had become much more human than before, but it was also true that the remaining recklessness often worked in strange ways.

It felt like managing her was easier before.

“It seems like we’ll be starting a company in a month or two, so look for people to be your staff.”

Han Eun-sol’s eyes widened at Choi Yeon-ha’s firm words.

“A, a month or two?”

“You have to strike while the iron is hot. If you dawdle, it’ll all fall apart.”

“Then, are you going to be the president?”

“No. I’m the madam.”

“……Yes?”

“No, I’m a real estate speculator?”

What is this woman talking about?

Han Eun-sol was increasingly unable to understand Choi Yeon-ha as the days went by.