Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1264. Recruited (4)

Hwang Jeong-Hu asked, “So? Did he get the job?”

Jo Gyu-Min nodded. “Yes, sir. That’s what I heard.”

“Hmm...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu looked unimpressed while stubbing his cigarette in the ashtray. His somewhat rough action led to the ash missing the ashtray and landing on the table instead.

Jo Gyu-Min smartly pulled out a couple of wet wipes and wiped the ash away.

“Sir, since Mister Jin-Ho had made up his mind, this outcome was inevitable.”

“That idiot...!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu was about to grunt loudly in unhappiness, only to groan and sit back down weakly.

Jo Gyu-Min was right; once Kang Jin-Ho learned of the name of Hwang Min-Su, even a fool could have predicted what would happen next.

A helpless smirk formed on Hwang Jeong-Hu’s face. “Hah, that guy. Acts like he doesn’t care, yet always tries to take all the good stuff for himself.”

“In all honesty, sir? President Hwang Min-Su is...”

“Who the heck is a president?!”

“...Sir, it’s a waste to let someone like Former President Hwang Min-Su rot away at home doing nothing. A talented individual like him should be put to work to—”

“Talented, my foot!” Hwang Jeong-Hu finally started shouting as if this was that one thing he couldn’t acknowledge. “Talented and whatnot is only applicable when the person in question is trustworthy! So what if that kid has the abilities? When you can’t trust him to do a decent job!”

Jo Gyu-Min had to work extra hard to keep the corners of his lips from curling up.

If that was what Hwang Jeong-Hu really believed, he would’ve vehemently opposed Hwang Min-Su joining MK. He hated the idea of Kang Jin-Ho taking a loss with passion, after all!

“But, sir. Isn’t this more about the way you’re supposed to manage such people?”

“Mm?”

“A knife’s sharpness can be dangerous, but it can also be a great tool for those who know how to utilize such sharpness. Sir, getting rid of all knives because they can be dangerous is something only fools would do.”

“Mm...!” Hwang Jeong-Hu shot an unhappy glare in Jo Gyu-Min’s direction. “Are you implying that I didn’t do a good job of managing them?”

“Not at all, sir. Back then, you were bedridden, after all. Your sons wouldn’t have gone against your wishes if you were of good health.”

“Hmm...” Hwang Jeong-Hu nodded to imply that Jo Gyu-Min had a point, but he still didn’t seem satisfied. “Yes, you’re not wrong, Gyu-Min.”

In the end, what mattered was people. Wasn’t that Hwang Jeong-Hu’s pet theory?

It meant one should be discerning about who they have hired, but it could also mean that the abilities of the person in charge mattered just as much, regardless of who the subordinates were. At the end of the day, it was people who ordered people under them around, after all.

“Then again, Jin-Ho is no pushover, anyway.”

“Yes, sir. He isn’t.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled while mouthing a new cigarette. The tip of the cigarette burned, causing the gray smoke to lazily disperse in the air.

“Since it’s you, I’m gonna be frank with you,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu.

“Yes, chairman.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly puffed away at the cigarette before chewing his words out. “I still can’t forgive those bastards.”

“...”

“Yes, I know. I sound like a small-minded boomer.”

“No, sir. No one will think of you that way.”

“Nah. They’ll think that way. It’s just that no one wants to say it out loud.”

“I genuinely do not think that way, sir.”

Jo Gyu-Min wasn’t lying here. He really didn’t think Hwang Jeong-Hu was being unreasonable in this situation.

What Hwang Jeong-Hu had experienced was enough to tear apart any familial bonds existing between a father and his sons. He trusted his sons, so the shock from their betrayal must’ve been indescribable.

Anyone knowing his backstory would never criticize Hwang Jeong-Hu for not forgiving his sons.

“I will never forgive them for betraying me. No, hang on. I can’t really call what they did a betrayal, no? It’s not like they can just sit on their butts and do nothing when their father is bedridden, and nobody knows when he’ll wake up.”

“Yes, that is... true.”

“But what I cannot forgive them for is... How they tried to break Jaegyeong apart. You might think I’m joking here, but Jaegyeong is more important than my life to me. Yet those idiots tried to destroy this place! No way I’ll ever forgive them for it.”

Jo Gyu-Min slowly nodded away.

People living ordinary lives might not understand Hwang Jeong-Hu. But the truth was, to those who lived extraordinary lives like Hwang Jeong-Hu, some things were far more important than their lives or even their family members.

“And that’s why Kang Jin-Ho is such an amazing guy,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu.

Jo Gyu-Min nodded again.

“This story applies to every profession you can think of. Folks who go all in end up becoming monsters. Doesn’t matter whether they are scientists or entrepreneurs. Or even politicians. Anyone who dares to go all-in with their profession doesn’t have much humanity left in them.”

“I see.”

Jo Gyu-Min definitely agreed with Hwang Jeong-Hu on that one.

“I don’t mean that in a negative way, though. Anyone who walks the same kinda path as... Say, Jesus or Confucius can’t really be called humans, no?”

“...Aren’t they usually called saints, sir?”

“Yes, saints. They are saints, indeed. Being a saint means you’ve stopped being human, though. How can a person live their entire life doing only the right thing? That’s impossible. Saints and monsters, they are two different sides of the same coin.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu lightly tutted away.

“That’s why Kang Jin-Ho is such a strange guy. He’s probably the most out-there person I know, yet he cares more about his family than his work.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Anyone who knew Kang Jin-Ho well enough would also know that his priority had always been his family and acquaintances.

“Isn’t that so strange, though?” Hwang Jeong-Hu muttered. “Only someone doing trivial... no, something not all that significant can be like that. But people involved in massive things can’t do that so easily.”

“Isn’t it because of his experiences?” Jo Gyu-Min asked.

“His experiences?”

“Maybe it’s because he knows nothing remains in the end even if he has acquired everything. You know that Mister Jin-Ho’s story is rather unique compared to most people.”

“Hmm...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu grunted while leaning against the couch.

What Jo Gyu-Min said just now played on Hwang Jeong-Hu’s mind. That was because Hwang Jeong-Hu could be feeling the same thing subconsciously.

After all, he had nothing left now. His wife had departed for the other side already, while his children raised with such great care had not only disappointed him, but even tried to stab him in the back.

All he had left was Jaegyeong. And that could be why he was so obsessed with this company’s future.

‘No, I’m not regretting anything.’

Definitely not! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He had no regrets about the life he had lived. Hwang Jeong-Hu knew he had always chosen the best options available. Some of those choices ultimately proved wrong, but every living person was bound to make a few errors in judgment throughout their life, anyway.

Indeed, he had no regrets or lingering attachments. It was just that...

‘If I get another stab at life like Jin-Ho, will I... Will I tread the same path as before?’

Hwang Jeong-Hu realized he couldn’t answer that question.

He suddenly felt so lethargic. It was as if his body had fallen through the couch and was descending to somewhere far below.

‘Is this... emptiness?’

Hwang Jeong-Hu forcibly discarded the dregs of all the emotions trying to invade his mind. He told himself he was merely reminiscing about the past for a little while.

He built up such wealth for himself, so yapping on about emptiness and whatnot seemed so disingenuous now. Besides, wasn’t he incredibly proud of what he had achieved with his company, Jaegyeong?

It’s just that...

Hwang Jeong-Hu muttered quietly. “To acquire something, you must be prepared to lose something else in exchange. The world isn’t nice enough to give you everything you want, after all.”

Jo Gyu-Min nodded in agreement. “Sir, isn’t it possible that you think you’ve earned something great, only to realize that your losses are even greater? It’s impossible for us to fully understand what the things we’ve lost meant to us, after all.”

“Mm...”

Impossible to fully understand what the lost things meant to them? Those words rang so clearly in Hwang Jeong-Hu’s heart, forcing him to sigh under his breath.

“Yes, that could be true. That’s why Jin-Ho is...”

All of this was nothing more than a conjecture. But one thing seemed certain at this point. Kang Jin-Ho probably understood better than Hwang Jeong-Hu what was more precious and what was disposable to him in life.

What made Hwang Jeong-Hu so sure? Because he had a hunch that, if he was given the chance to travel back in time, his choice would be different.

“Right. In that regard, Kang Jin-Ho might be better than me at handling that idiot.”

Jo Gyu-Min kept mum and simply grinned awkwardly. He tried but couldn’t find a reply that wouldn’t trigger Hwang Jeong-Hu.

‘Still, the chairman doesn’t seem too unhappy.’

Despite all the complaints, Hwang Jeong-Hu’s expression conveyed how relieved he was. It had been a long time since he looked that way. But that made sense.

Even if his emotions were still raw, no parent would feel happy about their grown children going through such hardships. Jo Gyu-Min knew this, and that was why he insisted on recommending Hwang Min-Su to Kang Jin-Ho.

“Sir, do you think he’ll do a good job?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu tilted his head slightly. “Who? Jin-Ho?”

“No, sir. I meant Former President Hwang Min-Su.”

“You’re worried about some strange things, aren’t you?”

“But, sir. Let’s not forget that he’s been away from work for a while now. Regaining his touch should take a while, but knowing MK’s unique nature... No, knowing Mister Jin-Ho’s unique nature, I’m sure he’ll throw Mister Min-Su into the thick of it without considering things like that.”

Jo Gyu-Min shuddered in dread.

‘Yup, he’s more than capable of doing that.’

Anyone who was unfortunate enough to work for Kang Jin-Ho would know that... Even though Kang Jin-Ho looked like a healthy, well-adjusted individual on the surface, quite a lot of things were wrong with him inside!

Ordinary people required a lot of time to acclimatize to that quirk of Kang Jin-Ho. Which meant Hwang Min-Su’s situation wasn’t all sunshine and roses!

“If you’re prepared to work, you should also be ready to handle that much workload,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu.

“Mm...!”

“Besides,” Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled helplessly. “Even if I failed at molding my sons into good people, I still made damn sure they have the top-notch abilities to make it in this world. You can’t fault those two in that regard, at least.”

“Yes, that’s true...”

Jo Gyu-Min remembered that Hwang Jeong-Hu’s sons had gone through the rigorous education process befitting the heirs to the Jaegyeong dynasty.

Back when the brothers were waging war with each other for the right to inherit the company, everyone in Jaegyeong was more interested in who’d end up as their boss. They were not worried about the company falling into incompetent hands.

Of course, no one in South Korea would be good enough to replace Hwang Jeong-Hu. Still, his sons were more than qualified enough to run most corporations under the sun.

‘A man like that shouldn’t have a problem managing MK.’

Jo Gyu-Min chuckled meekly after realizing that he was worried about nothing. But his thoughts reaching that far roused a fresh question in his mind instead.

“Excuse me... sir?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu cocked an eyebrow. “Mm? What is it?”

“There’s something I’m curious about, but I’m afraid to ask since you might take offense...”

“Offense, my foot. Come, ask me. Since when did I care about stuff like that?”

Despite getting the go-ahead, Jo Gyu-Min still couldn’t bring himself to ask this question. After hesitating for a while, he nervously swallowed his saliva before cautiously speaking up.

“Sir, what if...”

“What if what?”

“What if President Hwang Min-Su starts working for MK and displays results similar to... No, surpassing what he has achieved with us, will you think about bringing him... back...?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu narrowed his eyes and glared at Jo Gyu-Min.

The power contained in that glare was enough to stiffen Jo Gyu-Min, and he sat up very straight on the couch.

“Will I bring that kid back? Is that what you’re curious about?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm...”

Jo Gyu-Min cautiously voiced his opinion. “Sir, with the uncertainty of your heirs still hanging in the air, perhaps it’s not a bad idea to...”

“Not gonna happen,” Hwang Jeong-Hu firmly shook his head. “I’ve already made up my mind, okay? I’m not going back on my word.”

“But, sir...”

“I’m telling you, it’s not happening.”

Jo Gyu-Min stopped there. Pressing any further than this might end up touching Hwang Jeong-Hu’s reverse scale instead.

“Bring them back, eh...?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled helplessly while puffing away at his cigarette.

‘Judging from how I didn’t lose my cool right off the bat... I guess a part of me has thought about it already.’

Of course, he’d never admit that publicly.

He glanced at Jo Gyu-Min. “Rather than that, warn him to do a good job over there instead.”

Jo Gyu-Min nodded quickly. “I’m sure he’ll do an excellent job, sir. As you said, his abilities are top-notch, after all.”

“Nothing in this world is certain, okay? But... I guess it’ll be fine.”

A hint of pride floated up on Hwang Jeong-Hu’s face just then. Jo Gyu-Min noticed that and grinned brightly.

Unfortunately, these two had no idea.

No idea that Hwang Min-Su was currently stuck in a completely unexpected problem and was racking his brain to find a solution!