Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1291. Discussing (1)

Inside the chairman’s office in MK’s HQ...

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at his dazed-looking father.

After getting dragged away by his wife last night, Kang Yu-Hwan raised the white flag in less than five minutes and declared his complete and unconditional surrender, promising to assist Hwang Min-Su from now on.

Result-wise, one could say things had turned out rather well, but...

“...But it’s not like I wanted to become super wealthy, you know?” Kang Yu-Hwan soullessly muttered.

Kang Jin-Ho had to work extra hard to suppress the corners of his lips from curling up.

Kang Yu-Hwan glanced at his son. “Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, father?”

“Don’t get married, okay?”

“...”

Kang Yu-Hwan wiped the corners of his eyes. “Of course, I’m not saying I regret marrying your mother. I was blessed with wonderful and cute children like you and Eun-Yeong, after all. Yes, my life has been full of happiness and wonderful memories.”

Kang Yu-Hwan smiled as if he had gained an enlightenment just then. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Getting married and having kids can give you this unexplainable fulfillment, son. Something you can’t even imagine unless you experience it yourself.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Then, why did you say I shouldn’t...?”

“Just don’t do it, son! Okay?!”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t squeak a word out after noticing how sorrowful his father’s expression was.

“Hahaha, a disagreement like that can happen sometimes in life, sir,” said Hwang Min-Su while gently chuckling away.

As a married man himself, it seemed he fully understood what Kang Yu-Hwan was going through.

“For sure, kids can make a father’s life difficult, but they can also give us the strength to keep moving forward. Now, don’t they?”

“Yes, that’s true,” said Kang Yu-Hwan.

Hwang Min-Su’s smile resembled that of a kindly old man. Seeing that smile made Kang Jin-Ho remember Hwang Min-Su’s sons. Once upon a time, Kang Jin-Ho must’ve followed his father around like them.

“Yes, being married has its downsides, but there are some things only available to a married man, no?” Hwang Min-Su asked playfully.

“Yes, indeed,” Kang Yu-Hwan nodded as if he agreed with that notion.

After noticing that the mood in the office had improved somewhat, Kang Jin-Ho tried to say something. “Then, about marriage...”

“Don’t do it, Chairman,” said Hwang Min-Su even before Kang Jin-Ho could finish.

“...”

“Yes, some things can only be acquired through marriage. In fact, you could even say many things! However, not getting married will get you even more things! Why! Why would you want to waltz right into the quagmire of evil?!”

“Huh? But didn’t you just say that...”

“That’s why I’m saying all this to you, Chairman!” Hwang Min-Su passionately cried out. “Why?! Why was I so stupid?! I must’ve been insane to go through with it back then!”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho could only dazedly stare at Kang Yu-Hwan and Hwang Min-Su. He had to ponder very seriously if getting married was worth it while looking at Hwang Min-Su holding his head in agony and Kang Yu-Hwan lifelessly staring at the ceiling.

Maybe I should have experienced what it’s like being married in my previous life?

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.

Back when he was the demon cult leader, one of the things his subordinates nagged him constantly about was about finding a wife. They said something about the cult leader needing to leave an heir behind or some such.

Since Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t really interested in the topic back then, he used to promptly shut down any attempts to discuss it.

He had his reasons, of course. Difficult reasons, to boot.

It wasn’t as if he was averse to the idea of marriage. His problem was with accepting and allowing another person into his life.

Nowadays, the experience of ancient Zhongyuan had become distant memories he’d reminisce about like some old man, but back then... Kang Jin-Ho still had the mindset of a modern-era person, so the people of ancient Zhongyuan differed completely from him in almost every aspect, like their thought process to even stuff like culture.

At times, he even thought that talking to an alien with a human-like face might be better than talking to those people.

First of all, hygiene in ancient Zhongyuan could only be described as horrific when judged by the standards of the modern era. And the people back then did not hold any respect for human life.

Marrying someone who had almost nothing in common with you would be incredibly challenging, to say the least. A modern-era Korean marrying a devout Muslim from somewhere deep in the Middle East would’ve generated far less disharmony than Kang Jin-Ho hooking up with women of that era.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head, then addressed Hwang Min-Su. “For now, let’s put this matter aside and get to work.”

“Indeed, sir. Yes, we should. It seems I’ve allowed personal feelings to intrude upon my workplace. Let’s see, then... Mm...” Hwang Min-Su stared openly at Kang Jin-Ho and said, “Don’t do it, sir.”

“...”

Kang Yu-Hwan also chimed in.

“Yes, son! Don’t get married! And you! Your mother and Eun-Yeong don’t seem opposed to the idea of you hooking up with Miss Choi Yeon-Ha, but not me! I oppose it! If you marry a girl with such a headstrong attit...”

Knock, knock!

The heads of all three men snapped toward the office’s doorway. Kang Yu-Hwan’s complexion paled instantly after realizing something.

Kang Jin-Ho called out. “You may enter.”

Creak...

The doorway opened, and Lee Hyeon-Ju entered. She politely presented a folder of documents to Kang Jin-Ho.

“Sir, here is the data you’ve asked for.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Then, call me again when you need help.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju smiled airily before leaving the office.

Kang Yu-Hwan sighed loudly in relief once the office door closed behind Lee Hyeon-Ju. “Geez, now that was terrifying.”

“...”

For sure, something here was not quite right. At least, that was what Kang Jin-Ho thought.

Kang Yu-Hwan kept sneaking a glance at the doorway while muttering, “Yes. A person should be poised. Calm. I mean, like that lady. Did you see how reserved and nice she was?”

Reserved and nice? When Kang Jin-Ho heard that, his brain automatically recalled Lee Hyeon-Ju’s profile.

She was Lee Jung-Geol’s granddaughter, a heroine and a warrioress who regularly beat up the Martial Assembly’s rowdy members with her bare fists and facts.

Huh. The people of the Assembly might fall over in shock if they heard “reserved” and “Lee Hyeon-Ju” in the same sentence.

Martial artists instinctively adhered religiously to the idea of strength ruling over everything. Even if Lee Hyeon-Ju was Lee Jung-Geol’s granddaughter, no one would’ve acknowledged her without her proving her strength first. And that was what she did.

She used her strength to make the Assembly acknowledge her as a warrior, not the Assembly Master’s little granddaughter.

Without a doubt, Lee Hyeon-Ju had gotten a lot mellower these days. But back when Kang Jin-Ho first met her, she was not much different from a naive daredevil. Not to forget, she...

“But father, she’s Chief Lee’s girlfriend.”

“Really? Eiii! That’s unfortunate!”

This was when Kang Jin-Ho decided not to trust Kang Yu-Hwan’s eye for people.

“Let us end this topic here, shall we?”

Hwang Min-Su butted in just then to stop the father and his son from straying even further from the topic. However, there was a gentle smile etched on his lips.

This is nice, Hwang Min-Su thought. He felt at peace watching Kang Jin-Ho chat with his father. Maybe because this was the kind of interaction between a father and his son he never got to experience.

“I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to brief you on this matter right now, but as you’re always busy, please forgive me for reporting to you whenever I get the chance, sir,” said Hwang Min-Su.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “It’s fine.”

He knew Hwang Min-Su was subtly asking if it was okay to say what he was about to say in Kang Yu-Hwan’s presence.

When his boss replied with little concern, Hwang Min-Su got to the contents of his briefing right away. “The first thing I’d like to report is the hiring of the three men I was with yesterday.”

“Oh, them.”

“They will start working in earnest very soon, sir. But before that, they’ll try to introduce themselves to you.”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly nodded. He had already agreed to let Hwang Min-Su handle the issue of manpower required to manage the business. Since that was the case, he didn’t see the point of questioning Hwang Min-Su here. Still, he did think that this was sooner than expected.

However, those people were hand-picked by Hwang Min-Su. Meaning, they should be quite capable.

The odds of such individuals occupying fairly important roles in other companies were pretty high. So, for Hwang Min-Su to attract three such people, his abilities must be...

No, hold on. Rather than his abilities, it could be that he’s blessed with good people in his life instead.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “That’s good to hear.”

Hwang Min-Su smiled subtly. “It won’t stop with those three, sir. We’ll welcome many more in the future. That’s why I’d like to confirm with you once more. Will this be fine?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s reply was very simple and to the point, but that was enough for Hwang Min-Su. Well, they had enough money to throw around, anyway.

Considering MK’s assets, hiring ten or so high-value individuals wouldn’t even create a ripple in the company’s finances. Hwang Min-Su also knew this, so finding and hiring capable people shouldn’t burden him too much.

He would’ve done things differently had his new company been not as well-funded as MK.

“Well, then. That issue is now taken care of, so we can move on to the next one, and that is...”

Hwang Min-Su’s gaze shifted to Kang Yu-Hwan.

“...The issue of the Chairman's father.”

Kang Yu-Hwan muttered, “I’m right here, so calling me an issue is a bit...”

“Oops, my apologies. Forgive me for my slip of the tongue.”

“Urgh...” Kang Yu-Hwan helplessly scratched his head.

“Sir, you don’t have to do anything for the time being. However, things should pick up quite soon. Once we find all the right people for the team, that’s when we’ll seek your guidance, you see?”

“What do you mean, my guidance? When your team will be filled to the brim with actual professionals?”

“Hahaha, that’s not the case, sir. Our team will consist of professionals in running a business, not a cafe. Your know-how in managing a cafe and brewing coffee isn’t something we can catch up overnight, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Hmm...?”

It seemed Hwang Min-Su had already figured out how to pacify and lead Kang Yu-Hwan around. As if to prove that, Kang Yu-Hwan’s back seemed to straighten more and more in pride every time Hwang Min-Su said something complimentary!

Since Hwang Min-Su wasn’t blind, he could clearly see the effects of his words, and that motivated him to flatter Kang Yu-Hwan even more.

Kang Jin-Ho grinned deeply while observing this spectacle. He wasn’t surprised at all by this exchange, of course.

It didn’t matter who, every person had this longing to be acknowledged and praised by others. Especially those who were affluent enough not to worry about life; they tended to obsess more about such a thing.

If Kang Jin-Ho observed his father as not his father but as some random person, Kang Yu-Hwan should also have such desires bubbling away in his subconsciousness. And his desire would be about earning other people’s acknowledgement over... Not his financial abundance, which was Kang Jin-Ho’s doing, anyway. So, it must be through some other aspects unique to him.

Hwang Min-Su was expertly targeting that desire.

Kang Yu-Hwan spoke proudly. “Well, since it’s my son’s business venture, I should help out if it’s really necessary.”

“Don’t worry, sir. You will be of great help to us.”

“But, uh, does this mean I have to close my cafe down?”

Hwang Min-Su shook his head. “Definitely not, sir. The store being designated as the first, in other words the main store, will always carry a massive significance. We’d like you to continue running your cafe.”

“Hmm...”

“It’s just that, well...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“How about fixing up your interior décor a bit...?”

Kang Yu-Hwan’s cheeks suddenly twitched ominously. “President Hwang...”

“Yes, sir?”

“There seems to be a slight misunderstanding here, so let me come out and say this right now. The cafe’s interior isn’t like that because I’m a blind idiot with zero sense in interior decoration. I wanted to use better materials and furnishing to create a more beautiful place, but... But my wife...!”

Kang Yu-Hwan’s expression crumpled.

“She! She yelled at me for spending money to decorate a place selling mere coffee! And, and! If I was truly skilled, people would buy my coffee even if I had a small stall by a street corner! That’s what she said!”

“...”

Kang Yu-Hwan’s pent-up resentment finally erupted.

“Listen, Jin-Ho!”

“Y-yes, father?”

“Never, ever get married, okay?!”

Why was Kang Yu-Hwan straying into that topic again...?

“You mustn’t! Son, I want you to be happy! N-no, that ain’t right. Of course, I’m not saying my marriage to your mother has made me miserable! It’s just that, mm... How should I say this? W-well, there’s something like that, okay! Y-yes, listen! If you get married, you might acquire hundreds of things.”

“...Okay?”

“But you’ll end up losing thousands of things instead!”

Kang Jin-Ho squeezed his eyes shut just then. This argument wasn’t coming from a place of logic, but pure resentment.

“I can’t even decorate the interior of MY cafe as I want! Really?! I’m warning you, son! Get married, and you’ll suffer the same fate as me! You can drive around in your silly red sports car and do as you please precisely because you’re a bachelor! But get married, and you’ll see!

“You’ll end up selling that car because there’s no place to put a baby seat inside. And then, you’ll be forced to quit smoking because it’s not healthy for the baby! And then, and then... Aigooo, don’t even get me started, son!”

“...”

“Worse still, Miss Yeon-Ha? Even I can tell she’s incredibly bossy! Someone as wishy-washy as you won’t even breathe freely in your own home once you get marr...”

Knock, knock...

Someone knocked on the door again.

The agitated Kang Yu-Hwan ended up yelling before he could stop himself. “Just come in, okay! Come in! As I was saying, you gotta think very carefully about marriage, son! That thing is a trap that... Eh?”

That was when Kang Yu-Hwan’s eyes powerfully quaked. That was because the person entering the office was not Lee Hyeon-Ju from earlier, like he had expected.

Hiccup!

Kang Yu-Hwan reflexively began hiccuping. After noticing the pale complexion on his face, Kang Jin-Ho and Hwang Min-Su turned their heads to look at who had entered the office. And that person was none other than Choi Yeon-Ha in a smart business suit.

“...”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho and Choi Yeon-Ha’s gazes met mid-air, prompting him to ask awkwardly. “Miss Yeon-Ha, what, uh... brings you here?”

Choi Yeon-Ha smiled brightly. “I heard that my father-in-law would be visiting us, so I wanted to say hello. But did I come at a bad time?”

“N-no, it’s not exactly... Mm...?”

Kang Jin-Ho sneakily glanced at his father. And...

Hiccup!

While covering his mouth with one hand, Kang Yu-Hwan urgently waved his other hand at Choi Yeon-Ha. “N-no, it’s fine. It’s fine.”

Choi Yeon-Ha smiled softly while walking up to Kang Yu-Hwan. She bowed deeply and said, “It’s our first time meeting like this, father. I’m Choi Yeon-Ha.”

“A-ah, yes. I’ve heard a lot about you, Miss Yeon-Ha. It’s, uh, a pleasure to make your acquaintance...?”

Kang Jin-Ho noticed the hint of tears in his father’s eyes and inwardly groaned.

Life was hard. But some people made it much harder for themselves.