Descent of the Demon Master

Lee Hyeon-Su stared at Kang Jin-Ho in sheer flabbergast.

“Sir… Of course your mother would get furious after you explained things that way.”

“...Why would she, though?”

“That's what running a business is like, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su wryly grinned. At least in South Korea, “running a business” was synonymous with “bankrupting one's family.”

The mid-90s IMF incident led to a large-scale unemployment crisis in South Korea. Those two events were like consecutive death blows to people who had no choice but to risk their necks on starting their own businesses.

Plenty of them were simply ill-prepared, and too many competitors jumped in to saturate the market at the same time. The result was the mutual destruction of everyone.

It was never easy for people with zero experience to jump in and safely land in the cutthroat world of business. Unsurprisingly, that era saw seemingly an unending procession of business people going bankrupt.

At least their situation would've been a bit better had they accepted their failures and moved on. Unfortunately, many of them got loans from banks and other shady places and even roped in their relatives, only to dig themselves even deeper into debt.

Shortly after that, Korea was swept up in the venture capital startup craze. After that storm had come and gone, the South Koreans began thinking that running a business was no different from a gamble where you could instantly lose everything.

As a result, countless Korean 9-to-6 workers dreaming of quitting their jobs and starting their own businesses had to give up after being harassed by incessant nagging and even physical violence in the form of slaps on the back from their spouses.

Of course, people's impressions of starting a business had improved a lot since those days, but…

‘That doesn’t apply to our Assembly Master, now does it?’

Indeed, this scenario didn't apply to Kang Jin-Ho. That was primarily because he didn't need to start a business to make a living.

His parents must've thought their son didn't need to worry about where his next meal would come from. After all, they knew about the insane wealth accumulated in Kang Jin-Ho's bank account.

Apparently, Kang Jin-Ho stopped showing his parents the state of his bank account once the amount ballooned past a certain point. Even so, the wealth accumulated to that point should be enough to last a lifetime of…

Actually, it'd be safe to assume that a man could live in considerable comfort for centuries with that amount of money in his bank account!

So, for a man like that to suddenly start a business?

‘Yup. No wonder they'd get nervous.’

How could Kang Jin-Ho’s family not be worried? After all, running a business was like feeding a money blackhole.

You needed starting funds and continued investment to run a business. And there was a substantial chance that you'd never recoup all that money.

Here was a dude who could’ve lived a life of comfort, yet he was willingly taking on the risk of losing everything. In that case, how could his family sit still and do nothing?

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table. His current situation wasn’t soul-crushingly desperate, either. He could live just fine by sucking on his thumbs, yet he still wanted to gamble all that away?

‘Of course they wouldn’t just sit still.’

Lee Hyeon-Su’s wry grin only deepened as his thoughts reached that far.

He shouldn’t forget that Kang Jin-Ho was a bit of a whale when it came to spending, too.

Kang Jin-Ho usually pursued minimalism, but when things needed him to get serious? He'd not hesitate to dump a truckload of money as an investment.

‘Well, it’s not just one truckload, but… A whole squadron of dump trucks, but whatever!’

Just how many times did the accounting department weep in sorrow because of Kang Jin-Ho’s spending habits?

Lee Hyeon-Su hadn't known Kang Jin-Ho for that long, yet he had already noticed all these things about his boss.

In that case, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Kang Jin-Ho's family knew even more about his habits and ticks than anyone else on this Earth. They probably thought that Kang Jin-Ho would dump his entire savings to get this business venture going.

So, what should they do in a situation like this? Obviously, try to stop him!

Of course, Kang Jin-Ho's family should know how capable he was. Maybe not as much as Lee Hyeon-Su or the Assembly's martial artists, no. However, what was visible on the surface should be more than enough to inform the others that Kang Jin-Ho was a competent man.

However, one's capabilities were not the only factor determining success or failure in business. Luck also played a crucial role.

“The way I see it, it’s obvious why your family would be opposed to the idea, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “Why do you think that?”

“Because… They don’t trust you.”

“Huh? Really?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head this way and that after failing to comprehend. His confusion was understandable, though.

Several events happening recently had eroded the family's faith in Kang Jin-Ho. However, those were the result of Kang Jin-Ho's failure to respond to those situations appropriately. As far as his capabilities were concerned, though… He had never given anyone a cause for distrust.

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled slightly. “That’s family, sir.”

“Mm?”

“That’s what families are like. Even though family members have the most faith in each other… They also probably trust each other the least.”

“Isn’t that contradictory?”

“Only families can have faith in you as a fellow human being but totally distrust you when it comes to your capabilities.”

“I don’t get it,” Kang Jin-Ho frowned.

“Why not, sir? I mean, you also do that, don’t you?”

“...Huh?”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded slightly. “I’m talking about Miss Se-Ah, of course.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Se-Ah? You mean, Eun-Yeong?”

“Yes, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su while grinning deeply. “Miss Se-Ah is an adult now. And a successful celebrity, as well. If she was born in a different household and not yours, Miss Se-Ah would’ve taken over the Breadwinner of the Family position by now. Even her parents would’ve gone all-in with assisting her, which would have kept them busy for years to come.”

“…” Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut.

Lee Hyeon-Su was right. About everything. The truth be told, though…

Of course Kang Jin-Ho knew that his little sister had already far surpassed most corporate slaves' financial situation. What she made in a month was probably ten times higher than what the ordinary salaryman made during the same period.

An idol making their debut via the conventional route would see their payday delayed by their agency for a variety of reasons, such as “the need to recoup investments.”

However, Kang Eun-Yeong didn't go through that nonsense as Jaegyeong was responsible for finding the right talent agency for her.

As soon as money came in, she got her share according to the contract. Even if Kang Jin-Ho wasn't around, the money Kang Eun-Yeong made should have been enough to provide fulfilling lives for her family.

However, in the Kang family, someone like that was treated like…

“...Hmm. I thought we were treating her rather fairly, though?” Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly protested.

“From what I hear, she's seen as no better than a bum lounging around at home every day. Isn't that true?”

“…”

“Sir, that's what the life of an entertainer is like. When their ship comes in, entertainers must row like there's no tomorrow. Once they get off, they slack off to recharge their batteries. Isn't it?”

“Mm…”

“In my opinion, treating someone so poorly when they are merely trying to recharge their batteries is uncalled for.”

Again, Lee Hyeon-Su was right. Kang Jin-Ho nodded in agreement. “Yes. Indeed.”

“This matter isn't about how much money Miss Se-Ah is making. It doesn't matter whether she's your sibling or your child, you still need to acknowledge and respect her independence after she becomes an adult, sir. The way you treat her has pretty much not changed since her middle school days. And that's a problem, wouldn't you say?”

Kang Jin-Ho kept nodding at Lee Hyeon-Su’s continuous barrage of sensible words.

“All this is because Miss Se-Ah is your sister, sir. If she was from another family, you’d have acknowledged her even more and treated her quite differently. Am I wrong?”

“...No, you’re not. I would have.”

“That's what being a family is like, sir. Your faith in your family members is absolute, but you trust them the least. Your family is looking at you in the same way you look at your little sister. Of course, I'm not trying to say this is a bad thing. After all, this distrust and worries stem from affection, you see?”

“Affection, you say?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded affirmatively. “Yes. Think about it for a second. Your family tells you to be careful while driving. Even though the odds of you getting into a fatal car accident are quite low. Your family wouldn't say that to a stranger. However, even such low odds will be significantly concerning to your family. All because they care about you.”

“Huh. It's still so confusing,” said Kang Jin-Ho, as a bitter smile formed on his face.

‘Stuff like this is still difficult for me.’

Listening to others naturally helped Kang Jin-Ho to understand. And if he took time to think some more, these things made sense. However, he still had trouble applying those concepts in his daily interactions.

‘...And I don’t think my time in Zhongyuan is solely to blame for that, either.’

Maybe Kang Jin-Ho was fundamentally a flawed and somewhat broken man. Even he had to admit his lack of empathy was concerning at times. In that case, maybe it wasn't surprising for his first life to fail. And that would also explain why he lived like that during his second life—when he didn't even bother to accept other people.

Kang Jin-Ho had to pay a sky-high price back then. However, it was all thanks to experiencing these things that he got a chance to live and laugh alongside so many people in this life.

“Then… What should I do?” Kang Jin-Ho cautiously asked.

Those experiences also helped him become someone who could ask for help.

During his second life, Kang Jin-Ho never asked anyone for help. Even as he died of starvation in some dirty back alley, Kang Jin-Ho never thought about clinging to the pants of someone to survive. However, that was no longer true.

Humans were imperfect. Incomplete. No one could claim to be a faultless, flawless being. However, there were ways to become more complete.

If you lacked something, you could always seek someone else who had it. And then, ask for their help. In return, you'd give them something of yours as compensation.

Only after… living close to a century did Kang Jin-Ho finally awaken to this extremely ordinary yet unquestionable truth of life!

Lee Hyeon-Su rubbed his chin. “Hmm… The first thing we need to focus on is assuaging your family’s fears, sir.”

“How do we go about doing that?” Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. His family didn’t trust him, so what could he possibly do to change their minds?

“Well, if your authority isn’t enough for something, you could borrow someone else’s, sir.”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. That saying didn’t make much sense to him. But then…

“Sir, how about we say Chairman Hwang is the one setting up this company?”

“…! Ah!” Kang Jin-Ho reflexively nodded at that suggestion.

That could definitely work. The air of confidence Hwang Jeong-Hu oozed, and the people’s trust in him, were things Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t hope to match.

Even though Kang Jin-Ho had already far surpassed Hwang Jeong-Hu in terms of influence over the martial and the surface world, he still couldn’t even come close to the renown the chairman of the Jaegyeong Corporation enjoyed.

“Sir… How about telling your family that Chairman Hwang Jeong-Hu is starting a new company, and you'll be its CEO?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly, although he still sounded hopeful. “Will it be okay, though?”

“I don't think it'll be difficult, sir. And you can use this excuse to explain the company's sudden 'meteoric' growth as well,” said Lee Hyeon-Su with a slick smirk on his face. “I'm guessing you aren't going to tell your family about how much your 'wage' will be or the health of the Assembly's finances?”

“Hmm. I don’t see a reason not to tell them, though?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. If he could help it, he didn’t want to hide stuff like that from his family.

He hadn’t told his family about the martial world because this knowledge wouldn’t have done them any good. Non-martial artists should never be involved in this side of the world as doing so would inevitably invite disaster into their lives.

However, Kang Jin-Ho didn't want to hide the truth if it didn't directly involve the martial world. And it wouldn't be great for families to keep secrets from each other.

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned deeply. “If that’s what you want, I won’t try to talk you out of it, sir. Even so, I still don’t recommend telling your family the truth about the Assembly’s finances.”

“Why not?”

“In my experience, coming into too much money almost inevitably wrecks the lives of ordinary people in the surface world.”

“…” Kang Jin-Ho’s gaze became a little colder and withdrawn. “No. My family isn’t like that.”

Lee Hyeon-Su smartly backed off. “My apologies, sir. I spoke out of turn. Also… When I think about it, your family has admirably continued to maintain their integrity even after receiving a large sum of money from Chairman Hwang Jeong-Hu.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.

He didn't come to their defense because they were his family. Kang Jin-Ho was confident that his parents were genuinely not the types to get swayed by money.

Lee Hyeon-Su bowed a little. “I’ll try to set things up, sir.”

“Mm…?” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly tilted his head a little. “Wait. In that case… Can’t I just take Chairman Hwang with me, then?”

“...Take him to where, sir?”

“My home, obviously.”

“…”

Lee Hyeon-Su dazedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

‘Your home? You want to take Hwang Jeong-Hu to your home?’

Kang Jin-Ho seemed to notice the flabbergast on Lee Hyeon-Su's face as he continued to explain. “I mean… Instead of me trying to convince my family, don't you think Chairman Hwang doing it in person will be more persuasive?”

“Y-yes, it would be.”

“Then, it’s decided. We go with this plan.”

Of course they should. It made a lot of sense, after all. However…

‘Sir. Hwang Jeong-Hu isn't the name of your neighbor's pet dog.’

Was Kang Jin-Ho serious about summoning the head of one of the top five Korean corporations just to help him… lie?

‘Seriously, man. Sometimes, I have no idea what this dude is even thinking!’

Kang Jin-Ho was stunned by the idea of hiring professors to make house calls, yet he didn't even blink once at the idea of utilizing the ace called Hwang Jeong-Hu up his sleeve. Without a doubt, there had to be something wrong with this dude's head!

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Hmm… Would Chairman Hwang be able to convincingly lie, though?”

“...You don’t have to worry about that, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su with a sigh.

“Mm?”

“Lying is probably one of Chairman Hwang’s specialties, you see?”

It seemed Kang Jin-Ho had no idea that all businesspeople unlocked a special stat called Expert Liar due to the unique quirk of their profession.