Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1413. Closure (3)

Hwang Min-Su energetically greeted Kang Jin-Ho.

“Chairman Kang! Good to see you back safe and sound! It must’ve been so hard for you in there!”

But he was swiftly rebuked by his companion. “Terrible, my foot! This nonsense only happened because that fool strayed from the right path! Don’t you get that?!”

“You seem to have lost some weight, Chairman? Maybe some top of the line health tonics are in order?”

“Tonic? Are you kidding me? A young punk like him doesn’t... I mean, a punk with a young body doesn’t need anything! When I was his age, all I needed was a hearty meal and a good night’s sleep!”

Hwang Min-Su ignored his companion and continued to address the stupefied Kang Jin-Ho. “The company has been dealing with various issues during your absence, Chairman. Now that you’re back, though, I’m sure we'll regain our normalcy soon.”

“A company that runs into problems whenever the boss isn’t around deserves to go under! Just how incompetent can your salary thieves be?!”

Kang Jin-Ho deeply groaned. “Yes, I hear you, but this...”

Commuting to MK again felt great. Not looking after his own company while wasting time behind bars did not feel good, after all.

Hwang Min-Su showing up at the chairman’s office the first thing in the morning was also great. Kang Jin-Ho was the chairman, after all, and the president of one of the divisions reporting directly to his boss shouldn’t be something out of the ordinary, anyway.

The problem this time, though, was that Hwang Min-Su didn’t come alone. No, he came with a... totally uninvited guest!

Kang Jin-Ho alternated his gaze between the two people before his eyes and sighed again. “Chairman Hwang, why are you even...”

“What are you trying to say?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu shot back a sharp glare at Kang Jin-Ho.

“It’s... nothing.”

Why did Kang Jin-Ho suddenly feel so tired?

“You! If you got released, shouldn’t you hurry on to my place and say hello first, at the very least?! How dare you force someone as old as me to come over here instead?!”

“...My apologies.”

In that case, why did Hwang Jeong-Hu even come here?

Hwang Min-Su noticed how troubled Kang Jin-Ho looked and cautiously spoke to his father. “Chairman Hwang, we were in the middle of a private meeting.”

“Private meeting? Private?! Listen here, you damn fool! Without me, this company wouldn’t even exist! How dare you play this game with me?! You want me to bugger off since you’re talking about company matters? Is that it?!”

“I-it’s not that, but...”

“Eiiiiing! This is why you mustn’t take in a black-haired beast! I’m telling you!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s jaw fell in sheer stupefaction as he stared at Hwang Jeong-Hu. Who was taking who in? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Wasn’t this similar to that thing, China’s Northeast Project?[1]

Hwang Min-Su frowned deeply. “Chairman Hwang... How long are you planning to stay here?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu’s brows shot up. “How dare you chase your own father away?!”

“Please just go home, sir! Please!”

What stupefied Kang Jin-Ho even more this time was that even he could see how close the two Hwangs had gotten.

Before Kang Jin-Ho was forced into becoming a guest in South Korea’s prison system, the two Hwangs did not have a good relationship. As a matter of fact, they were so estranged that Kang Jin-Ho had to seek Hwang Jeong-Hu’s understanding when hiring Hwang Min-Su. But now...

Kang Jin-Ho muttered weirdly. “You two seem to have gotten close...?”

Hwang Min-Su and Hwang Jeong-Hu immediately shot a glare in Kang Jin-Ho’s direction.

“Do we look like we’re close, sir?!”

“Jin-Ho! Are your eyes for decoration only?!”

“...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu loudly tutted. “Sure, almost every famous entrepreneur has seen the inside of a jail before, but what was your crime, again? National Security Act? Hah! I’ve never seen a fool running a business get locked up for being a North Korean spy before!”

Hwang Min-Su’s expression crumpled. “Chairman Hwang! How could you say that to an innocent person? You should be consoling him instead, you know!”

“Gimme a break! He should’ve been more law-abiding, instead! Then no one would’ve thrown him in jail in the first place! Look at me! I’ve been running my business for fifty years! But I’ve never even been in a police station before!”

“Don’t lie like that! Did you already forget that day when the local police station called home, saying they found you passed out on the street utterly drunk out of your mind?!”

“W-what?! How dare you bring that up in this place!”

Kang Jin-Ho gently smiled at this duo. Whatever this is, do it somewhere else, okay? Please! Like in your own home! 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Why was this father-and-son duo bickering in someone else’s company? And in that company chairman’s office, no less?

“In any case!” Hwang Jeong-Hu loudly fake-coughed to chase away his embarrassment and to change the topic. “Jin-Ho, good to see you making it out of this ordeal in one piece.”

“It wasn’t much of an ordeal,” Kang Jin-Ho replied.

“However, is everything finally sorted out now?”

“Mm, well...”

Kang Jin-Ho scratched the back of his head. This was one of those situations where one’s viewpoint could change depending on what they considered as “final.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly nodded after noticing Kang Jin-Ho’s hesitation.

“I know you’ll handle it well on your own. However, do your best not to get tangled up in their nonsense anymore.”

“Of course.”

“Politicians are like leeches. If they catch even a whiff of money, they’ll latch onto you and try their hardest to suck as many benefits as possible out of you. Do you know why us businesspeople have no choice but to deal with those bastards, even if we don’t want anything to do with them?”

“Mm... Because they have the political power?”

“No,” Hwang Jeong-Hu shook his head. “It’s because they can be irritatingly persistent. Those bastards never forget their grudges. No matter how trivial, they will still remember every insult thrown their way. And they’ll try to get their revenge the first chance they get.”

A bitter smirk formed on Hwang Jeong-Hu’s face.

“So, yeah. Don’t get involved with them if you can help it. Even if you hold a grudge against them, never trample on them. Even if they owe you, never try to collect from them, either.”

“...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu cocked an eyebrow when Kang Jin-Ho didn’t say anything. “What’s with the silence, Jin-Ho?”

“Well, uh... You could have told me that sooner, Chairman.”

“How do you expect me to talk to a fool who’s all locked up behind bars?!”

“...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu frowned in disapproval while staring at Kang Jin-Ho, then pushed himself up with a loud grunt. “Fine, fine! I’m leaving! You ungrateful bastard!”

“N-no, hold on. I wasn’t trying to...”

“I said, it’s fine! Urgh... What was I even expecting to find in this dang place, anyway! Besides! I also have an important meeting to get to!”

“Understood. Please be careful on your way, Chairman. I’ll come by and say hello soon.”

“Yeah, right! As if!”

BANG!

The office door was slammed shut rather loudly.

It felt like a category five hurricane had swept past this place just now. Kang Jin-Ho sagged deeper into his couch while holding his aching head, prompting Hwang Min-Su to chuckle apologetically.

“Please don’t think too badly of him, sir. He was waiting for you since the early hours to speak to you after hearing the news of your release.”

Kang Jin-Ho gently chuckled again. “I see that you two have improved your relationship.”

“Ah, that. It somehow worked out that way while I was consulting him a few times regarding your matter. Since your matter wasn’t related to my job or the company, I wasn’t sure if I should get involved or not...”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded to say he understood.

The severity of this situation should have been far worse compared to the past events, but Hwang Min-Su not being the part of the problem must’ve played a big factor in the two men improving their relationship.

Because most conversations between the two men during Hwang Min-Su’s tenure in Jaegyeong must’ve centered on how bad he was at his job and how many mistakes he had made, after all.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled. “Looks like congratulations are in order.”

“My father is still the same when it’s just the two of us. But...”

Hwang Min-Su smiled sheepishly.

“Yes, it’s better than before.”

Kang Jin-Ho gently nodded. One shouldn’t get disappointed after taking the first few baby steps. The day when the Hwangs could chuckle and converse like a real father and son should arrive sooner rather than later.

“Oh, and despite what he said, Chairman Hwang had tried very hard to get in touch with the politicians involved, Chairman Kang. He was swearing like a sailor at them, to boot.”

“I’m sure that’s the case.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu was definitely the type to do that. He might complain unhappily all the time, but deep inside, he could be quite a caring person, after all. He must’ve been under a lot of stress because of what happened to Kang Jin-Ho.

Looks like I’ve inconvenienced a lot of people.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed quietly, then glanced at Hwang Min-Su. “How is MK?”

“As I’ve reported to you just now, we’ve regained most of our stability. The biggest hurdle we had been facing until now wasn’t our bank accounts getting frozen, but the government department refusing to register our new business venture. When that goes through, everything should proceed without too many hiccups. In a way, this was a blessing in disguise, as well.”

“How so?”

“We didn’t have to rush through with the new business venture, but I got a little too anxious and tried to push it through a little too quickly. Although I shouldn’t be grateful, their interference had given us extra time to make more thorough preparations.”

“I see. I’m relieved to hear that.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded before making a weird face. Wait, maybe I shouldn’t be relieved by it?

Hwang Min-Su continued with his briefing. “It’s all thanks to everyone in the team believing in your innocence. I never imagined that every single franchisee would stay put and wait for you patiently. The usual thing in a situation like this would have been the parties involved summarily terminating the contract, demanding refunds of the upfront fees, and even suing us for damages.”

Hwang Min-Su smiled awkwardly again.

“This experience has made me reflect on myself, actually. I’ve always prioritized efficiency and practicality in all of my business dealings, you see? Had I stuck to my usual methods, none of the franchisees would still be with us right now.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled back. “It’s because they know us, though.”

“Acquaintances can be even scarier than strangers, Chairman. Besides, isn’t it thanks to you building solid bridges of trust and friendship with the franchisees?”

Actually, it’d be more like they were too afraid of terminating the contract. Or, more correctly, they were probably piss-scared of Lee Hyeon-Ju and Lee Hyeon-Su to mention even the mere idea of getting out of this contract.

Even I would’ve kept my mouth shut if I was in the same situation.

Kang Jin-Ho sometimes felt relieved by the knowledge that he was Lee Hyeon-Su’s boss, so how much worse would it be for the subordinates?

Having said that, Kang Jin-Ho was still grateful that all those people believed in him and patiently waited for him like this.

How should I describe this...?

Didn’t this feel like... Everything he had done for the Martial Assembly and its members finally got validated? Something like that?

Even if something about it didn’t feel quite right.

“In any case, now you’re back, we’ll speed up the process, Chairman. Once we get the government approval, everything should be plain sailing.”

“I see. Thank you for all your hard work, Mister Hwang. It must’ve been challenging for you.”

“Not at all, sir. I’m sure you had it worse than us.”

Hwang Min-Su couldn’t help but view Kang Jin-Ho in a new light.

One might say this was not necessarily a good thing, but it felt like Kang Jin-Ho’s influence—or control—over his people exceeded even Hwang Jeong-Hu’s.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Hwang Jeong-Hu’s influence over Jaegyeong Group was absolute. While other chaebols had to reduce their influence on their companies to respond to the rapidly changing world and various business ventures requiring different types of expertise, Hwang Jeong-Hu chose to do things his own way. He still boasted an emperor-like authority in Jaegyeong.

When nicely put, Jaegyeong was a dynasty-like corporation run by the last of the titans of the industry. But when not so nicely put, it was a dinosaur stuck in the old ways.

But in MK? Kang Jin-Ho’s influence easily surpassed Hwang Jeong-Hu’s in Jaegyeong.

Hwang Min-Su couldn’t help but get curious when his thoughts reached that far. Never mind whether this was right or wrong, just how did Kang Jin-Ho pull this off? What did he do to surpass the level of influence wielded by a titan of the industry who had spent his entire life creating various legends in Jaegyeong?

Hwang Min-Su briefly shook his head to get rid of this distracting thought and resumed his report. “By the way, Chief Lee Hyeon-Ju worked incredibly hard, as well.”

“I see.”

“She was trying her best to form a defense team and to prove your innocence. My recommendation is to reward her for her hard work, Chairman. People tend to stop giving their best when their efforts go unacknowledged, you see?”

“Mm, yes. I’ll definitely do that,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Hwang Min-Su cautiously leaned closer. He thought that now might be a good time to ask about what he was dying to know, since the briefing had more or less wrapped up now.

“Chairman... Just what did you do?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Sorry?”

“When your release was announced, the bastards at the Ministry of Finance and Economy suddenly became incredibly cooperative, sir. So much so that I thought they might even hand over their life savings if I asked them for it. Even the Vice Minister stopped by not too long ago to personally apologize about the errors on their side. Heck, he even told us to call him directly if we run into other issues.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked softly. “I see. So that’s what happened?”

“They were being so apologetic that I couldn’t even get angry at them.”

By the sound of it, it seemed the current administration was determined to make up with Kang Jin-Ho by any means possible. And a part of their plan obviously involved throwing Kim Myeong-Chan away.

The former Prime Minister’s story dominated every channel on TV. Meanwhile, Kang Jin-Ho was seeing various attempts by the other side at rebuilding bridges. Not only MK, but even the Martial Assembly received many friendly calls from the government so far.

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely reclined against his couch.

Hwang Min-Su asked again. “Then... Is everything fully resolved now?”

“No, not yet.” Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “There’s one more thing that requires my attention.”

“One more thing?”

“Yes. Do you mind if I smoke?”

“No. Please go ahead.”

Kang Jin-Ho took out a cigarette and mouthed it. He deliberately used a lighter this time.

After exhaling the unhealthy smoke lazily into the air, Kang Jin-Ho smirked deeply. “I still have a promise to keep, you see?”

“I’m sorry?”

Hwang Min-Su tilted his head in confusion, but Kang Jin-Ho simply stared at the ceiling while leisurely smoking away.

What would Kim Myeong-Chan be thinking about right now? Kang Jin-Ho was curious.

Guessing it and hearing it directly from the man were two different things, now weren’t they? However, his curiosity should be sated soon. Because he’d get to hear it directly from the man himself not too long from now!

Guessing what Kim Myeong-Chan might say when they finally meet again proved an irreplaceable ecstasy for Kang Jin-Ho.

Hwang Min-Su reflexively held his breath after noticing that twisted smirk on Kang Jin-Ho’s face.

1. Please refer to Wikipedia for more info, as explaining what this is will take too long... ☜