Descent of the Demon Master

Jo Gyu-Min glanced in slight surprise at Kang Jin-Ho in the passenger seat. “You don't want me to drive you home?”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry, I'll make my way home from here.”

“I see. Did you make plans to hang out with your friends?”

“Yes.”

“Got it. I'll stop the car over there.”

“Thanks.”

Jo Gyu-Min leisurely parked the car near the shoulder of the road, then turned toward Kang Jin-Ho. “Take care, Mister Jin-Ho. As for what we discussed... I'll investigate the matter as thoroughly as possible and give you a report soon.”

“Thank you very much,” Kang Jin-Ho bowed his head a little.

“...Nah, it's fine. No need to thank me,” Jo Gyu-Min muttered while squeezing his eyes shut. Since he was given this task, he'd do his utmost best... Even if this work didn't quite match his character, and even though the flow of events didn't go the way he had envisioned! That was Jo Gyu-Min's style. He sighed softly, then stopped Kang Jin-Ho just before the latter could exit the car. “Wait, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes? What is it?” Kang Jin-Ho looked back, slightly puzzled.

Jo Gyu-Min didn't respond right away, but his brows furrowed slightly in a sign of his dilemma. After spotting that furrowed expression, Kang Jin-Ho didn't urge the Chief Secretary to speak up and patiently waited.

Eventually, Jo Gyu-Min squeezed out his question. “Are you really... dead-set on doing this?”

Kang Jin-Ho settled back on the passenger seat, then took out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Jo Gyu-Min. The Chief Secretary of the famous Jaegyeong Corporation didn't reject the offer and wordlessly accepted the cigarette before mouthing it.

Once both men had finished lighting up their cigarettes and begun puffing away, Kang Jin-Ho finally broke the silence. “Chief Jo... Are you unhappy about me choosing this path?”

“No, it's not that I’m unhappy. But... How should I explain this...?” Jo Gyu-Min licked his lips while quickly organizing his thoughts. “Maybe what I'm about to say could be construed as rude and crossing the line, but... Mm. Mister Jin-Ho, let me clarify my position first. I don't have an issue with you running a foundation. It's just that, this foundation business seems a little... too trifling for someone like you.”

“Trifling? How so?”

“Well... Yes, I know that I shouldn't label your goal as trifling. Nor am I in any position to judge it. After all, your foundation could very well change the lives of so many people. It's just that maybe I'm beginning to develop a boomer mentality... No, let's call it what it is. I already have a boomer mindset. And maybe that's the reason why I feel this way. Mister Jin-Ho, I thought your dream would've been something much grander in scale.”

“Mm? Such as?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.

“Like... conquering the world?”

“...”

“I'm kidding, Mister Jin-Ho. No, let me take that back. It might be my earnest thought sprinkled with a lame attempt at humor. In any case, I expected the scale of your ambition to be much grander. Like, some kind of business venture that would take you beyond the borders of South Korea and into the global arena. Or... Something geared more toward your unique abilities? Something only you can pull off, in other words. That was what I've been anticipating, so... I'll be honest. When you started talking about running a foundation, I was taken aback, Mister Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded. Jo Gyu-Min's opinion couldn't be seen as faulty. Even if it didn't match Kang Jin-Ho's.

Kang Jin-Ho now understood the necessity of compromise when different opinions clashed. That meant he also understood that insisting on his old ways of 'Just do as I tell you!' would get him nowhere these days.

Kang Jin-Ho took a puff, then leisurely muttered, “I don't think it's trifling at all.”

“I also believe the act of running the foundation is not a trifling matter. In fact, I know how important it is. However... Isn't this something anyone else also can do? It doesn't have to be you, in other words. There must be something only you can do, but... And there's something else to consider here, Mister Jin-Ho. What about the order of things?”

“Order of things?”

“Yes. Even with your current wealth, you'll run into limitations sooner rather than later. To reach the point where you feel satisfied with the progress, you will have to invest much, much more. And hire lots more manpower, too. In that case, shouldn't the first order of business be acquiring enough funds? Which will surely aid more people in the long run?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded again. This was one of those age-old questions, now wasn't it? Should development come first, or distribution be preferred before that? Neither of those choices was wrong, though. It was merely the difference in what the individual valued more.

“Yes, I also think that other people can do what I'm talking about.”

Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly nodded. “Yes, that's right.”

“However, that won't be enough.”

“...?”

“Many people living on Earth want to do something to help those in need. However, that is still not enough. That's precisely why I want to do this, Chief Jo. I know that suffering a bit of hardship now could improve someone's life almost immediately, so it's hard for me to accept the advice of holding back for the time being to do something bigger later…” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled awkwardly. “To tell you the truth, I'm a small-minded guy, you see…”

Jo Gyu-Min couldn't help but keep quiet.

As for Kang Jin-Ho, he really believed this to be true. He didn't see himself as anyone special. The life he had led so far happened to be extraordinary, yes, but take that away and... Kang Jin-Ho the man would be just another ordinary human being. A commoner. Actually, one could even say that Kang Jin-Ho was more timid than almost everyone else on Earth, and cursed with worse social skills than them, too!

“I'm aware of how everyone has a favorable opinion of me, but I'm not as amazing as you all think,” Kang Jin-Ho scratched the back of his head. “If I'm being honest, I'm more like an idiot who can't even figure out what's right or wrong by myself. I've only barely managed to meet the standard of a passable adult because everyone is helping me along. Including you, Chief Jo. And my friends, too.”

Jo Gyu-Min quietly chewed on his lips. Kang Jin-Ho's seemingly innocuous-sounding words unmistakably contained his honesty. He wasn't saying those things to make Jo Gyu-Min feel better. No, he earnestly believed that to be true. And that realization was gradually filling Jo Gyu-Min's chest with frustration.

“I'm hopeless without other people's assistance, Chief Jo. If I hadn't met you or Yu-Min, I wouldn't have reached this point in my life. And I don't want to bookend this journey by attributing everything to my luck. What I wish to do is grant opportunities to those like me, those who can't stand on their own feet without help, to meet people like you and Park Yu-Min. Yes, it might be a little early for me. And it might sound arrogantly ambitious, too.”

Jo Gyu-Min slowly shook his head. “Mister Jin-Ho...”

“Yes?”

“I'm just another ordinary man.”

“...I see.”

“That's why I'm getting a bit emotional here, but... I still can't fathom why you'd want to waste your own wealth, time and energy to help total strangers. I've always believed doing something like that is... a mere distraction for successful people who wish to pursue prestige and self-satisfaction. It might sound like a superficial way of looking at things, but that's how I feel.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently listened. He didn't think it was superficial. It was just that their mindset was different. That was all.

“Still, my grumbling will stop here,” Jo Gyu-Min spoke in a resolute voice. “I've already given you my word that I'll follow you. I said that because I never planned to do only those things I liked and coast along at a relaxing pace. Even if it makes no sense to me, and even if it doesn't seem logical... As long as it's something you want? I'll do my absolute best to support you, Mister Jin-Ho.”

As his words ended, Jo Gyu-Min's expression grew solemn. Dignified. However...

“W-well, uh... No need to go that far...” Kang Jin-Ho leaned away while making a face of, 'What the hell?' Was there a need to be this serious? It wasn't as if Kang Jin-Ho was planning to wage war or something, so why?

Jo Gyu-Min gravely nodded. “And now, I shall go and calculate the budget required to turn your dream into reality.”

“Oh, uh...”

“Then, have a safe trip, Mister Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho exited the car as if he was being shoved outside. It felt like some kind of a misunderstanding had developed here, so he wanted to correct that. However, Jo Gyu-Min's expression that screamed, 'I need to go back to work right now, so stop annoying me and get out of my car already!' forced Kang Jin-Ho to stumble out of the car first.

“Well, then!” Jo Gyu-Min waved his hand from inside the car before viciously accelerating away from the spot.

Kang Jin-Ho watched the car driving away and muttered to no one in particular. “...Even though I haven't told you any concrete plans yet?”

In that case, what calculations were Jo Gyu-Min talking about?

This was why having too much drive could be a problem sometimes!

***

Park Yu-Min looked up and chuckled. “Hey, you're here.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yeah.”

“Okay, let's go inside.”

“Alright.” Kang Jin-Ho started moving again when Park Yu-Min beckoned at him.

As for Park Yu-Min, he unhesitantly stepped inside a roadside pub as if he knew his friend would follow him.

“Welcome, gentlemen!” The waiter greeted the duo with a bright smile and guided them inside.

Kang Jin-Ho settled down on the opposite side of Park Yu-Min around a table located in the far back of the pub. He glanced around while narrowing his eyes. “It's surprisingly quiet in here.”

“Yeah. This place has good soundproofing done. Back when I was still in the pro team, we'd often come here to eat out, you see? We figured a bunch of pro gamers eating out might draw attention, so we searched for somewhere quiet and eventually found this place.”

“Mm, I see.” Kang Jin-Ho looked around again. He kind of liked this place already.

He didn't hate the idea of hanging out and having drinks with the people he cared about. What he didn't like, though, was the noisy surroundings. Finding a quiet drinking hole was a tall order these days, so a place like this was like acquiring a valuable treasure. Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't mind coming here often.

After placing their orders, Park Yu-Min got down to the topic. “Mister Gyu-Min called me earlier.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow slightly. “...Really?”

What a tattletale Jo Gyu-Min was. Even though that man could be mostly dependable, he'd do something unnecessary every once in a while to make people doubt him. Like this time!

Kang Jin-Ho could have easily spoken to Park Yu-Min on his own, but to think Jo Gyu-Min would call ahead first! At least Jo Gyu-Min could differentiate between what should be okay to talk about and what's not, so that was a relief...

Park Yu-Min nursed his cup of water while cautiously asking, “I heard about how you wanted to run a welfare foundation. Is it true?”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded away. He thought that there was no need to hide it from his friend. Even so...

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but be a little wary as he waited for his friend's response. Not a single person so far had responded favorably to Kang Jin-Ho's goal until now, after all!

Everyone's first reaction after Kang Jin-Ho revealed his intention had been... Trying to talk him out of doing this. As for the most 'positive' response he got so far, it was, 'I still don't get why you want to do this, but this is your wish, so I'll do my best to help you.'

If Park Yu-Min also tried to talk him out of it, then... Kang Jin-Ho feared his mind might finally be swayed. So, he couldn't help but become a little anxious as he waited for Park Yu-Min's response.

Not even Nanahoshi-gumi's people or the Chevaliers could make Kang Jin-Ho nervous, yet his friends could. That was how much weight their opinions carried in Kang Jin-Ho's mind.

“A welfare foundation…” Park Yu-Min muttered quietly before grabbing the glass and gulping down the cold water inside it. After putting the empty glass down with an audible tap!, Park Yu-Min leaned back in his chair and relaxedly shrugged his shoulders. “Gotta say, you took your sweet time, Jin-Ho.”

“...Huh?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“I figured you wouldn't be able to sit still for too long, you see?”

“...Huuuh?”

A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

“I mean, shouldn't it be obvious to anyone who knows you?”

“Obvious? How so?” Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes in stupefaction. He only decided on this course of action recently, but Park Yu-Min already knew he'd choose this path? How?

Did Park Yu-Min master a mind-reading skill? No, hang on... Wasn't this more like the power of foresight?

Park Yu-Min explained himself. “Jin-Ho, you're the type of a dude who can't do things in half-measures.”

“...?”

“If it's studying, you gotta be the best in school. If it's riding your bicycle, you gotta be the fastest and most reckless. And when you started driving, you had to choose the latest and super-fast model, too...”

Kang Jin-Ho's jaw dropped slightly as he listened to his friend. 'Really? Do I have that kind of side to me?'

Kang Jin-Ho was unconscious of such things about himself. He viewed himself as a surprisingly mellow person—maybe even too mellow these days—but Park Yu-Min didn't seem to share that sentiment.

“With a personality like that, there was no way you'd just sit back and watch how our orphanage was being run. I figured you'd either open your own orphanage soon or do something similar in nature. Sure, the scale of your goal is bigger than I thought, and that took me by surprise, but... Hey, I guess that part is also just like you.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly stared at his friend before leaning forward slightly. “Yu-Min...?”

“Yeah?”

“You think I can do a good job with this?”

“Did you really ask me that?”

“...Well, yeah.”

Park Yu-Min smiled bitterly. His friend was always like this, wasn't he? “Jin-Ho, listen. Who cares if you can't do a good job?”

“Mm? What do you mean?” Kang Jin-Ho dazedly stared at his friend.

“Isn't it too corny and lame to say 'the Kang Jin-Ho I know always does a fine job'? I think it's okay to not do a good job every time. It's also fine not to succeed all the time. Even if you fail, it's still way better than not even trying in the first place, right? The fact that you are actually going ahead with this idea is a success in itself, I think. That's why…”

Park Yu-Min was interrupted when the waiter brought the alcohol to their table. He popped the bottle's cap off and poured a glass for Kang Jin-Ho before pouring some for himself as well. After knocking a couple of quick sips, Park Yu-Min chuckled and continued from where he left off. “Just do what you want to do without worrying about the rest. We are all along for the ride, after all. We will help you, so isn't that enough?”

Kang Jin-Ho smiled and picked up his glass. “You're right. That is... perfect.”

The two of them lightly clinked their glasses in the air.