Descent of the Demon Master

Jeong-Hu became unhappy at that response.
“Do you think I'd be too stingy to spare ten billion for my grandson?”

“…!”

“And I was even thinking of leaving my Jaegyeong Group to him, too…” Hwang Jeong-Hu took out his handkerchief once more.

Kang Jin-Ho's sigh got deeper while observing how the old man dabbed at the corner of his eyes to wipe away the imaginary tears.

Acting wasn't a technique you could learn.
No, you had to be born for it.

***

Outside the Kang family home… 

“So… What do you think?” Hwang Jeong-Hu proudly asked.

Kang Jin-Ho's reply was honest.
“Sitting through that had been torture in itself, sir.”

“Kekeke. It's all good as long as it works, don't you agree? It seems that you’re still unaware, then.
Let me tell you, being too iron-tight with your story only makes it more suspicious.
You have to leave some plotholes behind to make people believe that there's no way you'd fool them with such shabby stories.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.
“Is that how you con people, then?”

“Can you at least call it negotiation?”

“In any case, I'm relieved, sir.” Kang Jin-Ho sighed and shook his head slightly.

“Our biggest hurdle has been cleared, so that's good.
Other sundry issues will crop up in the foreseeable future, but…” Hwang Jeong-Hu stared at Kang Jin-Ho for a few seconds before continuing. “You must remember this.”

“I'm sorry?”

“Money will bring you comfort and even power.
Having more money is always better than not having any.
However, money is also a monster that can alter you if you lose yourself in it.”

Kang Jin-Ho flatly replied, “That's a needless worry, sir.”

“I'm not worried about you, young man.”

“…!”

“You might be fine, but remember, your family members are ordinary folks.
When ordinary people suddenly come in contact with a large sum of money, something bad will inevitably happen.
You'll have to act as the voice of reason and as the balance for your family in the future.”

“I see.
Understood,” Kang Jin-Ho replied, nodding.

“Well, then.
I'll be on my way now.
Call me if you run into other problems.”

“I’ll do…”

“Wait…” Hwang Jeong-Hu hesitated for a moment.
“Well, I do have this one favor to ask you since we've already come this far…”

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“Yes?”

“When I think about it, it will be difficult for you to contact me when you need something, wouldn't you say? So how about we have a middleman, a contact, who will always be available to you?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded.
He instantly figured out Hwang Jeong-Hu's intentions.
The chairman said it would be a contact, but he was actually thinking of someone who would report back to him.
In other words, that person would be a surveillant.

Kang Jin-Ho still nodded, however.
“Let's do that, then.”

“Thank you for your understanding.
The person I have in mind is pretty good, so you can order him around to your heart's content.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly at that.
He was still a high school student in this life, so how could he order someone older around like some kind of a gopher?

“Well, I'll see you later, young man.” Hwang Jeong-Hu climbed into his black sedan.
The vehicle slowly disappeared out of the alleyway.

Kang Jin-Ho watched the vehicle leave, then stepped back inside the house.
He figured that his family would be raising one almighty fuss, but…
They were surprisingly calm.
His father was intensely staring at the bank account passbook resting on the dining table, while his mother was pouting deeply for some reason with her eyes shooting daggers in her husband's direction. His little sister looked happy, but she still managed to contain herself.

Kang Yu-Hwan raised his head and looked at his son.
“Did you see him off, son?”

“Yes, Father.”

“In that case…
Come and sit here for a second.”

“Alright.” Kang Jin-Ho settled in front of his father.

“Listen, son.
Regarding this money…”

“Yes?”

“I was thinking of not touching it for the time being.”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned inwardly.
“May I ask why?”

“First of all, this money came from someone else's pocket.
And secondly, we don't know when Chairman Hwang will change his mind.
Finally, we didn't earn this money through our own hard work.
That's why we shouldn't accept such a large sum of money so blindly.”

“But Father… You already accepted it, though?”

“What choice did I have when Chairman Hwang was so adamant about it? Even so, this amount is a bit…”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head.
“I agree that this amount seems like a large sum to us.
However…”

“Mm?”

“Father, let's say you're in the same shoes as Chairman Hwang.
Wouldn't you be willing to gift a million won to the family of your grandson's benefactor?”

Kang Yu-Hwan narrowed his eyes.
“Of course, I'd be willing.
And I'd have no problem accepting a small amount as one million won myself.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded sagely.
“That's what I'm trying to say, Father.”

“This and that are not the same, son.”

“No, they are actually the same.
Even if we scrounge up every cent in our house, it'd still not reach a hundred million won.
However, Chairman Hwang's private fortune must exceed over one trillion won.
Even more than that, when you count all the hidden assets he must have stashed somewhere…”

“Mmm…”

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Kang Jin-Ho continued in a persuasive tone.
“Considering his wealth, what we got from him would be equivalent to us handing out around three hundred thousand won.
It should be somewhere around there.”

Kang Eun-Yeong listening on the sidelines pouted deeply.
“Wait a minute! Now that I heard you now, that old man had been stingy, wasn't he?! I would've gladly handed out ten million won in his shoes!”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong smashed her palm into her noisy daughter's back.
“You have no idea how dangerous money can be so, be quiet!”

“Ah?! That stings, Mom! No, I'm just saying, you know!”

Kang Jin-Ho ignored the duo and continued convincing his father.
“It's only three hundred thousand won, yet the recipient says it's too much of a burden and is planning on not doing anything with it like it’s some kind of an infected rag.
Would the person giving the money away feel happy about that, Father?”

“…No, he wouldn't.”

“That's why the right thing is to spend the money, Father.”

Kang Yu-Hwan slowly nodded.
“Now that I hear you, son…
I agree.
You're right about this.”

Kang Jin-Ho also nodded.

“Alright, I understand.
Then, we shall accept the chairman's goodwill as just that, his goodwill,” Kang Yu-Hwan finally made up his mind.
That immediately set off elated screams from both Kang Eun-Yeong and Baek Hyeon-Jeong.

“Kyaaah~! I wanna buy a new bag, Mom!”

“Don't be silly! Your father needs to buy a new car first! Then as your mother, I need new clothes next!”

“But Mom! You already have plenty of clothes!”

“What are you talking about? I hardly have any clothes to wear nowadays!”

Kang Jin-Ho watched them bicker and he revealed a gentle smile.
Hwang Jeong-Hu was right.
You could be happy without money, but having money would make your life just a bit more convenient and happier.
He turned to his father next.
“May I be excused now?”

“Yes.
You do look tired, son.”

“Yes, just a little.”

“Mmhm, figures.
Makes sense you're tired after going through something this crazy.
Get some rest, son.”

Kang Jin-Ho bowed slightly and returned to his room before lying down on the bed. It seemed as if everything had been resolved quite easily.
But Kang Jin-Ho still had another massive problem to deal with.

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-Ho quietly inserted his hand inside his pocket, then eased out another bank account passbook.
It had become slightly crumpled after being stuck in his pocket for a while.
This was a different account passbook from the one Hwang Jeong-Hu had given to Kang Yu-Hwan.
The money he earned by healing the chairman was reflected in this book.

This was the massive problem he was agonizing about.

“Where am I supposed to spend this money on now?”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned.
As it turned out, having money could actually be a problem.

A Passing Wanderer's Thoughts

Veela: I wish I had that kind of problem T-T