Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 578. Tightening (3)

“Chairman...? What is all this...?” Jo Gyu-Min cautiously asked while taking in the sight of mountains of documents stacked on and around Hwang Jeong-Hu's desk.

Hwang Jeong-Hu looked away from the documents and glanced at Jo Gyu-Min. “Good to see you. Make yourselves at home.”

“Sir, what's going on here?”

“Can't you see? Documents.”

“I can see that, sir. Even so, why so many...?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled softly. “You’re looking at the biggest reason why I've been considering retirement lately. You know how I tried to learn using computers and some other stuff to keep up with the times, right? But I still have trouble reading things off a computer monitor whenever I need to get some work done. And so, here we are. I gotta get paper documents to check things out.”

“D-does that mean all these documents are...”

“What's the matter with you, wasting time on trivial things? Come, come. Take a seat already.” Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted loudly while getting up. He then walked over to the office's couch. After Hwang Jeong-Hu indicated his guests to sit, Jo Gyu-Min and Kang Jin-Ho obediently settled down.

'He's still amazing...'

Jo Gyu-Min thought that to himself. Starting something new was difficult for everyone. Even more so when that something new literally involved a field of work they weren't familiar with!

Hwang Jeong-Hu being advanced in age would've not helped matters, either. Most people younger than him would probably give themselves some time to acclimatize first or delegate some of the unfamiliar tasks and only deal with what they could.

However, that didn't apply to Hwang Jeong-Hu. What he was doing right now was improving his overall understanding of what his new job entailed. Regular people with regular mindsets could never emulate what he did. How many people in this vast world would have as much passion and drive as Hwang Jeong-Hu? Not many, that's for sure!

'And it's precisely his passion that created the current Chairman Hwang Jeong-Hu...'

A smile subconsciously floated up on Jo Gyu-Min's lips. He had been worried about Hwang Jeong-Hu losing his drive lately, but the Chairman seemed to have regained most of his former vigor. And that made him feel great.

“Sir, you look great.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted again. “Really? Go visit an optometrist, then.”

“I'm sorry?”

“Listen here, fella. Can't you see all my dark circles? I haven't been getting a decent night's sleep for a while now. If my old eyes can see my own state but you can't, doesn't that mean you should go speak to an eye doctor as soon as possible?”

“...Oh. My apologies, sir.” Jo Gyu-Min pouted ever so slightly and sneakily turned his head. 'Even though that's not what I meant...'

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... Would you look at that crybaby?” Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly shook his head. Why did it feel like Jo Gyu-Min's trustworthiness nosedived more the older he got? He used to be so dependable in the past, but now he acted like a little kid!

“Okay, so... How is it going, Chairman?” Kang Jin-Ho finally broke his silence and asked. “Did you get a lot of work done?”

“A lot of work?” Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled helplessly. “No. I've only managed to scratch the surface, fella. And the paint hasn't even come off yet.”

“Mm? Is there a need to go so far, though?”

“That's a stupid thing to ask,” Hwang Jeong-Hu unhappily shot back. “You think a gung-ho youthful spirit is the ticket to everything? You think blindly charging ahead will convert itself to forward momentum? To relentlessly pursue something, you gotta have the confidence that things will work out in your favor sooner or later. And that confidence can only come from comprehending your situation first. In other words, understanding your job. That's the real answer.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. He remembered hearing the phrase 'Hwang Jeong-Hu is the epitome of momentum' in passing somewhere. Wasn't the Chairman's nickname in his youth the Bulldozer? Of course, he was still one even now.

People unfamiliar with Hwang Jeong-Hu might think he's the type to charge blindly without worrying about consequences or strategies, but that simply wasn't true. Behind Hwang Jeong-Hu's drive, his momentum, was an enormous amount of hard work.

Kang Jin-Ho started viewing Hwang Jeong-Hu in a renewed light after thinking about how hard the Chairman must've worked and studied to gain the confidence he needed.

“In that case, when will you get to the core of the matter?” Kang Jin-Ho casually asked.

“Fella, one's studying never ends. It will continue on for the rest of our lives.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Does that mean I have to wait forever?”

“Of course not,” Hwang Jeong-Hu took out a fresh cigarette from a cigarette packet and mouthed it. Then, he glanced at his guests. “Come on, now. I don't really need to tell you to start smoking, now do I? What's with all this keeping-up-with-appearance nonsense? Haven't we been puffing away in front of each other's faces for years now?”

“Yes, you're right,” Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly nodded.

But that only annoyed Hwang Jeong-Hu even more, and he glared briefly at Kang Jin-Ho. Watching this old-as-heck-inside man act like a young man was giving Hwang Jeong-Hu a slight case of heartburn. He knew the truth about Kang Jin-Ho being older than him, after all!

Hwang Jeong-Hu snarkily asked, “Hah. Should I call you hyung, then?”

“Absolutely not,” Kang Jin-Ho firmly shook his head.

“You thoughtless bastard.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu immediately felt depressed at the thought of being the only old man in this office. Picking up documents again after a long while had freshly reminded him of how ancient he actually was.

In the past, he could sit through hundreds of pages without taking a break, but now? His eyes began burning after only around ten or so pages. And his attention span had gotten radically shorter, too.

He had been relying on his tenacity to overcome these hurdles, but Hwang Jeong-Hu still had to accept the unforgiving reality of how difficult it was to start something new at his age.

“Damn it. I shouldn't have said yes...” Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted loudly.

“Chairman, we never wanted you to go this far, you know...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu's expression rapidly crumpled. “There's no goddamn way I'll do a halfhearted job! Regardless of what I'm doing, I will give it my best! If I haven't signed on, fine, I won't care. But I am involved, so shouldn't I tuck my pants under my socks and start running like my life depends on it? Anyone would've done the same, right? Isn't this bloody obvious?”

'Yes, it is obvious, sir. Unfortunately, regular people can't do that. And that's why you're Hwang Jeong-Hu.'

Jo Gyu-Min silently mused that to himself. In the meantime...

“I see. Then, why did you ask me to come, Chairman?” Kang Jin-Ho casually asked.

“Huh. How can you be so heartless? You have an old, tired man lamenting his life choices right before your eyes, yet you can't be bothered to offer a word of sympathy? And just jump straight into business?”

Kang Jin-Ho unhurriedly shrugged. “I figured ending the meeting as quickly as possible would be more beneficial to you, Chairman.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu looked dismayed, then glanced at Jo Gyu-Min. “Since when did this guy become such a smooth talker?”

“Chairman, you mustn't think Mister Jin-Ho is the same person as before. Even I get surprised every now and then these days.”

“A man who didn't even smell like a human being has finally become a sly raccoon, then? I wanted him to mature a bit more, but he's matured too much now. He's basically spoiled rotten, isn’t he!”

“I think that's enough of a product evaluation, gentlemen,” said Kang Jin-Ho while mouthing a cigarette. Of course he knew that Hwang Jeong-Hu wanted to remind everyone about how hard he pushed his aging body and got the job done. Even so, he wasn't interested in offering superficial praises.

“Hah, you heartless bastard...” Hwang Jeong-Hu cackled and complained at the same time as if he had seen through Kang Jin-Ho's intentions. “I'm the idiot to expect stuff like that from you.”

“Ahaha...” Jo Gyu-Min awkwardly chuckled in an attempt to move things along.

Hwang Jeong-Hu took note of that, then got the meeting going. “I've roughly understood what you're trying to do and what goes where in this line of business. I can't say with confidence that I know all the tricks of the trade just yet, but I have a rough feel for it now.”

'A rough feel, huh...?'

Jo Gyu-Min turned his head ever so slightly to glance at the imposing stacks of paperwork. The documents on the desk were neatly arranged, while those resting on the floor were much more disorderly. That indicated that Hwang Jeong-Hu hadn't read the documents on the desk yet but was already done with those on the floor.

Jo Gyu-Min could easily see that there were more documents on the floor than on the desk. He even spotted books among the stacks, too. That seemed like a lot of information to absorb. So, to say Hwang Jeong-Hu had only a rough idea about his new task?

Maybe that wasn't enough info to call Hwang Jeong-Hu an expert in the field. Still, the label of 'semi-expert' seemed more than appropriate.

Hwang Jeong-Hu leaned forward. “Let me ask you something, Jin-Ho.”

“Please go ahead.”

“What is it that you're trying to accomplish?”

Kang Jin-Ho slightly tilted his head. “I don't understand.”

“I know you want to start a welfare foundation or whatever it is. I gotta tell you this, though. It's kind of an unfocused mess.”

“Mm...?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted in disappointment at Kang Jin-Ho. “You spoke as if this foundation would change the world, but what you really wanted to do was basically help more people like how you're helping those Seongsim orphans. Isn't it?”

“Well, yes. For the time being, that's the plan.”

“So, what about the funding?”

“Funding?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head again.

Hwang Jeong-Hu got up, walked over to his desk to pick up a document, then handed it to Kang Jin-Ho. “Here is the cost breakdown of running that Seongsim Orphanage. Take a gander at how much that place eats up annually.”

Kang Jin-Ho perused the document, and when he got to the end, his brows quivered slightly in shock.

Hwang Jeong-Hu crossed his arms and tutted. “It's more than you thought, right?”

“Yes. It certainly is.”

“And that cost breakdown doesn't include the stuff you paid for with your own wallet.”

“I see. Then, it's quite a lot of money.” Kang Jin-Ho grimaced after instantly realizing the truth. If the list really didn't include the stuff he had paid for, then it should only reflect the minimum living cost for the orphans. Even then, the orphanage required such high upkeep? Rather than an orphanage, maybe it was a money-chomping hippo instead?

Hwang Jeong-Hu continued to speak. “Okay, so. How many kids are in that orphanage? I'm guessing it's not too many. Am I right?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“If you insist on pushing ahead like this, the best you can hope for is opening a few more nurseries and orphanages similar to Seongsim in this country. Is that what you want?”

“No, definitely not.” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head, then frowned deeply at the total annual cost written on the document. “Even so... I can still afford this amount without an issue. Even if we open ten more orphanages…”

“You moron!” Hwang Jeong-Hu suddenly roared, and even the one-and-only Kang Jin-Ho had to flinch. “Say something that makes sense, will you! This ain't a problem that can be solved in a year or two! If you're prepared to spend every dime to your name, never mind ten, you can open twenty orphanages throughout the country, then keep their doors open for several years, no problem! But what about after your money runs out? Are you gonna tell those orphans that you ran out of money and can't take care of them anymore, so they should fend for themselves now? Or are you gonna send the orphans away to different orphanages when that day comes?”

“...No, of course not.”

“Bloody hell... You lack even the basic understanding of what a foundation is!” Hwang Jeong-Hu's irritation shot up even higher to match the volume of his voice. “A foundation isn't supposed to operate with funds received through donations, okay? No, it's supposed to use the donations to earn profit and then do something with that! Why, you ask?! To sustain itself, obviously! If your goal was to help people by carelessly throwing your wealth away, why create a foundation in the first place? Why not just donate the money instead?!”

Kang Jin-Ho, now thoroughly confused, turned his head and stared at Jo Gyu-Min next.

Jo Gyu-Min smiled awkwardly. “Chairman Hwang is right, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Mm? Does that mean…” Kang Jin-Ho noisily scratched his head. “Even if I have a hundred million won to spend, it's not about spending that amount to get the job done? I should invest that money instead and then use the profits to do what I want? While still holding onto that hundred million won?”

Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly nodded. “Yes, that's it. And there are various ways to earn profits. We can deposit the funds in a savings account and utilize the interest accrued, or enter the real estate market and earn rent from the tenants, too...”

Kang Jin-Ho looked shaken up by this revelation. “Wait, wait. Even though the bank interest is pitifully small?”

“Yes. But we will have to use that money.”

“Huh? Instead of using the hundred million won, we'll rely on one million won?”

A cramped smile floated up on Jo Gyu-Min's face. “...Yes. That's what running a foundation is like, Mister Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho's eyes began twitching unsteadily. “In that case, what's the point of setting up a foundation?”

Jo Gyu-Min's cramped smile took on a hint of bitterness just then. Practically all regular foundations in South Korea handled their funds this way. Unsurprisingly, who owned the foundation and who'd inherit it later down the line would become serious issues.

On the surface, the foundations would proudly boast about spending X amount of money for the good of this world. However, digging a little deeper would reveal the truth of how these foundations operated solely on profits on the investments safely tucked away somewhere in some form.

Countless wealthy folks noticed this and took advantage by creating their own foundations. They abused the laws meant to help the vulnerable to avoid paying income and inheritance taxes.

Recently, this abuse of the system had come under the spotlight, but the resulting criticisms had been mild at best so far.

Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted yet again. “That's not how a foundation is supposed to run, Jin-Ho. Everyone already does it. Obviously, you're not interested in doing things that way, now are you?”

“Of course,” Kang Jin-Ho firmly nodded.

“Then, our problem becomes exceedingly simple to solve.” Hwang Jeong-Hu smirked while leaning back against his couch. He stared at Kang Jin-Ho and spoke in a supremely arrogant tone. “Make money, then.”

“...I'm sorry?”

“Your current wealth isn't enough to start anything meaningful, so go make yourself more money. Simple enough, right?”

“...”

“If you think your current bank balance is enough to solve everything, don't even bother starting this project, okay? You will never fulfill your dream at this rate. And that's why I say it's a simple matter. Either you give up now... Or, go make some money. You get what I'm saying, don't you?”

Kang Jin-Ho's shoulders trembled ominously at that provocation. He silently alternated his gaze between Jo Gyu-Min and Hwang Jeong-Hu for a good while before the proverbial flames of motivation lit up in his eyes. “Very well. I shall make money, then!”

An unmistakable fighting spirit overflowed from Kang Jin-Ho.

“You just wait and see...!”

However, an evil smirk subtly spread on Hwang Jeong-Hu's face as he studied Kang Jin-Ho's expression overflowing with fighting spirit.