Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 509: Face to Face (4)

For the first time in a while, Kang Jin-Ho felt at ease.

He was a martial artist, meaning his power of discernment was unusually high. Reading people's expressions on the spot was a cakewalk for him, and that was why he couldn't help but notice how everyone seemed subtly uncomfortable whenever he revealed his intentions to create a foundation.

However, someone who understood and wholeheartedly supported Kang Jin-Ho finally showed up. In that case, how could Kang Jin-Ho not feel at ease? And the fact that it was his best friend, Park Yu-Min, helped Kang Jin-Ho feel so much better about this situation.

Kang Jin-Ho thought that whatever he wanted to do couldn't be 'wrong' if Park Yu-Min didn't oppose it.

Park Yu-Min sipped his drink before asking a question. “But... Why are you worrying about stuff like that, Jin-Ho?”

“Stuff like that? What do you mean?”

“You don't usually ask for affirmation on stuff like this, you know? Is it because this venture will cost a ton of money? And that got you more cautious than usual?”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. To him, wealth was a tool meant to make his life a little more convenient, not an object of his obsession. “Well, no one responded positively when I said I wanted to do this thing, so...”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense,” Park Yu-Min replied while chuckling softly.

Kang Jin-Ho seemed unaware of it himself, but things he had done in the past always had been quite impactful and even disruptive. For instance, Park Yu-Min could still vividly recall how shocked he was when Kang Jin-Ho declared how he'd love to open a pizzeria.

'Why is Jin-Ho the only one unaware of his impact on people?'

Park Yu-Min barely managed to keep his laughter down. Seemingly everyone under the sun knew Kang Jin-Ho had this... quirky side to him, but the man in question was totally oblivious to it. What a funny situation this was.

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe I got a little too timid about my goal since everyone seemed unconvinced about it.”

“I see. Well, it's not that surprising, really.”

“Mm? How so?”

Park Yu-Min scratched his cheek. “Well... You can find lots of good people out there, right? And the public will applaud these good people for their good deeds. However... When someone in your circle of acquaintances is one of those good people, you tend to look at them in a not-so-kind way for some reason.”

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

“Yeah. I don't understand why, either. But the volunteers often told me that whenever they were coming to the orphanage to help us out, other people would suddenly get all snarky about how life must be going oh-so-easy for them. Apparently, they never get complimented on all the good work they do. And that nonsense repeating itself makes it harder for the volunteers to be honest about helping out in the orphanage to their acquaintances.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head this way and that. He couldn't understand this at all. Why would anyone behave so idiotically toward others performing volunteer services?

“But... When you think about it, such a thing is pretty common, isn't it?” Park Yu-Min sighed loudly. “People going overseas to do humanitarian work are often criticized for not helping the poorer citizens in their own countries first. Meanwhile, those who do exactly that in the local community would often hear about how they should find the path in their own lives first.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly scratched his cheek. He could vaguely remember reading similar comments in an online article about volunteers going overseas for humanitarian work.

“Sure, the ideas of 'sharing' and 'helping each other out' might have become more widespread these days, but... The reality is often like this, right? For an idea to become a part of reality, it will take a long, loooong time first.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho weightily nodded away.

That prompted Park Yu-Min to hurriedly wave his hands. “Hang on, don't misunderstand me, okay? I'm not trying to say I'm unhappy about this situation. It's not wrong for someone to spend their hard-earned money on themselves, after all.”

“Yes, that's true.”

“However...! Since everyone is free to choose, I wish people could understand that we can also choose to share what we have. Mm... I guess I've ended up rambling a bit. My bad. I have a lot of thoughts about these kinds of things, you see.”

“I haven't said anything, though. Don't apologize for no reason, Yu-Min.”

“Okay. Sorry.”

“What did I say about apologizing?”

“Oops.” Park Yu-Min scratched his head.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed at how sheepish his friend looked just then. Park Yu-Min being way too kind was also a bit of a problem. After briefly shaking his head, Kang Jin-Ho leaned back in his chair. “Actually, I should be the one apologizing.”

“Ng? Why?”

“I know how swamped with work you are. But I still had to steal you away from your busy schedule because you know more about this stuff than I do.”

Park Yu-Min frowned a little. “That kinda makes me feel bad, Jin-Ho. Even if I'm trying to build a better life for myself, how can I not get involved in your wish to build a foundation? That's unthinkable. If I do that, I wouldn't be any better than those shameless and ungrateful punks.”

“This and that are different, though.”

“How so?” Park Yu-Min's voice got a little more heated just then. “It's not like you're asking for my expertise in running your business, right? This is something I also thought about doing someday, you know? It's just that I didn't have the ability to pull it off until now, that's all.”

“Mm...”

“But now, a dear friend of mine is gonna go ahead with it. Since that's the case, there's no way I'll miss this chance to get involved. Besides... Let's get real here, Jin-Ho. I won't be any help whatsoever in running a foundation. All I can provide to your cause is... Well, talk about my experience, and that's about it, I guess.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “That experience is what we need to hear the most, actually.”

“That's great, then.” Park Yu-Min confidently smiled. “But, uh... Why did you suddenly decide to do this? It's not like I don't understand the timing since you often do random things out of the blue... But you must've had a trigger or something, right?”

“A trigger, is it...?” Kang Jin-Ho scratched his head. “Well, you could call that thing my trigger, but my reason is something else, so...”

“Ng?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned a little, wondering where to even begin his explanation. “Okay. My trigger was Chief Jo, actually. He suddenly asked me what I wanted to do.”

“What you want to do...? Why does that question sound so ill-suited to you, Jin-Ho?”

“...Well, I guess you do have a point there.”

As expected of Park Yu-Min, who was a master at nonchalantly pointing out the crux of the matter. It was impossible to hide things from Park Yu-Min. Of course, Kang Jin-Ho had no thoughts of hiding this particular thing, though.

“His question started the train rolling, so to speak. But... When I thought about it some more, I realized the actual trigger that helped me make up my mind wasn't that conversation I had with Chief Jo.”

“Really? Then, what?”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly. “It's Han Jin-Seong.”

“...Huh?” Park Yu-Min blinked his eyes. Why was Han Jin-Seong's name brought up here? “Jin-Seong? You mean, Seongsim Orphanage's Han Jin-Seong?”

“Yeah.”

“What about him? Did that boy say something weird to you again?”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled at his friend's reaction. “No, it's nothing like that. Do you still remember when I first visited the orphanage? Jin-Seong was still in elementary school, wasn't he? And he used to be so tiny, too.”

“Right. Yeah, that boy was really tiny back then. And also a lot more sickly, too.” Park Yu-Min slowly nodded.

“This might sound a bit arrogant, but... Since I started hanging out in the orphanage, Jin-Seong's become more outgoing and healthier and now he's... Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow while trying to come up with a description that fit the current Han Jin-Seong.

Park Yu-Min beat him to the punch, however. “Jin-Seong's become a bit of a no-good hoodlum.”

“N-no, a hoodlum is a bit too much. Let's say he's become a bit too cynical. How's that?”

“Sure. That's not a bad middle ground, so we'll settle there.”

The two men stared at each other and chuckled loudly.

After that brief break in the serious talk, Kang Jin-Ho resumed his explanation. “In any case. Whenever I look at how he's gotten so much healthier to the point where he can now whine like a proper teenager, I... How should I put this? Mm…”

Park Yu-Min said the words Kang Jin-Ho was too hesitant to say out loud. “You think Jin-Seong's fate changed because you got involved. Is that it?”

“Not to that extent, but something like that. Yes.”

“Listen here, Kang Jin-Ho,” Park Yu-Min muttered with a deep groan.

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“Being that humble is actually a sickness, you know that? No one will disagree that you have greatly improved the lives of all the kids in the orphanage. You've done so much for them, yet you're still insisting that you only helped a little? That's, like, a huge disservice to the kids who rely on you, okay?”

“...”

“Even if you think it's only a small help from your perspective, those receiving it will still think it's the greatest thing ever. And the truth about what you've done for the Seongsim orphans isn't as trivial as you make it out to be. Actually, what you did for them is far more significant than you think.”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho looked even more confused just then.

Park Yu-Min smiled brightly and cleared the confusion. “You stayed with them. You were there for them.”

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Park Yu-Min, waiting for the next part of the explanation.

“No need to overthink this, Jin-Ho. Because it's true. That's the greatest gift you've given them. Didn't I tell you this before? Do you know what will leave the worst scars on the kids?”

“I think I remember this...”

“It's when the people who visit them all the time suddenly stop showing up one day.”

“Mm...”

“These kids already have in-built trauma of being abandoned already. So, they have a hard time trusting people. Imagine how devastating it'd be when the people they had finally managed to open up their hearts to suddenly stop coming one day. The kids will despair, thinking they have been thrown away again.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded. He thought he could understand how that felt.

“However, you've always been there for them, Jin-Ho. Someone who's not from the orphanage has made himself home as if it's the most natural thing in the world, and he's always been there for them... You don't know how much that means for the kids in the orphanage. On top of that, you are basically a perfect human specimen, and people look up to you and respect you. Having someone like that acting as the big brother to the boys and girls of the orphanage is a powerful source of hope, you know?”

“Stop putting me on a pedestal, will you?”

“I'm only telling you the truth, though. So, be more proud of yourself, Jin-Ho. Stand straight and open your shoulders a bit more.”

“If I open them any more, they might break in half,” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly. “Thanks, though. In any case... Looking at Jin-Seong made me think about this. That I helped him to become a little brighter and more hopeful. And…”

“And...?”

“...Shouldn't I be able to do more?”

Park Yu-Min stopped talking and stared straight at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Like you said, me being there for them had brought stability and even hope back to the orphans. Something that small was enough to change their lives for the better. So... If I had known about this earlier and paid a little more attention, then maybe... Things could've been even better for...”

“Nope. You've already done more than enough, Jin-Ho. Stop being greedy, okay?”

“Yes, I know that. Even so…” Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply. “And that's my story. I just don't have the patience to wait any longer before starting this thing. What if I procrastinate some more under the pretext of making preparations? Kids whom I could've helped might end up suffering for longer than necessary. And that's making me a little impatient, Yu-Min.”

“You can't fix everything, Jin-Ho.”

“Yes, I know.”

“But I know you'll try your best, so... That's good enough.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched his head. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something else.”

Park Yu-Min looked up while sipping his booze. “Ng?”

“I thought you'd have no problem giving it to me straight, Yu-Min. Is there something I must never forget when I'm doing this?”

Park Yu-Min licked the booze off his lips and contemplatively stared at his friend, his eyes slightly withdrawn. “...You must not be mistaken about this one thing, Jin-Ho.”

“Mistaken about... what?”

“The reason why you are doing this in the first place.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes in confusion and slightly tilted his head. Didn't he already explain his reason for starting a foundation? So, what could he be mistaken about here?

“Jin-Ho, when you start neatly packaging this whole thing with 'It's for the orphans, for a better world, for the sake of something else...' Things are bound to go sideways, you see? So, you need to look at the reality in the eye and be honest with yourself. I can help you with that. The reason why you're doing this is for your self-satisfaction.”

“...!” Kang Jin-Ho was left speechless by that reply.

Park Yu-Min continued on. “The reason is that you simply want to do this. Watching the kids' lives improve from your actions is making you happy, so there's your reason. It's not you sacrificing something of yours, but more like it's fun for you. When you start thinking that you're doing this out of charity and not because you enjoy it, things will get super tough for everyone involved real fast. That's why you need to remember. If you're not having fun, there is no point in doing this, Jin-Ho. The only people who can stick to this line of work until the end are those weird folks who get a kick out of helping others.”

“...Yu-Min, you're surprisingly cynical about this, aren't you?”

“Well, experiences tend to make people that way.”

“Even so... Yeah, it feels refreshing to hear,” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled brightly. It felt like an unknown something pressing down on his chest had disappeared now. If someone asked him about his dream now, Kang Jin-Ho thought he could confidently respond.

“So, I'm gonna ask again, Jin-Ho…” Park Yu-Min smirked while leaning forward. “What did you say your reason for doing this was, again?”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked back at his friend. “Because it's fun.”

“Yup. And that's good enough.” Park Yu-Min nodded before coolly chugging his booze down.