Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 587. Raid (2)

“Morning, son. Did you have a good night's rest?”

“Yes, Mother,” said Kang Jin-Ho as he exited his bedroom. When his gaze landed on the dining table, though... He couldn't help but sigh at the feast waiting for him. “Mother... Did you prepare all this?”

“Yes, son. Don't worry, it wasn't much,” said Baek Hyeon-Jeong proudly.

“Mother.”

“Ng?”

Kang Jin-Ho fixed his gaze on his mother and firmly put his foot down. “I'm not a child anymore and can prepare breakfast for myself. Please, don't do this again.”

“What are you even saying, son!” Baek Hyeon-Jeong looked taken aback. “I'm only doing what I want to do, you know. Besides, this is a part of my job, too.”

“But, Mother. You don't do the same for Father, now do you?”

“Well, he's got hands, doesn't he? He can cook for himself!”

“...Oh.” Kang Jin-Ho's trembling gaze shifted over to the living room. He could see his father sitting on the living room couch visibly shrinking into the cushion.

'I... I better not become like him.'

Obviously, Kang Jin-Ho loved his mother. Most children would only realize how precious their parents were after they passed on. Only after finding themselves in a situation where they could never see their parents again would they learn how much strength one's father and mother had given them.

Since one would not know this until their parents were gone... People would inevitably start regretting afterward.

However, Kang Jin-Ho had already experienced the passing of his parents. And he also had to live through many, many years where he believed seeing his family again was impossible. Thanks to his experience, Kang Jin-Ho held infinite love and affection toward his parents. Even then...!

'I will not marry a woman similar to my mother!'

The wretched sight of his father roused this feeling of terror in Kang Jin-Ho's heart!

Baek Hyeon-Jeong remained oblivious to her son's inner resolve and urged him on. “Come on, Jin-Ho. Let's dig in.”

“Of course,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then sat down in his spot. After picking up his utensils, he got ready to enjoy another morning's breakfast. However...

As expected of the Kang residence, the peaceful mealtime was soon broken up by a loud commotion.

Kang Eun-Yeong desperately cried out as she rushed outside her room. “Uwaaaah?! Mom! Mooooom! Why didn't you wake me up?!”

“...Just who will want that girl as their bride, I wonder?” Baek Hyeon-Jeong sighed in lamentation.

“What was that?! I'm super famous, you know!” Kang Eun-Yeong yelled back while rushing inside the bathroom with her messy bed hair and all!

Kang Jin-Ho sighed under his breath at his sister. Looking at her gave him a pretty good clue on what his mother must've been like in her youth.

However, didn't that mean once Kang Eun-Yeong got married and became a mother herself... she'd become Baek Hyeon-Jeong 2.0?!

While sensing the unfathomable power of genetics, Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly stared at his father.

Kang Yu-Hwan tilted his head. “Mm? What's the matter, son?”

“Ah, no. It's nothing,” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head.

It couldn't be. No matter how much Kang Jin-Ho thought about it, his style differed from his father's. Even if he got married, the odds of him ending up like his father should be extremely low!

“Jin-Ho?” Kang Yu-Hwan called out to his son.

“Yes, Father?”

“How is your preparation for going back to university?”

“...Since there is still some time left, I haven't given it much thought just yet.”

“Jin-Ho, time flies when you're not looking.”

“Yes, that's true.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded while dipping his spoon into a bowl of soup. 'Going back to university, is it...?'

Kang Yu-Hwan was right. It was about time Kang Jin-Ho made his decision about his academic career. Although he started attending university out of his desire to live a life he missed out on during the first try, tertiary learning didn't hold much meaning to Kang Jin-Ho of now.

What would a university degree do for him at this stage, anyway? Kang Jin-Ho realized this was a problem he shouldn't keep avoiding.

“Father... I actually have something to discuss with you regarding this matter.”

“Mm?” Kang Yu-Hwan seemed a little taken aback.

Still, Kang Jin-Ho didn't stop there and explained what happened.

***

“Hmm...” Kang Yu-Hwan slowly scratched his head when his son's explanation ended. “Okay, so. That foundation you were telling us about earlier... You're getting it ready for real now. That's basically the gist of the story, right?”

“Yes, Father.” Kang Jin-Ho weightily nodded.

“A foundation, is it...?” Kang Yu-Hwan muttered while trying to look as composed as possible. However, he still failed to hide his fluster in the end. Hearing something that monumental meant forming a coherent sentence became harder than he would have liked. “I must tell you, this is all too sudden, son. I wish you could've told us while you were still in the planning stage.”

“My apologies.”

“Mm... No, it's nothing to apologize about. It's your private matter, after all. No need to tell others if you don't feel like it.” Kang Yu-Hwan finally finished organizing his train of thought, then looked back at his son. “But, Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, Father?”

“Since you brought this topic up now, it must be somehow related to going back to university, isn't it?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. Let's hear it, then. What is your plan?”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly sucked in a deep breath. For sure, this topic seemed a bit awkward to bring up as a son talking to his parents. “Father, I... have been wondering if it's necessary for me to keep attending university.”

Kang Yu-Hwan didn't say anything and quietly listened to his son.

“Yes, I know I can learn certain things from university courses. However, I believe the knowledge I'd gain by attending a university will not have any bearing on what I'm about to do. As such, I've been seriously debating if it's even worth wasting my time going back.”

“Hmm...” Kang Yu-Hwan weightily nodded.

“Even then, you still need to graduate, son!” Baek Hyeon-Jeong spoke loudly as if there was no need to even think about this. “If you have been attending some second-rate university, I wouldn't have minded you dropping out. But it's Jaegyeong Uni, isn't it? It's not some random institution out in the sticks, son. The way I see it, dropping out of such a famous university because of your other work doesn't feel right. And graduating from such a place will undoubtedly help you in the future, too!”

“Yes, that's true, Mother,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded along. He thought his mother had a point. But seeing her point and listening to her advice were two separate matters. “I agree that a degree could certainly help. However, I'd have to waste too much time for that minor benefit.”

“But, Jin-Ho...!”

“If I focus on my foundation instead, I believe I can achieve much more, Mother.”

“E-even so...”

“Wait, honey,” Kang Yu-Hwan tried to stop his wife when she seemingly couldn't let go. “What you're saying doesn't make sense.”

“But, dear!”

“No, hang on. Think about this for a second. Even you'd think a welfare foundation's director is higher in the pecking order than a mere Jaegyeong Uni graduate, right?”

“W-well, that is true.”

“But now, you want our son to delay that bigger thing to go after a much smaller thing? No one will agree to that. And that's just your greed getting the better of your senses.”

“...!”

Kang Yu-Hwan crossed his arms, then nodded away. “Let's stop wishing for our son to graduate from a nice university so that we can boast about it, okay? It's Jin-Ho's choice whether he wants to get a degree or not. However, forcing him to complete his course so we can show it off to our neighbors is wrong, honey. Times have changed from those days, after all.”

“Well... I guess you're right.” Baek Hyeon-Jeong sighed in resignation.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly. Most of the time, his mother would resemble a furious tiger, but weirdly enough... She'd respect her husband's decision in moments like this.

Kang Yu-Hwan turned his attention over to his son. “However, Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, Father.”

“You must not underestimate the impact of dropping out of university.”

“I see. But I didn't come to this decision lightly.”

“It looks that way to me, son.”

“...That's not true.” Kang Jin-Ho quickly shook his head.

However, Kang Yu-Hwan tutted loudly. “What you thought long and hard about was how we'd accept this news, now wasn't it? You probably thought dropping out of school wasn't all that important to you. Or am I wrong about that?”

Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly clamped his mouth shut. Sure, Kang Yu-Hwan was his father. Even so, being a father didn't explain how Kang Yu-Hwan seemingly could read his son's mind every now and then, like right now!

“That is exactly what I've been worried about, son. You have this tendency of making light of attending a university. I'm pretty sure no one takes universities for granted as much as you do. To you, a degree or two are nothing more than additional bullet points on your resume, no?”

“Am I... wrong to think that way, Father?”

“It's fine for others to think that way, but not you, Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head, unable to understand what his father was even saying. What made him different from other people for Kang Yu-Hwan to say these things?

“It's simple, son. You wish to operate a welfare foundation.”

“...Father, I still don't understand.”

“It's not complicated. What is your reason for setting up a foundation?”

“Well, that is to help those in need, and...”

“Nope,” Kang Yu-Hwan resolutely cut his son's words off. “You want to set up a foundation because you personally witnessed the difficulties the Seongsim kids face.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded slowly after agreeing with that assessment. What if he had never met Park Yu-Min? Then, Kang Jin-Ho would've never visited an orphanage in his life. And that also meant he'd not think about establishing a welfare foundation. Although Kang Yu-Hwan's words came out of nowhere, they still accurately struck the nail on the head.

“That is called 'experience', son. Humans learn from books, stuff they watch, and things they hear. Unfortunately, knowledge accumulated that way is only good for making you seem brighter. It won't be enough to move your heart, Jin-Ho. But you have experience. You witnessed Seongsim's situation first-hand. And that is why your heart moved enough to set up a foundation. I hope you understand what I'm saying to you, son.”

“I do,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded again. He still agreed with his father, but what did that and dropping out of university have to do with each other? “Father, I still don't see how this and that are related.”

“Of course they are related, you dummy!” Kang Yu-Hwan pounded his chest in frustration. “Tell me, son! Will your foundation kick out kids once they reach adulthood without any plan? Nowadays parents have to financially support their married kids. Didn't you say that your wish was to give these kids a good enough life where they didn't need to be envious of their peers? Even if they still can't become 'regular' kids? In that case, isn't it obvious that you need to give them the strength to stand on their two feet after reaching adulthood?”

“...Yes, you're correct,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered, still tilting his head.

“But now, you won't have the experience of campus life and what it's like after graduating. In that case, how will you know what kind of problems your kids might face?”

Kang Jin-Ho was instantly rendered speechless. He enrolled into a reputable university. He could be considered pretty smart. And he had years of experience to fall back on, too. Even then, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but think he was stupid compared to other people around him.

People always, always pointed out things Kang Jin-Ho had failed to consider with such ease. Always!

“Listen, son. I'm not trying to say attending university is an absolute must. However, something you've never experienced before will have a harder time becoming living, breathing knowledge in your head. What this father of yours is most worried about is...” Kang Yu-Hwan faltered a little, then sighed loudly. “Son?”

“Yes, Father?”

“Even I have to admit that you're an excellent child.”

“...Why the sudden praise, Father?”

“Parents should be pleased by how excellent their kids are. But let me be frank with you. I'm worried. Since high school, you've never fallen behind anyone. Regardless of what was asked of you, you'd always finish with what I think is consummate ease.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything and quietly waited for his father to continue.

“And that is a wonderful thing. However...! If you hadn't been my son but a total stranger, I'd never want to work with you.”

“...I'm sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho's jaw dropped slightly in a fluster.

“Especially in stuff like running a foundation... I'd never trust you with something that monumental. Because you think most things can be overcome through one's efforts alone. Since you've done it, you think everyone else should be able to do it, too. If others are struggling, you don't empathize with them but think the lack of effort is to blame. All because you can do pretty much anything through effort alone.”

It felt like a cold blade was mercilessly stabbing Kang Jin-Ho in the gut. He never thought about things that way. And these harsh words had come from the last person he expected to hear them from!

Kang Yu-Hwan stared at his son, his eyes slightly colder than usual. “If you genuinely wish to help others, you need to learn how to empathize with others' pain first, son. And you need to stop thinking that everyone in the world can overcome their troubles by effort alone, like you. If you don't do this, then... Well, you'll be no different than a nouveau riche throwing money around for his self-gratification. Son, do you understand what I'm saying to you?”

Kang Jin-Ho's face burned red in shame. Not once after his return to the modern era did he make this kind of expression, yet he was making it right now.