Descent of the Demon Master

r seeing Kang Jin-Ho's stupefied expression.
“I was just investigating your situation and thought you might be in a bit of trouble.
I came here hoping to earn some brownie points.”

“You investigated me?”

“Isn't that obvious?” Hwang Jeong-Ho looked taken aback as he stared at Kang Jin-Ho.
“From your perspective, I'm just a patient you treat once a month, and that’s it.
But from my perspective, you are my sole lifeline.
If something happens to you and prevents you from healing me on time, then that will be my death sentence.
You can't just expect me to quietly sit and wait for you to show up once every month.”

“…”

“I didn't do it out of bad intentions, young man.
I merely wanted to make your life hassle-free and protect you at the same time.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head slightly.
“…Protect me?”

“I'm not underestimating your ability, young man. Aren’t you the one who was able to heal me through a miraculous power and then leave and enter my very secure hospital room as if it’s in your backyard? Unfortunately for you, this world isn't as easy as you think.
No matter how amazing your powers are, sometimes life's hardships will leave you defenseless and unable to do anything.
You've already experienced it before, so I'm sure you know what I mean.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly nodded.
He had indeed been powerless against what was about to happen to him and his family.
The only thing he could have done was wait until people stopped looking and then take his revenge on Chief Director Choi Myeong-Gil.
But that wouldn't have been enough.
After all, revenge wouldn’t reverse the loss and pain he had suffered.

“That's why I ended up doing this, young man.”

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“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho leaned against the car's seat.
He didn't like what Hwang Jeong-Hu had done.
He wasn't consulted beforehand about it, and his position wasn't considered, either.
But he still had to admit that he had dodged a bullet thanks to the latter’s swift action. He would have wasted a lot of time fixing the situation otherwise.
“For now, I'll express my thanks, sir.”

“Fella…
The way you speak to me has gotten quite a lot gentler than before.”

Kang Jin-Ho, who used to be curt in his tone, was now speaking in a considerably politer manner that he was even using honorifics.

He sounded unfazed in his reply, “It's still daytime, after all.”

“Mm?” Hwang Jeong-Hu cocked an eyebrow.

That sounded like a strange reason, but it made sense somehow.
Rather than saying the current Kang Jin-Ho had become gentler, it would be more apt to say that he had become a different person altogether.

That night's 'Kang Jin-Ho' with not a single trace of humanity, the second 'Kang Jin-Ho' with a vulnerable side that appeared at the end of the 'promised' three days, and finally, the current 'Kang Jin-Ho'…

Just which one of them was Kang Jin-Ho’s real face? Hwang Jeong-Hu believed it had to be the first one.
That version of 'Kang Jin-Ho' couldn't have been a product of award-worthy acting.

The chairman of the Jaegyeong Group had gone through all kinds of ups and downs and had met many types of people in his life.
Among them were giants beyond even Hwang Jeong-Hu's reach, while some were so amazing that they left him utterly awestruck. He was quite certain that not a single person in his memories had given off the same mysterious vibe as Kang Jin-Ho had during their first encounter.

“Young man, just who…
or what are you?”

“It seems that your improved health has also reawakened your curiosity, sir.”

“How can I not be curious? Someone so young—a high schooler possesses a truly mysterious ability.
And he's also gutsy enough to choose the path of healing me, so how can I not be curious about you?” Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled in a good-natured way. “If I had been a religious man, I would've probably thought it was God's miracle or something.
Maybe I'd be on my knees offering a prayer, thinking that you're the Messiah.”

“Good thing that you're not a devotee, then.” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head and looked straight at Hwang Jeong-Hu.
“Sir, I'm sure you're curious about many things, but please, pretend that you haven't noticed anything.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.
Please.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu easily nodded in agreement.
Not being excessively curious about your trading partner was one of a merchant's virtues.

Kang Jin-Ho continued.
“Oh, and you don't have to be so polite when talking to me, sir.”

“Will that be alright?”

“Mmmm, well…” Kang Jin-Ho quietly studied Hwang Jeong-Hu for a moment or two before slowly nodding.
He began thinking that maybe the latter was still older than him even after calculating all the years he had lived here and back in Zhongyuan.
And that opinion wasn't solely based on outer appearances alone, either.
“Yes, it'll be fine.”

“Got it.
Well, then.
Shall we get down to the actual matter that brought me here?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.
“The…
actual matter?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu pulled out a bank account passbook from his inner pocket and handed it over to Kang Jin-Ho.
“Here, the promised amount.
Take a look.”

“I'm sure it's correct, sir.”

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“You still have to confirm it, young man.” Hwang Jeong-Hu urged, so Kang Jin-Ho sighed and opened the passbook to take a gander.

“Mm…?” Kang Jin-Ho's head tilted to the side even more.
He could see that the account was not under his name but under Hwang Jeong-Hu's name.
However, that wasn't really the problem here. 

'Let's see.
How many…
zeroes is this? One, two, three…'

Kang Jin-Ho's face progressively hardened with every passing second.
He looked up and muttered. “Sir, this is the wrong amount.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying I deposited the wrong amount of money? That can't be…”

Kang Jin-Ho opened the passbook's pages so that Hwang Jeong-Hu could see it.
“Sir, I definitely asked for one check’s worth.
Didn't I?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu nodded while making an expression of having known it from the start. Even though he did prepare 'one check’s worth' of money, he had been thinking that it seemed way too little.
He chalked that down to Kang Jin-Ho's naivety, but now…
It seemed that 'one check’s worth’ meant two different amounts to Kang Jin-Ho and Hwang Jeong-Hu.

“…It seems that I have misunderstood you.
My apologies.
I shall prepare the rest of the amount as soon as possible.
How much more do you need?”

The bank account passbook reflected the amount of ten billion won.
If this was an incorrect amount, then did the boy want one trillion won? [1]

Hwang Jeong-Hu could certainly prepare that amount, but it would require him to go through a lot of hoops first.
But his mental calculations came to a screeching halt at Kang Jin-Ho's unexpected answer.

“Sir, I was asking for one hundred million won.”[2]

“Pardon?” Hwang Jeong-Hu furrowed his brow, wondering if his hearing was failing him.
“Did you…
just say one hundred million won?”

“Yes…”

“Wait.
So I didn't mishear you? You really said one hundred million?!”

Kang Jin-Ho sounded a little flustered as he asked, “Is there something wrong, sir?”

“Are you telling me that my life, Hwang Jeong-Hu's life, is only worth that little?!”

“…”

“…Fuu. So, you’re trying to say that I gave you too much? Is that it?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.
“…Yes.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu directed a weird gaze at Kang Jin-Ho.
Rejecting the amount for being too little would be the norm, and not too many people in existence would refuse more money than they had asked for—especially more so when the amount was ten billion won!

However, this young man was displaying the behavior of someone who had already transcended the allure of money.
Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled while pushing the bank account passbook back to Kang Jin-Ho.
“Just take it, young man.”

1.
Ten billion won roughly converts to $7.9 million US.
One trillion would roughly be $790 million. ☜

2.
Around $79k ☜