Descent of the Demon Master

or riding this dude's bicycle time and again!’

Park Yu-Min gripped the saddle even harder as tears began leaking out from the corners of his eyes.

‘Fine! I'll buy that dang car!’

An urgent urge to go on a shopping spree took over Park Yu-Min just then.

***

Hwang Jeong-Hu looked up from the report and spoke in a sharp voice, “Well, then.
I hope there have been no hiccups so far.”

Jo Gyu-Min replied confidently, “No, sir.
No hiccups have interrupted our preparations so far.
Then again, it's nothing more than Mr.
Jin-Ho enrolling in our university, sir.”

The chairman's eyes narrowed to slits.
“Nothing more?”

“…That was a slip of my tongue.
My apologies, sir.”

“Do not ever let your guard down, Gyu-Min.”

“Yes, Chairman.” Jo Gyu-Min bowed slightly, then quietly studied Hwang Jeong-Hu.

The chairman was usually a broad-minded person.
Perhaps a little too broad-minded, even.
He would even boldly break off contracts with billions at stake or unhesitantly decide on the next course of action in situations that would have made other people falter.

He was big-hearted enough to not micro-manage once the direction of a project was decided.
And he was also benevolent enough to not unfairly blame a subordinate for their failure and give them another chance to redeem themselves.

But when it came to matters involving Kang Jin-Ho, Hwang Jeong-Hu would act like a totally different man.
It was like looking at a worrywart old-timer who impulsively had to check and re-check everything.
Never mind tapping on a stone bridge to confirm its sturdiness, he was basically performing maintenance work just to safely cross it.

The current discussion was a good example.
Kang Jin-Ho was simply entering a university, so what kind of 'preparation' was needed for that? It wasn’t like Jo Gyu-Min had to personally buy the textbooks and deliver them now, was it?

“Chairman.”

“Mm?”

“It might be that I lack the insight to see this matter clearly, but…
Enrollment isn't a big enough deal to warrant this level of caution, is it not? I don't understand why you're so anxious about…”

“It's not a big deal, you say?” A trace of anger suddenly became visible on Hwang Jeong-Hu's expression.
Jo Gyu-Min quickly caught that and bowed his head deeply.

The chairman, with his face still filled with obvious disappointment, glared at his subordinate before explaining his thought process, “Universities are doorways to our society.
The difference between a university student and a high schooler isn't as simple as age or their knowledge levels, like how it'd be between a middle schooler and a high schooler.
No, after you join a university, you come to learn about the world at large.”

“Yes, that's true.”

“The preparation I'm telling you to make isn't about making Jin-Ho's campus life simpler and more fun.
No, it's about making sure that no annoying things happen to that young man.”

“…I see.
I understand now, sir,” Jo Gyu-Min replied.
He wasn't a moron, so he could see it now.
Besides, if he couldn't figure out what Hwang Jeong-Hu meant after telling him this much, he certainly didn't deserve his current position in the corporation.

Judging from Kang Jin-Ho's personality or behavioral patterns so far, the odds of trouble rearing its head were uncomfortably high.
Imagine if that trouble ballooned into something bigger—it'd become a massive headache for everyone involved.

Hwang Jeong-Hu continued with his explanation, “Jin-Ho is a scarily competent kid, so I'm sure he'll deal with things as he sees fit.
Sometimes, however, matters will get out of hand by doing things his way.
Gyu-Min, your job is to make sure such situations don't happen.
And even if they do happen, you will swiftly report them to me.
That will be at least 80% of your task.”

“Understood, Chairman.”

“You're dismissed, then.”

“Thank you, sir.
I’m off, then.” Jo Gyu-Min bowed, then exited the chairman's office.
Before walking to the elevator, though, he glanced back at the office's doorway, an uncertain look dominating his face.

Jo Gyu-Min understood what Chairman Hwang was telling him.
However, why couldn't he get rid of this feeling that this whole thing seemed a bit…
over the top? Could it be that Hwang Jeong-Hu was worried about something else?

Jo Gyu-Min just couldn't figure it out.

***

“Hmm…” Hwang Jeong-Hu walked up to the office window and lit up his cigarette.

'University, is it…'

He kept getting anxious about the future.
Others might view him as a needlessly worrisome old man, but he just couldn't relax knowing what kind of person Kang Jin-Ho was.

In his eyes, Kang Jin-Ho was a bomb—a gigantic bomb with its trigger mechanism removed but still capable of terrorizing others merely by its presence alone.
Anyone who knew what Kang Jin-Ho was would be as nervous as Hwang Jeong-Hu right now.

'…Even though I don't know much about him.'

Honestly speaking, Hwang Jeong-Hu didn't know much about Kang Jin-Ho.
Sure, he could confidently say that he knew better than anyone else about that youth's past and present.
However, that wasn't everything there to know about someone now, was there?

The knowledge of those things couldn't explain Kang Jin-Ho's duality.
It was also not enough to explain this bizarre feeling Hwang Jeong-Hu would sometimes get while talking to the youth.
It felt like they were two old men shooting the breeze.

There had to be something Hwang Jeong-Hu was unaware of.

And what he feared the most was Kang Jin-Ho's other side emerging into the open—that youth's potential for violence and evil! Such savagery would be unimaginable for a modern-day human being, yet Hwang Jeong-Hu had clearly sensed it from Kang Jin-Ho.
It had to be known that he had survived the Korean War, endured the military regime, and witnessed various acts of savagery while roaming countless overseas construction sites, leading him to believe that nothing could shock him anymore.
Yet, he still trembled from Kang Jin-Ho's coiled, ready-to-explode savagery.
What if that youth’s facet was unleashed in the open?

'It'll be a massacre…'

Hwang Jeong-Hu must ensure that such a thing would never happen.
After all, his future safety was directly related to Kang Jin-Ho's.
Even if that wasn't true, he didn't want to see his benefactor exposing his dark side out in the open, either.
Judging from how worried he was about Kang Jin-Ho’s life, he must have grown fond of that boy.

“This isn't like me at all,” Hwang Jeong-Hu muttered while faintly grinning.
He never expected himself to be so concerned about the welfare of someone not related to him by blood.
After all, he didn't even feel this way with his own children.

While still grinning faintly, Hwang Jeong-Hu took a deep puff of his cigarette, sensing this unexplainable ticklish feeling creeping up on him.

Something had changed in him.
It could be because he and Kang Jin-Ho were like two peas in a pod or maybe the near-death experience was the catalyst.
Whatever the case might be, he liked this feeling.

“However, I should still never forget…”

Indeed, he should never forget the simple fact that it was Kang Jin-Ho looking after Hwang Jeong-Hu, not the other way around.
It was easy to forget this crucial point since Kang Jin-Ho had lived such an unremarkable daily life so far.
On the other hand, Hwang Jeong-Hu would lose everything in a heartbeat if he let this cozy feeling upset the balance of their relationship.

The thing was, though; this nervousness and tension were giving Hwang Jeong-Hu joy.
He was actively enjoying this situation.

'It seems that the future will become even more interesting…'

Hwang Jeong-Hu's smile remained on his lips as he stubbed the cigarette out.