Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1067. Revising (2)

Funnily enough, though...

One of the things Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but think about after taking on the Assembly’s top job was that... Why did it feel like everyone who should know already knew about the martial world’s existence?

‘It might be harder to find someone who doesn’t know about us.’

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly. He shouldn't be surprised, though. It was impossible to keep secrets this large in this world, after all!

With such powerful individuals creating their own societies and whatnot that existed alongside the surface world, it'd be unreasonable to think their existence could be kept completely hidden from every person walking this Earth.

“Then, the last hurdle is to register with the government department? To turn us into a legitimate business entity?” Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked.

“Some obstacles still remain, but Chief Lee is scheduled to speak to the person in charge of the relevant government department tomorrow to resolve them, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju.

“Hmm...?” Kang Jin-Ho subtly turned his head and glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Will you be alright?”

“Sir?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.

“I don’t think things will be plain sailing tomorrow.”

“Oh. Of course, it won’t be easy, sir. However, it’s still something that must be done. So I’ll definitely get it done. No matter what. Please count on me.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked softly. “How about I tag along?”

“No, thank you. It’ll be fine.”

Kang Jin-Ho's head cocked to the side juuust a little when Lee Hyeon-Su replied without even a 0.1-second delay. “But I'm the Assembly Master, no? Wouldn't my presence add weight to the...”

“It’s fine, sir. We don’t need the additional weight.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and glared weirdly at Lee Hyeon-Su.

That was when Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply. “Sir, I was trying to not say stuff like this to you, but...”

“Yeah?”

“It’ll be better to not have you around during negotiations.”

“...?”

Kang Jin-Ho was about to pointedly ask what Lee Hyeon-Su meant by that, but the chief of the administrative department beat him to the punch.

“Let’s be honest, sir. You don’t know how to negotiate.”

“...Eh?”

“Negotiations are all about giving the other side what they want so we can get what we want in return. But I’ve never seen you give up anything until now.”

“...”

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly shook his head. “Worse still, these a-holes called politicians have a nasty tendency of looking down on people. In other words, they will be very condescending.”

“I’m sure they are.”

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned deeply. “Please don’t underestimate the situation, sir. It’s far worse than you think. Imagine you attending tomorrow's negotiation, only for the politician to look down on you and start behaving rudely. Tell me, what do you think you'd do in that situation?”

“Well, I will... Mm?”

Kang Jin-Ho knew he should endure. After all, this negotiation would prove crucial to the Assembly’s future.

Yes, he should endure, but...

Lee Hyeon-Su silently stared at Kang Jin-Ho before grinning brightly. “It’ll be a miracle if you don’t grab that man by his collar and shove him against a nearby wall, sir. You’d probably do that, then turn around to leave while saying there’s nothing more to talk about.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho could also picture it in his head. He dearly loved to say Lee Hyeon-Su was wrong, but no words wanted to come out of his mouth. Even Lee Hyeon-Ju was silently nodding away in agreement, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“That is why I should attend the negotiation without you, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. “I won’t deny that your... method of negotiation can be very effective in certain cases. However, not this time, sir. That’s not how we should do things this time.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, his expression a little more deflated than before.

Then again, he would’ve also preferred not to sit face-to-face with those high-and-mighty government types, anyway.

‘It was the same story back in Zhongyuan, too.’

Even though the demon cult had completely conquered Zhongyuan and ruled over all things under the heavens, the imperial court failed to understand the situation and still tried to be overbearing toward the cult. Too many lives had to be sacrificed back then to make those fools accept reality.

‘Not to forget...’

Rather unexpectedly, the emperor was not the culprit who worsened the situation back then. No, the bastards riding on the emperor’s coattails were responsible for creating that mess.

That story shouldn't be too different even in the modern era.

Kang Jin-Ho groaned. “Then... I'll leave this matter to you, Chief Lee.”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded and grinned brightly. “Thank you. Please don’t worry. Trust me.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly. He had to admit that no one was more suited for this kind of work than Lee Hyeon-Su. Everyone in the Assembly would agree with that assertion, too.

“Still, is there anything I can help you with?”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “Yes. Please grant me the full authority.”

“Full authority?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“Yes, sir. As long as you authorize me to speak on your behalf in official meetings, like the upcoming negotiation, I swear to produce the best possible outcome for the Assembly.”

“Mm? But haven't I already given you my permission?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled again. “Thank you, sir. That will be enough.”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Ju. “Then, is that all?”

“There is one more matter for you to consider, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju.

“Okay. What is it this time?”

“Please settle on a name for our new legalized company.”

“...A name, you say?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho was about to powerfully nod, but then...!

Lee Hyeon-Su urgently cried out, “H-hold on, Miss Lee!”

“Sorry?" Lee Hyeon-Ju looked back at him in slight surprise.

“We, uh, we need to take a step back and think some more about that topic.”

For some reason, Lee Hyeon-Su tried to dissuade Lee Hyeon-Ju. She tilted her head in confusion. "But why? Is there a reason to think more about it?”

“...Usually, I’d say no. But when it’s concerning our Assembly Master’s naming sense? Yeah, you better believe it. You better think real carefully about this, okay? Remember that our Assembly Master named his bicycle the Golden Elephant, while he calls his red Lamborghini Zoom-Zoom!”

“...!” Lee Hyeon-Ju’s eyes widened in shock and horror, and she silently stared in aghast at her boss.

Kang Jin-Ho reflexively fake-coughed and looked away. “As far as the company’s name is concerned, can’t we just use something that’s catchy and...”

“Understood, sir! We will do our utmost best to think of a name that fits your criteria.”

“...” Kang Jin-Ho grew just a bit sad just then.

Lee Hyeon-Su offered his sagely advice once more. “Sir, I think people are meant to focus on what they are good at.”

“...Sure thing,” Kang Jin-Ho groaned lifelessly.

Lee Hyeon-Su shrugged helplessly, then cautiously asked another question. “By the way, sir...?”

“Mm?”

“Am I really joining the training program?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head, silently asking what Lee Hyeon-Su meant.

“No, I mean... I was wondering if it’s okay for me to vacate my post when the Japanese are clearly cooking up something dastardly.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, it’s okay.”

“But...”

Kang Jin-Ho dismissively waved his hand. “You being around won’t change the situation, after all.”

“Well, that is true, but still... Should I chalk this down to historical trauma? It feels like we should be doing everything in our power to prepare since the Japs are about to invade us...”

“Huh?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head again in confusion.

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled wryly at how confused his boss looked.

‘...Sure, trying to use an example from Joseon in this era is a bit weird. I get that.’

Some people still debated to this day if Joseon was caught with its pants down or did its absolute best but still got overwhelmed by the enemy's numbers during the Japanese Invasion of 1592.

Regardless of which camp you belonged to, though, one thing was for certain—Japan still utterly ransacked Joseon back then.

As far as the similarities went, the signs were all there. Just like back then, the Japanese's plan to invade Korea was discovered ahead of time, forcing the Koreans to prepare for the upcoming war. No wonder Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but be anxious about this situation.

‘If the same thing as what happened back then happens again, I might as well bite my tongue and kill myself in shame...'

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Haven’t we already made ample preparations?”

“Yes, we have. But my personality... Standing somewhere far away and cheering on just isn’t my style, sir.”

“Then, do both.”

“...I’m sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho disinterestedly muttered, “Attend the training program and continue making preparations. That can’t be hard, right?”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s cheeks ominously twitched just then.

‘What... What a black-hearted boss you are!’

Wasn’t this what the owners of countless South Korean small-to-medium companies would say to their workers?!

“S-sir, I also have a personal life, you know...?”

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“Then, don’t worry about the other thing. Just focus on training.”

“But, I can’t not do that...”

“...Uh-whew. Lee Hyeon-Su?”

“Yes, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho asked, his expression conveying how less-than-impressed he was. “What do you want from me, then?”

“...”

“You keep saying you can’t do this, but you can’t do that either. So, what now?”

“I understand the crux of your criticism, sir. However, working nonstop like it's the end of the world has become too ingrained into my soul by now. The mere thought of not working is making me jittery.”

“...What a tragic tale that is,” Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “This training program is not a vacation, Chief Lee. So, let this one go, okay?”

“But, sir...”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and stared unhappily at Lee Hyeon-Su. “I wouldn't have decided to let you join the program if we knew the exact date of the invasion. However, right now? We don't even know how far along they are in their preparations.”

“That... is true.”

“You forgetting about your goal and focusing solely on preparing against the invasion you don't even know when will happen is exactly what the enemy wants. I get how anxious you are, but the right thing to do is focusing on what you've been doing already.”

Lee Hyeon-Su felt the fog in his head clearing a little bit just then.

For sure, Kang Jin-Ho had a point. There could never be “enough” when it came to making preparations. However, focusing solely on preparing against the enemy would inevitably slow down one's progress.

Regardless of what it was... Finding the right balance was crucial. Lee Hyeon-Su understood that, but still...

‘Still, isn’t that situation-dependent?’

Japan invading Korea obviously was a significant development. A powerhouse nation invading its neighbor was already a big deal, but more importantly, the mere idea of Japan extending its tendrils back into Korea was more than enough to awaken the deep-seated trauma in every Korean... including Lee Hyeon-Su!

“Sir, I wouldn’t be this anxious if some other nation is trying to invade us. But we’re talking about Japan here.”

“No,” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “It’s not Japan invading us, but the Crimson King’s faction is. That’s who we are about to wage war against.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow.

“Lee Hyeon-Su?”

“Yes, sir?”

“You’re not acting your usual self today. The usual you would have looked past the Japanese invasion and focused more on Cai Kechang’s involvement instead.”

“...!” Lee Hyeon-Su clamped his mouth shut after his mistake was laid bare.

‘Was I... in too much of a rush?’

The more he thought about it, the more right Kang Jin-Ho was. Lee Hyeon-Su was too blinded by the Japanese situation and had totally forgotten about Cai Kechang's shadow lurking somewhere behind the scenes.

“Do you know what the best method to prepare against a potential invasion is?”

Lee Hyeon-Su shook his head. “...I don’t know, sir. Can you tell me if you don’t mind?”

“Progress. Getting stronger.” Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “Preparing against the enemy invasion like this is only a one-time use, you know what I mean? The truly strong people don't have any enemies to worry about. If you're scared by the thought of other countries invading you, focus on becoming stronger rather than on preparations. Don't forget that Japan isn't our only enemy.”

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly nodded. The reminder of Japan not being the only enemy sobered him right up.

The Martial Assembly's ultimate enemy was indeed not Japan, but the Crimson King's faction.

Failing to take advantage of this opportunity to make progress because they focused too much on Japan would mean the Assembly and its people might not be able to defend against the Crimson King's faction later on.

Lee Hyeon-Su stared at Kang Jin-Ho in awe, his opinion on the latter improving once more.

‘He just has a knack for getting to the core of the problem, doesn’t he?’

Kang Jin-Ho was usually so dull that people might mistakenly think of him as a dummy. However, when the situation called for it, he would always figure out the core of the problem with such consummate ease that even Lee Hyeon-Su felt inadequate in comparison.

And he did so with scarcely believable level-headedness, too.

“Stop trying to do something haphazardly. Remember that it’s the other side who are in a rush, not us. So, finish what you need to finish first,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“I’ll remember that, sir!” Lee Hyeon-Su nodded after fully understanding Kang Jin-Ho’s advice. But then, he loudly clapped his hands.

That was when several administrative staff members rushed inside the office while carrying stacks upon stacks of documents.

“...Huh?” Kang Jin-Ho dazedly blinked his eyes.

Lee Hyeon-Su grinned deviously. “I'll do as you say, sir, and wrap up my work first. Which means I must hand over my duties to you. If you don't mind...”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho abruptly realized something had gone terribly wrong just then.