Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1079. Discovered (4)

Hwang Jeong-Hu made a strange expression.

“Prime Minister, I assure you, he’s not that kind of a man.”

Jo Gyu-Min listened in silence, slightly tense. He could see that the Chairman of Jaegyeong wasn’t making his usual expression.

‘To think the Prime Minister of all people would call us...!’

Of course, Hwang Jeong-Hu chatting with the country’s Prime Minister on the phone should come as a surprise to no one. After all, wasn't Hwang Jeong-Hu the lion of the Korean business community?

The President of this country calling him wouldn't be too strange considering Hwang Jeong-Hu's renown.

The reason for Jo Gyu-Min’s anxiety wasn't the identity of the caller. No, it was because the content of the call happened to be all about... Kang Jin-Ho!

-Can I trust you on this one, Chairman Hwang?

“Prime Minister, I understand what you’re worried about. However, the Kang Jin-Ho I know is definitely not the type to do that. What you’re scared about will never happen, so you can rest easy.”

-That’s easier said than done, Chairman Hwang. Unfortunately, considering my position...

“Believe me, I do understand,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu while grinning ear-to-ear. “I get why you called me. Don’t worry, I’ll speak to Kang Jin-Ho in private later.”

-Thank you, Chairman. I know I’m being shameless here...

“However, there is something you must bear in mind, Prime Minister.”

-What is it?

“I get why you called me. I really do. However, even I still find Kang Jin-Ho difficult to deal with as a person. And I carry myself as cautiously as possible around him. I'm sure you can tell why.”

-Of course.

“He won’t appreciate the fact that the current administration investigated his prior activities and contacted me behind his back. Then again, no one would appreciate that, wouldn’t you say?”

-Oh, that. That’s because... Well... freewēbnoveℓ.com

“Yes, I understand,” Hwang Jeong-Hu grinned again. “You didn’t have a choice but to do it this way. However, that is not how you approach or deal with Kang Jin-Ho. In a way, you should think of him as a rubber ball.”

-A rubber ball?

“Yes. A rubber ball that won't do anything when left alone. Even if it moved, it most likely had been following the winds and rolling around on the floor. However, if someone tries to push it down and squeeze it, this ball will rebound even harder and fiercer than you expect.”

-I understand what you’re getting at.

“If you’re worried about Kang Jin-Ho, my advice to you is to leave him alone. Then, nothing will happen.”

-I see. Thank you for your advice, Chairman Hwang. Please speak to Kang Jin-Ho as soon as possible.

“I will. Goodbye,” Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled while ending the call. “Tsk, tsk! So timid, I tell you!”

Jo Gyu-Min cautiously asked, “Is the government finally beginning to keep a close eye on Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Looks that way.” Hwang Jeong-Hu nodded while reaching out for a packet of cigarettes. He took one out and mouthed it.

Jo Gyu-Min quickly used a lighter to light Hwang Jeong-Hu’s cigarette.

“Fuu-woo...”

Hwang Jeong-Su sucked in a lungful of smoke, then leaned against his seat, his expression unreadable.

“It was bound to happen sooner or later, anyway.”

Jo Gyu-Min nodded. “That’s true.”

The Martial Assembly was gradually expanding its scope of activity every day. This was probably not what Kang Jin-Ho intended, but that didn't matter. The Assembly expanding its influence was natural and inevitable, after all!

It unified the South Korean martial society by absorbing the Yeongnam Group. And it was just about finished with its restructuring, too.

Once the restructuring was finished for good, the only thing remaining would be to expand outwardly. That would inevitably lead to butting heads with the powers that be.

Although this whole Seok Dong-Su incident couldn't really be seen as the two sides clashing against each other...

‘It could be the trigger.’

Major events were usually caused by seemingly insignificant disagreements, after all!

Jo Gyu-Min cautiously asked again, “Will this be okay, sir?”

“What will be okay?”

“If the government is serious, wouldn’t it become difficult for the Assembly to survive?”

“Nah. Politicians aren’t dummies,” Hwang Jeong-Hu smirked softly. “The thing about politics is that nothing is clear-cut. Even on things that seem pretty straightforward on the outside, the best and brightest this country supposedly has to offer will still rack their brains for a good few years before doing anything. Do you know why?”

Jo Gyu-Min shook his head. “No, sir. I don’t.”

“It’s because once something is set in motion, it can’t be reverted back to how it used to be.”

“Mm...!”

“If not that, it could mean words aren't getting through to each other. The story with the Assembly is like that. Any politician who knows about the Assembly's existence would probably think they need to curb the martial artists' influence. But no one knows what will happen by poking the proverbial hornet's nest without a solid plan. That's how much of an unknown quantity the Assembly is.”

The smirk on Hwang Jeong-Hu's lips deepened.

There was another reason stopping the government from provoking the Martial Assembly. But Hwang Jeong-Hu didn't feel like explaining it to Jo Gyu-Min.

The two entities were locked into what could be described as an organic relationship. An example of this was the Korean military cooperating with the Assembly during the last time when Japanese martial artists tried to invade the country.

‘What was his name again? Wasn’t it Lee Jung-Geol?’

The previous Assembly Master was an extraordinary man. There was no doubt about it.

He spent a very long time gradually and unhurriedly interweaving the Martial Assembly into almost every facet of Korean society. How unhurried was it? It was slow enough for the important people to not notice the gradual integration.

Thanks to that man's extraordinary patience, it was now impossible to separate South Korea and the Martial Assembly apart.

No matter how large a tumorous growth had become, it could still be surgically removed from the body as long as it was contained in one specific body part.

However, there was no method to do the same to the tumor that had spread to the rest of the body. This was the same concept.

Even the one-and-only Hwang Jeong-Hu wasn't sure where to start to effectively minimize and exorcise the Assembly's influence in this country.

“Yup, I’m sure the politicians are having sleepless nights.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu cackled quietly. The internal situation alone was already taxing enough, but now, the politicians had to worry about the external situation complicating the matters, too?

Hwang Jeong-Hu glanced at Jo Gyu-Min. “It sounds like Jin-Ho’s trip to the UK worked out well.”

“Yes, sir. That’s what I’ve heard. Apparently, they got the best possible outcome.”

“Best possible, eh...?”

The corners of Hwang Jeong-Hu’s lips curled up.

With the UK government directly contacting the Koreans, dealing with the Martial Assembly must've become several times trickier for the current administration!

“What a rock and a hard place this is.”

When thinking about the Prime Minister’s position, Hwang Jeong-Hu suddenly felt a lump of frustration born out of sympathy growing in his chest.

Here was a massive tumorous growth inside a patient’s body, but getting rid of it would kill the patient for sure. The only option available at the moment was to use the best chemotherapy drugs and pray that the tumor wouldn’t grow any larger.

That was precisely the Prime Minister’s situation. All he could do was try to keep the Martial Assembly in check without crossing the line and hope that the martial artists wouldn’t extend their tendrils any further toward this side.

Jo Gyu-Min frowned slightly. “When you think about it... Aren’t their worries ultimately unnecessary?”

“Mm?” Hwang Jeong-Hu grunted while sobering up. He stared quizzically at Jo Gyu-Min.

“I mean, Mister Jin-Ho is most likely not interested in politics. Even if he’s not kept in check, he probably isn’t thinking of doing anything, anyway.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu smirked. “Is that what you think will happen?”

Jo Gyu-Min tilted his head after sensing something different from the Chairman’s response. “Sir? You don’t agree?”

“Rather than not agreeing with you...” Hwang Jeong-Hu cackled again. “Things like that don’t usually unfold the way you want, Gyu-Min.”

“...Sorry?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu casually shrugged. “Do you remember how hard I tried to bring Jin-Ho into the world of business?”

“Well...”

Of course Jo Gyu-Min could remember. In some sense, one could say those attempts had been a bit desperate. Even so, Kang Jin-Ho was firm in his refusal of Hwang Jeong-Hu's offer.

“Remember what that damn guy said back then?”

“Oh, that? Well...” Jo Gyu-Min licked his lips. What Kang Jin-Ho said back then sounded so cliched and a bit of a joke now. “...Mister Jin-Ho said he’d like to live an ordinary life.”

“I never thought he was lying about that,” Hwang Jeong-Hu quietly muttered while puffing away at his cigarette, his expression a little withdrawn. That expression contained a hint of pity. “I’m sure Jin-Ho really, genuinely wanted to live like an ordinary man. But that’s impossible. An extraordinary man can never lead an ordinary life, you see?”

Jo Gyu-Min silently nodded in agreement.

Those who knew little about Kang Jin-Ho would find Hwang Jeong-Hu’s observation difficult to understand. However, those who did had no choice but to agree.

Kang Jin-Ho had this knack for getting involved in various incidents.

When one thought about all the things Kang Jin-Ho wanted for himself, they were all exceedingly plain things like going to university, working part-time in his father's cafe, or opening a pizzeria. Even though the last one was instigated by Hwang Jeong-Hu and Jo Gyu-Min!

The funny thing was that... All these events eventually led to some kind of incident. As for their outcome?

‘Mister Jin-Ho took over the Korean martial society and even became the Assembly Master.’

Now the martial societies of other nations were trying to keep Kang Jin-Ho in check, and even the political heavyweights were beginning to pay close attention to him.

Jo Gyu-Min frowned slightly. “When I think about it...”

“Yes, that’s right.” Hwang Jeong-Hu helplessly chuckled before shrugging casually. “You’re right, Gyu-Min. Jin-Ho is probably not even remotely interested in politics. He has no desire to increase his workload, after all. As long as he could secure enough safety and money to put food on the table for everyone he considers family, he won’t try to do anything extraordinary.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“Unfortunately, things never rarely work out the way you want. Think about it. The Prime Minister obviously won’t provoke Jin-Ho now. He knows that will only create more trouble. However...”

A strange smirk formed on Hwang Jeong-Hu’s face.

“How long does a Prime Minister usually last in office, again?”

“...Not very long, sir.”

“We'll have peace for a while if the current Prime Minister does his job and successfully persuades his boss. However, the administration will change in a few years. Even if the administration stays the same, people's inclinations and thoughts will.

“The moment the hardliners take over the administration, you can bet your bottom dollar that we’ll experience great upheavals.”

“For sure...” Jo Gyu-Min muttered quietly while nodding away. Then, his eyes opened wide after realizing something. “Wait, does that mean Mister Jin-Ho’s side also...”

“Yup, they should know all this, too,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu, clearly amused by something. “Even if he doesn't like the sound of it, he probably understands it very well. It's basically the case of riding on the tiger's back for him. Since he's now the Assembly Master, he can no longer stubbornly live according to his wishes. Also...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu pondered something before shaking his head.

“No, not yet. It’s too early to discuss this.”

He clapped his hands to signal the change of topic, then glanced at Jo Gyu-Min.

“For now... I want you to tell Jin-Ho that we got a call from the Prime Minister but put in a good word for him. He'll decide what to do next from there. Also, tell him I want a bottle of the finest booze he can find for my troubles.”

“Understood, sir.” Jo Gyu-Min bowed deeply, then got up to leave.

Hwang Jeong-Hu languidly reclined in his seat while mouthing a fresh cigarette.

‘This isn’t something I should carelessly blab about in public.’

Kang Jin-Ho’s thought pattern was as clear as it could get. One only had to study his behavior until now to know that he strictly followed one all-conquering principle. And that was...

...The elimination of all threats!

His decision to become stronger and expand the Martial Assembly’s strength all stemmed from his desire to eliminate any and all perceived threats approaching him or those he cared about.

He was someone like that, so what would happen if he perceived the current administration as a threat, too?

“Hmm...!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly scratched his head.

“Now that’s something I don’t want to see.”

Regardless of what might happen, Hwang Jeong-Hu was sure of one thing—the outcome would not be pretty.

Kang Jin-Ho did not do things in half-measures. If his tendency to go all the way was applied in not-so-nice directions, even Hwang Jeong-Hu couldn’t predict how things would pan out.

“Urgh...!”

Since that was the case, what Hwang Jeong-Hu should do now became rather easy to understand. Before things could end up in the worst possible state, he must play the role of a peacemaker.

“To think you’d make this poor old man work like a slave...”

Since he decided to do this, which palm should he start applying the grease?

“Dang it. That punk better appreciate all the trouble I’m getting into for him!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu groaned loudly.

Despite his whining, though, he didn't really care if Kang Jin-Ho appreciated his actions or not. Watching Kang Jin-Ho's antics was proving quite entertaining already for Hwang Jeong-Hu as he entered his twilight years, anyway.

“Then, who should I meet up with first?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu smirked contentedly while lifting himself off the seat.

It seemed he’d be occupied for quite a while trying to reach out to various contacts he knew.