Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1248. Coming to Visit (3)

Inside a certain busy pizzeria...

“Franchiiiiiiise?!?!”

When Ju Yeong-Gi cried that out and glared sharply, Kang Jin-Ho reflexively squeezed his eyes shut.

Ju Yeong-Gi’s head snapped toward Park Yu-Min. “Hey, Yu-Min! Yu-Min!”

“Ng?” Park Yu-Min slightly turned his head to stare at Ju Yeong-Gi, although he didn’t stop sucking up Cola through a straw while doing so.

Ju Yeong-Gi grinned weirdly at this sight. “What the heck? Ain’t ya too old to slurp Cola like an adorable little kid?”

“...”

“Hold on, hold on. I ain’t picking a fight with you, okay? Anyway, did you hear what this punk was saying just now?”

Park Yu-Min tilted his head. “What punk? You mean, Jin-Ho?”

“Obviously. Who else is here?”

“Sure. I heard him.”

Ju Yeong-Gi frowned. “What do you think?”

“Well...” Park Yu-Min glanced at Kang Jin-Ho before scratching his head. “Mm, well, umm...”

After faltering a bit, a grin suddenly bloomed on Park Yu-Min’s face.

“You know what Jin-Ho is like. He usually doesn’t bother with any preface before jumping right into the meat of the topic. That’s his style, right?”

Kang Jin-Ho quietly fake-coughed. That might be his style, but Park Yu-Min’s style was to spit on his friend while smiling like a saint! Worse still, he seemed totally unaware of his style, too!

Ju Yeong-Gi shouted again. “Even if that’s true, shouldn’t you use your blinkers first? Before entering my lane? Isn’t that one of the basic rules of driving?! How dare he switch from the slow lane to the fast one without indicating once!”

“You know that’s how he is.”

“Well, I guess you’re right, man. That punk never had blinkers, to begin with.”

Kang Jin-Ho could only stare weirdly at his two friends. At this point, people might mistake Ju Yeong-Gi and Park Yu-Min as lifelong friends. Especially considering that these two polar opposites in personality were so remarkably in tune with each other!

“Listen, my brother,” said Ju Yeong-Gi.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Mm?”

“A man should know that every story has a beginning and an end, not just a middle portion. So stop with this direct approach and tell us what’s what first.”

“It’s as I said,” Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “I was thinking of starting a pizzeria franchise. And I wanted to know if you could help.”

Ju Yeong-Gi’s cheeks twitched. “Hey. Do you even know what a franchising business is?”

“I do.”

Ju Yeong-Gi face-palmed. “Of course. Of course you’d know! Just like how I know about rockets! But here’s the thing, you dummy! Knowing about rockets and building one are two different things, okay! How dare you talk about starting a franchise like a reckless idiot! Also! You don’t start a franchise by yourself! You need people willing to join it as franchisees!”

“There are.”

“...There are what?”

“People willing to join,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Ju Yeong-Gi groaned loudly at how nonchalant his friend sounded just then. That was because he had instinctively realized that Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t bluffing here. No, this whole franchise idea seemed to be already in motion by the sound of things!

‘That’s how this idiot operates, though.’

Ju Yeong-Gi peered at Kang Jin-Ho intensely before emptying the glass of cola in one shot and putting the empty glass down with a loud tap on the table.

By now, he had figured out the best way to extract accurate information from Kang Jin-Ho.

“Okay, so! I’m gonna start asking you questions now. And your job is to answer accordingly. Got that?”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “Sure.”

“Let’s start from...”

Ju Yeong-Gi began his rapid-fire line of questioning.

***

“Okay, so...”

Ju Yeong-Gi roughly scratched his head, his expression distorted.

“You want to start a franchising business with your company’s funds?”

Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly replied, “Mm.”

“And you can definitely secure over a hundred hopeful franchisees?”

“Mm.”

“However, you don’t have anyone to educate them and manage the operation from the top. So you want me to help?”

“That’s right.”

Having finally acquired all the pieces of relevant information, Ju Yeong-Gi grinned radiantly in understanding.

‘This punk... He’s a nutcase!’

Of course he already knew that for a while now. And that hadn’t changed even today. Yet this conversation still served as a fresh reminder of that stunning fact! Without a shred of doubt, Ju Yeong-Gi’s friend was not right in the head!

However, there wasn’t a whole lot Ju Yeong-Gi could do about it. The person going out of his mind with frustration was him, not Kang Jin-Ho, after all! People dying of thirst should be the ones digging wells, no?!

Ju Yeong-Gi asked while cocking his brow. “Just how do you want me to help here?”

Kang Jin-Ho calmly explained. “Basically, we’ll turn our pizzeria into the franchise head office. You’ll be in charge of the first two stores, as well as staff training.”

“Huh. Listen, man. If we turn the pizzeria into a franchising business...” Ju Yeong-Gi scratched his head again. “Other branches will use our store’s name and menu. Right?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yeah.”

“Doesn’t that mean I’m like the president of the operation or something?”

“Yeah.”

“And that’s why I’m saying... Eh? I’m the president?”

“Yeah.”

“...!”

Ju Yeong-Gi’s eyes powerfully quaked just then.

‘What the hell? This idiot... He’s not just a nutcase!’

Indeed, Kang Jin-Ho had to be an irredeemable nutcase! At this point, it’d be better to assume that he needed professional psychological help!

“What the hell, dude! How could you trust me with the title of a damn president?! Are you out of your mind!”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “No, I’m not. What’s the reason you can’t be a president?”

“What’s the reason? Did you just ask me that?” Ju Yeong-Gi sighed deeply, then put his hand on Kang Jin-Ho’s shoulder. “Listen, my friend.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m also in favor of stuff like academic connections. Or coming from the same hometown. Even better, being blood relatives.”

“...”

“That’s how the connections in Korean society work, anyway. Seniors from the same clique will push you and pull you forward. Even I prefer hiring someone I know instead of some total stranger purporting to be a pro at this job. Even then! You should know there’s a line here, you dumbass!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s frown deepened.

Ju Yeong-Gi read the internal monologue of ‘I didn’t think this dummy would refuse,’ from Kang Jin-Ho’s expression and could only stare at Park Yu-Min as a hollow chuckle leaked out of his mouth.

Park Yu-Min grinned brightly and responded before Ju Yeong-Gi could say anything. “Well, this is what makes Jin-Ho so interesting and charming, right?”

Ju Yeong-Gi yelled loudly. “You moron! Yeah, I know he’s your friend and all, but now’s the time to throw insults around, okay! Say something mean, will ya!”

“Jin-Ho, I agree with Yeong-Gi here. This sounds like a bad idea,” said Park Yu-Min with a casual shrug. “It’s true that Yeong-Gi has done an excellent work running two pizzerias so far. But he’s done that as the manager of two pizzerias. The job of a franchising business’s president probably demands a different set of skills than that of a manager of a couple of pizzerias.”

Ju Yeong-Gi hurriedly nodded. “That’s right!”

Park Yu-Min wasn’t finished, however. “Besides, there are other problems with Yeong-Gi serving as a franchising business’s president, you know? For one, his academic records are in the pits, you know?”

Stab!

“His personality is rough, and he isn’t nice with his employees...”

Stab, stab!

“And he’s got a potty mouth. Also, he doesn’t have any manners, which troubles the people around him constantly.”

“...Hey, come on, man! Can’t you, like, stab me gentler or something!”

Ju Yeong-Gi shuddered in dread while hugging himself. How could Park Yu-Min verbally stab someone while smiling like that? It hurt like hell!

“Jin-Ho, you tend to evaluate the people around you a little too highly sometimes,” Park Yu-Min sagely nodded. “Yeong-Gi just doesn’t have it in him to do this.”

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted loudly. “Oiii, Mister Friend? Isn’t your badmouthing getting a little out of hand here?”

Park Yu-Min glanced at Ju Yeong-Gi. “Am I wrong?”

“Nope. Totally correct,” Ju Yeong-Gi confidently nodded. “I only have three pizzerias in me, and that’s it. Anything more than that is asking for trouble.”

“However, let’s not forget that running three pizzerias is already an incredible feat.”

“Kuh-uh! This is why I can’t help but enjoy your company, Mister Park Yu-Min! I’m telling you, you’re the King of Subliminal Training. I just can’t get over the taste of this carrot you like to throw in at the nick of time, dude.”

Kang Jin-Ho smiled contentedly at this exchange.

‘Yup, they sure are in sync, aren’t they?’

The topic of discussion was obviously not a lighthearted matter, yet chatting to his friends like this put Kang Jin-Ho’s mind at ease.

Of course, his friends criticized him, verbally assaulted him, and even downright disdained him. Despite that, being here felt more comfortable than being around the Assembly’s people who only had respect for him.

Park Yu-Min concluded the sharing of his opinion. “If you wish to profit from Yeong-Gi’s extensive know-how, just give him a position in the training team or something. I’m pretty sure putting him in the president’s position is unnecessary.”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Ju Yeong-Gi. “And what about you? Do you agree?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ju Yeong-Gi smirked. “Sure, it’ll be nice to hear people call me Mister President, thanks to my friend’s help. You know what, though? I’ve learned a valuable lesson while getting this far in life, man.”

“A lesson?”

“Yup. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” Ju Yeong-Gi dismissively waved his hand. “Every person has their place in the world, you know what I mean? I ain’t gonna make a fool of myself in a position like that when I know jack-sh*t.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly.

Ju Yeong-Gi had changed quite a lot. In that past, he had this thing about wanting to move up in life and being more conscious of social standings. Nowadays, though? That unnecessary mindset was long gone by now, leaving behind a much more honest and down-to-earth guy.

“Besides, I think I’m at my limit, anyway.”

When Ju Yeong-Gi said that, Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Why? Hasn’t the situation in the stores settled down yet?”

“Jin-Ho?”

“Yeah?”

“Not everyone blindly runs forward like you, dude. I have a girlfriend who’s craftier than a fox, and a little brother as pure as a rabbit, okay? Actually, scratch that. That little tyke must be in his rebellious phase or something, because he keeps getting on my nerves on every little thing these days.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded while chuckling away.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

Ju Yeong-Gi had his life to worry about, didn’t he? Kang Jin-Ho realized that trying to drag his friend into his life like this might not be a good idea.

“I hear you. I’ll respect your decision,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Don’t get it twisted, though. I’m not against the idea of franchising, okay? You’re the boss, so you do what you think is for the best. What I’m against is me being the president of the operation,” said Ju Yeong-Gi while rubbing his nose. “I gotta hand it to you, you can really be thoughtless sometimes, dude. Can you imagine what everyone else will say if I’m the franchise’s president?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “I’m sure no one will object, though?”

“Not openly objecting ain’t the same as not objecting at all, okay? Dumbass, you couldn’t read the room back when we were still in the army, but it’s gotten only worse now!” Ju Yeong-Gi tutted, then pointed at the pizzeria’s waiters in the dining area. “Hey, can you see them?”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Huh? What about them?”

“They are my bosses, okay?”

“...”

Back when the pizzeria had just opened its doors, the Seongsim Orphanage kids were roped in as part-time workers. But that was then. The start of new school semesters and the situations for both pizzerias settling down necessitated the hiring of proper workers.

“Do you have any idea how bad the impact is from just one trained worker leaving us? That’s why I gotta do my best to keep them, even if that means I’m paying them more. And constantly make damn sure they are not dissatisfied by the work environment, too. Being a manager doesn’t just mean you sit around sucking on your thumbs while pocketing the profit.”

“Mm...”

Ju Yeong-Gi’s gaze locking on Kang Jin-Ho grew sharper. “You ain’t doing that these days, right? Or am I wrong?”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t immediately reply just then.

It was he who suggested the organization-wide vacation for the Assembly members. However, he wouldn’t know what to say if someone asked him about the intention behind his decision. It wasn’t entirely for the welfare of the Assembly members, after all!

“They say you only need one clue to figure out the rest, and that’s the story with you and me, you dummy. Listen, man. You can’t just do whatever the heck you feel like just because you’re the boss, okay? A boss might be the one responsible for decisions made, but don’t forget that you gotta work together with the people under you, too. Who did you talk to about putting me in charge before coming here?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “I haven’t done that yet. I thought it was still too early...”

“Huh,” Ju Yeong-Gi tutted. “That means you were thinking of bulldozing your way through if I had said yes.”

“No, not true,” Kang Jin-Ho firmly shook his head. “I was planning to talk to my people.”

“But you were thinking that everyone would accept your decision in the end, anyway.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly wondered if his friend had learned a mind-reading technique or something similar.

Ju Yeong-Gi smirked while glancing at Park Yu-Min. “Hey, our little Jin-Ho has become a success story. Don’t you think so?”

Park Yu-Min earnestly nodded. “You’re right. Extremely successful.”

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

Ju Yeong-Gi snarkily asked, “Hey, Jin-Ho? Do you know what’s special about successful people?”

“Not sure?”

“They don’t fail.”

“...”

What was his friend on about this time? Ju Yeong-Gi wouldn’t speak nonsense at a time like this, so what was his point?

After spotting Kang Jin-Ho’s confused face, Ju Yeong-Gi smirked again. “Nothing complicated about it, Jin-Ho. Successful people don’t fail. All kinds of luck follow them around, and everything they touch turns to gold. People like that? They can start a project that sounds unreasonable on paper and it’ll still end in a resounding success. When stuff like that keeps happening to someone, what do you think will happen next?”

“Huh? Not sure?”

“They begin thinking that all of their success is because of their abilities.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes a little.

Park Yu-Min nodded and chimed in. “That happens a lot in life, even in esports scene. If you keep winning by finding ways to overcome obstacles, you’re bound to think everything you do and every decision you make is the correct one. Even though it was a bad call in reality, and you’ve made it work through brute force.”

Ju Yeong-Gi clapped enthusiastically. “Kuh-heuh! Thank you very much for the timely assistance. Much obliged.”

“My pleasure.”

After exchanging that brief banter, Ju Yeong-Gi focused his attention on Kang Jin-Ho again, his expression much more serious.

“You seem to be doing extremely well for yourself these days.”

“...”

“What I’m worried about is that... Well, when things constantly work out for you, and you keep being successful, you’re bound to get overconfident about yourself, okay? With the situation like that, when do you think you’ll start encountering problems?”

“...”

“It’s when you’re wrong and other people are right, okay? In the past, you’d have no problem listening to their advice, but now? You ain’t gonna do that. Why? Because you were successful by doing things your way.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression changed weirdly.