Descent of the Demon Master

“We're lacking in food, my liege. To be more precise, we receive abundant food on time, but the ingredients are all Korean. And that's making it very difficult for us to get used to the food here,” said Chang Min while making an apologetic face.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “...So, you want ingredients imported from China?”

“My liege, what we seek are ingredients for Chinese dishes, not ingredients made in China.”

“Oh. Got it.”

“Also, we're currently setting up tents as you can see, but these are still inadequate to accommodate everyone. We need additional shipping containers as temporary lodging, my liege. Actually, it doesn't have to be shipping containers at all. Anything will do at this stage as long as we can stay dry in the rain and avoid cold during stormy winds.”

“I see. That can be…”

“However, it doesn't matter whether it's a tent or a shipping container if there is no electricity, my liege. We need to hook these tents up to the main grid somehow, or we won't be able to do anything. Unfortunately, we haven't confirmed if we are permitted to connect to the grid on our own. For instance, do we need a permit from the local government? And if we do, what are the steps we must follow?”

“…Huh.”

Without saying anything else, Kang Jin-Ho began backing away stealthily. However, Chang Min seemed determined to make hay while the sun still shone and stuck very closely to Kang Jin-Ho, his lips constantly and tirelessly moving.

“We might have a place to sleep, but sleep alone isn't enough to keep us going, my liege. We need to install more portable toilets and maybe even water fountains. Also, we've raised this issue the last time, but no progress has been made so far, which has puzzled us greatly… Kuh-hum! Oh, my liege!”

Kang Jin-Ho grandly flinched at Chang Min’s passionate tone. “Y-yeah?”

“We had to cross the ocean with only the shirts on our backs, my liege. In other words, we don't even have spare underpants with us. We're fully prepared to gladly undergo any hardship for the sake of your grand ambition, but… Shouldn't we at least live like human beings in the meantime? We haven't received any daily necessities until now, my liege. Everyone smells so bad that even I'm having an incredibly difficult time enduring it!”

“...Isn’t that, uh, because no one’s taking a shower?”

“Yes! That's exactly it, my liege! You've hit the nail on the head! Things would be so much better if the cult believers could, at least, wash themselves more frequently, but there simply are not enough showers available for everyone. To facilitate our needs, we need more water supply. If that's not possible, then perhaps temporarily hiring water trucks to supply us with necessary water could be a viable alternative. All this is for the glory of…”

“Chang Min?”

“Yes, my liege!”

“...Compile a list and send it upstairs.”

“But, my liege! We've already done that a long, long time ago, but nothing has been done until now. However, the one who approves all these decisions is you, our demon emperor, our rightful master! Even as the piles of documents grow every day, this servant struggles to understand why my liege is strolling around… Mm? M-my liege? My liege!”

By then, Kang Jin-Ho was already some distance away, his legs moving surprisingly quickly.

“My liiiiege! Please don’t forsake us! My liege!”

“I-I’m not forsaking anyone! I’m gonna send Lee Hyeon-Su, okay?”

“Nooo, my liege!”

Kang Jin-Ho urgently fled the scene and disappeared from Chang Min’s view.

***

“And what got your panties in a twist now?” Bang Jin-Hun groaned while massaging his temples.

Cheon Tae-Hun pouted unhappily. “It’s our so-called guests from China, sir. They have been making way too much ruckus.”

“What? Considering their situation, a Chinese restaurant making a ruckus makes sense, so what the hell? You're supposed to get a move on so we can deliver to one more customer, you know?”[1]

“Heol?! Did you just belittle our jobs, sir? I'm rather disappointed by your conduct, Director Bang.”

“I was just kidding, you numbnuts!”

This time, it was Bang Jin-Hun's turn to yell in unhappiness. However, it seemed Cheon Tae-Hun had no thoughts of backing off here. “Please don't lump the poor delivery folks working for Chinese restaurants with our so-called Chinese guests, sir. The delivery people are Koreans, after all.”

“...And when did you develop such tear-inducing patriotism, Tae-Hun?”

“It’s all because of them, sir!”

“Haaah?” Bang Jin-Hun frowned deeply in irritation. “Fine! Let’s hear it. What’s the problem?”

“Those bastards, they… They've crossed the line, sir. They use the toilets in our dorms as if they own them and even do laundry in our showers! None of our guys can properly wash up from all the nonsense going in there, sir! As you can imagine, several fights have broken out already.”

“I see. So? Did they hit you?”

“No, sir. We opened a can of whoop-ass on them.”

“Nice wor… Kuh-hum! What the hell, man?! Didn’t we tell you guys to get along!?”

“How can we get along with those bastards, sir!”

Bang Jin-Hun loudly groaned.

‘Aaaargh, these goddamn idiots. Seriously now…’

Everyone expected there to be some problems. After all, the number of demonic cultivators that "joined" the Martial Assembly this time was much higher than the Assembly’s martial artists.

Obviously, the Martial Assembly should boast a higher number when tallying up every member dispersed throughout the country, but with only those staying in the Assembly HQ grounds or commuting here every morning… Even a blind person could see that the demonic cultivators held the numerical advantage.

Since the number of guests was higher than the masters of the house, how could problems not rear their ugly heads?

‘No, hang on. That’s not quite right, is it?’

At least guests would go home sooner or later, meaning the masters of the house only needed to tough it out for a little bit longer. However, those demonic cultivators were going nowhere. It'd be more apt to say they were new family members about to embark on a life together... Which meant they were here to stay!

From the perspective of the Martial Assembly, wasn’t this situation the same as the number of totally useless parasitic dependents suddenly ballooning beyond control?

No wonder various problems stemming from friction were popping up everywhere.

Bang Jin-Hun rubbed his temples. “Can’t you, like… You know, talk to each other and try to be nice?”

“How can we talk to them when we don't even understand what they are saying, sir? Those people just start blabbering in Chinese whenever we try to talk to them, and out of everything they say, we can only understand one word.”

“Really? What’s that?”

“It’s ‘wangbadan’, sir.”

“And what does that supposed to mean?”

“Well, in Korean, it’s close to, ‘You son of a b*tch!’ Sir.”

“…”

Bang Jin-Hun slowly but fiercely massaged his face.

‘Hah, this goddamn… Gimme a break, you sh*theads!’

Two groups filled with hot-blooded youths had come together. To make matters worse, one group consisted of Koreans while the other was the Chinese. Maybe Bang Jin-Hun should get down on his knees and thank the heavens for preventing an outbreak of a mass brawl!

For now, the demonic cultivators were mindful of Kang Jin-Ho. The same story also applied to the Assembly's martial artists, and that had prevented the eruption of a large-scale conflict between the two groups. However, this status quo wouldn't last for long.

‘Right. If this keeps up, something really bad will happen sooner rather than later.’

It sounded like someone had to step up as a mediator and calm the parties down.

“Listen, Cheon Tae-Hun,” said Bang Jin-Hun.

“Yes, director.”

“I’ll do something about this situation, okay? And I’ll do it as soon as possible, too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“However, you gotta make sure everyone understands, okay?”

Cheon Tae-Hun tilted his head. “Sir?”

“Any f*cking idiot who decides to cause a scene will be stripped buck-naked and dropped in the middle of Gangnam's busiest street. So, you better tell everyone to behave themselves, or I'm gonna show them a world of hurt. You get what I'm saying?”

“But, sir? How are we supposed to hold ourselves back when they deliberately get on our nerves first?”

“Listen here, you dumbass. Humans don’t just start fighting because they get provoked, okay? Only beasts do that. The normal thing to do when provoked is to walk away, you muscle-for-brains numbskulls!”

“...Yes, sir. We’ll try.”

Bang Jin-Hun groaned again before rising up to his feet. “Those folks are our new family members, okay? Even if you guys have to hold yourselves back, do your best to be nice to them. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“They are family! Family! Understand?”

“...Yes, I understand,” Cheon Tae-Hun testily replied, his dissatisfaction clearly showing in his expression.

Bang Jin-Hun shook his head and left his pouting subordinate behind. It was time to speak to Kang Jin-Ho.

***

“Separate them,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Bang Jin-Hun blinked his eyes. “...I’m sorry?”

“I said, separate them. Isolate the groups away from each other.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“Mm? Did I use difficult words or something?”

Bang Jin-Hun dazedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho before clamping his slack jaw shut. “Mister Kang… Kuh-hum. I mean, Assembly Master. Those Chinese bastards… uh, guests, are supposed to be new members of the Assembly, aren’t they?”

“No.”

“No?” Bang Jin-Hun’s eye-blinking of confusion intensified.

‘By the way… Why is this dude so happy to see me?’

Bang Jin-Hun couldn't remember Kang Jin-Ho being this friendly before. For instance, Kang Jin-Ho personally brewed coffee Bang Jin-Hun was drinking. And he didn't even bother to hide his happiness from his expression despite how unfriendly the contents of his speech were.

“It's not possible for them to share the same living space,” Kang Jin-Ho replied without much concern.

The environments the two groups lived in until now had been too disparate. The same also extended to mindsets, values, culture, and even the end goal.

Hoping for everyone to get along in harmony after throwing them in a pen together? Everyone might die from a fiery nuclear blast first before that could happen!

Bang Jin-Hun frowned deeply. “Assembly Master... I'll be honest. I don't get what you're trying to say here. Didn't you bring them here to shore up the Assembly's combat force?”

“Nope, that wasn’t the goal.”

“...What the f*ck?” Bang Jin-Hun’s mouth inadvertently let slip one of his favorite curses. “O-oops. My apologies, sir. I got flustered, you see…”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled good-naturedly. “Yes, I did bring them here as potential reinforcements, but the plan was never about having them join the Assembly. They are not a group of people that could be accepted into this organization, after all. Not only would they turn into poison that harms the Assembly, but they most likely wouldn't accept the idea of assimilation, either.”

“In that case, why did you let them into the dorms?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “They didn’t have a place to sleep. That’s why.”

Bang Jin-Hun coughed reflexively at the revelation of an unimaginably realistic reason.

“So, tell everyone to treat each other as air. We'll deal with the problems arising from their living spaces overlapping as soon as possible, so they gotta somehow stay patient until then.”

“Well, uh…” Bang Jin-Hun frowned. “Doing things this way should calm most of the discontent, but… Is this really the right way, I wonder…”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly. Here was the difference in culture on display.

If this had happened back in Zhongyuan, people wouldn't even have batted an eyelid. But the same event became a tricky affair to handle in modern-day Korea.

The South Koreans shared an emotional bond that said they were one people, that they came from a common ancestor. As such, acknowledging the individual differences and many disparate people living in a sort of alliance was a foreign concept to them. If you worked in the same company, you simply had to become friends with everyone there.

“The demon cult will remain as the demon cult. It can never become a part of the Assembly,” said Kang Jin-Ho. “Both organizations will hold equal status, even if they will operate with the same chain of command.”

“Mm? Will that be even possible?” Bang Jin-Hun tilted his head.

“Why do you think it won't work? The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Foreign Affairs are both government ministers answering to the President, but they still operate independently of each other. Between those two ministers, who do you think holds a higher office? Neither of them do since they are equals.”

Bang Jin-Hun cocked an eyebrow. “I think it’s the Minister of Foreign Affairs?”

“…”

“Yeah, I think it is. The Minister of Foreign Affairs holds a higher office, sir.”

“There’s a hierarchy among government ministers? Really?”

Bang Jin-Hun threw his hands up in the air. “Of course there is! Are you kidding me?”

“I guess I picked the wrong example, then…” Kang Jin-Ho smiled awkwardly after running out of clever things to say. “In any case! That's how things will be. I hope you understand.”

“Well, sure. I do, sir. But to do what you said, we gotta demarcate the two groups and their living spaces more clearly. I'm telling you, if we let them mingle like this, someone might get killed sooner or later, sir. And I'm definitely not kidding when saying that.”

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded. Forcing large groups of regular Chinese and Korean citizens to share cramped spaces together would inevitably lead to a terrible meltdown sooner rather than later. In that case, how much worse would it be when the people involved were violence-prone martial artists? The 'meltdown' wouldn't end with one or two dead bodies.

“We’ll do our best to sort it out as soon as we can, so be patient for a little longer.”

“Yes, sir. Well, it’s your decision and all, so…” Bang Jin-Hun mumbled while standing up to leave. He bowed at Kang Jin-Ho, then headed to the exit of Kang Jin-Ho’s office.

However, Bang Jin-Hun suddenly stopped and looked back at Kang Jin-Ho while chuckling good-naturedly. “Oh, right. By the way, sir…?”

“Yeah?”

“I think this is my first time asking you for help in resolving something, sir. Sooo, how does it feel? Does it feel like you're finally standing on top?”

“...Actually, I’ve been running away the whole day.”

“Mm? I’m sorry? I didn’t hear you.”

“N-no, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay. See you later, sir.”

After Bang Jin-Hun closed the door behind him and left, Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a fresh cigarette and lit it up.

‘This isn’t as easy as I thought…’

Hadn't Lee Hyeon-Su and Wiggins talked to him about this topic countless times before? Even Jo Gyu-Min said something similar some time ago, too. And that was how… Kang Jin-Ho didn't trust other people.

Delegating tasks he could perform himself to other people, then picking up the slack elsewhere, was something Kang Jin-Ho couldn't do.

Since he didn't know much about anything, Kang Jin-Ho tried to handle things that he could do, no matter what others said.

However, doing things that way didn't suit the man standing at the very top of an organization. That was why Kang Jin-Ho had delegated tasks to other people and tried to look for slacks he could pick up. Although it had been a tough and strangely uncomfortable experience for him so far, this was also another necessary step in becoming a better human being.

‘I can’t do everything by myself, after all.’

Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor said this, didn't he? That all the things Kang Jin-Ho had done would tighten around his throat like a noose? That a cataclysmic event he could never deal with would break out sooner or later?

That warning could still be proven right. Despite acknowledging that notion, though... Kang Jin-Ho also rejected it. Why? Because Kang Jin-Ho wasn't alone. Not anymore.

‘That’s right. I don’t have to deal with everything by myself.’

Everyone would work together and assist him. Absolutely everyone…

Slam!

That was when Lee Hyeon-Su charged into the office, his expression deeply crumpled. “Sir! How can you be snoozing in here when everyone is working their butts off outside!”

Snap!

The cigarette dangling between Kang Jin-Ho’s lips suddenly snapped in half.

Lee Hyeon-Su flinched grandly just then. “...I was just kidding, sir.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly pushed himself off the chair, then smiled brightly at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Of course I know.”

“Ahaha. In that case, we…”

“That is why what I’m about to do from now on is also me kidding around. Am I clear?”

“I’m sorry?!”

But, sir, I don’t think you’re in a mood to kid around?

After spotting the veins bulging on Kang Jin-Ho’s clenched fists, Lee Hyeon-Su silently squeezed his eyes shut.

Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed my luck so much…

1. There was a throwaway pun involving Korean "Chinese" restaurants here, but it got lost in translation. My bad... ☜

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