Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 579. Tightening (4)

“With that... Our funding problem has been sorted out, which means…” Hwang Jeong-Hu leisurely muttered.

'No, Chairman. It's definitely not sorted out, sir! How can that monumental problem be solved like this?'

Jo Gyu-Min was flabbergasted. He just couldn't keep up with these two men's conversation! If money problems could be dealt with so easily like this, why did so many people in the world struggle to put food on their tables every day? They could just go and make some money, no?!

“H-hold on, sir! Chairman, I don't think this problem is so easy to deal with!”

“Huh?” Hwang Jeong-Hu cocked an eyebrow. “Didn't Jin-Ho say he'll earn that money? In that case, what's the problem?”

“But, but! That's easier said than done, sir!”

“Wait. Could it be that you don't trust Jin-Ho?”

“Heol...” Jo Gyu-Min's jaw dropped. He nearly wanted to scream, 'What the hell? Sir, how could you say something like that here? This isn't the problem of my beliefs but more like whether it's even possible or not!' After sucking in a deep breath to calm himself first, Jo Gyu-Min stared solemnly at Hwang Jeong-Hu. “Chairman, sir. I do trust Mister Jin-Ho. However, my trust still isn't enough to let him soar through the skies like a bird.”

“...Really? I have a strong hunch that he might, though?”

“I'm sorry?”

“Let's be honest here, okay? Don't you think that's not that ludicrous of an idea?”

“...Now that you mention it, yes, it does seem like a possibility.”

In terms of sheer difficulty, Kang Jin-Ho soaring through the skies seemed a lot more probable than him coming home with a bag full of money. He couldn't be judged by the standards of normal human beings, after all!

Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted. “Jin-Ho said he'll make the money, so he will, somehow. So, let's worry about that later.”

“...”

Huh...

Jo Gyu-Min suddenly broke into a peal of raucous laughter.

“Understood, sir.”

A businessman who successfully ran a corporation throughout his entire adult life wanted to push the money matters aside and insisted on discussing other stuff first. Meanwhile, a dude whose only source of actual income until now was a lone pizzeria confidently declared he'd somehow make enough money to manage a large foundation.

At this point in the story, they were no longer dealing with reality but some kind of fantasy.

'Oh, well. This is nothing new, isn't it?'

Truthfully speaking... Jo Gyu-Min's life had never been the same after Kang Jin-Ho's appearance. It had become the stuff of fantastical tall tales, so caring about common sense and logic at this point was nonsense.

“In that case, let's skip the money talk and continue our discussion, sir,” said Jo Gyu-Min.

“This fella... Making me repeat the same thing over and over again...!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu's loud grumbling forced Jo Gyu-Min to sneakily turn his head away. Why did he have to open his dang trap now and get his head bitten off?

“Fine, fine. Let's move on. Our money flow issue is solved, which leaves us with this other topic. Okay, Jin-Ho. What exactly do you mean by welfare? What is your aim?”

“I don't understand.” Kang Jin-Ho replied as if he had never been asked such a question before in his entire life.

Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted. “I want to know what kind of a welfare foundation you want to operate. Is it education-focused or medical? If not, simply providing a place for people to stay? If that's also not it...”

“Hmm? Can't it be all of those things?”

“What the hell is wrong with you, you moron!” Hwang Jeong-Hu roared loudly. Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut while making an awkward face. But Hwang Jeong-Hu didn't stop there and continued yelling as if he was in the zone. “All you can do is talk! All talk and not much else! Whatsoever! Anyone can dream big, you hear me! What did you say to me that day? That you won't make me regret this?”

“But, Chairman. Aren't you working to your heart's content again after joining our foundation? This is why I said we need you to...”

“What the hell! You damn con man!” Hwang Jeong-Hu exploded in more rage. But Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but laugh at this.

This discussion had proven that the presence of a capable administrator would go a long way in smoothing out the bumpy road up ahead. Kang Jin-Ho was powerful enough to effortlessly pull a wagon stuffed full of goods all by himself. Unfortunately, he wasn't careful enough to notice all the goods spilling out from the back of said cart. So, he desperately needed someone like Jo Gyu-Min to keep an eye out on the back door-related stuff.

But now, Kang Jin-Ho learned that he required one more person.

'Right. I need someone to show me the way, too.'

Simply put, Kang Jin-Ho was an engine without a steering wheel. He possessed enough strength to drag a house-sized wagon up a hill that not even horses would dare to climb. Unfortunately, he had no sense of direction, so to speak, and would wander aimlessly between different hills.

But now, Hwang Jeong-Hu chose to stand before Kang Jin-Ho and spread open a comprehensive map. A comprehensive road map, to be exact.

“In the end, what you really wanted was... To expand the operation of the Seongsim Orphanage. At least, that's what it sounds like to me." Hwang Jeong-Hu asked while huffing away.

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded.

“A man usually has no clue what they want, anyway. I'm sure you've been to many different places like hospitals and whatnot, but you ultimately got drawn into that place. Which can only mean you are interested in the well-being of children.”

“I guess so,” Kang Jin-Ho casually replied, even though that wasn't exactly true. Rather than being interested in the children's welfare, it'd be more correct to say he was unhappy with the situations of some people who couldn't oppose their fate because they were born into unfair and difficult environments.

Even Kang Jin-Ho's second life would've ended in tragedy had he not met his master.

People often harped on about 'effort'. Even Hwang Jeong-Hu was guilty of this. They all said that putting in enough effort should be enough. That enough effort should overcome anything...!

However, Kang Jin-Ho knew something they had overlooked. In this world, some people wouldn't even get the chance to put in their effort. Despite knowing this...

“Yes, it's something like that,” said Kang Jin-Ho. He didn't feel the need to go into details right now.

“Okay. In that case, here's my opinion…” Hwang Jeong-Hu scratched his chin. “Expanding the orphanage's operations bit by bit like this is simply too inefficient. Managing personnel will become harder, and you'll have to spend twice the budget. Not only that, but... You might feel a bit unhappy to hear this, but you still need to hear me out. Unless you can make ten clones of yourself, you will have no choice but to hand over all authority to the orphanage directors and stop by each establishment once in a blue moon to see how things are going. However, are you confident enough about securing ten-plus trustworthy individuals?”

“Mm...!” Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. He hadn't even thought about this problem before.

As expected of Hwang Jeong-Hu. His approach proved to be a world apart from Kang Jin-Ho's. Should this be chalked down to the mindset of a savvy entrepreneur?

While Kang Jin-Ho was worrying about how to run his foundation to help as many people as possible, Hwang Jeong-Hu was focusing on realistic issues first.

“In that case, how about we go big?” Hwang Jeong-Hu stared meaningfully at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Big, you say?”

“Yes. Really big.” Hwang Jeong-Hu smirked deeply. “Let's not bother with tediously small-scale operations. Since I'm involved anyway, let's use my name, too. And you said you'd also contribute by making money, so... Let's build a massive orphanage.”

“...When you say massive, how big are we talking about, Chairman?” Kang Jin-Ho suspiciously asked.

“As big as ten orphanages put together. At the beginning of the operation, I'm thinking of around fifty kids per year.”

“Huh?! W-wait, sir!” Jo Gyu-Min freaked out at that declaration. “Fifty kids per year means almost one thousand children if we accept high schoolers, too!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu nodded. “Right. Doesn't a single orphanage usually have around a hundred kids?”

“W-well, something like that. Yes.”

“So? What's the problem, then? Instead of building ten orphanages with a hundred kids each, wouldn't it be much simpler to build one giant orphanage with a thousand kids?”

“N-no, sir. That's not it!” Jo Gyu-Min urgently tried to dissuade Hwang Jeong-Hu. “There is a reason why such institutions have never been established until now. First of all, that many kids living under one roof means you'll require various facilities to deal with their needs. And over six hundred children would need to receive education, too. How will we accommodate all of them?”

“Why can't we?”

“Let's be realistic about this, sir. Firstly, residents will raise a massive and vocal opposition if a large orphanage is built in their neighborhood. They will be worried about the devaluing of their real estate because of the orphanage's presence. Also, the orphans might not want to enter a school in such large numbers. With all these issues... We might not even get to open our foundation, sir!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu loudly tutted. “Tsk, tsk... Will you listen to this dummy?”

“I'm sorry?”

“Listen, Gyu-Min. Why would we send those kids to other schools? When over six hundred kids would need education, as you said? Won't we have a reliable source of income? So, let's just build a damn school for ourselves!”

“...B-Build a school, sir?!”

“That's right. What's the biggest problem these orphans face while attending normal schools?”

That question was answered by Kang Jin-Ho. “It's the gazes of their peers.”

“That's right. Gazes that say that brat is different from me. Gazes of contempt just because you're an orphan. Constantly being subjected to such gazes is why orphans hate going to school and stray into bad paths.”

“Y-yes, sir. That is true.”

“In that case, we do the reverse by building a school for them. Under the name of our foundation, too. And we only let the orphanage kids attend it. Since everyone is from the same background, they won't discriminate against each other, right?”

Jo Gyu-Min stared in stupefaction at Hwang Jeong-Hu. 'What the hell? What is up with this scale...?'

Didn't Hwang Jeong-Hu complain about Kang Jin-Ho talking big earlier? But now, Hwang Jeong-Hu's own dream was big enough to leave the planet and reach outer space!

How did the discussion about building an orphanage morph into building a school?

“One foundation operating a school and an orphanage at the same time will help massively with the communication between school teachers and caregivers. And that in turn will help with the orphans, too.” Hwang Jeong-Hu turned his head toward Kang Jin-Ho. “Isn't this what you wanted? To nurture the kids the right way?”

“Well, I'm not sure about the right way to raise them, but making their lives more comfortable is my goal, yes.”

“Then, we're on the same page,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu. “The best way to achieve that goal is doing it my way. I'd even posit that having lots of kids will be better for us.”

“How so?”

“Isn't this the problem all those caregivers struggle with on the job? You know, how all the kids in different age groups mingle together. Like, teens going through puberty are jostling for attention against toddlers, then you have energetic, innocent kids jumping and running around all over the place while high school seniors are trying to study for their entrance tests.”

“W-well, yes. That is the situation at Seongsim,” Jo Gyu-Min and Kang Jin-Ho both nodded in agreement.

“However, if we have lots of kids... We can divide them by their school years and assign their own caregivers. There are various ways to handle it, but the overall framework won't change. This will make the lives of both the kids and the caregivers much, much easier. And it will also eliminate the need for caregivers to prepare meals for the children. We will have a dedicated kitchen for that, after all.”

“Uh... Mm...” Jo Gyu-Min roughly scratched his head. “This... It sounds like a grand plan, sir. But I'm having somewhat of a hard time understanding it. I haven't heard or seen a concept like this before, you see...”

Despite saying that, Jo Gyu-Min still couldn't help but chuckle.

'Seriously now... Chairman Hwang is simply built different, huh.'

Jo Gyu-Min and Kang Jin-Ho approached this topic with the mindset of protecting orphans and caring for them. As such, they might have never come up with this idea by themselves. Dividing children according to their age and assigning dedicated caregivers...?

Jo Gyu-Min narrowed his eyes. “Sir, isn't this a bit like...?”

“Mm? What is it?” Hwang Jeong-Hu glanced back.

“N-no, sir. Don't mind me.” Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly shook his head in an attempt to disguise his flabbergast. 'Holy cow... Isn't this how you run a factory?'

Why did Hwang Jeong-Hu's idea sound eerily like converting a small-scale production line manufacturing various items into mass-producing a single item? Hwang Jeong-Hu basically wanted to dump kids into a systematically-run organization to ensure they'd grow up in a non-discriminatory and stable environment, but...

“Sir, wouldn't there be serious side effects by doing this?”

“Well, sure. Those kids might not smell like humans as much,” Hwang Jeong-Hu smirked suspiciously. “However, that isn't the problem of the system. No, that's the issue with the caregivers. What we need to prioritize over everything else is adults, you two. You think we need to prioritize children, but that's a mistake. You gotta prioritize caregivers the most.”

“Sir?”

“Think about this for a second, okay? What kind of people are orphanage caregivers?”

Jo Gyu-Min frowned slightly. “Well, uh... They are nice people, I suppose? Kind-hearted and dedicated to serving the community? Something like that?”

“And that's where you’re wrong.”

“It is?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu scowled deeply. “Idiots always miss the mark, don't they? Why do adults need to be nice and kind-hearted?”

“Sir? Isn't it because they influence the children?”

“Listen, you fool! If those caregivers get paid over a hundred million won each annually, would you still say they are kind-hearted for working in the orphanage?”

Jo Gyu-Min clamped his mouth shut. Of course he wouldn't think that way. He'd say those caregivers made a logical career choice by chasing after high wages.

“This whole thing about only kind people working for an orphanage? People incorrectly assume that caregivers do this job despite pitiful wages and extremely stressful environments because they love looking after needy kids. Sure, that might have a grain of truth in that. Even so, taking that mentality for granted will ruin everything!” Hwang Jeong-Hu grunted unhappily while slamming his palm on the armrest.

He continued, “You want to create a good environment for these orphans? Then hire top-of-the-line caregivers! However! Do you seriously think you can lure them with crap salary offers? That's the mentality of damn thieves!”

Jo Gyu-Min felt like a hammer had struck his head just then. While blinking nonstop, he stared at Hwang Jeong-Hu. Finally, he understood why Kang Jin-Ho had been so adamant about recruiting Chairman Hwang.

'Wow. The way he thinks about stuff is totally different from us.'

It all became crystal-clear now. They needed Hwang Jeong-Hu's expertise, no matter what!

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