Chapter 1567 Scolding (2)

Kang Jin-Ho incredulously asked, “And so... You insulted him right to his face, calling him a pro-Japanese and all that, before leaving?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu dismissively waved his hand. “Why is that an insult? Calling a dog a dog is not an insult, okay? So, calling a Jap ass-kisser a Jap ass-kisser is not an insult.”

Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut. Hwang Jeong-Hu was technically correct on this one, but...

Calling a dog a dog was certainly not an insult, but calling someone a son of a b*tch probably qualified as one!

Hwang Jeong-Hu gulped the coffee straight from the cup in his hand before putting it down on the table. “In any case! I never liked that pro-Jap punk strutting around as if he’s somebody special while calling himself a chairman and whatnot. So that felt great! When will I ever get a chance to insult a bastard like him to his face unless I seize opportunities like this one?”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned wryly. Of course, he still didn’t forget what he must do.

“Thank you, Chairman Hwang.”

When Kang Jin-Ho bowed, Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled softly.

“You don’t have to thank me. Besides, you ain’t the type to lose sleep over stuff like this, anyway. Yeah, I know I didn’t have to butt in. I just wanted to insult that fool, that’s all.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu was being half-truthful just then.

He firmly believed that such a matter would never be enough to shake Kang Jin-Ho up. Considering all the things Kang Jin-Ho had gone through, this event should be nothing more than a minor blip in his life.

If suppliers were playing hard to get, Kang Jin-Ho would’ve probably set up his own supply network instead and gladly shouldered the inconveniences and losses incurred while doing so. That was who he was, after all.

If those fools were serious about taking Kang Jin-Ho on, they chose the wrong way to go about it.

“In any case... I’m telling you, that pro-Jap bastard is no good at all. His head is filled with nothing but jealousy and ego. A delightful little bundle of vanity, that’s what he is! It’s too bad that a punk like that had a talent for making money. What a great sorrow it is for this country that his company ended up as one of its largest!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu continued to grumble as if he genuinely despised Jeong Hong-Geun.

“But you need to remember this, Jin-Ho.”

“Yes, chairman?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu’s expression was grave.

“There’s a simple explanation for how that bastard managed to grow his company to its current size. You see, he can be unimaginably obsessive. A man like that is targeting you now, so this incident won’t die down quietly.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

When Kang Jin-Ho nodded nonchalantly, Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled wryly.

“Hey, aren’t you being too relaxed here? Listen, Jin-Ho. You’re dealing with Taegwang, okay? We’re talking about Jeong Hong-Geun here. Take them lightly, and you’ll get sucker punched in the face.”

“I’m not underestimating them. It’s just that...”

“Just what?”

Kang Jin-Ho replied indifferently. “I’m not quite sure whether to designate him as an enemy or as an annoying boomer, you see?”

“Say what now?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled helplessly.

Even if he traveled the length and breadth of South Korea, he’d not find anyone else ballsy enough to talk about Jeong Hong-Geun in this manner other than Kang Jin-Ho. What was even more amusing was that Kang Jin-Ho was genuinely not bluffing here.

Hah. I guess I can’t act like an adult anymore.

Hwang Jeong-Hu already knew he and Kang Jin-Ho were similar in mental age. Even then, he could still offer advice on things because his experience of modern society was vastly superior to Kang Jin-Ho’s.

But now, Kang Jin-Ho had pretty much finished his journey to become a modern-era person. Not only did he build a domain of his own, but he even exercised an even greater level of influence than Hwang Jeong-Hu these days.

Damn. And he used to be a clueless little kid not too long ago, too...

Of course, it was only his outer appearance that looked like a youngster, but still!

Hwang Jeong-Hu felt a little sad that he no longer had anything of value to offer to Kang Jin-Ho other than these unnecessary lectures.

“Yes... I’m sure you’ll handle it just fine.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Don’t worry, I will.”

“However, keep your law-breaking to a minimum, okay?”

“...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu deeply furrowed his brow. “I’m not trying to run my mouth off about how you do things. It’s not like I can proudly boast about leading a squeaky-clean life, after all. However... Your situation has changed a lot, hasn’t it? You don’t have to stick to your old ways of doing things anymore.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded again, this time much more contemplatively. Regardless of whether he agreed or not with that statement, he didn’t want to argue with Hwang Jeong-Hu here.

To him, Hwang Jeong-Hu would always be like a mentor. Their age gap, or the lack of it, didn’t even come into the equation. Because of Hwang Jeong-Hu, not only Kang Jin-Ho but his family were able to find their happiness.

Since he owed so much, he should repay the favor, too. Even if Hwang Jeong-Hu believed that the favor had already been repaid through Kang Jin-Ho fixing his illness and helping him manage his health.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Chairman.”

“Tsk...” Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted softly to mask his sheepishness. “Looks like I didn’t have to say anything, after all.”

“No, not at all,” said Kang Jin-Ho while staring straight at Hwang Jeong-Hu. “You’ve always been a great help.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression conveyed how sincere he was.

Now feeling a bit embarrassed, Hwang Jeong-Hu fake-coughed to clear his throat, then mouthed a cigarette. Kang Jin-Ho probably had no idea that those seemingly simple words meant so much to Hwang Jeong-Hu.

Countless people could put him on a pedestal and respect him as Chairman Hwang Jeong-Hu, but that still wouldn’t be enough to fill the emptiness in his heart. Only the earnest evaluations from the people he acknowledged could serve as the affirmation that his life had not been in vain.

“Alright, let’s drop the subject, then. Right... What about Min-Su? Is he doing okay?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “No, he’s very bad at his job.”

“...H-huh?”

“Very bad. Terrible, in fact.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu’s expression stiffened noticeably. “I, I see. Then...”

“That’s why you should forget about taking him back to Jaegyeong. I’m keeping him.”

“Huh...? What the hell, you dummy...!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu’s stiff expression softened immediately in relief, and he reclined against the chair. Even though he hadn’t said anything about it openly, it was still obvious that he had been worried about Hwang Min-Su.

Lee Hyeon-Su, who had been standing silently behind Kang Jin-Ho, smiled gently and spoke up. He knew he shouldn’t carelessly butt in on the conversation between these two chairmen, but now was the time he should step in.

“Chairman, President Hwang is doing a great job,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. He even helpfully explained some more. “Without him, it would’ve been impossible for our franchise to settle down, sir. Even if we had somehow pulled it off without his help, things wouldn’t have been as successful. I swear to you, your son has done so much for us.”

“Really now? But what can an idiot like him do, anyway?” Hwang Jeong-Hu grunted in dissatisfaction. “Even so... Uh, mm, well. Yes, he did learn a lot under me, after all. Even though his personality is questionable, his abilities mean he should do a pretty decent job no matter who he is working for. Hmm, hmm!”

When Hwang Jeong-Hu sneakily covered his mouth just as his face grew a little flushed, Kang Jin-Ho subtly bit his lip. But he still found it difficult to stifle his laughter.

If you’re so proud of your son, you could take him back to your company, you know?

Hwang Min-Su would’ve probably dropped everything and rushed back to Jaegyeong if Hwang Jeong-Hu had asked him to return. However, it seemed that neither the father nor the son wanted to do that just yet.

Lee Hyeon-Su continued to speak. “Not only is he doing excellent work for us, but he’s also passionate about it, as well. So much so that even I’m tempted to learn from his example.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu nodded weightily. “A man who doesn’t devote himself to his work is worthless, after all. What’s the point if you can’t even utilize your skill set, am I right? You know what? Working hard shouldn’t be praised here. No, those who don’t work as hard should be embarrassed, instead!”

“I... Of course, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su wisely clamped his mouth shut and took a step back. If he pushed more than this, it might backfire on him, instead. He figured the best option was to retire from this conversation before it was too late.

Kang Jin-Ho grinned wryly. “What about your eldest son...”

“Let him be. I’m sure he’ll find his own path sooner or later.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu dragged in a deep puff of his cigarette before sighing softly.

His thoughts had gotten more complicated after being reminded of his sons. After all, they were the most painful failures of the man who derived so much pride from how righteous his life had been.

Hwang Jeong-Hu kept puffing away in silence before glancing at Kang Jin-Ho. That was when he spoke bitterly. “What you told me back then... Yeah, you were right, Jin-Ho. It was my fault.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s head snapped in Hwang Jeong-Hu’s direction. “I’m sorry?”

He never expected those words to come out of Hwang Jeong-Hu’s mouth one day. To him, this was even more shocking than receiving the news of Japan invading Korea.

“Min-Su working for you in MK finally opened my eyes, Jin-Ho. As it turned out, Jaegyeong really wasn’t a good environment for my sons. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, everyone sucked up to them for being my kids. No wonder things ended up this way.”

“I, uh... I’m sorry?”

That didn’t sound like the correct conclusion, though?

“I should’ve kicked them out a long time ago and forced them to experience how brutal real life could be. But it was my mistake. Yeah, I admit it! Lions supposedly push their offspring off cliffs, don’t they!”

But that would kill the cubs, though...?

Hwang Jeong-Hu was nonchalantly spouting some bogus philosophy that might scare the bejesus out of the lions if they heard him!

While thinking that humans really were impossible to change, Kang Jin-Ho began probing Hwang Jeong-Hu a little. “You know, I was kidding earlier, but...”

“Mm?”

“If you want President Hwang back, you can tell me anytime. I’ll send him back right away.”

“Why would I want him back?” Hwang Jeong-Hu asked back in dismay. “Don’t you know how great things have been for my company recently? Our revenue actually improved by five percent last year, Jin-Ho!”

“No, I know.”

After Hwang Jeong-Su had brought a sense of normalcy back to Jaegyeong’s operations, the company began experiencing continued growth. Of course, it obviously didn’t grow at the same exponential rate as in the past, but at least it was a steady growth, so that was something.

On top of that, he even worked tirelessly to secure the continued integrity of the company’s operations and finances.

Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted loudly. “My foolish sons nearly destroyed my company, okay? Gimme a break. I’d rather sell my company than hand it over to those idiots!”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned. “And who will you sell it to?”

“I don’t know. I guess the Chinese will be delighted by the idea.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply. “Chairman Hwang?”

“Mm?”

“Humans can’t live forever.”

“...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu narrowed his eyes after noticing how grave Kang Jin-Ho sounded just then.

“Everyone knows that truth, but everyone also lives without knowing it. By the time they realize it, it’d be too late to do anything.”

Those words contained Kang Jin-Ho’s own life experiences. That was why they were so heavy; that was why they were the truth.

“Yeah, I know what you mean, but...”

“Chairman. It’s about time you think about finding a successor.”

“I’m still fine, okay?”

“Humans can die at any moment, Chairman Hwang.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu furrowed his brow as if to say this conversation was getting uncomfortable. But one of his ironclad rules was to never interrupt someone giving him important life advice.

“Dying of a sickness or of old age isn’t the only way to die, chairman. You might die unexpectedly after the ceiling caves in on you tomorrow. As a man who is in charge of so many things and so many people, it is paramount for you to choose your successor as soon as possible.”

After Kang Jin-Ho died, the Demon Cult was nearly obliterated out of existence.

Under his rule, the Demon Cult had conquered the entirety of Zhongyuan. No other sect, clan, or faction had managed a feat as impressive before or since. In other words, even the strongest force under the heavens, the Demon Cult, couldn’t deal with Kang Jin-Ho’s passing and devolved into a third-rate sect in the end.

Since Kang Jin-Ho’s influence had been so significant, the void he left behind proved just as gaping and unbridgeable.

In that case, what about Jaegyeong? What would happen to it if Hwang Jeong-Hu collapsed without warning?

Trying to fill the void with a system of governance wouldn’t be quite enough at the end of the day.

“Chairman, you told me that Jaegyeong isn’t yours only. Even when you’re gone, the Jaegyeong employees need to keep making a living, yes? Isn’t it your duty to prepare for such an eventuality, too?”

“Really? You think I haven’t thought about it? Give me a break!”

“Oh, I see. What do you have in mind, then?” Kang Jin-Ho asked, his complexion brightening a little.

“Now that you’ve brought it up...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu sat forward as a subtle grin floated up on his lips. However, that smile only made Kang Jin-Ho more anxious, instead. Because Hwang Jeong-Hu never made a face like that while talking about his sons, Hwang Min-Jae or Hwang Min-Su!

What kind of curveball is he going to throw at me this time?

Just as Kang Jin-Ho began wondering if he should try to change the topic, Hwang Jeong-Hu made sure there was no escape this time.

“I’m talking about my successor, Jin-Ho. How about you do it?”

“...Eh?”

Genuine bewilderment spread on Kang Jin-Ho’s face.