Descent of the Demon Master

He then yelled at the workers.
“Slow down, my ass! Listen, Jin-Ho! Don ’t worry about anything, and just keep doing what you ’ve been doing, okay? Don ’t sweat about a thing since I ’m gonna talk to these idiots and sort everything out.”

When Kang Jin-Ho headed back to the truck to get more cargo, the warehouse manager resumed scolding the other workers.
“Even if that guy brings more cargo and piles them here, just leave them be and do your jobs! Isn ’t that simple enough? So, why are you trying to stop someone from doing a good job?!”

“…But, Manager! We ’re working our asses off here, but our bloody workload isn ’t decreasing at all! How can we motivate ourselves to keep going in that case?”

“Motivation? Did you just ask me about motivation here? Is going home three hours early not enough motivation for you?!”

The complaining workers heard the manager ’s yell and began nodding away without realizing it.
There was no denying that Kang Jin-Ho ’s introduction to the team led to their shift ending earlier than scheduled.
Before that young man ’s arrival, the earliest their shift ended was around five in the morning.
But these days? It would regularly end around four o ’clock—sometimes at three.

“But, uh, Manager? Don ’t we have fewer part-timers these days?”

The manager tilted his head.
“Fewer part-timers? So what?”

“I mean, we have fewer workers manning this loading bay, no?”

“Oh, that? If you ’re not happy about it, why don ’t you go and tell the higher-ups to hire more part-timers? Don ’t forget to mention that the shifts also end three hours early while you ’re at it.”

“Oh…”

Doing that would only make the upper management demand a further reduction in the workforce instead.

The worker didn ’t give up, though, and tried to complain for one last time.
“It ’s good to end the shift early, but…
I don ’t know if my back will survive this ordeal, Manager.”

“What are you so worried about? You don ’t have any other uses for your damn back, anyway! It wouldn ’t matter if you break it, so get back to work, will ya?”

“…Eii.”

The manager pointed toward the loading bay.
“Look, Jin-Ho ’s already coming back.”

’

Kang Jin-Ho was carrying several sacks of cement on his back.

One of the workers muttered, “Maybe… he was a slave building the Pyramids in his previous life?”

Piling up that many sacks at once would make most people lose their balance regardless of the cargo’s actual weight.
But such logic didn ’t seem to affect Kang Jin-Ho at all.
Even though the sacks of cement were stacked so much higher than his own height, he was deftly maintaining his balance without any issues.
At this point, it was like witnessing an acrobatic stunt performance.

“Jin-Ho would make a killing in the circus, so why is he even working here, I wonder?”

“What can I say when this is what he wants to do?”

The workers groaned deeply as Kang Jin-Ho walked up to them.

“I guess we ’ll have to deal with even more cargo now…”

***

The manager guffawed.
“Jin-Ho, thank you for your hard work!”

“It was nothing, sir.”

“Here! Here ’s your wages for today.”

“Thank you…” Kang Jin-Ho bowed after receiving the envelope with money inside.

“Well, then! We ’ll see you tomorrow as well.”

”Manager, there ’s something I wanted to talk to you about that… ”

“Mm?!” The manager ’s eyes grew wider.
It didn ’t take a genius to figure out what Kang Jin-Ho wanted to say in this kind of situation.
“A-are you thinking of quitting?”

“Yes, Manager.
I ’ve accumulated enough experience, so I was thinking about getting a different…”

“Is it because the pay isn ’t good enough? T-then, how about I pay you a hundred grand more?”

“No, Manager.
It ’s not about the money, but…”

“In that case, I ’ll double your pay! Six hundred grand per day! How about that!”

The workers listening from the side gasped in shock and their jaws dropped to the floor.

“Heok?!”

“Holy cow.
Doesn ’t that mean a month of work is, what, eighteen million won? Is this a law firm or something?”

“Gee whiz, that young man might become the ’Warren Buffett ’ of the physical labor market at this rate.
Filthy rich, I tell ya.”

These workers had all spent many years in this profession.
Even so, none of them could remember hearing about someone getting paid six hundred grand[1] for a day ’s work.
As a matter of fact, even specialists working in highly-specific fields wouldn’t get paid that much!

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head.
“Manager, the issue is not with the money.
I ’m sorry.”

“W-why are you doing this, young man?! Y-you ’re born for this work, can ’t you see that?! The heavens sent you to Earth to become the best loading bay worker ever!”

Kang Jin-Ho coughed uncomfortably.
“Manager, please calm down.
What you said just now is actually an insult, you know?”

“I-is it?” The manager frustratingly scratched the back of his head when Kang Jin-Ho made a troubled face and clamped his mouth shut.
Eventually, the manager spat out a lengthy groan.
“Urgh…
I see.
Fine, there ’s no helping it, then.
However, we will have to find new people to fill the void left behind by you, Jin-Ho.
In the meantime, your fellow workers will have to bear the brunt of the workload.
Sorry about this, but can you work here for three extra days while I find new workers? Please?”

’

“I can do that,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a simple nod.

“Alright, then.
Let ’s agree to three extra days of work for you.”

A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled.

“Understood.
Well, then…” Kang Jin-Ho bowed and said goodbye before heading back to the parking lot.

The manager let out a long sigh of lamentation.
“Ah…
So, this is how the legend of the delivery service world ’s shining star will end, huh.”

Vroooom-!

Kang Jin-Ho ’s sleek Lamborghini let out a low rumble as it glided toward the exit.
The shuttle bus service was still in operation, but the shifts always ended way ahead of schedule, so Kang Jin-Ho had no chance to catch the bus.
In the end, he chose to just keep commuting in his car.

“See, I told you, Manager.
Why would a dude driving a Lamborghini keep working in a warehouse like this? I told you that this situation won ’t last…” The worker standing next to the manager muttered in a flat voice.

“Yeah, yeah.
But your ’won ’t last ’ and this situation isn ’t quite the same now, is it? You thought Jin-Ho would quit because working here is too hard.
The way I see it, Jin-Ho ’s quitting since he had already gotten all the experience he could ask for in this place, and he simply wants to move on to the next stage.”

“Huh.
Now that he ’s leaving, I wonder, what will he do next?”

“Maybe…
hunting lions in Africa?”

The warehouse ’s workers grew increasingly curious about Kang Jin-Ho ’s next part-time job, even though it didn’t matter to them.

“Now, now.
Let ’s just go home, shall we?”

“Yes, Manager.”

The manager shepherded the workers away, then sighed one more time at the distant Lamborghini ’s brake lights.
“Aigoo…
Just how many people do I need to hire now?”

The good times were coming to an inevitable end, so it seemed that the manager would have to roll his sleeves up and get serious once more.
He headed back to his office while sighing in disappointment, knowing that he wouldn ’t get to ride on Kang Jin-Ho ’s coattails anymore.

***

“A new part-time job, you say?” said Jo Gyu-Min as his brows rose up.

“That ’s correct,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Jo Gyu-Min chuckled hollowly while putting a cup of coffee in front of Kang Jin-Ho.
Wasn ’t this young man working in a delivery service warehouse until now? Did he already master that and want to move on to the next challenge?

“Honestly speaking, it ’ll be difficult to find a job more physically demanding than your previous work, Mister Jin-Ho.
I ’m sure there must be some if we look hard enough, but…
I ’m beginning to wonder if simple physical labor holds any meaning to you at this stage.” Jo Gyu-Min took a sip of his own coffee while offering his opinion.

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded along.

“Well, I guess you might have some fun working in a fishing boat, but that ’s no longer the territory of part-time work, so…
That ’s why I ’d like to make a suggestion, if I may.
Mister Jin-Ho, there ’s a job that might prove to be pretty fun for you.
Well, are you interested?”

“Pretty fun, you say?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

Jo Gyu-Min responded with a sly chuckle.
“Yes.
You will find it very amusing.
It ’s not what you usually do, you see.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow while staring at Jo Gyu-Min ’s chuckling face.

1.
~ 420 USD ☜