Descent of the Demon Master

es you.
That's why I quickly ran out of the store after buying the bicycle.”

“You made the right call.”

“Thank you for the praise.” Jo Gyu-Min chuckled, then turned his attention back to the bicycle.
“Now then.
We need to find the solution to the problem of where to park this bicycle that costs more than a car…”

“Even parking it is a problem?”

“If someone recognizes it, you can bet your bottom dollar that person would do whatever it takes to break the locks and steal it, Mr. Jin-Ho.”

‘Would someone really go that far…?’ 

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow, seemingly unconvinced.

However, Jo Gyu-Min remained adamant.
“It's expensive, after all.”

“Mm. Considering this and that…” Kang Jin-Ho groaned and glared at the bicycle that was turning out to be a problem in so many ways.
“Maybe not accepting it is for the best?”

“Why not, Mr. Jin-Ho? Because it's expensive?”

“Well, there's that, and…” Kang Jin-Ho became uncomfortable thinking about what this meant.
Since the bicycle cost more than a car, wasn't this the same as Hwang Jeong-Hu giving him a new car? Who wouldn't feel a bit overwhelmed in that case?

“Mr. Jin-Ho, this amount won't even put a dent in the chairman's finances.”

“Urgh…” Kang Jin-Ho roughly scratched his head.
He didn't expect the words he said to his father yesterday to come right back to him.

“Even if the bike cost ten times higher, in Chairman Hwang's view, it'd be like buying a cute little toy for his grandson.
I advise you to just accept it, Mr. Jin-Ho.”

“Uh-whew…” Kang Jin-Ho could only nod and accept it.

Jo Gyu-Min pointed to the corner of the office.
“For now, why don't we park it in this office? Place it in here in the morning, and after school, store it inside your home.” 

Kang Jin-Ho was taken aback.
“Wait, you want me to store a bicycle indoors?”

Jo Gyu-Min was even more surprised than him.
“Don't tell me you were thinking of leaving this thing outside?”

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‘Mm…
The car outside probably cost at least twenty million won, right? Which means, this bicycle costs…
Mm…’

“…Please take good care of it, then.” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled hollowly.

He then named this expensive and apparently useless bicycle 'Golden Elephant,’ a play on the term white elephant.
He figured that it must be made out of pure gold to be so expensive.

Jo Gyu-Min lightly snapped his finger after remembering something else.
“Ah. Can you accompany me for a little while after school, Mr. Jin-Ho? There's a place we must go.”

“Where?”

“To the Seongsim Orphanage.”

“Mm? Why?”

“I heard that you requested the construction of a new orphanage building.
I thought that the sooner we take care of it, the better.
That's why I wanted to go to the orphanage and discuss it with the director there.”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head.
“I wouldn't be much help even if I go with you.”

Jo Gyu-Min was slightly flustered by that reply.
“But, uh… Didn't you request the construction?”

“I did, but I'm not that familiar with that place.
And I don't know anything about property prices or finding ideal locations.
In that regard, a pro will be better than me.
Please use your discretion.”

“Alright.
Understood, I'll take care of it then, Mr. Jin-Ho.”

“Thank you,” said Kang Jin-Ho.
Afterward, he quietly stared at Jo Gyu-Min as if asking the latter if there was anything else.

“This will be the end of my report for today, Mr. Jin-Ho.”

“I see. I’ll be off then.” Kang Jin-Ho slightly nodded, then exited the chief director's office.

Jo Gyu-Min watched the boy leave, his eyes gleaming softly.
Without a doubt, Kang Jin-Ho was an odd person.
Despite his quirks, though, he came across as a decisive and clear-cut individual.
He also seemed to possess a certain charm that drew people in.

'In that regard, he's similar to the Chairman.'

Jo Gyu-Min thought he could finally understand why Hwang Jeong-Hu was so fond of Kang Jin-Ho.

***

After school…

Kang Jin-Ho brought out the bicycle from the chief director's office and exited the school building.

“Well, it's light, that's for sure.”

While carrying the bicycle downstairs, Kang Jin-Ho was impressed by its low weight.
It was almost as light as a child's toy.

“Hmm…”

He put the bicycle down and climbed up on its saddle after adjusting it for a bit.
Once secured, he cautiously pushed down on the pedal.
The bicycle slid forward without making any unwieldy noises.
It was just a simple little push, but the way the bicycle picked up its pace took Kang Jin-Ho by surprise.

“What?”

He pedaled a couple more times, prompting the bicycle to shoot forward smoothly with no wasted motion or energy.
It felt pretty good.

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“Huh. It's trying to prove its worth, I guess?”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled before shaking his head.
What a funny notion that was—if this bicycle was going to prove its worth, then it better be capable of flying through the sky in an emergency or at least be as quick as a nitrous-equipped car.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to prove its worth at all!

When you reach the extremes of any given field, even the smallest improvements required an astronomical sum of money.
This was unavoidable. But knowing that didn't really help Kang Jin-Ho feel any less uncomfortable with this situation, though.

Since the bicycle was a gift, he accepted it, but…

'Should I just get a motorbike, instead?'

The cost of this bicycle could have gotten him a pretty good motorbike.
However, he didn't feel like going down that route.
For some reason, he felt this sense of rejection at the idea of controlling a vehicle not powered by human legs.
More importantly, though, he liked the way the bicycle responded to him as he pedaled away.
If going fast was his only goal, he wouldn't have bothered with a bicycle or whatever and just ran on his two feet instead.

However, something about this bicycle was definitely not to his liking.

“Uh? Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head and looked at the limping Park Yu-Min exiting the school gates.
The boy looked surprised.
“Hey, you changed your bicycle.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brows after realizing that this expensive bicycle was also quite impractical.
“Follow me, Yu-Min.”

“Huh?”

“I said, follow me.”

Park Yu-Min ungainly followed Kang Jin-Ho, not knowing what was going on or why the latter was walking alongside his fancy new ride to a bicycle shop near the school.

Kang Jin-Ho called out to the shop owner.
“Uncle, you in there?”

“Yeah, hold on.
Welcome, what can I… Hmm?” The bicycle shop proprietor spotted Kang Jin-Ho's ride, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
“H-Hey, is that a Bianchi frame?!”

“Yes, that's what I've been told.” 

The shop owner's voice grew louder.
“And it looks like a top-of-the-line model, too?”

“…So I heard.”

“I guess you're rolling in dough, kid.
My store doesn't deal in such expensive bikes, so I never had the chance to see one up close, you see… Hiyaaah~. It must be the one I saw online…
Hang on, isn't this the most expensive model Bianchi makes?!”

The shop owner rushed over to the bicycle while practically pushing Kang Jin-Ho out of the way.
He scanned it and studied it from various angles.
After letting out an impressed sigh, he began fondling the bicycle's frame for a long while.
He then stepped back, pulled out his phone and began taking pictures…
All the while completely ignoring the customers in the shop.

“…Uncle?” Kang Jin-Ho, his patience running thin, eventually called the owner out.

The latter smiled sheepishly and replied, “Ah, my bad.
It's just that your bike is so rare and so bloody expensive…
N-no, forget what I said. Mm… Anyway, what can I do for you? I don't have any parts in my store that can be attached to a frame like this, you know? If you need something, I'll have to special order it.”

Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly said, “I need a new saddle.”

“You want a new saddle? Too bad, my store only has cheap saddles.
However, I can order it specifically for you if you want.
It'll take around three days, though.”

“That's not what I meant, uncle.
I want a saddle for two people.”

“…Eh?” The shop owner's eyes trembled at Kang Jin-Ho's nonchalant demand.