Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 22

Park Yu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho with a strange expression. It was as if he’d been struck by lightning. If Kang Jin-ho were in Park Yu-min’s shoes, he might have wanted to beat himself to a pulp.

Kang Jin-ho had helped him, yet he had betrayed that kindness. There’s a limit to how far one can go in repaying kindness with malice. Yet, Kang Jin-ho was dismissing it as a trivial matter.

It was an incomprehensible statement, whether it stemmed from a broad-minded nature or sheer thoughtlessness.

“Still…”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

“I received an apology.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t really like dwelling on the past. What’s done is done. If it’s something that can be resolved with an apology, it’s nothing. And if it’s something that can’t be resolved with an apology, I wouldn’t have anything to do with you.”

“Uh-huh.”

Park Yu-min scratched the back of his head, feeling like he was shrinking. “Uh…”

At that moment, a hesitant voice came from behind them. Kang Jin-ho slowly turned his head. There, a child with an awkward expression was waddling towards them.

“So-yeon, why did you come out in the cold?” Park Yu-min approached the child with a worried look.

The child looked around blankly, then quietly held out something in her hand.

“Is this for me?” Nod, nod.

“For me?” The child shook her head.

“You’re giving it to my friend?” “Yeah.”

Park Yu-min stroked the child’s head, then took what was in her hand. After hesitating for a moment, he held it out to Kang Jin-ho. “It’s a gift.”

“…”

Kang Jin-ho took what Park Yu-min offered. It wasn’t exactly a fine item. It looked like a necklace made of weeds, either uniquely arranged or, objectively speaking, a mess. It was so crude that it felt like an insult to necklaces to even call it one.

Kang Jin-ho looked at the weed necklace with a stiff face and asked seriously, “Do I have to wear it?”

“…”

Park Yu-min didn’t answer. However, pressured by the child’s gaze, Kang Jin-ho reluctantly put the necklace on his head. The problem was… Thud.

The necklace, sized for a child’s neck, wouldn’t fit over Kang Jin-ho’s head. The necklace, now a headband, sat askew on Kang Jin-ho’s head.

“Giggle…”

Kang Jin-ho glared at Park Yu-min with murderous intent. “If you laugh, you’re dead.”

Park Yu-min, seeing Kang Jin-ho’s blazing eyes, desperately covered his mouth. Kang Jin-ho gave the child an awkward smile and waved his hand. “Thank you.”

The child giggled and ran back into the orphanage.

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-ho, who had been watching the scene, got up from his seat. “I’m leaving.”

“Already?” “There’s nothing more to do here, and I should go now.”

“I guess. It’s better to go down before it gets dark. But…” “But?”

“Are you going down on that bike?” “Of course?” “Down this hill?” “It’s okay.”

Park Yu-min looked back and forth between the bicycle and Kang Jin-ho, then sighed deeply. “Be careful.”

“I will.” “I messed up before, and if you fall on the way back after giving me a ride, I really won’t be able to show my face.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled. “Do you usually?” “…”

Kang Jin-ho got on his bicycle. “But!” Kang Jin-ho frowned. How could he have so much to say? “What?” “Are you going to wear that?”

Park Yu-min’s gaze went to the weed necklace on Kang Jin-ho’s head. Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yu-min with a stiff face. “Is there a problem?” “It’s not that…” “Then.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand lightly. Then, he started down the hill like a bullet. “Whoa…” Park Yu-min’s mouth fell open as he watched the bicycle speeding down. “Oh my god…” Park Yu-min didn’t take his eyes off Kang Jin-ho’s bicycle until it reached the bottom of the hill. That was all he could do. “I’m sorry.” Park Yu-min sighed softly.

Kang Jin-ho arrived home. It was already dark. Kang Jin-ho opened the door and went inside. “You’re home?” His mother greeted him. “Yes.” “You’re very late today.” “Yes. I stopped by a friend’s house.”

“That’s unusual.” His son, who usually frequented PC rooms [internet cafes], had come home from a friend’s house, which was strange. But that was what the old Kang Jin-ho used to do. “Go wash up. Let’s eat.” “Where’s Dad?” “He’ll be a little late.” “Is he having a company dinner?”

His mother shook her head. Her face didn’t look comfortable. “This company finishes a bit late.” “He went to work when I went to school.” “That’s right.” “But he’s still working?” “That’s what I’m saying.”

Baek Hyun-jung sighed deeply. “There’s a lot of money going to Eun-young, and you’ll be going to college soon, so we have to earn tuition… We have to work, even if it’s hard.” “…” “I’ve decided to go back to work next week.” “Yes.” “Don’t worry. Your mom and dad are fine as long as you grow up well. You’ll pay us back later, right?” “Of course.”

Kang Jin-ho went into the bathroom and took off his clothes. ‘Back then…’ He thought he was happy in his teens. He could say without hesitation that it was the most enjoyable time of his life. So, is it much different now than then? Kang Jin-ho shook his head. No. It’s not different.

In the past, his father worked day and night, and his mother also worked in between doing housework. The time when he thought he was happy was a time that was barely sustained by his parents’ sacrifices. He could see that now. But back then, he was too young to know. ‘Happiness?’ Can that be called happiness? Should a life where he knew nothing and just enjoyed himself based on his parents’ sacrifices be called happiness?

Kang Jin-ho shook his head. It was the same now. Until recently, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t worried about his family. He had just believed that if he adapted well, ordinary and peaceful days would continue. But to maintain those ordinary days, his parents were working without rest even while Kang Jin-ho was playing at school. The conclusion was one. A conclusion that doesn’t change. To be ordinary, you need power. And the power needed this time wasn’t violence.

Kang Jin-ho splashed water on himself. Then, he slowly opened his eyes. ‘I need money.’ There are three powers in the world. Wealth. Authority. And violence. From Kang Jin-ho’s perspective, it was clear that violence was the strongest. Because the strong take what they want. But the most useful of them wasn’t violence. At least not in modern times. Wealth. Wealth was convenience. If you have wealth, you can live comfortably in the world. Kang Jin-ho’s parents and the children at the Seongsim Orphanage wouldn’t have to struggle so much. ‘I need money.’ Kang Jin-ho’s eyes gleamed. If he needed it, he would get it. That was Kang Jin-ho’s, no, Cheokcheonmajon’s [a powerful martial artist], principle.

Kang Jin-ho turned on the computer and sat down. He was slowly getting used to the computer. Kang Jin-ho leaned back in his chair, watching the loading screen. ‘But how?’ He needed money. The more, the better. The problem was that there was no clear way to earn money. When he first decided to earn money, the first thing that came to mind was the lottery. He thought that since he had memories of the future, he might be able to predict the lottery numbers. But after considering a few possibilities, it didn’t seem feasible. He couldn’t even remember last week’s winning numbers, so how could he remember the winning numbers from decades ago? It was absolutely impossible. And even if he did remember, there was no guarantee that those numbers would come up again this time. A very subtle difference could change everything. “No.” It was impossible to execute, and even if he did, the result was unclear. It was the same as saying don’t try it.

The next thing that came to mind was stocks. Stocks were easier to predict than the lottery. He roughly remembered the rise and fall of companies over the past ten years. After becoming paralyzed, Kang Jin-ho’s entire life revolved around being on online communities. Thanks to that, he was able to hear information about stocks that they talked about, and he could figure out how much value each company had through the news. But the question remained whether those stocks would move the same way they did in the past when Kang Jin-ho started investing. For example, let’s say there’s a company called A that’s developing a new drug. One day, a large purchase of stock occurs in company A, which is slowly and carefully developing a new drug while maintaining security. Naturally, the face value would skyrocket, and the small investors watching it would jump in with small amounts, hoping for the best. Then, what would the company do? They would likely assume that the fact that they were developing a new drug had been leaked and take different measures than in the past. They might release the new drug, which isn’t yet perfect, or take unreasonable measures to defend their management rights. There were many such cases. If he moved with a small amount, he wouldn’t make money, and if he invested a large amount, it would lead to a result that would distort the established flow. Kang Jin-ho didn’t care about the future changing, but because of that distorted future, the stock could become worthless in an instant. Even if he decided to invest, considering all those risks, the biggest problem remained. Kang Jin-ho didn’t have any seed money in the first place. Whether he was going to invest in stocks or start a business, he needed money to start with. But Kang Jin-ho, a student, had no money. “This won’t work either.”

So, the idea of making money through stocks was also a pipe dream. And there was also the disadvantage that it took a long time to make money through stocks. What Kang Jin-ho needed wasn’t a huge amount of money to be earned in the future. It was a small amount of money that would make his family comfortable right now. Kang Jin-ho sighed. The goal was set. The first goal was to create seed money. Whatever he did, he had to start with something that would make money and create a minimum amount of capital. But how could Kang Jin-ho, a student, make money? He could earn money by doing manual labor, but where could he find a job that wouldn’t interfere with school hours, that he could do, and that his parents wouldn’t object to? There was none. They would object to him doing even a simple part-time job, saying it would interfere with his studies, so he couldn’t even dream of working. Moreover, since Kang Jin-ho was about to become a senior in high school, if he talked about making money, Kang Yu-hwan would drink alone, and Baek Hyun-jung might grab her head and collapse. Kang Jin-ho sighed. ‘Is that the only option?’ A job that wouldn’t take long and could make a lot of money. And a job that could utilize Kang Jin-ho’s strengths more than anything else. One job that satisfied all of these things came to Kang Jin-ho’s mind. ‘Fixer.’