Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 57

Kang Jin-ho arrived at the Seongsim Orphanage on his Golden Bicycle.

Then, he took out his phone. He saw a message notification on the screen.

‘Hey, you know it’s orientation today, right?’

‘Hey, are you ignoring me?’

‘Aren’t you looking?’

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

Where does this woman’s audacity come from?

Kang Jin-ho coolly ignored Han Se-yeon’s message and made a call.

Ring, ring, ring.

The ringing tone sounded, and soon a voice was heard.

[Yeah, Jin-ho.]

“Come out. I’m here.”

[I’ll be right out.]

The door opened, and Park Yu-min walked out, limping.

“You’re here early?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and turned his bicycle around.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Park Yu-min got on the back of Kang Jin-ho’s bicycle.

Park Yu-min’s expression was quite peculiar as she sat on the back. Just seeing the unsightly luggage rack installed on this top-of-the-line bicycle was unsettling, but the fact that she was the luggage to be carried on this rack made Park Yu-min feel somewhat guilty.

Even though it was a frequent occurrence, Park Yu-min couldn’t hide her nervousness every time she got on Kang Jin-ho’s bicycle.

“Go slow.”

“I always do.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Kang Jin-ho ignored Park Yu-min’s scream and stepped on the pedals.

Soon, with the sound of the wind, the bicycle began to speed away.

“Park Yu-min.”

“What?”

“You need a car, don’t you?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Park Yu-min’s leg. Park Yu-min expended several times more energy and took several times longer than others to walk the same distance.

Thanks to that, she always had to hurry more than others and had to endure the pitying gazes of others while walking. Kang Jin-ho knew that feeling. Humiliation.

Self-loathing.

But if she had a car, she could at least be somewhat free from those things.

“You got your license, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, having a car would make it easier to go to the dorm or the stadium, and it would be easier to commute, wouldn’t it?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Why?”

“It’s okay for now. They come to pick me up to go to the dorm, so it’s not inconvenient, and I don’t think I should be driving yet.”

“The director has a car, right?”

“Yeah, she does. It’s a bit old, though.”

“If you drive, it would be easier for the director too, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s true, but…”

Park Yu-min trailed off.

“I have a spare car, should I give you one?”

“No. It’s okay.”

“If I need a car, I’ll buy it with my own money. That’s not something you can give and take between friends.”

Her voice was cautious but firm.

She was careful not to offend Kang Jin-ho, but her will was clear.

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“Okay, you’re a pro too.”

“I earn money. If I need it, I can buy a car now. It’s just a matter of how much the installment will be. My regular income is a bit ambiguous.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Park Yu-min was earning a six-figure salary.

“You’re so confident, should we have a match?”

“Hey, how can I beat you?”

“Hahahaha!”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

If Park Yu-min was serious, it would be hard for Kang Jin-ho to win. No matter how well-known Kang Jin-ho was as a hidden master, he couldn’t beat Park Yu-min, who was born with talent in that field.

Even with a brain enhanced by martial arts, quick hands, and the advantage of being able to use time efficiently, he still couldn’t beat Park Yu-min.

At best, they could only fight on a similar level.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t think it was unfair.

Even Kang Jin-ho couldn’t be good at everything.

People have different talents. There were countless people in the world who were smarter than Kang Jin-ho, and there was always someone on the street who could sing better than Kang Jin-ho.

It was greedy and presumptuous to want to beat everyone in all those fields.

Park Yu-min was someone who was born with a talent for games.

If they played a game or two for fun, Kang Jin-ho might win, but if she was serious and prepared, the probability of Kang Jin-ho winning would be infinitely low.

Although she didn’t say it often, Park Yu-min was also proud of her skills. It was the game that allowed her, who had always been ignored, to beat others for the first time and become an object of envy. But she firmly refused the offer of a car and humbly backed away from the thing she was proud of. Kang Jin-ho liked this about Park Yu-min.

He liked her consideration that came from the heart, not the awkward, pretentious politeness.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t have those things.

“You have a tournament this time, right?”

“Yeah. The spring tournament has started.”

“How’s the preparation?”

“Just, you know, doing it.”

“Win it.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“That’s why I’m saying it. Win it.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was firm. As if he wasn’t joking.

Park Yu-min also realized that Kang Jin-ho was serious and hardened her face.

“Become the best in Korea, the best in the world. Stand at the top. It’ll be a completely different feeling from what you’ve felt so far.”

“Okay, I’ll try my best.”

“Then I’ll beat you. Then I’ll be the best in the world.”

“Hey! Are you trying to get a free ride?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled and stepped on the pedals.

Park Yu-min also smiled and gripped the handle tightly.

She didn’t know how they had become so close, but she was always grateful for this taciturn friend.

Except for one thing.

“Ah, please go a little slower!”

“I’m going slow?”

“Ugh! There’s someone in front! Saaaave meee!”

“Calm down.”

I’m crazy.

Why did I get on this bike again?

Park Yu-min cried and gripped the handle so hard it felt like it would break.

‘I’m going to buy a car!’

Park Yu-min was suddenly filled with the urge to buy a car.

* * *

“Is there any problem with the preparations?”

“What preparations would there be? It’s just entering university.”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes narrowed.

“Just?”

“…I misspoke. I’m sorry.”

“Make sure everything is perfect.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Jo Gyu-min looked at Hwang Jung-hoo.

Usually, Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo was overly open-minded. He would boldly cancel contracts involving large sums of money, and he would make decisions without hesitation in situations that would make anyone else hesitate.

He had the boldness to leave the details to others once he had set the big picture, and he had the kindness to give his subordinates who had experienced failure another chance without blaming them.

But he didn’t show that side of himself when it came to matters related to Kang Jin-ho.

Like a worried old man, he checked and rechecked everything.

It wasn’t just a matter of being cautious; it was like doing construction work to repair the bridge before crossing it.

Even now, it was the same.

It was just entering university. But what kind of preparations did he need to make?

It wasn’t like Jo Gyu-min could buy him his textbooks.

“Chairman.”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m short-sighted, but isn’t entering university not that big of a deal?

But why are you so on edge…”

“Not a big deal?”

A hint of aging appeared on Hwang Jung-hoo’s face.

Jo Gyu-min noticed the sign and immediately lowered his head. Hwang Jung-hoo stared at Jo Gyu-min with a displeased expression before opening his mouth.

“University is like a gateway to society. The difference between a university student and a high school student isn’t just a difference in age and education like the difference between a middle school student and a high school student. It’s the age when you start to accept the world.”

“That’s right.”

“What I mean by preparations isn’t to take care of him so that he has a good university life. It’s to watch over him so that he doesn’t experience any troublesome things.”

“…I understand.”

Jo Gyu-min wasn’t stupid. If he couldn’t understand what Hwang Jung-hoo was worried about with this much explanation, he would never be in this position.

Given Kang Jin-ho’s personality and behavior patterns, there was a high probability that he would get into trouble somewhere.

And if that matter escalated, the problem would become serious.

“He’s a scary kid, so he’ll know how to handle himself, but sometimes that’s why there’s a chance that the problem will escalate. Your job is to prevent such situations from happening, and if such a situation does occur, your job is 80% done by quickly reporting it to me.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Then you may go.”

“Yes, Chairman. Then I’ll be on my way.”

Jo Gyu-min, who had closed the door, looked at the chairman’s office with a strange expression.

He knew what Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo’s words meant.

But even so, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was excessive.

Was it possible that Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo was worried about something else?

It was something Jo Gyu-min couldn’t know.

Hwang Jung-hoo went to the window and lit a cigarette.

‘University…’

Hwang Jung-hoo felt uneasy.

To others, it might seem like the meddling of a worried old man, but Hwang Jung-hoo, who knew what kind of person Kang Jin-ho was, could never ignore it.

In Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes, Kang Jin-ho was a bomb. Although the detonator had been removed, the explosive charge alone was enough to cause fear, a huge bomb.

Anyone who knew Kang Jin-ho would feel uneasy.

‘Even though I don’t know him that well.’

When he thought about it, he didn’t know much about Kang Jin-ho either. He could confidently say that he knew better than anyone else how he had lived and how he was living.

But that wasn’t everything. That alone couldn’t explain the duality that Kang Jin-ho possessed. He also couldn’t explain the strange incongruity, like when he was talking to someone of the same age. There was definitely something he didn’t know.

What Hwang Jung-hoo feared was that this incongruity would be revealed to the outside world.

That violence and that devilishness.

Hwang Jung-hoo clearly felt that savagery that was completely unimaginable for a human being living in modern times. He had experienced war, military governments, and countless construction sites overseas, and he thought he had become immune to savagery, but even Hwang Jung-hoo was shaken by that outrageous savagery. What if it was revealed?

‘That would be terrible.’

That must never happen.

Kang Jin-ho’s safety was Hwang Jung-hoo’s safety.

And aside from that, Hwang Jung-hoo didn’t want Kang Jin-ho to live revealing his savagery.

It was as if he had become fond of him, and he had come to worry about his life.

“It’s not like me.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled subtly.

He never thought he would feel affection for a stranger who wasn’t related to him by blood, something he hadn’t even felt for his own children.

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled lightly, put the cigarette in his mouth, and took a long drag.

It was a strange, ticklish feeling.

He didn’t know if it was because Hwang Jung-hoo and Kang Jin-ho were a good match, or if it was because Hwang Jung-hoo had changed after going to the brink of death, but this change didn’t feel bad.

“But I mustn’t forget.”

It wasn’t Hwang Jung-hoo who was taking care of Kang Jin-ho, but Kang Jin-ho who was taking care of Hwang Jung-hoo.

These days, he had been showing such an ordinary side that he sometimes had such illusions. The moment he became intoxicated with this feeling and lost his balance, Hwang Jung-hoo would lose everything.

That tension made Hwang Jung-hoo happy.

‘It’s going to get more interesting.’

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled and stubbed out his cigarette.