Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 62

College wasn’t anything special. At first, finding and attending classes felt new and a bit fascinating, but after doing it once or twice, it wasn’t much different from high school. The gaps between classes, the free periods, were supposed to be for rest, but for Kang Jin-ho, they were just a series of boring moments.

On days like today when Park Yu-min was around, it was okay, but on days when Park Yu-min didn’t come to school, it was quite dull.

It wasn’t like he was alone. Strangely, people gathered around him, so he didn’t have much time to be alone, but the conversations and relationships with them were just meaningless ways for Kang Jin-ho to pass the time.

“Want to go see a movie today?”

“Huh?”

Jin Mi-hee, who had approached him unnoticed, spoke.

“A movie?”

“Yeah. Let’s go see a movie after class.” Kang Jin-ho slightly shook his head.

“Not really.”

“Why~!? Let’s go. The movie will be fun. It’s super popular right now, you know?”

“I’ve never been to a movie theater before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Jin Mi-hee looked Kang Jin-ho up and down as if she couldn’t believe it, then continued with a laugh.

“No way. You’ve never been to a movie theater in your life? I’ll take you. Let’s go once. Okay?”

He had been there before.

Fifty years ago.

But who would believe that?

“Yeah.”

“Wow, you’re a real national treasure. How have you never been to a movie theater? I’ll take you. Let’s go once. Okay?”

Kang Jin-ho fell into thought.

This could be considered an experience in its own right.

Kang Jin-ho, who had come to enjoy TV quite a bit unlike in the past, thought that movie theaters might have a different kind of charm.

“Maybe next time.”

But the answer was the same.

The movie theater might be fun, but going with the person in front of him was uncomfortable. Spending time and going somewhere with someone he didn’t know well was a burden.

“It would be fun. Well, I guess it can’t be helped. You have to go next time, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jin Mi-hee left after saying that. Park Yu-min watched the scene and then opened his mouth.

“You’ve never been to a movie theater?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. You’ve never been to a movie theater either?”

“Huh, have you?”

Park Yu-min chuckled and said,

“No.”

“…”

“I don’t really like crowded places.”

“Then what was with that tone like you’ve been there?”

“Sorry.”

“Should we go see a movie?”

“You and me?”

“Why?”

What’s wrong with that?

Park Yu-min shook his head.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry. We’re friends, but… yeah, we’re friends, but I don’t think I can do that with you. That’s too depressing.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“You wouldn’t know, those subtle feelings.” Kang Jin-ho shook his head as if he didn’t understand.

At that moment, someone approached them at a fast pace.

“Kang Jin-ho!”

“Huh?”

Han Se-yeon brought her face right in front of Kang Jin-ho’s face.

“Why?”

“You have a car!”

“A car?”

“Yeah, a car! You have a car, right?” Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“You’re picking me up tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Just pick me up! Or I might really go crazy.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Han Se-yeon as if he didn’t understand.

Park Yu-min pulled out a chair.

“Calm down and sit down.”

“Haa…”

Han Se-yeon took a deep breath and sat down.

“Okay, let’s talk calmly. Why is that?”

“Do you know Kim Cheol-joong?”

“Kim Cheol-joong? Isn’t that a senior’s name?”

“Yeah, Senior Kim Cheol-joong!”

“What about that senior?”

“That bas… no, that senior keeps saying he’ll give me a ride and comes to pick me up at my house!”

Park Yu-min smiled.

“That senior is popular, isn’t he? He’s handsome, rich, and has good manners, they say?”

“Popular?”

“Yeah.”

“That guy who looks like he just jumped out of an oil drum is popular?”

Park Yu-min covered his face without realizing it.

This woman also had something wrong with her standards.

If Kang Jin-ho was the standard, all the men in the world would become talkative and cheesy men.

“He’s popular.”

“Then he should hit on the girls who like him, why does he keep hitting on me!”

“Hi, hitting on…”

“Isn’t it good to get a ride?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s nonchalant question, Han Se-yeon grabbed Kang Jin-ho’s ear as if she was angry.

“Hey! Do you want me to ride in any guy’s car?”

“…Let go, let’s talk normally.”

Han Se-yeon huffed for a while and then spoke.

“I told him I didn’t need it, but he said it’s convenient to go to school by car. When I said I had a car, he said his car was an Audi and that I’d think differently if I tried it. Seriously, what kind of guy is that!”

‘There isn’t a woman like you.’ If she knew how many women in the Business Administration department were desperate to ride in Kim Cheol-joong’s car, she would never say such a thing.

No, maybe she would even if she knew.

“So I said I had someone to give me a ride! So you’re picking me up tomorrow morning!”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why me?”

“…So are you telling me to ride in that guy’s car?”

“That’s your decision, but why would I pick you up…”

Han Se-yeon’s eyes became sharper.

“Hey, can’t you do that for a friend! Are you even a friend?”

“Hmm…”

“Do you know how cheesy that senior is? Every time he looks at me, I get goosebumps!”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yu-min.

“I’m not coming to school tomorrow because of the competition.”

“Really?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if he couldn’t help it.

“Okay.”

“Be on time.”

“But…”

“What now!”

“Can’t I pick you up on a bicycle?”

“It’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Instead, you’ll have to feel with your body how evil I can be for the next year.”

Kang Jin-ho immediately revised his thoughts.

“I’ll take the car.”

Only then did Han Se-yeon give a soft smile.

“Good choice.”

“But…”

Park Yu-min interjected.

“Se-yeon, have you ever ridden in Jin-ho’s car?”

“No.”

“I rode in the back for a bit when he was practicing driving before?”

“So what?”

Park Yu-min was about to say something but shook his head.

“No. I can’t explain it in words. You have to experience it yourself.”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Park Yu-min looked at Han Se-yeon with pity.

The next day.

Han Se-yeon looked at her phone with anxious eyes.

“Why isn’t he here!”

She had been waiting for ten minutes already, but the car hadn’t arrived.

Han Se-yeon made a call.

[Hello.]

“Hey! Why aren’t you here!”

[I’m on my way.]

“Hurry up!”

[…Okay.]

Han Se-yeon sighed deeply. What was this situation? Honk honk.

Right then, she heard a honking sound.

Han Se-yeon looked up and saw an Audi A6 slowly approaching her from afar.

The door opened and a neatly dressed man got out.

“Did you wait long?”

“No.”

“You were waiting. Get in quickly. It’s cold.”

“I wasn’t waiting for you, senior.”

Kim Cheol-joong burst out laughing.

“I heard you had someone to pick you up, so it must be true? It seems like your friend is late, wouldn’t it be better to go in my car?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Try it once. I’ll take you comfortably.”

“I said I don’t want to.”

Kim Cheol-joong frowned.

There was a limit to how stubborn someone could be, this was like a bamboo, not bending at all…

“Your friend’s car must be good?”

“I don’t care about cars.”

“You’ll feel the difference if you ride in a good car.”

“I care more about the driver than the car.”

“Am I a bad driver?”

“Yes.”

Kim Cheol-joong was starting to get annoyed.

After this much effort, she should have given in a little, but this was not just not giving in, it was like not even leaving a scratch.

‘Let’s see how great the guy who’s picking her up is.’

If he wasn’t up to par, he was ready to laugh at him as much as he wanted.

Even if women didn’t know, men would know the difference in standards, and instead of targeting Han Se-yeon, Kim Cheol-joong could break the man’s pride.

That alone would be effective.

“Are you really okay with that?”

“Yes.”

“Who’s picking you up?”

“A friend.”

“Which friend?”

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Kang… Jin-ho?”

Kim Cheol-joong seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

“Kang Jin-ho from Jusin? One of the Dongmyeong High trio?”

“He’s a friend from Dongmyeong High.”

“He was famous, wasn’t he? A drunkard.”

“He doesn’t like alcohol.”

“So you’re riding with your high school friend. I was worried you had a boyfriend.”

“Why would you worry about that, senior?”

“No, no. Okay, Kang Jin-ho…” Kim Cheol-joong smiled slightly. Kang Jin-ho.

One of the Dongmyeong High trio who had become quite famous in the department recently. Among them, he was famous for his nickname Jusin [a nickname meaning ‘God of Drinking’] and his handsome face.

Kim Cheol-joong was confident in his looks, but objectively, he couldn’t deny that Kang Jin-ho was better looking.

But looks weren’t everything for a man.

More important was ability.

He was still a freshman, so he probably didn’t know, but he would soon find out how important a man’s ability was.

‘Kang Jin-ho…’

It was true that Kang Jin-ho was handsome, but he always wore the same shabby clothes or cheap brands.

That meant he wasn’t a rich guy.

If so, Kim Cheol-joong was more than capable of handling him.

“What kind of car does he have?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know much about car models?”

‘This is annoying.’

Han Se-yeon didn’t know what to say. She knew the car models, but she had never seen Kang Jin-ho’s car.

She couldn’t say that she was riding it for the first time today.

“So just go.”

“No, what if your friend doesn’t come?”

“He said he would.”

“You never know. And if you’re too late, you won’t be late if you ride in my car?”

“I’ll take a taxi.”

“It’s too late now, isn’t it?”

“I’ll just be late then.”

“Do you really have to go that far?”

Han Se-yeon was fed up with Kim Cheol-joong’s smooth-talking tone.

‘Ah, why isn’t he here!’

That’s when it happened.

A pure white sports car quickly entered the alley in front of her house and stopped right in front of her.

‘What is this?’

Honk honk.

The horn sounded.

Han Se-yeon said, annoyed.

“He wants you to move your car.”

“I can pass? But… is that an Aventador [a high-end sports car]? How much does that cost… wow! I’ve heard there are only a few in Korea, and I’m seeing it with my own eyes.”

“Is it a good car?”

“…Is this a good car? Ah, I don’t know how to explain this.”

Then, the car door opened and a man came out.

“Why aren’t you getting in?”

It was Kang Jin-ho.

Han Se-yeon and Kim Cheol-joong simultaneously stared at Kang Jin-ho with blank faces.

Why was Kang Jin-ho getting out of that car?

“Get in.”

“Huh? Oh, okay! I’ll get in now.”

Han Se-yeon ran towards the passenger seat of the Aventador.

“But how do you open this door?”

Kang Jin-ho sat in the driver’s seat and opened the passenger door.

Han Se-yeon got into the car, amazed.

Han Se-yeon spoke loudly on purpose.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“Is the car in front of us expensive?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it more expensive than this car?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t seem to care?”

Those words shattered Kim Cheol-joong’s pride.

“Let’s go. As expected, a good car has a good ride.”

As Han Se-yeon delivered the final blow, the car started.

Kim Cheol-joong stared blankly at the Aventador as it drove away.