Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 67

“Really?”

Kang Eun-young’s words were simple.

The group Kang Eun-young was supposed to debut with consisted of five members.

The problem was that, except for Kang Eun-young, the other four all had strong backgrounds.

Because of that, if there was a problem, even if it was the other kids’ fault, Kang Eun-young would get scolded. They couldn’t directly scold the others, so they would indirectly scold her.

Moreover, since they had strong backgrounds, they received sponsorships, but Kang Eun-young had never experienced anything like that. She didn’t have money before, and after she got money, she didn’t know if she should do that.

In the end, Kang Eun-young couldn’t stand it anymore and brought it up to Kang Jin-ho last time, but she only got scolded in return.

“Really?”

“……”

“And the other kids? They aren’t bullying you or anything?”

“The kids are nice, oppa.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s true. The kids are nice. But they can’t say anything to the CEO or the teachers either….”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. It was a typical case of ‘knowing their place.’ He knew that it cost hundreds of millions of won per person to train and debut a group. Since his sister was a trainee, he couldn’t help but be interested. But that was an investment the agency had to bear for success, not something they should be trying to cover in that way.

“Is everyone like that?”

“No. Usually, they aren’t.”

“But?”

“It’s weird, but those kinds of kids are all gathered in our group. So, I’m the only one who stands out.”

“It seems like there’s an unspoken distance between you and the others, and sometimes I really feel like I’m all alone.
The CEO keeps saying that I’ll get cut if I keep going like this….”

Kang Jin-ho frowned. That wasn’t something a CEO should say.

“So, I’m trying to practice harder and work harder than others… but I’m so tired. At this rate, I think I’ll really start to hate singing and dancing.”

“I understand.”

“Oppa.”

“I understand, so go to sleep for now. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was firm.

Kang Eun-young felt a mix of relief and strangeness at her brother’s attitude. Was her brother always like this?

“No, oppa. I…”

“It’s okay. Go to sleep quickly.”

The firmness in his voice made her feel an inexplicable sense of comfort.

Is this what family is? Is this what a brother is?

“Okay.”

Kang Eun-young trudged into her room.

Kang Jin-ho watched her go, his eyes gleaming.

‘That can’t be all there is to it.’

Kang Eun-young was a deep person.

Even if she had spoken out because she was overwhelmed with sadness, she wouldn’t have told him everything to worry him.

Kang Jin-ho took out his phone.

And he called the most reliable source of information he knew.

[What is it?]

Cho Kyu-min.

He might seem like a loafer now, but he used to work in the secretary’s office of the Jae Kyung Group, and now he was one of Hwang Jung-hoo’s closest aides.

It was safe to say that there was almost no information he couldn’t get if he set his mind to it.

“I need you to look into something.”

[Tell me.]

“Find out everything that’s happening at the agency my sister is working at.”

[Are you talking about your sister?]

“Yes.”

[Understood. I will investigate and bring it to you by tomorrow morning.]

“Thank you.”

[You’re welcome.]

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone.

If things had gone too far, he wasn’t going to stand by.

‘I was too late.’

He should have looked into it sooner.

His complacency in waiting a little longer had caused this mess. Kang Jin-ho’s face hardened at the feeling of regret that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“So?”

“Starwiz is a fairly well-known agency, but it’s currently facing a management crisis due to successive investment failures and the poor performance of its groups.”

“Hmm…”

“It seems that the group your sister is in was probably created as part of that.”

“As part of that?”

“Your sister being in the group is probably because of money.”

“Money? Based on what?”

“Don’t underestimate the agency’s information gathering capabilities. Even if it’s not an agency, if they set their minds to it, it’s easy to find out how much money a person’s family has.”

“I guess so.”

“It seems that your sister joined this group with the intention of getting some financial support.”

“Not because of her skills?”

“It’s not that she doesn’t have skills. It’s just that there was another bigger purpose.”

“If she didn’t have money, she would have been in another group. But because she has money, she’s in this group.”

“So… all the things that are happening now are because our family has money but hasn’t sponsored the agency?”

“That’s basically it.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t a pleasant story.

“So, did you confirm if everything Eun-young said was true?”

“Besides that, there seems to be discord within the group.”

“Discord?”

“There are minor squabbles and conflicts, but if they’re girls of that age, it’s stranger if there aren’t any. It’s not a level that’s a major concern.”

“Anything else?”

“The agency’s CEO made some harsh remarks…”

“Harsh remarks?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed.

“He told her to go find a sponsor, even if she had to sell her body.”

Kang Jin-ho’s face hardened.

It wasn’t a big change. It was just that the smile had disappeared from his face.

But Cho Kyu-min, who was watching him, felt a chill run down his spine.

What should he say?

It was like the look in a tiger’s eyes when it suddenly turns its head to look at its prey after dozing off. Would that make it easier to understand?

Something had changed within Kang Jin-ho.

“But what’s strange is that in that situation, they would usually ask their family for money.”

“If that had happened, I would have made her quit.”

“That’s possible.”

Kang Jin-ho could understand Kang Eun-young’s difficulties.

The agency wanted money.

But if the words that she needed to give money came out, her father or Kang Jin-ho would have told her to leave the agency immediately.

It was a situation where she couldn’t do either. In that situation, she must have thought that she had to overcome everything with her skills, as Kang Jin-ho had said, so how hard must it have been?

Kang Jin-ho’s anger was boiling.

The fact that Hwang Jung-hoo’s story came up before wasn’t just a complaint, but a distress signal disguised as a complaint.

Kang Jin-ho had been stupid not to catch it.

“Where is the agency?”

“Are you going there yourself?”

“Yes.”

“When are you planning to go?”

“Right now.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Cho Kyu-min nodded.

“I will escort you.”

Kang Jin-ho got into the passenger seat next to Cho Kyu-min. Kang Jin-ho usually didn’t like being driven by others, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Cho Kyu-min, knowing Kang Jin-ho’s mood, drove roughly.

“We’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho’s face was cold. Cho Kyu-min felt uneasy.

It was as if he was seeing Kang Jin-ho’s face like that for the first time.

‘Is family that important?’

It might have been obvious.

But for Cho Kyu-min, who knew another side of Kang Jin-ho, it was a new experience.

Screech!

“Here we are.”

A shabby-looking building.

He knew that even a building like this was very expensive because of its location, but it still didn’t look good.

The front of the building was covered in graffiti. It seemed like graffiti left by fans.

“Shall we go in?”

“I wouldn’t have come all this way if I didn’t want to.”

“I’ll guide you.”

Cho Kyu-min got out of the car and headed for the entrance.

He tried to go inside, but the door was locked tight. It seemed that the agency was thoroughly prepared for fans trying to sneak in.

“Just a moment.”

Cho Kyu-min took out his phone and made a call.

After saying a few words, he hung up, and soon after, the door opened and a person came out.

“Let’s go in.”

The person who opened the door seemed to be an employee here. But seeing that he was listening to Cho Kyu-min, it seemed that he had made some arrangements.

‘That’s not important right now.’

Without a word, Kang Jin-ho walked into the building. Unlike the outside, the inside was quite neatly decorated. But that wasn’t going to ease Kang Jin-ho’s mind.

“Why did you suddenly visit?”

Cho Kyu-min stared at the man who spoke.

“Who are you?”

“Yes? I’m the road manager.”

“Take us to the practice room.”

“Yes? Yes.”

The man led the way, glancing at Kang Jin-ho’s face.

‘That person is definitely from the Jae Kyung Group….’

And from what he knew, he was a very high-ranking person. What was the identity of this young man that he was serving like this?

He had no idea.

What was this person’s identity, and why was such a person here?

Kang Jin-ho headed to the practice room.

Squeak.

When the door opened, he saw the wooden floor under the bright white lights and the full-length mirrors surrounding the room. And in one corner, Kang Eun-young was sitting with a tired face.

“It’s not my fault!”

Kang Eun-young shouted.

Then, a young-looking woman standing in front of Kang Eun-young said calmly.

“You were the one who was offbeat.”

“You guys were the ones who were off!”

“Hey, are you saying all four of us were off?”

“Yes.”

“You’re funny? You’re really something, aren’t you? You don’t even need sponsorships, do you?”

“Then you should do better. You’re someone who’s surviving on your skills, so you should be doing incredibly well. Right? But why are you the only one who’s off? Why? Is that all you’re capable of?”

Kang Eun-young covered her face with her hands.

Kang Jin-ho quietly watched the scene.

This was probably their daily routine.

Kang Eun-young had been enduring this kind of treatment all this time. The CEO and teachers, who should have been mediating, were probably too busy watching their own backs and were instead getting angry at Kang Eun-young.

What should he say?

How should he describe this feeling?

He knew they were family. But it was a relationship from fifty years ago. How many times had he felt that he knew it in his head but didn’t feel it in his heart?

But now, seeing Kang Eun-young crying, he felt like his blood was boiling.

Step.

Step.

Kang Jin-ho slowly walked towards Kang Eun-young.

“Who are you?”

The woman who had been spewing venom at Kang Eun-young looked at Kang Jin-ho, seemingly flustered.

Kang Jin-ho glanced at the woman and said to Kang Eun-young.

“Get up.”

Kang Eun-young’s head shot up.

“O, oppa!”

Kang Eun-young shouted in surprise.

Why was her brother here?

“Let’s go home.”

“…Oppa, I…”

“It’s okay now. You’ve done enough. You can stop now. Let’s go home.”

Kang Eun-young lowered her head.

What made her lower her head?

Self-loathing?

Shame?

Or sadness?

Whatever it was, it wasn’t an emotion that Kang Jin-ho liked.

The fact that she had to feel such emotions while looking at her brother was wrong. Come to think of it, when did it start?

When did Kang Eun-young stop smiling?

Grind!

Kang Jin-ho gritted his teeth.

“Who are you? You can’t just come in here!”