Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 98

The senior soldiers had completely surrounded the TV, making it impossible to see the screen.

‘What a mess.’

Watching the soldiers dancing and yelling around the TV made me feel a bit sad. These guys would be normal young men when they went back to society, but what was it about the military that made people act like this?

It was both strange and pitiful to Kang Jin-ho that people who had no interest in female singers when they were civilians would memorize idol group lineages as soon as they joined the military.

“Who is she?”

“She’s a new female singer! Amazing! She’s pretty, has a great body, sings well, and dances well! She’s a big deal, a big deal!”

“And she’s sexy!”

“Ugh…”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly at the senior soldiers’ fuss and started cleaning the floor from where the senior soldiers weren’t.

“Don’t you watch this kind of thing?”

“It’s okay.”

“Hey. Do you think anyone else has seen it from the outside? You’re a soldier now, so you have to have respect for the military’s queen.”

“…I’ll watch it later.”

“Ha, this punk. Just wait another month. You’ll be bowing down before the military’s queen.”

Another senior soldier chimed in from the side.

“But isn’t it too early to give her the title of military’s queen when she hasn’t even been debuted for a month? If Ayeon or Boram heard that, they’d be upset.”

“Hey, why are you asking the obvious? A complete package has arrived, so the old ladies should go home now.”

“Wow, you were so loyal to them just last month.”

“Loyalty is about moving on.”

“You’re a traitor, a traitor.”

“What, you punk?”

Kang Jin-ho secretly sighed as he watched the senior soldiers bickering.

The sharp, high-pitched sounds that pierced his ears made him frown. It wasn’t that he was trying to disparage modern music, but to Kang Jin-ho’s ears, which had been accustomed to calm music for a long time, this fast and loud music sounded unsettling.

‘Her singing is also so-so.’

She wasn’t that good at singing. There were many idols who, even if they didn’t suit his taste, he could tell were good singers just by listening to them, but it was a shame that someone like her was gaining popularity.

“I heard Se-ah is a big deal outside too?”

“Isn’t she number one? Breaking the roof [a Korean expression for topping the charts], breaking the roof!”

“Where did someone like her suddenly come from?”

“These days, pretty girls don’t become actresses or anything like that, they all flock to become idols. So, the idols are getting better and prettier as time goes on.”

“Yeah, but there’s still a class to it. You can’t reach that class just by being pretty.”

“I acknowledge the good class.”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t understand the senior soldiers’ fuss at all.

Whether an idol was pretty or good at singing, they were still people who didn’t come out of the TV.

There were people who were enthusiastic about mascots or anime characters, so it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand, but sending that kind of support to someone who had nothing to do with him didn’t fit with Kang Jin-ho’s way of thinking.

“Ha, this punk. How dare you sigh in front of the military’s queen?”

Jeon Hyuk-soo flared up and approached Kang Jin-ho, then forcibly dragged him to the front of the TV.

“Let’s see if you can still be so calm after seeing it with your own eyes.”

Kang Jin-ho was tall, so just by standing close, he could see the TV screen over the senior soldiers.

And…

Crack.

The sound was rough and brutal, and the mop handle broke clean in half.

“…”

The senior soldiers turned around in alarm at the unusual sound, and they could see a crazy new recruit with the appearance of a demon.

“…Kang Eun-young.”

Kang Jin-ho threw the mop on the floor and walked out of the living quarters.

“Why is he acting like that?”

“I don’t know.”

Those who didn’t know what was going on could only be bewildered.

“Good.”

Jo Gyu-min was in a very good mood.

Kang Eun-young, who had debuted under the name Kang Se-ah, was getting good reactions everywhere.

No, to be precise, she was getting explosive reactions rather than just good ones.

“Why didn’t a major agency take her?”

He wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about idols, but even to him, Kang Eun-young was something special. She was a decent singer, had a great body, and was also pretty.

And most of all, she had the talent.

Even if she did the same choreography and sang the same song, she had something that made people go wild. Kang Eun-young also had the talent that a star should have.

He couldn’t understand why the major agencies hadn’t recognized such a talent.

Of course, it wasn’t that the major agencies didn’t have an eye for talent.

Before, Kang Eun-young’s appearance wasn’t eye-catching, and her body wasn’t that great either. She was only able to remain as a trainee because she had talent and was a good singer.

If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t corrected her appearance and body, she wouldn’t have been able to survive in the entertainment industry.

“The requests for appearances are pouring in.”

Jo Gyu-min chuckled as he looked at the schedule.

Although the management had been outsourced, he couldn’t just leave Kang Jin-ho’s younger sister to be managed and neglected, so Kang Eun-young’s schedule and appearance list were reported to him.

A typical agency would be making the idols go around the country for events when the tide was high, but Jo Gyu-min had no intention of doing that.

Who was Kang Eun-young?

She was Kang Jin-ho’s only younger sister.

To make Kang Jin-ho’s only younger sister, who could be said to be the most important person in the Jae Kyung Group, go around for events, Kang Jin-ho might throw Jo Gyu-min out of the 19th floor where he was now if he found out.

“Treat her like a precious treasure.”

He rejected all appearances that could damage her image even a little, and if a PD [Production Director] had a bad habit, he would cut them off immediately.

It was something a rookie shouldn’t do, but no one dared to touch Kang Eun-young, who had the powerful backing of Jae Kyung behind her.

The broadcasting world was faster than anywhere else when it came to rumors, and everyone already knew that Jae Kyung was behind Kang Eun-young, even if they didn’t say it out loud.

“Let’s see, let’s see. While focusing on YouTube, let’s turn to TV…”

Jo Gyu-min, who was studying idols at an unusual time, pondered the optimal training route.

He had to make her a national goddess before Kang Jin-ho came out on vacation, or he wouldn’t be able to save face.

He had to minimize image consumption and make her high-class.

Jo Gyu-min, who was looking for a way to add the image of a musician rather than just a performer, looked up at the sudden ringing of his phone.

“Huh?”

It was a holiday today, so his phone shouldn’t be ringing.

He was already famous for having short human relationships, and as he was put in charge of monitoring Chairman Hwang Jeong-hoo, all of his remaining human relationships had fallen apart. He hadn’t been able to meet his friends for over two years because he couldn’t make time, so what would be left?

Even the loan calls that occasionally comforted his loneliness didn’t come on weekends.

“033?”

If the phone number started with 033… wasn’t that Gangwon-do [a province in South Korea]?

Jo Gyu-min felt an unknown anxiety and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

—This is Kang Jin-ho.

“Ah! Mr. Kang Jin-ho! It’s been a while.”

—Did you watch TV?

“TV?”

—Eun-young was on it.

Jo Gyu-min smiled brightly.

“You saw it! I…”

—I have one question…

Jo Gyu-min, who was about to boast about how much he had prepared, starting with Kang Eun-young’s clothes, closed his mouth at Kang Jin-ho’s stiff voice.

“Yes?”

—Who is the person who made Eun-young wear those clothes and dance like that?

“Of course, it’s the stylist and the choreographer.”

Jo Gyu-min, the survival king who had miraculously survived the worst situation at Jae Kyung, naturally avoided the crisis.

If he had said one word first, he would have been in a situation where his neck would have been cut off, and cold sweat ran down his back.

—Are you sure?

“The, the stylist dresses her, and the choreographer choreographs the dance. It’s common sense.”

Of course, the investor tends to get involved a little, and that investor was Jae Kyung. And the person in charge of Kang Eun-young’s life and overall concept at Jae Kyung was Jo Gyu-min.

It wasn’t a lie. Absolutely not.

—Fire them immediately.

“Yes…”

Jo Gyu-min, who was sure that he would have been fired if he had told the truth, sat down on the spot.

He had been watching Kang Jin-ho for a long time, and he could tell. Although his voice sounded calm, Kang Jin-ho was actually very angry right now.

—What are you making a child do?

“…Your sister is about to become an adult.”

—Even if she’s an adult, is it okay to have her wear those clothes and do that kind of choreography?

“No. Well, it’s not that provocative…”

Then should idols do a bunny dance or something!

She was a pure idol class, and if he was going to complain about that, then why did he make her an idol in the first place?

Complaints poured out, but Jo Gyu-min couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. The moment he said those words out loud, he knew what kind of result would be waiting for him.

—Change the concept immediately and stop her activities.

“Th, that’s a bit difficult.”

—Difficult?

It sounded like something was wriggling on the other end of the phone. Jo Gyu-min changed his words while sweating profusely.

The image of Kang Jin-ho going to find Choi Young-soo and killing him flashed in his mind. The thought that that scene might unfold in front of him made his whole body shudder.

“I’ll consider it immediately.”

—Immediately!

“Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min sighed deeply.

What was he supposed to do with this bro-con [a slang term for a brother who is obsessed with his sister]? He didn’t seem to care much usually, but it was sad that an older brother would interfere with every little thing like this.

“But Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

—Yes.

“I don’t think Ms. Kang Eun-young will want to change her concept. She’s very happy with the spotlight that’s being showered on her.”

—Oh, is that so?

Kang Jin-ho began to waver.

“So, why don’t you meet her in person and talk about it? She said she’s going to visit you tomorrow anyway.”

—Visit?

“Yes. I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but since things have turned out this way, I’ll tell you the truth. Your family will be visiting you tomorrow.”

—Then I can talk to her directly. I understand.”

Click.

The call was cut off abruptly as soon as the business was over.

“Ugh.”

Jo Gyu-min sat down in his chair, feeling like he had aged ten years.

The tension that he had almost become unemployed if he had said a few words wrong made him exhausted.

“I’m going to die before my time if I keep doing this.”

Jo Gyu-min pouted as he looked at Kang Eun-young dancing on TV.

“This is enough! Did he come from some Islamic country?”

If it was up to Kang Jin-ho’s taste, she might end up singing while standing still, wrapped in bandages from head to toe. He had to prevent that situation from happening. Jo Gyu-min hoped that the bold Kang Eun-young would stop Kang Jin-ho’s rampage.

“Is it around here?”

“I think this is the place.”

“It’s here.”

Kang Jin-ho’s family of three shuddered as they looked at the military base in front of them.

What kind of military base was it that you had to pass the Civilian Control Line [a restricted area near the DMZ] and drive for another two hours to reach?

They thought that even North Korean spies wouldn’t build a base in a place like this.

“Let’s go in.”

Kang Ji-hwan drove the car to the guard post, and the sentries came forward and blocked the way.

“Victory! What is your purpose for visiting?”

“We’re here for a visit.”

“Please state the soldier’s rank and name.”

“Private Kang Jin-ho.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The sentry, who had confirmed that the visit was booked, finished reporting and let the car in.

Kang Ji-hwan’s car slowly moved forward into the base.