Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 147

“What, what in the world happened to you?”Noh Soo-bong’s father, Noh Young-deok, was aghast and yelled upon seeing Noh Soo-bong.

Noh Soo-bong stared blankly at his father’s face.

“Why, why did you become like this! Why?”

Noh Young-deok rushed over and cupped Noh Soo-bong’s face in his hands.

“This, what is this! What is this!”

He couldn’t bring himself to speak. His son had become a gaunt figure, almost a skeleton, in just a few months. Just a while ago, when he came out on leave, he looked healthier than he did in society, but in just a few months, his appearance had completely deteriorated.

When he was making a fuss about dying and demanding to be taken out of there immediately, he thought it was just unnecessary whining, but seeing him now, that wasn’t the case.

If his body had become like this due to illness, he wouldn’t have asked for leave; he would have gone to the hospital. So, it must be that someone else’s torment had made him like this, not an illness.

“Who is it!”

Noh Young-deok grabbed Noh Soo-bong’s shoulders and shook him with blazing eyes.

He felt like he wouldn’t be able to calm down unless he crushed the bastard who had made his son like this right away.

“…Father.”

“Yes! Tell me! Who is it? Who made you like this!”

Noh Soo-bong bit his lip bitterly as he watched Noh Young-deok get agitated.

His father was this kind of person.

Usually, if a child returned in this state, they would try to take them to the hospital first, no matter what. But his father was first and foremost furious that something that belonged to him had been encroached upon by someone else, rather than his son’s condition.

What would change if he spoke?

Nothing would.

He had already given up on such expectations. His father was the kind of person who would readily abandon his son if it was for his own sake. If he had even a little bit of decency, he wouldn’t have been left like this until now.

“…I, I need a place to hide.”

“Hide! Why do you need to hide?”

Noh Soo-bong’s hands trembled.

“He’s… coming.”

Noh Young-deok’s eyes sank.

Looking at his son, who was trembling and drooling, he felt more despair than anger. What on earth had the military been doing to let his only son become like this?

“I don’t know who tormented you like this, but you don’t have to worry anymore. This isn’t the military; this is your home. Who in the world would dare come looking for you in your own home?”

Noh Soo-bong shook his head with difficulty at Noh Young-deok’s words.

“…They can’t stop him.”

“Hmm?”

“They can’t stop him. That bastard… that bastard is a devil. A devil can’t be stopped by a human. They can’t stop him.”

Noh Soo-bong’s whole body began to tremble as if he were having a seizure. Then, he started grabbing his hair and pulling it out as if he were tearing it off.

“Soo-bong!”

“They can’t stop him! They can’t stop him! That bastard will come looking for me! They can’t stop him! Father! Father! I’m scared! Sa, save me.”

“Soo-bong! You bastard, get a hold of yourself!”

Noh Soo-bong squatted on the floor and began to gnaw at his fingernails. He had gnawed so much that blood was dripping from the tip of his thumb, but Noh Soo-bong didn’t seem to notice at all.

“He’s, he’s coming. He’s coming. It’s, it’s not safe here either. I have to run away. I have to escape…”

Crunch.

Noh Young-deok gritted his teeth at Noh Soo-bong’s condition.

“What bastard dares!”

Who was he?

A three-term member of the National Assembly [a politician who has served three terms in the South Korean parliament].

He didn’t want to send his late-born son to the military. But because it was an era where verification was rampant, even his children had to have clean military records to climb higher.

There was a way to avoid military service by sending him to the United States to get a green card, but he had the idea of eliminating any potential problems from the start, so he had him enlist almost forcibly.

And now, it had come back to him like this.

“A doctor! Call a doctor first!”

Noh Soo-bong shouted loudly, and the house began to bustle.

“He’s in a state of mental weakness.”

“Doctor Park.”

“Yes, Congressman.”

“Explain it in a way that’s easy to understand.”

“…Yes.”

The family doctor, who had come for a house call, opened his mouth as he looked at Noh Soo-bong, who was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.

“We’ll have to do tests for a detailed diagnosis, but there’s nothing seriously wrong with his body. He does have severe malnutrition, but he’ll recover quickly if he eats well. The problem is his mind…”

Noh Young-deok’s eyes sharpened.

“It seems he’s suffered a great mental shock. He seems to be suffering from severe trauma. We should consider hospitalization.”

“Are you saying my son has become a mental patient?”

The doctor sighed quietly. For modern people, mental illness was like an unavoidable cold. Mild depression, etc., had become something that everyone suffered from, but older people tended to reject mental illness extremely.

Especially Noh Young-deok, he was severe in that aspect.

Even though he himself suffered from insomnia, he was refusing psychiatric treatment. Telling such a person that his son was now suffering from a mental illness was by no means an easy task.

“In the current situation, it seems that psychiatric treatment is necessary.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Noh Young-deok gritted his teeth.

He had eyes, so he knew that his son’s condition wasn’t good.

“How do we treat him?”

“Since his condition seems so severe, it would be best to hospitalize him for now.”

“Hospitalize him?”

“Yes.”

Noh Young-deok shook his head firmly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Congressman.”

Noh Young-deok spat out the words.

“It’s good to treat him. I’ll support everything that can be supported. Call the best psychiatrist you know and return my son to normal. But! My son cannot have a psychiatric history.”

“Congressman, he’s not in a condition where he can be treated at home.”

“So, that’s what you’re going to make happen!”

The doctor bit his lip and nodded.

There was no point in talking to him anyway. He had promised to provide support, so if he had a suitable specialist visit often, treatment might be possible.

“But psychotropic drugs cannot be dispensed without a diagnosis.”

Noh Young-deok chuckled lightly.

“Listen here, Doctor Park.”

“Yes, Congressman.”

“This is South Korea.”

No further explanation was needed. If there were any necessary medications, Noh Young-deok would take care of it. As he said, this was South Korea, and the power that a three-term congressman had in South Korea was greater than what ordinary people imagined.

“I understand. Then, for today, let’s have him rest at home. I’ll quickly arrange for a specialist. And since there’s a risk of him having a seizure, it would be best not to take your eyes off him.”

“I understand.”

“It’s not easy to subdue a young man if he has a seizure. It would be good to have strong men guard the room. And since he might harm himself, you should remove all sharp objects.”

“I said I understand!”

The doctor was dumbfounded.

Even in this situation, this man was still displeased that his son was being treated as a mental patient. It was impossible to tell whether he was worried about his son or if he thought his own reputation was being tarnished.

“Then.”

As the doctor got up from his seat, Noh Young-deok nodded.

As he quietly left the room, Noh Young-deok sighed as he looked at Noh Soo-bong, who was staring blankly at the ceiling.

Seeing Noh Soo-bong muttering something continuously, he felt a surge of anger.

‘I won’t let them get away with this.’

He felt like he wanted to storm into the unit where Noh Soo-bong had been right now. But if he did something like that, the media, which was already hostile to his party, would swarm like bees.

Noh Young-deok jumped up from his seat.

Then, he turned and went outside, calling for his secretary.

“You heard what the doctor said, right?”

“Yes.”

“Handle it without any problems. Have the secretaries monitor him as much as possible. It won’t be good if word gets out.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I’ll be out for a while.”

“Yes.”

The secretary didn’t bother asking where Noh Young-deok was going. If it was work-related, he would have already said something. If it wasn’t, it was obvious where he was going.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, so keep a good eye on him.”

“Yes. And the chairman contacted us, asking for some time.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. It seems he wants to meet you personally.”

“The old man is getting impatient.”

Noh Young-deok clicked his tongue and nodded.

“If you answer right away when they contact you, your value drops. I’ll take care of that part, so leave it alone.”

“Understood.”

Leaving those words behind, Noh Young-deok went outside. The secretary sighed quietly and looked at Noh Soo-bong’s tightly closed door.

‘How did this happen….’

Neither power, nor wealth, nor any other force can stop the flow of time. It is natural for night to come after day. Whether in the military or in society.

Noh Soo-bong clutched the blanket as he watched the darkness approach outside the window.

‘No.’

He won’t come.

That’s why he escaped, wasn’t it?

Even if that bastard was a monster that wasn’t human, he wouldn’t be able to follow him all the way here.

But….

What should he do if he comes?

What if he comes?

Noh Soo-bong’s body began to tremble.

One week.

He had given Noh Soo-bong one week. And today was the last day of that week.

The fact was so terrifying and frightening that Noh Soo-bong couldn’t bear it. That devilish bastard would never try to create the result that Noh Soo-bong wanted.

If so, it was obvious that he wouldn’t play around with him as he had been doing until now. Perhaps today, he would be completely different from what he had been until now.

Just like Kim Hak-cheol.

Even Kim Hak-cheol, who had endured well for a week, hanged himself on the last day of the week.

‘I, I’m no different.’

His current state was, in some ways, several times worse than Kim Hak-cheol’s. At least Kim Hak-cheol had looked like a human, but his current appearance was so miserable that he himself was afraid to look in the mirror.

Then….

If he came looking for him today….

Could he survive tonight?

“Hehehehe.”

His pupils dilated, and saliva dripped from his mouth.

Where did it all go wrong?

Noh Soo-bong closed his eyes.

Did the people who had suffered at his hands feel like this?

To the point where they thought it would be better to die?

They must have.

That’s why they tried to commit suicide.

One would never know how far a person could drive another person unless they experienced it themselves.

Darkness was falling in the room.

Noh Soo-bong was experiencing a strange feeling.

Fear that had reached its extreme.

The sensation of his flesh was disappearing, as if his fingertips were festering and vanishing.

But in the midst of that….

A subtle emotion was arising.

A feeling close to resignation.

He knew.

“I can’t escape.”

He had done everything he could. But that devil would never let him go.

Never.

Time passes, a very long time.

Noh Soo-bong was facing the darkness with his eyes open.

Darkness.

Darkness, like a black water that could never be pushed away, surged in and enveloped him.

An eternity passed.

And….

“Have you been waiting?”

The devil’s whisper was heard.