Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 153

“Congratulations on your discharge.”

“Were you waiting for me?”

“I couldn’t miss a day like today.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled, a bit dumbfounded, as he saw Jo Gyu-min waiting for him by his car at the bottom of the hill leading to the unit.

He hadn’t seen him near the guard post, so he thought he wasn’t coming today. Turns out, he had parked his car down below.

“Why did you park here today?”

“The feeling of being discharged is something you need to enjoy a bit. I still can’t forget the feeling of taking the bus after my discharge. I parked a little further away on purpose so you could fully savor it.”

Was this consideration, or was he just being overly attentive to unnecessary details?

“Let’s get in.”

Kang Jin-ho got into Jo Gyu-min’s car with Joo Young-gi.

Jo Gyu-min started the car and drove out of the Civilian Control Zone [a restricted area near the border with North Korea].

“Once again, congratulations on your discharge.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s a bit bittersweet, isn’t it?”

Is it?

Kang Jin-ho didn’t particularly think so, but Joo Young-gi seemed to agree with Jo Gyu-min.

“It is a bit.”

“Everyone feels that way when they’re discharged. It’s a mix of emotions, worry, relief, and a bit of sadness.”

Jo Gyu-min grinned.

“But after three days, you’ll be playing around without a care in the world, so don’t worry too much.”

“…Is that from experience?”

“Of course.”

Jo Gyu-min joked.

“Well, it’s nothing special. Going to the military doesn’t change a person. You’ll probably feel it soon enough.”

“Whether that’s a good thing or not…”

Jo Gyu-min continued as he drove.

“So, where are you headed? Should we grab a bite first?”

Joo Young-gi shook his head.

“I think I need to see my younger sibling first.”

“Then, we’ll head to Seongsim.”

Joo Young-gi glanced at him, and Kang Jin-ho nodded. He felt like he should go straight home, but Seongsim wasn’t too far from his place, so it wouldn’t be a problem to stop by.

“I’m sorry for asking so much.”

“It’s nothing.”

Jo Gyu-min gave a warm smile.

Joo Young-gi was very polite to Jo Gyu-min, having heard that he had taken care of many things, including his family matters.

The car sped along, and soon they arrived at Seongsim Orphanage.

“Take care.”

As Kang Jin-ho said goodbye, Joo Young-gi asked back.

“Huh? Aren’t you getting out?”

“I need to see my family first.”

“Oh, right. I need to take care of things here and then go back to my hometown, so I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

“Answer your phone. I’m warning you.”

“…Alright.”

As Joo Young-gi waved and walked away, Jo Gyu-min started the car and said,

“He’s cheerful.”

“It’s his nature.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

After going through something like that, people usually have trauma, but it seemed that the mental health care he received was effective, as Joo Young-gi was regaining his old cheerfulness.

Of course, it might only be on the surface for now, but he would get better as he lived on. No matter how painful a wound is, it will eventually scab over and new flesh will grow.

“Scars are something you have to live with. It’s my burden.”

“You’re right.”

Jo Gyu-min also agreed with Kang Jin-ho’s words.

Kang Jin-ho had done everything he could for Joo Young-gi.

However, one thing Jo Gyu-min wasn’t sure about was whether Kang Jin-ho considered Joo Young-gi as one of his own.

As seen in Park Yu-min’s case, Kang Jin-ho was the type to give everything he could without expecting anything in return to those he considered his people.

“Are you planning to see him again?”

Kang Jin-ho seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering.

“If we’re meant to be, we’ll meet again.”

‘So, it’s not to that extent yet.’

If Kang Jin-ho showed the same level of interest in Joo Young-gi as he did in Park Yu-min, Jo Gyu-min would have to keep an eye on Joo Young-gi as well. But from what he was saying now, it seemed that Kang Jin-ho didn’t think of Joo Young-gi that way yet.

‘I’ll have to keep watching.’

The most fleeting relationships are those formed in the military. Relationships formed in a closed-off environment, different from society, tend to lose their closeness when they return to society.

“I’ll take you home.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho looked out the window.

The city he saw on vacation and the city he saw after being discharged were no different, but somehow, they felt different.

“Jin-ho!”

His mother held Kang Jin-ho’s hand tightly.

“You’re home early. I told you I’d come pick you up.”

“You didn’t need to come all this way. It’s not like I’m enlisting, I’m being discharged.”

“Okay, okay, you’ve worked hard.”

Seeing his mother wiping her eyes, Kang Jin-ho felt a strange emotion. From his perspective, it felt like he had just gone camping for two years, but it seemed different for those who were watching him.

“You need to eat.”

“Yes.”

He wasn’t particularly hungry, but he knew that it was better to eat without complaint in these situations.

Of course, he would soon regret it.

“…Is there a feast?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho trembled as he looked at the food laid out on the table.

It was as if they had slaughtered a whole cow.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He went to work.”

“Where’s Eun-young?”

“Eun-young went to work too.”

“I see. Aren’t you eating, Mom?”

“Mom ate earlier.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

That meant that all the food on the table was for Kang Jin-ho to eat.

His mother must have picked him up from somewhere. This wasn’t a meal for a human. Maybe an elephant could eat this much.

“Eat a lot. You must have missed Mom’s cooking.”

‘I’m sorry, but my taste buds aren’t sensitive enough to tell the difference between Mom’s cooking and military food.’

But he could never say that out loud.

Kang Jin-ho headed back outside before sitting at the table.

“Where are you going? You’re not eating?”

“I’m just going to the convenience store.”

“Huh? What are you going to buy?”

“No, just for a moment.”

Kang Jin-ho opened the door and went outside.

“…Do they sell digestive medicine at convenience stores?”

Even his well-trained stomach had its limits. In times like this, he needed the help of modern medicine.

“So, did you get him home safely?”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled pleasantly.

“He’s been discharged.”

“It’s strange, but time seems to crawl by in the military, but when you look back from the outside, it feels like it went by in a flash. It feels like I enlisted not too long ago, but he’s already being discharged. It’s a bit strange.”

“Don’t say that in front of him.”

“…Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t mind.”

“Huhu.”

Hwang Jung-hoo thought that was understandable. Kang Jin-ho was someone who didn’t show much emotional change.

“So, it seems like this issue is mostly resolved.”

As Hwang Jung-hoo stared at him, Jo Gyu-min let out a low sigh.

“There’s still no movement.”

“I figured.”

“It’s strange. Why isn’t he doing anything when his son is like that? If I had that kind of power, I would never stand idly by.”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue.

Jo Gyu-min, who received a look of pity, became dejected.

But it was unreasonable to expect Jo Gyu-min, who was only in his 30s, to have the same perspective as Hwang Jung-hoo.

“Do you know what kind of people politicians are?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“They’re the most fickle people in Korea.”

It was an obvious statement.

But what followed was different.

“When you watch TV, you sometimes think that even celebrities are quite smart. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But have you ever wondered why those who enter politics with such impressive careers all seem to do foolish things?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

Hwang Jung-hoo clicked his tongue.

“Politicians are beings who endure. They hide a knife in their belly and wait for the right moment while smiling in front of you. Moreover, Noh Young-deok is a three-term congressman. He’s considered a strong candidate for the next party leader. Do you think someone like that would lose his composure and cause a scene just because something happened to his son?”

Jo Gyu-min’s face gradually hardened.

“He’s probably already done his investigation. And he’s waiting. Waiting for the situation where he can use what happened to his advantage. To those monsters who have been rolling around in politics, even family matters are just another card. That’s how sweet power is.”

If that was true, it was a truly chilling statement.

His own son had become a madman, and he was going to use that as a card? Was that even possible according to common sense?

He had heard many times that the political world was a place where you had to have a hundred snakes in your stomach to survive, but this was far beyond Jo Gyu-min’s understanding.

“And politicians don’t forget. They just endure. If he decides that it’s okay to make a move, you’ll face a sharp attack like you’ve never seen before.”

Jo Gyu-min nodded.

Even if they investigated, it would be difficult to find a connection between Kang Jin-ho and Noh Su-bong, but you never know in this world.

If things went wrong, Kang Jin-ho might face the worst enemy he had ever encountered.

“But Chairman, may I ask a presumptuous question?”

“Go ahead.”

“In the worst-case scenario, if Noh Young-deok finds out about Kang Jin-ho, wouldn’t the blade be directed at Kang Jin-ho? And in that case, Jae-kyung could also become a target. What should I do then?”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes narrowed.

Without answering, Hwang Jung-hoo took out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

“The political world is a scary place.”

“Yes.”

“But Jae-kyung isn’t an easy target either. If they target us, we’ll have to accept the damage. I’ve built up enough power for that.”

Jo Gyu-min also agreed with that statement.

But that wasn’t the answer he wanted.

What he wanted to hear was whether Kang Jin-ho was worth protecting at the risk of Jae-kyung’s fate in Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes.

And Hwang Jung-hoo gave a definite answer.

“Right now, there’s nothing more important to Jae-kyung than Kang Jin-ho. If they want to dance with swords, we’ll have to draw our swords too.”

“I understand.”

The reason didn’t matter.

What mattered was that the direction had been decided.

“But…”

“Yes.”

Hwang Jung-hoo gave a subtle smile.

“Will he even need our help?”

“…Excuse me?”

Hwang Jung-hoo didn’t answer Jo Gyu-min’s question. He just closed his eyes quietly.

‘It would be best not to make a bad move, Congressman Noh Young-deok.’

He didn’t think that Noh Young-deok’s influence could harm Kang Jin-ho. What Hwang Jung-hoo was worried about was how Kang Jin-ho would react if Noh Young-deok, that sly and insidious man, touched him.

‘I hope it doesn’t end up being like lighting a fuse on a powder keg.’

Hwang Jung-hoo’s low sigh quietly escaped his lips.