Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 180

Part-Time Job (5)

“Why isn’t Oppa here today?”

Since when did my son become your Oppa? [Oppa is a Korean term used by females to refer to an older brother or a male friend/acquaintance who is older than them.]

Kang Ji-hwan was suffering from complaints since morning. As Kang Jin-ho took a part-time job during the day and left the cafe, side effects began to appear.

‘Should I have announced it in advance?’ What cafe in the world would announce that their part-timer isn’t coming to work?

Thinking that way, he made a mistake by accepting it as a trivial matter. Unlike usual, the female customers who would fill one side of the cafe started turning away with sullen expressions after hearing that Kang Jin-ho wasn’t coming to work.

“…The coffee is delicious.”

“We didn’t come here for the coffee, you know?” Kang Ji-hwan and Park Yu-min, who had been working hard since dawn roasting beans and preparing for business, began to feel frustrated.

‘If you didn’t come to the cafe for coffee! Then why did you come!’

He wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Because he already knew the answer.

“Father, this… the sales are going to take a hit, aren’t they?”

“Hmm…”

Even though the cafe is still full, it’s obvious that the waiting line has significantly decreased. Kang Ji-hwan said with a determined face.

“Should I tell Jin-ho to quit his part-time job and come work here?”

“…You were the one who said he needed to gain experience, Father.”

“I must have been crazy. Why did I say that?”

Kang Ji-hwan sighed, and Park Yu-min chuckled.

“Eun-young can’t keep working here forever either. It’s about time we bring her back. I think she’s had enough time to reflect.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Kang Ji-hwan opened his mouth with a displeased look.

“Actually, what I didn’t like about Eun-young’s situation wasn’t that she had a guy, but that she wasn’t being managed after she got off work.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“It’s not really something I like, letting a young kid roam outside the house, but what I don’t like is that there’s no one to properly manage and keep an eye on her. So, I’ve been thinking about what to do.”

“Definitely. We need someone who can keep those guys who are sticking around Eun-young away, even if they’re not interested in her, but it’s not easy to find someone like that.”

“That’s right. So…”

Just as Kang Ji-hwan was about to continue, a sharp scream was heard.

“What are you doing!”

Kang Ji-hwan’s eyes flared as he turned his head.

A man sitting at a table was grabbing Kang Eun-young’s arm.

“I like Se-ah, that’s why. Why are you acting so expensive when I just want to hold your hand once?”

“Let go of me!”

“I’m letting go. But before that, let’s take a picture.”

“I said I’d take one for you. Let go of me.”

“No, you’re being too cold. I want to take a picture closer to you.”

The fans of Kang Se-ah around them jumped up from their seats.

“Are you not going to let go of that hand?”

“Huh?”

A man who looked over 180cm tall with broad shoulders stood up from his seat and glared menacingly, causing those who were about to protest to flinch and look away.

“You pathetic bastards, where do you think you are?” The man who was holding her hand tightly smirked and looked back at Kang Eun-young.

“Sir, you can’t do this here.”

Kang Ji-hwan rushed to stop him, but the man was relentless.

“Aish, you’re being so damn difficult. Why are you making such a fuss over just taking a picture? Should I just flip everything over?”

Just as Park Yu-min quickly picked up her phone to report to the police, the door opened and a man walked in.

“Hey, you son of a bitch.”

“What?”

The man, thinking another punk was showing up, turned his head and flinched when he saw the person walking towards him from the door.

‘What’s with that guy’s face?’

He was someone who wouldn’t lose in a face-off, but the person coming in now was intimidating just by looking at him.

Short-cut hair, a shiny suit, and a floral shirt instead of a dress shirt.

‘Is he a gangster?’

Just by his appearance, he was exuding the vibe of ‘I’ve been around the block.’

“Aren’t you going to let go of her hand?”

The man slowly let go of her hand.

“Hey, you son of a bitch. I’m waiting patiently outside, and you’re causing a ruckus, how much longer do you want me to wait? I’ll just…”

The gangster-looking man raised his hand, and the man who was harassing Kang Eun-young flinched.

“Ah, damn it. The more I think about it, the more pissed I get? A picture? Oh, yeah. You and I are going to take a picture. Come on out, you bastard.”

“No. I, it’s not like that…”

“You’re not coming out? Do you want to come out here, or do you want to be dragged out? If you get dragged out, you won’t be going home today?”

“…I’ll go.”

“You son of a bitch.”

The gangster-looking man reached out and grabbed the back of the man’s neck, then started dragging him outside.

“P-please let go of me…”

“Let go? You son of a bitch, did you let go when I told you to? That’s enough… follow me, you bastard. If this wasn’t my friend’s father’s place, you’d be dead here. I’ll take you to a corner so you’re less embarrassed, so if you open your mouth again, you’re dead.”

The man quietly shut his mouth and followed the gangster out.

As the door opened and the two went outside, Kang Ji-hwan asked Park Yu-min with a dazed expression.

“S-shouldn’t we report this?” Park Yu-min shook her head while trying to hold back her laughter.

“It’s okay, we don’t need to report it.”

“But he looks like a gangster?”

“He’s not a gangster. He’s a good-hearted guy.”

“R-really?”

Wasn’t Park Yu-min someone who was more trustworthy than Kang Jin-ho? If Park Yu-min said so, then it must be true.

“But, do you know him?”

“He’s Jin-ho’s army buddy.”

“Army buddy?”

Just as he was wondering what she was talking about, the door opened again, and the gangster-looking man came back inside, dusting off his hands.

Park Yu-min waved her hand.

“Young-gi!”

“Oh, you were here? I was wondering why you weren’t at the orphanage.”

“Why are you dressed like that?”

“Trying to look cool, you know? I’ve been dressing too plain lately, but if I dress the way I used to, I can still pull it off.”

“…You look really tacky.”

“What, you wanna fight?”

Park Yu-min introduced Joo Young-gi to Kang Ji-hwan while trying to hold back her laughter.

“Say hello. He’s Jin-ho’s father.”

“Hello!”

Joo Young-gi bowed ninety degrees in a folder greeting. He shouted so loudly that the cafe echoed.

“Oh, you’re Jin-ho’s friend?”

“Yes. I’m Joo Young-gi, Jin-ho’s best friend. I’ve heard a lot about you, Father.”

“Good, you came at the right time. Have a seat. You should have a cup of coffee.”

“Yes!”

He didn’t seem like a bad person, judging by his energetic response. However, what was bothering him was that he didn’t seem like he would be a good match for Jin-ho, so how did they become friends?

“Um…”

Kang Eun-young came to Joo Young-gi and bowed her head.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“Oh, you’re Jin-ho’s sister, right? I’ve seen you a few times.”

“Yes. I saw you a few times when I visited the base.”

“But I thought you were going to be a celebrity, why are you working here?”

It seemed like this ‘Oppa’s friend’ had no interest in her at all.

“Anyway, that guy won’t come back. I talked to him nicely.”

“Thank you, Oppa.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for. But you also have the wrong attitude. If you whine and resist like that, those kinds of guys won’t back down. You have to kick them in the crotch or slap them across the face so they think, ‘Oh, this one’s not easy,’ and then they’ll back off.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Tsk, okay.”

Park Yu-min asked.

“So, did you come to see Jin-ho?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why it’s so hard to see that bastard’s face. Is he not here today either?”

“Yeah. He was here until yesterday, but he decided not to come in today.”

“Aish, I came all this way for nothing. Well, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll have a cup of coffee and call him.”

“But why Jin-ho?”

“It’s been a while since I got discharged, and I need to work too. But I don’t have any connections in Seoul, and I don’t want to do those kinds of jobs, so I wanted to work somewhere bright and cheerful, so I was going to talk to Jin-ho about it.”

Kang Ji-hwan, who had been listening to their conversation, called out to Joo Young-gi.

“Young-gi, was it?”

“Yes, Father! It’s Joo Young-gi.”

“Do you happen to have any thoughts about being a manager?”

“Huh?”

Woo-oong.

Looking at the crane going down, Kang Jin-ho turned around with a slightly dazed expression.

The entire cityscape of Seoul was visible at a glance.

If someone who didn’t know would see it, they might think, ‘He went to work in a place with a great view,’ but if they knew where Kang Jin-ho was, they wouldn’t be able to say that.

“Are you scared?”

“…No, I’m not.”

“It’s always like that. Even the guys who say they’re not scared at all turn into ice when they first get on, and they can’t even move their legs.”

“I’m fine.”

“Really? You’re good at hiding your expression. You’re better than I thought. Usually, people get scared when they look down from about 10 meters, but once you go higher than that, the sense of reality disappears.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho answered casually and then quietly leaned his head forward.

‘This is definitely a unique experience.’

Even though he had lived the life of a martial artist, he had never worked hanging in the air 200 meters above the ground.

“Usually, there aren’t many people who want to do this kind of work, you’re a very unique person.”

“I guess I am.”

Whirr!

A cold wind blew, and the crane that Kang Jin-ho was on swayed from side to side.

“Whoa, be careful. The wind gets stronger as you go higher.”

The job Kang Jin-ho was doing now was cleaning the windows of a high-rise building.

‘It’s definitely a unique and interesting job.’

It wasn’t a job that required a lot of strength, but it was something that you couldn’t normally experience.

“Get used to it now. Later this afternoon, you’ll be cleaning while hanging on a personal chair, not on a big crane like this.”

“Understood.”

“But are you really okay? Usually, we can’t make beginners do this kind of work, but the manager said it was okay, so we’re letting you do it.”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“If you have an accident, I’ll get fired too. Be careful not to have an accident.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho sprayed water on the glass and wiped it off with a squeegee.

‘It’s unique, but it’s not a particularly difficult job.’

Except for the fact that he was hanging on the exterior wall of a high-rise building, it wasn’t a difficult job.

“But are you really… okay?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange? Usually, people who do this job for the first time almost faint.”

The people looking at Kang Jin-ho tilted their heads as if they couldn’t understand.

“I’m not naturally afraid of much.”

“That’s not a good thing either. The less afraid people are, the more likely they are to have accidents.”

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to answer, he suddenly turned his head and looked down.

“…No, I’m not.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head with a subtle expression.

“You have a keen eye.”

The person who was looking at the building where Kang Jin-ho was hanging from below hid in the shadows and shook his head.

“Is this why a big shot like Hong Wang is interested in him? He’s definitely not an ordinary guy, but…”

The man slowly curled up the corners of his mouth.

“If he’s such a precious person, he shouldn’t be doing such dangerous work. Hehehe.”

A low laugh that felt ominous just by listening to it slowly flowed out.