Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 312

“A playboy?”

“……”

“A pimp?”

“……”

Kang Jin-ho felt himself subtly backing away from the intensity of Kang Eun-young’s glare.

Who was he?

He was Kang Jin-ho.

The very same Crimson Demon Lord who had once plunged the Central Plains [a region in China, often used in martial arts stories] into terror, and now the rising star causing a seismic shift in the Korean martial arts world. In the martial arts community, his name was already spreading like a mantra.

And yet…

‘What is this chill?’

From Kang Eun-young’s piercing gaze, Kang Jin-ho felt a coldness he hadn’t experienced even when bullets rained down on him. Somehow, if he got drawn into this, he felt like he would be utterly ruined.

“You’re neither a playboy nor a pimp… What’s with that outfit?”

“…I just tried it on.”

“Just? Juuust? My brother just wears a suit? The same brother who wouldn’t even put on a suit because it was uncomfortable, always wearing stretched-out tracksuits or whatever he could find?”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

His clothes had been covered in blood, so he had no choice but to change into whatever was available, which happened to be a black suit. He never thought that would become an issue.

“Why are you up until dawn?”

He tried to change the subject, feigning composure. But Kang Eun-young wasn’t about to let him off the hook so easily.

“What else would I be doing? My heartless brother doesn’t call and doesn’t come home until this late, how could I sleep? I’ve been up all night, wondering if you’d come now or later…”

“Th-that’s enough.”

Kang Jin-ho, thinking he’d be nagged for three days straight if he let her continue, cut her off and stepped inside. He needed to wash up and lie down quickly to escape Kang Eun-young’s clutches…

“Son.”

It was a case of one mountain after another; after getting past the mid-boss, the final boss appeared.

“Yes.”

His mother was gentle.

“My son, you look so handsome in that outfit.”

“…Yes.”

It was better to get hit first. But whether you got hit first or later, everyone would agree that watching the stick come and go before you was the most nerve-wracking thing.

“Our son has been taking good care of his mother lately and working so hard. Isn’t that right?”

What are you getting at, Mother?

“I know it’s hard. You’re looking after the store, taking care of the house, and have so many things on your plate. So you must be busy doing nothing.”

Was it just Kang Jin-ho’s sensitivity, or was there a slight emphasis on the ‘doing nothing’ part?

“How busy must you be to come home at four in the morning without even a phone call? Isn’t that right?”

“…I have committed a grave sin.”

“Since ancient times, Korea has valued patience and waiting. Especially women who keep the home shouldn’t bother the men who work outside. Yes.”

“That’s not true, Mother.”

“But son.”

“Yes?”

“If we lived like in the old days, you’d have no right to complain even if I beat you to death right now. That’s how it was back then.”

“Will you call properly, or not?”

“I will.”

“Next time, you won’t even get a drop of soup.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, go and rest.”

As Kang Jin-ho bowed his head and was about to head to his room, Kang Eun-young blocked his path.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

“…What now?”

“Mom!”

Kang Eun-young clearly had no intention of accepting this.

“Look at my brother’s clothes! He’s been out meeting a woman! It’s obvious! Someone who usually wears stretched-out tees and jeans suddenly shows up dressed like that, does that even make sense!”

“Daughter.”

“Yes, Mom!”

“…Is there any reason why your brother shouldn’t meet a woman?”

Kang Eun-young stared at Baek Hyun-jung with a dumbfounded expression.

“W-well, if you’re talking about a reason, there isn’t really one, but…”

“Then shush.”

Baek Hyun-jung, having suppressed Kang Eun-young’s rebellion with a single finger, tilted her head and said,

“Son.”

“Yes.”

“Your mother is in favor of seeing grandchildren early.”

“…That’s not it!”

“Whether it is or not.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not!”

Baek Hyun-jung looked at Kang Jin-ho with a dissatisfied expression.

“I mean, if your mother gave birth to you so beautifully, shouldn’t you be doing things like that?”

“M-Mother.”

“Honestly, that’s how I feel. Even when you were in middle school, you still had some cuteness, but these days, neither you nor Eun-young have any cuteness at all. I’m about to get a cuteness deficiency. I was even thinking about getting a dog.”

There was no room for argument, but he couldn’t understand why he felt so wronged.

“So, bring me a cute grandchild. You have money, you have a store, there’s no shame in getting married early.”

“I have no intention of doing so.”

“I’m just saying you should think about it.”

At that moment, Kang Eun-young burst out laughing, covering her mouth as she spoke.

“Mom, Mom. Should I make one for you?”

“If you don’t want to die, watch your mouth.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Kang Eun-young, crushed by her mother’s force, went to a corner and sat down, hugging her knees.

It sounded like she was saying something a moody middle schooler would say, like ‘You only hate me,’ but unfortunately, Kang Jin-ho was in no state to comfort Kang Eun-young right now.

“So, if you don’t want to be misunderstood, come home early.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Alright, go on in.”

“Yes.”

Half his soul gone, Kang Jin-ho trudged to his room, changed his clothes, and went into the bathroom.

“Mom.”

“Do you think Oppa [older brother] really has a girlfriend?”

“Don’t say such nonsense.”

“Why not! It could happen.”

“Is your brother the type to do that?”

Kang Eun-young scoffed.

“Mom, you’re underestimating your son too much, aren’t you? Honestly, I don’t think about it because I’m used to him, but if you leave that man alone, it wouldn’t be strange for women to line up for him.”

“That’s true.”

“He was already a bit handsome before, but he exploded after going to the military. Sometimes I almost forget that he’s my brother.”

“Calm down, daughter.”

“So, think about it. He’s not the type to reach out to women, but there are crazy women everywhere, aren’t there? If he gets caught by one of those who are determined, a ridiculous daughter-in-law could really come into our house. And Oppa has a strong sense of responsibility! If he has a kid, it’s all over.”

“Hmm.”

Baek Hyun-jung nodded as if Kang Eun-young’s words made sense.

“He’s prioritizing family now, but once he gets a wife and kids, we’ll be treated like leftovers in an instant, you know? Can you stand to see that, Mom?”

“…Eun-young.”

“Yes?”

“Please, get a grip, you brat.”

“Ah, why!”

“Are you going to live with your brother forever?”

“When did I ever tell Oppa not to get married? I’m just saying… um, I’m worried that my brother might go down the wrong path. I don’t have any other intentions.”

“You get a grip and live your own life!”

“Mom only hates me!”

Kang Eun-young, who had been scheming and was immediately defeated, pouted.

Hwang Jung-hoo sat on his bed in the darkness.

He had been awake for a while, but there was nothing he needed to do by getting up now. Until sunrise, spending time quietly in bed was his ritual for starting the day.

‘My eyes feel dry.’

He took the artificial tears from his bedside table, put them in his eyes, got up, opened the window, and took out a cigarette. He pulled the ashtray by the window and lit the cigarette.

“Hoo.”

Hwang Jung-hoo exhaled a low puff of smoke and looked at the cigarette.

“You should quit now. You need to live a long life.”

“What a joke.”

Live a long life? What would he do by living long?

Hwang Jung-hoo had been feeling heavy lately. The doctor said there was nothing seriously wrong, but Hwang Jung-hoo didn’t think so. It wasn’t his body that was failing. His life was just starting to feel too much for him.

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled softly.

‘When I think about it, I’ve been running non-stop.’

Since he started working, the only time he had properly rested in bed was when he had collapsed and was lying in a hospital bed. He had dedicated everything to his work.

He had neglected his family and poured his soul into Jaekyung [a fictional company name].

Thanks to that, Jaekyung had grown into a leading company, but Hwang Jung-hoo had recently been feeling a sense of emptiness.

The company called Jaekyung, which he had created by sacrificing his life, had given him immense pride, but…

‘You can’t take anything with you when you die.’

His name would remain.

His name might remain forever in the history of the Korean business world, like the steel magnate Carnegie or Rockefeller. It might be the greatest glory for a businessman, but even so, Hwang Jung-hoo only felt empty.

‘What meaning does it have?’

What good was the glory poured upon him after his death to the dead?

When he went to work, the towering Jaekyung headquarters sometimes felt like a huge tombstone.

“I’m getting old.”

He hadn’t thought like this before. He had been content with the rising sales and growing reputation. But recently, he had been losing interest in those numbers.

They say people become sentimental when they get old, and Hwang Jung-hoo was exactly like that.

Wasn’t he the one who had been harsh even to his children? In the last ten years, the only time he had been sentimental was when his wife had died.

And yet…

Hwang Jung-hoo quietly shook his head.

‘It’s all meaningless.’

Looking back now, the reason his children treated him that way might have been because he hadn’t properly raised them and hadn’t let them feel the affection of a family.

When his wife was alive, there was always laughter in the house, but after she died, the laughter disappeared from the house.

His children had moved out and cut ties, and now that he was left alone, the house was too big and too desolate.

“I should go to work.”

It wasn’t that he had anything specific to do. Through this incident, he realized how dangerous a dictatorial management structure, where he had to decide everything, was.

Even if the company ran according to his will when he was there, the company had to be able to operate without him when he was away. Just looking at how other large companies were faltering due to the vacancies created by the retirement or illness of managers of his generation, it was clear.

Hwang Jung-hoo, too, would have been lying in bed, shedding tears of blood, listening to Jaekyung collapse if Kang Jin-ho hadn’t been there.

That’s why he had reduced his involvement as much as possible and delegated more decision-making to the board of directors. That was why he didn’t have much work to do, even though he came to work so early.

But his house, where he had lived his whole life, was too big and too quiet to be used alone. It was suffocating.

He needed to go to work to feel the vitality of people.

Hwang Jung-hoo got up and went down to the living room. When he came downstairs, the housekeeper had already prepared breakfast.

“You’re working hard from the morning.”

“It’s nothing, Chairman. Did you sleep well last night?”

“I don’t sleep well as I get older.”

“You should get some sleep. You don’t seem to be sleeping well these days.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself.”

At that moment, the doorbell rang.