Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 344

“Wow, you’re alive.”

“……”

“Hahaha! Yumin, look at this guy. He’s alive. I thought he was dead.”

“……”

“What are you doing, man? Go get the booze. Our friend came back alive, so we have to throw a party! I’m so happy today, I’m going to drink until my nose gets crooked, so don’t stop me.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly.

Without any exaggeration, it felt like things were three times harder after escaping than when he was trapped with Choi Yeon-ha.

Everyone around him was eager to devour him, and having to explain an inexplicable situation was too much for Kang Jin-ho.

“Jin-ho.”

Park Yu-min stared intently at Kang Jin-ho.

‘Just get angry.’

Joo Young-gi’s sarcasm made people flinch, but Park Yu-min’s gaze had ten times the effect of driving people into a corner. Kang Jin-ho involuntarily took a step back, like a general defeated in battle.

“I’m sorry.”

“No. You have nothing to be sorry about.” Park Yu-min shook his head firmly.

“There’s a reason why you couldn’t contact us, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not that you didn’t contact us, but you couldn’t, and you came back because it was resolved? Right?”

“Exactly.”

Park Yu-min smiled and nodded.

“Then it’s fine.”

“……Huh?”

The moment Kang Jin-ho tried to say something, Joo Young-gi jumped up from his seat and protested.

“What do you mean it’s fine, man!”

Joo Young-gi looked furious.

“How can you not be angry when your so-called friend suddenly disappears for days without any contact and then shows up? Damn it, I never thought I’d worry about a guy in my life!”

“That’s true.”

Park Yu-min readily admitted.

“Then you should at least get an apology!”

“It’s not something to apologize for.”

“Why?”

Joo Young-gi looked completely bewildered, so Park Yu-min began to explain calmly.

“You’re the type who can drink and pass out for a day without thinking about it or contacting anyone, but Jin-ho isn’t like that.”

“……Huh?”

“Do you really think Jin-ho is the kind of person who wouldn’t contact us if he could?”

“That’s not it.”

Being angry was one thing, but the truth was the truth. Even if Joo Young-gi thought about it, Kang Jin-ho was not the kind of person who would worry the people around him like that.

He had become a bit slick lately, neglecting his duties and not showing up at the store a few times, but even then, Kang Jin-ho would call several times a day to check how the store was doing and apologize.

“If Jin-ho suddenly couldn’t contact us for days, instead of getting angry about why he didn’t contact us, we should be worried about how hard things must have been for him that he couldn’t even contact us properly. Isn’t that right?”

“……Wow, Park Yu-min.”

Logically, that was right, but how could people live only by logic? If that were the case, everyone would be Jesus.

Seeing him say such things so calmly, it was clear that this guy wasn’t normal either.

“Am I, am I the only trash here?”

“It’s not that you’re trash. It’s just that you’re a bit short-sighted.”

“Th, then what should I have done?”

“Ideally, wouldn’t the most appropriate thing to say be, ‘Jin-ho, what on earth happened that you couldn’t contact us for so long? Did something bad happen? I’m worried’?”

“Don’t talk like you’re reading from a textbook, you jerk!”

For Joo Young-gi, who would fall asleep at the mere mention of the word ‘textbook,’ it was an unbearable attack.

Seeing Joo Young-gi shudder, Park Yu-min chuckled, then turned his head to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“Nothing serious happened, right?”

“Um…..”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

It would be easy to just say ‘nothing happened’ and move on, but with Park Yu-min acting like this, it felt like a betrayal to say that.

There are times when you shouldn’t even tell a white lie to avoid causing worry.

When Kang Jin-ho, who had been answering well until now, suddenly hesitated, Park Yu-min nodded. Then, as if he understood everything, he said,

“I didn’t ask what you did. You went through a lot.”

“Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“You have times when you struggle too.”

Park Yu-min smiled.

“But I thought you’d resolve it well and come back. I don’t know what happened this time, but if it was enough to make you struggle, it must have been no ordinary matter. So… are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay, that’s good. But can I ask you one more thing?”

“What?”

“Were you with Choi Yeon-ha?”

Kang Jin-ho thought he had been rendered speechless several times today.

If he said yes, it seemed like there would be misunderstandings, and if he said no, it would be a lie. Then the only way was to explain why he was with Choi Yeon-ha, but then he would have to explain everything that happened.

‘This is weird?’

From the beginning, they had been saying it was okay and that he didn’t have to say anything, but the questions they were subtly throwing out were constantly digging at the core. They were throwing jabs like ‘thump, thump,’ but it felt like the one getting hit was having their bones and flesh separated.

“I was with her, but it’s not in the way you guys are thinking.”

“We weren’t thinking that way? Why are you suddenly making excuses? Like someone who really had something going on.”

“……Huh?”

It felt like he was in a swamp, the more he struggled, the deeper he sank. Seeing Kang Jin-ho’s flustered expression, Park Yu-min burst into a hearty laugh.

“It’s okay, man. I was just kidding.”

“……You, your personality seems to have gotten a bit worse?”

“That’s what happens when you get a taste of the real world. And I’ve always had a bad personality. Don’t you remember? You came to me, and I betrayed you and screwed you over?”

“I have it engraved in my bones. I’ll get my revenge someday.”

“I’m waiting for it. I’ll screw you over again.”

“You guys are ridiculous.”

Joo Young-gi sighed and shook his head.

“So, what, are you going back to work today?”

“I’d like to….”

Kang Jin-ho scratched the back of his head.

“I think I need to go visit someone. I was going to go at night, but the hospital said they don’t allow visitors at night.”

“Visit?”

“Yeah. At the hospital.”

Joo Young-gi tilted his head, looking completely clueless. But Park Yu-min waved his hand as if he understood everything.

“Go ahead.”

“Um, I’m sorry.”

“No. Get things sorted out, and we’ll work by ourselves today. Don’t come to work.”

“I’ll be back before dinner.”

“I said don’t come to work.”

Park Yu-min said firmly.

“It’s not like the store can’t run without you, anymore. Thanks to you skipping out so much, we’ve learned to manage on our own, so you just take care of your own business. If you don’t get things sorted out and hang around here, it’ll be more inconvenient for us. Do you understand?”

“Um……”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Then, while you’re at it, why don’t you skip out for one more day? I think it’ll be hard for me to come to work tomorrow too.”

“Okay. Get things sorted out and come back.”

“No, why are you two……”

Joo Young-gi, who was trying to assert his right to speak, flinched at Park Yu-min’s pitiful gaze.

‘When did I become like this?’

He was someone who never lost in terms of voice volume, whether in society or in the military. But how could he have become so powerless to speak his mind?

“Okay, then I’ll go.”

As Kang Jin-ho got up and went outside, Joo Young-gi’s lips jutted out.

“Yeah. You do everything.”

“What now?”

“Nothing. What’s the point of my opinion? You’re smarter, you’re more amazing, you’ll take care of everything. I’ll just do whatever you tell me to do.”

“Jeez……”

Park Yu-min sighed.

A guy with a huge build was incredibly timid. How could such words come out of that body?

Park Yu-min, who was looking at Joo Young-gi with a pathetic gaze, offered a conciliatory measure.

“If Jin-ho’s here, we’ll have to keep the store open longer.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s close a bit early today and go for a drink. All of us.”

“Deal!”

Seeing Joo Young-gi happily going to wash the mop at the mention of alcohol, Park Yu-min slowly shook his head.

‘Is he simple, or is he innocent?’

Still, it was a definite fact that he was a good friend.

“His condition isn’t very good.” Kang Jin-ho’s face hardened as he listened to the doctor’s explanation.

“But he said his body was fine?”

“Physically, there are no major problems. He was just slightly malnourished and went into a state of exhaustion. He’s almost recovered now. The problem is not his body, but his mind.”

“His mind?”

“Yes.”

The doctor frowned slightly.

“I heard there was an accident?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know exactly what that accident was, but it seems the trauma was severe. He’s suffering from anxiety. He’s wary when people approach him, and he’s scared when there’s no one around.”

“Hmm……”

“Medically, it’s not to the point where we can diagnose it as a specific condition. These cases are quite common immediately after an accident. It will heal over time, but if it doesn’t, we’ll have to try to force recovery through medication.”

“Then will he have to stay in the hospital longer?”

“No. Outpatient treatment is also possible. However, since the patient lives alone, I would recommend hospitalization rather than outpatient treatment. Being alone often increases feelings of depression and anxiety.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

‘Trauma……’

This was something Kang Jin-ho couldn’t do anything about. He was already struggling just to make sure Choi Yeon-ha’s body wasn’t hurt. However, it was also true that he felt uneasy after hearing those words directly from the doctor.

“Yes. Thank you for your time, doctor.”

“Yes, then.”

Kang Jin-ho left the examination room and took the elevator to the top floor. The private rooms for VIPs were located on the top floor. He went up to the top floor and headed towards the VIP ward.

“Huh?”

Unlike the hospital he had been to before, this hospital’s VIP ward was divided into separate sections from the start. And the doors were closed, requiring a password to enter.

Confused, Kang Jin-ho looked around and found an intercom, then pressed the call button.

[Yes. This is the ward.]

When a voice answered from inside, Kang Jin-ho said awkwardly,

“I’m a visitor. Can I come in?”

[Which room are you visiting?]

“Patient in room 2103.”

The nurse asked for the room number instead of the patient’s name, as if she was worried about even mentioning the name.

[If you give me your name, I’ll contact the inside to check if you’re allowed to visit.]

“It’s Kang Jin-ho.”

[Yes, Mr. Kang Jin-ho. Please wait a moment.]

When the intercom cut off, Kang Jin-ho scratched his head with an awkward expression.

‘They’re really strict.’