Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 387

After calling a couple of vans to load up all the kids, Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

‘Seriously, they’re so clueless.’ There are so many things that make the world convenient, yet these people still live in the analog age.

Even Choi Yeon-ha, who can solve everything just by sitting in the passenger seat with automatic pickups and self-driving cars, knows about these things. How incompetent is Kang Jin-ho’s crew that they can’t even manage to move a few kids without making a fuss?

‘Who can I blame?’

It’s Choi Yeon-ha who’s the problem for liking these kinds of people.

“Okay, we’ll be there soon, so just wait a little bit, kids.”

“Yes.”

The kids were excited, as if they were going on a picnic. Seeing that, Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly.

‘This is the difference in class.’

Choi Yeon-ha started the car, offering her condolences to the boys who were going through hell.

“Who are these kids? Choi Yeon-ha?”

Manager Park Min-seo was very nervous.

‘What is this witch up to now?’

The atmosphere in the salon became tense the moment Choi Yeon-ha appeared. Lately, she hadn’t been coming to the salon much because it was her off-season, so things had been peaceful. Why did she have to show up today, and with a bunch of kids in tow?

“Can’t I come?”

“Hahaha, that’s how it sounded. We’re always waiting for you to come, Choi Yeon-ha. There’s no way we’d feel that way.”

It wasn’t hard to be two-faced. And what she said was half true anyway.

The salon that Choi Yeon-ha was rumored to frequent saw its sales skyrocket. There were countless people who would gladly sit down even if they were charged prices that were unimaginable elsewhere. That’s the celebrity effect, isn’t it?

Among them, Choi Yeon-ha was special.

It wasn’t just about being pretty. You had to be pretty and have good style. And the style that men like is different from the style that women like. Choi Yeon-ha was one of the few ‘real’ ones who satisfied all those conditions.

‘And her personality is real too.’

Choi Yeon-ha asked bluntly,

“What about the kids who made reservations?”

“Yeah. I canceled them.”

The girl group members who were supposed to come to get their hair done for an event canceled all their reservations without a second thought after hearing that Choi Yeon-ha had told them to cancel. They didn’t even complain.

‘Poor things.’

Compared to getting their hair done at an unfamiliar salon for a day and getting on Choi Yeon-ha’s bad side, the choice was obvious. Choi Yeon-ha knew her power very well, and she knew how to manage it very efficiently.

“Take care of these kids’ hair first. Since they’re kids, um, how should I put it… They have a youthful vibe, but not just youthful, they should be sophisticated and a little elegant? And it would be nice if they also had a pure and lively feel. Do you know what I mean?”

Of course, she knew what she meant.

The problem was that it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

“These kids?”

“Yeah. Is there something wrong?”

Manager Park glanced at the kids Choi Yeon-ha had brought and frowned slightly.

“They’re completely unmanaged. Wouldn’t it be a little difficult?”

“Yeah. It’s difficult.”

Choi Yeon-ha turned around.

“Kids, let’s go.”

The kids looked at Choi Yeon-ha, not knowing what was going on. Seeing that, Manager Park grabbed Choi Yeon-ha’s arm in a panic.

“Ah, no, where are you going?”

“How can I leave their hair to a salon that can’t even do this? I need to ask around and see if there’s a place that can.”

“Who said we can’t do it? Haha, we can do it. Of course, we can do it. If we can’t even do that, we don’t deserve to touch Choi Yeon-ha’s hair, right?”

“You know it well.”

“Yes. This way, everyone, come this way.”

The designers who had been watching the situation had determined looks on their faces. The salon’s sales were directly linked to their salaries. If Choi Yeon-ha left, the salon’s sales would plummet, and they wouldn’t be able to maintain their current salaries.

Manager Park pushed the kids toward the sofa and gathered the designers with a determined look.

“If it’s not possible, make it possible.”

“Manager…”

“I don’t need to explain the situation, right? We’re not taking any more customers after this, so time doesn’t matter. Just transform these kids to the highest level. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

Manager Park, who had turned her gaze away from the designers who were nodding with resolute faces, sighed as she looked at Choi Yeon-ha, who was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.

‘A witch, a witch.’

She was the perfect example of a witch, someone who could casually give impossible missions to perfectly normal people, and if they failed, there would be enormous consequences.

‘But she’s a witch who makes us money.’

“Should I get you some coffee, unnie [older sister or female friend] ?”

Manager Park ran to Choi Yeon-ha, wearing a bright smile.

“Hmm…”

Choi Yeon-ha tapped her cheek as she looked at the kids sitting in front of the mirror.

‘First, get their hair done, then skin care, and then some exercise to give their bodies some volume, and then…’

That should be enough for their appearance. It’s not like they’re debuting or anything.

“How do you guys buy clothes?”

When she asked the kids who were waiting for their turn, they answered casually.

“The aunties buy them for us, or we wear clothes that are donated. Or we save up our allowance and go buy them ourselves.”

“How much is your allowance?”

When the kids told her the amount of their allowance, Choi Yeon-ha frowned.

“You buy clothes with that?”

“Yes…”

“Is this Mission Impossible? If you buy clothes with that, what about snacks?”

“We barely eat any.”

“Okay. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. I was thinking that since there aren’t any obese kids, body management wouldn’t take much time, but this isn’t a good thing.”

Choi Yeon-ha pressed her forehead.

‘Ugh, this is a headache.’

She had no idea where to start. It was a total mess.

“No. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Choi Yeon-ha was burning with fighting spirit. She had experienced countless times that the more difficult the task, the more rewarding it was after solving it.

Choi Yeon-ha’s fighting spirit, which had risen from the bottom in the harsh entertainment industry, was burning.

“It’ll be so rewarding when it’s all done, right? If I don’t prove my abilities here, where else would I prove them? Hehe, I’ll have to show them properly.”

The kids’ eyes darkened a little as they watched Choi Yeon-ha laugh to herself.

‘This unnie… is scary.’

‘She’s no joke, really.’

The kids were slowly being overwhelmed by Choi Yeon-ha’s aura. Just like the boys were uncomfortable with Kang Jin-ho.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

The sound was very low. And it was regular.

Regular was a good thing. Especially if that regular sound was coming from a patient monitoring device. It meant that the patient’s condition was very stable.

But things in the world weren’t that simple.

To the owner of this sound, it was nothing less than the devil’s whisper. It meant that his body was stable, so he wouldn’t die for a while, and he would be able to live for quite a long time.

‘Ugh…’

And that was something only a devil could do.

When is the most painful time for a human?

When they are thrown into the depths of hell?

Or when they fall into utter despair?

No.

The most painful time for a human is when they are deprived of what they have.

Especially when what they have is something that should naturally exist, the pain is even greater.

For example, eyesight.

And hearing.

Or taste, or limbs.

Even if only one of them disappears, the pain that a human would have to endure would be immense.

And the person listening to this sound now had not lost just one of them. His eyes were blind, and not a single one of his limbs remained.

They were there.

He had arms and legs. But he had no sensation in those limbs.

Limbs that were there without sensation made him more miserable than if they were not there.

If he didn’t have these limbs, his body would be lighter, and it might be a little easier to move. But a body with limbs attached that couldn’t even move a finger was nothing more than a heavy burden.

“Hehehehehe.”

Kim Seok-il whimpered softly.

“Hehehehehe, ha! Ugh! You bastard!”

Curses that seemed to contain all the resentment in the world poured out of his mouth. He got angry, cursed, and struggled to twist his unmoving body.

The machine screamed.

Then, the nurses from the nursing ward rushed in.

“He’s having another seizure!”

“Sedative! Prepare the sedative quickly. Hurry!”

“You damn bitches! Get your hands off me!”

Kim Seok-il yelled, but that was all he could do.

What could he do when his whole body was paralyzed?

He screamed and yelled, but soon a sense of futility washed over him. It seemed like he had been given another sedative without even realizing it.

“Hoo.”

“Why are you really like this?”

“…Watch your mouth. Wouldn’t you be angry in this situation?”

“…But you’re being too much.”

“That’s enough. Leave him alone. He needs to rest.”

Even words of sympathy only made him angrier. Kim Seok-il looked at the invisible ceiling and shed tears.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

He had challenged a dream.

And he had failed.

If that was all, he wouldn’t have regretted it.

But the price was too terrible.

Kang Jin-ho did not grant him the freedom of death.

The punishment Kang Jin-ho gave him was to survive.

To just survive with a body that couldn’t even move a finger.

To just survive in the invisible darkness.

When he asked why he had left his ears, Kang Jin-ho’s answer was still unforgettable.

“If you lose your hearing too, wouldn’t it feel like you’re dreaming? You must not forget that this is reality.”

‘A devil.’

He was a devil.

No, he was not even worthy of being called a devil.

No devil would give such a cruel punishment. This was something a human could not do.

“Hehehehe.”

Tears flowed down.

His body, which had jumped over buildings and soared into the sky, was now just a lump of meat that was barely alive. He, who had once ruled the world, was now a human, or rather, something that could not even be called a human, just breathing.

The sin he had committed certainly existed.

But was that sin enough to deserve this kind of punishment?

“Kill… me…”

He couldn’t even kill himself. He was deprived of the freedom to end his own life, and he was more powerless than anyone else in the world.

“Please…”

He prayed thousands of times a day that his breath would be cut off, but all that came back to him was the sound of his heart becoming more and more stable.

But they say that if you wish hard enough, it will eventually come true.

“It seems like you want to die, Kim Seok-il.”

Kim Seok-il flinched at the voice he heard in his ear.

A familiar voice. It was definitely a voice he had heard before.

“Who…?”

The answer came immediately.

“A devil. But someone who might grant your wish.”

“Hehehehehe.”

Kim Seok-il laughed.

If he could die, that would be good. If he could just die, he didn’t care who the person was.

But at that moment, Kim Seok-il heard a sound that made his soul tremble.

“Don’t you want to get revenge on Kang Jin-ho?”