Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 401

“…That was a terrible day.”

Han Jin-sung felt utterly drained.

His mind had been a mess since morning. But the real problem started after that.

‘I’m not some kind of Gestapo.’

After Kim Dong-min left, the class became eerily quiet, as if a National Intelligence Service agent had descended. It was so silent that he could hear the ticking of the wall clock for the first time.

Not only that, but the other kids seemed utterly clueless as to why the situation was changing so rapidly.

If only that were all.

The real problem occurred a little later.

Han Jin-sung, heading to the cafeteria for lunch, realized his surroundings were quickly filling up. At first, he didn’t think much of it, but when people who usually never spoke to him started asking trivial questions, he couldn’t help but sense something was off.

That was the beginning.

“I’m so out of it.”

Why were they so curious?

If they were so curious, how had they managed to hold back until now?

This was like… it was as if the country was conducting a census. If he stayed still, they would probably ask about the color of his underwear.

From lunchtime until now, Han Jin-sung had been harassed by the kids every break. As soon as class ended, he grabbed his bag and fled the classroom as if he were escaping.

“…This is driving me crazy.”

It was something that had never happened before, so he couldn’t get used to it at all.

Of course, he understood. Kim Dong-min had suddenly disappeared, and Yoon Da-bin, who had been called out with him yesterday, hadn’t come to school, so it was natural that they were curious. But still…

Just as Han Jin-sung frowned, a sharp honk reached his ears.

Baaang!

He looked up and saw Kang Jin-ho getting out of a sports car parked in front of the school gate.

‘Please! Please, hyung!’

Don’t come to pick me up in that Lamborghini! Everyone’s watching!

“Over here!”

At that moment, Han Jin-sung began to calculate how much of an impact pretending not to know that person would have on his life.

After racking his brain, Han Jin-sung sighed and trudged towards the sports car where Kang Jin-ho was standing.

“…Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s a word called ‘gaudiness’ in the world.”

“Yeah?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“Usually, the word ‘gaudiness’ is used when you add more flashiness to something already flashy.”

“So?”

“Haven’t you ever thought that adding red to a car that stands out anywhere, even if it’s painted black, is gaudy?”

Kang Jin-ho replied with a stiff face.

“I did say I wanted to ride in a different color, at least.”

“And?”

“So, that’s a cowardly compromise.”

“Who?”

“Chief Jo Gyu-min.”

“…There’s no hope, really.”

Han Jin-sung blushed as he saw the countless gazes fixed on him.

Were they marveling at him standing next to such a car, or were they admiring his courage to stand next to Kang Jin-ho with that face?

Before his face looked any more like an invertebrate, Han Jin-sung quickly got into the car. Kang Jin-ho chuckled as he watched Han Jin-sung get in, then got into the driver’s seat and closed the door.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho gently stepped on the accelerator.

Vroooom!

But the engine was not as careful as Kang Jin-ho’s foot on the accelerator. The engine roared as if it had to announce to the whole neighborhood, ‘We’re leaving now!’ and the wheels began to turn.

Han Jin-sung’s face flushed red.

‘Ah, I’m embarrassed, a little proud, and also awkward. How should I describe this feeling?’

There was no one to listen, so he didn’t need to express it.

Once the car left the school area, Han Jin-sung finally breathed a sigh of relief and opened his mouth.

“Why did you come to pick me up?”

“They told me to pick you up?”

“Who did?”

“Chief Jo.”

That person was the root of all evil.

Han Jin-sung sensed it. The nets that had been tightly surrounding him were not something that Kang Jin-ho or Park Yu-min could have come up with.

‘My hyungs are, to put it nicely, innocent, and to put it badly, simple and ignorant.’

They were the type to charge in and turn things upside down if there was a problem, but they weren’t capable of solving things in this way. The Chief Jo that Kang Jin-ho was talking about was probably the one who planned all of this.

‘And if that’s true, he must be a very scary person.’

The fact that he had clearly identified what could be used around Kang Jin-ho and had used everything he could to bring the situation this far meant that Jo Gyu-min was an amazing person. The result was what Han Jin-sung was experiencing firsthand.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

“……”

When Han Jin-sung didn’t answer, Kang Jin-ho continued.

“You don’t look too good, so I was asking.”

“Um…”

Han Jin-sung hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I feel better, hyung.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s a little too good. It’s a bit overwhelming and annoying, but if every day were like this, I think I’d enjoy going to school.”

“But?”

Kang Jin-ho, realizing that Han Jin-sung hadn’t said what he really wanted to say, quietly waited for him to continue.

“But, hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“Honestly, I don’t feel that good. I don’t know how to explain it, but while my situation is improving, it feels like there’s a stone sitting in my gut, heavy and uncomfortable.”

“Why?”

“…I don’t know.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t press Han Jin-sung.

“Other people can’t know why you feel bad. You’re the one who has to find the reason.”

Han Jin-sung nodded.

“I’m not very good at talking, so my explanation might be a bit rough.”

“It’s okay, take your time.”

Han Jin-sung looked at the road ahead with a troubled expression, then slowly opened his mouth.

“What’s so different?”

“Different?”

“Me yesterday and me today.”

Han Jin-sung sighed and said,

“I haven’t changed at all. The me who was ignored for being an orphan and the me who is the center of attention today are the same person. So, what has changed that makes them treat me so differently?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.

“It’s not that I hate it. It’s not that I hate it, but I feel a bit disillusioned. In the end, the kids who are acting friendly to me now are looking at my surroundings, not me. Or they think they can get something from me.”

“That’s probably it.”

“Should I be happy that they’re approaching me because of something around me, not because of who I am? Those kids… they’ll just go back to how they were or lose interest in me if something changes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded without answering.

Han Jin-sung spoke quickly, almost whispering, while still looking ahead.

“So, I just feel that way, hyung. Is it that important to them that I know Choi Yeon-ha, that I’m your brother, that I know someone who’s good at fighting…? Was it enough to completely change their attitude?”

Han Jin-sung’s voice was slightly trembling.

It was unfair.

Yes. This feeling should be called unfairness. The contemptuous gazes and subtle bullying that had tormented him so much could be resolved so easily, and that just this little commotion could change their gazes so much…

It was so unfair and infuriating that his body was trembling.

Kang Jin-ho listened to Han Jin-sung quietly before opening his mouth.

“You haven’t changed, though.”

“Exactly.”

“You’re the same as before.”

“…Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho’s face was a little cold.

“It would be ideal if people could become friends based on someone’s inner self and character, without looking at their appearance, relationships, or financial status.”

“So, what I’m saying is…”

“So, do you know the character of all your classmates?”

Han Jin-sung felt speechless for a moment.

“If the other kids gave you as much attention as you give them, would they be able to properly understand and evaluate your personality or inner thoughts?”

Han Jin-sung slowly shook his head.

No, they wouldn’t.

“Jin-sung.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“As you live in the world, you’ll realize the difference between ideals and reality. When you fully understand that, you become an adult. What you’re saying is just an ideal story. But people can’t see the inner selves of others. They can only guess.”

Kang Jin-ho said bitterly.

“How can they know each other’s hearts if they can’t see them? So, they look. Their tone, attitude, clothes, expression.”

Kang Jin-ho pressed a little harder on the accelerator.

“What you call inner thoughts and character are just guesses based on words, conversations, and how they react to events. No one really knows what’s in their heart.”

“I guess so.”

“So, people decorate themselves. They decorate their surroundings and themselves to show ‘This is who I am.’”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“What we did this time was just let those guys know. We were saying, ‘I’m this kind of person, so you’ve been looking at me wrong. You’d better re-evaluate me and change your attitude.’”

Han Jin-sung sighed softly.

“That’s a bitter story.”

“It is.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

“You’ll find out when you go out into society. Living in society is about decorating yourself. You wear a smiling mask and hide your feelings. Sometimes, it feels more natural. After those days go on for a long time… you won’t know. Whether the smile you’re wearing is a mask or your true self.”

“Because you’ve been that way for too long?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho said bitterly.

“How nice would it be if we could know each other’s hearts without effort? But it’s not easy. That’s why we have to do things like this. Actually, you’re right. It would have been better if we could have solved this problem without doing this. But I’m not good enough to solve this in another way. Please understand.”

“No, hyung.”

“Okay.”

Han Jin-sung smiled as he looked at Kang Jin-ho’s profile as he drove.

‘This hyung is so dumb sometimes.’

Not being able to know each other’s hearts?

That couldn’t be true.

He could tell just by sitting next to him like this. He could tell just by seeing him running around in a panic, even though it wasn’t his problem.

‘Really…

He’s a dumb hyung.

So dumb.’

Han Jin-sung turned his head and looked at the pouring sunlight. Feeling the warm sunlight shining through the window onto the passenger seat, Han Jin-sung wiped his eyes silently.

“It feels like… winter is ending.”

“What are you talking about? It’s summer. Are you going to get your head straight?”

Dumb hyung.

Really….