Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 948

The problem was serious.

It might not be a big deal for others, but for Kang Jin-ho, a martial artist, this was a truly serious issue.

‘It’s not Qi Deviation.’

He had thoroughly checked, but there were no signs of Qi Deviation anywhere. And it was impossible for him to fall into Qi Deviation again so soon after escaping it.

After all, Qi Deviation was something that accompanied progress. [Qi Deviation refers to a dangerous imbalance of internal energy in martial arts practice.]

However, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t experienced any radical progress recently that would lead to Qi Deviation. He was gradually advancing, but this was within the expected range.

So, if it wasn’t Qi Deviation, then why was this phenomenon occurring?

“What’s with you? Something good happen?”

See?

Kang Eun-young sharply poked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Huh? Why? What is it?”

“No, you keep grinning like you won the lottery or something. It’s not like you’d be happy just because you got money.”

“Nothing happened.”

“Then why are you smiling like that?”

“Me?”

“…Is this guy messing with me? Who else is here besides you, Oppa?” [Oppa is a Korean term used by a younger female to address an older male, often a brother or close friend.]

Of course, there was no one else.

“Suspicious.”

Slight sweat beaded on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

‘This shouldn’t be happening.’

Muhak, in the end, was the act of moving one’s body to defeat an opponent. [Muhak refers to a martial art style focused on practical combat.] And to perfectly execute that act, it was crucial to have perfect control over one’s own body.

And Kang Jin-ho was a master.

A tremendous master at that.

A martial artist who had reached Kang Jin-ho’s level… no, even a martial artist far below that level could perfectly control their own body.

At Kang Jin-ho’s level, he could move even a single hair on his body as he pleased. It was normal for his entire body to be perfectly controlled and move according to his will.

But…

Twitch.

“Oh! There it is again! Look!”

“What, what!”

“You keep smirking! What is it! Tell me the truth!”

“…I told you, it’s nothing.”

“Suspicious, suspicious! This man is suspicious!”

Kang Jin-ho slightly avoided Kang Eun-young’s gaze. There was no way to escape her suspicious eyes when his lips kept curling up.

“Stop talking nonsense. Why are you always stuck at home these days?”

“…Oppa.”

Kang Eun-young’s voice became somber.

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head at the sudden change in atmosphere. Kang Eun-young’s emotions were volatile, but such a drastic change was rare.

“Should I change agencies?”

“Why?”

“It feels like they’re not paying attention to me anymore.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m preparing for a new song, but things aren’t going well. They’re not getting me good songs, and they didn’t renew the contract with the previous dance team.”

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

This shouldn’t be happening. Because Kang Eun-young’s agency knew that she was being sponsored by Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo. There was no way they would mistreat her.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but the atmosphere is not good. It seems like some people aren’t renewing their contracts, and managers are getting fired… Last time I saw, they even sold the band. If I keep watching…”

“Are they closing down?”

“Right? It feels exactly like that, doesn’t it?”

Kang Jin-ho brought his hand to his mouth.

‘Closing down?’

To put it nicely, they were closing down. To put it badly, they were going bankrupt.

But logically speaking, it was impossible for Kang Eun-young’s company to go bankrupt. After the previous company went bankrupt… no, after Kang Jin-ho blew up Kang Eun-young’s previous agency, he had looked for the best agency possible.

So, why was this successful agency suddenly going bankrupt?

But if what he was hearing was true, then something was definitely going on.

“When did this start?”

“It’s been a while.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“…Oppa, you’re busy, and I didn’t want to whine and bother you.”

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his brows.

“Kang Eun-young.”

“Yes.”

“There’s a priority in everything. No matter how busy I pretend to be outside, nothing is more important than family.”

“…Okay.”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Sorry, Oppa.”

“But…”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze lowered slightly. Something was bulging out under her t-shirt.

A slightly awkward belly for an idol.

“Are you sure they’re mistreating you? It’s not like you’re doing something to deserve it?”

“I’ll lose this soon! I can make it disappear in an instant if I want to!”

“I think I’ve heard that for months.”

“Shut up!”

“…I’m going.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head and left the house. He could hear Kang Eun-young’s curses from behind him as he walked out.

Kang Jin-ho sighed and got on his ‘BungBung’. [BungBung is likely a nickname for his vehicle.] As he drove away, he called Choi Yeon-ha.

[Honey!]

“…We agreed not to call me that.”

[It’s fun to see your reaction.]

Did people usually say things like that so openly?

Looking at it, Choi Yeon-ha seemed like the embodiment of Kang Jin-ho’s sins. It was as if all the evil he had committed had manifested as Choi Yeon-ha to torment him.

[What’s wrong? Are you trying to go on a date? I haven’t showered yet?]

“I’m on my way to work.”

[Aww, that’s a shame. But why? It’s not like the great Kang Jin-ho would call this early in the morning for no reason, and even though we decided to move past our awkward relationship, it’s not like people change so drastically, right?]

“…I have something to ask.”

[See, I knew it. Better to get it over with.]

Choi Yeon-ha’s voice turned slightly cold.

Kang Jin-ho, sensing the subtle change in her voice, straightened his back.

In these situations, he had to get to the point quickly. Otherwise, he might have to listen to her nagging all the way to work.

“It’s not about anything else. Eun-young’s company seems a bit strange.”

[Ms. Se-ah?]

“Yes.”

[Ms. Se-ah. If it’s her agency, it’s Code, right?]

Was that the name? It sounded familiar, so it must be right.

“I think that was the name.”

[Hmm. Code, Code…]

Choi Yeon-ha, who seemed to be thinking, soon opened her mouth.

[Before I left Korea, I heard some bad rumors about Code?]

“Rumors?”

[Yes. Rumors. But there are so many rumors in this industry. Half of them are true, and half are false, and both the true and false ones are often dramatic, so you can’t believe them at face value. Other agencies have their share of bad rumors too.]

“Ah, I see.”

[It hasn’t been long since I came back, so I don’t know what the current situation is. What did Ms. Se-ah say?]

Kang Jin-ho told her what he had heard from Kang Eun-young. After hearing everything, Choi Yeon-ha sighed.

[They sold the band?]

“That’s what it seems like.”

[Then it seems like they’re having cash flow problems. One of the biggest signs that an agency is going under is when they start selling off cars and buildings. Those are essential for managing actors and idols, so it means they’re pulling out the foundation.]

“I see.”

It seemed like the situation was more serious than he thought.

“Can you look into it?”

[It’s not that difficult, but it’s not like I can do a proper investigation. Don’t rely on me alone, and it would be good to look into it from other angles. Wasn’t Director Jo an executive there?]

That seemed to be the case before.

But as Kang Eun-young settled in, Jo Gyu-min had returned to finance.

“He’s a very busy person.”

[Even if it’s not Director Jo, it would be good to look into it from other angles. I’ll check it out too.]

“Yes. Thank you.”

Kang Jin-ho was about to hang up when…

[Is that all?]

“Huh?”

[Is that all you have to say?]

Kang Jin-ho flinched.

What should he do? What did he miss?

“Do, do you have anything else to say?”

[Heeheehee.]

A nasal sound came from the other end of the line.

Recently, Kang Jin-ho had developed a habit of cringing whenever he heard that nasal sound.

It was like he was Pavlov’s dog.

[It’s nothing. Then, work hard today. I’ll look into it quickly too.]

“Yes. Then.”

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone.

Then, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Choi Yeon-ha didn’t know.

Choi Yeon-ha knew that Kang Jin-ho was not an ordinary person, but she didn’t grasp how extraordinary he was. This was a concept that ordinary people couldn’t understand.

So, she didn’t know that Kang Jin-ho had heard her muttering to herself, ‘It’s going to take a while to remodel him,’ when she hung up the phone.

‘What does she mean by remodeling?’

It was an ominous thing to say.

Kang Jin-ho tried to erase the words from his mind and stepped on the accelerator. He lowered the window, and a cool breeze rushed into the BungBung.

“Good morning.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand.

“Good morning.”

“Good… *cough*, good morning.”

“Oh my! Chairman! Congratulations!”

The reactions were a bit strange.

The eyes of those who looked at him were drawing strange arcs. If they were bent in the opposite direction, it would feel hostile, but the direction of those arcs was a sign of gentleness.

But…

‘What is this awkwardness?’

Exchanging smiles was a good thing. Humans interacted with each other through emotions, didn’t they?

But those smiles were subtly irritating Kang Jin-ho.

Those smiles were more than just a sign of goodwill…

“Chairman! Welcome!”

“Good morning!”

“Um, good morning.”

Was he being too sensitive?

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head and walked forward. But the moment he glanced back, he saw people whispering in the corner.

This was definite.

What on earth was going on?

Kang Jin-ho headed to the Chairman’s office by the shortest route. If someone had done something, the Chairman’s office would be…

Kang Jin-ho’s body stopped as he reached the top floor. He saw the half-open door of the Chairman’s office.

There was no way the door to the Chairman’s office would be open when he wasn’t there. So, that meant someone was inside.

He heightened his senses and detected the presence of several people.

Kang Jin-ho walked towards the Chairman’s office with a slightly uneasy look.

When he entered, Lee Hyun-soo, Bang Jin-hoon, Bator, and others were waiting for him.

“Have you arrived?”

‘Is it not that?’

It didn’t seem like what he was thinking. The expressions of those who were waiting were too serious. And Wiggins, who should have been the cause of the problem if something had happened, was nowhere to be seen.

‘I guess it’s not that.’

“I apologize for calling you in the morning. There’s an urgent matter.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand at Lee Hyun-soo and went to sit at the head of the table.

“Alright. What is it?”

“Yes. The agenda for this morning’s meeting is… a proposal to establish a new position within the General Assembly.”

“…Huh?”

“Since the General Assembly isn’t a completely modern place, we’re not sure what to call the Madam.”

“…Who?”

“The Madam.”

“Ma… Madam?”

Kang Jin-ho flinched and straightened his body.

What was this nonsense?

“Yes? Director Wiggins said that since the Madam has appeared, we should prepare a suitable position and security…”

“*Cough!*”

In the end, Bator grabbed his stomach and curled up.

Bang Jin-hoon also covered his mouth and turned his head.

“…Wiggins.”

“Yes?”

“Where is Wiggins?”

“He went to Incheon Airport to see someone off. He said it was proper to send off the Master.”

*Grind.*

His teeth involuntarily ground together.

He decided that he would catch Wiggins and beat him to a pulp, even if he had to chase him to Incheon.

“MAAAAAAAJON IS HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!”

A huge shout came from outside the window. Of course, the owner of that shout was Jang Min. Kang Jin-ho, feeling the shout getting closer, covered his face with both hands.

He’ll kill Wiggins.

He would definitely kill him.

Definitely!