Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1527

The sedan, which had been speeding along, began to slow down. It was late in the evening, so the traffic wasn’t too bad, but it was impossible to drive on Seoul’s roads as if they were a highway.

“Traffic’s getting heavy.”

“Ugh, I need to finish up quickly and get off work.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

The driver glanced back.

Jung Myung-chul, with his eyes covered, was as still as a stone statue. The rise and fall of his chest suggested he wasn’t asleep, but he hadn’t uttered a single word during the entire trip.

“Hey, take off his blindfold.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“They said it was okay to take it off once we entered Seoul.”

“Oh, really?”

The person in the passenger seat reached out and removed the blindfold from Jung Myung-chul’s face.

“Hey, open your eyes.”

Jung Myung-chul slowly opened his eyes. Then, with a somewhat dazed look, he glanced around.

The sight of Seoul outside the car window made his eyes widen in shock.

“Does he really think he’s going to the beach or something?”

“A drum can? [A reference to a method of disposal, implying being thrown away like trash]”

“Looks like it.”

“What era is this? Drum cans? These days, they coordinate with crematoriums for clean disposal.”

Words that were hard to tell if they were jokes or serious were exchanged. But Jung Myung-chul didn’t hear them properly.

Only the night view of Seoul was imprinted in his eyes.

Jung Myung-chul raised his hand and covered his eyes.

‘I’m alive…’

Those who haven’t experienced it wouldn’t know how terrified he was.

Even though Lee Hyun-soo had said several times that he wouldn’t kill him, he couldn’t fully trust those words. No, even while trying to trust them, a sense of unease remained in the back of his mind.

Anyone in Jung Myung-chul’s position would feel the same way.

But now, being alive and seeing the night view of Seoul again, all sorts of indescribable emotions flooded in.

“That guy looks like he’s about to cry…”

“Stop it, you jerk.”

“Why?”

“Even if that guy deserved what he got, there are some things you shouldn’t joke about.”

“What did I say that was so bad…”

The driver kept glancing at the rearview mirror. He could see Jung Myung-chul in the back seat trembling and sobbing.

“Hey, think of it as a good life experience. If you live like a decent human being after this, it’ll be even better.”

“Yeah, man. We all had times when we were out of our minds. After getting beaten and knocked around, we realized the world isn’t so easy. Just knowing that is worth it.”

Jung Myung-chul looked out the window without replying.

The drivers also drove in silence. There wasn’t much to say to Jung Myung-chul. Lee Hyun-soo had already said everything they could have. There was no need to open their mouths and give more information.

After driving for a while, the car stopped at a certain place.

“Hey, where is this?”

“Where that guy’s company is.”

“…The chief told us to drop him off at his house.”

“Huh? Not the company?”

“Hey, you crazy bastard! How can the driver not know where he’s supposed to go?”

The driver turned his head sharply.

“Hey, where’s your house?”

“…It’s okay. Here… Just drop me off here.”

The driver frowned.

Jung Myung-chul’s voice was trembling, but his eyes were clear.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Ugh… What could be the problem? Anyway, we just need to drop him off where he knows, right?”

“I’m just worried we’ll get yelled at by the chief.”

“He’s not going to call the chief and tell on us, so how would he know? Let’s drop him off and go home.”

“Okay, then. Hey, get out.”

Jung Myung-chul tried to open the car door with his trembling hands. But his hands couldn’t open the door properly, and eventually, the person in the passenger seat got out of the car and opened the door for him.

“Get out.”

As Jung Myung-chul got out of the car and raised his head, a familiar building came into view. It was the headquarters of Taekwang F&D.

“It was disgusting meeting you, and let’s never see each other again.”

After saying that, the person got back into the car without looking back. Then, the sedan sped off, leaving Jung Myung-chul behind.

Jung Myung-chul stared blankly at the receding car.

His still-trembling hand pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Jung Myung-chul took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and struggled to light it with a lighter.

“Ugh, what is that?”

“In the middle of the street.”

“There are still people like that.”

Passersby all frowned, but no one tried to stop him outright. Even to them, Jung Myung-chul didn’t look normal.

Jung Myung-chul exhaled the cigarette smoke that had entered his lungs with a cough and began to walk with a dazed look.

Towards his office building, which was familiar but felt strangely unfamiliar today.

Step, step, step.

He approached the office building with slow steps, opened the door, and went inside without putting out his cigarette.

“Hey! Hey!”

The security guard at the desk rushed over, yelling.

“What do you think you’re doing, coming in here… Oh?”

The guard rubbed his eyes after confirming Jung Myung-chul’s face. After checking Jung Myung-chul several times, the guard tilted his head and asked.

“Are you, by any chance, the CEO?”

The cigarette in Jung Myung-chul’s hand went to his mouth.

Jung Myung-chul, looking like a drug addict, sucked in the cigarette smoke with unfocused eyes. The guard, knowing who he was, didn’t even think about stopping him and just stared blankly at the scene.

“Ah, no, your appearance… I mean, what happened to you?”

Jung Myung-chul ignored the guard and headed for the elevator. The employees who were passing by made way for him.

Ding.

As the doors opened, Jung Myung-chul silently stepped into the elevator.

Only after the doors closed did the employees start whispering.

“What’s going on?”

“Did he really do drugs? He doesn’t look like a human being.”

“I thought he was some kind of refugee.”

Everyone stared at the firmly closed elevator with puzzled eyes.

Click.

The door opens.

Executive Director Kim Sang-ho spoke with an annoyed face, not even looking up.

“Who comes in without knocking?”

There was no answer.

Feeling something was off, Kim Sang-ho looked up.

Huh?

The faces of the directors were strange.

They were staring blankly at the door as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have. Following their gaze, Kim Sang-ho turned his head.

“Oh, uh?”

At that moment, Kim Sang-ho jumped up from his seat.

At first, he thought a homeless person had come in.

Because he was so unfamiliar.

But that face soon gave him a feeling that he had seen it somewhere.

More than anything…

‘Those clothes?’

And the expensive watch on his wrist that didn’t match his appearance.

Once he confirmed that, it wasn’t difficult to guess who this person was.

“C, CEO?”

Jung Myung-chul.

Jung Myung-chul had returned to the company looking like a beggar.

“CEO!”

“Oh, no, what on earth happened to you?”

“Are you okay?”

Kim Sang-ho’s face twisted.

‘What the hell has this crazy bastard been up to again?’

He looked like he had been in a major accident. The problem was that Jung Myung-chul was the type to cause accidents, not the type to be in one himself.

He must have been high on drugs and caused an accident.

That was fine.

‘Does he have no sense?’

At least he shouldn’t have come to the company looking like that.

If he had any sense at all, he wouldn’t show that appearance to his subordinates.

How many people must have seen Jung Myung-chul’s state while he was coming up here?

Kim Sang-ho’s head began to throb.

“F, first…”

He couldn’t let that appearance be seen by others any longer.

“CEO, please, not like this…”

Kim Sang-ho jumped up from his seat and rushed towards Jung Myung-chul. First, he needed to get him cleaned up and change his tattered clothes…

At that moment, Jung Myung-chul pushed away Kim Sang-ho’s hand as he tried to grab his arm.

He didn’t dare to try to grab him again. The hand that pushed him away was too firm.

Jung Myung-chul, with his dazed eyes, turned his head and looked at Kim Sang-ho.

“How many days…”

“Yes?”

“How many days have passed?”

Kim Sang-ho’s eyes were filled with questions. Was he asking about the period he had been out of contact?

“It’s been a week since you last came to work, CEO. Why didn’t you contact us?”

“…A week?”

“Yes.”

“But…”

Jung Myung-chul looked at Kim Sang-ho with dazed eyes.

“If a person… if a person doesn’t contact anyone for a week… didn’t you even report me missing?”

“…It happened so often before. This time, I thought the period was a bit longer, but I didn’t think anything special had happened.”

Kim Sang-ho had a lot to say.

Of course, looking at Jung Myung-chul’s appearance now, he did feel that he should have sent people out or reported him to the police to find him sooner.

‘Why are you blaming us for that?’

Reporting and finding a missing person is the family’s job, not the company’s.

“So…”

Jung Myung-chul took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

“CEO, the conference room…”

Click.

Jung Myung-chul, who had lit his cigarette, looked around at everyone with unfocused eyes.

“So, for that week… no one tried to find me, and you were just like this.”

“CEO…”

“A whole week.”

Jung Myung-chul laughed hollowly.

But soon, the laughter disappeared from his face, and it began to change dramatically. His dazed eyes began to gleam strangely, and his expressionless face twisted grotesquely.

“A whole week! You bastards!”

Kwaaaang!

Where he got the strength from, Jung Myung-chul kicked the chair in front of him, sending it flying. Then, he rushed to the table and flipped it over.

“C, CEO!”

“CEO, please calm down!”

“Calm down? Calm down? You bastards! While I was going through hell, you were living comfortably. What? Calm down? You motherfucking bastards!”

Kwaang! Kwaang!

Jung Myung-chul, who had kicked the table, began to throw anything he could grab.

The laptop crashed against the window and broke, and the water cups shattered on the floor.

“Uwaaaaaaaa! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Jung Myung-chul threw the chair he had grabbed at the directors and shouted at the top of his lungs with bloodshot eyes.

“I’m going to kill you! You bastards, I’m going to kill you all!”

“CEO!”

Kim Sang-ho grabbed Jung Myung-chul.

“Why are you doing this! Why! Who is it? Who are you doing this to?”

“…Who?”

Jung Myung-chul’s face changed again.

As soon as the word ‘who’ came out, Jung Myung-chul’s face turned pale, and he began to tremble again.

“No. No. No. No. I… I didn’t say anything. It’s true. I… I didn’t say anything.”

“I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you all! Ah, no. I really didn’t say anything… Please, save me. Please save me! I’ll keep my mouth shut and live. Uwaaaaaaaaaa! You bastards, I’m going to stab you all to death. Uwaaaaaaaa!”

Kim Sang-ho stared at Jung Myung-chul with a horrified look.

‘He’s completely insane.’

“Aaaaaaaack! Ack! Aaaaaaaa…”

Suddenly, Jung Myung-chul’s body stiffened.

Then, he foamed at the mouth and fell backward.

“CEO!”

Kim Sang-ho, who had caught Jung Myung-chul as he fell, shouted.

“Ambulance! Call an ambulance quickly! Immediately!”

“Yes!”

Kim Sang-ho looked at the unconscious Jung Myung-chul with a distorted face.

‘What the hell is going on?’

It was something he could never understand.