Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1599

‘They’re really strange people.’ Lee Hyun-soo shook his head, observing the scene unfolding before him. This was the fifth orphanage they had visited today alone. And at each one, the children’s reactions were almost identical. They were wary of strangers. No, it wasn’t just strangers; it felt like they were wary of people in general. Yet, Choi Yeon-ha and Kang Jin-ho calmly navigated through the children’s defenses. Food? What? Cola? Pizza? Chicken? That’s ridiculous. Children with wounded hearts can’t be won over with mere food. If Lee Hyun-soo were there, not a single child would have touched the food. But Choi Yeon-ha and Kang Jin-ho, with just a few words and actions, managed to ease the children’s hearts. Of course, it was impossible to become completely close, but even this much was impressive. ‘Come to think of it, is it natural?’ Those two are people who frequent orphanages like they’re their own homes. Since they treat orphanages as their resting places, they must be used to dealing with children… No, the more I think about it, the stranger they are. What kind of place is it that they go to rest? “Okay, I’m leaving now. I’ll come again next time.” “And this guy here is going to be the director here now, so you’ll see him often. If he does anything wrong, tell me. I’ll beat him up for you.” Kids. This isn’t a joke. My fate is in your hands. “Then, goodbye. Sleep well tonight!” “Yes.” “Goodbye… see you later.” The children hesitantly bowed their heads. Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly and waved her hand. Then, she turned around and stepped outside, immediately frowning and placing her hands on her hips. She looked like she was about to light a cigarette. “…I don’t like it.” “Pardon?” “What are those childcare teachers doing? How can they manage the kids like this? Did you see how smelly their clothes are?” “No, I understand the money issues. If the director is a jerk, he’d embezzle the money and not give it properly. So, I can understand the old facilities and clothes. But how can they not wash the clothes when they’re smelly and stained?” “Fire them all. Got it?” “Yes.” Yes, yes. Who would dare to disobey her words? It wasn’t a joke; Lee Hyun-soo had no intention of disagreeing with Choi Yeon-ha on this matter. She was practically an expert in this area. She was someone who thought about how to arrange things and place people to ensure the children could live the most comfortable and happy lives, several times a day. She used to relieve stress by shopping, but now she replaces it by buying things for the orphanage. How could it be otherwise? ‘So, Seongsim is getting smaller and smaller.’ Choi Yeon-ha shook her head. “The kids’ condition is terrible. I hugged them, and they were just bones.” “Yes, I saw it too.” For Kang Jin-ho, the children’s bodies weren’t that concerning. In the past, when he was in the Central Plains [a region often depicted in martial arts stories], there were children even more emaciated than these, everywhere. What shocked Kang Jin-ho was the children’s expressions. Their faces looked like their souls had left them. It was a face that made him guess how the director and childcare teachers had been treating the children. “Hoo.” Kang Jin-ho sighed softly. ‘I’m always late.’ If he had known the children were in such a state, he would have hurried to open the orphanage sooner. The thought that he always realized things a little too late made him feel down. “Chairman, don’t make that face.” Lee Hyun-soo, sensing Kang Jin-ho’s mood, narrowed his eyes slightly. “What you’re doing now is already great. You tend to take on too much responsibility for what you have to do. You can’t take care of everyone in the world.” “…I guess so.” “It’s okay that you know now. And it’s not like we’re going to abandon them. We’re going to build a new orphanage and take care of all the kids. Don’t blame yourself for not doing it sooner. We’ve all been working hard.” “What? Blame myself?” Choi Yeon-ha tilted her head. Kang Jin-ho flinched at her cold gaze. “Superman has arrived. Don’t overdo it.” “…Yes.” Kang Jin-ho looked dejected, and Lee Hyun-soo chuckled as if he found it amusing. Of course, he was immediately subdued by Kang Jin-ho’s glare. “Anyway, looking back, I’ve realized one thing.” “What is it?” “The childcare teachers at Seongsim are really high-level. Well, no, it’s weird to say they’re high-level, but they’re all really kind and love children.” Kang Jin-ho nodded. That was something he had been thinking about for a while. “We need to hold onto the childcare teachers. It’ll be really hard without them.” “Yes.” “And…” Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her brow. “We managed today, but all of them need treatment. Their bodies can be fixed by feeding them well and letting them sleep well, but… their hearts are deeply wounded.” “Hmm, like a psychiatrist?” “Yes. It might be good to connect with a child center…” Lee Hyun-soo raised his hand slightly. “…Why are you raising your hand? Just speak.” “Now that it’s come to this, it might not be bad for the foundation to hire a psychiatric counselor.” “Hire directly?” “Yes. There are so many children to see. It’s hard to send them to the hospital one by one, so it’s better to contract or hire a doctor directly and have them come. One day here, the next day there.” It seemed like a good idea. “Go ahead with it.” “Yes. I’ll look into it.” Choi Yeon-ha, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, raised an eyebrow slightly. “And…” “Yes.” “Isn’t the welfare department here crazy?” Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo flinched at Choi Yeon-ha’s cold voice. “Even if they can’t pay much attention, if they only show their faces once a year, they can’t not know that something is wrong when the kids are so emaciated.” “This is definitely because they’re taking bribes. We can’t let them get away with this.” Kang Jin-ho nodded with a stern face. “I’ll check it out.” This was something Kang Jin-ho had already pointed out once. He had held back then because of Lee Hyun-soo’s dissuasion… “I won’t stop you this time.” This time, Lee Hyun-soo raised both hands in surrender. “No, honestly, I didn’t know it was this bad. I thought they were just not paying enough attention. But this active neglect is abuse. However, there’s still a possibility they were threatened.” “Find out.” “Yes!” Kang Jin-ho spat out the words. “Find out, and if there are any organized crime members interfering with the orphanage… bring those bastards in first.” Wow… These guys are really going to die? Lee Hyun-soo, confirming that Kang Jin-ho’s voice was colder than ever, quickly nodded his head. “This kind of issue requires a formal investigation, so it’s difficult for me to investigate alone. I’ll ask for cooperation from the authorities and shake them down.” “Figure out a way.” “Yes, Chairman.” Click. Kang Jin-ho lit a cigarette. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. This was too much. “I don’t think this is going to work.” Choi Yeon-ha said with a sigh. “It’s a bit difficult for me alone. I need to send an SOS.” “Pardon?” SOS? To whom? “Here, this is the latest game!” “Oh!” “Try it.” “Ooh!” A child was holding a smaller child and making them play the game. The smaller child wasn’t very good at the game, but the older child patiently waited. “That’s right. Good, you’re doing well. Here, eat this.” The child put a snack in the mouth of the child playing the game, then sat the smaller child on their lap and watched them. “Soccer! Who wants to play soccer!” “Let’s go. Let’s go with hyung [older brother]. It’s stuffy inside!” Some children hesitantly got up and followed the child. The girls settled down in one place. “Hmm, their hair is so damaged!” “We need a solution.” “First, a treatment… What? There’s only shampoo here? Goodness, this is so absurd in the 21st century! Hey, go ask Jin-ho oppa [older brother] to buy us treatment!” “Unnie [older sister], Yeon-ha unnie is watching.” “…Go and beg Jin-ho orabeoni [a more formal term for older brother] to buy us treatment.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him. ‘What is this?’ Why are the Seongsim kids here? Kang Jin-ho’s head slowly turned. “This is?” Choi Yeon-ha, who was sitting on the sofa and sucking on an ice cream, said nonchalantly. “Rehabilitation team.” “…Pardon?” Choi Yeon-ha chuckled. “The scariest thing for elementary schoolers is middle schoolers, and the people they like the most are other elementary schoolers. No matter how much we talk, they won’t listen properly. Rather, their words will work better.” “Ah…” He felt like he understood. The person who can make a private feel most comfortable isn’t the division commander, but a corporal or sergeant. So, the people who can ease the hearts of these children aren’t Kang Jin-ho or Choi Yeon-ha, but… ‘It’s the Seongsim kids.’ For these children who think adults are just tormenting them, there’s nothing more comfortable than someone their own age. Even if they can’t solve their problems, being with the Seongsim kids, who have similar wounds and have put up their defenses like porcupines, they could break down their walls. “Oppa, eat this.” “Huh?” “Fresh juice.” Kang Jin-ho received the juice from Jo Mi-hye. “…I wonder if I’m just bothering you.” “It’s okay. We came to play. And the kids are used to this.” “Huh?” Jo Mi-hye chuckled and said. “New kids keep coming into the orphanage. There are many of these types among them. You could say they have a dark aura.” “Ah…” “It’s nothing to give them snacks and let them play games to help them adjust. We’ve been doing it for over ten years.” Kang Jin-ho looked at Jo Mi-hye with a new perspective. Others think that the children in the orphanage just receive. But these children also have their own world and help each other. “They’ve had a hard time, so we have to treat them better. Don’t worry. They’re just scared now. They’ll be okay soon, oppa.” “The new orphanage…” That was when it happened. “No! It’s my turn now! You’ve been playing for ten rounds in a row! Are you trying to die!” Veins popped out on Jo Mi-hye’s forehead. “That, that crazy bastard. Even though I told him not to follow me, he still followed me, and now he’s fighting with a kid. I’m so frustrated! Hey, Han Jin-sung! You bastard!” Jo Mi-hye ran towards Han Jin-sung with all her might and then delivered a flying side kick. “Aaaack!” ‘Clean hit?’ Wow, he can’t get up from that! “Here, play this game. It’s okay, it’s okay. And you, come with me.” Jo Mi-hye grabbed Han Jin-sung by the ear and dragged him outside. “Aaaah! My ear, my ear… Mi-hye, my ear! Ah, my ear is falling off!” “Shut up and follow me, you punk!” “Aaaah! Ear! Ear, ear!” Kang Jin-ho and Choi Yeon-ha, who were quietly watching Han Jin-sung being dragged out, let out a low sigh. They’ve grown up so well. Kids. …Except for you, Jin-sung.