Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1794

“The Chairman said that?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Lee Hyun-joo looked at Lee Hyun-soo with slightly widened eyes.

“Was he the type to say that?”

“Of course, he wasn’t.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“But people change all the time.”

“Well, I guess…”

Thinking about it, it’s not surprising.

The Kang Jin-ho that Lee Hyun-joo first met and the current Kang Jin-ho are practically different people.

‘It’s natural to change.’

What’s strange about Kang Jin-ho is that, considering the time and circumstances, he’s a person who has changed drastically, but to those around him, he doesn’t seem to have changed much.

“Future food…”

“…That’s quite the corporate expression.”

“It is, though.”

“I mean, it’s perfect.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

It was subtly different, but it wasn’t wrong.

“I think it’s a good change.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve sometimes thought of the Chairman as a mountaineer.”

“…A mountaineer?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-joo said, resting her chin on her hand.

“It’s not just the Chairman, though. It’s the same for all martial artists. Everyone wants to be the best, to reach higher levels.”

“That’s true.”

“But there’s not much purpose in it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s like… it’s not about becoming stronger and reaching higher levels to achieve something, but just wanting to be strong.”

It seemed like he understood what she meant.

“Is it like what mountaineers say, ‘Because the mountain is there’?”

“Exactly.”

Just like people who risk climbing mountains because they simply love them, martial artists stake everything in life on the desire to become stronger.

If they invested that effort and passion elsewhere, they might gain much more, but those who are captivated by martial arts never look back.

“At first, I thought it was too natural.

Because I was a martial artist too. But when I couldn’t climb any higher and came down the mountain… I realized why I had to do it.”

It was a feeling that was both understandable and incomprehensible.

Perhaps because Lee Hyun-soo wasn’t a martial artist, he couldn’t fully empathize with Lee Hyun-joo’s words. But he understood what she was trying to say.

“So, whenever I see the Chairman, I think about that.”

“About what?”

“If this person reaches the summit, what will he do next?”

Lee Hyun-joo stirred the straw in her coffee cup.

“Other people don’t need to think about this. Most people can’t reach the top. Only a handful can stand at the summit. Most martial artists end their lives climbing the mountain.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded quietly.

“But the Chairman is someone who reaches the top. Once he’s there, he finds an even bigger mountain and climbs it again. He’s been repeating that his whole life.”

“…Listening to it, it sounds like a terrible life.”

“It is.”

Lee Hyun-joo shook her head.

She used to admire that kind of life. But now, she no longer does. She has seen with her own eyes how difficult it is for those who walk that path.

“What should a person do when they realize there are no more mountains to climb after climbing and climbing?”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“Well, that’s something we can’t understand no matter how much we think about it.”

Kang Jin-ho’s worries were something that no one but Kang Jin-ho could solve, and no one could even advise him on.

Lee Hyun-soo rested his chin on his hand.

“Well, I don’t know. More than that…”

“Yes?”

“I think the Chairman is a very strong person.”

“That’s right. It’s something you can’t endure if you’re not strong.”

“I used to think that the idea of strength and weakness coexisting was just a story that people who liked to talk made up. Because the kind of strength the Chairman has is impossible to create with a superficial facade.”

Lee Hyun-joo nodded.

“But I heard a story.”

“What story?”

“They say that a dam in the United States is so big and thick that the concrete inside hasn’t fully dried yet.”

“Ah…”

“Whether it’s true or not, it’s a story that could be true. So, maybe people who seem incredibly strong to others actually haven’t had enough time to make their insides solid?”

“Are you saying that’s the case with the Chairman?”

“Not necessarily.”

Lee Hyun-soo trailed off.

“Being solid isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

“That’s true.”

Lee Hyun-soo leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed.

“It doesn’t matter. Compared to when I was worried about who to fight and kill tomorrow, this is like heaven. Just being able to have these kinds of worries.”

Lee Hyun-soo truly thought so.

He didn’t have a big problem with plotting and walking on a tightrope, but if possible, he preferred to be free from mental burdens.

“We also have to think about the future.”

“Like marriage?”

“…Huh?”

“Like marriage.”

“Like…”

“I, I heard you.”

You don’t have to emphasize it three times.

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Lee Hyun-joo with a trapped-mouse expression.

“I… uh… it’s not that I’m trying to put it off, but the situation is like this right now. The Chairman is thinking about new things…”

“Yes. You’re saying we should wait until this is settled, right?”

“Y-yes. It’s not my decision.”

“And once that’s over, a new problem will arise…”

“And then another problem will arise.”

Lee Hyun-soo kept rolling his eyes.

“And when we actually start preparing for the wedding, there will be things to consider here and there. Isn’t that right?”

“Ha, haha…”

Lee Hyun-joo said with a bright smile.

“I heard from an older sister I know…”

“Wait. That older sister isn’t a Choi, is she?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I heard from an older sister that people who are too smart can’t get married. They wait for the perfect situation, miss everything, and regret it later.”

“I, I don’t think I’ll regret it?”

“I will. Why?”

Lee Hyun-joo smiled brightly.

“It feels a bit awkward, like I’m the one clinging on, but – well, I’m not in a position to be picky right now.”

“No, you can be picky.”

You can be picky. No, please be picky.

“Anyway, let’s set a date now.”

“…Huh?”

“I said, set a date.”

Lee Hyun-soo desperately tried to come up with words to escape this situation. But all his efforts were futile against the eerie murderous intent emanating from Lee Hyun-joo.

“You seduced an innocent girl and have been dating her until now, and now that it’s time to get married, you’re trying to slip away?”

“N-no, I’m not slipping away… it’s just that it’s not the right time yet.”

Lee Hyun-joo smiled and shook her head.

“No. Now is the right time.”

“Set a date while I’m being nice. Or you’ll find out why I’m the granddaughter of the Lee family.”

Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t bring himself to say that he was also a Lee.

Crunch.

“…Why are you still eating that?”

Crunch.

Kang Jin-ho tossed the last of the popcorn into his mouth.

“How was the movie?”

“Was it fun?”

“…Sir, are you sleeping?”

“No, I watched it all. I watched it, but…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched the back of his head.

He still didn’t find much enjoyment in videos. To be precise, it wasn’t that it wasn’t fun, but he lacked the ability to distinguish what was more fun and what was less fun.

However…

‘It doesn’t matter.’

It wasn’t important whether the movie was fun, but that they watched it together.

Kang Jin-ho now knew that.

“The popcorn was good.”

“Jin-ho, you’ll become a pig if you keep eating like that.”

“Huh?”

“…No, I misspoke.”

That couldn’t be, it couldn’t be.

Choi Yeon-ha stared intently at Kang Jin-ho’s face. There was nothing to feel from a face wearing glasses and a mask, but that wasn’t important to her.

“Why are you looking like that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“My man, I think he’s really become human.”

“It’s amazing that the day has come when I watch a movie with Jin-ho.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled awkwardly.

Of course, these situations still didn’t give Kang Jin-ho much emotion. He still preferred driving to watching a movie together, and he preferred facing each other to looking at the same place.

But Kang Jin-ho knew.

If you only do what you like, the world becomes that much narrower.

The world he could enjoy wasn’t just in martial arts, and it wasn’t just in becoming stronger.

Among the things he hadn’t experienced yet, there might be something that would make him happier than the path of martial arts.

So, even if it was unfamiliar, he had to take it one step at a time.

He might not find it in the end. No, it was more likely that he wouldn’t.

But even so, these moments weren’t meaningless.

“So, are you thinking of coming again?”

“Next time, let’s watch a drama.”

“Huh? I deliberately booked an action movie? For your sake?”

“…I was yawning.”

“It’s too slow. And clumsy.”

Ah… I guess so.

Choi Yeon-ha, realizing once again that this man wasn’t an ordinary man, smiled brightly and said,

“Still, watch it. I like action.”

“Why?”

“…When I see them acting leisurely, I can’t watch it as an audience member. I have to study it.”

“Ah…”

Choi Yeon-ha and Kang Jin-ho looked at each other with awkward expressions. Because of their professions, it wasn’t easy to choose a suitable movie.

“…Then let’s give up on the movie theater.”

“I agree.”

Choi Yeon-ha said with a stiff face.

“Then next is karaoke! Jin-ho, have you ever been to karaoke?”

“…I went once a few years ago.”

“And you haven’t gone since?”

“Yes. There was no particular reason to go.”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded as if she had made up her mind.

“Okay! Then let’s go to karaoke! Jin-ho, can you sing?”

“…First of all, I don’t know any songs. What about you, Choi Yeon-ha?”

“Hehehe, did I tell you that I almost debuted as a singer?”

“Oh?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Yeon-ha with surprised eyes.

“A composer came to check my singing skills, and it was called off that very day.”

“I still can’t forget the composer’s pale face at that time. So, Jin-ho, keep your expression in check.”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s go!”

Choi Yeon-ha took the lead and strode forward.

Watching Choi Yeon-ha’s back, Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly.

Was he enjoying it?

Well…

He didn’t know yet. His emotions might have become too dull to feel clear enjoyment in this ordinary life.

But…

‘It’s peaceful.’

Even if he wasn’t overly happy, if he could enjoy this time, wouldn’t that be enough?

Kang Jin-ho, with a face as peaceful as if he were basking in the lazy afternoon sun, smiled and followed Choi Yeon-ha.