Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1027

“Joining Jae-kyung?”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeon-ha, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at Kang Jin-ho with an amused expression.

“Jae-kyung?”

“Yes.”

“Why the sudden job?”

“It just sort of happened…”

“Ah, I think I get it.”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at him with a knowing gaze, the corners of her mouth curling up.

“You definitely need a stable job. A grand plan? A natural progression to a proposal?”

“P-Proposal, what are you talking about!”

“I was just joking, don’t be so serious. I almost got offended.”

Looking at Choi Yeon-ha, who had turned her head with a sulky expression, he couldn’t tell if she was really angry or just teasing him.

Kang Jin-ho hesitated, and Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“It’s just a joke. Don’t be surprised.”

“Okay.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled faintly.

‘He’s cute when he’s like this.’

Choi Yeon-ha knew very well how charismatic Kang Jin-ho could be when he was serious. She was someone who had rarely been intimidated by anyone, but when Kang Jin-ho was angry, she couldn’t even open her mouth.

However, the usual Kang Jin-ho was more like a lovable goofball, as if he had a screw loose somewhere. That gap was what amused Choi Yeon-ha.

‘There’s no character more fun than a handsome guy with a screw loose.’

Of course, that wasn’t the reason why Choi Yeon-ha liked Kang Jin-ho.

It wasn’t about being handsome or not, or being funny or not. It was simply that he was a good person.

“But it’s still surprising.”

“What is?”

“I can’t really imagine you, Kang Jin-ho, going to work in a suit.”

“I guess I have to go see you on your first day of work.”

“Please refrain from doing that.”

“Why? It sounds fun.”

Choi Yeon-ha laughed heartily, and Kang Jin-ho let out a deep sigh.

It was just a new employee training, but his family and Choi Yeon-ha were all reacting so strongly. It probably meant that, in other people’s eyes, Kang Jin-ho was far removed from a normal life. Kang Jin-ho felt a subtle unease at that realization.

‘It’s undeniable, though.’

When he first returned to this world, Kang Jin-ho wanted to live a normal life. He didn’t want to experience the fatigue and pain he had felt in his previous, extraordinary life.

But now, not only did he feel that way, but others also thought that Kang Jin-ho didn’t fit into a normal life. How did he end up here?

It wasn’t like he was regretting it, but… he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.

“Um, did I upset you?”

Choi Yeon-ha, noticing the subtle change in Kang Jin-ho’s expression, asked carefully.

“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand.

‘She’s like a ghost.’

Kang Jin-ho thought he was good at hiding his expressions, but now Choi Yeon-ha could read his subtle changes like a microscope.

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Huh?”

“You’re joining Jae-kyung, right? Whether it’s new employee training or an internship.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But aren’t you worried?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if asking what she meant.

Choi Yeon-ha shook her head at his reaction.

‘Figures.’

Kang Jin-ho’s dullness and sensitivity were unpredictable. He would react sensitively to things that others would easily overlook, while he would accept things that would make others nervous without batting an eye.

It was the same now.

Jae-kyung was known for its strict corporate culture. Any job seeker going there for training would be so nervous that they wouldn’t be able to sleep properly. Even if this training wouldn’t have a huge impact on Kang Jin-ho’s life, he was still so nonchalant.

Was he bold or just dense?

‘Well, I guess…’

When she thought about it, what did Kang Jin-ho have to worry about? It was Jae-kyung that should be worried about Kang Jin-ho joining.

“Hmm, so that’s why you didn’t come to see me right away after returning home and took your time? You were dealing with that?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“Really?”

“…Yes.”

Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her eyes.

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve become quite the person lately.”

“Huh?”

“You even know how to lie.”

Kang Jin-ho could understand what it meant when people said the weather was very hot these days. He kept sweating. Even though the air conditioner was on.

“You’re going to get in trouble.”

“…I’m sorry. I had so much to take care of.”

“Someone with so much to take care of is going to new employee training! New employee training!”

Kang Jin-ho’s body sank deeper into the seat.

‘I should be nicer to Lee Hyun-soo.’

He never realized it when he was always the one scolding him, but after being scolded by everyone he met in just one day, he could understand how much Lee Hyun-soo must have suffered from his scolding.

“You went overseas alone, and you didn’t even contact me properly after coming back…”

Kang Jin-ho quickly took something out of his pocket and handed it to Choi Yeon-ha.

“H-Here.”

“Huh? What is this?”

“It’s the gift you asked for.”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at the keychain Kang Jin-ho had given her.

“…A gift?”

“Yes. You told me to buy you a gift.”

A keychain.

It was a keychain with a pendant in the shape of the British flag, as if to prove that he had been to England. There could be no worse gift for a girlfriend after a trip abroad.

However, Choi Yeon-ha was speechless, staring blankly at the keychain.

“…You don’t like it?”

“No, no, it’s not that.”

Choi Yeon-ha raised her hand and covered her face.

Kang Jin-ho flinched at the sudden change in atmosphere.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

He hadn’t even thought that she would like the gift. Kang Jin-ho knew better than anyone that he didn’t have that kind of sense. He thought it would be a relief if he didn’t get cursed out, but Choi Yeon-ha’s reaction was more intense than he had expected.

“…Should I exchange it?”

Without answering, Choi Yeon-ha snatched the keychain from Kang Jin-ho’s hand. Then, she brought it up to her eyes and stared at it quietly.

“Haa…”

Choi Yeon-ha, letting out a deep sigh, tightly gripped the keychain.

“I tried my best to choose it… If you don’t like it.”

“It’s not that.”

Choi Yeon-ha wiped her eyes.

“W-Why all of a sudden?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with slightly teary eyes and said,

“Honestly, I never imagined it. I said it, but I thought you’d forget.”

In fact, she had half forgotten about it herself.

“I know you’re going to do important work, so my gift isn’t that important.”

“No…”

“I’m not being sarcastic. I really think that way. It was just something I said. I didn’t expect to receive anything. But you didn’t forget and bought it, so…”

Choi Yeon-ha wiped her eyes.

“Ah, I’m being a mess. Why am I like this?”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

It was a cheap keychain.

To be blunt, it was something he had picked out in a hurry. It wasn’t expensive, and it was a common keychain that could be found anywhere in Korea.

It felt strange that an actress like Choi Yeon-ha would be so touched by such a keychain.

“You really know how to get to people sometimes.”

Choi Yeon-ha sighed and looked at Kang Jin-ho with a meaningful gaze.

Kang Jin-ho flinched and took a small step back.

“Where are you going? Come here!”

“Yes.”

As Kang Jin-ho returned to his seat, Choi Yeon-ha reached out and hugged him. It wasn’t a proper hug because the car was small, but it was still a hug.

Kang Jin-ho froze like a statue.

Choi Yeon-ha hugged Kang Jin-ho for a while, then patted his back and straightened up.

“You’re cute sometimes. Sometimes.”

“…Thank you.”

It felt like the roles of men and women had been reversed, but who cared?

“I was already planning to get back at you for contacting me so late and not telling me what you were doing.”

“You’re lucky. It’s all resolved now.”

A cheap keychain did a great job.

‘If I hadn’t bought that, I would have been in hell.’ Kang Jin-ho felt proud of himself for going out of his way to buy a gift.

“Haa, I need to calm down. Whew, ha.”

After taking a few deep breaths, Choi Yeon-ha turned to look at Kang Jin-ho with a much softer expression.

“So, when do you start work?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Are you all prepared?”

“Prepared…”

Kang Jin-ho’s face darkened. The thought of that terrible department store made his stomach churn.

‘Why did I have to go through the women’s clothing section when I was buying my own clothes?’

The task of buying Kang Jin-ho’s clothes was completed in ‘just one hour.’

It was already shocking that it took an hour to get a suit, but for Kang Jin-ho, who knew Baek Hyun-jung and Kang Eun-young’s style, it was something to be grateful for.

However, the world was not that easy.

The two mothers, after buying Kang Jin-ho’s clothes, led him on a six-hour shopping spree. It was only when Kang Jin-ho started to worry about claustrophobia that the shopping finally ended. It was a terrible memory he never wanted to think about again.

“I’m mostly ready.”

“Then you can play with me today. Right?”

“Aren’t you busy?”

“No, I’m not busy.”

“I heard you had a lot of interviews and things to do.”

“Ah, that?”

Choi Yeon-ha shrugged her shoulders.

“There was a crazy bitch, so I grabbed her by the hair, and the rumors got bad, so I decided to take a break for a while.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes trembled.

A crazy bitch?

Hair grabbing?

Kang Jin-ho’s chest trembled slightly, and he unconsciously reached into his pocket for a cigarette.

“Why?”

“You smoke in the bathroom.”

Kang Jin-ho’s hand stopped.

The cigarette he had taken out quietly went back into his pocket.

“Ah, you can smoke.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s because I was annoyed and you were smoking in the bathroom. It’s okay here. Go ahead.”

“It’s okay.”

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“I said smoke.”

Kang Jin-ho put a cigarette in his mouth with trembling hands.

It felt like the most nerve-wracking cigarette he had ever had in his life. Choi Yeon-ha chuckled as she watched Kang Jin-ho, who couldn’t bring himself to light it.

“So, play with me today.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled and nodded.

He had learned a lot from his conversation with his father yesterday. It was important to achieve something, but it was also important to spend time with the people he was with now.

Just because something didn’t have a big meaning or a great event didn’t mean it wasn’t important. Those small moments added up to create relationships.

“Then, first…”

Choi Yeon-ha said with a smirk.

“There’s one thing I need to check.”

“…Yes?”

“Did anything happen in England?”

Kang Jin-ho’s pupils moved 1mm to the left and then returned to their original position.

“Nothing happened.”

“Hmmmmmm?”

Choi Yeon-ha didn’t miss that subtle movement of his pupils.

“Now, tell me the truth.”

“No, I told you, nothing happened.”

“Your eyes are suspicious? Your eyes?”