Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1073

“……Hyung, is something wrong?”\n\n”Huh?”\n\n”No, it’s just that your condition suddenly looks really bad.”\n\n”Ah……”\n\n”No. Well, it’s not that… your physical condition seems fine, but your judgment seems really off. It’s like you’re preoccupied. Is something going on at home?”\n\nPark Yu-min laughed awkwardly.\n\n”What do you mean, something going on? If something was up, I would have said something. I’m not the type to hide things like that.”\n\n”Hyung, the playoffs are just around the corner. You know that, right?”\n\n”I know.”\n\nChoi Jung-woo tilted his head, looking at Park Yu-min.\n\n’He’s not usually like this…’\n\nPark Yu-min’s passion for the game was something Choi Jung-woo couldn’t even dare to match. It wasn’t just about working hard. It was to the point where he spent all his time playing games, except for sleeping, eating, and going to the bathroom.\n\nAnd it wasn’t just about killing time.\n\nThe passion he poured into each game was incomparable to others.\n\nWith that much effort and passion, he was able to compete with the young kids despite his age.\n\nBut recently, Park Yu-min had become a bit strange.\n\nHe was still following the same schedule, but it felt like a screw had come loose. At first, it was just problems in his personal life, but now his gameplay wasn’t the same as before.\n\n”Hyung, this really won’t do. We can only win if you do your best this time.”\n\n”Don’t worry. It’s really not like that.”\n\n”Are you just tired from working too hard? You need to rest a bit. Hyung, you’re going to play games even when you rest in the afternoon, right?”\n\n”Ah… I have an appointment today, so I have to go out now.”\n\nChoi Jung-woo nodded vigorously.\n\n”That’s a good idea, hyung. People need to rest sometimes. If you rest well this time, you’ll feel much better after a change of pace. Rest in the evening too. I’ll tell the coach to lock your computer.”\n\n”Don’t overdo it.”\n\n”I’m serious.”\n\nPark Yu-min chuckled and got up from his seat.\n\n”Then, I’ll be back. If the coach is looking for me, tell him I went out.”\n\n”Yes, hyung.”\n\nAs Park Yu-min went outside, the other kids approached Choi Jung-woo.\n\n”Hyung, it seems like something’s wrong with Yu-min hyung?”\n\n”You guys noticed it too, right?”\n\n”I’ve never seen Yu-min hyung just staring blankly while holding his mouse.”\n\n”I know, right.”\n\nChoi Jung-woo looked at the door Park Yu-min had gone through with a slightly worried expression.\n\nWhat kind of person was Park Yu-min?\n\nHe was the kind of person who, without a word of encouragement or advice to work hard, simply showed them his own practice, which made them reduce their sleeping hours.\n\nNot everyone follows someone who practices a lot.\n\n’But if you see someone practicing like they’re going to die, and their skills are improving rapidly, you can’t help but feel like even sleeping is a waste of time.’\n\nPark Yu-min had always been that kind of person.\n\nIf others didn’t show enthusiasm for practice, he would just let it go. People always have their own rhythm, and sometimes there are days when the game just doesn’t go well.\n\nBut if it was Park Yu-min, it was a different story.\n\n”I really hope nothing’s wrong…\n\nI’m getting like him.”\n\nPark Yu-min sighed.\n\nFor Park Yu-min, doing his best in practice was a matter of pride. He wouldn’t be hurt by losing in a real match or by someone being better than him.\n\nOf course, even one loss would make him feel like his insides were on fire, but it wouldn’t hurt his pride.\n\nHe could accept that there were people better than him. But he couldn’t accept that there was someone who worked harder than him. That’s why he pushed himself to his limits during practice.\n\nThat was how Park Yu-min had lived as a pro gamer.\n\nBut recently, he couldn’t concentrate on practice at all.\n\nAs a result, he ended up worrying his teammates.\n\n”Haa…”\n\nPark Yu-min let out a deep sigh.\n\n’This won’t do.’\n\nThis playoff was very important for him and the team. For the team, it was a good opportunity to win the championship, something they had never done before.\n\nFor Park Yu-min personally, it was a chance to reach the top again as a pro gamer.\n\nIn terms of life, it was nothing short of a major turning point.\n\nThe world of pro gamers is tough.\n\nIf you just waste time practicing half-heartedly, your skills won’t improve; they’ll actually decline. If he continued to have trouble concentrating like this, there was no way Park Yu-min would perform well in this playoff.\n\nThere was a reason why he couldn’t concentrate, even though he knew that.\n\n”This is embarrassing.”\n\nIf someone saw Park Yu-min right now, they might wave their hands, saying he was a mess.\n\nHis eyes were constantly scanning his surroundings, and his legs were shaking like they had a vibrator attached. His hands were mechanically picking up and putting down his drink.\n\nPark Yu-min knew very well what he looked like right now. But this was something he couldn’t help.\n\nPark Yu-min’s gaze turned to the screen of his smartphone. The clock on the screen showed 6 o’clock.\n\n’It’s about time she got here…’\n\nWell, she’s always been about 10 minutes late.\n\nThat’s why Kang Jin-ho and I always ended up waiting…\n\nJust then, the cafe door opened, and someone came inside. A woman, looking around to check the inside, found Park Yu-min and smiled brightly.\n\n”Ah…”\n\nSeeing that smile, Park Yu-min awkwardly raised his hand.\n\nThe woman walked lightly to where Park Yu-min was and sat across the table.\n\n”You haven’t changed at all?”\n\n”……Really?”\n\n”Yeah. I was worried I wouldn’t recognize you, but I knew it was you right away.”\n\n”You’re a bit…”\n\n”A bit awkward?”\n\nThe woman smiled brightly.\n\nHer dyed hair, different from before, made him feel both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. Park Yu-min looked at the woman in front of him, Han Se-yeon, and sighed softly.\n\n’Her energy is still high.’\n\nEven though it had been almost two years since they last met, she was acting like they were friends who had met yesterday. Thanks to that, there was no room for Park Yu-min to even bring up the awkwardness he was feeling.\n\n”When did you come back?”\n\n”Not long ago.”\n\n”Aren’t you going back?”\n\n”I’ve learned everything I needed to learn. I won’t be going back for a while, though I might later. I also have to finish school.”\n\n”You’re going back to school.”\n\n”You’re stating the obvious. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, don’t you have anything else to say?”\n\nPark Yu-min laughed awkwardly.\n\nKeeping up with Han Se-yeon’s pace was a difficult task for Park Yu-min. The reason he felt comfortable with Kang Jin-ho was not only because of their friendship, but also because his pace matched Park Yu-min’s.\n\nHan Se-yeon’s speed, starting at full throttle from the beginning, was too fast for Park Yu-min.\n\n”It’s not like we haven’t been in contact.”\n\n”Seeing each other in person is different from texting.”\n\nHan Se-yeon got up from her seat.\n\n”Wait a minute. I’m thirsty, so let me order something to drink first.”\n\n”Okay.”\n\nAs Han Se-yeon left her seat, Park Yu-min let out a deep sigh.\n\n’She hasn’t changed at all.’\n\nThe reason he couldn’t concentrate on the game for the past few days was right there, ordering drinks.\n\nJust watching her, it felt like he had gone back to the past.\n\nThe time when Kang Jin-ho was there, he was there, and Han Se-yeon was there.\n\nThey say memories only keep the good parts and embellish them, and looking back now, it seems like that time was very enjoyable.\n\n’It wasn’t always that good, though.’\n\nEspecially for Park Yu-min.\n\nHan Se-yeon returned to her seat with her coffee. The time it took for her to order and for the drinks to come out felt like it showed the distance between Han Se-yeon and Park Yu-min now.\n\n’Well, it would be awkward.’\n\nEven though they were acting like nothing was wrong, it was natural to feel awkward after not seeing each other for two years, even with family. There was no way Han Se-yeon wouldn’t feel awkward.\n\nEven so, the reason she was pretending to be calm was probably to ease the awkwardness Park Yu-min was feeling. She was a bit of a free spirit, but she was also considerate.\n\n”How have you been?”\n\nAs soon as she sat down, Han Se-yeon spoke casually.\n\n”Well… not much has changed since you left. I’m back to being a gamer, so it’s just the same old routine of sleeping, waking up, playing games, and sleeping again when I’m tired.”\n\n”Is it fun?”\n\n”You don’t do work because it’s fun.”\n\n”Hmm?”\n\nHan Se-yeon looked amused.\n\n”Your face hasn’t changed at all… but your personality has changed a lot, hasn’t it?”\n\n”Huh?”\n\n”Before, you would have said something that would have made the listener lose all their energy.”\n\nIt was hard to deny that.\n\nPark Yu-min also thought he had changed a lot. Before, he would have thought five times or more about whether what he was about to say would offend someone else.\n\n”You look good.”\n\n”Huh?”\n\n”I said you look good.”\n\nHan Se-yeon said that and smiled.\n\nPark Yu-min, looking at her face, let out a sigh.\n\n’I’m a mess, really.’\n\nThey were not compatible.\n\nThat way of speaking, where she just throws out whatever comes to mind, was like poison to Park Yu-min. It was one of the reasons why meeting Han Se-yeon was a burden.\n\nPark Yu-min cleared his throat and opened his mouth.\n\n”How have you been?”\n\n”Don’t even ask. Seriously…”\n\nHan Se-yeon waved her hand.\n\n”If I had known that living abroad was so hard, I wouldn’t have even thought about going. You don’t know how good Korea is, do you?”\n\nIt wasn’t like anyone told her to go, but she went anyway.\n\n”There’s something I really wanted to say to myself two years ago.”\n\n”Don’t go study abroad?”\n\n”No!”\n\nHan Se-yeon said firmly.\n\n”You can go study abroad, but don’t go to England. They don’t have any food for people to eat there.”\n\nIt was a very realistic reason. But it was also a reason that was easy to relate to as soon as you heard it.\n\n”The locals seem to eat well enough.”\n\n”It’s expensive.”\n\nHan Se-yeon said as if she was venting her anger.\n\n”It’s not that there’s no food to eat. The good stuff is expensive. The cheap stuff is bad.”\n\n”You’ve been through a lot…”\n\n”I want to praise myself for surviving and coming back from a place like that. It was no joke.”\n\nLooking at Han Se-yeon’s face as she joked around, it felt like she had really been through a lot.\n\n”But thanks to that, you’ve built up your resume, right?”\n\n”That’s true.”\n\nHan Se-yeon shrugged her shoulders proudly.\n\nThe conversation stopped.\n\nHan Se-yeon didn’t open her mouth, as if she had something to think about, and Park Yu-min didn’t have anything to say. Or rather, it wasn’t that he didn’t have anything to say, but he thought it wasn’t his turn to speak.\n\n’She probably isn’t curious about how I’ve been.’\n\nThat wasn’t Han Se-yeon’s interest.\n\nPark Yu-min knew why Han Se-yeon had come. Now, it wasn’t Park Yu-min’s turn to speak, but Han Se-yeon’s.\n\nHan Se-yeon, glancing at Park Yu-min, opened her mouth with an awkward expression.\n\n”Yu-min.”\n\nHuh.\n\n”How is Jin-ho doing?”