Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1087

Han Eun-sol’s eyes darted around, quickly scanning the area. Once she confirmed that the stylists and coordinators were within earshot, she subtly gestured for them to leave.

When they were completely out of earshot, Han Eun-sol tried to calm Choi Yeon-ha down.

“Please, think about who’s around before you say things! Please!” she pleaded.

“Why? What’s the problem?” Choi Yeon-ha asked, tilting her head.

“Imagine the rumors! ‘Choi Yeon-ha is getting a full makeover to intimidate her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend!’ What kind of image is that to project?” Han Eun-sol exclaimed, exasperated.

“Image?” Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“Eun-sol,” she said, her tone shifting.

“Yes, unnie?” Han Eun-sol replied, bracing herself.

“You’re a guy, so you probably don’t understand…” Choi Yeon-ha huffed, crossing her arms.

“For a woman, there are things more important than saving face!” she declared with a dramatic flourish.

‘Don’t say that with such a heroic tone!’ Han Eun-sol thought, cringing. ‘It’s embarrassing for me!’

Han Eun-sol sighed deeply. ‘Why did she become like this?’ she wondered. The old Choi Yeon-ha wasn’t like this. Of course, the current Choi Yeon-ha was definitely not worse than the old one. The old Choi Yeon-ha was someone who couldn’t even be called a bomb. A bomb goes off and it’s over, but if you messed with the old Choi Yeon-ha, she’d explode for three days. Even if you set a powder keg on fire, it wouldn’t explode with that much force for that long.

It’s clear that the current Choi Yeon-ha is better than the past one, if only because she doesn’t explode as much. But still…

‘Something weird got attached to her,’ Han Eun-sol mused. If the old Choi Yeon-ha was the epitome of chic, the current Choi Yeon-ha is chic but also a bit of a ditz.

‘It’s like she loses a screw whenever Kang Jin-ho is involved,’ she thought, shaking her head.

Han Eun-sol scanned the surroundings again. She knew no one was coming, but she still felt uneasy. If possible, she didn’t want anyone to see her like this. She’d rather be seen as a witch than a ditz.

“What are you planning to do?” Han Eun-sol asked, her voice laced with apprehension.

“I’m not going to do anything?” Choi Yeon-ha replied, her expression innocent.

Choi Yeon-ha and Han Eun-sol stared at each other without a word. Of course, Han Eun-sol was the first to crack.

“Then why are you going!” she exclaimed, her voice rising in frustration.

“Who do you think you are, yelling at me? I’ll pull all your hair out!” Choi Yeon-ha threatened, her eyes narrowing.

“Aah! My hair! Don’t touch my hair! If I go bald, I’ll curse you till the day I die!” Han Eun-sol cried, clutching her head.

“…Ah!” Choi Yeon-ha, who was about to grab Han Eun-sol’s hair, stopped and took a step back.

Han Eun-sol flinched at Choi Yeon-ha’s reaction. “Why, why?” she asked, confused.

“Eun-sol…” Choi Yeon-ha said, her voice unusually soft.

“Yes?” Han Eun-sol replied, her guard up.

“Your hair…” Choi Yeon-ha looked at Han Eun-sol with an incredibly pitiful expression. It was the most gentle and worried look she had given her since becoming Choi Yeon-ha’s manager.

“D-Don’t do that! It’s stress-related! It’s because you keep stressing me out!” Han Eun-sol protested, her voice rising in panic.

“It’s a bit too sparse for just stress, isn’t it?” Choi Yeon-ha asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

“Ah, I said don’t!” Han Eun-sol cried, her face flushed with embarrassment.

She resisted fiercely, but Choi Yeon-ha didn’t lose her pitiful expression. She was not even thirty yet, and her hair was already thinning.

“Whose fault is it that it’s like this!” Han Eun-sol wailed, her voice cracking.

“Genetics?” Choi Yeon-ha offered, her tone gentle.

“It’s not genetics!” Han Eun-sol insisted, her eyes wide with distress.

“Calm down. Balding isn’t a crime,” Choi Yeon-ha said, trying to soothe her.

“I’m not balding!” Han Eun-sol cried out with tears in her eyes.

‘Whose fault is all of this!’ she thought, her mind racing. When Han Eun-sol first became Choi Yeon-ha’s manager, he was a man who was worried about having too much hair. He was a man who spent ages at the salon just getting his hair thinned!

But after becoming Choi Yeon-ha’s manager…

‘No. Let’s not think about it,’ she decided. The biggest enemy of hair loss is stress. And thinking about his past life only increases stress. He should only look at good things, only good things.

“Anyway, please don’t cause any trouble,” Han Eun-sol said, trying to regain control of the situation.

“Am I a kid? Why would I cause trouble?” Choi Yeon-ha asked, her tone defensive.

“You’re not a kid, but you chased away the staff who came for the shoot?” Han Eun-sol pointed out, her voice laced with disbelief.

“I didn’t like the way he walked,” Choi Yeon-ha said, her expression nonchalant.

“Is that even a reason?” Han Eun-sol asked, her voice rising in exasperation.

Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her eyes slightly. “You’re getting cheeky these days? Did you switch careers to a climbing athlete?” she asked, her tone sharp.

“Ahem,” Han Eun-sol said, lowering his tone slightly. He had definitely gone a bit too far.

“Anyway, keep that in mind. Be fully prepared for tomorrow,” Han Eun-sol said, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

“…Yes. Then, are we going to start the shoot now?” Choi Yeon-ha asked, her tone impatient.

“Tell them to start quickly. I have a lot to prepare too,” Han Eun-sol replied, sighing inwardly.

‘You were the one who said we’d shoot later!’ he thought, but he couldn’t say it out loud. Han Eun-sol shook his head and was about to run to the director when…

“And you should go to the hospital tomorrow,” Choi Yeon-ha added, her voice filled with concern.

“…What was that?” Han Eun-sol asked, surprised by the sudden change in tone.

“Thank youuu,” Choi Yeon-ha said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.

‘I’m so grateful, I could cry,’ Han Eun-sol thought, touched by her unexpected kindness.

“Here it is,” Lee Hyun-soo said, looking at the gate with a slightly nervous expression.

“If I go in here, I’ll go to England?” he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

“Do I need to explain the principle of the gate again?” Wiggins asked, his tone dry.

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t understand even if you did,” Lee Hyun-soo admitted, a wry smile on his face.

“You should at least understand that much,” Wiggins said, shaking his head.

‘That much…’ Lee Hyun-soo thought, his smile fading slightly. The study of magic is abnormally vast. When he first learned the theory of magic, he thought it would be like adding another major, but it was completely different.

It seemed like a new category called ‘Magic Studies’ had been created. Within it, there was magical engineering, magical physics, magical chemistry…

‘Well, there should be at least one thing that makes sense,’ he thought, trying to find some logic in the chaos. He was amazed by the vast amount of knowledge that mages had accumulated over thousands of years. Lee Hyun-soo prided himself on having a talent for learning and mastering things, but even with a great teacher like Wiggins, he was still just scratching the surface.

“My master spent his whole life reaching that point, so if I understood it right away, wouldn’t my master look pathetic?” Lee Hyun-soo muttered to himself.

“Don’t worry about that. Knowing and being able to do are different. Magic is a practical discipline. No matter how much knowledge you have in your head, if you can’t use it, you’re just an idiot,” Wiggins said, his tone sharp.

There was a knife hidden in the conversation between master and disciple.

“You must be happy that your disciple is an idiot,” Lee Hyun-soo retorted, his tone playful.

“You’re not an idiot yet. To be precise, you don’t even qualify to be an idiot in terms of magic. Tsk tsk, if you go to the Round Table [a gathering of powerful mages], don’t say you’re my disciple,” Wiggins said, shaking his head.

“Are you ashamed?” Lee Hyun-soo asked, his voice teasing.

“No, I’m fine. I’m just worried that you’ll be treated like a liar,” Wiggins replied, his tone deadpan.

“…Thank you very much, Master,” Lee Hyun-soo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

‘I’m so grateful, I could cry,’ he thought, rolling his eyes.

“Let’s go,” Wiggins said, his voice firm.

“…Yes,” Lee Hyun-soo replied, his voice lacking energy. ‘I’m going to be exploited,’ he thought, his shoulders slumping.

He was perceptive. He knew roughly what kind of deal had been made between Wiggins and the Master. He had probably been offered as labor. Lee Hyun-soo stepped forward with a determined face. When he thought about it, it wasn’t that different. It wasn’t like he wasn’t working in Korea. The work might be a bit excessive, but he was dealing with excessive work here too.

Lee Hyun-soo stepped into the light. ‘Hmm,’ he thought, feeling like his body was floating. A subtle discomfort. ‘Is this how you move?’ It was his first time experiencing this, so he was worried. First…

“Come out,” Wiggins said, his voice impatient.

“…Yes?” Lee Hyun-soo replied, his voice confused.

“We’ve arrived. Come out,” Wiggins repeated, his tone sharp.

Lee Hyun-soo walked forward with a dazed expression. A different space unfolded before him. ‘What is this?’ he thought, his eyes wide with surprise. No, it’s supposed to be a gate, but it’s kind of… Why, you know how it is? In movies, you fly through this space, or in sci-fi movies, the background stretches out as you pass through a warp gate. Something like that…

“Don’t think useless thoughts and look ahead. The Master is there,” Wiggins said, his voice cutting through Lee Hyun-soo’s thoughts.

“Tick!” Lee Hyun-soo was startled and looked ahead. The Master might be a familiar or comfortable figure for Kang Jin-ho and Wiggins, but for Lee Hyun-soo, he was an extremely high and uncomfortable presence.

“Greetings!” Lee Hyun-soo said, bowing ninety degrees.

The Master laughed at the sight. “I’ll never get used to Eastern greetings. It makes me feel burdened,” he said, his tone amused.

“Ah…” Lee Hyun-soo replied, his face flushing slightly.

“I’m not blaming you, so don’t make that face. I think I’ve seen you a few times?” the Master said, his eyes twinkling.

“I saw you at the meeting before,” Lee Hyun-soo replied, his voice respectful.

“Hmm, that’s right,” the Master said, his eyebrows twitching slightly. ‘I don’t think I made a great impression,’ he thought, his mind racing. Being at such a meeting as a member of the General Assembly was a big deal. It meant that this young man could represent the formidable General Assembly. It was something unimaginable for the Round Table. It was partly due to Kang Jin-ho’s unconventionality, but it would have been impossible without his own abilities.

However, the Master was not greatly impressed by Lee Hyun-soo at the time. At that time, the Master’s mind was completely focused on Wiggins and Kang Jin-ho. He couldn’t remember what kind of evaluation he had given Lee Hyun-soo. Well… Even if he had been greatly impressed, it would have been erased in an instant. He had met Kang Jin-ho and even sparred with him.

“So, you’re the talent who will help me?” the Master asked, his tone curious.

“I wouldn’t go as far as talent…” Lee Hyun-soo replied, his voice humble.

“First of all, I like your fluent English. I was actually a little worried,” the Master said, his tone approving.

“I think I’ve learned what I need to learn,” Lee Hyun-soo replied, his voice confident.

“Oh?” the Master said, a smile spreading across his face. He wasn’t arrogant, but he was definitely confident. If he didn’t have faith in his own abilities, he wouldn’t have that kind of attitude. ‘In front of me, no less,’ he thought, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Wiggins was also next to him. Even the most prominent young people at the Round Table wouldn’t dare say such things next to Wiggins. They had spent a long time together, so they would have a good grasp of Wiggins’ abilities, but the fact that he could still say that meant he had unwavering confidence. ‘I wonder if his skills match his confidence,’ the Master thought, his expression amused.

“Let’s go for now. It’s not polite to keep a guest standing here for long. Let’s have a cup of tea first,” the Master said, turning around.

“Thank you,” Lee Hyun-soo said, bowing his head deeply.

The Master smiled and turned around. Wiggins followed him. He naturally created a shield behind them so that no sound would leak out.

“What do you think of him?” the Master asked, his voice low.

“Don’t ask me about the impressions of Eastern people. It’s very sensitive. To be honest, from my perspective, all Eastern people look similar. It’s hard to judge someone’s impression just by looking at their face. But if I say that out loud, it’s racism and all that…” Wiggins said, his tone matter-of-fact.

“It’s definitely a sensitive question,” the Master said, his tone thoughtful.

“If I had to answer, I’d say I like his confidence. It would be great if his skills matched his confidence,” Wiggins replied, his tone neutral.

“You can check that starting today,” the Master said, his tone decisive.

“…Today? Shouldn’t he go through the process of handover and training?” Wiggins asked, his voice surprised.

“He doesn’t need that,” the Master said, his tone dismissive.

The Master looked at Wiggins with a puzzled expression. Wiggins grinned. “Don’t worry, just leave it to him for now. You can check what he’s done later, right? Just hand it over and go train. I’m also very busy,” he said, his tone impatient.

The Master looked at Wiggins with a sulky expression. “Have you ever heard that your personality has become strange?” he asked, his voice laced with exasperation.

“My daughter has been saying that a lot lately. Well, she says it’s better than before, so what do you think?” Wiggins replied, his tone nonchalant.

“…I hope your daughter doesn’t bring home a strange man as her boyfriend,” the Master said, his tone dry.

Wiggins, who had been hit with a blow, quickened his pace with a sour look on his face.