Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 140

Noh Su-bong couldn’t help but be bewildered.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Kim Hak-cheol was suffering from nightmares.

That wasn’t so strange. Everyone experiences nightmares at least once during their military service, and it’s a common occurrence in civilian life too.

The problem was that the nightmares were continuous.

While you might have a nightmare once in a while, it’s rare to be plagued by them every day. But now, Kim Hak-cheol was not only suffering from daily nightmares but was also withering away day by day.

“Huuuuh…”

Seeing Kim Hak-cheol huddled in the corner of the barracks, trembling, made Noh Su-bong’s irritation surge.

“Ugh, look at this bastard…”

He wasn’t exactly known for his courage, but he was sensible and followed orders well, so Noh Su-bong had kept him around as a lackey. Seeing him like this couldn’t help but make him angry.

“Did a few bad dreams turn him into a wreck?”

Unable to watch Kim Hak-cheol tremble any longer, Noh Su-bong abruptly got up and put on his shoes.

“Is admission still far off?”

“They say there are no abnormal findings, sir.”

“How can they say there are no abnormal findings when the kid is in this state?”

“…There are a lot of guys who pretend to be crazy to get admitted. It’s hard to get admitted for mental illness.”

“Shit.”

Noh Su-bong grumbled and walked out of the barracks.

He lit a cigarette even before reaching the smoking area.

“What a mess this is at the end of my service.”

It was a time when he had to be careful even of falling leaves [a Korean idiom meaning to be extra cautious near the end of one’s military service], yet one of his subordinates had attempted suicide, and another was going crazy. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

“I need to get out of this shitty army quickly.”

Noh Su-bong sat on a bench and put his feet up.

“Hey!”

“Corporal Kang Jin-ho.”

Noh Su-bong, who had called out to Kang Jin-ho, who was already sitting there, snapped his fingers. Seeing the gesture, Kang Jin-ho put out his cigarette and stood in front of Noh Su-bong.

‘Kang Jin-ho?’

Noh Su-bong’s face slightly hardened.

There wasn’t anyone in the entire battery that he cared about. Even the battery commander was outside his consideration.

But Kang Jin-ho was someone he couldn’t ignore.

There were too many rumors about him.

Moreover, he was trusted by the officers, so messing with him could cause a lot of trouble.

‘So what, you bastard.’

Noh Su-bong’s pride surged.

“Go buy me some drinks.”

“The PX isn’t open yet.”

“Tell the PX guy I told you to open it. Get me a cola.”

Noh Su-bong took out a ten-thousand-won bill from his pocket and handed it to Kang Jin-ho.

“Keep the change. You can get something to drink too.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Kang Jin-ho took the money and headed into the barracks, Noh Su-bong chuckled.

“‘No touching other squad members’ is bullshit…”

In principle, he wasn’t allowed to give orders to members of other squads, but Noh Su-bong didn’t care about such things. No one dislikes money.

Look.

Kang Jin-ho was also going to buy drinks at his word.

“Drinks are drinks, but this is so frustrating.”

His discharge was less than a month away, but things kept happening, making him feel like his insides were rotting.

He frowned at the creeping unpleasantness and nervously chewed on his cigarette filter.

‘I need to get discharged quickly.’

When he thought about it, his military service was less than a month away. Whatever happened in the squad was none of his business. From now on, he just needed to lay low and get out into society.

Even if Joo Young-gi woke up and spilled everything, he wouldn’t be able to touch him once he was in society. His power would be several times stronger once he left the military.

“Here you go.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had already bought the cola, handed it to Noh Su-bong.

“I told you to keep the change.”

Noh Su-bong casually pushed back the change that came with the cola. Kang Jin-ho pocketed the change without a word.

“Then, I’ll head back.”

“Alright.”

The cola made him feel a bit better, as if it had cleared the stuffiness in his chest.

“…Did we really get cursed?”

An unknown unease was creeping into Noh Su-bong’s heart.

Noh Su-bong sighed as he looked at Kim Hak-cheol, who was trembling with his knees clutched to his chest.

“Hak-cheol.”

“Huuuh, huuh, ha…”

It had already been five days since Kim Hak-cheol started having nightmares. With each passing day, Kim Hak-cheol was wasting away. It was amazing how a person could become so emaciated in just five days.

“…Ah, shit! Why can’t he get admitted when he’s in this state! Are you kidding me!”

Noh Su-bong yelled irritably, causing Kim Hak-cheol to have a fit.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“Ugh, you idiot!”

Noh Su-bong was annoyed as he watched Kim Hak-cheol repeatedly slam his head on the floor and say, ‘I’m sorry.’

But his annoyance was slowly starting to mix with anxiety.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Kim Hak-cheol was more timid than him, but he was also the one who had tormented a guy to the point of almost driving him to suicide. There was no way he was that weak-minded.

So, what kind of dream could make a person like this?

“Hak-cheol.”

“Hic!”

“Ah, you bastard! Snap out of it and listen to me!”

Kim Hak-cheol’s eyes focused, and he looked at Noh Su-bong.

“Kim Hak-cheol.”

“…Yes.”

“According to you, some kid drags you to the boiler room every night, right? Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Listen carefully. Today, I locked the boiler room door. I also told them not to do the boiler check tonight, and I have the key. Got it?”

Kim Hak-cheol nodded without answering.

“The night watch will check if you’re in your bed twice every hour, and I won’t sleep tonight. This way, we can confirm whether what you’ve been experiencing is a dream or not, right?”

“Dream… It’s not a dream… That! That’s not a dream! It’s not a dream!”

“Ah, you son of a bitch!”

Slap!

Noh Su-bong slapped Kim Hak-cheol across the cheek.

Those who were watching were surprised and looked at the two of them. Noh Su-bong spoke as if spitting out the words, looking at the dazed Kim Hak-cheol.

“That’s why I’m saying I’ll confirm if it’s a dream or not, you bastard! Once today is over, you’ll know it was all a dream! Got it?”

“…Yes.”

“If it’s a dream, it’s okay, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kim Hak-cheol nodded, and Noh Su-bong sighed and turned his head.

“Spread out a mat. Let’s get him to sleep.”

Although it was late at night, Kim Hak-cheol couldn’t fall asleep easily. Noh Su-bong clicked his tongue as he watched Kim Hak-cheol.

‘Ugh, you idiot.’

He wanted to get angry, but he also knew that he shouldn’t push Kim Hak-cheol any further. He had just thought of him as a lackey, but he had grown fond of him, and seeing him in this state made him feel sorry for him.

‘Damn it, I’m getting sleepy.’

Noh Su-bong shook his head.

Even though he was a sergeant, he was still a body adapted to the military. It was natural for sleep to come over him by ten o’clock. Staying up until dawn was making him restless.

Noh Su-bong opened his locker and took out his game console. He thought that playing the portable game he had smuggled in would keep him from falling asleep.

Kim Hak-cheol was staring at the pattern on the ceiling.

A hazy film filled his eyes as he lay straight, looking at the ceiling.

‘He’ll come…’

He would come soon.

Soon.

It was something that could not be stopped by human power.

‘He’ll come…’

His hands began to tremble like aspen leaves. The thought of having to meet him again filled him with a fear that made his heart feel like it would stop.

He was slowly gnawing him to death. Without ever rushing.

If he had just taken his life in one go, he wouldn’t have felt this suffocating fear. But he didn’t seem to be in a hurry at all.

Slowly, very slowly.

Like watching a bug squirm as he tore off its legs one by one, he was slowly killing Kim Hak-cheol.

‘No. Maybe it’s a dream.’

Noh Su-bong is awake now.

And the night watch will come to check on him. If he could just be sure that this wasn’t real…

Kim Hak-cheol’s eyes slowly closed.

Noh Su-bong had also fallen asleep with the game console in his hands.

The night was not their time.

Drip.

The sound of a water droplet falling was so loud.

Kim Hak-cheol was no longer surprised.

It was expected.

No matter how surprising something is, if you experience the same thing for five days, you get used to it.

But he could never get used to this heart-wrenching fear.

Kim Hak-cheol quietly closed his eyes.

‘A dream?’

If he could open his mouth, he would laugh.

Everyone was calling him crazy. Maybe he really was crazy. No one could stay sane after experiencing something like this for five days.

But whether he was crazy or not, this was reality. It was not some kind of illusion.

Kim Hak-cheol stared blankly ahead.

He would appear soon.

And he would start torturing him again.

“Your expression has improved.”

Of course.

His voice was eerie no matter how many times he heard it.

Kim Hak-cheol quietly looked at the black shadow flickering in front of him. As he stared at the shadow, its head tilted slightly.

He knew.

The shadow in front of him always knew his thoughts like a ghost.

He would know what he was about to say and act first.

This moment was so terrifying. He was so afraid that this moment would come again.

But ironically, because this moment was so terrifying, he desperately tried to find a way to survive.

“Huu, huuu…”

As he looked at it with ragged breaths, the shadow wore a subtle smile.

“Haaa, ah?”

His mouth opened for a moment.

Words began to come out of his mouth. Before he could even fully grasp the surprise of the situation, Kim Hak-cheol urgently opened his mouth.

“I, I’ll confess.”

The shadow stared at Kim Hak-cheol. Kim Hak-cheol shouted urgently.

“I know, I know why you’re doing this. You said that I did it back then. So… I’ll confess, I’ll confess!”

Tears streamed down Kim Hak-cheol’s face. This situation was so sad and scary.

“Confess?”

“Yes! I’ll confess that I made Young-gi like that. I’ll confess! So, so, please… please forgive me now. Please…”

The shadow chuckled.

“Confession…”

The shadow’s lips twitched.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“…Huh?”

“Whether you confess or not, what does that have to do with me?”

“Do I look like a righteous hero to you right now?”

The shadow’s giggling laughter echoed through the boiler room. Kim Hak-cheol was amazed that he was still holding on to his sanity in this situation.

“Don’t you want to know who I am?”

Kim Hak-cheol blankly nodded. But he wasn’t really expecting anything. This was probably just another form of mockery.

But at that moment, the black smoke-like things that covered the shadow’s body scattered, and the figure of a person appeared.