Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 141

“Ga, Kang Jin-ho?”

Kim Hak-cheol’s eyes widened, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Kang Jin-ho?

Why is Kang Jin-ho here?

Kang Jin-ho, having shed his shadowy form, quietly looked at Kim Hak-cheol before speaking.

“Are you surprised to see me here?”

“…Why, why?”

“I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking, but…”

He smiled faintly.

“Isn’t the reason obvious? Young-gi said it. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

“Ka, Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho!”

Kim Hak-cheol couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.

Why is Kang Jin-ho appearing here? He had never imagined that what was tormenting him was a human. He thought it was a ghost or a demon.

He had also considered countless times if it was the vengeful spirit of Joo Young-gi. Otherwise, he couldn’t explain this bizarre thing in front of him.

But why is Kang Jin-ho appearing here?

Kim Hak-cheol’s mind raced. It didn’t matter whether the Kang Jin-ho in front of him was possessed or not. What was certain was that the Kang Jin-ho in front of him now held his lifeline.

“Ji, Jin-ho… Jin-ho, why are you doing this? Is it because of Young-gi? I’ll turn myself in. I’ll turn myself in, so it’s okay. I’ll never tell anyone about you.”

Kang Jin-ho’s face had become expressionless.

That colorless face was so eerie.

“You don’t understand, do you, Private Kim Hak-cheol? Don’t you know why I burned that notebook?”

“…Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho brought his face right in front of Kim Hak-cheol’s.

“Because I didn’t want to send you to prison.”

Kim Hak-cheol’s body trembled.

A voice that was endlessly low and ominous. It was the very voice he had heard from the shadow.

Kang Jin-ho had his usual face, but he couldn’t be sure if the Kang Jin-ho he was seeing now was really the Kang Jin-ho he knew.

This isn’t human.

It was something wearing a human mask.

It wasn’t just because he was cruel. Although he looked like a human, the atmosphere emanating from Kang Jin-ho was clearly different.

A feeling like a hand piercing his chest and directly gripping and squeezing his heart.

“Laugh.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

A sneer with only one corner of his mouth curling up.

“Laugh, you should laugh. Aren’t you happy? You were happy when you were playing with Young-gi. So why aren’t you laughing now that you’ve become the target? I’m so happy!”

He’s crazy.

This guy is crazy.

Seeing the madness in Kang Jin-ho’s face, Kim Hak-cheol could feel that madness spreading to him.

Everyone’s crazy.

“You’re going to turn yourself in?”

Chuckling laughter.

The rumbling of the boiler.

And the sound of water droplets falling to the floor.

It was like an orchestra from hell.

“Don’t worry. If you want to be punished, I’ll punish you. Now, today is the sixth day. Remember. If you endure today and tomorrow, I’ll give you freedom. So…”

Kang Jin-ho grabbed Kim Hak-cheol’s hand.

“See, you little shit! Nothing happened! I told you, right?”

Kim Hak-cheol stared blankly at the ceiling. When he opened his eyes with the morning alarm, Noh Su-bong was smiling and looking down at him.

Kim Hak-cheol raised his upper body as if possessed.

Noh Su-bong chuckled as he watched Kim Hak-cheol look around blankly.

“Anyway, you idiot. See, I told you it was okay. How is it? It doesn’t seem like you had a dream today. If you had another dream, you would have woken up screaming.”

Kim Hak-cheol got up from his spot without saying anything. He didn’t even fold his sleeping bag, and he walked out of the barracks with a dazed gait.

“What’s wrong with that guy?”

Noh Su-bong followed Kim Hak-cheol with a bewildered look.

His reaction was clearly different from when he had nightmares before, but Kim Hak-cheol was just as strange now.

‘What is it?’

Kim Hak-cheol staggered into the bathroom, then took out the mop that was drying in the corner, separated the mop head, and took only the handle.

“…Hey, what are you doing?”

Kim Hak-cheol, with unfocused eyes, turned his head to look at Noh Su-bong and slowly opened his mouth.

“…Private Noh Su-bong… Sergeant.”

“Huh? Yeah.”

In real time, it would have been a very brief silence.

But to Noh Su-bong, that time felt strangely like an eternity.

“Be careful.”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Kim Hak-cheol grabbed the mop handle and started running forward like crazy.

“That, that bastard!”

He had a strong feeling that something was about to happen.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

Kim Hak-cheol, screaming so loudly that the hallway echoed, kicked open the door of the 1st barracks and ran inside.

“What, what is it!”

“What’s with this guy!”

The voices of those who were horrified inside the 1st barracks erupted. Following that, screams like cries erupted once more.

“Grab him!”

“Corporal Kang Jin-ho!”

“Why, why are you doing this, Private Kim Hak-cheol!”

“Grab him! Grab him! Grab that bastard!”

Screams burst out everywhere. Noh Su-bong ran towards the 1st barracks, constantly cursing.

What the hell is that crazy bastard doing again?

He twisted his body with all his might and rushed in, half-rolling, and the situation was already under control.

The people in the barracks were divided into two groups.

One group was surrounding Kang Jin-ho, who was covering his head, and the other group was pressing down on Kim Hak-cheol, who was struggling and shouting.

“Uwaaaaaaa! Let go! Let me go! Let go! I have to kill him! I have to kill him before I die! Uwaaaaaa! Let me gooooooo!”

Kim Hak-cheol’s shouts were more like cries of despair.

The desperate fear felt within made those who heard it feel chills.

“Kang Jin-hooooooo! Kang Jin-hooooooo!”

Kim Hak-cheol, who had been uttering Kang Jin-ho’s name several times and spewing curses that no one could understand, soon began to sob.

“…Save me, please save me… I… I was wrong… Ugh, heu heueuk…”

Noh Su-bong could no longer laugh, get annoyed, or get angry.

The curses he used to utter habitually no longer came out. He was just looking at Kim Hak-cheol with a pale face.

He had the thought that he had to fix the situation, but he didn’t know how to fix this situation at all.

Then, Kang Jin-ho lowered the hand that was covering his head and got up from his spot.

“Are, are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if it was nothing.

“…Jin-ho, I’m really sorry. I’ll apologize for him. That bastard is not in his right mind these days, so… I mean, I know this is a problem, but it doesn’t seem like the officers have seen it yet, so how about we…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“…Will you? Thank you. I’ll repay you.”

“More than that…”

“Huh?”

Noh Su-bong suddenly felt that the smile on Kang Jin-ho’s lips was subtle.

It was a featureless smile, but it was strangely… strangely ominous.

“It seems like Private Kim Hak-cheol’s health is not good, so please tell him to take care of himself. There’s only one day left, isn’t there?”

“…Huh?”

Noh Su-bong didn’t know what Kang Jin-ho’s words meant, but he nodded first. Just the fact that he was letting go of a matter that could lead to confinement or even arrest was something he should be grateful for.

At that moment, the members of the 1st squad rushed in.

“Move that bastard.”

“Yes.”

The squad members carried Kim Hak-cheol, who was still crying and muttering incomprehensible words.

Noh Su-bong left the barracks after saying thank you and sorry once again.

…One day left?

What does that mean?

“One day, one day… just one more day, one day! One day…”

Kim Hak-cheol no longer looked like a human being. Saliva was dripping from Kim Hak-cheol’s mouth as he muttered the word ‘one day’.

Looking at his hollowed-out eyes, he now felt more eerie than pitiful.

“When are they going to admit him?”

“They said the ambulance will come tomorrow.”

“Shit.”

Noh Su-bong shook his head.

“Shit, and the vehicles are restricted at a time like this.”

The battalion commander, after seeing Kim Hak-cheol’s condition, tried to admit him without delay, but vehicle operations were completely suspended due to the snow that had started falling in the morning.

Thanks to that, Noh Su-bong had to watch Kim Hak-cheol go crazy for one more day.

“But what’s that bastard been muttering since earlier?”

“It seems like he’s saying he only needs to endure one more day.”

“One day?”

“Yes. He keeps repeating the words ‘one day, one day’.”

“One day?”

“That’s what he’s been saying.”

Didn’t Kang Jin-ho also say there was one day left?

But Kim Hak-cheol is also repeating the word ‘one day’?

“…Hey, when that bastard broke into the 5th barracks earlier, did he hit anyone he saw, or did he specifically target Kang Jin-ho?”

“Didn’t you see him struggling and shouting ‘Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho’?”

Noh Su-bong’s brow furrowed.

“…Something’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”

Kim Hak-cheol’s eyes were bloodshot.

He just had to endure it.

He just had to endure today.

The pain of his fingernails being pulled out, the pain of his teeth being pulled out, were so terrible that they could steal his breath away right now, but just today! If he just endured today! Just today!

Today was the promised seventh day.

Kang Jin-ho looked at him and smiled faintly.

“I’m impressed. Your mental strength is stronger than I thought.”

Impressed?

He made a person like this and says he’s impressed?

“Hehe…”

Kim Hak-cheol let out a hollow laugh.

He couldn’t tell if the tears flowing from his eyes were because of the pain, or because of the joy that he wouldn’t have to endure this anymore.

“I’m, I’m sorry…”

“Huh?”

“I was wrong. I… I was wrong. If I had known that being bullied was like this, I, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“I, I would never have done it…”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“It doesn’t matter. Whether you reflect or not.”

“I’m, I’m reflecting. I’m really reflecting with tears of blood. I, I really am. Please believe me. Please, please believe me.”

Kim Hak-cheol burst into tears.

Please.

Please, stop now.

He couldn’t endure it anymore. Please, please stop here…

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“A promise is a promise. So now, I’ll give you freedom.”

Saliva dripped from Kim Hak-cheol’s open mouth. His face, a mess of joy and despair, was distorted as he coughed and trembled.

Now, now it’s over.

Now, finally…

“Until tomorrow night, that is.”

What did he just hear?

Kim Hak-cheol doubted his ears.

“I’ll give you freedom. Freedom until tomorrow night.”

Kim Hak-cheol looked up at Kang Jin-ho with a blank face.

A smile was on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

Utterly cruel.

Utterly demonic.

“Isn’t it strange? Why do people believe that if they reflect, their sins disappear? Whether they reflect or not, the things they’ve done don’t disappear. Don’t you think so?”

Kim Hak-cheol convulsed as Kang Jin-ho’s hand touched his body. His face was already wet with saliva, making it unbearable to look at.

Kang Jin-ho smiled, revealing his pure white teeth.

“Now, this is just a simple venting of anger. It’s not about good or evil, those low-level things. So, rest comfortably until tomorrow. We still have so much to talk about.”

“Ugh… ugh… Uwaaaaaaaa!

Aaaaaaack!”

Kim Hak-cheol’s scream and Kang Jin-ho’s maniacal laughter mingled together, filling the dark boiler room.

The hell of the mortal realm was descending here.