Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1519

Vroom, vroom, vroom.

Kang Jin-ho’s sports car sped down the national highway. Glancing at the speedometer, Kang Jin-ho wore a subtle expression.

Lee Hyun-soo had once said something while riding in his sports car.

“Seriously, if you’re going to drive at this speed, why even bother with such an expensive car?”

Of course, he understood what that meant.

However, Kang Jin-ho, having been caught by traffic police a couple of times, was reluctant to break the speed limit.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

Come to think of it, this car and his situation weren’t that different.

It was a car that could easily exceed 300 km/h if he wanted to, but the roads in South Korea didn’t allow speeds over 100 km/h.

It meant that despite having an explosive engine and chassis balance, he had to drive at the same speed as the lowest-performing cars.

Because that was the law, that was the regulation.

In the past, Kang Jin-ho used to drive recklessly, exceeding the speed limit. He was confident that he could control the car to avoid accidents in any situation.

In other words, the old Kang Jin-ho lived thinking that he could ignore the rules set by society to some extent, as long as he could take responsibility for his actions.

But now?

The speedometer, stuck at 80, seemed to reflect Kang Jin-ho’s current situation.

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

This was adaptation.

But conversely, it might be a process of being tamed.

Kang Jin-ho, who used to wield a sword and sweep away anyone who displeased him, was now afraid of traffic police and cameras, coaxing his car, which was eager to speed, and crawling like a turtle.

Stepping into the light meant agreeing to conform to the norms they had set. It was something he had already prepared for, but…

Sometimes, he felt a surge of emotion, indicating that he hadn’t fully adapted to modern life yet.

‘This isn’t easy.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly once more and pressed the accelerator a little harder.

Driving just over 100 on a road with a speed limit of 80 was his only, and rather timid, act of rebellion.

Screech!

The car, having made a sharp turn, entered an uphill road.

Kang Jin-ho, now on the familiar road leading to the General Assembly, actually increased his speed.

‘There won’t be anyone getting hit by a car here.’

This was the General Assembly, after all.

It was full of people who could easily dodge a car even if it was speeding at 200 km/h right in front of them…

“What the!”

Kang Jin-ho jerked the steering wheel.

Screech!

The car swerved left and right a couple of times, then quickly regained its balance.

Kang Jin-ho, calming his slightly startled heart, parked the car on the side of the road.

Thud.

Opening the car door and getting out, Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look at the person he had almost hit.

“Huff… huff, huff… huff.”

A slight sweat broke out on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

‘How can a person become like that in just three days?’

For a moment, he almost didn’t recognize him.

Looking at those features, the person panting and climbing the hill was definitely Jeong Myeong-cheol. However, the Jeong Myeong-cheol that Kang Jin-ho had first seen was already gone.

The once-fit body, which had been consistently maintained, had become shrunken like a deflated balloon, and his once-handsome face had become unappealing due to his hollow eyes, rough skin, and chapped lips.

Not only that…

‘It seems like he’s losing hair too… His hair… No, no.

Let’s not think about this. This is too terrible a story.’

Kang Jin-ho shook his head slightly and looked at the person following behind Jeong Myeong-cheol.

“…Is it still you?”

Sung Joo-chan bowed deeply upon seeing Kang Jin-ho.

“Greetings, Chairman.”

In the past, Kang Jin-ho would have smiled at Sung Joo-chan’s excessive greeting, but now, he didn’t feel like it.

While Lee Hyun-soo was undoubtedly the greatest devil of the General Assembly, Kang Jin-ho thought that Sung Joo-chan might be worse in certain aspects.

“Ch, Chairman… Chairman…”

Jeong Myeong-cheol staggered up the hill and collapsed in front of Kang Jin-ho. Then, he grabbed his leg and clung to it.

“Save… save me… save…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Jeong Myeong-cheol’s appearance, then stared at Sung Joo-chan with a blank expression.

“What did you do to make a person like this in three days?”

Sung Joo-chan scratched his head.

“It’s a bit unfair. We reduced the intensity of what we were doing to him to about a third of what we receive.”

A third of what you receive?

“Is that something a Special Forces soldier could do?”

“…I don’t think so.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes twitched slightly.

“Are you trying to kill him?”

“No, sir. We’re feeding him well, letting him sleep well, and even giving him nutritional supplements. And this morning, we even had a doctor from a hospital we’re affiliated with give him a checkup. We can’t have him suddenly collapsing, can we?”

“…What did the doctor say?”

“He said we could push him for another two days?”

The twitch that started in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes spread to his cheek.

‘What kind of doctor is that?’

Of course, the hospital affiliated with the General Assembly wouldn’t be an ordinary place.

But even so, to say to push him for another two days after seeing him like this?

It was something that would make Hippocrates rise from his grave and slap him on the cheek.

“Sa, save…”

Kang Jin-ho glanced down at Jeong Myeong-cheol.

Usually, in this situation, he would be begging with tears and snot, but…

‘He seems dehydrated…’

It seemed like there were no fluids left to come out. His chapped lips cracked even more each time he opened his mouth.

“Take him to the infirmary and let him lie down.”

“Yes, sir!”

Sung Joo-chan immediately stood at attention and answered.

In his judgment, he should push him for another day or so, but if Kang Jin-ho had made a decision, his judgment was meaningless.

“Pushing him too hard isn’t the answer. Why are you doing this right now? To torment him?”

“No, sir!”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“He needs to be conscious to know how hard it is. If you keep him like this for a few days, will he even remember anything?”

“…Ah, I didn’t think that far. I will make sure he maintains a clear and transparent mind.”

“Alright.”

Kang Jin-ho turned around.

Jeong Myeong-cheol’s hand, which had been holding his leg, fell limply.

Kang Jin-ho felt a surge of anger for no reason.

‘Come to think of it, it’s rare to see someone living so thoughtlessly.’

Even the great Kang Jin-ho was trying to abide by the speed limit and not break the law. Yet, a guy who had never achieved anything with his own abilities was ignoring laws and norms and living as he pleased just because he was born into a chaebol [family-owned conglomerate] family.

‘What a joke of a world.’

He thought that kings and nobles had disappeared in modern times. But they just weren’t acting out in the open like in the past.

Kings still existed in modern times.

Kings of power.

Kings of wealth.

And even kings of violence.

And there were also the small fry who thought they were kings and acted out.

Kang Jin-ho glanced at the small fry, sighed, and shook his head.

‘It’s harder to make a person than to kill one.’

“Good morning, Chairman.”

Kang Jin-ho, entering the conference room, sat at the head of the table and lit a cigarette.

“Report.”

“Yes, sir!”

Lee Hyun-soo, holding a report, began his briefing.

“First, I need to talk about MK. It’s not really my area, but since that guy is here, it’s related…”

“Alright.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded slightly and continued his report.

“I haven’t received the exact figures, but I’ve heard that sales have recovered to what they were before the incident. I just spoke to them, so it’s confirmed.”

“It recovered that quickly?”

“Taekwang is getting hammered like crazy right now.”

“…Because of that guy?”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“That bastard’s name isn’t even mentioned in the media. But no matter what, who would believe that a team leader did something like this? The media is criticizing them indirectly, and people who saw that media are blowing up the internet.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled.

“If this had gone in a good direction, we would have benefited a lot, but people are so focused on criticizing those bastards that we’re not being mentioned much. Still, they realized they were framed, so profits spiked for a moment, but now they’ve stabilized to pre-incident levels.”

“That’s a relief.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

At least the immediate crisis was over.

“They’re making a big deal out of it.”

“The NIS [National Intelligence Service]?”

“Yes. Don’t even get me started. They’re saying that they and their superiors are behind moving these media outlets, and that this level of upheaval is unprecedented, even during elections…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

If Lee Hyun-soo was this fed up, it meant they had really emphasized it to the point of being annoying.

“Are they asking for a favor?”

“It means they’re doing this much. It’s not for me. It means they want me to report it to you, Chairman.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“I don’t think we owe them anything, but I’ve confirmed that they’re very eager to restore relations.”

“Isn’t that according to your plan?”

“It’s your plan, Chairman. How could I dare…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

After being demoted a few times, Lee Hyun-soo had become humble. Money was indeed a scary thing.

“What about Taekwang? No movement?”

“It seems they haven’t even realized that he’s been kidnapped yet. There hasn’t been any report.”

“…He’s been missing for three days?”

“That’s why people need to behave well. It seems he usually rents a villa and throws drug-fueled parties for days. It’s common for him to be out of contact during that time.”

“He’s hopeless.”

“Rather, the thugs and third-rate celebrities who hang out with him are looking for him, but that’s not a problem, is it?”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled.

“Even if they find out that he’s really missing, nothing will change. The police are on our side.”

Lee Hyun-soo confidently puffed out his chest.

“…You seem happy?”

“Of course. Actually, even when I was in the Yeongnam Association, the most troublesome thing when doing whatever we wanted in Korea was the police. We couldn’t fight them, and we couldn’t get caught by them.”

“Being able to control the police is a truly great achievement. Maybe it’s even bigger than conquering Japan.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m serious.”

Lee Hyun-soo thumped his chest as if frustrated.

“And controlling the police isn’t just about feeling good. It’s more than that.”

“Hmm?”

“It means that our position has risen even higher than before Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan messed things up. Even if the relationship is not good, our influence has completely recovered with this.”

Lee Hyun-soo paused slightly, as if feeling a sense of accomplishment.

“With this, the General Assembly in South Korea is complete.”

They had subjugated power, and all violence was concentrated under the General Assembly. And by successfully launching the franchise business, MK had completely finished laundering their money.

They had power, wealth, and violence.

“Which means?”

“It means we should start preparing.”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to the window, towards the west in the distance.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

Lee Hyun-soo and Kang Jin-ho smiled at each other.