Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1544

Tilting head.

Tilting head.

Twitching.

Twitching.

Kang Jin-ho blinked, watching the small creature mimicking his actions.

What is that?

Why is such a strange, small creature in his house?

‘Oppa, you’re home?’

‘Stop.’

Kang Jin-ho stopped Kang Eun-young, who was about to run to him, and pointed at the hairy creature, demanding an explanation.

‘What is that?’

‘Ah, Dong-dong?’

‘…Dong-dong?’

‘Yeah, this one.’

Kang Eun-young reached out and picked up the wriggling puppy. The small puppy, easily held in one of Kang Eun-young’s hands, exposed its pink belly and stuck out its tongue.

‘Dad brought it home.’

‘…Not you, but Father?’

‘Eung.’

At that moment, Kang Yu-hwan walked out of the master bedroom with a pleased smile.

‘I brought it.’

‘A happy home should have a dog.’

Kang Jin-ho’s face subtly shifted.

‘W-Why now, of all times?’

‘It’s not ‘why now,’ but ‘it’s about time’ that I brought it.’

‘Huh?’

Kang Yu-hwan clicked his tongue.

‘I spent my whole life raising you kids, and now that you’re all grown up, you don’t even stay home.’

‘Dad! I’m home!?’

‘You’re not home, you’re just glued to the sofa! You barely look at me when I come home, always staring at your phone!’

‘…I’m sorry.’

Kang Eun-young quietly shut her mouth, and Kang Yu-hwan looked at the puppy with a strange expression.

‘They say when you get old, the only one who greets you when you come home is a dog. So, I brought one.’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyebrows twitched repeatedly.

‘This?’

‘Why? Is there a problem?’

‘It’s not a problem, but…’

It wasn’t that Kang Jin-ho disliked dogs. He didn’t have any particular likes or dislikes for animals.

The problem was that this small, fragile creature didn’t align with his values.

‘A dog should be a creature that guards the house. Rather than such a small puppy, it should be sturdy and loyal…’

‘What are you talking about? Why would a dog guard the house? The police guard the house.’

‘And the door lock.’

Kang Yu-hwan said with a confident face.

‘Anyway, we’ve decided to raise a dog at home, so you should learn what you need to know.’

‘What I need to know?’

Kang Eun-young smiled brightly and said,

‘How to feed the dog, how to clean up its poop, and how to play with it.’

Everyone.

My dear family.

Of course, I know it’s presumptuous to expect you to understand this without me saying it directly, but I am the head of the General Assembly that governs the martial artists of Korea, the leader of the Demonic Cult [a powerful martial arts sect] reborn in Korea, and the chairman of the prestigious mid-sized company MK.

And now, I have to deal with dog poop… Ha….

‘Was this… a mutual agreement?’

‘Of course.’

It was at that moment.

‘No!’

Baek Hyun-jung, who burst out of the door, was fuming.

‘I’m against it!’

Baek Hyun-jung said firmly.

‘It’s always like this, always! You guys start things! And I have to clean up the mess! You can easily say what you’ll do, but just wait a month! I’ll be the one doing everything, from feeding it to bathing it!’

Baek Hyun-jung glared at Kang Yu-hwan and shouted.

‘Can’t you go return that dog right now?’

Kang Yu-hwan sighed deeply.

‘See, Jin-ho? This is why I need to raise a dog. I’m being scorned by my wife and ignored by my children.’

‘…When have we ever ignored you, Father?’

‘What?’

Kang Yu-hwan glared.

‘There’s a rumor going around that there’s an unfilial son in this neighborhood who took his only father and made him work to death in a factory. Do you happen to know who that is?’

Uh….

I’ve heard the rumor too.

It’s very unfortunate. The fact that there’s such an unfilial son in this neighborhood….

Kang Yu-hwan’s eyes widened as he looked at Kang Jin-ho, who was being evasive.

‘Other people are traveling overseas when their children succeed! What kind of son are you…’

‘It’s noisy!’

Kang Yu-hwan quickly shut his mouth.

‘If you want to go on an overseas trip, just go! Why are you bringing a dog and talking about overseas trips!’

‘N-No, I mean…’

‘So why are you doing things you can’t handle without consulting anyone! And why did you bring such a white thing! What are you going to do about all that fur, and what if it pees in the house…’

Kang Eun-young gently placed the dog she was holding on the floor. Then, the puppy named Dong-dong wiggled towards Baek Hyun-jung and rubbed its face against her ankle.

‘Hey, why is it doing this?’

Baek Hyun-jung looked at the puppy rubbing against her foot, flustered.

The sensation of something small, white, and warm wriggling on her foot was unfamiliar, yet….

‘G-Go away.’

She said that, but Baek Hyun-jung couldn’t bring herself to push away the puppy rubbing against her.

‘It’s a sly one.’

‘That’s a fox.’

It seemed to have instinctively figured out who it should rub against.

Kang Eun-young quickly jumped in to help.

‘Mom! Mom!’

‘Huh?’

‘Have you touched its belly?’

‘I-I’m not interested.’

‘No, Mom. It’s really cute! Look!’

Kang Eun-young quickly picked up the puppy and placed it in Baek Hyun-jung’s hand. Baek Hyun-jung, who had unknowingly received the puppy, had a relaxed expression on her face.

The warm sensation on her palm made it impossible to maintain an angry face.

‘T-The fur will shed a lot…’

‘Mom, I’ll vacuum three times a day!’

‘The fur will get on our clothes…’

‘Hey, how many people in our house care about their clothes? Oppa wears the same clothes every day. I’m the only one who needs to care, right?’

‘You’re a girl who doesn’t even go outside!’

‘…That’s true.’

Baek Hyun-jung sighed slightly.

The sensation of the puppy wriggling in her hand wasn’t unpleasant. No, to be honest, this sensation was… well….

Baek Hyun-jung gently pulled the puppy closer and hugged it to her chest.

‘Anyway, you should reflect on your actions!’

‘How could you bring something like this without a plan! Who’s going to handle this?’

‘Mom, I…’

‘You, don’t say useless things and go get the kid some food! Her stomach is growling!’

‘Yes, ma’am!’

Kang Eun-young rushed to soak the feed in water, and Baek Hyun-jung glared at Kang Yu-hwan with a fierce look.

‘You’re going to take care of walking it and bathing it! Got it?’

‘Y-Yes, I will. I raised two kids, how hard can it be?’

‘Oh, yeah, a person who leaves early in the morning to open a cafe and now goes around the factory will have plenty of time.’

‘I’ll do it at night, at night.’

‘Anyway!’

Baek Hyun-jung looked at Kang Yu-hwan, clearly not satisfied, then glanced down at the puppy.

‘What kind of name is Dong-dong! So old-fashioned!’

‘T-Then you can rename it.’

‘…Then, Choco.’

Kang Yu-hwan’s face contorted.

‘Choco is a bit…’

‘What? You’re saying Choco is worse than Dong-dong?’

‘N-No, that’s not what I meant…’

Kang Yu-hwan’s back began to get soaked with cold sweat.

In any case, Baek Hyun-jung was the one in charge of this house, and she would be the one spending the most time with the puppy. Therefore, the full authority on whether or not to raise the puppy rested solely with Baek Hyun-jung.

So, he had no choice but to submit.

‘If you’re all going to ignore it, then don’t even think about raising it.’

‘So, it’s okay to raise it?’

‘Well, what else can we do! We’ve already brought it home!’

‘That’s right, that’s right. Can’t return it.’

‘Why are you using the word ‘return’ for a dog? It’s still a living thing.’

Kang Yu-hwan, feeling that he wouldn’t get a good response no matter what he said, cleared his throat. Then, he put his hands behind his back and turned his body slightly.

‘Jin-ho, you too!’

‘Yes?’

‘You’re in charge of walking it!’

‘Yes?’

Me?

Why me all of a sudden?

‘I-I didn’t even say I wanted to raise it…’

‘Then?’

Baek Hyun-jung’s eyes lit up.

‘Are you saying you won’t lift a finger at home if you didn’t do it?’

‘No! That’s absolutely not what I meant.’

I need to be careful.

If I say the wrong thing here, all of Kang Jin-ho’s actions will be transformed into evil deeds and poured out like a machine gun. Right now, I just need to lie flat and beg for forgiveness.

‘So, has it had all its vaccinations?’

‘…Huh? Do we need to do that too?’

Baek Hyun-jung turned to Kang Yu-hwan with a sharp look.

‘I can’t believe I trusted this man…’

‘W-Well, is it that far?’

Baek Hyun-jung sighed and put the puppy on the floor.

‘Raising a living thing is not a simple task. If you brought it as a toy, return it right now.’

‘No, that’s not it. I’ll take it to the vet tomorrow. J-Jin-ho will go with me, Jin-ho too.’

Me?

Why are you dragging me into this again, Father….

‘Jin-ho, you go with him. Got it?’

‘…Yes.’

‘Anyway, these men in this house!’

Baek Hyun-jung turned her body as if she was about to leave, then slightly bent her knees and petted the puppy playing on the floor a couple of times. Then, she seemed like she was about to get up, but petted it a couple more times.

‘Just say you like it.’

She likes it so much, so much.

‘Eun-young, what about its food?’

‘It needs to soak more!’

Mother heading to the kitchen and Father looking at the puppy with a pleased face.

Kang Jin-ho, who was watching them, sighed deeply as he looked at Dong-dong wriggling on the floor.

‘The family is growing.’

After washing up and entering his room, Kang Jin-ho sat cross-legged on his bed and entered a meditative state.

The time he opened his eyes again was in the deep dawn.

Kang Jin-ho’s face darkened slightly as he looked out the window.

‘I’m tired.’

Recently, there have been too many things to think about.

The relationship with the Three Kings, the relationship with other countries, and the overall coordination, including the strengthening of power.

The things Kang Jin-ho had to do were increasing, and the crisis was growing.

He knew it was something he had to do, but sometimes he felt the fatigue was too much. If Kang Jin-ho, who had mastered martial arts, felt this tired, an ordinary person would have been hospitalized from overwork and stress.

Sometimes, he wondered.

Why do I have to go this far?

He’s getting stronger. The General Assembly too. But is there really an end to this ‘getting stronger’?

He was just thinking about that.

‘Huh?’

Kang Jin-ho began to hear a strange sound.

‘A moan?’

A groaning sound. A very small moan.

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat, opened the door, and went out to the living room. The sound was coming from the living room.

Kang Jin-ho approached the sofa to find the source of the moan and looked at the puppy crouching and groaning on the floor.

‘It doesn’t seem to be sick…’

Then it must be one of two things.

It’s cold.

Or it’s lonely.

It would be better if it went into its own house, but it was stubbornly outside, whimpering. Is it stupid, or….

Kang Jin-ho reached out and picked up the puppy.

The puppy, who had slightly opened its eyes, licked Kang Jin-ho’s hand with a sleepy face.

Kang Jin-ho returned to his room and placed the puppy… no, Dong-dong… um, Choco?

Anyway, he placed it on his bed and lay down.

The puppy snuggled up against Kang Jin-ho’s side and curled into a ball.

It was so small that he was worried he might roll over and crush it in his sleep. Kang Jin-ho, looking at the small, tiny life, rested his head on the pillow and smiled.

‘That’s right.’

The beginning was simple.

He wanted to protect.

Everyone.

But as his long life continued, his initial thoughts seemed to have faded little by little.

‘Let’s not forget.’

Where I’m going.

Kang Jin-ho quietly closed his eyes.

The warmth of the puppy snuggled against his side allowed Kang Jin-ho to sleep soundly for the first time in a while.