Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1607

“Here, have some booze.”

“…You crazy bastards.”

Joo Young-gi stared at Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min with a blank look on his face.

“Hey, you crazy guys! If you wanted to drink, you should’ve said something a day before! Now you’re even kidnapping people? Are you even human? Are you guys even human?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Drink up, drink up.”

Joo Young-gi scratched his head vigorously.

“I’m the crazy one. I’m the crazy one for being friends with these guys. Who else can I blame?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I said, drink up.”

“Kaaaaaak!”

Joo Young-gi, roaring like a beast, snatched the beer glass in front of him and downed it in one go.

“Keeeuh! Fine. Damn it, let’s drink till we drop today!”

Kang Jin-ho quickly refilled Joo Young-gi’s glass.

Watching him, Joo Young-gi asked,

“But what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on?”

Kang Jin-ho and Joo Young-gi’s eyes met.

“Then why did you drag me here so urgently?”

“I didn’t think we’d get a chance to do this if it wasn’t today, and if I told you nicely, you’d just tell me to wait until you’re done with work.”

“…Just for that reason?”

U o »

Heh…

Joo Young-gi smiled faintly.

‘They’re even crazier than I thought.’

But what could he do? He was already here.

“Young-gi, is the pizza place doing well?”

“Don’t even get me started. That bastard is driving me crazy.”

“Why?”

Park Yu-min tilted his head, and Joo Young-gi grabbed his beer glass and spoke irritably.

“That bastard suddenly started some franchise thing, doing all sorts of weird stuff… His company employees come by several times a day. And they don’t just come and go, they keep asking me all sorts of things. I’m already busy enough as it is.”

“Isn’t a franchise a good thing?”

“What’s good about it for me? It’s only good for him.”

“You’re becoming the boss.”

“Boss, my ass.”

Joo Young-gi scoffed.

“That franchise and my pizza place will be run separately.”

“I’m not in a position to do something like that,” Joo Young-gi said firmly.

“I’m the type of person who needs to build things up one by one, not someone who can expand everything at once. If I had five stores right now, I’d definitely go bankrupt. And now you’re telling me to manage a new pizza place?”

Joo Young-gi scoffed.

“No way. I can’t do it.”

“But you’d make money, though.”

Joo Young-gi smiled faintly. Then, he reached out and patted Park Yu-min’s head.

“You little puppy.”

“…Is that an insult?”

“I’m saying it because you’re cute, you puppy. You used to tremble even if a five-hundred-won coin fell on the floor, but now you’ve won a world championship and made hundreds of millions, so you look down on money.”

“That’s not it! I just thought you’d be the boss since you’ve been doing so well.”

“Is a franchise a joke? A joke? You idiot, do you think I haven’t seen how many successful restaurants have gone under after opening franchises and branches, even ruining their main store? I’m never doing it!”

“If you don’t want to, there’s nothing we can do about it, I guess.”

Joo Young-gi said with a firm look on his face.

“Anyway, I’m never doing it. That franchise should also operate under a different name. So that if you guys go bankrupt, it won’t affect us.”

“You should watch your mouth. It’s just starting.”

“Is that bastard going to go bankrupt? I can imagine the US going bankrupt, but I can’t imagine that bastard going bankrupt.”

Joo Young-gi clicked his tongue.

Kang Jin-ho said with a wry smile.

“That’s why I’m telling you to at least get some shares. Or take a share of the pizza place instead of royalties.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you bastard!”

Joo Young-gi yelled.

“You made the pizza recipe for this pizza place, and I’m making money with it, so why would I take that! You’re using the pizza place you made and giving me royalties? You’re a funny guy.”

Joo Young-gi growled.

“Hey, Joo Young-gi, a man lives by his pride. Don’t talk nonsense like that to me. I know you’re rich, but I won’t take handouts. I’ll become rich with my own strength!”

Park Yu-min said nonchalantly.

“It seems like you’ve already taken a handout…”

“That’s an investment, an investment. Okay? Investment. Now, let’s drink!”

Joo Young-gi quickly raised his glass. Seeing that, Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min chuckled.

What a smooth talker.

Joo Young-gi gulped down his beer and wiped his mouth.

“Anyway, now that I think about it, life is really unpredictable. Just a few years ago, we were just young guys who had just finished our military service, drinking and feeling sorry for ourselves, and now one of us is a world-famous pro gamer…”

“…I was always famous.”

“World-famous! World-famous, you idiot! You couldn’t even get into commercials before, and you weren’t as famous as you are now. You even retired.”

“That’s true.”

Joo Young-gi gave him a look as if telling him not to interrupt.

“And I went from being a nobody with nothing to a decent pizza place owner.”

“With three branches.”

“Four, you idiot!”

“Oh, you added one more?”

“Hehehehe.”

Joo Young-gi grinned, as if just hearing the words made him happy.

“And that guy…”

Joo Young-gi’s face, which had been full of laughter, contorted the moment he faced Kang Jin-ho.

“…No, isn’t that guy a bit much?”

“I agree with that.”

“There’s a limit to everything, really.”

Kang Jin-ho asked with a sullen face.

“What?”

“Hey, you bastard! At your age, you should be making a small company or doing a startup. How did you suddenly start a weird company and act like a chairman in Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul]?”

“It is a bit much.”

There was nothing to say.

“Hey, there’s a limit to success. Don’t create a sense of alienation.”

Park Yu-min smiled faintly.

“But I always knew Jin-ho would be this successful someday. It’s just that it happened way too fast.”

“Huh? You two-faced bastard, look at you changing your words?”

“I’m not changing my words… I really thought so.”

Joo Young-gi sighed deeply, looking at Park Yu-min, who was smiling faintly.

“You damn bastards.”

But it seemed like he wasn’t really upset, as he couldn’t hide his smile.

“Drink up. Drink up, you bastards. You dragged me out, so you guys are going to drink yourselves to death today.”

Several rounds of drinks went by, and various stories came out.

Nothing special.

Stories about their recent lives, stories about their love lives, various complaints.

The kinds of stories that always accompany drinking sessions.

The seats changed a few times, and they smoked a few cigarettes…

Each of those moments was strangely enjoyable.

“Ugh… Ugh.”

“Young-gi… Young-gi, are you okay?”

“No… I’ll drink more…”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he looked at Joo Young-gi, who was slumped in his chair.

“Is he already passed out?”

“He must be tired. We know that baking pizzas isn’t easy.”

“Ah… I guess it might not be a big deal for you.”

“Sorry.”

I can’t relate.

“Let’s get Young-gi home first.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho picked up Joo Young-gi. Then, he paid the bill and went outside.

Park Yu-min hailed a taxi, and Kang Jin-ho pushed Joo Young-gi into the taxi.

Park Yu-min held the taxi for a moment and made a call.

“Yes, sister-in-law. I just put Young-gi in a taxi, okay? He’s going home. Yes. I’m really sorry.”

[It’s okay. It can happen once in a while.]

“Yes. Please take care of him. I’ll buy you a gift next time.”

Park Yu-min hung up the phone with a wry smile and started the car. The taxi carrying Joo Young-gi smoothly moved forward.

“So, Suyeon is at Young-gi’s place?”

“It’s been a while since they moved in together.”

“…Really?”

“It seems like they’re planning to have a wedding soon?”

“Already?”

“They’re just too busy to set a date, but it seems like they consider themselves married. That’s why I couldn’t call her Suyeon.”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

‘Come to think of it, I think I heard something about it…’

Why didn’t I think of that?

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head, and Park Yu-min smiled faintly.

“You’re so busy, you might not have thought about it.”

“Yeah…”

“It’s okay. You can remember it now.”

“That’s true.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

That’s why being with Park Yu-min is so comforting.

“What about you? Want another drink?”

“No. Let’s go. I’m going to sleep at the orphanage today.”

“Huh?”

“They said our building is moving soon, right?”

“Yeah, they did.”

“Then I won’t be able to sleep with the kids since we’ll have individual rooms, so I’m going to go there often while I still can.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It wasn’t a bad idea.

“Should we call a taxi then?”

“Let’s walk, Jin-ho. It’s been a while.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded, seeing Park Yu-min’s expression.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“We used to ride our bikes together a lot.”

“We did.”

After walking in silence for a while, Park Yu-min opened his mouth.

“A long time ago…”

“Yeah?”

“When you first put me on your bike.”

“Yeah?”

“You were worried about me limping, right?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“Okay.”

Park Yu-min didn’t ask further.

Then, Kang Jin-ho asked instead.

“Why are you asking about that all of a sudden?”

“…Because you’re walking with me.”

“Huh?”

Park Yu-min smiled slightly.

“You still walk a bit uncomfortably. If it were you from before, you would have tried to get me a ride somehow, but now you’re walking with me.”

“That means you no longer see me as someone you need to protect.”

“Well…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

But Park Yu-min looked up at the sky as if he was proud of that.

“You’ve always been like that. You pretend to be cold, but you’re always watching out for everyone around you, and even though you act like you’ll never help, you’re always looking for ways to help people behind the scenes.”

“Jin-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Park Yu-min.

Park Yu-min had an indescribable expression on his face.

“You’re my friend… but I’m so proud of you. You’re doing what I haven’t been able to do yet. I almost cried when I saw the new orphanage building today.”

“…Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m sure the head nun will be proud too.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“I just built a few orphanages with the extra money. Don’t give it any weird meaning.”

“That’s what’s important.”

Park Yu-min smiled and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“I’ve made quite a bit of money too, but I haven’t even started to do anything yet. Actually, I could have done something with even a small amount of money, but maybe I was just being stingy.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“No. Really…”

Park Yu-min looked up at the sky.

“She’ll be really proud.”

“It might not be a big deal for you, but it’ll be a huge deal for those kids. If you hadn’t called me first… If you hadn’t reached out to me first, I would have had a really hard time.”

Kang Jin-ho closed his mouth.

“The kids who come to the new orphanage will be a little happier because of your small gesture. Thank you, Jin-ho. Really.”

Kang Jin-ho looked up at the sky without answering.

He had reached out his hand to Park Yu-min.

And the head nun had reached out her hand to him.

And…

Now, Kang Jin-ho is trying to reach out his hand to others.

‘That’s how it continues.’

The human heart.

That’s how it’s passed on.

Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed Park Yu-min’s shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Let’s go, to the orphanage.”

A smile spread across Park Yu-min’s face as he looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Let’s walk together.

Even if it’s a long way.

The two of them slowly walked along the darkened road.

Towards the warmth that was still far away.