Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1696

“……What is this?”

“A car.”

“……Huh?”

“I said it’s a car.”

“No……”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth.

‘I have eyes, so I can see. Do you think I’m asking because I don’t know it’s a car?’

A gray sports car came into his view.

“……Is that a Huracan?”

“Oh, you know it?”

Of course, I know more about cars than the Chairman.

There’s no way I wouldn’t know what the Chairman knows.

“But why is it parked here?”

“Here.”

“……Yes?”

Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head, looking at the car key Kang Jin-ho handed him.

Is he telling me to take it home?

“It’s your car.”

“……Huh?”

“It’s yours.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked back and forth between the car key and the car, with an expression that said, ‘What the heck is going on?’

“No, why a car all of a sudden?”

“You’ve looked tired lately.”

“Well, I am a bit tired. There’s a lot of work. But what does that have to do with this?”

“This is fast, so you’ll get home a little faster.”

Lee Hyun-soo stared at Kang Jin-ho with an alien-like expression.

‘Is this how a human thinks?’

No, if you think about it, it’s not that wrong of a logic.

Being tired means you don’t have enough rest time, and if you reduce commute time, you’ll have more rest time.

I want to argue with the logic of thinking that buying a sports car will reduce commute time, but fundamentally, it’s not wrong.

However……

“Haha…… If that’s the case, you should have bought me a helicopter instead.”

“I ordered one.”

“Haha, right. A helicopter…… What?”

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his brows.

“But the procedure is a bit complicated. So, I’m looking into long-term rentals from an airline……”

“What are you looking into!”

Lee Hyun-soo shouted in horror.

“Cancel it right now! Who is it! Who’s the crazy person doing that! The Chairman wouldn’t have done it himself!”

“You said it’s the fastest way.”

“If that were the case, I would have moved my accommodation next to the headquarters, why would I be crazy enough to commute by helicopter?”

“I was looking for a good officetel [a studio apartment often used for both living and working] nearby anyway……”

“Ughhhhh.”

Stomach.

My stomach hurts.

Lee Hyun-soo grabbed his stomach without realizing it.

“Who is it?”

“Huh?”

“……The Chairman I know wouldn’t suddenly do something like this. Who is it, who put these ideas in the Chairman’s head?”

“No, I didn’t really hear it from anyone……”

“Tell me honestly.”

“……Choi Yeon-ha.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face contorted horribly.

‘It’s that person, the root of all evil.’

Well, if it wasn’t someone like the director, there’s no way they could suddenly make Kang Jin-ho like this.

“Ugh.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“Chairman, I’m really grateful, but I don’t really need something like this. This car, too……”

“It’s okay. Just take it.”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho said with a calm face.

“A gift isn’t about giving what’s needed.”

Lee Hyun-soo glanced back and forth between Kang Jin-ho and the car, then quietly nodded.

“But isn’t the amount a bit too much for a gift?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if asking what he meant.

‘Ah, this guy has no sense of money.’

Kang Jin-ho is someone who doesn’t spend money. People who vaguely know Kang Jin-ho might think he’s quite stingy. Because he has billions of cash in his bank account and wears a three-striped tracksuit.

But that’s what people say when they don’t know Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho isn’t someone who saves money, but someone who doesn’t know how to spend it. Simply put, he doesn’t know how to spend appropriately according to his financial level.

That’s why he doesn’t spend money where he thinks it’s unnecessary, and he pours money like crazy where he thinks it’s necessary.

‘Is this about 300 million won [approximately $225,000 USD]?’

He probably went without thinking, asked for it, and swiped his card.

He probably didn’t even know how much it cost when he bought the car, right?

The important thing isn’t how much this car costs, but the fact that Kang Jin-ho bought a car to give him as a gift.

“……Where is this registered?”

“Huh? Registered?”

“……Never mind. Tell me who handled the paperwork for this. I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

‘Honestly, it feels good.’

It’s an obvious gift, an obvious item, but the fact that Kang Jin-ho bought a gift for him kept making Lee Hyun-soo’s lips twitch.

“But do I really look that tired lately?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“You look like someone being chased.”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

Haven’t I heard similar words from the directors already?

Even Kang Jin-ho, who has no sense of these things, is saying the same thing, which means it must be very obvious.

“That……”

Lee Hyun-soo, who was contemplating what to say, shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Chairman. I should have been more composed.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and took out a cigarette. Kang Jin-ho, who lit the cigarette, looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a slightly subtle expression.

“Originally, you’re sharing what I used to carry, but if you apologize to me, the situation becomes strange.”

“……Thinking about it, that’s true.”

“More than that……”

Kang Jin-ho threw the car key to Lee Hyun-soo.

Thud.

Lee Hyun-soo caught the flying car key.

“Take a good rest for about two days. I’ll give Hyun-joo a vacation too, so you can go together.”

“Are you telling me to go on vacation in a situation like this? Even if I go on vacation, I won’t be able to rest. I’ll be too distracted.”

“If you’re going to be distracted anyway, it’s better for your body to be comfortable.”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth.

“Go. I’m sorry I can’t give you much time, but if you want, go to Jeju Island.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked like he was contemplating, then nodded.

“If the Chairman is saying that to me, it means I’m definitely not normal right now.”

“No, well, it’s not necessarily that.”

“I understand. I’ll come back fully recovered. That seems better for everyone.”

“Okay, you thought well.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“I’ve always said that you should take a break when you’re overly stressed, but if I don’t follow it, the Chairman won’t follow it either. So, I’m going.”

“But Chairman, I have one request.”

“What?”

“Could you keep it a secret from Hyun-joo?”

“I already told her?”

“……You told her?”

“Yeah.”

“……Why?”

The eyes of the two men met in the air, blankly.

“Vacation!”

“I’d like to go abroad if possible, but Jeju Island is fine. But what’s with this sudden vacation for everyone?”

“The Chairman told us to go.”

“Haha, the Chairman has a good sense. It was just the right time for a break.”

“……Yeah. I needed a break too.”

“That’s good, then.”

“Yeah……”

It’s a good thing, but why do I feel like crying?

“But why a ferry? We can just take a plane.”

“Because I have to take the car.”

“You can rent one there.”

Lee Hyun-soo frowned at Lee Hyun-joo’s words.

“It’s a car the Chairman bought for me, how can I leave it behind on a trip? It only makes sense to take it and drive it.”

“……You two, are you dating?”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Hyun-joo looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a slightly suspicious gaze.

“Well, anyway, it’s good.”

Lee Hyun-joo smiled as she looked at the sports car she had arrived in.

“It seems like you’ve worked hard, Oppa [an affectionate term for older brother or male friend]. I think this is the first time I’ve seen the Chairman give a personal gift to anyone. Come to think of it, I don’t think even the director has received something like this?”

“That person is a walking small-to-medium-sized company.”

“You make a lot of money too, Oppa.”

“I’m a corner store compared to that. To a Hallyu star [a Korean celebrity with international fame].”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

“Yes, yes. Then, like a corner store owner, let’s have fun in Jeju Island.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled slightly as he looked at the large ferry docked at the pier.

‘It’s not a bad feeling.’

Honestly, when it comes to rest, I prefer to lean back on a comfortable sofa and watch a movie…… But realistically, that’s not possible in my current state.

Even if my eyes are on the screen, my mind will be thinking about other things.

In that case, it might be better to go sightseeing with Lee Hyun-joo so that I can’t think about other things.

“Anyway, thanks for the good gift.”

“Hey! Don’t lean on it! You’ll scratch it!”

Lee Hyun-joo, who was about to put her butt on the car hood, flinched and looked at Lee Hyun-soo.

“Hey, are you two really dating?”

“What are you talking about? Get out of the way! How much do you think this is worth?”

“Aish!”

Lee Hyun-joo kicked the car tire.

“Agh! My car!”

Lee Hyun-soo ran over with tears in his eyes and checked the tire.

“Why are you overreacting? Do you think it’s punctured?”

“I wouldn’t worry even if the Hulk kicked it. Because you kicked it…… No, put that fist down and let’s talk. If I get hit there, I’ll die.”

Lee Hyun-joo chuckled and lowered her hand.

“Don’t do useless things, just get in quickly. This will be loaded automatically.”

“No way. It’ll get scratched. I’ll park it myself.”

“……Crazy.”

He pretended to be indifferent, but he looked like he would kill someone if the car got scratched.

‘Is he that happy?’

Everyone is happy when they get a new car, but a person with Lee Hyun-soo’s wealth wouldn’t be so obsessed with a car of this price.

Even though he doesn’t say it, he’s very……

‘No, he did say it.’

Anyway, that idiot!

Seeing Lee Hyun-soo looking happy made Lee Hyun-joo feel good too.

I can’t not know that Kang Jin-ho cares about Lee Hyun-soo. But receiving a gift like this makes it feel like it’s really proven.

“Since you received a gift and a vacation, the way to repay him is to have a really good time.”

“……Yeah.”

“So, let’s go now.”

“Okay. I’ll just load the car onto the ship.”

“……Go die.”

The two bickered and boarded the ferry.

This is practically the first vacation Lee Hyun-soo has had since joining the headquarters. The previous vacation ended up not being a vacation at all.

However……

Neither Lee Hyun-soo nor Lee Hyun-joo were aware that there were eyes watching them from afar.

“The target has boarded the ship.”

“Hmm.”

Those who were watching the two from a distance that was not even visible, their eyes gleamed.

“So, that ship is going to an island called Jeju Island?”

“That’s right.”

“Should I say that things are working out coincidentally?”

Wang Yan-hung smiled subtly and looked at the ship.

It’s not easy for him to break through the headquarters’ defenses and assassinate Lee Hyun-soo. Even if he targeted him on his way home from work, he might succeed in the assassination, but escaping to China while shaking off their pursuit would be a long shot.

But now, Lee Hyun-soo is moving to a place with less influence from the headquarters on his own.

“How to get out of Jeju?”

“There are countless ways. We can use both sea and air routes.”

“It’s a well-prepared meal.”

Wang Yan-hung smiled as he watched the two boarding the ship.

“First, we need to avoid suspicion, so we’ll enter Jeju by a different method than that ship. If we’re lucky, we might be able to capture the target alive and present him to the King.”

There’s nothing to protect them in Jeju Island.

‘He’s walking into hell on his own.’

Without knowing anything.

The journey they are taking on that ship will be the last journey of their lives.

“Enjoy it to the fullest, Lee Hyun-soo.”

A white smile bloomed on Wang Yan-hung’s lips.