Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1715

A Bitter Taste (1)

As Kang Jin-ho got into the car, he found himself covering his face, without even realizing it.

‘What an embarrassment…’

‘I don’t think I’ve ever been like this before. A martial artist falling asleep in front of others. How could such a thing happen?’

‘And of all people, it had to be Choi…’

“Drive carefully.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Yeon-ha, who was seeing him off with a slightly trembling face.

Her face looked somewhat shiny, and she seemed very pleased.

Kang Jin-ho stared at Choi Yeon-ha with a dazed expression.

“But, are you sure you can drive?”

“Huh?”

“You look very tired, falling asleep anywhere like that. I’m worried you might doze off while driving.”

Normally, he would have laughed, unable to hide his bewilderment, but Kang Jin-ho, feeling guilty, couldn’t argue back.

“Or do you want to stay the night?”

“I, I have to go home. I’ll sleep at home…”

“Your parents won’t really say anything now, will they? No, when I saw them last time, they seemed to be subtly hinting. When we talked on the phone, they said that these days, you should bring a child as part of the dowry, right?”

Mom.

Mom… why, Mom?

Why are you selling me off, Mom?

He was appalled at the betrayal, realizing that such conversations were happening behind his back.

“How about we make one…”

“No, it’s okay.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you showing that you don’t like it?”

“Think before you speak, think.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled and tapped the car.

“Go and get some rest. And I don’t have any schedules for a while, so come visit often.”

“Okay. Then.”

As Kang Jin-ho quickly drove away, Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, Choi Yeon-ha shook her head.

“Is he naive, or is he smart?” It’s probably not the former, most likely.

Choi Yeon-ha watched Kang Jin-ho’s car, which had already become a dot, before turning around with a chuckle.

Bwoooom.

Kang Jin-ho stepped hard on the accelerator.

‘That was scary.’

If Kang Jin-ho said he felt fear, the people at the Assembly would laugh. But this chilling feeling could only be described as fear.

“It’s strange.”

He didn’t understand how a person could become so nonchalant as time went on.

In the past, he could feel her flustered or embarrassed just by sitting next to her, but now…

No, well…

It’s not that he disliked it… Anyway!

If the old Choi Yeon-ha felt like a fox, now she was more like…

It was hard to say she was like a bear, or a tiger. Anyway, she definitely didn’t have that cute, fox-like feeling anymore.

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze slightly darkened as he quickly passed the car in front of him.

‘It’s a strange thing.’

Although he laughed it off, it was the first time in his life that he had shown such a defenseless side in front of someone. Even in front of his family, Kang Jin-ho had never fallen asleep like that.

Even if he was in a deep sleep, he would usually wake up immediately if he sensed someone approaching. But this wasn’t just approaching; he had fallen asleep with his head on someone’s lap…

‘If Cheongma [a close friend or confidant] saw this, he would have foamed at the mouth and collapsed.’

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t sure.

Was it because Kang Jin-ho had adapted too much to this world and no longer needed to sense the presence of enemies in his daily life? Or was it because Choi Yeon-ha gave him a level of comfort he had never experienced before?

It could be a completely different reason, or perhaps both.

And one thing was certain, no matter what.

‘My current state isn’t normal.’

If Kang Jin-ho was in a normal state, he would never have fallen asleep like that, no matter the reason.

Kang Jin-ho raised a hand and lightly tapped his forehead.

Was that why?

It felt like his vision had cleared. The world felt subtly clearer, and his mind felt at ease. It was like not realizing your glasses were dirty until you cleaned them, and then discovering the clear world you had been missing.

He had pretended not to be, but Kang Jin-ho had been under a lot of mental pressure due to the recent events. And that short nap had relieved some of it.

Which meant…

* * *

Kang Jin-ho glanced to the side and quickly turned the car’s steering wheel.

Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap-tap.

His fingers rapidly moved across the keyboard. At the same time, numerous data points began to fill the screen.

7、으

‘— —| •

Lee Hyun-soo, who had pushed up his slightly lowered glasses, narrowed his eyes.

“Haa…”

Lee Hyun-soo let out a short sigh and reached for a cigarette. He took one out, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

The ashtray was already full of cigarette butts.

‘I’m smoking too much.’

There was a time when he wouldn’t even touch them, but at some point, he started having a cigarette in his mouth all day long. He knew very well that smoking this useless thing didn’t relieve stress.

Lee Hyun-soo was about to open the window, feeling a bit stuffy, when…

Bang.

“Ah, you scared me!”

The door burst open, and Kang Jin-ho walked in.

“C, Chairman…”

“Are you having a barbecue? Or is this a gas chamber?”

If Kang Jin-ho was saying this, it meant he was really smoking a lot.

“Open the window. I can’t breathe.”

“I was just about to open it.”

Lee Hyun-soo immediately got up from his seat and opened the window.

Then, with an awkward expression, he returned to his seat.

“But what brings you here? And what’s that in your hand?”

“Alcohol.”

“Pardon?”

“I said alcohol.”

Kang Jin-ho placed the bag he was holding on the table. Inside the two large bags, which looked big enough to fit a person, were beer, soju, and snacks.

“…It’s not like we’re having a college student party in a studio apartment. What’s all that?”

“I’m going to have a drink.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a sulky expression.

“What suddenly brought on this…”

“Never mind if you don’t want to.”

As Kang Jin-ho started to gather the bags again, Lee Hyun-soo was horrified and rushed towards him.

“Hey! Hey! Why are you in such a hurry? Come on, put it down first.”

Lee Hyun-soo snatched the bags from Kang Jin-ho and began to lay them out on the table.

“But you bought way too much. It’s all going to get lukewarm.”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho picked up a can of beer. Instantly, white frost formed on the can.

“…You don’t need a refrigerator, huh?” Well, that’s convenient.

If he had known this, he should have practiced martial arts more.

“Is there anything left to organize?”

Kang Jin-ho gestured towards the computer with his chin, and Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“The work isn’t finished, but that’s something that never ends no matter how much you do. We have to keep modifying it until the day of the execution. Errors keep occurring. Just a moment. Let me save it first.”

After saving the file and turning off the computer, Lee Hyun-soo approached with a playful expression.

“But why are you doing something you don’t usually do?”

“I figured you’d be moping around here.”

“So you’re coming back to the office in the early morning? Chairman, humans need a private life.”

“I’ll return the same words to you.”

Lee Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.

“I have nothing to say.”

“Okay, sit down.”

Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo sat facing each other at the table.

Fssst.

Lee Hyun-soo opened a can of beer and drank it straight down without saying a word.

“Kaa.”

Lee Hyun-soo, who had emptied a can of beer in one go, shook his head with a blissful expression.

“I was really craving a beer. I was debating whether to go to the convenience store.”

Kang Jin-ho had come with alcohol at just the right time.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since we drank together like this, just the two of us.”

“Because we were busy.”

“Yeah. I wonder what we were so busy with.”

Kang Jin-ho put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Seeing this, Lee Hyun-soo naturally put a cigarette in his mouth as well.

“Alcohol and cigarettes… you’re not going to live long.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll die from overwork.”

“Still, I’m a martial artist.”

“You’ll achieve the record of being the first martial artist to die from overwork.”

“…That’s a glorious achievement.”

After a while of silently emptying their beers, Lee Hyun-soo quietly looked at Kang Jin-ho and opened his mouth.

“By the way…”

“Why all of a sudden?”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back slightly on the sofa. Then, in a slightly subdued voice, he opened his mouth.

“I just thought you must be having a hard time too.”

“…That’s a bit out of the blue.”

“Yeah, it is out of the blue.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

“When you think about it, we haven’t had any time to relax getting here. But it’s funny and pitiful that it’s getting even harder instead of easier now that we’re here.”

“Are you talking about me, or are you talking about yourself, Chairman?”

“Let’s say both.”

Lee Hyun-soo also gave a wry smile.

“When I think about it, I never imagined my life would come this far when I first met you, Chairman.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. I…”

Lee Hyun-soo continued, with a subtle expression as if he was thinking about the past.

“I thought I would either die trying to survive in Yeongnam [a region in Korea] or be killed by Kim Seok-il.”

“That’s a terrible life.”

“At the time, I thought there was no other way.”

Lee Hyun-soo laughed.

He was talking as if it was a long time ago, but when he thought about it, it was only a few years ago. So much had changed in those few years.

“Thinking about it, complaining now feels like a very privileged whine.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

It was the same for him.

‘It was really like a storm.’

When he first returned to this world, he worried if he could adapt to this peaceful world. But looking back now, his life over the past few years had been more intense and passionate than his life in the Central Plains [a reference to a historical setting].

So much so that his life in the Central Plains felt relaxed in comparison.

“It’s okay, Chairman.”

“Huh?”

“I know you’re worried about me. You must think I’m pushing myself too hard.”

“Well, of course, it’s not like I’m working more comfortably than you think. It’s true that it’s very tough and very hard…”

“…Should I give you a performance bonus?”

“I would be grateful if you did…”

“Okay.”

Lee Hyun-soo cleared his throat loudly.

“Anyway, that’s not the point. It’s hard, but it’s not like I’m pushing myself too hard right now. Compared to the time when no matter how hard I tried or how much I used my brain, the future wouldn’t change, this is nothing.”

“I know it sounds like I’m overdoing it. But please trust me. I’m staying as calm as possible right now.”

“It seems like there’s been a misunderstanding.”

“Pardon?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“I came to have a drink because you looked tired, not because I thought you were doing something wrong.”

“You’ll do it well. Because you’re Lee Hyun-soo.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho without saying a word.

This was why he couldn’t help but follow this man.

This was why.

“Let’s have a drink.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his can of beer.

Then, Lee Hyun-soo also opened a new beer and held it out.