Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1716

“So,

“You were passed out in the conference room until morning because of a hangover?”

Bang Jin-hoon looked at Lee Hyun-soo with blatant mockery.

“That’s a great thing to do, isn’t it? Huh? Mr. Team Leader?”

Lee Hyun-soo covered his face with both hands.

But there was no room for excuses. The mountain of beer cans scattered on the table was irrefutable evidence….

No, well….

Even putting all that aside, the game was over the moment Bang Jin-hoon, who had come to work, opened the door and found Lee Hyun-soo sprawled on the sofa.

“What if the others had come in? You’d have set a great example, wouldn’t you? Huh?”

“I, I’m sorry.”

Bang Jin-hoon looked at the tower of beer cans with a strange gaze.

“You drank a lot. Anyone would think a hippo drank it all. Is this the amount a person should drink, you crazy bastard?”

“…There’s a bit of unfairness about that part.”

“What?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Did I drink all of that?

The hippo is over there, so why are you getting mad at the crocodile who just happened to be passing by?

Of course, there is a difference in that the hippo didn’t pass out and the crocodile did, but from the start, that hippo wouldn’t pass out even if he drank that much anesthetic, not alcohol!

“Clean it up quickly, you brat. Don’t even think about calling the others to clean it up.”

“…Yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled as he looked at Lee Hyun-soo.

“Still, seeing that you had the sense to pass out from drinking, it seems you still have some sense left.”

“…Usually, isn’t that what you say when someone has lost their mind?”

Lee Hyun-soo, who was stuffing beer cans into the large bag he had bought them in, subtly interjected.

“A person who’s truly cornered can’t even think about drinking.”

“That’s true, but…”

Lee Hyun-soo gave a bitter smile as he threw the beer cans into the bag. Now that he was cleaning up, he realized he had really drunk a lot.

“How did you buy all of this?”

“It wasn’t this much originally… but as I drank, it wasn’t enough, so I had to go back a couple of times.”

“What? You went to the convenience store? How far is that? You didn’t drive, did you? This is a different era, you can’t be driving drunk!”

“…The Chairman said it was slow to go by car, so he ran there and back.”

Bang Jin-hoon shut his mouth.

Well, yeah….

That’s true. For that guy, running there and back would be faster than driving. Especially for a short distance….

“And besides, isn’t it funny that people who casually beat people to a pulp are worried about drunk driving?”

“You have to follow the rules, you brat. That’s your job. You have to live legally outside of your job!”

“…Something feels off.”

What he said is right, but it’s kind of funny.

“So, where did the guy who was drinking with you go?”

“He said he smelled like alcohol, so he went to the shower room. He said he’d wash up and change.”

“…Geez.”

Bang Jin-hoon let out a hollow laugh.

“Hey, Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t the Chairman a bit funny to watch?”

“…In what way?”

“What way? He used to be a guy with absolutely no humanity, but now he’s drinking until morning and going to the sauna before coming to work. Anyone would think he’s a section chief at some company.”

At that, Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t help but laugh. Now that he thought about it, it was exactly like that.

“It’s a strange world we live in. I never thought I’d see that guy drinking and then coming straight to work.”

“It’s good to see some humanity.”

“Hey, hey, that kind of thing only looks human when someone who usually does it does it. If a person does something they don’t usually do, they’ll die.”

Bang Jin-hoon, who was talking, chuckled as if he found it funny himself.

I know.

I know that it’s Kang Jin-ho’s way of responding to the report he made about Lee Hyun-soo.

“So, do you feel a bit better?”

“My head is killing me.”

“This bastard, even though he’s a martial artist, he’s like this after a bit of drinking!”

“Am I even at that level? I passed out because I’m not at that level.”

Lee Hyun-soo joked.

Watching him, Bang Jin-hoon shook his head.

‘It seems like it had an effect.’

He definitely became softer.

Until recently, Lee Hyun-soo felt like a string pulled taut.

A feeling that the excessively pulled tension could snap at any moment. It made the person watching feel even more uneasy.

But now, he feels like the old Lee Hyun-soo.

‘It seems like he needed to loosen up a bit.’

I don’t know if he calculated this far or if he just thought that having a drink would make him feel better, but either way, the result was good.

“So, the Chairman also has a hangover…”

Bang.

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho opened the door and came inside.

“You’re here?”

Looking at Kang Jin-ho who had entered the office, Bang Jin-hoon’s face turned sour.

‘What the heck?’

Lee Hyun-soo’s face was haggard from the hangover, but Kang Jin-ho’s face was rather shiny. It looked like oil was about to drip down his face.

“…Did you put vitamins in your beer or something?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You look too good.”

“It must be because it’s morning.”

Kang Jin-ho sat on the sofa and took out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth.

“You’re living the good life. How can you drink in this situation?”

“Director Bang.”

“Yes.”

“They say that when people get older, they start nagging more.”

“Then the Chairman wouldn’t have enough time to nag all day! Since you’re the oldest.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had spoken out of turn and got nothing in return, lit his cigarette with a sulky face.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho, who had lightly exhaled cigarette smoke, looked at Lee Hyun-soo.

“Can you work? Or should you go home and rest?”

“I’m fine. I’m a martial artist, after all. Would a bit of drinking affect my work?”

Bang Jin-hoon snorted.

“No, that bastard is a martial artist when it suits him and a regular person when it doesn’t.”

“It’s half and half, half and half.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“Anyway, it won’t affect my work. I need to start moving a bit more busily from today anyway.”

“Busily?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes sparkled.

“Now that the direction is set, I need to coax our kind allies.”

A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

“Thank you so much.”

“Haha, why are you like this, Mr. Team Leader? We didn’t do anything.”

Go Han-bong clasped Lee Hyun-soo’s outstretched hand.

“No, if the Prime Minister had given me the information just a little later, I probably wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh my, would that really have happened?”

“Thank you again.”

Go Han-bong’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Lee Hyun-soo, who was bowing his head.

“I felt like I was just causing trouble all this time, but I’m glad that I was able to help this time.”

“You were a great help.”

Lee Hyun-soo, who had spoken, let out a deep sigh.

“I really went to the gates of hell.”

“I heard the story. So…”

“Ah, yes. It’s a bit of a hassle, but… this isn’t something I ordered, so please understand.”

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue.

The place they were meeting was a high-class restaurant in the suburbs, no different from usual. Up to this point, it was no different from the past, but….

Lee Hyun-soo sighed and turned his head.

“Hey.”

“Hey, can’t you hear me? Hey!”

The martial artists who were guarding the door glanced at Lee Hyun-soo.

“Get out of here, you bastards! What kind of security are you doing inside the room?!”

“…The director told us not to be more than one meter away from you.”

“Then, are you going to sleep in my bed when I sleep?!”

Lee Hyun-soo threw the glass he was holding at the martial artist. But no matter how hard he threw it, it wouldn’t be a threat. The man caught the glass without any reaction and walked over to put it back on the table.

“Anyway, I have to do as I was ordered.”

“Ha…”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his head.

No matter what Bang Jin-hoon had said, the number of people guarding him had increased to a hundred. The area around the restaurant was completely surrounded by guards.

I understand up to that point.

Yes, I have to understand that.

“Are you going to follow me to the bathroom too, you bastard?”

“I’ll wait in front of the door.”

Lee Hyun-soo pressed his temples.

No.

Don’t these guys know what moderation is, really?

“Okay, okay… but I’m meeting with the Prime Minister right now. Huh? Does the Prime Minister have to have a conversation while being watched by you? Huh?”

“Get out.”

“That’s…”

“Hey, you bastard! If you’ve surrounded the whole building and then let other guys in, isn’t that wrong?! You should be guarding the outside properly!”

The martial artist hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay. But I’ll leave one guy in front of the door.”

“…Do whatever you want.”

“Yes, then.”

The martial artist bowed his head and opened the door to go outside.

Lee Hyun-soo covered his eyes with one hand as he watched the scene.

‘I’m going to die, really.’

Go Han-bong is one thing. After all, Go Han-bong is also someone who is half-related to the General Assembly [a political organization].

But what sin did the people working at this restaurant commit to deserve this?

Guys with faces that would make even gangsters cry are wearing black suits and surrounding the building as if they’re bodyguards. How scared must the people working inside be?

“I’m sorry.”

Lee Hyun-soo apologized to Go Han-bong, who smiled gently.

“It seems the Chairman cares a lot about you, Mr. Team Leader, to assign this much security. This is a level of security that even I haven’t received…”

“…It’s not the Chairman, it’s the directors who are being fussy.”

“Oh, the directors?”

“If I’m not here, they have to do my work instead. They’re saying ‘Oh, it’s hot.’”

Usually, these kinds of words should be taken as a joke, but it sounded too true, so Go Han-bong couldn’t respond.

“Anyway.”

Lee Hyun-soo cleared his throat to change the atmosphere.

“I’ve been talking nonsense when I’ve brought a busy person here. Let’s get straight to the point.”

“Please do.”

Lee Hyun-soo quietly looked at Go Han-bong before opening his mouth.

“We’re planning to cross over to China this time.”

“Like last time? That route is also…”

“No.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“It’s not just a few people going over. We’re going to lead the entire General Assembly into China.”

At that moment, Go Han-bong’s eyes widened.

He was someone who usually didn’t show his emotions on his face, but even he couldn’t maintain his composure after hearing these words.

“…Are you joking?”

“No.”

“…The entire General Assembly is going to China? You know what that means, right?”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded calmly.

“Yes.”

A cold voice flowed from his mouth.

“It’s war.”

“W-wait a minute, Mr. Team Leader. It seems like you’re misunderstanding something…”

“No.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head firmly.

“It’s not a misunderstanding, and it’s not a joke. And… I think the Prime Minister needs to understand the reality a bit more.”

“…Yes?”

As Go Han-bong looked at him with a blank face, Lee Hyun-soo met his gaze.

“This isn’t a war that we started. In other words…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes shone coldly.

“The war has already begun. We can’t stop it with our power. One of us has to die for it to end.”

Cold sweat began to flow down Go Han-bong’s back.