Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 18

Choi Young-soo trembled at the sight of those eyes.

It was terrifying.

So utterly terrifying.

He was more afraid of Kang Jin-ho standing before him than the pain wracking his body. He felt like he would do anything to escape this fear.

“I’m sorry…”

“Because of your grandfather, my father had to bow his head.”

“…”

Kang Jin-ho’s face twisted further with each word.

“He’s a person I barely remember. If you ask me if I feel any affection for him now, I’d say no. He’s just someone I try to feel something for under the guise of family.”

Choi Young-soo couldn’t understand what Kang Jin-ho was talking about.

But he could fully feel the anger in Kang Jin-ho’s voice. It was causing Choi Young-soo immense suffering.

“That kind of person had to bow his head because of me. And at that moment, I felt like my blood was boiling. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. Can you understand what I’m saying?”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, you don’t get it.”

“No, no! I really…”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll make you understand.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled as he looked at Choi Young-soo.

“Let’s take it slow; the night is long. Until you realize it.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and grabbed Choi Young-soo’s ribs.

“P-please…”

“You should have known what it means to mess with me.”

“P-please, I beg you…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Young-soo and said,

“If you stop, what will you do?”

“I’ll apologize… and I’ll do anything I can! So please…”

“Put it back.”

“Okay! I really understand! I really do!” Choi Young-soo burst into tears.

Kang Jin-ho looked at him and said,

“I’ll be watching. How you’ll put everything back. You better not do anything stupid.”

Choi Young-soo suddenly felt his vision blur.

Because of that, Choi Young-soo didn’t hear the last words clearly.

“Don’t forget. This isn’t the end…”

He couldn’t hear the end of the sentence.

Choi Young-soo, who had lost consciousness, barely regained his senses when someone shook him awake.

“Huh!”

Choi Young-soo panicked and flailed his arms around.

“Don’t come near me!”

“Young-soo! What’s wrong with you!”

“Hah! Th-that bastard… where did that bastard go!”

“Who?”

“Kang Jin-ho…”

“What are you talking about? You were lying here alone. Why are you on the floor?”

At Lee Min-shik’s words, Choi Young-soo trembled.

The pain he felt all over his body was telling him that it wasn’t a lie.

“You… didn’t see him?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What time is it?”

“Now? Uh? Why is it already this late? It’s three o’clock?”

Choi Young-soo clenched his teeth.

‘Kang Jin-ho.’

It wasn’t a dream. Kang Jin-ho had definitely come to him.

And in front of him, Choi Young-soo had crawled on the floor like a bug, throwing away his pride and begging.

“That bastard…”

Choi Young-soo gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t let this go. Absolutely not!

The next morning, Kang Yoo-hwan received a phone call.

“The police station?”

Kang Yoo-hwan turned his head to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“Okay, I understand.”

Jin-ho’s mother, Baek Hyun-jung, asked with an anxious face.

“What is it this time?”

“Well, they’re telling Jin-ho to come to the police station.”

“They said there wouldn’t be a need to go again.”

“What can we do if they’re telling us to come? Jin-ho, get ready.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho put on his clothes and went outside.

“I wonder what’s going on.”

Kang Yoo-hwan started the car.

When they arrived at the police station, Detective Park greeted them.

“This way.”

Kang Yoo-hwan glared at Detective Park.

“What’s the matter that you’re calling us again?”

“We received another report this morning. The victim said that he was assaulted by Kang Jin-ho again last night.”

“Another assault?”

Kang Yoo-hwan was surprised and turned to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“You?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Detective Park looked at Kang Jin-ho suspiciously and opened his mouth.

“It’s a bit strange, but we have to investigate. Where were you from one to two o’clock last night?”

“I was at home.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“He was at home last night. I saw him.”

Detective Park looked at Kang Jin-ho with suspicious eyes.

“It’s not like he was just at home around one o’clock.”

“Then?”

“I couldn’t sleep and felt stuffy, so I went to the convenience store a couple of times.”

“What? So you went outside?”

“But I was just around the convenience store. I bought coffee and drinks.”

“Can you prove it?”

“I bought it with my card, so you can check the purchase history.”

“You might not have bought it.”

“There must be CCTV in the convenience store, right?”

“…”

Detective Park nodded without realizing it. If so, it was certain that he was around the convenience store at that time.

At that moment, a commotion was heard from outside, and the chairman and Choi Young-soo came inside.

“That! You bastard who deserves to be beaten to death, you hit my grandson again!”

The chairman tried to rush at Kang Jin-ho, but Detective Park stopped him.

“Get out of my way!”

“He’s still a suspect. And nothing has been revealed yet. So far, his alibi is solid.”

“Alibi?”

“He went to the convenience store twice between one and two o’clock, when he claims he was assaulted.”

“What about after that!”

“The time Choi claims he was assaulted is one o’clock. If you match the testimonies and look at the phone call history, it’s clear that it happened at one o’clock.”

“He must have come in between buying things!”

“Do you know how far it is between the convenience store where he bought things and where Choi claims he was assaulted? You can’t make the time even if you take a jet.”

The chairman’s face twisted.

“That bastard hit my grandson!”

“You can’t keep making a fuss like this. This is a police station!”

The chairman started to get angry.

“You bastard… do you think you’ll be okay after this?”

“Chairman, there are CCTVs here too.”

“Tch.”

The chairman frowned and glared at Kang Jin-ho.

It was certain that this guy did it. There was no way his grandson would lie. He must have used some clever trick, but it was frustrating that there was no way to find out.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly watching the chairman, opened his mouth.

“By the way…”

“Why?”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth towards Detective Park.

“Didn’t you tell me before that it was a six-week injury?”

“That’s right…”

“Do people with a six-week injury these days leave the hospital in three days and walk around? And go to nightclubs?”

“Oh!”

Detective Park turned his head and glared at Choi Young-soo.

Choi Young-soo turned his head slightly.

“Chairman Choi Myung-gil.”

“…”

“Since you’re here, why don’t you withdraw the complaint?”

“Why would I!”

“Or we’ll file a counter-suit for forging the diagnosis and making false statements in the complaint. In my opinion, it’s obvious who will win. As I said, there are CCTVs here too.”

The chairman looked at the CCTV with a start.

This was a mistake.

He could cover up bad stories that came out of his mouth. But it was difficult to cover up visible evidence. This kind of data screen could get into the media, and a big problem could break out in an instant.

The chairman glanced around.

He could feel someone approaching from here and there due to the loud voices that had erupted a moment ago.

The chairman wasn’t stupid enough not to know what was hanging around their necks [meaning, the potential for scandal and public scrutiny].

“Besides, if you listen to the story, he was subjected to torture-like violence, but Choi’s condition is too fine right now? He doesn’t look like someone who was beaten up last night. Are there any external injuries? If there’s no diagnosis, we can’t file a criminal complaint either. I think we need to investigate the previous case again.”

“…I’ll withdraw it.”

“Grandpa!”

“You be quiet for now.”

“…”

“Withdraw both this one and the previous one.”

“I understand.”

The chairman gritted his teeth and turned his body.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“You have to write a withdrawal form before you go…”

“I’ll take care of that!”

The chairman roughly grabbed Choi Young-soo and went out of the police station.

Kang Jin-ho watched the scene with a glint in his eyes.

“I’m sorry about this.”

At Detective Park’s words, Kang Yoo-hwan shook his head.

“It’s okay.”

“We’re just trying to make a living… please understand.”

“Yes, I understand.”

At Kang Yoo-hwan’s words, Detective Park scratched his head awkwardly.

“You can go now. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Then, please.”

Kang Yoo-hwan took Kang Jin-ho and went outside.

“You’re really cruel.”

At Kang Yoo-hwan’s words, Kang Jin-ho nodded in agreement. But Kang Jin-ho’s eyes held a completely different meaning.

That night.

Choi Young-soo was trembling with fear.

He was lying on the bed in his room, covering himself with a blanket, trembling like a child.

“…He’ll come for me.”

At first, he had boldly said that Kang Jin-ho had assaulted him. But once he had told the story, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes kept coming back to him.

At first, he thought it was a hallucination.

If Kang Jin-ho had been there, there was no way he would have met him.

He had experienced something so absurd that he thought, ‘Did I dream it?’

But he had seen it.

When he was leaving the police station with his grandfather, he had seen Kang Jin-ho’s eyes looking at him.

Those eyes were definitely the same eyes he had experienced in the early morning.

“Oh… what do I do?”

Should he apologize now and beg for forgiveness?

Otherwise, he didn’t think he could leave the house. The fear that he could meet him anywhere was too great.

“What should I do?”

His grandfather had reassured Choi Young-soo that he would take care of it, but if he could be reassured by that, what would he be worried about?

“It’s okay for now… I just need to stay home until Grandpa takes care of it… It’ll be okay here. The walls are high here, and there are CCTVs. No matter how much of a monster that guy is, he can’t possibly…”

“Get in here.”

“…”

Choi Young-soo slowly raised his head. A familiar face was there. Kang Jin-ho.

He was smiling in the darkness, looking at him.

That smile was as chilling and terrifying as a demon licking its lips at its prey.

Choi Young-soo tried to scream, but as expected, no sound came out.

Kang Jin-ho whispered softly into Choi Young-soo’s ear.

“Did you really believe that?”

Choi Young-soo’s body trembled.

Kang Jin-ho’s voice made him vividly feel the pain he had experienced the day before.

Kang Jin-ho said quietly.

“Why do you think I didn’t kill you?”

“…”

“Because I wanted this. You’ll suffer every day. Every time you complain of pain, people will try to believe you, but if the same thing happens repeatedly, eventually no one will believe you. Even though it’s a clear fact. No matter how badly you’re treated, people will eventually blame you. Do you know what I mean?”

“…”

“Feel yourself going crazy with your eyes open. When all of that is over, will you really be alive?”

Choi Young-soo shook his head violently.

“Now, let’s…”

Kang Jin-ho’s teeth were revealed.

“Begin.”

Choi Young-soo’s eyes were bloodshot.

He should never have messed with Kang Jin-ho.