Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1878

Choi Yeon-ha stared intently at Kang Jin-ho, as if questioning the meaning of his words.

Kang Jin-ho, meeting her gaze, spoke again.

‘Maybe. Yes, maybe.’

‘……What do you mean by ‘last time’?’

‘When this is over…’

Kang Jin-ho paused, then slowly continued.

‘I mean, fighting for my life, getting seriously injured, or being out of contact for months to do something.’

‘There won’t be any more of those unusual things.’

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with a blank expression.

Her eyes trembled as if caught in a storm.

After a long silence, Choi Yeon-ha spoke in a trembling voice.

‘Jin-ho…’

‘Yes.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

‘That…’

Choi Yeon-ha covered her mouth as if at a loss for words, then finally couldn’t hold back and said,

‘Stop talking nonsense.’

‘……Huh?’

Choi Yeon-ha’s face contorted.

‘Is that something you can decide? When have you ever not been like that? Just this once! Just this once!’

Kang Jin-ho’s body began to sink into the chair.

‘This isn’t it?’

Of course, he wasn’t expecting anything grand.

But usually, Choi Yeon-ha hated him being involved in the martial world, so he thought that saying this would at least create a… well…

That thing, you know, something soft or gentle.

He thought it would create that kind of atmosphere.

‘……This time, it’s for real.’

‘Shut up!’

‘Yes.’

It was a very unfair situation, but Kang Jin-ho had no power to resist.

‘Anyway, it’s really…’

Choi Yeon-ha sighed deeply.

‘You’re saying this is the last time?’

‘……Yes.’

‘Hmm.’

Choi Yeon-ha rested her chin on her hand and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

‘So…’

‘Yes?’

‘You have a pretty girlfriend waiting for you back home.’

‘……Huh?’

‘And this war is the last one?’

‘……Huh?’

‘You’re planning to marry your beautiful girlfriend when you get back?’

‘……No, what the…’

Choi Yeon-ha muttered with a serious expression.

‘That’s a total death flag… This is a disaster.’

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

‘Delete any pictures of me on your phone.’

‘I don’t have any.’

‘What? What do you not have?’

‘I don’t have any pictures?’

Of course…

Around this time, even the great Kang Jin-ho realized he had said something wrong. But he couldn’t take back what he had already said.

‘You don’t?’

Flames sparked in Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes.

‘Are you trying to start something today? Why don’t you have any, why! You jerk! Who doesn’t have pictures of their girlfriend on their phone!’

‘B-but you told me to delete them?’

‘Is deleting something that was there the same as not having it in the first place? Is it the same!’

Seeing Choi Yeon-ha about to breathe fire, cold sweat beaded on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

‘Oh, my fate! They say a woman with bad luck has no luck with her husband! Where did I meet someone like this!’

‘P-people are watching.’

‘So you know it’s embarrassing?’

This wasn’t it.

It definitely wasn’t supposed to turn out like this…

Choi Yeon-ha took a deep breath and glared at Kang Jin-ho.

‘Jang Min or Bator are still far behind.’ No matter how much they talk about breaking through walls, they can’t make Kang Jin-ho even a little nervous. But right now, Choi Yeon-ha was making Kang Jin-ho shrink with just her gaze.

‘I really…’

Choi Yeon-ha, grinding her teeth, sighed deeply.

‘Fine. I should know better than to expect anything.’

Choi Yeon-ha fanned herself a few times with her hands and then made a sulky face.

Just as Kang Jin-ho was desperately trying to find a way to resolve the situation, which had gone awry while trying to improve the atmosphere, she spoke.

‘Do you know why I’m angry?’

‘……The pictures.’

‘Not that.’

Choi Yeon-ha gulped down her iced Americano in one go and slammed the cup down.

‘This is the last time?’

‘Yes.’

‘That means it’s that dangerous, right?’

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer. No, it was more accurate to say that he couldn’t answer in this situation.

‘I’m not an idiot, do you think I don’t know what that means? Until now, you’ve always said you’d come back safely, but you’ve never said that everything would be over after this. Actually, you haven’t even kept your promise to come back safely… Ugh!’

Choi Yeon-ha clutched the back of her neck, cutting off her words. It seemed she was getting angry again just thinking about it.

‘C-calm down. You’re not getting any younger…’

‘What? This jerk!’

Not everything that comes out of your mouth is meant to be said.

Why couldn’t he hold back just once and ended up getting cursed at again?

‘……Anyway.’

Choi Yeon-ha sighed again.

‘If you’re saying that, it means it’s really dangerous this time, right?’

‘Did you think I’d be happy to hear that? What do you take me for?’

She was angry, that was the same.

But this time, she couldn’t just take it as a joke.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.’

Choi Yeon-ha sighed deeply.

‘Is it that guy from before?’

‘He seemed dangerous.’

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek. She was probably talking about Baek Yeon-hong, not Cheongma, but there was no need to correct her on that.

‘Can’t you avoid it?’

‘No.’

‘It’s not that you’re not avoiding it?’

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

‘To be honest…’

‘Maybe the times I said I couldn’t avoid it were lies. I think I wanted to settle things myself somehow. But this time is different. This time… yes. This time, it’s something I really can’t avoid.’

This was Kang Jin-ho’s true feeling.

Maybe there was a way to avoid conflict with Hong Wang, Chang Wang, and others. After all, what they were aiming for was Kang Jin-ho and the General Assembly.

But this time was different.

At first glance, it seemed that the others’ goal was the General Assembly, and the Black King’s goal was not, so it might be possible to avoid it, but the reality was the opposite.

‘The General Assembly can’t affect the Black King’s faction at all.’

In other words, whether they intervened or not, Cheongma wouldn’t stop his plan. So there was no way to avoid it. It wasn’t a problem that would change if he avoided it.

‘Jin-ho.’

‘Yes.’

‘I also wish you could live a normal life.’

‘No injuries, no headaches, just getting angry at a rude boss, feeling depressed because of a nagging wife, just that kind of normal life.’

‘Yes.’

Choi Yeon-ha sighed.

‘I’m not saying this as your girlfriend. I’m saying this as someone who knows you.’

‘I know.’

‘But…’

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with serious eyes.

‘If you have to be in danger to get that, I’d rather you live like you do now.’

‘Don’t do anything dangerous. If you can help it.’

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

It felt like their roles had been reversed. Or maybe nothing had changed. After all, Choi Yeon-ha had always tried to stop him from being in danger.

‘Fine.’

‘Yes?’

‘Looking at your eyes, I know what you’re going to say. You’ll say you can’t help it again.’

Choi Yeon-ha covered her forehead with her hand. This man was always like this.

But even so, she couldn’t nag him more because this man’s ‘I can’t help it’ wasn’t a common excuse or justification. There were things in the world that you really had to do, no matter what.

‘I won’t stop you.’

‘Choi Yeon-ha.’

‘And I don’t expect anything. Like you’ll live a normal life after this, or that we’ll get married after this.’

‘I won’t expect anything, so listen carefully to what I’m saying.’

‘Yes.’

‘If it’s dangerous, run away.’

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at Choi Yeon-ha, completely taken aback by her words.

‘You’re someone who should have broken a long time ago. But somehow, you’ve managed to come this far without breaking.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded unconsciously.

This was absolutely true. It wasn’t something he had thought about before, but the moment he heard it, he couldn’t help but acknowledge it.

He should have broken, but he didn’t.

Most people who live like that break and fall before they get this far. Eventually, they become wandering spirits and disappear.

But Kang Jin-ho had come this far because he hadn’t broken.

‘Do you know how I became a successful actress?’

‘Because you’re good at acting.’

‘No.’

Choi Yeon-ha said firmly.

‘There are tons of actors in Korea who are better than me. Do you think I’m that much better than them?’

‘Then…’

Kang Jin-ho clapped his hands as if he had found the answer Choi Yeon-ha wanted.

‘Because you’re pretty!’

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes twitched.

‘Was I wrong?’

Choi Yeon-ha massaged her twitching eyes to calm them down and then cleared her throat.

‘W-well, that’s part of it… yes, that’s part of it…’

That wasn’t the answer.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it wasn’t.

‘Of course, that’s true, but there’s another reason.’

‘What is it?’

‘It’s because I failed less.’

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand.

‘What does that mean?’

‘Every time a movie is released, it’s like a gamble. A mid-level actor with a name and recognition can still get cast in the next movie even if they fail a few times, but a rookie can’t get cast again if they fail even once. There are replacements.’

‘Ah.’

‘I’ve failed many times too. There was even a time when the production company went bankrupt because of my movie. But the reason I’ve survived until now is because the movies I’ve been in haven’t failed so badly that I couldn’t get cast again.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded, as if he understood what she meant.

‘I see, now that you mention it.’

‘Do you really understand?’

‘……Yes?’

Choi Yeon-ha sighed.

‘So, that’s why I’m telling you to run away if you can’t do it. Jin-ho, you can lose when you fight. You can lose anytime. But that’s not losing. The real loss isn’t failing at the box office, failing to be a hit, or getting bad reviews for your acting.’

‘It’s when you lose the chance to try again.’

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at Choi Yeon-ha.

He had never looked down on Choi Yeon-ha, but he had never thought that such words would come out of her mouth.

‘It’s not great to die on the spot when you can run away. That’s a cowardly act that gives up the chance to try again.’

‘……Cowardly.’

‘Yes. So…’

Choi Yeon-ha looked straight at Kang Jin-ho.

‘Don’t forget the courage to run away. Running away when you can’t do it isn’t cowardly, it’s wise.’

Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.

‘I understand what you mean…’

He lightly clenched and unclenched his fist.

‘I understand completely.’

Maybe this was the most necessary advice for him right now.

And…

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but be drawn to Choi Yeon-ha because of this.

‘So, when this is over, let’s get marr…’

‘Don’t set up a death flag, you jerk!’

Choi Yeon-ha threw the cup at Kang Jin-ho’s face.

‘When did you say you wanted to…’

‘……I can’t live like this, really.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly as he watched Choi Yeon-ha cover her head.

‘I can’t let it be destroyed.’

This time, this life…

No one can shake it.

Even if the opponent is a close friend with a long history.

If there is something to protect, you must protect it with your own hands.

‘I will protect it.’

This preciousness.

Absolutely.