Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1982

Kang Jin-ho rose, turning his head with a blank expression.

Sunlight streamed through the window.

“That’s odd…”

He had overslept.

This was a rare occurrence for Kang Jin-ho.

Yet, there didn’t seem to be any particular issue. In fact, his body felt more refreshed and lighter than usual.

« o »

Kang Jin-ho got out of bed and went to the window.

The sky was clear and bright, as if yesterday’s snowfall had been a figment of the imagination.

Only the snow piled high on the rooftops and roads served as proof that yesterday’s snow was real.

“…Yeon-ha.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly murmured Choi Yeon-ha’s name and gently closed his eyes.

With a determined set to his mouth, Kang Jin-ho turned to take a resolute step, but then…

Wait a minute.

Could it be…

‘She’s not really still there, is she?’

No way.

No way…

In the middle of the road.

No way…

Kang Jin-ho shuddered with an unknown fear and walked out of the room with slightly weakened steps.

Swoosh.

Kang Jin-ho turned on the faucet in the washbasin and silently looked at the mirror.

A familiar face stared back at him from beyond the mirror.

He washed his hands and shaved. He finished washing his face and even washed his hair thoroughly. It was an everyday routine, but today, each step took twice as long as usual.

“Hoo.”

Kang Jin-ho dried his face with a clean towel, shook his head, and walked out of the bathroom to get dressed.

Unconsciously, Kang Jin-ho opened the closet where his training clothes were, then quietly closed the closet door again and opened another closet.

Kang Jin-ho took out a suit from the closet and slowly began to put it on.

A tie?

He probably didn’t need that.

Kang Jin-ho silently stared at his reflection in the mirror and slowly nodded.

“Who are you going to meet today?”

“A friend.”

“Huh? Yumin? Or Younggi?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“An old friend.”

“That’s unusual. A friend older than Yumin. You weren’t that sociable.”

“No. I’m still not sociable, Mom.”

“Don’t talk like that to your family. Jin-ho, sit down quickly. You have to eat before you go.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho sat at the table.

Kang Yu-hwan, who was looking at a news article on his phone, frowned.

“Did you see a bad article?”

“The world is so chaotic these days. It’s hard to keep up.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly.

Like father, like son, it seemed his slow nature came from Kang Yu-hwan. Seeing him having the same worries.

“Okay, let’s eat, let’s eat. I was doing something else again instead of eating. Your mother will get angry.”

“No, it’s a relief.”

Baek Hyun-jung glared at Kang Yu-hwan. Kang Yu-hwan, startled, quickly lowered his head towards his soup bowl.

Kang Jin-ho, who chuckled lightly, also picked up his spoon.

It was the same breakfast they always had, but today it felt different.

No, it wasn’t just the food.

Everything was new.

The sensation of the water on his face, the sunlight streaming through the window, the texture of his crisp shirt.

Even his parents’ faces, which he always saw, felt different than usual.

‘They’ve gotten a little older.’

He could see wrinkles he hadn’t noticed before.

He couldn’t quite remember the image of his parents he had in the past. Now, the image of his parents for Kang Jin-ho was the one he saw now.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“Ah, Mom! I have to start managing myself again! Look at my belly!”

“Where’s your belly? Where! You look so slim to me!”

“…Mom would say I’m slim even if I was rolling around.”

“Stop talking nonsense and eat! No one doesn’t eat in this house!”

“Oppa doesn’t eat sometimes!”

“Does your oppa stay home like you? Why aren’t you coming over here?”

“Aish!”

Kang Eun-young reluctantly came to the table.

‘She knew she would get caught, that’s why she was hanging around.’

If she really wasn’t going to eat, she wouldn’t have been lingering around the table like that…

“What?”

“…Did I say anything?”

“Your eyes are talking! Your eyes… Ack! Mom!”

“How dare you glare at your oppa like that!”

“Mom only likes oppa!”

“Eun-young, that’s not true.”

Kang Yu-hwan said with a smile.

“Dad likes oppa more too.”

“…I should just leave this house. I’m so sad.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled lightly.

He liked this atmosphere.

It was so warm that he was afraid to step outside.

But…

“Ahem.”

Kang Jin-ho cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“I think I’ll have to be away for a few days.”

Kang Yu-hwan raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to meet a friend… It’s a bit far.”

“Far? How far can it be in Korea that it would take a few days?”

“It’s not in Korea.”

“Oh…”

Baek Hyun-jung looked at Kang Jin-ho with a worried face.

“Is it okay to go abroad in this situation?”

“It’ll be fine. I’m not going alone.”

“Still…”

Kang Yu-hwan frowned.

“Jin-ho is not a child anymore, there’s no need to say everything like that…”

“Even if father gets old, he’s still a child. How much bigger can Jin-ho be?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Kang Yu-hwan, who had added a word for no reason and got nothing in return, glumly scraped the bottom of his bowl.

Baek Hyun-jung sighed.

“It’s not like you’ve ever listened when I tried to stop you… Then be careful and come back. Make sure to keep in touch.”

“Yes.”

He hadn’t exactly lied. He had only told the truth. He just hadn’t told everything.

“Oppa, bring me a present!”

“…Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had finished his bowl, got up from his seat.

“Are you leaving right away?”

“Yes. They’ll be waiting.”

“Okay. Then go quickly.”

“Yes. Oh, and…”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho mumbled with an awkward face.

“I hope you won’t be surprised.”

“…What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”

“You’ll probably find out soon.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Then.”

Normally, Kang Jin-ho would have turned around and gone outside right away, but today he couldn’t turn around easily. He looked at his family’s faces as if he had some lingering attachment.

“I’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho turned around, patted Dong-dong’s head as he clung to his leg, and headed for the front door.

Baek Hyun-jung called out to Kang Jin-ho, who was putting on his shoes.

“Jin-ho!”

“Yes?”

Baek Hyun-jung had already come to the front door and was looking at Kang Jin-ho.

“…Be careful and come back.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled at Baek Hyun-jung.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“…Okay.”

“Then.”

Kang Jin-ho bowed his head lightly and opened the door to go outside.

Click.

As the door closed, Baek Hyun-jung let out a low sigh.

“…Honey.”

Kang Yu-hwan approached Baek Hyun-jung and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“It feels so…”

“Yes, it does.”

Kang Yu-hwan nodded as if he understood.

“But what can we do? It’s Jin-ho. We have to trust him and wait.”

“…Yes.”

Kang Yu-hwan closed his eyes.

The day will come when children leave their parents’ hands. At that time, all parents can do is protect the place where their children will return.

‘Jin-ho.’

Their son will surely return here.

Click.

As soon as he stepped out of the gate, Kang Jin-ho lit a cigarette.

The cigarette smoke that filled his lungs felt quite bitter today.

“Hoo.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly exhaled the cigarette smoke and turned his head to look at his house.

“Are you feeling sentimental?”

He had expected to hear that sarcastic voice, but…

Actually hearing it didn’t make him feel any better.

Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. Lee Hyun-soo was looking at Kang Jin-ho with a meaningful smile.

“Are you all done with your preparations?”

“That’s what I should be asking you, Director Lee?”

“Well…”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“What’s there to prepare? That’s just how life is.”

“There are things you want to do and things you have to do. This is clearly the latter, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, well, there’s no other way. We have to throw everything we have at it, whether it works or not.”

His face was clear.

He knew that Lee Hyun-soo had a lot of worries, but it seemed like he had gotten rid of them all in that short amount of time.

Unlike himself, who still had something left.

“I’ll escort you.”

“Uh…”

“Or do you still need more time?”

“It’s not that.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“I’m done with the preparations. It’s just that my feet don’t want to move.”

“…You have some lingering attachment.”

“Lingering attachment…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly.

This wasn’t something that could be called lingering attachment.

It was more like greed. The greed of not wanting to let go of anything that had come into his hands.

“Chairman, by any chance…”

“I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“It’s true that I’ve lived a long time. And I’ve enjoyed things that others haven’t.”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to die.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“Dying after making a grand finale is cool only in movies, it’s not cool at all in reality. I’m going to survive tenaciously. By any cowardly means.”

“…You really don’t look good.”

Lee Hyun-soo laughed in disbelief.

“Usually, you’d say something cool at times like this, wouldn’t you? Like, I’ll leave the future behind and die…”

“I will leave the future behind.”

“…Wait a minute. You told the kids to take care of things, but if the Chairman comes back alive and well, doesn’t that mean you’re leaving all the troublesome things to others and living the rest of your life comfortably?”

“Is that not okay?”

Kang Jin-ho grinned.

“I’ve done enough, so it’s okay, isn’t it? I’m an old man.”

“You have no conscience…”

He calls himself an old man with that face.

“Well, it’s true that you don’t look good…”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled like Kang Jin-ho.

“I definitely like this better.”

“Right.”

“But you can’t retire me. If the Chairman steps down, there will be no one to be afraid of, and I’ll run the General Assembly as I please with the Chairman’s backing.”

“…You have to step down too.”

“What are you talking about! Young people have to work. I’m still in my prime.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

The fact that he was exchanging silly jokes with Lee Hyun-soo on this resolute morning was somehow funny and sad.

“It’s nothing much.”

“Like you’ve always done.”

“Yeah, it’s nothing much.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Let’s go!”

Kang Jin-ho threw the cigarette he was holding on the ground and took a resolute step. Then, Lee Hyun-soo ran in the opposite direction and picked up the cigarette butt that Kang Jin-ho had thrown on the ground.

“No, this guy has watched too many movies! This is a minor offense! Littering!”

“And in front of his own house! This guy is going to be in big trouble.”

“And you’re on the opposite side of the car, so come over here.”

“…Then why were you over there?”

“I went to the convenience store. I’m getting old, so if I don’t eat something in the morning, I get hungry.”

“Come here, come here. Aish, it’s still chilly.”

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at Lee Hyun-soo’s back as he walked ahead.

“…Let’s, let’s go together.”

Kang Jin-ho quickly ran and caught up with Lee Hyun-soo.

It was so different from usual…

But it was just another ordinary morning.