Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2107

The waves crashed onto the shore, their white foam a stark contrast against the sand.

The waves, which had slowly rolled onto the beach, now retreated just as slowly. Kang Jin-ho, sitting on the white sand, stared blankly at the receding water.

He wasn’t particularly fond of the sea.

It wasn’t a matter of liking or disliking it; he was simply the type who didn’t feel much emotion even when looking at the vast ocean.

But at this moment, he felt like he understood why people sought out the sea when they felt suffocated. Looking at the endless expanse of water and the wide coastline, it felt like the tightness in his chest was easing, if only a little.

Swaaaaaa.

The waves slowly rolled in and then receded.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes gradually calmed as he watched their rhythmic dance.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head slightly and looked at Choi Yeon-ha.

“Here.”

“Ah, yes.”

Kang Jin-ho took the coffee that Choi Yeon-ha offered and opened the lid of the cup. White steam rose from the hot coffee.

Choi Yeon-ha plopped down next to Kang Jin-ho.

“…You’re getting sand on you.”

“I can just brush it off.”

*Well, yeah. She’s a cool woman.*

“What? Are you worried about getting sand in your car right now?”

“It’s not that…”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“I know. Our Jin-ho isn’t that petty.”

“That petty?”

“I’m not saying you’re completely not.”

“Honestly, honestly.”

Choi Yeon-ha burst into laughter as she looked at Kang Jin-ho, who was staring at her with a sulky expression.

“Then who told you to be so miserable?”

“I’m not being miserable, it’s just…”

“So, what are you thinking about?”

“Just…”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze returned to the sea.

“It’s a meaningless thought. Just… what to do from now on.”

Choi Yeon-ha subtly studied Kang Jin-ho’s expression.

She had known Kang Jin-ho for quite some time, but this was the first time he had suggested going to see the sea. Considering that Kang Jin-ho was someone who didn’t deviate from his routine of going between the General Assembly [a governing body for martial artists] and his home unless she specifically made plans and dragged him out, this might be a pretty significant matter.

“So…”

Choi Yeon-ha asked with a smile.

“What kind of worries has our Jin-ho bought this time?”

“…Bought?”

“Yes. Jin-ho, you’re the type who buys trouble, and you buy it at a pretty high price.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled and continued.

“What are you so worried about? It seems like things are going better than you think.”

“Anyway, Jin-ho, you resolved the recent incident by throwing yourself into it.”

“That…”

“Thanks to that, your body became a rag, though.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Well, it’s not like it’s the first time, it’s always been like this, so I’m used to it. This time, you were a bit more tattered, so I was worried, ‘Is that guy really going to die this time? I’m still a person with a conscience, so I should wear mourning clothes at the funeral,’ but it’s a relief you didn’t die.”

“…I’m very sorry.”

Cold sweat ran down Kang Jin-ho’s back.

It was ten times scarier when she spoke calmly like this than when she cursed and got angry.

“Anyway, even though the intention, method, and process of the resolution weren’t to my liking, it turned out the way you wanted it to, Jin-ho. Thanks to that, an organization is being established this time.”

“Is the reaction very strong?”

“When was it not?”

Choi Yeon-ha shrugged.

“You’re just overreacting, Jin-ho. The reaction was probably stronger when the article came out that I was dating you. It’s just that you’re not interested in the media.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

It was Choi Yeon-ha’s way of being considerate. No matter what, this matter wasn’t on the same level as that kind of scandal.

“Don’t worry too much. Eventually, everyone will understand.”

“Or is there another problem I don’t know about?”

“It’s not a problem, but…”

Kang Jin-ho turned his gaze to the sea.

“It’s going well.”

“Right?”

“Yes. I don’t know what’s going on, but it feels like things are progressing smoothly. It seems like everyone is trying hard not to make me worry too much this time.”

“They should, if they have any conscience.”

*This person is strangely off the mark.*

“But, well… I honestly don’t know. Is this really going well?”

Choi Yeon-ha silently looked at Kang Jin-ho. His face, exposed to the sea breeze, looked a little more desolate than usual.

“An old friend of mine said that I’m the only one who can lead the world after the conflict ends.”

“…He must be a true friend, seeing you in such a good light. Isn’t that like having rose-colored glasses on?”

When Kang Jin-ho turned to look at her, Choi Yeon-ha subtly averted her gaze.

“Anyway…”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply and continued.

“He said that, but I honestly don’t know. Of course… I’m not exaggerating. I think I’ve done pretty well so far.”

“Oh?”

“But that’s because I’ve had enemies to fight until now.”

“You just had to fight. If someone blocked you, you pushed them aside, and if they clung to you, you kicked them away… Yeah, everything was solved just by winning.”

“But this time, it’s not something that can be solved that way?”

“That’s it.”

Choi Yeon-ha scratched her cheek.

“But honestly, I don’t understand something…”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it unnecessary for you to carry that burden?”

“What is this, a sense of overconfidence? A hopeless confidence? Or a ‘I can do it’ attitude? Or a savior complex? What should I call this…”

“That’s enough.”

*I understand what you’re trying to say, so you don’t have to try so hard to find such detailed and hurtful expressions.*

“Well, okay, if you say so.”

Choi Yeon-ha smacked her lips as if she was a little disappointed.

“This isn’t something that you did alone in the first place, and it’s not something that only involves you. Isn’t this something that’s happening on a scale that goes beyond national borders?”

“…That’s right.”

If you only think about the number of martial artists, the term ‘national scale’ might be a bit of an exaggeration, but considering their influence and their distribution around the world, it was a perfectly acceptable term.

“But it’s ridiculous to think that one person is going to solve it. It’s a problem that everyone has to work on and everyone has to take responsibility for.”

“Sometimes, you seem like you’re living in the Joseon Dynasty [a Korean kingdom that existed from 1392 to 1897]. Or maybe those martial artists from the General Assembly haven’t properly adapted to society and have been hiding in the forest, so their way of thinking is stuck in the Joseon Dynasty, and they’re still shouting, ‘Your Majesty, please solve this for us.'”

“…Have you been playing any games lately?”

“Huh? What game?”

“Like… AOS [Arena of Strategy, a type of online game] or games with a lot of chatting.”

“Why? Is my damage output exploding?”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“No, well, it’s not wrong to worry, but it doesn’t seem like you’re struggling because you’re thinking about how to solve the problem.”

“…Yes?”

“It seems like you think that if something goes wrong, it’s all your fault.”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t refute that statement.

It was true that he actually thought that way. No matter how hard he tried to think lightly about it, it wasn’t easy.

“I’ve tried to relax a little, but it’s not working as well as I thought.”

“…It’s a disease, a disease.”

Choi Yeon-ha sighed deeply.

This man has an unnecessarily high sense of responsibility. Ordinary people feel responsible for things they can handle, but they give up on things that are difficult to handle. Even if things go wrong, it’s not their fault.

But Kang Jin-ho is someone who never tries to let go of even huge things that he can’t solve.

That’s why Kang Jin-ho is a good person, but… at times like this, even she feels suffocated.

“It’s going well.”

“…Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho said, looking at the incoming waves.

“Things are progressing faster than I thought. People’s reactions aren’t as strong as I expected, and even the martial artists who I thought would definitely object are cooperating better than expected.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s like a miracle. I thought there would definitely be a few major incidents while things were progressing this far.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly.

“Maybe you’re right, Choi Yeon-ha. Maybe everyone is feeling responsible, not just me. A sense of responsibility that we shouldn’t head towards a catastrophe here. Because we wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences.”

“…Then it’s a good thing, right?”

“Yes, it is. It’s going really well. Really…”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes lowered.

“But…”

“Yes.”

“I keep thinking that nothing fundamental has been resolved.”

Kang Jin-ho revealed his deeply hidden thoughts.

“Is this really going to be enough?”

“Revealing the martial artists to the world, preparing a way to control them. ‘We will never harm you, so please accept us, even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.’ Is everything really going to be solved by forcibly mixing the world like that, half begging, half threatening?”

“Jin-ho…”

“It feels strange.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“The solution I’m thinking of isn’t like that. This just seems like it’s suppressing the opposition. I keep having this feeling that someday… someday, the things I’m doing now will cause even bigger problems.”

Choi Yeon-ha closed her mouth.

She was feeling that way too. Even though she couldn’t openly object, she could feel the gazes of people who were full of dissatisfaction.

“So… yes, that’s why. That’s why.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

Swaaaaaa.

The waves crashed onto the shore. Kang Jin-ho, who was looking at the white foam breaking, opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

“I’m just thinking about it again…”

“Yes.”

“Why do people fight?”

“…Yes?”

At the unexpected question, Choi Yeon-ha tilted her head and looked at Kang Jin-ho. It wasn’t an impossible question. It sounded like a pie-in-the-sky idea, but it wasn’t a strange thing to say.

The strange thing was that the question came from Kang Jin-ho’s mouth. Wasn’t Kang Jin-ho someone who couldn’t even be called a pacifist in jest?

“I’ve fought countless times, too.”

“Maybe I’m the person who has experienced the most fights and conflicts among the people living in the world right now. But now that I think about it…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the distant sky beyond the sea.

“I don’t know why I’m fighting at all.”

“That’s why I’m thinking this. Do I, who killed people without even knowing why I had to fight, have the right to talk about coexistence now? Am I really the person who can do this kind of thing?”

“That’s why, that’s why. Just… that’s why.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who was watching Kang Jin-ho’s voice gradually lowering, silently placed her hand on Kang Jin-ho’s shoulder.

The warm coffee was gradually cooling in the blowing wind.

‘Cheongma.’

Kang Jin-ho quietly closed his eyes.

‘What did you want me to do?’

There was no way he would hear an answer.

Because the person who could answer was already gone.