Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 221

Kang Jin-ho quietly stared at the Outlaw writhing beneath his feet.

With all his limbs severed, and his eyes and ears gone, he was no longer in a state that could be called human.

It was excessively cruel.

He couldn’t deny that fact.

But on the other hand, there was also the thought that it was not excessive at all.

The number of people the Outlaw had killed must have been over a dozen. One death could not compensate for those dozens of deaths.

If this person died, would those killed by him be satisfied? Would they think it was revenge?

No, they wouldn’t.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t know if he was qualified to punish him, but he thought that if he had to punish him, it had to be done this way. That’s why he was able to act without any hesitation.

No.

This was just a simple venting of anger.

It was merely a punishment for the one who had intruded into his life.

Kang Jin-ho looked at the writhing Outlaw.

What could he see now?

He had lost his eyes and ears. He had also lost his arms and legs. He had practically nothing left that he could move on his own.

Then what was he thinking now?

Kang Jin-ho quietly stared at the Outlaw before turning away.

Whatever he was thinking had nothing to do with Kang Jin-ho. He had touched Kang Jin-ho, and Kang Jin-ho had punished him.

That was the end.

The connection between him and the Outlaw ended here.

Whether he died on the cold floor in that state, or whether someone passing by took him to the hospital and he survived, or whether he became food for wild animals.

Whatever ending awaited him, it would be the Outlaw’s fate.

Kang Jin-ho turned and left the empty lot.

The bleak morning wind blew towards him.

Lee Hyun-joo took a deep breath.

A cafe with a classic interior came into view ahead. It wasn’t her first time here. The first time she had entered that cafe, she had been able to go in with a relatively light heart.

But now, the door of that cafe felt like the gate to hell.

‘Calm down.’

The thought that ‘he’ was inside the cafe made it impossible to calm her racing heart. The thought of how he would come out and torment her today made her chest feel heavy.

‘Should I report it now?’

Looking at it coldly, Kang Jin-ho had already left her hands.

Control?

That was impossible from the start.

There was no way a mouse could control a tiger.

She now knew how reckless it had been to come looking for Kang Jin-ho without any information, and how fortunate it was that she was still okay.

But that didn’t mean she could just keep whining and crying.

Lee Hyun-joo took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. Then, with a firm resolve in her eyes, she walked into the cafe.

‘I’ll clean up the mess I made.’

She could understand why her grandfather treated her like a child. The moment she thought she was in danger, the first thing she did was look for her grandfather.

Looking back at herself coldly, she realized that the reason she had been so confident was because she believed that her grandfather would somehow solve any problems that arose.

And now she could see how much of a burden that must have been for her grandfather.

If she truly wanted to help, she had to get rid of her dependence on her grandfather first. And the first thing she had to do to get rid of that dependence was to solve her own problems.

‘Whether it’s a ghost or a goblin, it’s a mistake if you think I’ll keep being scared.’

She bit her lip and opened the cafe door and went inside.

“Welcome.”

“Ah…”

Seeing Kang Jin-ho greeting her in a neat outfit, all her previous resolutions flew away, and her body strangely stiffened.

His face was expressionless.

He wasn’t exactly giving her a soft smile or anything.

Nevertheless, Lee Hyun-joo instantly noticed that the abnormal hostility she had felt from Kang Jin-ho until now was almost completely gone.

“Ah, hello.”

Lee Hyun-joo bowed deeply, like an idol. Kang Jin-ho nodded and pointed inside.

“Would that side be okay?”

‘The pantry?’

There was no reason why she couldn’t go in, but the memory of her previous encounter with Kang Jin-ho in the pantry made her strangely unable to move her feet.

“It’s okay, please go in.”

“Ah, yes.”

‘This isn’t it…’

The determination to take a more firm and resolute attitude had already flown away, and only she remained, obediently following his instructions.

A slight annoyance.

But since Kang Jin-ho wasn’t showing any hostility, it was a bit strange to be so stiff on her side. Come to think of it, she had come here to recruit Kang Jin-ho in the first place.

Without a word, Lee Hyun-joo went into the pantry and turned on the light.

As she sat at the table and took a deep breath, Kang Jin-ho came in.

She had clenched her fist, expecting him to change his expression, but strangely, Kang Jin-ho maintained the exact same attitude as when she had seen him in the hall earlier.

“What would you like to drink?”

“M-macchiato.”

“Would you like it hot?”

“No. Iced.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Why was she so calmly placing an order!

And why was he so calmly taking the order!

As Kang Jin-ho closed the door and went out, Lee Hyun-joo felt like she was possessed by a ghost.

“Why, why is he like that?”

Compared to when she had seen him just before, he wasn’t exactly any softer. But she kept feeling like something had changed.

It was like his wariness had disappeared?

‘I don’t understand it.’

Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long. Not long after her imagination had gone beyond the stage of delusion, Kang Jin-ho came in with a tray containing a macchiato and an americano.

“Here is your macchiato.”

“T-thank you.”

Startled, Lee Hyun-joo took the macchiato, and Kang Jin-ho placed the americano on the opposite side and sat down.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah…”

Choi Hyun-joo took a deep breath.

“First, I’d like to apologize.”

She thought that an apology should come first, no matter what she was going to do. If she didn’t resolve this tangled relationship, there would be no answer.

“I’m sorry for coming here without warning. I thought it would be helpful for us and for Kang Jin-ho.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

“If I had thought it would be unpleasant for you, I wouldn’t have come here like this. I apologize again.”

“It’s okay. I was also overreacting.”

Lee Hyun-joo’s body trembled.

She had never imagined that she would get such an answer. She had thought that it would be a blessing if he even accepted her apology.

‘Maybe I was wrong about him?’

Just because he was showing this side of himself didn’t mean she would forget that there was a monster living inside Kang Jin-ho. That was an experience she could never forget, no matter how hard she tried.

But perhaps the normal Kang Jin-ho was a softer and more considerate person than she had thought.

“As an apology, I will fully cooperate in catching the Outlaw. If you want, I can mobilize not only myself but also other personnel. The Outlaw is a killer that we must catch as well. Please let us cooperate.”

Kang Jin-ho silently sipped his americano. Then he slowly shook his head.

“There’s no need for that.”

“……What?”

“The person called the Outlaw no longer exists.”

At first, Lee Hyun-joo didn’t understand what Kang Jin-ho was saying. It was a little later that her doubts subsided and she understood what he meant.

A chill ran up her spine from her toes.

‘Already?’

She had no idea how it had happened. But one thing was clear.

Kang Jin-ho had dealt with the Outlaw.

In that short amount of time.

Given Kang Jin-ho’s skill in handling Lee Sung-hwi like a child, it was natural that he had dealt with the Outlaw, but the fact that it had taken him less time than she had expected to find and deal with the Outlaw was what bewildered her.

‘How did he do it?’

In reality, it wasn’t Kang Jin-ho who had found the Outlaw, but the Outlaw who had come looking for Kang Jin-ho, but Lee Hyun-joo, who had no way of knowing that, found Kang Jin-ho’s abilities terrifying.

Regardless of what Lee Hyun-joo was thinking, Kang Jin-ho calmly drank his coffee.

“So, you don’t need to come here anymore. This matter is over.”

Lee Hyun-joo bit her lip tightly.

It was over.

Those words made her heart sink. No sooner had she resolved to solve this matter with her own strength than it was over.

What was all that time she had spent calming her mind for?

And…

‘It can’t end like this.’

If she nodded and backed down like this, it would be like cutting off her ties with Kang Jin-ho.

It was something she had wanted very much, but now that she thought that she would no longer be involved with Kang Jin-ho, she felt a sense of bewilderment.

It was something she had taken the initiative in. She couldn’t end it like this without achieving anything.

“Hey!”

Although her thoughts weren’t fully organized yet, the words popped out of her mouth.

Looking at Kang Jin-ho, who was looking at her with questioning eyes, Lee Hyun-joo desperately came up with words to tie him down.

“Y-you may not want it, but you’ve already stepped deep into this world. You know that, right?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was something he already knew, but it was still unpleasant to have it confirmed by someone else.

“…So, there’s a way to cut ties with this world and protect your current life.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes were filled with questions.

Lee Hyun-joo, taking that gaze as interest, launched her trump card.

“Would you like to meet our Chairman?”

The next morning.

Kang Jin-ho had to welcome an unexpected guest who had come to see him.

“Welcome.”

Baek Hyun-jung looked at the visitor with uneasy eyes.

“I’m sorry for coming so early in the morning. I have some more questions for Kang Jin-ho about this incident. We could summon each other, but I thought it would be less troublesome to come here.”

Baek Hyun-jung nodded and stepped slightly aside.

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Cha In-cheol, who had come to see him in the morning. He was the person he had seen on the day of the incident and when he had gone to the police station to write his statement.

“I heard you work part-time at a cafe, so I thought it would be better to come before that time. I hope it wasn’t rude of me.”

“No. It’s okay.”

“Yes, then.”

Cha In-cheol smiled and said to Kang Jin-ho.

“Shall we go out front and have a cigarette together?”

But Cha In-cheol’s eyes, as he looked at Kang Jin-ho, were not smiling.