Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 240

Vroom, vroom, vroom!

The 12-cylinder engine roared as its pistons pumped furiously. Kang Jin-ho slammed the accelerator, weaving through the rapidly approaching cars, pushing his vehicle to its absolute limit.

He wished he could use his qinggong [a martial art technique involving superhuman speed and agility] to reach her in an instant, but he couldn’t afford to waste his energy when he didn’t even know her location. Besides, even if it were a short distance, there was no guarantee he could get there faster than a car over a long distance.

Vroom!

Kang Jin-ho’s car sped forward, neatly avoiding the car blocking his path.

“Whoa! What the heck was that?”

The driver, who had just witnessed a car zoom past him at light speed, stared at his dashboard in disbelief.

130 km/h.

Since there were no speed cameras in this section, he was driving a bit faster than usual. But the car that had just passed him made it feel like his car was standing still.

“How fast is that crazy bastard going?”

From the low profile of the car that had just sped by, it looked like a sports car, but even if it was a sports car, driving at that speed at night was practically suicidal.

Driving isn’t just about the car; it’s about the person. If you can’t control the car in an emergency, you might as well be dead.

“He’ll learn his lesson when he crashes and dies.”

Everyone who witnessed Kang Jin-ho’s car had similar thoughts, but Kang Jin-ho had no time to care about that.

The only thing on his mind right now was Kang Eun-young’s safety.

Just then, Kang Jin-ho’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

Kang Jin-ho answered the phone without even looking at the screen, and a familiar voice reached his ear.

[It’s me, Kang Jin-ho.]

“Yes.”

[I heard about the incident with Eun-young and I’m calling you right away.]

“…Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min swallowed hard, hearing Kang Jin-ho’s low voice on the other end of the line.

‘This is a major incident!’

He had been working with Kang Jin-ho for more than a year. After spending that much time together, Jo Gyu-min knew what Kang Jin-ho valued most.

Family.

Kang Jin-ho was trying to adapt to the world, seeing it from different perspectives, but at the core of it all was his family.

Even Hwang Jung-hoo, whom he didn’t care much about, was nothing compared to his father’s words. It was easy to see how much his family meant to him.

And now, someone had dared to touch his family.

Considering what he did when his mother was threatened while shopping, it was easy to imagine how furious Kang Jin-ho must be right now.

‘These crazy bastards.’

There are things in this world that you can mess with, and things you absolutely shouldn’t. He didn’t know who had messed with Kang Eun-young, but this time, it wouldn’t end easily.

Jo Gyu-min licked his dry lips and continued speaking.

“After the last incident, I installed a GPS tracker in her car, just in case something like this happened. And I also got cooperation from the phone company, so I was able to track Kang Eun-young’s current location.”

[Where is she?]

“The location is hard to explain verbally. Even if I tried, it would be difficult for you to understand. I’ll send you the address and map to your phone.”

[Please do.]

Calm.

Kang Jin-ho’s voice on the other end of the phone was utterly calm.

It would be less terrifying if he were angry, furious, or shouting. Jo Gyu-min understood how angry he must be, but Kang Jin-ho’s calm demeanor on the phone made him tremble.

‘This isn’t going to end easily.’

He even felt a pang of pity for those who would have to face his wrath.

[I’ve got it.]

“Yes, Kang Jin-ho. I’ll contact you immediately if there are any changes.”

[Thank you.]

Click.

As soon as the call ended, Jo Gyu-min wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed.

He felt his body trembling.

There had been incidents involving Kang Eun-young before, but back then, they hadn’t directly targeted her. Even so, those who had harmed Kang Eun-young had never recovered and were completely ruined.

But this time, it wasn’t a minor issue like before.

‘What the hell is going to happen?’

Jo Gyu-min couldn’t predict what would happen next.

He could predict how others would react, but not Kang Jin-ho. The Kang Jin-ho he knew was someone who straddled the line between common sense and the absurd.

And if he deemed it necessary, he was someone who would cross the boundaries of laws and norms that defined the world.

What would happen if such a person was truly enraged?

Jo Gyu-min jumped up from his seat.

Up to this point, it was his job, but from now on, it was something he couldn’t handle.

Jo Gyu-min rushed out of the secretary’s office and began sprinting towards the chairman’s office.

“You don’t have to be so scared.”

The voice was a little strange.

It sounded eerie in one way, but in another way, it sounded like the voice of a childish young kid. Kang Eun-young gritted her teeth and stared at the people standing in front of her.

“We don’t want you, we want your brother.”

“No, I also wanted to see Kang Se-ah. It’s weird seeing someone I’ve only seen on TV right in front of me.”

“Me too.”

The men wearing black masks chuckled as they looked at Kang Eun-young. Kang Eun-young bit her lip to calm her trembling heart and opened her mouth.

“Are you guys crazy?”

“We’re perfectly sane.”

“Do you think you can kidnap someone like this and get away with it?”

“That’s our problem.”

At that moment, Kang Eun-young felt a chill run down her spine.

They were so relaxed.

The people who had kidnapped her were so nonchalant, as if they had just picked up a stray dog. That meant either these people didn’t think much of this, or they had a lot of experience doing this.

Another thing that made her heart sink was what they had said.

“W-why my brother?”

If they had kidnapped her, she could understand.

They could demand a ransom, or they could be obsessive stalkers. Although her situation was desperate, it was still within the realm of what was logically understandable.

But if they were targeting Kang Jin-ho instead of her, the situation was completely different.

Why would they target her brother?

Kang Eun-young chewed on her already bleeding lip.

‘Don’t panic.’

She could tell that people who would ram a car to stop it and kidnap someone off the street were not normal people.

But that didn’t mean she could show them that she was scared. Now that things had come to this, showing weakness would only make them more arrogant.

‘I really hate this position.’

Kang Eun-young was the type who would get annoyed and complain about the damsel-in-distress characters in movies. And yet, here she was, in that very position.

The manager who had been kidnapped with her was regaining consciousness.

“Oppa [an honorific term used by a younger female to address an older male], are you okay?”

The manager, who had barely opened his eyes, looked around and gaped.

The masked men looked at the manager and spoke.

“Why did you bring him?”

“We couldn’t just leave him behind.”

“Then bury him.”

“You bury him, you jerk. I’m too tired.”

“Tsk.”

The masked men didn’t try to do anything to Kang Eun-young and the manager. It was as if their only job was to watch them so they wouldn’t escape.

“W-where are we?”

“It looks like an abandoned factory.”

“An abandoned factory?”

“Yes.”

The manager spoke in a trembling voice.

“Why, why did they kidnap us?”

Inside the dark factory.

Several masked men watching them.

Just those two facts alone made it hard for the manager to accept the reality he was in, and he began to tremble. But the first thing he said in fear was something that exceeded Kang Eun-young’s expectations.

“Se-ah, it’s okay. Don’t be scared. If they kidnapped us on purpose, they won’t hurt us.”

“…Yes.”

It was nothing much, but just hearing those words made her feel a little calmer.

The masked men were chattering among themselves, then they received a phone call from somewhere and began to whisper.

Then, one of them turned and approached Kang Eun-young.

“Hey, you.”

“Call your brother. Tell him to come here right now.”

Kang Eun-young’s eyes twitched.

It seemed that what they said about their target being Kang Jin-ho was true.

Kang Eun-young gritted her teeth and replied.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“Am I crazy? Do you think I’ll do what you want?”

The masked man looked at Kang Eun-young in disbelief.

“She’s got quite the attitude.”

“She looked so innocent on TV, but it seems like she’s been chewing some gum [acting tough].”

The masked man slowly approached Kang Eun-young and tapped her head.

“Listen, Kang Se-ah. It seems like you don’t understand the situation at all. Do you really think you can defy us right now? Do you want me to show you what real trouble is?”

“Do whatever you want. I’m not calling my brother.”

“…Is this bitch really crazy?”

The masked man slapped Kang Eun-young across the face.

Slap!

Her lip burst open, and blood splattered to the side. It was an unexpected shock, but Kang Eun-young just glared at the man who had hit her with her piercing blue eyes, showing no sign of fear.

“This one’s tough.”

It wasn’t Kang Eun-young who was flustered, but the manager.

“Don’t touch our Se-ah, you bastards!”

“…They’re putting on a show, the crazy bastards.”

The masked man laughed in disbelief.

“Do these bastards think they’re filming a drama? Do you want to be skinned alive? Fine, let’s see if you call him or not. You bitch.”

As the masked man started to get agitated, someone in the back said in a low voice.

“Don’t waste time, just take her phone. Her number will be on it.”

“No, but these guys…”

“If you waste time and mess things up, the chairman will want to talk to you alone.”

“Hmm…”

“I heard Hyun-soo is on his way, so don’t cause any trouble.”

“…Okay.”

The masked man looked at Kang Eun-young and held out his hand.

“Give me your phone.”

“My phone?”

Kang Eun-young took out her phone and showed it to the masked man.

“This?”

Then.

Thud!

Kang Eun-young slammed her phone onto the floor and stomped on it with her high heels.

Crunch! Crunch!

The heel dug into the screen, and the phone was completely destroyed.

Kang Eun-young smiled as she looked at the phone, which was so damaged that it was beyond repair, and opened her mouth.

“It’s a gift.”

The masked man grabbed his mask and slowly lifted it up. The distorted face of a man appeared from under the mask.

“This bitch, I’ve been holding back, but do you think I’m a pushover?”

Kang Eun-young trembled at the anger directed at her, but she didn’t back down.

‘If I cower in front of these bastards, I’ll be ashamed to face my brother.’

No matter what she had to endure here, she would never let Kang Jin-ho get hurt.

Just as Kang Eun-young made that decision and gritted her teeth, the man who had taken off his mask slapped Kang Eun-young’s cheek again.

Slap!

“Aaaah!”

A scream escaped her lips without her realizing it. As Kang Eun-young fell to the floor and glared at the man with venomous eyes.

“W-what’s that?”

Bright light began to pour in through the windows on the outer wall of the building.