Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 255

“It took a while because we had to bring them in through a method that was practically smuggling. After looking into it, these swords… they’re quite old. They’re the kind of swords that would be classified as antiques even in China, so we had to be careful because it would cause a huge fuss if we got caught.”

“I figured.”

Even after all this time, the swords retained the same vivid appearance as when he had used them in the past. Their value was probably close to national treasure level, though he couldn’t be sure.

Even Kang Jin-ho didn’t know when these swords were made.

The heavy weight he felt in both hands made him feel a little excited. It reminded him of the time he roamed all over the Central Plains [a historical region in China] with these swords. Back then, he only wielded Jeokru, not Cheongru.

“Anyway, I’m sorry it took longer than expected.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly shook his head.

Whether it was fast or slow wasn’t important. What mattered was that the swords had finally returned to his hands.

For a moment, Kang Jin-ho felt a strange sensation.

The fact that the swords had returned to him at this particular time felt suspiciously coincidental. A strong premonition that his peaceful world would once again be stained with battle began to dominate Kang Jin-ho.

‘The Yeongnam Association.’

It was time to go and receive the price for what had been put off.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Jo Gyu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho with a puzzled expression, as if he thought the atmosphere was strange.

“And there’s one more thing we need to take care of.”

“One more thing?”

“Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min handed Kang Jin-ho a catalog he was holding.

“Choose one.”

“What’s this?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as he looked at the catalog. Inside were images of various sports cars, all painted in different colors.

From cars that looked relatively ordinary to cars with designs that seemed to have jumped straight out of a cartoon. Kang Jin-ho flipped through the catalog and sighed.

“What happened to the old car?”

“It’s much cheaper to get a new car than to repair that one. If you’re really attached to it, I’d consider repairing it, but is there really a need for that?”

“I guess not.”

“If it’s hard to choose, I’ll pick one for you.”

“…Please, make it something not too flashy this time.”

Jo Gyu-min grinned.

“I’d like to, but Kang Jin-ho, your driving style is already adapted to supercars, so you won’t be able to handle a regular car easily.”

“Huh?”

As Kang Jin-ho stared at him as if asking what he meant, Jo Gyu-min chuckled and got up from his seat.

“It’s better to experience it once than to hear about it a hundred times. Let’s go.”

Seeing Jo Gyu-min get up from his seat so neatly, Kang Jin-ho also got up, feeling a bit bewildered.

A little while later.

“…This won’t work.”

“Right?”

Jo Gyu-min went down to the parking lot, gave Kang Jin-ho the keys, and had him drive his car.

Kang Jin-ho thought it was a pointless exercise, but the moment he started the engine and stepped on the accelerator, he understood Jo Gyu-min’s intention.

“The response is so slow.”

“You can go from the bottom up, but you can’t go down from the top.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if agreeing.

The time it took for the car to move after stepping on the accelerator, the time it took for the car to change direction after turning the steering wheel.

Those subtle differences, which wouldn’t bother other people, felt too significant to Kang Jin-ho. As a martial artist who was more sensitive to subtle reactions than ordinary people, it felt even more pronounced.

It felt like the car started turning three seconds after he turned the steering wheel, to put it mildly.

“There’s no way Kang Jin-ho, who can’t even take public transportation because it’s too frustrating and rides a bicycle, can adapt to a regular sedan. Even if we choose a sporty sedan, it can’t match a supercar.”

“Hmm…”

“I’ve already picked out a car that meets Kang Jin-ho’s standards.”

Kang Jin-ho took the second catalog that Jo Gyu-min handed him and began to look through it.

“Um…”

After looking through the entire catalog, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth with a miserable expression.

“Don’t you have anything other than these toy-like cars?”

“They’re not made like that for show; they have to be made like that to be aerodynamically efficient and responsive.”

“Even so…”

“Actually, your current car is pretty flashy too, but you’ve already gotten used to it to some extent, haven’t you?”

It was an undeniable point.

Even the white Lamborghini was very eye-catching, and he had driven it around just fine even after wrapping it in red.

“Do I really have to adapt to a car?”

“It’s strange. At my age, I might prefer a regular sedan, but at Kang Jin-ho’s age, you’d usually prefer a car like this. Not just for performance, but also in terms of design.”

‘Do you even know how old I am?’

To Jo Gyu-min, Kang Jin-ho might seem like a young man who had just turned twenty, but in reality, Kang Jin-ho was like a grandfather who had lived several times longer than Jo Gyu-min. Even though he was trying to live with a young mindset, he couldn’t help but feel repulsed by such flashy cars.

“I can’t choose.”

“Then I’ll choose for you.”

“How do I pay for it?”

“Ah, it’s okay. The Chairman said he’d give you one as a discharge gift.”

“…A car as a discharge gift?”

“Kang Jin-ho, you need to get used to this scale quickly. Don’t try to live too much like a commoner. It’s stressful.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

If he knew how much the cars in the catalog cost, his reaction might have been a little different, but Jo Gyu-min had the sense to remove all the prices when he made the catalog.

“It’s not even my car, but I’m kind of excited.”

“…Just drive it.”

“If I get a scratch on it, my entire salary will be gone. I’ll pass.”

Jo Gyu-min closed the catalog and said as he handed over a cup of coffee.

“First, you need a permit to keep those swords at home. I’ve already applied for one, but it’ll probably take some time. They said it should be ready by next week. I applied for them as decorative items, so please refrain from carrying them around.”

“I’m not that crazy.”

If he wore those on his waist and went out on the street, he would attract the attention of everyone in the neighborhood. Kang Jin-ho was not someone who enjoyed being the center of attention.

“Since you’ll be inconvenienced without a car for a while, I’ll look into getting one of these that can be delivered the fastest.”

“Yes, whatever is convenient for you.”

“Okay, then…”

Jo Gyu-min smiled lightly and said,

“The Chairman is waiting for you. How about having some coffee and saying hello for a bit?”

“Man, it’s so hard to see your face.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled as he saw Hwang Jung-hoo complaining as soon as he opened the door.

Hwang Jung-hoo, who had seemed quite imposing when they first met, was acting more and more like a grandfather looking for his grandson as time went on.

Although Hwang Jung-hoo maintained this friendly demeanor with Kang Jin-ho, it didn’t mean that Kang Jin-ho took him lightly.

‘Merchants are scary people.’

In the past, even the big shots in the merchant world of the Central Plains were said to have a thousand faces. Even dealing with them was not easy, so dealing with someone like Hwang Jung-hoo was definitely not going to be easy.

Right now, it might be difficult for Hwang Jung-hoo to turn his back on Kang Jin-ho, but there was no such thing as absolute certainty in the world.

“Sit down, sit down. I’m supposed to be sulking, why are you sulking?”

“It’s nothing.”

Hwang Jung-hoo said as he looked at Kang Jin-ho, who had taken a seat.

“So, how’s business going?”

“I’m doing it while thinking of it as learning.”

“It’s not easy, is it?”

“Yes.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded with a satisfied look, as if saying, ‘See?’

“The reason why self-employment is difficult is mostly because you have to deal with people. You have a resistance to meeting and dealing with people, don’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“If you experience more people while doing this, your perspective on the world will change a little.”

Jo Gyu-min quietly clenched his fist.

‘You said you didn’t expect anything.’

He had said that he had no expectations for management and was just trying to get lucky by making him do business, but this was the moment when Hwang Jung-hoo’s true intentions for Kang Jin-ho were revealed.

“Of course, it would be even better if you made money in the process.”

‘Or not?’

Hwang Jung-hoo’s true intentions were impossible to figure out.

“I’m just working hard.”

“Yes. Money isn’t important. You just need to know how hard it is to receive money from other people.”

At those words, Jo Gyu-min’s lips twitched.

‘It’s a huge hit right now, Chairman.’

Hwang Jung-hoo, who had not yet received a regular report, did not know what was happening at the store. Jo Gyu-min was curious about what kind of reaction he would have if he found out that the store was packed with customers simply because he was handsome, with no connection to his management skills.

“Well, then…”

Hwang Jung-hoo turned his head and said to Jo Gyu-min,

“Please leave us for a bit. We have something to talk about.”

“Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min got up from his seat without delay and went outside.

“Have a smoke.”

“I’m okay.”

Hwang Jung-hoo quietly looked at Kang Jin-ho and smiled.

“It seems like you’ve completely immersed yourself in the role of a young man. Even when we’re alone, you easily use honorifics. It seems like you’re really committed to the act.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes slightly narrowed.

“Let’s drop the act and talk comfortably. I think your current appearance is good, but when we’re having a serious conversation, it’s easier for me to see your true self.”

Without answering, Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette from his pocket. As he lit the cigarette and leaned back slightly on the sofa, a different kind of ease and languor began to emanate from him.

“What’s the matter?”

Hwang Jung-hoo felt his heart flutter at the sight of Kang Jin-ho’s appearance, which he hadn’t seen in a long time.

‘I haven’t forgotten it.’

It was an appearance he hadn’t seen since then.

Since their first meeting, Kang Jin-ho had only shown the appearance of an ordinary young man adapting to the world.

But Hwang Jung-hoo knew.

Human nature doesn’t change.

If you think a person has changed, it’s because that person is perfectly acting out a new persona, not because their fundamental nature has changed.

‘A beast is a beast.’

Just because a beast eats grass doesn’t mean its teeth disappear.

And as he felt anew, this appearance suited Kang Jin-ho even better. The moment he saw Kang Jin-ho without pretense, the appearance he had been seeing until now felt like a complete facade.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

“Speak.”

“That world of martial artists, you know.”

At the unexpected words, Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Hwang Jung-hoo.

A calm gaze.

The fact that his gaze changed just by deciding to reveal himself was incredibly fascinating to Hwang Jung-hoo.

“Do you really have to get involved in that world again?”

At Hwang Jung-hoo’s heavy words, Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed slightly.

“As you know, this matter isn’t something that will just end. Once you step into it, you won’t be able to return.”