Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 256

Hwang Jung-hoo felt a strange emotion as he watched Kang Jin-ho, who was lost in thought without a word.

He was reminded of the first time he met this man.

Back then, Hwang Jung-hoo really thought a demon had come to make a contract with him. At that time, Hwang Jung-hoo thought that if he could just reverse his situation, he wouldn’t mind making a deal with the devil, so he didn’t think too deeply about Kang Jin-ho.

But the demon who had turned his life around didn’t leave and just stayed.

And that demon was adapting to the human world and living in it. It’s already been almost five years since that story began.

When they first met, Kang Jin-ho was a person whose ordinary appearance felt unnatural.

He desperately tried to live an ordinary life, but like someone wearing ill-fitting clothes, there was an awkwardness that was felt without being noticed.

And now, after five years?

He thought he had become much more natural.

Compared to the past, he laughed more, and he talked a lot more. And above all, he was showing the appearance of an ordinary person to the point where you wouldn’t feel any awkwardness just by looking at him.

Hwang Jung-hoo was also pleased with that.

It was because someone who had been half-stepping into the human world, unable to go either way, was becoming human.

But on the other hand, his heart also ached.

Kang Jin-ho adapting to the human world was like putting a square peg in a round hole. He had to shave and cut himself to fit in with others. When he thought about how much anguish he must have gone through to become like that, it was not something he could just look at favorably.

“I heard about the Yeongnam Association.”

“You know about it?”

“No, I don’t. But I can guess the basic principles. If you directly clash with such an organization, it will be impossible to get out of that world. Regardless of your will.”

“…”

“Haven’t you been doing well so far? I heard that you have already punished those who laid a hand on your younger sibling. Do you really need to make things bigger?”

Kang Jin-ho smoked his cigarette without saying anything. The cigarette smoke slowly flowed into the air of the office.

“I’m saying this because I’m worried. I know how much effort you’ve put in to blend into this society so far. If you get involved with them again, all your efforts so far could be in vain. You know that, don’t you?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled lightly.

Hwang Jung-hoo, who felt a strange, chilling sensation from that laugh, closed his mouth. Kang Jin-ho stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, took out a new cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it again.

“Hoo…”

Kang Jin-ho, who exhaled a long puff of smoke, laughed as if amused and said,

“Everyone says similar things.”

“…Similar things?”

“You, my so-called friends, and even my family, you all say similar things.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had revealed his true self after a long time, was completely captivating Hwang Jung-hoo’s attention just by speaking.

‘Is it something innate?’

It wasn’t the first time he had seen someone who gave off this kind of feeling.

Dictators who plunged a country into fear, the protagonists of myths who started from scratch and created their own companies, those who ruled over many and gave orders to many, those who naturally made their surroundings submit and elicited natural obedience just by their presence.

But none of them gave off as intense a feeling as Kang Jin-ho.

‘It’s an aura that only those who have stood at the top can possess.’

That was one of the reasons why Hwang Jung-hoo could never easily treat Kang Jin-ho. It wasn’t just because he had a strong and mysterious power. It wasn’t because he held his lifeline.

Even without those reasons, Hwang Jung-hoo would never have treated Kang Jin-ho carelessly. When he thought about what kind of people those with this kind of aura were, he could never do such a thing.

“You talk as if you know me well.”

“…”

What do you mean by knowing me well?

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with questioning eyes. Kang Jin-ho kindly answered the question in his eyes.

“Do you know me well?”

Hwang Jung-hoo couldn’t answer.

Do I know Kang Jin-ho well?

He thought he did. Until just a moment ago. But when he was directly asked by Kang Jin-ho, his thoughts changed a little.

Do I really know the person named Kang Jin-ho?

Suddenly, he felt like he didn’t know anything.

He might know more about Kang Jin-ho’s identity and how he lived than even his parents, but he knew nothing about the real core things, like where Kang Jin-ho’s power came from and why he longed for an ordinary life.

Everything was just Hwang Jung-hoo’s guess.

“You don’t know anything.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded at Kang Jin-ho’s words. It was something he couldn’t help but admit.

“But you still say it. Because that’s who you are. The you I know. You. You. You.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled, showing his teeth.

“It’s not bad to live up to expectations. Living as a good person isn’t that hard either. There are things I gain by maintaining that relationship. I admit it. But you know…”

“…”

Hwang Jung-hoo quietly waited for Kang Jin-ho’s next words. He didn’t know that Kang Jin-ho might be revealing his true feelings to him for the first time.

“I don’t need to be nice to those who mess with me, do I?”

The appearance of the past.

The way Kang Jin-ho looked when he first came to Hwang Jung-hoo was being revealed again.

Hwang Jung-hoo could tell.

This guy.

Nothing had changed.

Adapting to society and the world was just an outward appearance. The nature hidden inside Kang Jin-ho had not changed at all. Rather, it was panting even more sharply and fiercely than before.

“You said it’s a necessity.”

Kang Jin-ho roughly stubbed out his cigarette.

“This isn’t a matter of necessity. It’s a matter of principle. I have never let those who have messed with me go. Do you understand what I mean?”

“…Yes.”

Hwang Jung-hoo quietly closed his eyes.

Kang Jin-ho was raising a monster. And that monster was struggling to break out of Kang Jin-ho even at this moment.

‘I can’t stop him.’

Perhaps Kang Jin-ho was putting in more effort than Hwang Jung-hoo imagined to maintain his current life. To ask such a person to respond to those who attacked him first in the same way as those around him, or to treat it as if it never happened, was too much to ask.

“If that’s the case, then keep this in mind.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Hwang Jung-hoo. Their eyes met in the air.

“If you don’t clearly distinguish between the extraordinary and the ordinary, the extraordinary will one day swallow your ordinary life. If the world you want to stay in is this one, then you must prioritize protecting the boundaries of this world above all else.”

“Is that a piece of advice?”

“Let’s just say it’s a request.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded and said,

“Is it over?”

Before he knew it, Kang Jin-ho had returned to his usual self. Hwang Jung-hoo felt a little empty and replied,

“Yes, it’s over.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Just looking at his current appearance, the way Kang Jin-ho had shown himself a moment ago felt like a mere illusion.

But it was neither an illusion nor a dream.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Come by often. If you keep doing this, I might end up going to you. When you get old, there aren’t many people to talk to. Especially for an old man like me, there are hardly any people to open up to.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“Then next time, let’s go fishing together.”

“That’s a promise.”

“Sure.”

As Kang Jin-ho slowly got up and went outside, Hwang Jung-hoo took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

‘It’s not an easy task.’

It was so hard for the one watching, he couldn’t even imagine how much anguish Kang Jin-ho was living with.

“I hope that pressure doesn’t explode in a bad way.”

He thought he should tell Jo Gyu-min to give him more detailed reports.

“Well…”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled.

“If they have any sense, they wouldn’t mess with him first.”

“No, please put this down…”

“Kyaa! Look at the muscles on his arm! It’s like a lump of iron!”

“No…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the customers grabbing his arm and hanging on him with a distressed expression.

‘Running a business is this hard…’

Who would have known that what he thought would be just selling pizza would turn into this? Moreover, this time, it was like something had exploded properly. Unlike when Lee Eun-young had performed, the number of customers showed no signs of decreasing.

“…Jin-ho, the store next door is saying that the line is blocking their store, so they’re asking you to do something about it…”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to have them stand on the opposite side?”

“We already changed the line because the store on the other side complained.”

“Everything is a problem.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed as he looked at the overflowing hall. It was a problem if business was bad, but it was also a problem if business was too good. The only consolation was that the table turnover had increased thanks to Park Yu-min bringing the kids from the orphanage to work part-time.

“How long is this going to last?”

“…”

There was no way Kang Jin-ho could answer something he didn’t know.

“It’s good that there are a lot of customers, but it’s too chaotic. Can we really keep doing this all day?”

“You’re talking like you’re spoiled!”

Joo Young-gi, who was passing by, said as if he was dumbfounded.

“You and Jin-ho are too young and made money too easily, so you have no concept. When business is good, you should be dancing with joy, but you’re complaining about having too many customers. You guys are unbelievable!”

“Sorry.”

“Yu-min, send one of the kids to make a line on the other side, and Jin-ho, smile when you take pictures with the customers!”

“That’s not easy.”

“Practice in front of a mirror. They’re coming to see you, but they’re also customers who are buying our pizza. You should be grateful.”

“Okay.”

He knew that Joo Young-gi’s words were a hundred, a thousand times right.

He was a little tired of the flood of customers, but it was obvious that someone running a business shouldn’t have this kind of mindset. Kang Jin-ho regained his composure.

Even when closing time came, there was no sign of the customers decreasing. It was only after going over the business hours by an hour that they were able to get all the customers out of the hall.

After finally sending away those who were lined up outside and cleaning up the hall, which was a mess, it was already almost twelve o’clock.

“Ugh, it’s over for today.”

“Yeah…”

The three of them sat down on the chairs as if collapsing, soothing their tired bodies.

“Wow, this is no joke. How can so many customers come at once?”

“They say that drama or whatever is a huge hit.”

“Still.”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Tell them we’re closed. What kind of pizza is it at this hour!”

At Joo Young-gi’s words, Park Yu-min nodded and opened the door.

“We’re closed?”