Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 266

“Oh my, boss. You’re here?” Kang Jin-ho’s cheeks twitched. The sheer amount of annoyance that human could convey with their eyes was truly a talent. With an exaggerated expression, Joo Young-gi bowed deeply. “While you were gone, we worked hard to make sure the store didn’t go under.” “…Sorry.” “Hey, what are you talking about? If the boss isn’t here, the employees have to work harder to make up for the sales. If this store can’t run without you, then we’re the ones at fault, aren’t we?” At that moment, Park Yu-min spoke to Kang Jin-ho, looking very apologetic. “Sorry, Jin-ho. Young-gi and I and the others tried our best, but the sales dropped by half when you weren’t here. We tried to do well, but…” Seeing the dejected Park Yu-min, a pang of conscience, which had been stirring deep within Kang Jin-ho’s heart, began to prick him. “Next time, I’ll definitely let you know before I take time off.” He needed a day to sort out his surging emotions. He had called ahead to say he would be taking a day off, but it seemed Joo Young-gi was not happy that Kang Jin-ho had suddenly disappeared. It wasn’t something he couldn’t understand. This store was Kang Jin-ho’s, and Park Yu-min and Joo Young-gi were just there to help him. So, if Kang Jin-ho just took off like this, they wouldn’t be in a good mood. The fact that they were treating him half-jokingly instead of being serious was actually something to be grateful for. “Well, whatever.” Joo Young-gi grumbled. “I know what the problem is now. The priority is to make sure the store can run well even when you’re not here.” “Problem?” “Look.” Kang Jin-ho followed Joo Young-gi, who was heading to the kitchen. Then, he stared at the kitchen with a dumbfounded expression. “What is all this?” “Pasta noodles.” “Huh?” Joo Young-gi gave a thumbs up. “Choi Yeon-ha said that the reason our store isn’t doing well is because we only have pizza on the menu. She told us to try making pasta, so we added it to the menu.” “…Isn’t there usually a process to things?” Wasn’t it crazy for beginners to start making fresh pasta as soon as they decided to make it? “If we’re going to do it, we have to do it right!” “Just…” “Huh?” “Wouldn’t it be easier to just hire a kitchen staff member to make pasta and other things?” For a moment, Joo Young-gi’s face went blank. “Hi, hire someone?” “If you come in here to make pasta, what about the hall?” “Ah…” Kang Jin-ho sighed as Joo Young-gi looked like he hadn’t thought of that. ‘No wonder they were hoping the store would do well, that’s just wishful thinking.’ “Okay, let’s put the pasta on hold for now. There are a lot of customers waiting outside, so let’s get ready to open for business.” “Okay, got it.” Kang Jin-ho nodded and went inside to change his clothes. The dough had been prepared and aged yesterday, so all they needed to do was prepare the toppings. Looking at the people filling the hall as soon as the doors opened, he couldn’t help but smile. ‘It’s better to be doing well than not.’ When there were no customers, it was quiet and there was a lot of time, but it felt uneasy. Now that there were a lot of customers, it was busy, but he felt at ease. Kang Jin-ho was feeling a sense of incongruity. He had done something so big last night, and yet today he was making pizza so calmly. It felt somewhat absurd. Was his hidden life really there to support his visible life, or was he seeking out his hidden life to fulfill desires he couldn’t satisfy in his visible life? “What are you doing? An order came in.” “Okay.” Kang Jin-ho took the order slip and stood in front of the oven. ‘I don’t know.’ It was something he couldn’t know yet. Kang Jin-ho pushed the dough into the oven as if shaking off the thoughts that were stirring in his mind. “…It was chaotic.” “It’s definitely different when Jin-ho is here. I was surprised.” Joo Young-gi and Park Yu-min were exhausted and slumped over. The children from the orphanage who had been serving in the hall were all sent back before it got too late. It was almost midnight when all the customers had left, and it was well past midnight after they finished cleaning up. “It’s good to make money, but if we keep doing this, our bodies won’t be able to handle it.” “I know, but…” Park Yu-min sighed. If there were a moderate number of customers, they could cut it off, but at night, more customers kept coming, so even though they had set the closing time at 10:30, there were still many customers waiting. They couldn’t just tell them all to go home, so they kept taking a few more, and it ended up like this. “Where’s Jin-ho?” “Looks like he’s dead?” Joo Young-gi chuckled as he looked at Kang Jin-ho, who was lying down on a chair in the corner. “That shy guy must have taken at least two hundred photos today. It would be weirder if he was in his right mind.” “True.” “And that guy is really weird too. It’s not like it’s the first time today, he’s been doing this for days, how can he not adapt?” “Yeah.” Joo Young-gi chuckled. ‘Still, Kang Jin-ho is still Kang Jin-ho.’ When Kang Jin-ho first said he was opening a store, he wondered why a guy with so much money would do such a thing. He was also a bit jealous that a guy who didn’t need to make money was opening a store, and he didn’t think he would put much effort into it. But now, looking at Kang Jin-ho’s state, he realized that all those thoughts were just worries. That idiot, who has nothing but his physical strength, is exhausted and lying down, dealing with people and forcing himself to take pictures, all because he wants the store to do well. “There are people who slack off when they should be working hard, and there are people who pour their heart and soul into things that don’t need it.” “Huh?” “That guy.” Joo Young-gi pointed at Kang Jin-ho, and Park Yu-min nodded as if he understood. He also knew that this pizza store wasn’t that important to Kang Jin-ho. But seeing him work so hard that he was exhausted, it seemed that there were people who didn’t have the concept of working half-heartedly in their minds. “But… how long are customers going to keep coming like this?” “Why? Do you hate it because there are too many?” “A store that hates having a lot of customers deserves to go out of business. I’m not worried about having a lot of customers, I’m worried that all these customers will suddenly disappear. After listening to Choi Yeon-ha, I realized that we should have gone out of business a long time ago.” “It’ll probably continue for a while.” “Why?” “They’re replaying the first episode of the drama like crazy.” “There’s a battle going on at the orphanage right now. I never knew they were so crazy about part-time jobs.” Come to think of it, all the kids who came to serve today seemed to be girls. “I’ve seen them since they were little kids, but seeing them act like that, the media must be amazing. Isn’t it funny? They get hearts in their eyes just because someone they see every day appeared in a drama.” “…Funny, my foot.” Joo Young-gi shook his head. “So, you’re saying that we’ll keep getting this many customers for a while?” “It’ll probably decrease a bit. Jin-ho said he doesn’t plan to appear in it again. Unless he appears in the drama again, it probably won’t increase any more. It’ll gradually decrease.” “Hmm.” Joo Young-gi scratched his chin. “Then we need to find someone to make pasta before the customers drop off and get the store back to normal.” “Should we put out a job ad right away?” “Let’s hold off for now.” “Why?” Joo Young-gi looked at Park Yu-min as if he didn’t know. “If we add pasta to the current table turnover, the turnover rate will drop by half. Even if we bring in a top chef from Italy, they won’t be able to keep up with Jin-ho’s pizza-making speed.” “…I didn’t know that a top chef was determined by how fast they could stir-fry pasta, but I understand what you mean.” Joo Young-gi nodded and went to Kang Jin-ho, shaking his shoulder. “Get up, you!” “Ugh…” “Let’s go home, let’s go home.” “Okay.” Joo Young-gi burst out laughing as he saw Kang Jin-ho getting up with half his face still asleep. Kang Jin-ho, who had destroyed instructors at the training camp and had gone through the winter training, breaking ice and showering in cold water. Kang Jin-ho, who didn’t even bat an eye while going through that hellish training in the military, was now completely exhausted and groggy from taking a few photos. “You’re human after all?” “Huh?” “No, never mind. Get up, you.” Kang Jin-ho got up with a disheveled face, and Joo Young-gi patted him on the back to wake him up. “Let’s go home.” “…What about tomorrow’s preparations?” “We’ve done it all.” Park Yu-min smiled and pointed to the changing room as Kang Jin-ho staggered to his feet. “Jin-ho, you should change your clothes before you go.” “Okay.” Park Yu-min pushed Kang Jin-ho into the changing room, turned off the lights, and cleaned up the store. ‘Come to think of it, it’s already this late?’ He had been so busy since the opening that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Now that he thought about it, it had already been almost a month since they opened. At this rate, winter would come again soon, and it would be next year. ‘Jin-ho has to go back to school then…’ Although the store had started as a contract, seeing the passion Kang Jin-ho was pouring into it now, it didn’t seem like he would completely abandon the store even if he went back to school. “He’ll figure it out.” Park Yu-min smiled quietly. Whether he ran the store or not, his friend would make the right decision and do well. Just like the Kang Jin-ho he had been watching so far. Kang Jin-ho shook his head. ‘I feel dazed.’ The fatigue didn’t go away easily. In the past, he wouldn’t have been this tired just from using his body once, but the current Kang Jin-ho was not the former Cheonma Demon Lord [Heavenly Demon Lord, a title often associated with powerful martial artists in fantasy settings]. The fatigue was too great to be called the price of not properly taking that into account. ‘It doesn’t feel like it’s just because I used my strength?’ If not, maybe Kang Jin-ho’s mind was feeling fatigued from the massacre he had committed after a long time. It was both strange and natural. The Cheonma Demon Lord wouldn’t feel fatigued from that kind of thing, but it would be stranger if Kang Jin-ho wasn’t shocked by it. They were all Kang Jin-ho, but sometimes it felt like two minds were coexisting in his body. Kang Jin-ho rubbed his face a few times and raised his head. Then, Kang Jin-ho noticed. A man was watching him from a distance. A man with a short, sporty haircut and a suit. He looked like a gangster because of his build, but the dignity emanating from the man’s body made it impossible to think that. The man smiled as their eyes met and approached Kang Jin-ho. His slow pace conveyed his intention not to disturb Kang Jin-ho’s nerves. The man, who had come right in front of Kang Jin-ho, slightly rolled up one sleeve and extended his hand. With his hand extended, the man raised his head and looked straight into Kang Jin-ho’s eyes and opened his mouth. “It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Bang Jin-hoon.” A smile spread across Kang Jin-ho’s face.