Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 277

“Haa…”

Kang Jin-ho was enjoying a rare moment of rest.

‘I’ve been too out of it lately.’

Now that regular days off were firmly in place, he could rest one day a week. Physically, he didn’t feel particularly tired, but the problem was that he spent too much time at the restaurant, leaving him unable to do anything personal.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had come to his father’s cafe and tasted the coffee his father had made.

Kang Jin-ho realized that this comfortable time was ‘a comfort in its own way’ for him.

‘Maybe I’ve gotten a little soft?’

In the past, he hadn’t felt tired even while breaking through the Heavenly Net set by the masters of the righteous sects [a fictional martial arts term referring to a coordinated attack]. Kang Jin-ho was the kind of person who, even in the midst of a desperate escape without a single drop of water or a blink of an eye for three days and nights, felt ‘danger’ but never ‘tired.’

But now, he was feeling tired from just this.

‘It’s natural, I guess.’

Humans get tired when they work, and when they’re tired, they need to rest. His life in the Central Plains [a common setting in martial arts novels, often referring to a fictional ancient China] was a time of suppressing and ignoring that natural principle.

But did he have to live that kind of life even here?

No.

Kang Jin-ho savored the scent of coffee rising to his nose and quietly stirred his spoon.

‘How did I live without coffee?’

The fact that he couldn’t drink coffee was reason enough to deny his life back then.

“Is it good?”

“Yes.”

His father, who had approached unnoticed, sat across from Kang Jin-ho.

“How’s the restaurant going?”

“It’s difficult, I think.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

“It’s different from here.”

“That’s right.”

“Why is it different?”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-hwan seemed to ponder for a moment before smiling gently.

“What’s different? If there’s anything different… it’s that this is my place, and that’s your place.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s what responsibility is like. Here, even if you cause a problem, there’s someone to take care of it, but there, you have to handle everything yourself, so you’re more worried.”

That might be true.

His friends helped, but in the end, it was Kang Jin-ho himself who made the final decisions. He had to bear that responsibility.

‘How absurd.’

It was strange when he thought about it.

Kang Jin-ho was the leader of the Demonic Cult [a common antagonist group in martial arts novels], with tens of thousands of followers. But in those days, he had never felt a sense of responsibility or pressure.

Kang Jin-ho had thought of himself as someone who didn’t feel such things.

But now, he was feeling responsibility and pressure even while running a small restaurant with only three, no, four employees.

‘My capacity was this small.’ It was ridiculous.

He could understand why so many people had opposed him becoming the leader of the Demonic Cult. Of course, he had become the leader not because he wanted to, but because he had followed Cheongma’s advice that becoming the leader was the only way to survive.

It was only natural that they would oppose such a small man taking the position of leader, responsible for the lives of so many people.

At the time, he had thought they were wary of him because he had joined the cult to survive, but now, looking back, he realized that might not have been the only reason.

‘No faith, no responsibility, no plan.’

When he thought about it, there was no one less suited to be the leader than Kang Jin-ho. That was probably why it ended the way it did.

“Foolishly…”

“Huh?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Kang Jin-hwan stared at Kang Jin-ho quietly.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes, Father.”

“That’s what responsibility is. It might seem like nothing, but the fact that things won’t work without you is quite a burden.”

“Yes.”

“Everyone lives with burdens, big and small. But just because the burden is big doesn’t mean you should ignore the responsibility you have to bear.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“What would have happened if I had abandoned my responsibility? Your mother would have suffered twice as much, right?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled quietly.

His father was not the kind of person to abandon his responsibilities. In his previous life, even as the family’s situation became increasingly difficult, his father had reduced his sleeping hours to work and try to ensure that his children lived as well as anyone else.

“So you shouldn’t ignore your responsibilities either. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then, tell me about it.”

“Yes?”

His father raised his hand and pointed out the window.

When Kang Jin-ho turned his head, he saw Lee Hyun-joo standing in a spot that was not visible from where he was sitting.

“She’s been fidgeting since a while ago. Is she someone you know?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t get into trouble, did you?”

“Father!”

Kang Jin-hwan chuckled.

“Well, you can get into a little trouble. I also want to see my grandchildren early. My son is handsome, rich, and well-educated. Who would say anything if he got married early?”

“…It’s not like that.”

“Okay, I know it’s not like that…”

Kang Jin-hwan’s voice became a little more serious.

“Whatever it is, it’s not a good look for a grown woman to be acting like that because of a man, right?”

“If you’re going to draw a line, draw it clearly, or listen to her properly. That’s what’s best for her.”

“Yes.”

It was a statement that accurately pinpointed the core issue, despite being made by someone who knew nothing about the situation.

Kang Jin-ho took a sip of the still slightly warm coffee and got up from his seat.

“What’s the matter?”

When Kang Jin-ho came out of the cafe, Lee Hyun-joo looked a little flustered. To be more precise, she looked anxious, as if she wasn’t quite ready to face Kang Jin-ho.

‘Those eyes.’

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his brow slightly.

Those eyes, glancing around like a child being scolded by their mother, were burdensome.

‘It’s not burdensome.’

He hated it.

It reminded him of the past.

In the Central Plains, everyone had looked at Kang Jin-ho with those eyes. Enemies, allies, even the followers who believed in him as their leader, couldn’t hide the anxiety in their eyes.

‘It’s my own fault.’

Lee Hyun-joo had witnessed Kang Jin-ho killing more than twenty people with her own eyes. He understood that no matter how hard she tried to appear calm, she couldn’t.

Feeling displeasure at that reaction was proof that Kang Jin-ho was still a self-centered person.

“Um…”

Lee Hyun-joo said, looking at Kang Jin-ho with anxious eyes.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Do we have anything more to talk about?”

“…Yes, we do. There’s something I want to ask of you.”

“A request…”

Kang Jin-ho felt displeased. Why did he have to listen to this woman’s request again? But if he sent her away like this, it would be as his father had said.

It was best for all relationships to be clear.

A relationship where one side vaguely held onto hope was bound to become toxic.

“Let’s hear it.”

Kang Jin-ho pointed towards the cafe.

Kang Jin-ho, who had entered the cafe’s pantry, handed Lee Hyun-joo the coffee he had received from his father.

“Ah, thank you…”

Lee Hyun-joo looked a little calmer now. Just a moment ago, she had looked like a puppy thrown in front of a beast, but as soon as she entered the cafe, she looked somewhat relieved.

Was it because she thought he wouldn’t harm her in front of his father’s watchful eyes?

Or was it because Kang Jin-ho had given her a chance to talk?

Either way, the fact that Lee Hyun-joo had regained her composure was welcome. After all, it would be difficult to continue the conversation if she was still trembling like before.

“What is this request?”

Lee Hyun-joo took a sip of her coffee and quietly looked at Kang Jin-ho. Then, she suddenly started to shed tears from both eyes.

“Uh…”

Kang Jin-ho was taken aback.

Why was this woman suddenly crying!

The amount of tears flowing seemed similar to when someone was sobbing, but she was crying silently… it looked bizarre and pathetic at the same time.

“Why, why are you crying?”

“Please save me…”

“Yes?”

Who said they were going to kill her?

“What are you talking about?”

“Please save my grandfather, Kang Jin-ho.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a hollow laugh.

“Who kidnapped him this time?”

“No… it’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“Hey.”

As Kang Jin-ho’s words became curt, Lee Hyun-joo’s body trembled. Perhaps because she knew too well what that tone implied, she couldn’t control her trembling body.

“No, no. Wait a minute.”

Kang Jin-ho, flustered by her overly dramatic reaction, tried to calm Lee Hyun-joo down.

“Calm down, first. Calm down.”

“…Yes.”

Looking at Lee Hyun-joo, who was hiccuping, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but sigh. The confident appearance she had when they first met, which had been so absurd that Kang Jin-ho had been infuriated, was nowhere to be found now.

“Do you think I’m the kind of person who kills anyone I catch?”

“…No.”

“I don’t kill without a reason. And even if there is a reason, I don’t kill if it has nothing to do with me. Got it?”

“What if there is a connection?”

Lee Hyun-joo looked at Kang Jin-ho with slightly trembling, yet unwavering eyes.

“Is there any reason for there to be a connection?”

“…”

“You’re supporting Director Bang Jin-hoon, aren’t you?”

He hesitated for a moment whether to answer, but it didn’t seem necessary. It seemed like she already knew.

“Director Bang Jin-hoon is trying to usurp my grandfather’s position. By force. Now that the assassination has failed, he’ll try to take my grandfather’s life openly.”

“Hmm…”

“If you help him, the result is obvious. My grandfather will die, and Director Bang Jin-hoon will become the new head of the company.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It was also his intention to make Bang Jin-hoon the head of the company.

So it would happen. Definitely.

“Can’t you save him?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho slowly tilted his head back.

Of course, he understood her intention in coming here to talk. He understood her feelings too. But…

“You’ve taken me too lightly.”

A smile began to form on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“K-Kang Jin-ho.”

“Did you think that if you came here without a plan and asked me, I would listen? Did you think that if you cried and sobbed, I would soften my heart? Like last time?”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

“That habit of trying to play with people is still the same.”

Kang Jin-ho’s hand reached out and tapped Lee Hyun-joo’s forehead.

“Listen carefully. If you wanted to resolve this situation, you should have gone to your grandfather, not me. Then, you should have told him to immediately resign from his position as head of the company. Right?”

“But you didn’t do that and came to me. Why is that? Because your grandfather wouldn’t listen?”

“…Yes.”

“Then…”

Kang Jin-ho slowly brought his face closer to Lee Hyun-joo’s.

“Do I seem like someone who would listen?”

Lee Hyun-joo couldn’t answer.

She knew that something was going terribly wrong, but she didn’t know where to start to turn the situation around.

“Listen carefully. Go and tell him exactly what I said.”

“Tell him to give up his position as head of the company and get lost if he wants to live. He’s had his fill, hasn’t he? So if he wants to save his life, he should disappear from my sight right now. Do you understand?”

Lee Hyun-joo nodded frantically.

“And you remember this too.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled gently, very gently.

“I’m only forgiving you for trying to play with people this time. If something like this happens again, you’ll never be able to speak again. Understand?”

Violently.

Her head nodded very violently.

“Good girl.”

Kang Jin-ho’s low laughter began to flow out.

“Go. Go and tell him. Tell him to run away immediately. Tell him to run away from me. If not, tell him to do everything he can to stop me. Then at least he’ll have a less unfair death.”

Hiccup.

Lee Hyun-joo’s body trembled like an aspen tree.

“Now, go. Hurry.”

Watching Lee Hyun-joo run out as if fleeing, Kang Jin-ho quietly pressed his face. He couldn’t show this face to his father.

‘It’s starting.’

Now the declaration of war was over.

The time for the hunt was approaching.

The mask he had carefully crafted was slowly, very slowly, falling away.