Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 278

Bang Jin-hoon slowly closed his eyes.

Low, majestic classical music flowed from the record player in his office. Immersed in the melody, Bang Jin-hoon fell into deep thought.

‘Is this the right thing to do?’

It’s said that humans get three chances in life.

Bang Jin-hoon was certain that this was one of those chances.

The problem was that the one offering this chance was a devil.

Bang Jin-hoon shuddered, recalling Kang Jin-ho’s gaze.

‘He’s not human.’

Not human.

It wasn’t that he was a different species biologically. It was that he wore the guise of a human, looked like a human, but was something other than human.

His way of thinking was completely different from that of ordinary humans.

It was obvious what would happen to a human who made a deal with a devil. Bang Jin-hoon had seen ‘enough’ of what happened to those who made deals with devil-like humans, not actual devils.

But what about him, making a direct deal with a devil?

“Haa…”

A low sigh escaped him.

It was a fait accompli [an accomplished fact; something that is irreversible].

There was no turning back now. The time to calculate losses and consider whether to back out was long gone. Now, he had no choice but to move as the devil who had grabbed him by the neck led him.

Bang Jin-hoon shuddered at the thought of Kang Jin-ho.

‘Where on earth did such a person come from?’

He knew.

Returnees were people who appeared out of nowhere like that. Suddenly, a person would change. And they would display unheard-of skills and abilities, as if they had regained their memories from a past life.

Those were the returnees.

It was almost natural that they couldn’t adapt to the human world. The General Assembly had even eliminated some returnees who had caused trouble in society.

However, most returnees chose to blend into the shadows rather than overturn society. That was Bang Jin-hoon’s general image of returnees.

But….

Kang Jin-ho was different.

No other returnee was like him.

‘What kind of life did he live in the past?’

He didn’t know, but he must have been at least a king of some country. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the natural authority that emanated from him.

It wasn’t just about having high martial power that could pressure people. If it were just about power, Bang Jin-hoon wouldn’t have been so utterly defeated.

Aggression and authority.

What did the world call someone who possessed both?

‘A tyrant, I guess.’

Bang Jin-hoon smiled bitterly, having finally found a word to describe Kang Jin-ho.

If Kang Jin-ho was a tyrant, what was he?

Perhaps a subordinate who had to worry about when his head would be chopped off under a tyrant?

“I’m in a fine mess.”

Well, it didn’t matter.

What did it matter if the person he had to serve was a tyrant?

Most of those who were considered wise rulers in history were tyrants. If they had the ability, they became wise rulers, and if they didn’t, they remained just tyrants.

And it was his job to make a tyrant into a capable wise ruler.

‘To organize the chaos.’

The infighting on this small piece of land had gone on for too long.

Even though China was a land of martial artists, the martial artists of the Korean peninsula were rated even lower than those of Japan.

Even with such a low rating, instead of uniting and improving their skills, they had been dividing into factions and fighting for over half a century.

The time had come to unite the martial artists of this land.

And Bang Jin-hoon would be at the forefront of that.

“If necessary, I’ll even borrow the devil’s hand.”

Even if that hand was currently gripping his throat.

As Bang Jin-hoon closed his eyes, listening to the majestic classical music, an unfamiliar sound mixed in with it.

Bang Jin-hoon opened his eyes and picked up his phone, his face hardening.

“Haa.”

Bang Jin-hoon took a deep breath and calmly answered the phone.

“Yes, this is Bang Jin-hoon.”

“What is this….”

Bang Jin-hoon stared at the building with a bewildered expression.

Looking at the towering building that seemed to reach the sky, he wondered what he was doing here.

Okay, it was fine to meet. If they wanted to meet, what could he say?

But why was the meeting place the secretary’s office of the mighty Jae-kyung Group?

“…What the hell is he?”

He thought he had done a decent investigation into Kang Jin-ho. Chun Tae-hoon had returned utterly defeated, so he wasn’t stupid enough to meet without investigating the opponent.

But Jae-kyung?

He couldn’t figure out why Kang Jin-ho was connected to Jae-kyung.

Of course, he knew that Kang Jin-ho was wealthy. There was no way someone who had been driving a foreign sports car until recently would be broke.

But since there were no poor martial artists, he hadn’t paid much attention to that fact. But now, suddenly, Jae-kyung?

“It can’t be.”

For a moment, Bang Jin-hoon wondered if Kang Jin-ho was related to the Jae-kyung Group, but he shook his head. He had already finished investigating Kang Jin-ho’s family relations. But there was no connection to Jae-kyung anywhere.

Feeling like he was possessed, Bang Jin-hoon stared at Jae-kyung’s headquarters with a dazed expression and walked into the building.

The guards who saw him coming slowly closed the distance.

“Tsk.”

It wasn’t a pleasant situation, but he had to accept it. To the outside world, Bang Jin-hoon looked like a tough, burly man.

‘They say guys like me are popular these days for being cute on TV.’

The level of intimidation was different when seeing someone in person versus on a screen, so he couldn’t blame them for their reaction.

Besides, it was almost midnight, so it was strange for a visitor to come.

“What brings you here?”

Bang Jin-hoon smiled wryly at the guards who approached him as if they were checking for drug possession.

“I have an appointment with the secretary’s office.”

At that moment, the guard’s eyes lit up.

“Are you Mr. Bang Jin-hoon?”

“Yes.”

“My apologies. Please come this way.”

Watching the guards instantly drop their guard and start guiding him, Bang Jin-hoon realized a few more things.

First, the person he was supposed to meet here was more powerful than he had thought. And that person had somehow established a partnership with Kang Jin-ho.

Considering Kang Jin-ho’s personality, he wouldn’t acknowledge someone equal to him.

‘Is he a lackey?’

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

He felt a little relieved to think that there was someone else in a similar position as him here.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Cho Kyu-min.”

‘What is this?’

Bang Jin-hoon frowned at the man who came to greet him.

A neat face and a suit that fit perfectly. Anyone could tell that he had nothing to do with this world.

Martial artists who had to move their bodies dynamically tended not to prefer tight-fitting suits. Even if they had to wear a suit, they preferred loose-fitting ones, and those who considered themselves fashionable tended not to wear suits at all.

‘He doesn’t look like he’s trained in martial arts at all.’

Just as Bang Jin-hoon was about to open his mouth, after staring at Cho Kyu-min, Cho Kyu-min spoke first.

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho is waiting for you. Please come inside.”

“…Yes.”

As soon as Kang Jin-ho’s name was mentioned, Bang Jin-hoon’s body tensed up.

‘Damn it.’

To be like this just from hearing his name.

Bang Jin-hoon clenched his trembling hands tightly to calm himself. It was the first time since that day. Seeing Kang Jin-ho, that is.

Fear had a strange aspect to it.

When you were actually experiencing it, the feeling wasn’t that strong, but as time passed, it would gradually grow within you. Bang Jin-hoon’s situation was exactly like that.

The thought of facing Kang Jin-ho again was causing his body to malfunction. His legs and hands were trembling, and he felt nauseous.

Bang Jin-hoon bit his lip to steady his shaking body and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

“This way.”

Cho Kyu-min smiled lightly and led Bang Jin-hoon inside.

The first thing he saw when the door opened was a large sofa. Kang Jin-ho was sitting on one side of the sofa, drinking coffee.

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho, I’ve brought Mr. Bang Jin-hoon.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Bang Jin-hoon.

Bang Jin-hoon’s body slightly trembled as his eyes met Kang Jin-ho’s. But the shock wasn’t as great as he had expected.

‘What is this?’

Kang Jin-ho’s expression was gentle. It was clearly different from the expression that was so strongly etched in his mind.

‘That’s right.’

Come to think of it, Kang Jin-ho was originally a person who lived with that kind of expression. The image Kang Jin-ho had shown him at the cafe was so intense that the image of Kang Jin-ho before that had become a little blurry. But seeing his current appearance, he remembered what Kang Jin-ho usually looked like.

At the same time, goosebumps rose on his skin.

There were countless people in the world who were different on the inside than on the outside, but it would be impossible to find someone with such a severe case of dual personality.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Ah… yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded and sat down as Kang Jin-ho pointed to the opposite side.

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho said, looking at Cho Kyu-min.

“Could you get me a cup of coffee?”

“Of course. I’ll make it myself.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

“It’s drinkable.”

Cho Kyu-min staggered as if he had been shocked.

“I, isn’t it good? I made it with care… You drank a lot of the coffee I made when you were in school, Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

“My father was just too…”

Cho Kyu-min looked dejected.

‘You can’t compare it to that.’

Wasn’t Kang Jin-ho’s father someone who roasted his own beans? How could he compare the coffee that Cho Kyu-min made to the coffee made by a professional barista?

Cho Kyu-min poured the coffee with a dejected expression and placed it in front of Bang Jin-hoon.

“Here’s a drinkable coffee.”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded with a reluctant expression.

“T, thank you.”

He was having trouble adjusting to the atmosphere. The image of Kang Jin-ho that he had in his mind was so different from the image of Kang Jin-ho joking around with Cho Kyu-min that his mind was in chaos.

‘I need to get used to it.’

If Kang Jin-ho usually lived like this, then Bang Jin-hoon had to get used to this side of him. That was Bang Jin-hoon’s mission, to work with Kang Jin-ho in the future.

“What’s the matter?”

Bang Jin-hoon asked without even glancing at the coffee he had been given. Kang Jin-ho then silently pointed at the coffee.

After Bang Jin-hoon took a sip of the coffee, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.

“It’s nothing much. I called you to ask if the preparations were complete. And also to get to know your face.”

Get to know his face?

There was no reason for Kang Jin-ho to get to know his face. They had already established their relationship.

Then?

Bang Jin-hoon looked at Cho Kyu-min with a hardened expression. This neatly dressed man was more important than he had thought.

Cho Kyu-min, who received Bang Jin-hoon’s gaze, smiled and said,

“I look forward to working with you.”

“…Likewise.”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Kang Jin-ho began to get to the point.