Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 304

“What brings you to ask to see me?” Cho Kyu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho with a bright smile. He had sought out Kang Jin-ho countless times, but it was rare for Kang Jin-ho to seek him out. While they often met to discuss future plans and schedules, it was the first time Kang Jin-ho had contacted him first, suggesting they grab a meal together. “I just have something I’d like to discuss with you.” Cho Kyu-min smiled as if it didn’t matter. ‘It feels like I’m finally getting some recognition.’ Kang Jin-ho was a man of few words when it came to expressing his emotions. He was also stingy with praise. Serving such a person often led to the thought: ‘Am I really a useful person to him?’ He was working hard, but he often doubted whether all this work was truly necessary for Kang Jin-ho. The Kang Jin-ho he saw was like a superhuman. Even without Cho Kyu-min, Kang Jin-ho’s life wouldn’t be much harder. He might experience some inconvenience, but he was a man who had the strength to sustain his life on his own. Amidst this self-doubt, Kang Jin-ho seeking him out like this was a joy he couldn’t hide. “I don’t think someone with no interest in fine dining would call me out for a meal, would you?” “It wouldn’t be bad to develop such an interest.” “Then I should take you to a fancy place. This feels more exciting than a first date, you know?” “…Please calm down. You’re making me want to go home.” “I apologize.” As soon as he realized he had overdone it, Cho Kyu-min composed himself and changed his expression. “Get in.” “Yes.” Whenever the two met, Cho Kyu-min did the driving. It was an unspoken rule between them. The reason was obvious. ‘I never want to ride in a car that man is driving.’ Cho Kyu-min had almost developed a car phobia while giving Kang Jin-ho driving lessons in the past. He might have improved a bit these days, but as long as he had the strength to hold the steering wheel and the leg power to step on the accelerator, he had no intention of letting him drive. He enjoyed adventure, but he preferred not to risk his life. It would be unfair to die in a car accident, and he absolutely refused to die of a heart attack in the passenger seat. “Did you do well with your driving this time?” “I think so.” “…Really?” “Judging by the fact that no complaints have come in yet, Madam Baek seems satisfied. Eun-young said it was a bit frustrating, though.” “Oh, I see.” At the unexpected answer, Cho Kyu-min added an item to his mental notepad. If Baek Hyun-jung sat in the front passenger seat of Kang Jin-ho’s car, Kang Jin-ho would transform into a model driver. This was information that might be useful someday. “Did you have a good time shopping?” For a moment, Cho Kyu-min felt Kang Jin-ho flinch. “There’s something I don’t understand…” “Yes?” “Why do I have to choose the better black shirt among black shirts, and black shirts, and black shirts?” “…That’s not something you can understand.” It was something you would never understand, even if your whole life passed. Even I don’t understand it. That one sentence was enough to understand how deep and wide a river of hardship Kang Jin-ho had crossed. “Anyway, I’m glad you did well. Does your mother seem to be in a better mood?” Flinch. Cho Kyu-min, noticing Kang Jin-ho’s body tremble slightly again, looked at him with a pitiful expression. “She said… she wished… she could have these times more often…” “…She must have liked it very much.” Cho Kyu-min closed his eyes slightly in mourning before offering his condolences. “The ‘these times’ she mentioned probably doesn’t necessarily mean the department store.” “I guess so?” He could swear that he had known Kang Jin-ho for over five years, but this was the first time he had seen him with such a desperate look. The thought that ‘even that man can make such a puppy-like expression’ made him laugh. ‘How much he must hate it…’ Well, even an ordinary man would find it hard to endure a woman’s shopping, so for someone like Kang Jin-ho, it must feel like going through hell. A man who only knew how to wear clothes his mother bought for him had gone to a place to shop for women’s items, not even his own. “Still, you won’t get scolded if you just silently act as a porter.” “It seems you have experience.” “Usually, everyone has that kind of experience.” At Cho Kyu-min’s relaxed smile, Kang Jin-ho asked. “Was it your girlfriend?” “…My mother.” “Ah…” Kang Jin-ho didn’t say anything more, and Cho Kyu-min turned on the windshield wipers for no reason, then stopped them and wiped his eyes. ‘I thought it was raining.’ “…It will happen.” “I believe so.” Kang Jin-ho smiled without realizing it. In Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, Cho Kyu-min was a very decent man, and he couldn’t understand why he didn’t have a girlfriend. ‘Well.’ You have to look at the sky to pick a star. Cho Kyu-min, who couldn’t even leave work and worked until late every night and didn’t have any hobbies, where would he meet a woman? “We’re here.” While he was wondering if he should find someone to set him up on a blind date, the car entered the parking lot. “It seems we’ve come quite far?” “It’s a place I used to come with the Chairman. The Chairman didn’t seem to like it very much, but I don’t know if it will suit your taste, Mr. Kang Jin-ho.” “Usually, shouldn’t you say, ‘The Chairman liked it’?” “…The Chairman thinks he’ll die if he doesn’t eat, so he ate a few pieces of meat and then got up to go eat a Korean set meal.” “I was thinking of taking him to a pizza place, but I guess not.” “He’ll eat it. And then he’ll go eat a Korean set meal.” He’s Korean, through and through. Kang Jin-ho shook his head. Having lived as a Korean for 40 years and as a Chinese for even longer, Kang Jin-ho didn’t have any particular prejudices about food. Food was just something to eat. “Let’s go up.” “Yes.” Following Cho Kyu-min into the entrance, they were greeted by an employee who had been waiting. “Welcome. Do you have a reservation?” “No. We don’t have a reservation.” “Are there two of you?” “Yes.” “This way, please.” They ordered a simple meal at the table they were led to. “How would you like your steak cooked?” Kang Jin-ho was firm. “Well-done.” “Sir, well-done steak can be a bit tough, is that alright?” “Yes.” Even if the meat was tough, it was still meat. For Kang Jin-ho, who had the jaw strength to chew through tires, it was meaningless. After the employee took their order, Cho Kyu-min asked with a smile. “You like it well-done.” “I don’t want to see blood even in my meat.” It was a normal answer, but because it was Kang Jin-ho who said it… it was a bit chilling. ‘Food is a matter of taste.’ “How is it? Do you like the atmosphere?” “It’s okay, but…” Kang Jin-ho, looking around the slightly antique-looking interior, said with a hint of regret. “You should bring a girlfriend to a place like this, not me.” “…Please continue. I knew you would say that, so I brought some digestive medicine. It’s okay if you get indigestion.” Cho Kyu-min’s soul briefly left his body and then returned to its place. When the food came out, Kang Jin-ho and Cho Kyu-min began to eat lightly. “Let’s talk while we eat. What are you going to use me for this time?” “I have something to ask you.” “Usually, you would ask over the phone, but the fact that you called me here means… the question is a bit sensitive.” “Yes.” Kang Jin-ho smiled as if he was satisfied with Cho Kyu-min, who understood him perfectly without him having to say everything. “It’s about the Chairman.” “The Chairman?” Cho Kyu-min blinked in surprise. ‘It’s not strange, but it is strange.’ It wasn’t particularly strange that Kang Jin-ho was asking about Hwang Jung-hoo. But what was strange was that Kang Jin-ho had never asked about Hwang Jung-hoo first. He had listened to the information Cho Kyu-min had given him, but he had never shown any interest in Hwang Jung-hoo himself. But now? “Are you perhaps interested in Jae-kyung [a large corporation]?” “No.” ‘I knew it.’ Cho Kyu-min nodded at Kang Jin-ho’s firm answer. He had wondered if Kang Jin-ho was interested in Hwang Jung-hoo and perhaps had a desire to inherit Jae-kyung, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Then why was he suddenly interested in Hwang Jung-hoo? “I’m curious about what kind of life he’s living.” “What kind of life…” It was a somewhat vague question. “I am the Chairman’s secretary, but I am in charge of official duties. I am not involved in the Chairman’s private life.” “Hmm…” Kang Jin-ho narrowed his brows as if he had heard an unexpected answer. “Then is there no way to find out?” “There are ways, but the Chairman’s personal secretaries are very tight-lipped, so it won’t be easy to get information.” Cho Kyu-min put his fork down on the table and drank some water. “Instead, if you tell me why you’re asking, I’ll try to find a way. What kind of life are you talking about?” “You know, things like where he sleeps, who he lives with, things like that.” “…Ah, that’s what you meant.” He thought he was asking something big, but it seemed he was just curious about his private life. “That much is easy to find out, but there’s a better way.” “A better way?” “You can just go there yourself.” “Where?” “Where else? To Chairman Hwang’s house.” “…Hmm?” Cho Kyu-min grinned. “If you say you’re going to visit, Mr. Kang Jin-ho, he’ll welcome you with open arms. I haven’t even been able to properly enter the Chairman’s residence, but I think it will be open to you 24 hours a day.” “Hmm.” Kang Jin-ho hummed as if he was pondering, then nodded. “Then please tell him that I’ll visit him sometime.” “Are you serious?” “Yes.” Cho Kyu-min couldn’t help but be puzzled. ‘Why is he suddenly doing this?’ Kang Jin-ho was a person who was completely indifferent to his surroundings. His indifference was so extreme that it sometimes made him seem socially inept. It was strange that such a person was suddenly curious about the life of Chairman Hwang, whom he had never been interested in before. “What’s going on? Is it something you can’t tell me?” “What do you mean?” “May I ask why you’re suddenly interested in the Chairman’s private life?” Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly. It wasn’t something he was uncomfortable talking about. It was okay to tell him this much. “Actually…” Kang Jin-ho quietly explained what had happened at the department store. After listening to Kang Jin-ho’s explanation, Cho Kyu-min’s expression hardened completely.