Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 345

After passing through a hallway that was both lavish and simple, Kang Jin-ho arrived at Choi Yeon-ha’s hospital room.

Kang Jin-ho reached for the door handle, but finding it locked, he sighed.

‘If it’s going to be like this, why even put a door here?’

Even private rooms have good locks, so he couldn’t understand why they were checking people at the hospital ward.

Privacy was important, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit negative, thinking it was all just to satisfy people’s vanity.

Just as he was about to ring the bell, a nurse rushed towards him.

“Wait, just a moment, sir.”

“Yes?”

“The patient is currently sleeping.”

“Okay.”

“Normally, we would have to ask the patient for permission before opening the door, but the patient specifically asked us to let you in if you came, Mr. Kang Jin-ho. So, I’ll open the door for you.”

“Ah, okay.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded, and the nurse opened the door with a card key. Kang Jin-ho bowed slightly and stepped inside, and the door closed softly behind him.

“……”

The room was excessively large for one person.

Choi Yeon-ha was lying on a bed that didn’t look like it belonged to a patient, set up on one side of the room. As Kang Jin-ho quietly approached, Choi Yeon-ha’s eyelids fluttered.

Choi Yeon-ha opened her eyes and looked at Kang Jin-ho, a soft smile playing on her lips.

“I can see you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your face.”

“……Huh?”

“I couldn’t see your face well in there. So, even though I was talking, I kept thinking, ‘Is this person really here with me?’ Even though I could feel you, it was strange. I think people become a bit strange in there.”

“Ah.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if he understood.

Indeed, for an ordinary person to feel the presence of another person in that darkness, relying only on warmth and touch, it might have been a terrifying experience.

“But seeing you in this light, I think I realize something new.”

“What is it?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled lightly.

Looking at that smile, Kang Jin-ho thought for the first time that Choi Yeon-ha was beautiful.

It was natural that her absolute beauty was diminished, as she couldn’t put on makeup or groom herself as she usually did. Choi Yeon-ha, who was always meticulous about her appearance, had a pale face, messy hair, and her lips were chapped with wounds that hadn’t fully healed, making her look a bit disheveled.

Yet, her smile now was the most beautiful he had ever seen on Choi Yeon-ha.

Because it felt completely genuine.

Her smile, which she always had to wear due to her profession, naturally had something that made her present herself in a certain way, without her even being conscious of it. But now, for the first time, that had disappeared from Choi Yeon-ha’s face.

“You know, seeing you like this, you’re more handsome than I thought.”

Kang Jin-ho gave a wry smile.

He wasn’t embarrassed by the compliment, but rather by the fact that they had both had the same thought at the same time, which made him feel awkward.

“How’s your body?”

“Just a moment.”

Choi Yeon-ha sat up. Kang Jin-ho tried to help her, but Choi Yeon-ha held out her hand to stop him and sat up against the backrest on her own.

“Don’t treat me like I’m in critical condition. Anyone would think I have a terminal illness. I’m just a little dizzy.”

“Yes.”

“The doctor said my body is fine. He said I can be discharged soon if I eat well and sleep well, so you don’t have to worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

Did they not mention the mental aspect?

He wondered for a moment whether it was right to tell the patient or whether it was better to refrain from mentioning it to reduce the patient’s anxiety. He also wondered how much he should say.

“My body is fine, but I’m still a bit anxious. When the lights go out at night, I get so anxious that I sleep with them on.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed and lowered his head towards Choi Yeon-ha.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes?”

“I have nothing else to say but sorry for getting you caught up in this.”

“No. It happened because I asked to go that way. I should be the one apologizing.”

“No, it’s not.”

Kang Jin-ho said firmly.

“That incident has nothing to do with you, Choi Yeon-ha. Even if you hadn’t gone that way, something similar would have happened. It’s not that I got into an accident because of you, but that you happened to be by my side and experienced that.”

“Yes?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with a puzzled expression.

Kang Jin-ho pondered how much he should explain, then decided to reveal everything he could. It wasn’t right to hide or gloss over things from the person who had been in the accident.

“I was the target.”

“You were the target?”

“Yes. It wasn’t an accident; they made it happen. I was the target. You just got caught up in it. So, you don’t need to feel guilty. I should be the one feeling guilty.”

Kang Jin-ho bowed his head once more.

“I’m truly sorry for getting you involved in this. I will repay this debt without fail.”

“Ah, no.”

Choi Yeon-ha waved her hands in a fluster.

“Please don’t.”

“Because you were harmed because of me…”

“No! That’s not it!”

Choi Yeon-ha’s face turned red. She didn’t seem embarrassed or flustered, but rather a bit angry.

“Don’t talk as if you dragged an unrelated third party into this.”

“Yes?”

Choi Yeon-ha turned her head slightly, avoiding Kang Jin-ho’s eyes. An awkward silence fell between the bewildered Kang Jin-ho and the silent Choi Yeon-ha.

Choi Yeon-ha was the first to break the silence.

“I don’t know what happened, or how it happened, but please stop saying sorry. If I had to go through that because I was by your side, then it’s also my fault for going to your side.”

“No, that’s…”

“So, don’t try to scare me by saying that I’ll experience something similar if I stay by your side. It’s not like I’m going to leave because of that.”

“I never said you should leave.”

“Really?”

Choi Yeon-ha met Kang Jin-ho’s gaze with a sharp look.

“I’m just a little worried that it might be dangerous.”

“That’s my decision to make.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly. He hadn’t meant it that way, but it felt like his words had been misinterpreted.

Or maybe Choi Yeon-ha was just a bit on edge right now.

‘It’s understandable.’

After going through something like that, it would be stranger if she wasn’t on edge. It was something that even Kang Jin-ho should have felt terrified by.

“I understand roughly. So, you’re saying it wasn’t my fault, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s good.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly.

“Ah, that’s a relief. I thought I had done something wrong and was wondering how I could face you, Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

Looking at Choi Yeon-ha suddenly becoming cheerful, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but seriously wonder if he had done something wrong.

“You said you would repay the debt, right?”

“……Yes.”

“You really meant it, right?”

“……Yes.”

This was going wrong. Kang Jin-ho realized once again that the people around him had abnormally strong mental fortitude.

If he had said these things to a normal person, they would have realized that it was dangerous to be by his side and would have left on their own.

But Choi Yeon-ha was expressing her joy that it was not her fault and that everything was fine now. He didn’t know why it was connected that way, though.

“Then… could you come at night?”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened.

“A-at night?”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeon-ha looked like she was about to cry.

“I don’t want to, but I keep feeling strange at night. I can’t ask a nurse to stay inside with me, and if I call my mom, she might faint if she sees me in the hospital. And explaining why this happened is also a bit…”

“She probably would.”

Even Kang Jin-ho had struggled to explain things, so how much more would it be for Choi Yeon-ha?

“So, I can’t sleep well at night. I’m also bored and a bit awkward.”

She was constantly trying to avoid saying she was scared.

“Yes. I’ll try to do that.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes widened at Kang Jin-ho’s words.

She had just thrown it out there, thinking that Kang Jin-ho would make excuses and find other solutions to get out of it. But surprisingly, Kang Jin-ho was listening to her.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if there was no question about it.

“However, it might take about two days. I have some things to take care of.”

“I’m getting discharged in two days!”

“It can’t be helped.”

“You’re such a liar!”

Choi Yeon-ha openly made a face that said, ‘Well, that’s just like you.’

Kang Jin-ho wanted to laugh at her cute expression, but he suppressed his feelings and continued.

“The shock might last longer than you think.”

“Yes, I know.”

“There might be some aftereffects in the future too.”

“I’ll have to deal with it.”

“Once again…”

“Stop it already!”

Kang Jin-ho, who was about to apologize, looked at Choi Yeon-ha with a dumbfounded expression.

“Geez, anyone would think you pushed me off a bridge. You’re a victim too, Mr. Kang Jin-ho. You didn’t do anything wrong, and it’s my fault for dragging you along when you said you were going home. So, let’s not apologize to each other.”

“……Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“Already?”

“Yes. I have things to do.”

“I’m really bored…”

“I’ll come tomorrow.”

Choi Yeon-ha made a face that said, ‘Did this guy eat something wrong?’

‘It’s good that the pretense is gone from her face…’

The fact that the negative emotions she used to hide so well were now showing on her face was a problem. For Kang Jin-ho, that is.

“T-then, you have to come tomorrow.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Hehe, goodbye.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled and waved her hand, and Kang Jin-ho also smiled and nodded. Then, he slowly walked out of the hospital room.

After confirming that Kang Jin-ho had completely left the room, Choi Yeon-ha raised her hands and hugged her shoulders.

‘Don’t tremble.’

Her body began to shake like an aspen tree.

‘I have to look okay.’

She felt like she was about to burst into tears. She was still scared and trembling. Even though she knew there was no reason to be, she couldn’t control her emotions.

The vague and sudden fear that made it hard to breathe, and the anxiety that she might not be able to live as an actress again if this situation continued.

All of that was tormenting Choi Yeon-ha.

Choi Yeon-ha buried her face between her knees and sobbed quietly.

Kang Jin-ho quietly opened his eyes.

He wasn’t so dense that he didn’t notice that Choi Yeon-ha had forced a smile. He could feel her hands trembling under the blanket.

Kang Jin-ho clenched his teeth at her trembling that he could feel through the wall.

“Son…”

The nurse, who was about to guide him to the entrance after seeing him come out, froze on the spot with a pale face when she saw Kang Jin-ho’s expression.

“Ah… Ah…”

“I’m sorry.”

Kang Jin-ho lightly tapped the nurse’s shoulder and walked past her, leaving the hallway and taking out his phone.

‘Alright, now it begins.’

He never forgets a grudge.

That was Kang Jin-ho.