Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 354

“M-Me?”

“Yes, you.”

The secretary stared at Lee Myung-hwan, who had asked back, with a blunt gaze. It was a look that seemed to say, ‘What’s wrong with me calling you here?’

‘Why? Why are they calling for me?’ A sudden fear gripped him.

‘Was I too much?’ In an instant, the thought that he shouldn’t have acted out flashed through his mind. He had thought that Bang Jin-hoon would understand, but looking back, what did he know about Bang Jin-hoon to think that way?

“M-Me too?” Gong Young-gil also asked back, his face pale.

“What are you saying? Hurry up and come.” The secretary was annoyed, but neither Gong Young-gil nor Lee Myung-hwan could move easily.

The story the cleanup crew had told them began to circulate in their minds. The cleanup crew members had started whispering among themselves, then looked at them with pity. No, rather than pity, what should it be called… Wasn’t that the look of someone watching a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse? It was almost as if they didn’t see them as living people.

‘Why did I do that?’ Only then did it hit him. If they were Japanese martial artists who had come to Korea for a special purpose, their skills would be incomparable to Lee Myung-hwan’s own. The gap between Japan and Korea was that significant. Even in the visible world, the difference in national power was double, but the difference in the underworld was even greater. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that there was a tenfold difference.

So, how would someone who had brutally killed not one, but twenty such martial artists feel when they heard Lee Myung-hwan and Gong Young-gil talking about their skills? If Lee Myung-hwan were in Kang Jin-ho’s position, he would have beaten Lee Myung-hwan to death on the spot. At the very least, he would have made sure he couldn’t move for a few days. Thinking that, he was suddenly filled with fear.

‘I-If I go, am I going to die?’ They said he had just killed twenty people. What difference would adding two more make? Twenty was just a number; if someone had killed twenty people, they weren’t human. They had to be seen as a demon who didn’t see people as people.

“…W-Where do we have to go?”

“To the council head’s office, you bastards. Why aren’t you moving?” The secretary openly started to get annoyed. He hadn’t seen what had happened in the auditorium and had simply come to deliver the order, so he couldn’t understand why Lee Myung-hwan and Gong Young-gil were hesitating. Normally, they would have felt resentment, but now they didn’t even have the energy for that. They didn’t have the time to blame others.

Lee Myung-hwan slowly got up from his seat. As he stood up, Gong Young-gil looked at him with trembling eyes. A look that asked what to do.

‘That bastard.’ He should have kept it moderate; why did he have to escalate things like this? He had started it, but if Gong Young-gil hadn’t gone overboard, things wouldn’t have gotten this big. The thought made him want to kill Gong Young-gil. It wasn’t just an empty threat; if killing Gong Young-gil could solve the situation, Lee Myung-hwan would have snapped his neck without hesitation.

“…Let’s go.”

“G-Go?”

“Then what else are we going to do?”

“No, I…” Gong Young-gil hesitated and got up from his seat. Watching him, Lee Myung-hwan sighed.

‘Would he really kill us?’ With so many people around, he wouldn’t just call them in to kill them. That would be a self-defeating move. ‘But would a guy who killed twenty people care about that?’ It was impossible if you thought about it with a normal mindset, but the problem was that the other party wasn’t normal.

What made Lee Myung-hwan even more frustrated was that the guys who had been chattering loudly just a moment ago were now all staring at them with blank expressions. Not even a comforting word that everything would be alright came out. The story the cleanup crew had told them made them realize that this was no ordinary situation.

‘Bastards, when they were having fun, they were all over the place.’ Even if he were in the opposite position, he would have been the same as them, but that’s just how people are. As he glanced around, he could feel the others avoiding his gaze.

“Shit.” He openly cursed, but no one protested. Well, in their eyes, Lee Myung-hwan probably already looked half-dead, so there was no need to argue with a corpse. As Lee Myung-hwan walked towards the door, Gong Young-gil followed behind with a sullen face.

“Aren’t you coming with us?”

“Don’t you know where the council head’s office is?”

“…I do.”

“Do I have to guide you too?”

“No, sir.” It wasn’t the first time he had experienced the secretary’s prickly attitude, but today his reaction felt particularly abrasive, which meant that Lee Myung-hwan’s mind was that much more confused. Lee Myung-hwan bit his lip and started walking down the hallway.

“Hey, what are we going to do?” As Gong Young-gil asked in a trembling voice, Lee Myung-hwan’s face contorted.

“That’s why I told you to watch your mouth! How many times did I tell you? Why did you have to escalate things?”

“I thought it was okay. Honestly, he looked a bit easy to deal with.”

“Shut your mouth before I rip it off.”

“…I’m sorry.” Gong Young-gil lowered his head.

‘Damn it.’ He knew it was just him taking out his anger. He didn’t think Gong Young-gil was that much at fault. If the situation were reversed, he might have reacted similarly. It was a mistake, but Gong Young-gil was originally that kind of guy, and Lee Myung-hwan was originally that kind of guy. He had thought that a day would come when they would get a taste of their own medicine for talking like that, and that day just happened to be today.

‘And the opponent just happened to be that guy.’ The hallway felt longer than usual today. It was like walking into the gates of hell. The hallway was usually dimly lit, so the atmosphere felt even more eerie.

“Is it real?”

“What?”

“…Twenty people.”

Lee Myung-hwan’s chest felt heavy again.

“Do you think they would lie to us?”

“Probably not.”

“Would they come back covered in blood just to create a scary atmosphere? Is it Halloween today? Or April Fool’s Day?”

“No.”

“Please!” Lee Myung-hwan turned his head and glared fiercely, and Gong Young-gil lowered his head even further.

“Haa…” Lee Myung-hwan, who had let out a deep sigh, clenched his fist tightly.

‘Don’t overthink it.’ It might not be a big deal. He had asked them to gather the stories from the guys below earlier, so maybe they were calling him and Gong Young-gil as part of that. After all, they were the only two who had voiced their opinions. If he activated his happy circuit to the maximum, he could come to that conclusion. The problem was that he wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath if that wasn’t the case.

“…We’re here.” As they climbed the stairs and reached the top floor, they saw the large door leading to the council head’s office. It was a place he would usually peek at out of curiosity, but today the door felt like the gates of hell. It was the first time Lee Myung-hwan had realized that a dark brown wooden door could be so intimidating. Lee Myung-hwan swallowed hard and stopped in front of the door. He just had to knock and go inside, but his hand wouldn’t move. Gong Young-gil was also standing there with a pale face, unable to think about going inside.

‘Calm down.’ Lee Myung-hwan stroked his chest. The face of Kang Jin-ho came to his mind. His impression was a bit cold, but Kang Jin-ho, who had responded with a smile, didn’t seem to have any particular feelings when he called them. However… ‘Damn it, what can’t a crazy bastard who killed twenty people and then smiled do?’ When he thought about what he had done before, that was a problem in itself. If what the cleanup crew said was true, then a guy who had turned twenty people into a bloody mess was now dressed neatly in a suit and greeting them. How could a person do that?

‘Damn it.’ His hand was trembling. It felt like his body was out of control. Lee Myung-hwan, who had taken several deep breaths, was about to knock on the door when a heavy voice came from inside.

“If you’re here, come in.”

“Hoo…” Lee Myung-hwan exhaled.

‘Would he really kill us?’ With a feeling of ‘it’s either death or fainting,’ he flung the door open. As the door opened, he saw Bang Jin-hoon and Kang Jin-ho sitting on the sofa in the center. An ashtray was open, and two cigarette butts were visible inside. ‘This isn’t good.’ It seemed like they had arrived at the council head’s office and had a cigarette together. That meant that the two of them were on good terms, enough to smoke together. Ignoring their age difference. That fact was not going to work in Lee Myung-hwan’s favor. As Lee Myung-hwan hesitated, thinking that the situation was getting more and more complicated, Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“If you’re here, come in. What are you doing?”

“Yes? Ah… Yes!” Lee Myung-hwan stammered and hurriedly went inside.

‘What should I do?’ Should he stand here, or should he sit there? Things that he wouldn’t have even thought about before were now bothering him. He couldn’t figure out what the right position for him to take in this room was.

“Sit over here.”

“…Yes.” He sat where Bang Jin-hoon pointed, and Kang Jin-ho was across from him. ‘Why here again?’ He wanted to scream. His chest felt so heavy, like something was pressing down on it.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?”

“Yes?”

“I’m asking if you want coffee.”

“Ah, no, thank you.”

“Hey, did you come here like you’re being dragged to a slaughterhouse? I’m trying my best to break down the authoritarianism, but if you get this nervous just by coming into the council head’s office, how will I look?”

“Yes?” When Lee Myung-hwan didn’t respond properly, Bang Jin-hoon sighed and said to Kang Jin-ho.

“No, sir. I’m not like that.”

“You’re just showing your true colors.”

“Wow… I’m telling you, I’m not. These guys all think I’m some pushover. You saw it earlier, didn’t you?”

“Those who know, know.”

“Wow, I’m going crazy. Seriously.” Bang Jin-hoon thumped his chest as if he was frustrated, then glared at Lee Myung-hwan and Gong Young-gil with a fierce look. Bang Jin-hoon might have been trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but Lee Myung-hwan, who was on the receiving end of that gaze, felt like his heart was sinking. Even so, his gaze followed Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho, who was drinking coffee on the other side, looked completely relaxed. Just by looking at him, he looked like a handsome office worker who had just finished work and was enjoying a cup of coffee at a cafe.

‘Did that guy just kill people?’ Now he didn’t even know who to believe. Whether he knew of Lee Myung-hwan’s confusion or not, Bang Jin-hoon smiled and opened his mouth.

“The reason I called you here is not for anything else, but because I have a favor to ask.”

“…Did you say a favor?”

“Yes. When I saw you earlier, you seemed to be the most fearless. You’re good at talking rudely, and you have a knack for saying things that make people feel bad. It was very impressive.” Lee Myung-hwan closed his eyes.