Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 41

The shop owner quietly alternated his gaze between Kang Jin-ho and the bicycle before finally speaking.

“A tandem?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to ride this with two people?”

“Yes.”

“Is that not allowed?”

Did he just ask if it wasn’t allowed? The shop owner’s face began to flush red.

“What do you think this bicycle is?”

“Pardon?”

“This bicycle is like a sports car, with all sorts of bicycle technology concentrated into it! It’s designed to be lightweight, stable, and ergonomically optimized for speed on the road! No, it’s more like an F1 machine! And you’re saying what? Two people? You’re going to ride it with two people?”

Kang Jin-ho calmly nodded.

“Yes.”

“And you’re going to ruin its aesthetics by attaching that hideous luggage rack on the rear wheel?”

“Yes.”

The owner was now practically foaming at the mouth.

“I can’t do it! I can’t do such a thing with my own hands!”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho turned away nonchalantly. It wasn’t like this was the only bike shop around, and if they wouldn’t do it, so be it.

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

“W-wait a minute!”

“Yes?”

“Are you really going to attach it?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.”

“Really?”

As Kang Jin-ho began to pull the bicycle away, the shop owner grabbed his arm and sighed deeply.

“…This is insane.”

Though he said that, he seemed to have accepted that the outcome wouldn’t change.

“Wait a bit.”

The shop owner went inside and came out with a luggage rack seat.

Then, while muttering to himself, he attached the luggage rack seat to the back of the bicycle with a dark expression.

Park Yu-min realized for the first time that the sound of tightening screws could sound so sad.

With a soul-less expression, the shop owner looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“…It’s done.”

“How much is it?”

The shop owner didn’t answer, his shoulders slumped as he stared at the luggage rack attached to the rear wheel of the Bianchi [a high-end Italian bicycle brand].

What should one say about this sight? Is this what it feels like to have a rattling teardrop trailer attached to the back of a top-of-the-line sports car?

…No, this must be what it feels like to see a rickshaw attached to a top-of-the-line sports car.

“Just go.”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t bring myself to take money after doing such a terrible thing. It’s tearing my heart apart.”

“But still, the money…”

“It’s fine. I did it because I was worried you might go somewhere else and scratch the frame. I installed it as carefully as possible, so you have to be careful when you ride it!”

Besides that, the shop owner went on and on about how to take care of the bicycle, saying things like, ‘Don’t apply lubricant yourself, make sure you come here to do it.’ Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

He was a bit excessive, but he seemed like someone who truly loved bicycles.

“Yes, I understand.”

As Kang Jin-ho turned to leave with the bicycle, the shop owner swallowed his tears.

Heaven is so cruel.

To give such a masterpiece to such an ignorant person!

It was an insult to the bicycle. But regardless, Kang Jin-ho quickly disappeared from the shop owner’s sight.

Turning the corner, Kang Jin-ho called out to Park Yu-min.

“Get on.”

“Huh? Did you put it on because of me?”

“Of course.”

“I feel sorry for the shop owner.”

“I know, right?”

If he gets hurt by something like this, he’ll have many more things to be hurt by in the future.

Kang Jin-ho took Park Yu-min and headed towards the orphanage.

However, there was one thing Kang Jin-ho overlooked: no matter how good the bicycle was, the pedals were not that different.

It was a mistake for Jo Gyu-min to remove the road racer cleats [specialized cycling shoes that clip into the pedals] that were on the Bianchi and replace them with regular pedals.

The moment he put force on the pedals while going uphill, they broke off without resistance, and Kang Jin-ho had to hold his head in his hands.

The next day, after being hurt by Kang Jin-ho’s blunt remark, ‘Even if you throw money at it, it’s not that different!’, Jo Gyu-min immediately custom-ordered pedals that would never break.

Supporting Kang Jin-ho was a long and arduous task.

* * *

“An apartment is better!”

“What are you talking about! A house with a garden is better!”

“Then who’s going to take care of the garden?”

“I’ll do it.”

“Oh my, you’d do a great job, you would! What have you ever done that you said you’d do? And now you’re saying you’ll take care of the garden!”

“I’ll do it this time!”

“It’s too noisy! Let’s go to an apartment that’s easy to manage!”

Baek Hyun-jung’s firm response!

Normally, Kang Yu-hwan would have given in to Baek Hyun-jung’s words, pretending to be unable to win. But this time, he couldn’t give in.

“Don’t you have any romantic feelings about a lawn? A wide front yard with a lawn, and washing the car on that lawn…”

“If you bring the car onto the lawn, the grass will die, so no.”

“…You’re a realistic woman.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“…I guess.”

Kang Jin-ho left the house, ignoring the petty marital squabble that was happening again this morning.

“I’m off.”

“Jin-ho, which is better!”

His father, who was increasingly losing, desperately asked Kang Jin-ho for help.

But there was only one thing Kang Jin-ho could say.

“I’ll go wherever you two decide.”

“You heartless kid, you’ve inherited your mother’s blood properly.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“…I guess.”

Kang Jin-ho grinned and closed the door. His bicycle, Goldie, came down from Kang Jin-ho’s shoulder.

“It’s nice, but…”

Having to keep it indoors bothered him.

Kang Jin-ho had intended to just keep it outside, but his father, who had a good eye for things, was horrified and brought the bicycle inside.

His mother, who had been yelling about bringing something dirty into the house, was speechless after hearing the price of the bicycle and assigned it a place.

“Oppa, I’m going with you!”

Kang Eun-young came running out.

“Why are you leaving so early?”

“I have to go a bit early today.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and pointed to the seat on the back.

“Want a ride?”

Kang Eun-young, who had been quietly staring at the bicycle, nodded heavily as if she had made up her mind.

Kang Jin-ho felt a bit uneasy at her solemnity.

It wasn’t like his bicycle was some kind of runaway train.

“Go slow.”

“Okay.”

“If you drive like last time, I’ll rip all your hair out.”

“I said okay.”

Kang Eun-young, who had sat on Kang Jin-ho’s back seat out of curiosity before, was shocked by the bicycle’s insane speed and had a fit. The curses she had screamed while sitting on the ground, crying and yelling for the bicycle to stop, were still vivid in his ears.

Still, it was somewhat admirable that she was trying to ride the bicycle again after going through that.

Kang Jin-ho paid his respects to his sister’s courage and slowly rode the bicycle.

Of course, that ‘slowly’ was based on Kang Jin-ho’s standards.

Thump.

Something grabbed the back of his head.

“I told you to go slow.”

“I’m going… very… slowly, though?”

“Slow down more.”

“As you command.”

Kang Jin-ho rode the bicycle at a snail’s pace.

‘At this rate, it feels slower than other bicycles…’

He should have ignored her and gone, but his mouth was his downfall.

Kang Jin-ho barely arrived at Dongmyeong Middle School at a speed that made him want to yawn.

“Good work, driver Kang.”

“Where’s my fare?”

“Get lost.”

“Yes. I hope you fall on your way.”

Kang Jin-ho turned the bicycle around and rode off at a speed that was incomparable to what he had been doing.

Kang Eun-young’s friends approached her.

“Your brother is really handsome.”

“Your standards are really low, aren’t they?”

“He’s handsome enough.”

“Where do you see that? If you have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, are you handsome?” Kang Eun-young’s friend giggled.

“That’s funny. Your eyes are weird. Hey, can you introduce me to your brother?”

“No.”

“Why!”

“You’re too good for him. My brother is someone you can’t associate with. His personality is so weird.”

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay. So please introduce me!”

“I said no! Hey, go away!”

“Why are you getting angry!”

“If I say no, then it’s no!” Kang Eun-young shouted and turned away.

‘Where did that cockroach-looking thing come from, trying to covet my brother?’

Kang Eun-young glanced back at Kang Jin-ho riding his bicycle. The way his hair fluttered in the wind and his long legs, even she, his sister, had to admit he looked good.

‘He’s become quite the dragon lately.’ As her brother became more handsome, bugs were starting to gather.

‘Over my dead body!’

Kang Eun-young’s fighting spirit blazed.

Kang Jin-ho pulled his bicycle towards the chairman’s office.

‘Can’t I stop doing this?’ It was annoying and peculiar, so he had tried parking the bicycle in the bike rack once.

But when he came down after class, the bicycle had been moved to the chairman’s office as if by a ghost. After that, Kang Jin-ho decided it was better to take the bicycle up himself rather than unnecessarily making someone else suffer.

Kang Jin-ho opened the door and went inside.

Inside the chairman’s office, Jo Gyu-min was busy making coffee.

“I’ve prepared it.”

“What’s with the coffee?”

“Morning coffee is a must in the morning.”

“You want someone who just exercised to drink hot coffee?”

“I’ve prepared an iced Americano.”

“You’re flawless.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Kang Jin-ho put Goldie down and sat on the sofa.

He held the iced Americano that Jo Gyu-min had given him.

At first, he had felt burdened by constantly going in and out of the chairman’s office as a student, but after doing it a few times, it had become natural.

Kang Jin-ho gulped down the coffee in one go.

“You should savor the aroma of the coffee…”

“Thanks for the meal.”

Jo Gyu-min smiled helplessly as he watched Kang Jin-ho leave.

He was a very self-willed person.

As Kang Jin-ho headed to the classroom, he saw someone waiting for him.

“Kang Jin-ho.”

It was Han Se-yeon.

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head, wondering what was going on so early in the morning.

“If you see someone, you should greet them first.”

“I’ll return that exact same phrase to you.”

“You never give in.”

“What’s the matter?”

Han Se-yeon gave a triumphant smile.

“Do you know what day it is today?”

“A mock exam.”

“Let’s make a bet.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Han Se-yeon.

“A bet?”

“You said you could beat me, right? Let’s bet this time. How about it?”

“A bet…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It was Kang Jin-ho’s way to never refuse a challenge, no matter the situation.

“Sure.”

“If it’s a bet, we need to set conditions. What will you bet?”

“I don’t know?”

“If I win, you have to grant me one wish.”

“Isn’t that unreasonable?”

“I’ll only ask for a wish that you can grant. If it’s too difficult, you can say no.”

“Okay.”

“What about you?”

“Let’s do the same.”

“Okay! Don’t forget! It’s about granting a wish!”

Han Se-yeon left after saying those words.

Kang Jin-ho smiled and entered the classroom.

If they saw him as the Kang Jin-ho of the past, they would be in for a big surprise.

Having felt the need to study, Kang Jin-ho had been focusing on his studies recently.

With Kang Jin-ho’s brain being several times more active than in the past, the effect of studying in his spare time would be significant.

‘It’s a problem if I do too well, but I should at least get my original grades.’

Kang Jin-ho sat down leisurely. The exam started, and Kang Jin-ho lightly picked up his pen.

But it didn’t take long for him to realize that the world wasn’t so easy.