Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 46

Jo Gyu-min opened the door and bowed deeply.

“You’ve arrived?”

“It’s been a while, Chairman.”

“Yes, has everything been alright?”

“Yes.”

“Then, tell me about Kang Jin-ho, the person you’ve been observing.”

Jo Gyu-min swallowed and took out a report.

“Another written report?”

“I don’t have a desk at the company.”

“Heh heh! Ahem! Sorry about that. I’ll make sure to take care of it.”

“It’s alright.”

Jo Gyu-min began his report.

“Recently, Kang Jin-ho has been focusing on his studies, and his grades are rapidly improving.”

“To what extent?”

“Not exceptionally outstanding. He’s just now at the level of a good student.”

“Is that so?”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Jo Gyu-min with a slightly disappointed expression.

“It seems he’s not particularly bright.”

“On the contrary.”

“What do you mean?”

Jo Gyu-min pointed to the report.

“As I’ve written in the report, Kang Jin-ho lost most of his past memories after a traffic accident.”

“Huh?”

“And it seems that includes his knowledge. Usually, even when memories are damaged, common sense and knowledge remain, but this seems to be a rather unusual case.”

“Is that so?”

Hwang Jung-hoo said with a slightly surprised look.

“Wait. Wasn’t the traffic accident just a year ago?”

“That’s correct. Kang Jin-ho is catching up on 12 years of elementary, middle, and high school education in just one year.”

“That’s fast. Should we say he’s twelve times faster than others? No, not quite that much.”

“The problem is that he doesn’t seem to be particularly focused on studying. Even though he studies moderately, he’s catching up at an astonishing rate. I’m curious how his scores will be on the day of the college entrance exam.”

“What’s his target university?”

“Jae-kyung University.”

“Is that so?”

Hwang Jung-hoo burst into a hearty laugh.

“It seems he’s interested in our group, even if he doesn’t say it.”

“He says it’s close and convenient.”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Jo Gyu-min with a sullen face.

“Well, okay, that’s enough about his grades. If he’s just smart, grades don’t matter much. What about other aspects?”

“What do you mean by other aspects?”

“What kind of person is Kang Jin-ho, the human being you’ve been observing?”

Jo Gyu-min pondered.

These were just simple feelings. For Jo Gyu-min, who had a principle of removing emotions from reports, reporting based solely on feelings was awkward.

But if Hwang Jung-hoo wanted it, he had to do it.

“Kang Jin-ho is…”

Jo Gyu-min answered truthfully.

“He’s an unknowable person.”

“Unknowable?”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Jo Gyu-min with a disappointed expression.

“What do you mean? You’ve been watching him for over a year, and you can’t figure him out.”

“That’s why he’s even more unknowable.”

“Kang Jin-ho is a different person when you first see him, when you see him a few times, and when you observe him for a long time.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded.

He had felt the same way.

“When I first saw Kang Jin-ho, I didn’t understand why the Chairman was so interested in him. Honestly… I even thought he might be the Chairman’s hidden child.”

“Where would I get the energy for that?”

“Well, you know, men are unpredictable.”

“Anyway.”

Jo Gyu-min continued.

“But as I watched him, my assessment of Kang Jin-ho changed. He’s an incredibly outstanding person, far beyond what he appears to be. He’s quick, accurate, and decisive. It’s like… looking at the Chairman himself.”

“That’s a good assessment.”

Jo Gyu-min’s face hardened.

“But recently, he’s different again.”

“In what way?”

“He’s hiding something inside himself.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled. It seemed Jo Gyu-min had also caught on to Kang Jin-ho’s true nature.

“Why do you think so?”

“I’ve felt it from time to time. Especially when he doesn’t pay attention to me. There have been times when I’ve felt a chill down my spine and turned to look at him.”

“Can you be so sure based on just a feeling?”

“Do you remember Choi Myung-gil?”

“Choi Myung-gil?”

“The chairman of the Dongmyung Foundation.”

“Ah, that rotten eye. I remember him.”

“Do you remember why Choi Myung-gil first got involved with Kang Jin-ho?”

“Didn’t he say he fought with his grandson? Do you think I can’t even remember that much?”

“His grandson, Choi Young-soo, is now a wreck.”

“What?”

“At first, it was reported that he was just showing some signs of confusion, so I didn’t pay much attention. But recently, when I looked into Choi Young-soo, he was in terrible shape. A young and healthy man was in a miserable state.”

“Hmm…”

“It seems that Kang Jin-ho is the one who made him that way.”

Hwang Jung-hoo also thought that was likely. When he first saw Kang Jin-ho, Hwang Jung-hoo thought he had seen a devil.

“Why do you think so?”

“I heard it.”

“Heard what?”

“The conversation between Kang Jin-ho and Choi Young-soo.”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s eyes widened slightly.

“Are you saying you met Choi Young-soo?”

Jo Gyu-min shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. It was Kang Jin-ho who went to find Choi Young-soo. I just guided him.”

“Tell me in detail.”

“It was about a month ago.”

“There’s someone I need to find.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Jo Gyu-min tilted his head.

Finding someone?

It wasn’t like a family reunion search; what was this sudden nonsense?

“Who are you talking about?”

“Choi Young-soo.”

“Huh?”

“Choi Young-soo, the grandson of the Dongmyung Foundation chairman. He used to attend this school.”

“Ah, I think I know who you mean. But why him?”

“Don’t ask why, just find out where he is.”

“…That’s not difficult. Should I bring him here?”

“No, I’ll go.”

Jo Gyu-min felt that Kang Jin-ho’s eyes seemed unusually heavy today.

“I’ve found him.”

“Where is he?”

“Not far from here. It seems he couldn’t leave the place he’s lived his whole life.”

“Can you take me there?”

“I’ll escort you.”

Jo Gyu-min put Kang Jin-ho in the car and headed towards Choi Young-soo.

As they found the address, they arrived at a steep shantytown where cars could no longer go up.

“It’s up there, it seems you’ll have to walk from here.”

“I will.”

Kang Jin-ho got out of the car and looked at the shantytown.

Small, shabby houses were densely packed on the steep hill. The old Seongsim Orphanage used to be in a place like this.

“Are there many shantytowns like this in Seoul?”

“Yes, Seoul is a place with two sides. The rich live in luxury, but there are also many people struggling. It’s like that in most big cities, not just Seoul.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho followed behind Jo Gyu-min.

After walking for a while, Jo Gyu-min was able to find the house he was looking for.

“I think it’s here.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho opened the door and went inside.

Screeeak!

The front door made a sharp noise as it scraped open.

“Wh-who is it? Cough!”

A raspy voice came from inside.

Kang Jin-ho walked inside without a word.

“Who…”

The old man who struggled to walk outside widened his eyes in shock.

“Y-you, you, you are!”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the old man.

The chairman of the Dongmyung Foundation.

No, the old man who had now been ousted from the chairman’s position, Choi Myung-gil.

“Kang Jin-ho!”

Choi Myung-gil looked at Kang Jin-ho with surprised eyes.

Jo Gyu-min tried to block Kang Jin-ho. He believed that if Choi Myung-gil saw Kang Jin-ho, he would definitely attack him. But Choi Myung-gil’s reaction was very different from Jo Gyu-min’s expectations.

Choi Myung-gil stepped back with fearful eyes.

“Why, why did you come! Why are you here!” His voice was loud, but it was by no means a threatening voice.

It sounded more like a desperate plea to warn those around him of danger.

“I came to find Choi Young-soo.”

“Why Young-soo! Please, leave our Young-soo alone now! He’s not been himself because of you! Can’t you forgive him now?”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

A low breathing sound could be heard.

Kang Jin-ho grabbed and pushed away Choi Myung-gil, who was rushing at him.

Choi Myung-gil, who had been wary with fearful eyes, had rushed at him as soon as Kang Jin-ho realized Choi Young-soo’s presence.

Whatever he had done to Kang Jin-ho, his affection was commendable.

Kang Jin-ho opened the door and went inside.

A musty smell wafted from the room.

And in the corner of the room, a young man with long, tangled hair was asleep.

“Please! He had a seizure and took sleeping pills, and he’s just now asleep. It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! Please, leave him alone!”

But Choi Myung-gil’s desperate cries woke up Choi Young-soo, who had fallen asleep.

Choi Young-soo opened his eyes and turned his head. He saw Kang Jin-ho in his eyes.

“Heeeeeek!”

Choi Young-soo was terrified, as if he had seen a monster, and backed away from Kang Jin-ho.

The sight was so pitiful that even Jo Gyu-min felt sorry for him.

“Kang Jin-ho! Kang Jin-ho! Aaaaaaah!”

Choi Young-soo screamed like a madman. Kang Jin-ho quietly watched the scene.

The first time he saw Choi Young-soo when he returned to the past, he was a handsome young man. Although his personality was twisted, he was a decent young man by anyone’s standards.

But who could imagine the past version of Choi Young-soo from the current one?

His beard was overgrown, his hair was tangled, and he looked like a homeless person.

His half-open pupils were constantly darting around, trembling with anxiety, and his body, visible through his dirty clothes, was emaciated.

“Is this Choi Young-soo?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer and approached Choi Young-soo.

“Don’t come! Aaaaaah! Don’t come!” Kang Jin-ho strode towards Choi Young-soo and grabbed his head.

“You bastard!”

Jo Gyu-min grabbed Choi Myung-gil.

Even so, he didn’t take his eyes off Kang Jin-ho’s every move. If Kang Jin-ho were to touch Choi Young-soo, he had to stop him at all costs.

Kang Jin-ho’s mouth slowly opened.

“Look at me.”

“Aaaaaaah!”

Kang Jin-ho’s hand tightly gripped Choi Young-soo’s head.

“Look at me, Choi Young-soo. Who am I?”

“Tell me. Who am I?”

“Kang Jin…ho…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Yes, it’s me. Choi Young-soo, I’m Kang Jin-ho.”

The inner energy flowing from Kang Jin-ho’s hand corrected the twisted blood vessels in Choi Young-soo’s brain.

Choi Young-soo, who had regained some of his reason, looked at Kang Jin-ho with a pale face.

“What were you seeing?”

“I was…”

“What did you see?”

Choi Young-soo answered, trembling.

“Hell…”

A smile appeared on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“Yes. I told you, you would see hell while you were alive.”

“K-Kang Jin…”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“Don’t be scared. I didn’t come looking for you. You were just seeing the me you created. I won’t do anything to you.”

Choi Young-soo’s body slowly calmed down. He still seemed to be trembling with fear, but he wasn’t screaming like before.

“Do you see?”

Kang Jin-ho grabbed Choi Young-soo’s head and showed him around.

“This is your reality.”

“Don’t run away. It’s not a dream. You were dreaming. This is what happened to you while you abandoned reality.” Kang Jin-ho’s voice was more desolate than ever. That desolate voice clearly penetrated Choi Young-soo’s ears.