Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 483

“……It’s like hell.”

Class was over.

Usually, this time of day was the most enjoyable, but today, it was anything but welcome.

Having a rough idea of what would happen tonight, going home felt very uncomfortable.

“He’s going to start something terrifying again.”

Kang Jin-ho’s greatest strength and most terrifying aspect were strangely the same: his incredible drive.

Once an idea came up, he never put it off. Regardless of the side effects, he pushed forward like a bulldozer and eventually solved it.

“But the results are always good, so I can’t even complain.”

Han Jin-sung sighed repeatedly.

They say that employees suffer under a capable boss, and Han Jin-sung, who hadn’t even gotten a job yet, understood what that meant. This was unfortunate.

When he got home today, Kang Jin-ho would undoubtedly have come up with a variety of solutions. And in a very logical and perfect way.

That was all well and good, but…

“I don’t want to study!”

Han Jin-sung shouted, and the kids around him clicked their tongues.

“Look at that spirit.”

“A social dropout has already emerged here. Good for him.”

“Shut up, you guys!”

“Hehehehe.”

His friends teased him, but Han Jin-sung ignored them and went outside.

“Where are you going? Let’s go to a PC cafe [internet cafe]. Why are you so eager to go home when you don’t want to study?”

“I have to go home today.”

“Did you hide something at home?”

“……It would be a relief if that were the case. There’s a gate to hell open at home. Sigh, I’m going.”

Han Jin-sung, who came outside waving his hand, rubbed his face.

‘It’s all thanks to my brothers that I can shout like this.’

When Kang Jin-ho took the lead, the changes were dramatic.

With just a small trigger, Han Jin-sung’s life changed drastically. Yoon Da-bin, who had been tormenting him, was crushed, and the kids around him stopped approaching Han Jin-sung. Sensing a subtle shift in power, they subtly wanted to become friends with him.

For a while, he felt disgusted by this change in attitude, but after realizing that those kids were also being suppressed by Yoon Da-bin like him, he was able to feel a little more at ease.

Just by Kang Jin-ho making a slight move, his comfortable school life had returned. Thinking about it, his abilities were truly amazing, but…

‘The direction is the problem!’

This time, those amazing abilities would be used to torment him. Han Jin-sung wanted to avoid studying as much as possible, but would Kang Jin-ho allow that?

Han Jin-sung sighed deeply and walked out of the school gate.

“……As expected.”

As soon as he returned to the orphanage, he saw the kids gathered in the living room. It seemed that they hadn’t called the middle schoolers, only the high schoolers were gathered. Among them, the kids who attended special schools due to various issues were all excluded, and only the kids who attended regular high schools were gathered…

‘Why are there so many?’

He was suddenly reminded that the number of kids in this orphanage was no joke. There were many before, but as support started coming into the orphanage, they took in kids from other orphanages that were struggling. Now, it was hard to call it a ‘small’ orphanage.

Just like a village in a game that grows in population and gets promoted to a city, the Seongsim Orphanage was gradually increasing its numbers and influence.

Han Jin-sung’s eyes finally landed on Jo Mi-hye.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“What are you going to do about this situation?”

“What?”

“Why did you stir up trouble for no reason? You knew exactly how those guys would react the moment you said that.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No!”

“Whatever!”

Jo Mi-hye cut off Han Jin-sung’s words firmly.

“I didn’t say anything wrong. I also study hard, but what can I do if I can’t keep up with the kids who get tutoring and go to academies [private educational institutions]?”

“Then you should blame your brain.”

“That’s funny. If my brain wasn’t good, would I even get these grades? It’s been a long time since the news talked about studying hard with textbooks. How long are we supposed to keep banging our heads against a wall?”

“And I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t think the brothers could solve it. But the brothers can come up with some kind of solution, right?”

“Aren’t you thinking about the burden you’re putting on the brothers?”

“Hey, you idiot! I need to do well in my studies to succeed, and that’s how I can help the brothers even a little bit later! Aren’t the brothers going to get married and have their own families? Do they have to come running to handle our problems even then?”

Han Jin-sung flinched and stepped back. Jo Mi-hye’s momentum was overwhelming him.

“If they’ve received that much, they should think about giving back! Don’t you think the biggest way we can repay the brothers is by succeeding and helping the orphanage?”

“……No, what I mean is……”

“Please grow up! Is this the time to whine about not wanting to study? Even kids from normal families are working hard to get into good universities at this age. I don’t know what kind of guts you have to be so fond of playing around. If you live like that and still rely on the brothers when you get older, I’ll tear your hair out.”

Han Jin-sung, completely defeated, lowered his head and went to a corner. Then, people around him patted him on the shoulder.

“That’s what you get for stirring up trouble.”

“You can’t win with words.”

“Honestly, you did play around a bit.”

Whether it was comfort or a final blow, many words poured out on him.

But Jo Mi-hye wasn’t satisfied there.

“You guys listen carefully too.”

“Huh?”

“People should have a sense of shame. If you’ve received this much, you should think about how to repay it. Honestly, how have Jin-ho and Yu-min treated us? They’ve treated us better than most parents.”

“That’s right.”

“But there are people who take it for granted. Do you know who I hate the most in the world?”

“……Who?”

Han Jin-sung thought of the word ‘parents’ in his head. The trauma of being abandoned by their parents and coming to the orphanage was like an inescapable curse for them.

The people they wanted to see the most, yet hated the most. That was what their parents were to them.

But the words that came out of Jo Mi-hye’s mouth were completely different.

“Those who never show their faces after graduating.”

It felt like he had been hit on the head.

“How much did Yu-min and Jin-ho spend their own money to treat us well? But these beasts graduate and think it’s natural and only look out for themselves. People shouldn’t do that. They should try to repay what they’ve received. They should try to succeed and ease the burden on the brothers.”

Han Jin-sung nodded without realizing it.

He didn’t want to agree because he had been scolded so much, but Jo Mi-hye’s words were not wrong.

“To do that, we have to succeed. Even if I have to leech off the brothers a little more now, I will definitely succeed. So that later, the brothers don’t have to come to the orphanage every time. Whether it’s by giving them a salary or volunteering, somehow!”

A slight silence fell.

None of them knew that Jo Mi-hye had been thinking like this.

The living room was filled with reflection on whether they had been too complacent and contemplation about a new perspective.

“So, even if we’re bothering the brothers now, we need to create an environment where we can study. If we just live comfortably to make the brothers comfortable, I won’t be able to become someone who can help them later. Do you understand what I mean?”

“……Why are you looking at me again?”

“Because you’re the biggest problem! The third-year brothers are at least trying to study hard, but what’s wrong with you?”

“……I was going to get a job at a factory as soon as possible.”

“That’s something you do when you’ve tried everything else.”

“No……”

At that moment, the door opened, and Jo Gyu-min, Kang Jin-ho, and Park Yu-min came out.

“Sit down, sit down.”

As Jo Gyu-min spoke, the kids sat in a circle in the room.

“Hmm, I don’t know where to start, but who was the first person to bring it up? That it’s hard to study these days?”

Jo Mi-hye raised her hand.

“Okay. It doesn’t mean that you have to take responsibility just because you brought it up first, but I think you’ve thought the most deeply about the current situation. So, can you tell us what the problem is?”

“Everything.”

Jo Mi-hye said clearly.

“Everything from A to Z is a problem.”

“Can you tell us all of it?”

“Yes.”

Jo Mi-hye cleared her throat and spoke.

“For example, even buying one workbook takes too long. Unless I buy it with my own allowance, I have to talk about what I need, then the orphanage teachers have to submit the payment request, and after the payment is approved, someone has to buy the book and give it to us. This process easily takes a week.”

“Hmm……”

Jo Gyu-min nodded. That was definitely a problem.

“Moreover, other kids aren’t just studying on their own with workbooks. Kids who go to academies and get private tutoring are also studying. The teachers also focus on those kids when setting the pace and teaching, so it’s too hard to keep up.”

“I see. What about time?”

“The time issue seems okay. If we could reduce the commute time, we could study more, but… honestly, that’s a problem that other kids also face.”

“I understand.”

Jo Gyu-min nodded.

“The problem isn’t serious, but it’s a bit complicated. The simple solution would be to send you to academies and make it possible to buy the books you want right away, but that’s a way to heal the wound, not to remove the scar. We can’t do anything about the gap that has already formed.”

“Yes.”

“Then we need a special measure….”

Jo Gyu-min stroked his nose.

“The problem is that there are some people here who don’t really like that special measure. Honestly, I think that a well-organized system or high-quality education that can lead you to the top is helpful for those who want it, but it’s torture for those who don’t.”

“Everyone has different aptitudes. Forcing someone who doesn’t have an aptitude for studying is harmful to the other kids and discourages the person teaching you. So, before we come up with a plan, I’d like only those who want to remain.”

Jo Gyu-min’s eyes were firm.

“Only those who want to improve their grades should stay in the living room. We’ll go back in and come out in five minutes. We’ll proceed with only the people who are left here in five minutes. It’s five minutes.”

Jo Gyu-min didn’t say much. Explaining more was no different from asking them to stay.

Jo Gyu-min, who went into the room with Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min, leaned against the door and sighed.

“We have a lot to do.”

“Will many stay?”

“I don’t know.”

Jo Gyu-min shrugged. From the beginning, studying was not something that could be forced. If they didn’t have the desire, it was right to look for other paths. Studying wasn’t everything in life.

“Don’t expect many to stay. That would mean that the kids who don’t stay are wrong. What we need to do is create an environment where the kids who want to study can study, not drag the kids who don’t want to study.”

“……As expected of Director Jo.”

Receiving Park Yu-min’s respectful gaze, Jo Gyu-min smiled unconsciously.

It had been too long since he had received such a look.

“So, don’t change your expression. Don’t show any signs of disappointment. Got it?”

“Then let’s go out.”

Jo Gyu-min, who gave instructions to Park Yu-min and opened the door, slightly opened his mouth.

“What, what is it?”

An unexpected situation had unfolded outside the door.