Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 498

There are times when strange things happen in the world. And among those strange occurrences, there are things that defy common sense.

What Lee Joo-seok was experiencing right now was exactly that.

He was doing a somewhat unique job. It was a job that was a little too ordinary to be called special, and a little too special to be called ordinary.

His profession was a tailor.

The place where he worked was the oldest bespoke tailor shop in Korea, with a history of 100 years. If you had any knowledge of ready-made clothes, you couldn’t not know about Taylor Homme. [Bespoke refers to custom-made clothing.]

After all, isn’t fashion ultimately about custom-made? Even those who wore expensive overseas luxury brands eventually came to the tailor shop where he worked.

Lee Joo-seok, who had been working at Taylor Homme for over 20 years, had a great sense of pride in what he did. Custom-made is inevitably expensive.

Moreover, Taylor Homme only used the highest quality fabrics and materials, so the price was astronomical.

However, those who understood the value of Taylor Homme willingly paid the price. The clothes they made were definitely worth it.

Lee Joo-seok loved the moment when clothes made with the highest quality materials elevated a customer’s dignity by a step.

That’s how it had been until now… until now…

The customer who bewildered him had walked in just ten minutes ago. The customer who visited Taylor Homme today was unusual from the start. It was fine when the door opened and the chime bell attached to the door rang.

It was also normal for Lee Joo-seok, who had noticed the customer’s arrival, to jump up from his seat and stand at attention. But that’s when the problem started.

The customer who was coming in got stuck in the door.

‘Is that even possible!’

Of course, Taylor Homme was a shop with history and tradition, and the building they used was also very old. As a result, the entrance door was not as wide as modern ones.

However, there had never been a case where a customer coming through the door got stuck. And he had never imagined that such a thing could happen.

But that unimaginable thing happened today.

The customer, who frowned and twisted his body to get inside, was… how should he put it…

He seemed like someone who was destroying the common sense of humans that he had known so far.

He was a person whose job was to take measurements.

In his twenty years of working at Taylor Homme, he had measured the sizes of thousands of people, and now he was at a level where he could grasp a person’s measurements without even using a tape measure.

But the person who was coming in now was someone whose measurements he couldn’t figure out, even with his excellent eyesight.

‘Is he thicker than a gorilla?’

That’s the thing about custom-made suits.

Some people seek it out because they want something unique, but others come because they can’t find their size in ready-made clothes.

That’s why he had tailored suits for many body types. Among them were bodybuilders who could never wear ready-made clothes, and wrestlers.

But the body of the customer who had just come in made the bodies of those he had previously considered ‘big’ look like slightly chubby middle school students.

It wasn’t ‘big’.

‘Gigantic’ would be more accurate. Yet, it was strangely familiar.

‘Ah, I think I know.’

The green monster he had seen in a recent superhero movie had exactly that kind of physique. He had thought it was a cinematic exaggeration, but who knew that body was a realistic one.

Of course, it wasn’t that big… or was it that big?

I don’t know, I don’t know.

From behind the gigantic man, a slim man peeked his head out sideways. Then, he slowly walked over and stood next to the man.

“Hello.”

“Ah, yes. Welcome, customer!”

Lee Joo-seok, realizing his mistake, bowed his head deeply. For someone who makes clothes to be flustered by a customer’s body, this was something that should never happen.

A person with that kind of body might consider their physique a complex. Such people hate being looked at with surprise or bewilderment.

As someone working in the service industry, he shouldn’t commit such a foolish act. Never!

Lee Joo-seok quickly returned to a calm expression and smiled. Of course, there was room for excuses.

‘No, why did he come in shirtless!’ If he hadn’t come in shirtless, his embarrassment would have been halved.

Anyone would be flustered if a person with that kind of body appeared in front of them half-naked.

“I’ve come to have a suit made.”

Once it was confirmed that he was a customer, there was only one thing he had to do.

“Yes. For whom?”

“Of course, for this one.”

It was obvious without asking.

Lee Joo-seok desperately suppressed a sigh that was about to escape. Just by looking at his body, he could tell that this was no ordinary task. The fabric alone would cost at least three to four times more than for a normal person.

Moreover, since his body type was completely different from that of an average person, his past experience was rendered useless. If the design was even slightly off, it would result in a bizarre shape.

“I, I’ll take your measurements first.”

Lee Joo-seok, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, raised the tape measure.

“I’ve finished taking the measurements, but…”

Lee Joo-seok didn’t know what else to say.

It was the first time he had sweated so much just from taking measurements. Three designers had to rush in to measure the chest circumference, which was inflated by those thick pectoral muscles. He couldn’t measure it alone no matter what.

The thigh circumference was the same as the chest circumference of an average person, and the bicep was the same as the waist circumference of an average man.

So, to exaggerate a little, it would take the fabric for one skinny person to wrap around one of that man’s biceps.

‘How am I supposed to calculate this?’

He couldn’t figure out the price at all. Even he, who was skilled, couldn’t calculate how much fabric it would take to make one suit for this person.

Lee Joo-seok, wiping the sweat from his forehead, forced a smile and said,

“What kind of fabric would you like? Here are some samples…”

“The highest quality.”

The answer came not from the man, but from the man’s attendant.

“The best fabric. But not shiny. The color is black. And make five or six shirts while you’re at it. And… hmm.”

The man scratched his chin as if he was pondering.

“Wouldn’t a normal tie look like a toy on this physique?”

“It certainly would.”

“Then I’ll need ties too. About ten.”

Lee Joo-seok’s mind started spinning. They had to make everything, everything. Then what on earth…

“Ah, and… I’d like some handmade shoes too. Do you make handmade shoes here?”

“We don’t make handmade shoes.”

“If you know a good handmade shoe maker, please introduce me.”

“There’s a good place right next door. If you’d like, I can call them now and have them come over.”

“Hmm, good. Let’s do that.”

“So, one suit, five shirts, and ten ties. Is that correct?”

“No, make it three suits. Black, gray, and navy.”

Lee Joo-seok’s mind was now blank.

Because the best artisans in Korea gathered to make clothes with the highest quality materials, one suit from Taylor Homme was worth more than most luxury suits. And he was ordering so many of them.

‘Is he made of money?’

Of course, it was a thought he shouldn’t have as someone who was selling clothes and receiving that overflowing money.

Lee Joo-seok, who quickly wrote down the order, scratched his head.

“When will it be ready?”

“Since you’re not of average build, it will take some time. Even if we make it as fast as possible, it will take about two weeks…”

“Have it done by tomorrow.”

“Yes? That’s impossible…”

Thud.

At that moment, the man interrupted Lee Joo-seok and said,

“I’ll pay three times the price. If the clothes are finished by tomorrow, I’ll pay three times the price. And I’ll give a separate bonus to those who participate in the production.”

Three times?

The price of the clothes he had just ordered would be equivalent to the annual salary of an average office worker. And three times that?

“Um, just a moment… I know you came knowing the price, but in this case, it will take five or six times the fabric of other clothes, so a price increase is inevitable.”

“I know. I’m saying I’ll pay three times that.”

Lee Joo-seok, who roughly calculated how much three times that would be in his head, asked in a trembling voice,

“T-then, how much is the bonus…”

“One for each person, no matter how many participate.”

“One? You don’t mean one hundred, do you?”

“No, one thousand.”

Lee Joo-seok’s head turned violently to the side.

“Tae-hwan!”

“Yes.”

“Close the door!”

“Yes?”

“We’re not taking any more customers today. Go close the door!”

“Yes!”

Lee Joo-seok’s eyes gleamed. He couldn’t miss this opportunity.

Lee Joo-seok was burning with the determination to finish this job today, even if it meant postponing all other schedules.

Bator, who had his measurements taken by the handmade shoe designer who came to the shop and ordered several pairs of handmade shoes, went to a nearby cafe. Bator, who had finished six shakes in a row, finally put down his glass as if he had finished drinking.

“The clothes will be finished by tomorrow.”

“Money is indeed convenient.”

Although he said that, Bator didn’t look very pleased. He had no intention of denying the power of money. His country had already fully experienced the power of money. Even taxi drivers in front of Chinggis Khaan Airport didn’t hesitate to wield knives to get tourists. [Chinggis Khaan Airport is the main international airport in Mongolia.]

Nevertheless, Bator was uncomfortable with this situation.

His theory was that when people use people with money, they eventually lose their souls. Humans should use money, not the other way around.

“I thought China was also tainted by capitalism, but this place seems even worse.”

“Well, this is Korea. It’s much worse than China when it comes to capitalism.”

“Is it possible for a strong martial artist to be raised in a place like this?”

“Bator-nim, the world is bound to change.”

“Hmm.”

“China is also embracing the wave of openness. Moreover, what about Japan, which is one of the pillars of the world? Now, we must acknowledge that Western capitalism is the center of the world and keep pace with it.”

“Is that Hong Wang’s will?”

“How could I know his will? I’m just guessing.”

“Hmph.”

Bator snorted quietly.

He had no intention of being a fool who ignored the changes in the world. But he couldn’t help it if something didn’t suit his personality.

“Whatever. I’ve entrusted all my actions here to you, so I’ll do whatever you want. If you tell me to wear clothes, I’ll wear them, and if you tell me to be a clown, I’ll be a clown. But instead…”

Bator’s voice echoed loudly.

“You must bring Kang Jin-ho before me. If you fail to do that, you will see hell.”

“I will protect it with my life.”

Bator’s eyes glowed low.