Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 71

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Kang Eun-young got into the car.

Jo Kyu-min settled into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s like a dream.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Eun-young was still reeling from the sudden turn of events. It felt surreal.

Kang Jin-ho had mentioned something, but she’d thought it was just to comfort her. Now, it was all a reality, and under conditions far better than what Kang Jin-ho had described.

“How could this happen…”

“It’s something Kang Jin-ho can do anytime he sets his mind to it.”

“My brother?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of power does my brother have… The chairman must have taken pity on me.”

“It’s difficult to explain in detail, but Kang Jin-ho is someone with more influence than you realize. If he puts his mind to something, he could shake the world.”

Jo Kyu-min smiled subtly.

It wasn’t an exaggeration. If Kang Jin-ho stopped treating Hwang Jung-hoo, South Korea would be in an uproar that very day.

And…

‘That’s not all.’

Even beyond Hwang Jung-hoo, Kang Jin-ho clearly possessed immense power. This was the conviction Jo Kyu-min had formed while working with him.

Recently, he felt he understood why Chairman Hwang was so keenly focused on Kang Jin-ho.

It wasn’t just because he was treating Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo. He had the power to shake the world even without the chairman.

Though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

“My brother…”

Jo Kyu-min gently pressed the accelerator.

“Anyway, this agency will never have the kind of absurd things that happened before. The group has made a strong request, so you can rest assured.”

“Thank you so much.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m just following orders.”

“Still…”

“If you want to thank someone, you should thank Kang Jin-ho.”

“I am… grateful to my brother. How can I ever express it all in words?”

“That’s what family is for.”

“Yes.”

Tears welled up in Kang Eun-young’s eyes.

That early morning.

Park Hyuk-gi was in a state of terror.

“It was a dream. It has to be a dream. It was just a dream.”

Park Hyuk-gi desperately tried to calm himself, but his trembling body betrayed his true feelings.

“A d-dream. It was a dream…”

Park Hyuk-gi clutched at his hair.

“Will he come? Again? Will he come again? No… that was…”

He even considered reporting it to the police. But there were no visible injuries on his body, and there was no way to prove that it was real.

He also thought about running away to a remote place, but if it was a dream, Park Hyuk-gi would be running from a figment of his imagination, with no end in sight.

In the end, there was only one option.

To endure today.

Park Hyuk-gi bit his nails.

Crunch.

His nails were already torn, exposing the raw flesh underneath and drawing blood, but Park Hyuk-gi kept gnawing at them.

“It’s a dream.”

But that was just Park Hyuk-gi’s wishful thinking.

“Did you wish it was a dream?”

A low voice echoed.

“H-h-huh…”

The Demonic Heavenly Lord, who had appeared before him, slowly approached Park Hyuk-gi.

“I told you, if you think it’s a dream, you’ll have to make a deal with me again.”

“Why me…”

“Consider yourself unlucky.”

“Is the money ready?”

“I guess not.”

“I-I prepared it.”

Park Hyuk-gi’s hands trembled as he reached under the desk. There was a bag filled with 50,000 won bills [approximately $37 USD].

“I-I prepared it just in case. I, I didn’t think it was a dream. So…”

“You’re resourceful.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“I borrowed and scraped money from everywhere. So please, leave me alone now.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Okay, you kept your promise.”

Park Hyuk-gi carefully handed the bag to Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho took the bag and stared at Park Hyuk-gi.

“W-with this, the deal you mentioned is… over.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“No, Park Hyuk-gi.”

Park Hyuk-gi’s eyes widened. The eerie tone in his voice was unbearable. It felt like that hand could strangle him at any moment.

“It’s just the beginning.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was laced with amusement. He couldn’t stand the mocking tone.

“What are you talking about?”

At that moment, the bag in Kang Jin-ho’s hand suddenly burst into flames.

“What are you doing!”

The bag, which had instantly ignited, turned into white ash as if it had never existed. Even though so much money had burned, there was barely any ash left.

Park Hyuk-gi stared blankly at the money that had turned to ash.

Ten billion.

The ten billion won [approximately $7.4 million USD] he had managed to gather by any means had turned to ashes before his very eyes.

“O-oh, oh…”

He was so dumbfounded and speechless that he couldn’t even form a coherent sentence.

This guy is a devil.

Only a devil could do this.

“Now, let’s start again.”

Kang Jin-ho, no, the Demonic Heavenly Lord’s teeth gleamed white.

“Prepare ten billion by tomorrow.”

Park Hyuk-gi’s face turned ashen.

“Don’t forget. If you don’t prepare it, you’ll have to make a deal with me again.”

Park Hyuk-gi’s eyes rolled back as he slowly collapsed.

Over Park Hyuk-gi’s prone figure, a low, eerie laugh echoed through the room.

A few days later.

Reports of Starwiz’s corruption were continuously released. The media fueled public outrage, and various online communities voiced their anger at the blatant corruption.

Amidst all this, when news broke that Park Hyuk-gi, the CEO of Starwiz, had been hospitalized due to a nervous breakdown, people immediately criticized him, calling it a pathetic act.

Moreover, when it was revealed that Park Hyuk-gi had siphoned off billions of won by borrowing money from various sources just before his hospitalization, public opinion became uncontrollable.

Faced with the enraged public, other agencies also rushed to reform, and investigations into the entertainment industry’s corruption followed one after another.

It was truly a period of upheaval.

“Did you do it yourself?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Jo Kyu-min.

“What do you mean?”

“About Park Hyuk-gi.”

Kang Jin-ho just smiled.

Jo Kyu-min felt that Kang Jin-ho’s smile was a bit unsettling.

‘Park Hyuk-gi.’

Park Hyuk-gi was incredibly unlucky.

His luck ran out when he touched Kang Eun-young. If Park Hyuk-gi hadn’t harmed Kang Eun-young, he would still be living peacefully. It was his misfortune to cross paths with her that led to such a massive downfall.

“What about the others?”

“Hwangsung Group was dealt with as you instructed. The enraged CEO apparently shaved his daughter’s head in shame.”

“Hmm…”

“There were quite a few other things as well. Would you like to hear about them?”

“No, thank you.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

It was already in the past, and he wouldn’t be involved any further. There was no need to dwell on such matters.

“In short, most of the others paid the price. Some received more than they deserved, and some less, but most received a fitting punishment.”

“What about the Starwiz trainees?”

“If they have talent, they’ll transfer to other agencies.”

“And if they don’t?”

“They wouldn’t have debuted anyway. It’s fortunate that they got out of that industry quickly.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded with a somber expression.

The entertainment industry.

It was glamorous, but behind the facade, it seemed to be stained with the tears of countless individuals.

There wasn’t a place in the world that wasn’t like that, but as it was a place that shone brighter than anywhere else, the shadows cast behind it were even darker and deeper.

“I’m worried.”

“About your sister?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve personally taken care of everything perfectly. And I’ll continue to oversee it.”

“I’ll trust you.”

“And the agency itself is incomparable to Starwiz. Moreover, knowing that Jae Kyung Group is involved, no rash actions will occur.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. Kang Eun-young would be safe.

But what about the other aspiring artists?

Would they really be free from such dangers now?

‘Eating dreams to fill their bellies is no different now than it was in the past.’ Kang Jin-ho looked out the window with a bitter expression.

* * *

“What are you doing?”

Kang Jin-ho answered calmly.

“Applying for enlistment.”

“E-enlistment?”

Park Yu-min stared blankly at Kang Jin-ho.

Enlistment application? Had he lost his mind?

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re enlisting?”

“Yeah.”

“Already? It’s only been one semester.”

“If it’s a place I have to go anyway, it’s better to go early. I could avoid it if I wanted to, but I don’t really want to.”

“You… you could do something about it, couldn’t you?”

“It’s just pathetic.”

If he used the power of the Jae Kyung Group, he could probably get out of it. He might even be able to get a residency permit in another country.

But he didn’t like that approach.

Avoiding pain was Kang Jin-ho’s principle, but he didn’t think the military was so terrible that he had to go to such lengths to avoid it.

‘Is it worse than the Demonic Cult?’

The modern military was like kindergarten compared to the Demonic Cult of the past.

Besides, the unusual case of obtaining foreign citizenship to avoid military service didn’t align with the ordinary life he envisioned.

“But usually, people go after a year…”

“There’s no point in delaying it.”

“Okay.”

Park Yu-min nodded.

“Aren’t you going to the military?”

“Me? I’m… exempt.”

“There are some benefits to that.”

“It’s the only benefit. But I’d rather be healthy and go to the military.”

“I misspoke. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s nothing.”

Park Yu-min seemed to be pondering something, then nodded.

“Well, then I can focus on the competition for a while.”

“Why?”

“I have to take a leave of absence. What’s the point of going to school alone when you’re not there? I can’t understand anything anyway.”

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t a great idea, but he couldn’t stop him either.

It was Park Yu-min’s choice, so he had to respect it.

“My grades haven’t been great lately because of school, so it’s a good thing.”

“Grades?”

“I fell a bit in the team ranking matches. If I don’t get back up in the next ranking match, the coach will kill me.”

“He’s intense.”

“Yeah, a bit.”

“Isn’t there a competition soon?”

“The spring competition is over, and the summer competition preliminaries have started. The finals will be around early July.”

“Then I’ll get to see you win.”

“Huh?”

“Win.”

“No, it’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“It’s an enlistment gift. Win.”

Park Yu-min’s face stiffened slightly. After hesitating for a moment, Park Yu-min spoke.

“I’ll try.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“But…”

“Yeah?”

“Did you tell Se-yeon that you’re enlisting?”

“Do I have to tell her?”

“You didn’t?”

“Uh…”

“Okay… you didn’t. Then it’s fine.”

“What’s the problem?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Park Yu-min sighed. He couldn’t tell if Kang Jin-ho was oblivious or if Han Se-yeon was just unlucky.