Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 771

A questioning gaze.

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but flinch the moment he saw those eyes. At the very least, the person in front of him shouldn’t be looking at him with such an expression.

A slight tilt of the head.

And a narrowing of the brow.

With just those simple actions, Kang Jin-ho could guess what words would follow.

“Who?”

“Who are you?”

Kang Jin-ho sighed quietly.

“Sorry for not contacting you.”

“No, first of all, who are you? Do I know you?”

“I said I’m sorry.”

Joo Young-gi stared intently at Kang Jin-ho’s face before clapping his hands and nodding.

“Ah, I remember now. So, your name is Kang… Jin-gu?”

“It’s Kang Jin-ho.”

“That’s right, that was the name… Sorry, young man. I guess I’m getting old, I can’t remember the names of people I met a long time ago.”

Kang Jin-ho looked up at the ceiling.

‘I can’t say anything because I’m guilty…’

It seems that people in this world value contact much more than Kang Jin-ho does. Back in the Central Plains, sending a letter once a year was enough for people who were a bit far apart, but here, if you don’t contact someone for a month, they act like you’ve broken off all ties. It’s just….

“So, what brings you here?”

“I came to see a friend.”

“A friend, a friend… Well, young man, have a seat. Hearing the word ‘friend’ reminds me of something.”

Kang Jin-ho sat down where Joo Young-gi pointed.

Then, Joo Young-gi sat down weakly across from Kang Jin-ho, propped his chin on his hand, and said,

“Friend, friend… Yes, it’s a good word. There was a time when I had friends too. Really good friends. I met them in the military, and I thought I wouldn’t regret doing anything for them…”

“That…”

“If that friend were still alive, it would have been a great relationship… Oh, I’m being too sentimental. So… who is this friend you’re looking for?”

“I’m sorry.”

Joo Young-gi slowly raised his middle finger.

“If apologizing solved everything, there wouldn’t be wars in the world, you bastard.”

Joo Young-gi said, huffing.

“Okay, fine. It’s all good. People can be busy and not contact each other. Considering your weak social skills, as fragile as an oasis in the Sahara Desert, I can understand that such a thing could happen. I have to take that into account, I do. But!”

Joo Young-gi’s eyes widened.

Kang Jin-ho took a step back, startled by the murderous intent emanating from his gaze. It was a historic moment when the Demon Lord retreated in front of someone.

“Taking all that into account, I kindly sent you a message, but you ignored it? Three times in a row?”

“Listen carefully, my friend. No, former friend. Ignoring a message three times in a row signifies the end of a relationship. It’s like declaring that you’re severing all ties and that you’ll never contact me again. Do you understand?”

“Is it that serious?”

Joo Young-gi abruptly asked a customer sitting at the next table.

“What do you think?”

“It means they want to cut ties.”

“Did you hear that?”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless at the answer that came without a second of hesitation. Seriously, just because he didn’t reply to a few text messages, their relationship was going to fall apart?

How much detailed consideration does this world require?

“…I think I made a big mistake.”

“A mistake?”

Joo Young-gi spread his hand wide and slowly waved it from side to side.

“Listen carefully, my friend. No, former friend.”

“Can you stop with that…”

“A mistake is something that happens unintentionally. What you did can’t be called a mistake. Ignoring a message is not a mistake!”

‘Did I kill someone?’

Kang Jin-ho wondered if it was fair to be branded a murderer for not replying to three messages.

“So, what’s the reason for coming back to seek the old warmth, traveler?”

“…Let’s stop there.”

This is dizzying.

Joo Young-gi chuckled as he looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“I should say that’s just like you.”

“If I’m like this twice more, I’ll probably die face down in a puddle.”

“Yeah, you must be getting a hard time everywhere.”

“…Yeah.”

“It’s all because of how you handle things. Human relationships are like flower pots.”

“Flower pots?”

“You need to continuously care for them, give them water and sunlight for the flowers to bloom. If you think that giving them a lot of water and nutrients once means you can just leave them in a corner and not care about them, they’ll all dry up and die.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Joo Young-gi with a very surprised expression. If someone else had said those words, he would have just accepted it, but it was so out of character for Joo Young-gi to say that.

“Uh…”

“I know what you want to say, so just don’t.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded blankly.

‘People grow.’

He was reminded of that. How much Joo Young-gi had changed from when they first met. Joo Young-gi, who had been full of bravado and pride, had become someone who could give such advice to Kang Jin-ho.

‘Have I changed a lot too?’

He couldn’t be sure.

People’s evaluations are not something they can make themselves. Kang Jin-ho himself thought he had changed a lot, but he couldn’t be sure if he had really changed that much, and if the direction of that change was the right one.

“Look at your face.”

Joo Young-gi clicked his tongue and got up from his seat.

“If you’re at a pizza place, you should eat pizza. You probably came without eating, right?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Yoo-min is supposed to come, so I’ll eat when she gets here.”

“Park Yoo-min, Park Yoo-min… Hey, you’re going to wear Yoo-min out. Don’t look for her too much. Is she your wife?”

“Wife, what are you talking about?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

‘This is a strange feeling.’

It felt like seeing a mother scolding her child for causing trouble but still telling them to eat and sleep well.

Recently, he had been so focused on the General Assembly that he had less time to see his friends. Perhaps, considering the time they spent together and their impact on his life, Jo Gyu-min and Lee Hyun-soo had become much more important people than them.

Nevertheless, those people could not replace Joo Young-gi or Park Yoo-min. The feeling that the word ‘friend’ brought was completely different from the emotions he felt with them.

“There she comes, there. That one’s a tiger too.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled at Joo Young-gi’s teasing. As expected, Park Yoo-min opened the door and came inside.

“Yo, celebrity.”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“You’ve been on TV lately, haven’t you?”

“That’s nothing new.”

“You look terrible on camera? I thought you were a goblin.”

Park Yoo-min looked at Joo Young-gi with a flustered face, and Joo Young-gi stepped back, saying, ‘Ah, it’s hot.’

“She’s been playing those games where you beat people up, and her personality has gotten worse. Look at her eyes.”

“I used to play even more violent games!”

“That’s why you’re like that. Your temper.”

“It’s already painful enough to see my face on the screen.”

Park Yoo-min shook her head and sat down. There are quite a few people whose faces look different on camera than in real life, but Park Yoo-min was one of those people who looked strangely bad on camera.

“What do you want to eat?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Park Yoo-min opened the menu. But Joo Young-gi seemed to have changed his mind.

“No. Now that we’re all here, we shouldn’t be eating pizza here. Wait a minute.”

Joo Young-gi took off the bandana he was wearing on his head.

“Let’s go out.”

“But we’re not done with business yet?”

“I’m the boss, if I want to go out, I’ll go out! Wait a minute!”

Joo Young-gi headed into the kitchen with a confident stride. Watching him, Kang Jin-ho and Park Yoo-min felt a sense of unease.

“I think he’s going to get scolded.”

“Right?”

Sure enough, loud voices began to be heard from inside the kitchen.

“What? Go out? What time is it now, and you’re abandoning the store? Are you even a boss?”

“It’s not like I do this every time. I’ve been working without a day off, and my friends came, so I’m just asking you to let it slide for today.”

“Why do you need a day off! You’re always lazing around and can’t even take orders properly, why do you need a day off! We’re already swamped with customers, where are you going!”

“The kids are here. I’ll talk to them and we’ll go. I’ll make sure there are no problems in the hall, just this once. Please…”

“Go out! And don’t come back! Get out now!”

“No, that…”

Listening to the sounds, Kang Jin-ho quietly closed his eyes.

Park Yoo-min was showing a similar reaction. After a little while, Joo Young-gi came out of the kitchen with a triumphant look on his face.

“Let’s go!”

“…Okay.”

“If I decide to go, I’ll go, it’s no big deal!”

“Young-gi.”

“What?”

“We heard everything.”

“…Really?”

Joo Young-gi’s shoulders slumped.

“She’s a tiger.”

It was a voice full of sincerity.

Joo Young-gi, who had put down his beer glass, muttered weakly.

“I thought she was a rabbit. No, honestly, I thought she had a sly fox-like side. But that’s part of her charm, right?”

“…Depends on the person.”

“But when I took off the rabbit mask, it wasn’t a fox, but a tiger that came out. It’s not just a light scolding. It’s like she’s using a plane to shave me down. I’m going to lose all my skin.”

It was too solemn a tone to be just complaining.

Park Yoo-min was at a loss as to how to sympathize with something she had never experienced, and Kang Jin-ho was…

“…I understand.”

He was actually sympathizing with this situation.

Kang Jin-ho could fully imagine how a person felt when they were tormented by a tiger-like girlfriend. It seemed like he had already reached a similar level.

‘I need to contact her.’

It was better to be scolded for not contacting family or friends. If Choi Yeon-ha started to get angry, he would be knocked down in less than 10 minutes.

“But you look happy?”

Park Yoo-min said with a smile, and Joo Young-gi mumbled.

“So, what does it feel like…”

“Yeah?”

“It’s really hard to explain… So, let’s say I really like whipped cream cake.”

“Okay.”

“But I really hate raisins.”

“Okay.”

“It’s like having a really delicious cake with raisins embedded in it. The cake is delicious, so it’s good to eat, but these raisins are…”

“I understand.”

Park Yoo-min nodded vigorously. She felt like she knew what he meant.

“Yeah. But it’s still good.” Joo Young-gi scratched his head.

“It’s because of her personality that she’s dating a guy like me. What woman would be able to handle me?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Forget it, man. I know myself. I’m just a kid full of bravado with no substance.”

“You’re doing too well for someone with no substance? The store is full of customers.”

“It’s not all because of me.” Joo Young-gi smiled awkwardly.

‘He’s definitely changed.’

The old Joo Young-gi would have boasted that all of this was due to his abilities and would have held his nose up to the ceiling.

“So, what I’m saying is…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m thinking about getting married.”

Kang Jin-ho and Park Yoo-min’s eyes widened.