Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 80

“Is this guy really trying to pick a fight?” Kang Jin-ho couldn’t understand at all. “So, did I do something to harm them?” “Are you asking because you don’t know, you bastard?” Kang Jin-ho sighed quietly. He could understand that he had caused some harm. Just from what the man had said earlier, he could tell how they felt. Even if logically or objectively it wasn’t Kang Jin-ho’s fault, if they were feeling relatively pained because of him, he could sufficiently apologize or follow their opinions. But that was something that could be done when a conversation was taking place. Who would understand someone who was resorting to sudden insults and violence? “If I’m wrong, I’ll apologize.” However, Kang Jin-ho decided to hold back once more. But the man didn’t seem to think so. “If you’re wrong? Is this guy trying to go all the way with me?” Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to open his mouth, the door burst open and the drill instructor came inside. “What are you doing?” The man immediately shut his mouth at the sight of the drill instructor. “We were just playing around.” A trainee with some sense and age smiled slyly and made an excuse. “Playing around? You bastards?” The drill instructor stared at the trainees for a moment before opening his mouth. “Keep it moderate. If you get caught slacking off too much just because it’s a day off, I’ll make sure you regret it. Got it?” “Yes, sir!” The drill instructor turned his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho. “Trainee number 100.” “Trainee number 100, Kang Jin-ho.” “Come out.” “Yes, sir.” Kang Jin-ho followed the drill instructor out of the barracks. “Follow me.” “Yes, sir.” Following the drill instructor, they arrived at a place where trainees were usually not allowed to go. “Do you smoke?” “Yes, sir.” “Have a smoke.” Kang Jin-ho took the cigarette the drill instructor offered and hesitated for a moment. “Smoke it. It’s okay.” “It’s not just me who’ll get in trouble if we get caught, is it?” “Ha, this guy.” The drill instructor pointed to the stripes on his chest. “How many is that?” “Four, sir.” “Then what am I?” “A sergeant, sir.” “Do you think anything will happen if a sergeant in the Republic of Korea Army gives a trainee a cigarette? At most, I’ll get sent to the brig [military prison]. I’ll take care of it, so smoke.” “Thank you, sir.” Without another word, Kang Jin-ho put the cigarette in his mouth. The drill instructor lit the cigarette for Kang Jin-ho. “Hey, what were you going to do if I hadn’t come in?” It seemed he had heard everything from outside. Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer and took a drag of his cigarette. “Were you going to fight?” “Yes, sir.” “Ha, this guy… you’re something else. Hey, trainee number 100.” “Trainee number 100, Kang Jin-ho.” “Listen carefully. I’m going to give you a word of advice as a senior in the military, not as a drill instructor.” “Yes, sir.” “Don’t try too hard.” Kang Jin-ho, surprised by the unexpected words, turned his head to look at the drill instructor. “Why? Is it strange?” “No, sir.” “It would be strange. We’re the people whose goal is to train you to be A-grade soldiers and send you to your units, but I’m telling you not to do well. It’s strange, isn’t it?” “It is a little, sir.” “But that’s how the military is. The better you do, the harder it gets.” Kang Jin-ho couldn’t understand the drill instructor’s words. “It’s even worse when you get to your unit. For example, let’s say you’re really good at work. You’re really good at shoveling. Then it doesn’t end with you being good. Because your efficiency is different, all the hard and difficult work will fall on you.” “And the guys who are being compared to you will get tired. People forget the help they receive quickly, but they never forget the harm they suffer. If that repeats, you’ll be the only one suffering. It’s the same this time. What did you do wrong?” “Nothing, sir.” “But look. There are already guys who hate you. Do you know why? Because you’re good. In society, it might be different, but in the military, just being good makes you suffer.” “I don’t understand, sir.” “If you don’t understand, memorize it, you punk.” Kang Jin-ho felt that this whole situation was unreasonable. Only then could he understand what his father had said. That the military is an unreasonable place. And that even if there’s something to be angry about, you should hold back one more time. He was starting to feel the truth of those words. It was a minor issue now. Both the guy who picked a fight and Kang Jin-ho were just trainees. But what if the guy who picked a fight was higher in rank than Kang Jin-ho? Could he still dismiss it as a minor issue then? It was something he wouldn’t know unless he experienced it himself. ‘Unreasonableness and absurdity…’ The drill instructor, noticing that Kang Jin-ho’s expression had hardened a bit, chuckled and said, “Do you know why that guy picked a fight with you earlier?” “No, sir.” “Because he was annoyed by what you were doing.” “Is that so?” “And do you know why he was annoyed?” “No, sir.” “Because this is the military.” Kang Jin-ho tilted his head. It was a completely illogical statement. What did this place being the military have to do with it? “In the military, everyone becomes sharp. There are crazy people everywhere outside, but the reason why everyone seems particularly abnormal in the military is because of that.” “Why is that, sir?” “Because there’s no freedom.” The drill instructor chuckled and put out his cigarette. “Guys who used to live as they pleased come into a place where only men are, and they have to ask for permission even to go to the bathroom, they can’t even drink a soda as they please. How can they not get stressed? That’s why all sorts of accidents happen in the military. They’re annoyed themselves, but they don’t know where that annoyance is coming from. And then they explode over trivial things. Just like now.” It seemed like he understood, but also like he didn’t. Kang Jin-ho thought that what the drill instructor said made sense, but as someone who wasn’t feeling stressed about the current situation, it was hard for him to empathize with their feelings. “So, you’re saying that everyone is sharp, so I should understand and be careful?” The drill instructor slightly raised his eyes and looked at Kang Jin-ho. “…I guess you could say that.” “I understand, sir.” “Did you really understand?” “Yes, sir.” The drill instructor clicked his tongue as he looked at Kang Jin-ho. ‘This guy’s a hardhead too.’ It was said that the heavens don’t give everything to one person, and it was clear that Kang Jin-ho was skilled but lacked social skills. And these types usually become troublemakers. A troublemaker with high abilities is even more troublesome than a just plain stupid troublemaker. ‘He’s going to have a hard time when he gets to his unit.’ It was as if he could see the future, but this was all he could do. He had tried to help because he felt sorry for him, but wasting time on a trainee who couldn’t even understand properly wasn’t very constructive either. “Okay. Then go in.” “Yes, sir.” The drill instructor clicked his tongue quietly as he watched Kang Jin-ho walk towards the barracks. “He’s going to have a hard time.” Kang Jin-ho opened the door and went inside. The lively atmosphere of the barracks seemed to cool down a bit. Kang Jin-ho looked for the trainee who had picked a fight with him. When their eyes met, the man glared. “What’s your problem?” As Kang Jin-ho spoke, the man jumped up from his seat. “Is this guy… picking a fight?” “No.” Kang Jin-ho slightly held out his hand to stop the man. “I’m asking, what’s your problem?” “If I have a problem? What are you going to do?” “If my actions are causing harm, I should fix them. That’s what I’m asking.” The man looked at Kang Jin-ho with a slightly bewildered expression. “…You’re asking what harm you’re causing?” “Yes.” “Wow, this guy is a bit of a nutcase too. I thought he was just an idiot, but he’s a super idiot.” Kang Jin-ho’s eyebrows twitched. ‘I’ll hold back one more time.’ His father’s and Park Yu-min’s requests were playing in his head. He just had to hold back one more time. If he couldn’t hold back anymore, then he could deal with them properly. “I’m warning you in advance, if you curse one more time, I won’t hold back either.” “Ha, this bas…” “That’s the last time.” The man’s mouth closed. ‘What is it?’ It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak. But his mouth closed on its own. As if someone had pressed it down. It wasn’t like any external force had acted on him either. His body had closed his mouth on its own. Instinctively, he felt that saying anything more at this moment could harm him. ‘Did I get scared?’ By the guy in front of him? The man, Joo Young-gi, was dumbfounded and just blinked. It was only because it was the military that he had been holding back, if it had been society, half of this place would have been destroyed by him. In Daegu, if you said Joo Young-gi, everyone his age would know his name, that’s how famous he was. But now, he had closed his mouth because he was scared of this frail-looking guy in front of him? The damaged pride turned into heat and began to surge again. “If it’s because I stood out that you guys suffered, I’ll be careful from now on.” Joo Young-gi watched Kang Jin-ho, who had finished speaking and returned to his seat, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish. He was dumbfounded and bewildered. “Ha, what a…” “Young-gi, stop it. He said he’ll be careful. If you cause trouble, you’ll be the only one who suffers. If you get kicked out of training camp, you don’t know when you’ll be able to come back to the military.” “Yeah, yeah. You should hold back.” “Let’s go get some coffee.” Joo Young-gi turned around and went outside. Then, his close buddies followed him out. Joo Young-gi walked with his shoulders puffed out, but he couldn’t forget the look in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes that he had seen for a moment earlier. ‘What kind of eyes are those?’ He thought that all the talk about knowing someone by looking at their eyes was a lie. Whether a guy was glaring or looking down, if a fist landed on their face, they would all close their eyes and cry. Joo Young-gi thought that the words of his older friends about being able to know someone by looking at their eyes were just a kind of bluff. ‘Something’s different.’ But that guy was different. It wasn’t the kind of look that those bluffing older friends had talked about. Just by looking into his eyes, he had felt a momentary illusion that his neck was being torn off. “I feel terrible.” “Young-gi, hold back. What are you going to do by going against that weirdo?” Normally, he would have been happy to hear those words, but today, for some reason, those words bothered him. “Weirdo?” “Yeah, a weirdo. That guy’s a weirdo.” “…Damn it.” As Joo Young-gi got annoyed, those who were watching him all closed their mouths. Joo Young-gi, who was about to say something, sighed quietly and closed his mouth. Joo Young-gi took the cheap coffee from the vending machine, gulped down the steaming coffee, crumpled the paper cup, and threw it on the floor. “I’m going first.” Then he headed towards the barracks. “What’s wrong with that guy?” “I don’t know.” Those who were left behind could only watch his back, not knowing what was going on.