Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 810

“Wow, look at this!”\n\n”It’s a tank!”\n\nLarge tanks, bigger than people, were placed on both sides of the dimly lit interior. Inside, colorful fish swam gracefully.\n\n”This, this!”\n\n”You can’t touch it. They said to look with your eyes only.”\n\n”I know! It’s just amazing.”\n\n”The fish probably think you look more amazing.”\n\n”Same goes for people.”\n\n”They’re all going to die, seriously…”\n\nThe children were very excited. The boys ran around, searching for their favorite fish, while the girls pointed at the boys, constantly turning their heads this way and that.\n\n”It is amazing.”

Han Jin-sung smiled as he watched the scene.\n\nJust because they live in an orphanage doesn’t mean they have to miss out on what other kids enjoy. In fact, these days, the system is so well-organized that they get to see and experience more than kids living in typical homes.\n\nEven on Saturdays when he wanted to rest, they would drag him to folk village tours or performances, which sometimes annoyed him.\n\nBut he had never been to an aquarium before.\n\n”Hyung, the kids seem to really like it, right?”\n\n”••••••Shark.”

Han Jin-sung looked at Kang Jin-ho with a slightly annoyed expression. Kang Jin-ho was looking around with his eyes blazing. He seemed determined to see a shark with those eyes.\n\n”Hyung, have you never seen a shark?”\n\n”No.”\n\n”You don’t seem interested in animals?”\n\n”I’ve seen everything else.”\n\n”••••••Is that so?”\n\nHan Jin-sung nodded quietly.\n\nSometimes, this hyung seems a bit clueless.\n\nBut from Kang Jin-ho’s perspective, this was a natural reaction. People are naturally curious about what they haven’t seen.\n\nOrdinary people are amazed by bears, tigers, or elephants, but for Kang Jin-ho, a tiger was like a cat playing in the backyard of the Demonic Cult [a fictional martial arts sect], and a bear was just a slightly dumb, big dog.\n\nIt wasn’t just Kang Jin-ho.\n\nIn the past, in the Demonic Cult, it was common for people to play with tigers in the backyard or take wolves for walks. From their perspective, a tiger and a cat were the same.\n\nOnce, a thoughtless demonkin [a member of the Demonic Cult] killed a tiger, and it turned out that the tiger was a favorite of one of the elders, causing chaos in the cult.\n\nKang Jin-ho ended it neatly by beating up the elder who wanted to kill the demonkin.\n\nAnyway, that’s why he had no interest in land animals. He had seen them quite often in the past.\n\nBut sharks are different!\n\nKang Jin-ho had never seen the sea in his second life. And even if he had seen the sea, he would never have had the chance to dive in and meet a shark. So, how could he not be interested?\n\nLions and tigers on land.\n\nSharks in the sea!\n\nIsn’t this a man’s dream?\n\n”Are sharks big?”\n\nHan Jin-sung shook his head and picked up a pamphlet.\n\n”They say there’s a whale shark?”\n\n”Whale shark?”\n\n”It’s a really big shark.”\n\n”Does it eat people?”\n\n”……Hyung.”

“Yeah?”\n\n”Man-eating sharks aren’t allowed in aquariums.”\n\n”Why?”\n\n”They’re dangerous.”\n\n”Then why are tigers in zoos?”\n\nHan Jin-sung couldn’t find a suitable answer. This guy sometimes catches people off guard with strange questions.\n\n”Anyway, they don’t have them.”\n\n”Is that so?”\n\nKang Jin-ho’s shoulders slumped slightly.\n\n‘Who am I taking care of right now?’\n\nIsn’t Kang Jin-ho supposed to be the supervisor? Shouldn’t the conversation between Kang Jin-ho and Han Jin-sung be the other way around?\n\nHe felt a sense of incongruity, but Han Jin-sung decided to humor Kang Jin-ho for now.\n\n”Instead, they have orcas.”\n\n”Orcas?”\n\n”The most ferocious whale in the sea.”\n\nKang Jin-ho’s eyes widened at the word ‘ferocious.’\n\n‘He’s a serious case.’\n\nThere was no need to tell him that orcas don’t attack people. It’s like there’s no need to tell a child that Santa Claus doesn’t actually exist.\n\nWhat does it matter if it’s a lie, as long as it’s fun?\n\n”Let’s go.”\n\nWatching Kang Jin-ho walk away briskly, Han Jin-sung shook his head.\n\n”Closure?”\n\n”Yes!”\n\nYoon Moon-shik, the president of Sea Paradise Aquarium, looked at the man in front of him with a dumbfounded expression.\n\n”Closure?”\n\n”Yes. We must close.”\n\nYoon Moon-shik chuckled in disbelief.\n\n”Look, Mr. Park.”\n\nThe man called Mr. Park looked at Yoon Moon-shik with a resolute face.\n\n”Think before you speak. Not everything that comes out of your mouth is a valid statement.”\n\n”But, Mr. President.”\n\n”Closure? We just opened three days ago. And you’re saying we should close after three days? Do you know how much we’ll lose if we close and reopen? You couldn’t make that much money even if you worked your whole life. And what? Closure?”\n\nYoon Moon-shik roughly ran his hand through his hair.\n\n”Are you trying to bankrupt me?”\n\n”If we don’t close, we will really go bankrupt.”\n\n”What?”\n\n”If an accident happens and someone dies, it won’t just end with ‘bankruptcy.’ Mr. President, money is good. But you need that money when you’re in society. If an accident happens and you go to jail, you can only eat prison food even if you have billions of dollars.”\n\n”What the hell are you saying?”\n\nYoon Moon-shik jumped up from his seat.\n\n”Are you cursing me?”\n\n”I’m not cursing you. I’m telling you what will happen if we don’t close. How many times have I told you that the tanks can’t handle the weight!”\n\n”Do you even know how thick the acrylic is? Why can’t it handle it?”\n\n”I’m telling you the design is flawed from the start.”\n\n”We’ve done all the safety checks! The country has given us permission, so what’s the problem?”\n\n”Mr. President.”\n\nMr. Park looked straight at Yoon Moon-shik and said,\n\n”Do you think you’ll be innocent just because you passed the safety checks if an accident happens?”\n\n”I’m involved in this too. If an accident happens like this, I won’t be safe either. If you hesitate, I’d rather report it to the police or file a complaint with the district office. Then at least I’ll survive.”\n\n”Hey! Mr. Park!”\n\nYoon Moon-shik, who had jumped up from his seat, glared at Mr. Park. But when Mr. Park showed no signs of backing down, he sighed and slumped back into his chair.\n\n”……Let’s talk.”\n\n”There’s nothing to talk about.”\n\n”I understand what you’re saying, so let’s talk! What’s the situation right now?”\n\n”The central tank can’t handle the load. We need to get everyone out immediately and take action.”\n\n”What kind of action?”\n\n”First, we need to add foam to the outside of the tank, drain all the water, and then reinstall the tank.”\n\n”……How long will that take?”\n\n”About three months……”\n\nYoon Moon-shik leaned his head back on his chair. His eyes, which he had tightly closed, trembled.\n\n”Three months?”\n\n”Yes.”\n\n”……It’s just three months.”\n\nYoon Moon-shik rubbed his face.\n\n”Okay, fine. Then how much longer can that tank hold? When is it going to burst?”\n\n”I don’t know.”\n\n”You don’t know?”\n\n”Yes, I don’t know. There’s no way to know. It could burst today, it could burst in three months, or maybe it will never burst.”\n\n”So you’re saying we have to close this place right now to reinforce a tank that might burst at any time?”\n\n”Mr. President, can you live with a gun pointed at your head, not knowing when it will fire?”\n\nMr. Park said firmly.\n\n”It just hasn’t burst yet. There are only two outcomes. ‘It hasn’t burst yet,’ or ‘It has already burst.’ Once it bursts, it’s too late. Once it bursts, you’ll regret not evacuating everyone and think you wouldn’t have been in this situation.”\n\nYoon Moon-shik stared blankly at the ceiling.\n\n‘Damn it.’\n\nHe couldn’t deny the truth in his words.\n\nHe wasn’t stupid enough not to know that everything Mr. Park was saying was true. But he couldn’t just follow his words either.\n\nWas it because Yoon Moon-shik was a fool with no sense of safety?\n\nNo.\n\n”I understand what you’re saying, Mr. Park. But…… we can’t close.”\n\n”Mr. President!”\n\n”Just listen!”\n\nYoon Moon-shik’s voice also rose.\n\n”I’m not saying we won’t close. Let’s just hold out for the weekend. If what you’re saying is true, it could hold for about three days, right?”\n\n”It’s not possible now. It’s only been three days since we opened. If we send everyone away on the weekend, what kind of rumors will spread? If word gets out that there’s a safety issue, this place will be ruined. Do you think reopening will solve it?”\n\nMr. Park lowered his head slightly.\n\n”Mr. Park, Mr. Park. Please save me. Do I look that rich to you? Do you know how much of my money went into building this? I’m just a figurehead. Do you know how many investors there are here? If a safety issue arises and visitors stop coming, those hyenas will come running to recover their investments, and I’ll be finished. You’ll lose your job too. Do you have anywhere else to work? Should we go to Seoul Station and become homeless together?”\n\nMr. Park bit his lip slightly. What Yoon Moon-shik said was also true.\n\n”So let’s just hold out for three days.” Yoon Moon-shik said firmly.\n\n”Give me some time to make a public announcement and find an excuse. Please, let’s just wait three days. I’m the unluckiest guy, but it won’t burst in just three days, right? Or else, I’m going to be ruined anyway!”\n\nMr. Park stared at Yoon Moon-shik for a moment, then sighed.\n\n”Three days.”\n\n”Yes. Three days is enough. I’ll find a way, no matter what.”\n\n”If you don’t close after three days, I’ll report it. I have no choice. I have to survive too.”\n\n”I know, I know. I know that it’s over if there’s a safety accident. Don’t look at me like I’m such an idiot. I want to fix this place properly and run it well more than you do.”\n\n”……I guess so.”\n\nBecause salarymen and businessmen are different.\n\nMr. Park nodded and turned around.\n\n”Then I’ll go check the situation again.”\n\n”Please do.”\n\nAs Mr. Park went outside, Yoon Moon-shik slumped down in his chair.\n\nClick! Click!\n\nHe tried to light the cigarette in his mouth, but the lighter didn’t work.\n\nClick! Click!\n\nAfter trying to light it several times, Yoon Moon-shik threw the lighter against the wall.\n\n”Aaaaaaaargh! Damn it!”\n\nHe was frustrated.\n\nAfter shouting for a while, Yoon Moon-shik took a deep breath and looked at the calendar.\n\n‘I have to hold out for the weekend.’\n\nThe number of visitors was at an all-time high. If he could just hold out for the weekend, he could show enough profit to convince the investors.\n\n‘Just the weekend.’\n\nYoon Moon-shik closed his eyes and began to pray.\n\n”Hyung.”\n\n”Yeah?”\n\n”What are you doing?”\n\n”Ah••••••”\n\nKang Jin-ho tilted his head.\n\n”No, I thought I heard a sound.”\n\n”What sound? Did someone call you?”\n\n”Not like that, it was a strange sound.”\n\n”I didn’t hear anything?”\n\n”Hehehe.”\n\nHan Jin-sung chuckled and said,\n\n”Let’s go quickly. They say there are sharks up ahead.”\n\n”Let’s go!”\n\nKang Jin-ho, who was watching Han Jin-sung walk ahead, frowned slightly and turned his head.\n\n‘What was that sound?’\n\nHe felt a little strange, but Kang Jin-ho shook his head and followed Han Jin-sung.\n\nWith so many people around, it was possible to hear strange sounds.\n\nBut even as Kang Jin-ho followed Han Jin-sung, he looked back several times.\n\nAs if he couldn’t hide his unease.