Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 869

‘Damn it.’ Nobuo looked around with a bewildered gaze. The ship was packed with people. Seeing this made his insides churn. Since they arrived here, they hadn’t heard a proper explanation. All they had heard was, ‘We’re invading Korea,’ and ‘Those who achieve merit will be rewarded accordingly.’ If they were in this state, the others wouldn’t be much different. Just in case, he glanced around, but no one seemed to know what was going on. Yet, no one complained. ‘They’re all crazy.’ He was a Zainichi Korean [a Korean resident in Japan], but he had traveled to Korea quite often. So, he knew quite a bit about Korea. What if the same thing happened in Korea? There would be a riot by now. Those demanding a proper explanation or opposing the war itself would be foaming at the mouth. But these guys were accepting the situation as if nothing was wrong. He didn’t know what they were thinking inside, but from the outside, it looked like they were going to take an exam, not go to war. They recognized the importance of war, but they didn’t try to avoid the war itself. ‘Crazy bastards.’ Maybe it was because he was Korean, but he sometimes got goosebumps at this Japanese national character. He understood that they didn’t like to step forward. Nobuo himself was someone who felt burdened by expressing his opinion in front of others. But this was too much. ‘You should know when to read the room.’ Or maybe they weren’t reading the room. Maybe they thought it was natural to follow orders from above. Maybe only a few unusual people like Nobuo felt uneasy. But no matter which it was, the fact that the current situation was absurd didn’t change. ‘What should I do?’ Nobuo’s head felt heavy. “Why Korea of all places…” Why did it have to be Korea? If they were invading China instead of Korea, Nobuo’s head wouldn’t be so complicated right now. ‘Damn it.’ Fatherland. A fatherland that had done nothing for him. A country that had nothing to do with him. Sometimes, he even hated the fact that he was Korean. Being Korean but living in Japan. How much that situation had tormented Nobuo. He was a stranger. In Korea, he was ridiculed with the derogatory term ‘half-breed,’ and in Japan, he was despised as a dirty Korean. There was nowhere that fully understood and accepted him. The only two ways for such Zainichi Koreans to survive were: Either to form a tight-knit community of Zainichi Koreans and live within that, or, like Nobuo, to hide the fact that they were Zainichi Koreans and pretend to be Japanese. In the past, many chose the former, but now, many chose the latter. No, beyond that, quite a few were naturalizing as Japanese citizens. After all, Japan was where they had to live. Unlike the second-generation Zainichi Koreans who had the hope of returning to Korea someday, the third-generation Zainichi Koreans were not much different from the Japanese. Having grown up experiencing Japanese culture and ideology, Korea was more foreign to them. They sometimes felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort, like just now, but the discomfort they felt in Korea was much worse. Nobuo himself had lived thinking of himself as Japanese rather than Korean. But… ‘Why is this happening?’ He felt uneasy. He couldn’t calm down. He felt like he was standing on a hot iron plate. He couldn’t calm down for a moment and was wandering around. “Nobuo!” “Yes? Yes?” “You bastard, what are you doing!” Motobe had come looking for him. “Ah, I was…” “This bastard!” Slap! Before he could make any excuses, Motobe’s hand slapped his cheek. His lip burst, and blood splattered on the floor. But Nobuo couldn’t even groan. Slap! Slap! Slap! Only after three consecutive slaps did Motobe lower his hand. “Does this bastard think war is a joke?” “I’m sorry.” “Even your superiors are holding their breath and keeping their places, and this bastard is out here playing around? Why? Are you on a sightseeing tour or something?” “I’m sorry.” Motobe glared at Nobuo with angry eyes. Nobuo saw a strange look in his eyes. ‘What is it?’ It wasn’t just simple anger. It was a familiar look, one he couldn’t quite remember, but one he had seen quite often. “You, is it because you’re Zainichi?” So that was it. Nobuo bit his lip. He hadn’t revealed that he was Zainichi to the group. If they had tried to investigate, he wouldn’t have been able to hide it, but he didn’t think he needed to say it himself. If it hadn’t been for the absurd situation of hearing Korean in his moment of great panic today, he would never have said it himself. It was also a burden to lie in front of a big shot like Nakata Yuji. “Yes.” “Why didn’t you say so?” “You didn’t ask.” “This bastard…” Motobe glared at Nobuo with contempt. He didn’t think he needed to say it. As far as he knew, there were quite a few Zainichi in the martial arts world. The higher-ups tacitly condoned it, and the Zainichi didn’t bother to mention their origins. So why did only Nobuo have to reveal it himself? “You’ve been deceiving us well, haven’t you?” “I wasn’t trying to deceive you.” “No?” “Yes.” Nobuo said firmly. It was an excuse, but it was something he had to defend himself with. “I didn’t think there was a need to say I was Zainichi. I think of myself as Japanese. I just haven’t met the requirements yet, and my family is strongly opposed to naturalization. I’ll be Japanese soon, so why…” Slap! Once again, Motobe’s hand struck Nobuo’s cheek. “Is that what you call an excuse?” “You bastard. What changes when you naturalize? Does the blood flowing in your body change?” The blood flowing… He let out a hollow laugh. Then what was he supposed to do? He was born in Japan, went to school in Japan, and lived as a Japanese person. Just because his grandfather, whom he didn’t even remember, was Korean, did that mean he had to live as a Korean forever? “Stop talking nonsense and go back to your place!” “Yes.” “And!” “Yes?” Motobe frowned and said, “You will be working with Kosuke throughout this expedition.” “With Kosuke-san?” “Yes.” “Understood.” “I’m telling you again, if you do anything stupid, I won’t let it slide. Report wherever you go, and don’t leave Kosuke’s side. Do you understand what I mean?” “Yes.” Nobuo bowed his head, and Motobe glared at him before turning away. “Anyway, those Joseon [an old term for Korea] bastards…” Nobuo bit his lip tightly. Here it goes again. That damn word. Joseon. Did anyone think he wanted to be born Korean and live like this? Because of this humiliation, he had wanted to go to Korea more than once or twice. But each time, he had no choice but to hesitate. He had lived as a Japanese person since birth. Going alone to a place where he had no connections and no one he knew and starting from scratch was not an easy thing to do. Moreover, Korea was not very friendly to Zainichi Koreans either. A stranger. Yes, a stranger. A person who couldn’t fit in anywhere. ‘Joseon bastard?’ Nobuo chuckled. Yes, that’s how it is. I thought I was Japanese, but if you, a Japanese person, call me Korean, then I guess I have to accept it. That I am Korean. No, even that doesn’t matter. He had seen with his own eyes how the Korean bastards were selling out their country, so what was the problem? Whether he was Japanese or Korean. Nobuo turned around. But the direction he was going wasn’t towards the cabins assigned to them. “Hey, where are you going?” “Ah, I’m just going to the restroom.” “Restroom? This Joseon bastard is really asking for it!” Motobe started to approach him with a surge of energy. Nobuo gritted his teeth. ‘I’ll take it.’ As much as he wanted. It was at that moment. A man walked towards them. Motobe flinched at the aura the man was giving off. “W-what is it?” Nobuo also turned his head to look at the man. ‘Who is that?’ The big man who was with Nakata Yuji earlier. ‘A Korean.’ Yes, he was Korean. The man approached them with a slightly displeased look on his face. Then, he quietly opened his mouth. “Joseon?” Motobe closed his mouth. The atmosphere this man was giving off was unusual. It felt like a thick stench of blood was wafting from him. And more than anything, the fact that this man was with Nakata Yuji earlier bothered him. Maybe this man was also a big shot. “I apologize.” Lee Seong-hwi raised his head and stared silently at Motobe. Then, Motobe smacked his lips and stepped back. “You, you bastard. Go back to your place.” “Yes.” Leaving those words behind, Motobe walked away. Watching Motobe disappear into the crowd, Lee Seong-hwi opened his mouth. “Are you alright?” Nobuo raised his head and glanced at Lee Seong-hwi. Strangely, he kept laughing. A ridiculous laugh, a hollow laugh. More accurately… “I’ll take that as a thank you.” Then, he turned away without any regrets. ‘Traitor bastard.’ Born in Korea, receiving the benefits of Korea, and then siding with Japan to sell out his country. From his perspective, who had to live in Japan without receiving anything from Korea, he was the most despicable being. Unlike him, that traitor had no justification for betraying Korea. Then what about himself? Did he have a justification? Nobuo raised his hand and rubbed his face. ‘I don’t know anymore.’ Would things have been different if he hadn’t experienced this? No, maybe things wouldn’t have changed. From the moment he saw how things were turning out, maybe he had already made a decision. He couldn’t stop them. He didn’t have the ability or the will to do so. But if that was the case, then at least… With a determined look on his face, Nobuo walked towards the restroom. His hand gripped the cell phone in his pocket. The cell phone felt colder than ever in his hand. ‘Is it still possible?’ It hadn’t been long since they departed. If the ship went too far out to sea, then there would be no way to do anything. He had to make a decision while he still had the power to do so. Lee Seong-hwi was watching Nobuo’s back as he walked away with firm steps, his eyes calm. The sea breeze blowing on his back passed by coldly. “I…” A voice without emotion. But a voice that was more profound and desperate than any other. That was the kind of voice it was. “I…” The sky full of stars was quietly looking down at Lee Seong-hwi.