Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 980

“It’s true that I need a new agency right now.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“But I’d rather choose one of the existing agencies than join the one my brother is starting, you know?”

“Why?”

“You don’t know because you haven’t experienced it. My brother is subtly… no, he’s openly conservative. If that happens, he’ll try to interfere with everything, starting with my outfits. Ugh, just thinking about it is exhausting.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“I’ll stop that from happening.”

“You will?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, well, that changes things a bit…”

Kang Eun-young couldn’t help but be tempted by the offer. In fact, if Kang Jin-ho didn’t interfere, being able to work under his support would be a huge advantage.

If she were to go out on her own, there would be many uncertainties, but if she started an agency with Choi Yeon-ha, who could be called the best actress in Korea, it would generate a lot of buzz, and there would be many positive factors to consider.

“Are you really going to do it?”

“I told you I am.”

“Then who’s going to run it? My brother doesn’t know anything about this industry. He doesn’t even know what ‘active period’ and ‘inactive period’ mean.”

“She will.”

“Huh?”

“She’ll do it.”

Kang Eun-young turned her head. Looking where Choi Yeon-ha was pointing, she saw Han Eun-sol, who was sipping her iced Americano through a straw.

‘Indeed.’

Kang Eun-young nodded emphatically.

She could trust Manager Han. To outsiders, she was a nobody, but to people in the industry, she was a legendary figure.

Choi Yeon-ha was famous now, but in the past, she was known as the worst witch in the industry. There was a saying that if you lasted a month as Choi Yeon-ha’s manager, you were guaranteed a job at a major company; if you lasted two months, other agencies would try to poach you for a director position; and if you lasted three months, you could be used as a North Korean spy. [This is a humorous exaggeration of how difficult it was to manage Choi Yeon-ha.]

She was a living saint, a reincarnation of Buddha, who had managed to hold onto Choi Yeon-ha’s manager position for a full two years.

In this industry where experience is everything, Han Eun-sol was someone who could enter any media outlet or broadcasting station with just her resume. It was only because she focused all her energy on Choi Yeon-ha that she didn’t have any other activities.

“I trust her.”

“Right?”

“Yes. But then, doesn’t that mean you have to change your manager?”

“I can just change her.”

Kang Eun-young looked at her with a strange expression, and Choi Yeon-ha covered her mouth and laughed.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the same as I used to be. I’ve been through a lot, and I’ve thought a lot. More than anything, I’m a bit conscious of things.”

“Conscious?”

“Yeah. I’m conscious of your brother, you know? Even if I can’t be a good person, I have to pretend to be one, right?”

“…Is it okay for you to say this to me? What if I tell on you?”

“You know what kind of person I am anyway. There’s no point in hiding it. And Kang Jin-ho knows what kind of person I am too. He still likes me.”

The last part was a bit annoying, but overall, she was right.

“When are you going to start?”

“Are you coming?”

“Of course, I have to. How can I not when my brother is starting a company?”

“That’s admirable.”

Kang Eun-young sighed deeply.

‘Treating me like a kid.’

Kang Eun-young knew it too.

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the type of person to be interested in this kind of thing. The only reason Kang Jin-ho had any interest in the entertainment industry was because of Kang Eun-young.

A CEO of an entertainment agency who doesn’t know the name of a single popular girl group of the time was a disaster.

Even so, the reason why Kang Jin-ho wanted to create an agency was obvious. It was to make things easier for Kang Eun-young.

“You don’t have to try so hard not to burden me. I know that my brother is creating an agency because of me. But how can I not go?”

“That’s not it?”

“……Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha leaned back in her chair and looked down at Kang Eun-young.

“It’s because of me?”

“Even if I’m your younger sister, I hope you don’t misunderstand, Se-ah. This is all about me. You’re just getting a free ride because I’m starting a company.”

A vein popped out on Kang Eun-young’s forehead.

Ah, right.

This was Choi Yeon-ha.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re coming. If you said you weren’t, things would have gotten complicated. You don’t have to worry about anything else. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you the best.”

“I’m already the best, though?”

Sluuuurp.

The sound of Han Eun-sol sucking on her coffee with a straw echoed in the silence.

“Anyway.”

Kang Eun-young changed the subject.

“It doesn’t seem like you have a proper plan yet, so let’s stop talking about this. It’s enough that it’s decided I’m joining.”

“That’s right.”

“More than that…”

Kang Eun-young glanced at Choi Yeon-ha and then opened her mouth.

“I thought my brother went on a trip to Europe with you, but it seems like that wasn’t the case?”

At that moment, Choi Yeon-ha’s eyebrows twitched.

“He went on a business trip.”

“Oh, I thought…”

Kang Eun-young gave a triumphant smile, and Choi Yeon-ha’s brow furrowed a little more.

“I thought there might have been some progress with the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing, but it seems like that’s not the case.”

“There was progress, okay?”

“Doesn’t seem like it?”

“What would a kid like you know?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled.

But that smile didn’t have the same arrogance as before. It was a forced smile. Seeing that expression, Kang Eun-young calmed down her lips, which were trying to curl up.

‘This unnie [older sister or close female friend] is really weird.’

Choi Yeon-ha was someone who even the most renowned directors in Chungmuro [the Korean equivalent of Hollywood] were afraid of. But why did she lose her usual composure whenever Kang Jin-ho was mentioned?

“But why did he go to Europe? You said it was a business trip.”

“He said it was a company business trip?”

“What kind of company is it?”

“If the family doesn’t know, who would?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Actually, I don’t know either.”

A subtle silence passed between them.

Even though the two people who could be said to be the closest to Kang Jin-ho were sitting face to face, they couldn’t even figure out why Kang Jin-ho had gone to Europe.

“This is a bit…”

“Yeah. It’s a problem, a problem.”

“It’s a bit much, right?”

“It is.”

Both women’s faces filled with dissatisfaction.

“I don’t know what he’s doing.”

“I didn’t know what he was doing before either, but now it seems like the scale is getting bigger, and I still don’t know what he’s doing.”

“But I’m his younger sister.”

“I’m his girlfriend.”

“…How can one person have so many secrets?”

“I agree.”

There’s nothing like gossiping to help people get closer. By gossiping about Kang Jin-ho, the two of them dispelled the awkward atmosphere.

“Didn’t you ask him about it?”

“Did you?”

“If I ask him about that kind of thing, he just scolds me for asking useless questions and doesn’t answer. He’s so closed off.”

“Hmm.”

“What about you?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“……Why?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly.

“It wouldn’t look cool if I asked about every little thing. I have to manage my image.”

“And honestly, I’m not that curious. What does it matter what he does?”

“Still, you should know what kind of work your man does. You’re even thinking about marriage, right? Then you have to consider financial issues, don’t you?”

“I have a lot of money.”

“As long as he’s healthy, that’s enough. I can earn the money. I’m thinking of telling him to stay home and take care of the house. But even so, he seems to be doing something diligently. I wish he would just go bankrupt.”

“Go, bankrupt?”

“Yeah. Usually, when a man’s business fails, he just sticks to the house. I like that better.”

There was no answer.

As she had felt many times before, this woman was truly hopeless.

‘The most unusual man I know is dating the most unusual woman I know.’

The more she thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed.

“And anyway, you didn’t ask why he went to Europe either, did you?”

“……Right.”

“Even though you say that, you trust him blindly, don’t you?”

“Ugh.”

Kang Eun-young sighed.

No matter how much she thought about it…

“Actually, even though my brother has his moments of being impulsive, he’s quite a cautious person.”

“That’s right.”

“So, I trust him. I believe he’ll do well no matter what.”

“Me too. That’s why I don’t ask.”

Choi Yeon-ha gave a soft smile.

“Even though he doesn’t seem like it, he takes care of the orphanage, and he’s a warm person inside. He’ll do well no matter what he does.”

“That’s right.”

The two women smiled at each other.

Swish!

The severed head soared into the air.

Unable to believe that his head had been cut off, the wide-eyed head spun around before falling to the floor.

Thud!

Kang Jin-ho, who had stomped on the head, looked around with bloodshot eyes.

“Huuup!”

“Gkk…”

Sounds of gasping for air came from all around.

The Knights.

That noble name.

Those who had risen to that noble position, representing a country and speaking for the will of each nation, were now trembling in fear, surrounded by one person.

‘What the hell is this monster?’

‘How are we supposed to fight someone like this!’

The monster before them defied common sense.

They were martial artists.

If ordinary people were to learn of the existence of martial artists and see them, what would they feel?

Wonder?

Envy?

Or maybe amazement?

No.

History had proven it.

The first emotion that people who learned of the existence of martial artists felt was fear.

Beings that transcended common sense always evoked fear. Misunderstanding led to fear, and fear led to despair.

That was exactly how they felt now.

They couldn’t understand it.

They were all martial artists, but this was different. This was not the martial artist they knew. Kang Jin-ho’s existence was something that even those who had spent their entire lives learning martial arts could not understand.

“Huuuuh…”

Kang Jin-ho’s lips trembled as he let out a rough breath.

A demon descended from hell.

No, it might be easier to fight a real demon. At least a demon could be exorcised. The thing that looked like a demon had none of the weaknesses that a demon had. It was a perfect being.

Thump.

The body of Knight Sharich, who had lost his head, fell to the floor.

And the sound of that had a great meaning. Even though more than a dozen Knights had surrounded Kang Jin-ho, they had not been able to injure him. Instead, they had suffered a casualty.

“K, kill him!”

A voice shouted.

But that voice could not boost morale. A voice that was clearly filled with fear could not raise anyone’s morale.

Nevertheless, the Knights proved why they were Knights.

In a desperate situation.

Even though they had no idea how to fight him, they reacted to that command. They infused their swords with aura, accelerated the mana in their entire bodies, and charged forward.

The demon, whose body was covered in black flames, curled up the corners of his mouth.

The demon, who was emitting streaks of blood, swung his sword, which was surrounded by black flames.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sword, which was filled with aura to the point of bursting, was cut in half, and two more heads soared into the air.

“Aaaaargh! You demon!”

Knight Rodriguez, with tears of blood streaming down his face, rushed towards Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho split Knight Rodriguez in two, from head to crotch.

Crack.

With a sound like cutting a ripe watermelon, the body that had been cut in half rolled on the floor.

Silence.

The Knights, who had stopped in their tracks, stared at Kang Jin-ho, speechless.

“Next.”

Next?

Next, he said?

“Why are you hesitating?”

Kang Jin-ho said with a smile.

“You’re all going to die anyway.”

The air began to grow cold.